Carroll County school officials concerned about proposed state school discipline regulations

SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED AS WELL?  DAMN STRAIGHT!

Posted: Sunday, October 20, 2013 12:00 am

By Alisha George Times Staff Writer, Carroll County Times

 

The Carroll County Board of Education is concerned that the Maryland State Board of Education’s proposed school discipline guidelines and regulations would take away local control of discipline and have negative educational impacts for students.

 

The Maryland State Board of Education is proposing new student discipline regulations that, if adopted, would apply to every public school system in Maryland. Student disciplinary policies and regulations currently fall under the sole authority of each county’s Board of Education.

 

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The proposed discipline regulations and guidelines are out for public comment until Nov. 4. The state board is then scheduled to adopt the regulations and guidelines Dec. 10. If approved, they would likely go into effect next school year.

 

Its adoption would philosophically change how students are disciplined in Carroll County, according to Dana Falls, director of student services for Carroll County Public Schools.

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HISTORY

This is the second time the state board has published such regulations. In 2011, the first set of regulations were published and saw much opposition.

 

The Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review got involved and postponed the vote on the first set of regulations. The state board then pulled the regulations. Afterward, the state established work groups to study the regulations, and now they are back for public comment and possible approval.

 

The new set of guidelines and regulations were published in the Maryland Register Oct. 4 and are out of a 30-day comment period. These regulations similar to the regulations seen in 2011.

Source: Jonathan O’Neal, Assistant Superintendent of Administration for CCPS

 

CARROLL COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION CONCERNS

• Disciplinary policy should remain under the total authority of the local Board of Education, not the State Board of Education.
• Under the draft Student Code of Conduct and the proposed student discipline regulations, our schools will be less orderly and less safe as repeated disruptive offenders will be more likely to remain in school. Examples include:
• Repeated and deliberate harassment of a peer – Currently the student could receive a 10-day out-of-school suspension. Under the draft Student Code of Conduct, possible consequences could be that the offender writes an apology, is offered mediation with the victim, visits the school counselor, or in extreme cases receives in-school suspension up to 4 days.
• Second drug possession offense – Currently the student would receive a 10-day out-of-school suspension with a recommendation to the superintendent for an extended suspension and is ineligible for extra-curricular activities. Under the draft Student Code of Conduct, a second drug possession offense could receive one of the following consequences: community service, in-school suspension, mentoring program referral, or short term in-school suspension (1-3 days).
• Repeated classroom disruption (harassment, class cutting, insubordination, classroom disruption) – Currently the student could receive a 10-day out-of-school suspension with a possible request to the superintendent for an extended suspension. Under the draft Student Code of Conduct, this offense could receive one of the following consequences: community service, in-school suspension, mentoring program referral, or short term in-school suspension (1-3 days).
• Repeated verbal threats to staff – Currently the student would receive a 10-day out-of-school suspension with a possible request to the superintendent for an extended suspension. Under the draft Student Code of Conduct, this offense could receive one of the following consequences: community service, in-school suspension, mentoring program referral, or short term in-school suspension (1-3 days).
• Weapon violations – Currently the student would receive a 10-day out-of-school suspension with a possible request to the superintendent for an extended suspension. Under the draft Student Code of Conduct, this offense could receive one of the following consequences: community service, in-school suspension, mentoring program referral, or short term in-school suspension (1-3 days).

The draft Student Code of Conduct is not yet publicly available, the proposed state school discipline guidelines and regulations can be viewed in the Maryland Register by visiting: www.carrollk12.org/Assets/file/CCPS%20News/MdRegisterDiscRegs.pdf

The Carroll County Board of Education’s letter to the Maryland State Board of Education can be viewed at www.carrollk12.org/Assets/file/CCPS%20News/StateBoardLetter-DisciplineRegs.pdf

Source: Carroll County Public Schools

HOW TO GIVE FEEDBACK

 

To send comments to the State Board of Education, contact to Robert A. Murphy, Specialist, School Completion, Discipline, and Alternative Programs

By mail: Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Student, Family and School Support, 200 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
 

By email: rmurphy@msde.state.md.us
 

By phone: 410-767-0305.
 

Send comments to the Carroll County Board of Education by email at feedback@carrollk12.org