Ironton schools consider new policy
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, April 5, 2000
City students face new disciplinary procedures now that the Ironton Board of Education has approved changes in suspension and expulsion policies.
Wednesday, April 05, 2000
City students face new disciplinary procedures now that the Ironton Board of Education has approved changes in suspension and expulsion policies.
The procedures, which include a "three-strikes" plan, give administrators more opportunities to work one-on-one with problem students.
Superintendent Steve Kingery presented flagrant insubordination, permanent exclusion, expulsion, suspension and emergency removal policies to board members at a late January meeting, hoping to standardize and merge several separate rule lists.
Under new policies, students who are habitually violent, truant or who break rules could be found to exhibit flagrant insubordination and would then receive suspensions.
At the first suspension, the board office would send a letter to parents explaining that the student faces expulsion if he is suspended three times.
At the second suspension, parents are contacted and urged to attend a conference with the principal, superintendent, student and others. Details of the suspension will be listed and counseling information given to parents. If parents choose not to attend, a letter containing similar information would be mailed.
By the third suspension, the parents would be notified that the student faces expulsion and would be asked to attend a pre-expulsion hearing. At the hearing, officials would detail a behavior modification plan for the student. The superintendent would have the right to expel upon the student’s first violation of that plan.
The board approved the polices, in two separate actions, by only a 3-2 vote. Board members Robert Pleasant and Gary Neal cast no votes on each measure.
Discussion of the flagrant insubordination policy created the most debate.
Pleasant voiced his concern about current disciplinary procedures that are already not enforced.
And, there is no effective support for students until they are outside the classroom, after the discipline, he said.
"What’s in place before we get to this point where we’re talking about suspension and expelling?"
Kingery said the policy surfaced to deal with the number of multiple expulsions administrators have been seeing.
Although principals have the authority to create student support systems within schools, more access to support programs is needed higher up the district ladder, he said.
"With this policy, the superintendent steps in and puts that support plan in place," Kingery said. "That’s the kind of thing we want to make sure happens."
Pleasant reaffirmed his position that support services within individual schools need to come first.
"Too many times, we’re more reactive than pro-active," he said.
Board member Gary Neal said he doesn’t favor revised policies unless policies are enforced equally among student populations.
Also Friday, board members approved revisions to the student code of conduct.
Kingery altered the original changes after meeting with student representatives, he said.
For example, the regulation banning pagers and other electronic communications devices also prohibited personal computers and handheld electronic calendars, which was not the rule’s purpose.
That paragraph was changed in the final wording, Kingery said.
Pleasant and Neal also cast no votes on the code of conduct changes.
Pleasant said he voted no because several rules were too unclear.