Turning it around in Alabama
Hoover schools committee to review discipline policy
Updated 12 March 2004: Panel favors policy changes
Three students were kicked off of the wrestling team and transferred to an alternative school after being accused of drinking alcoholic beverages outside a school event. The two seniors were also prevented from going to graduation ceremonies.
The students sued. The school system settled. They took the lesson to heart and are now looking at revamping their discipline policy.
Some parents say school officials were overzealous in their punishment of the wrestlers and need to revise their discipline policy to take students’ records into account.
There need to be tiers of punishment, and punishment needs to be administered reasonably and equitably, the mother of one of the wrestlers has said.
Other parents have said they appreciate that the Hoover school system has high standards, especially in the area of alcohol and other drugs.
[Deputy Superintendent Connie] Williams said school board President Joe Dean asked her to put together a committee to review Hoover’s discipline policy for serious misconduct.
The committee is being chaired by Simmons Middle School Principal Carol Barber.
It also includes administrators from all Hoover middle and high schools, principals from two elementary schools and the Crossroads alternative school, three parents chosen by the Hoover Parent Teacher Council, drug prevention and intervention specialists, two police officers, a school board member and the coordinator of Hoover’s anti-drug coalition.
It’s nice to be able to point to cases like these where a problem became apparent, was recognized (even if it was with the help of a court case) and people are now working to fix it.
UPDATE
A Hoover schools committee reviewing the school system’s discipline policy on Thursday voted 13-0 in favor of changes that give principals more discretion in whether students go to alternative school.
…
The proposal also would delete a requirement that students who exhibit chronic behavioral problems such as excessive absences, missed Saturday schools and repeated intensive school supervision placements must spend at least 25 days at alternative school.Hoover police Lt. Janie Neill, a committee member, said she’s concerned about how long first-time offenders sent to Crossroads must remain.
“I would have a problem with my child going to Crossroads for 45 days if my kid had never had problems before,” Neill said.
Note that this is the vote of the panel assembled to look into the excessive discipline problem. This vote is a step in the right direction but does not actually change any policies yet.
I’m a bit confused. What was the problem here?
This was a good news story, Mike. I post lauds too when I find them (I just don’t find a whole lot of them).
Problem - apparently - was that the school system had a disciplinary policy that was not clear-cut, equitable and legally supportable. Arbitrary or poorly-constructed disciplinary policies are far too open to abuse or neglect, whether real or perceived - this does not serve the system’s clients (the students, their parents and the community), and leaves the system open to adverse legal action.