[CrozetEagle] Fw: [SchoolMatters] School Board continues review student conduct issues

Tue Jul 11 11:07:39 EDT 2006


-----Forwarded Message-----
>From: Brian Wheeler <bwheeler at albemarlematters.com>
>Sent: Jul 11, 2006 9:06 AM
>To: schoolmatters at listserv.bnsi.net
>Subject: [SchoolMatters] School Board continues review student conduct issues
>
>-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
>This message is not an official communication of the Albemarle County School
>Board. It is a private, e-mail-only newsletter written by Brian Wheeler,
>At-Large Member of the Albemarle County School Board. 
>-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
>
>[Want to share some public comments on this message?  See the weblog version
>here:
>http://schoolmatters.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/07/school_board_co.html ]
> 
>At our meeting this Thursday, July 13, 2006, the Albemarle County School
>Board will continue our review of student conduct issues in the wake of two
>year-end parties with underage drinking arrests and the death of AHS student
>Nolan Jenkins in a driving accident.  Since our last consideration of this
>matter on June 8, 2006, staff have reviewed our policies and existing
>prevention and intervention services related to substance abuse.  A summary
>of these services can be found in the materials provided to the School Board
>[see: http://www.wheeleronboard.com/docs/20060713-StudentConduct.pdf].
> 
>What follows below are the six recommendations from staff describing
>specific areas the Albemarle County Public Schools should review related to
>our current practices, curriculum, policies and state laws.  These will all
>be on the table for the Board's consideration Thursday.  
> 
>I will readily support the proposed change to Policy JFC which will allow
>the School Board to discipline students for off-campus behaviors in certain
>limited situations.  This is a positive change that would apply equally to
>all students (not just athletes) and could be put into effect for this
>upcoming school year if we make the change this week.  It would help set
>clearer expectations for student behavior and end any perception that a
>"don't ask, don't tell" handling of off-campus underage drinking was
>acceptable to this School Board or our staff.  The other recommendations
>also should be pursued in the next year, but this is one positive policy
>change we can make immediately.
> 
>Brian Wheeler
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>----
> 
>>From materials for the July 13, 2006 School Board meeting:
> 
>After much discussion at the June 8, 2006 meeting, the Board expressed
>interest in expanding the education of students about the dangers of
>drinking and substance abuse as well as determining if changes in student
>conduct policies are warranted to address underage drinking that occurs off
>school grounds and not during school-sponsored functions. It was noted by
>the Board that underage drinking is not limited to athletes and increased
>efforts should be made to improve our focus on both prevention and
>intervention issues that are educational in nature for all students. It also
>was noted by the Board that the specific responsibilities of parents, public
>school staff, and law enforcement authorities do differ in regards to the
>scope of their roles in supervising and disciplining juveniles. Lastly, the
>Board also clearly stated that formal partnerships are critical to the work
>of parents, school staff, and organizations that have a common mission to
>ensure that children know, understand and use safe behaviors.
> 
>Continuous improvement requires that we take a look at our current state and
>work towards a desired state. In order to facilitate and improve prevention
>and intervention services, setting clear expectations of students regarding
>underage drinking the following actions are recommended:
> 
>
>1.	Review, and revise in 2006-07 as necessary, our existing curriculum
>for alcohol, tobacco, and drug abuse and, identify and use resources and
>strategies that extend relevant substance abuse instruction beyond the tenth
>grade, addressing all students in grades 11 and 12.
>2.	Identify and partner in 2006-07 with organizations that share with
>us a mission of eliminating underage drinking so that we can better use
>their services to further engage students in learning activities that more
>systemically educate parents and students about the dangers and implications
>of underage drinking (MADD, etc.) use of partners and their resources should
>occur through drivers' education, health education, and required drivers'
>education parent workshops.
>3.	Review Sports Done Right [http://www.sportsdonerightmaine.org/], a
>University of Maine Sport and Coaching Initiative, and other instructional
>resources designed to support coaches to engage in consistent best practices
>for implementation across all three high schools. This includes improvements
>in student and parent participation agreements with focus on using these
>beginning in the 2006-07 School Year. A review of and possible revision of
>current practices for communicating with and educating parents and
>student-athletes through parent/student athlete educational programming
>required in each school. [Note: This resource and an Athletic Advisory
>Council were discussed on this blog here:
>http://schoolmatters.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/06/time_for_an_ath.html]
>4.	Review best practices associated with other school divisions'
>training and extracurricular participation rules and change as appropriate
>so that Albemarle County Training rules and extracurricular activity
>participation guidelines ensure consistency across schools and clearly
>address consequences for underage drinking on or off school grounds and
>during or not during school activities. Consider the possibility of
>requiring students participating in other extracurricular activities to sign
>participation agreements.
>5.	Discuss and take action upon proposed modifications to policy JFC
>that would align it to legal code so that disciplinary action can be taken
>by the Board for off-grounds misconduct that meets the criteria established
>in the code. [**See text of proposed addition below]
>Consider requesting local delegates to amend state code so that students
>under 18 years of age who have been charged with underage drinking are
>reported to school authorities per prior Board discussion.
>
>
>**Proposed addition to Policy JFC-Student Conduct
> 
>"Students may also be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including
>suspension or expulsion, for misconduct that occurs at any time off-school
>grounds where (1) there is a nexus between the conduct and school
>operations; (2) where the conduct has been shown to have a detrimental or
>harmful effect on the welfare or safety of the school and its students; or
>(3) where the conduct has caused substantial or material disruption to the
>school's operations."   
>
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> 
>Brian Wheeler
> <mailto:bwheeler at albemarlematters.com> bwheeler at albemarlematters.com
> <http://www.wheeleronboard.com/> http://www.wheeleronboard.com
> 
> 
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Brian Wheeler
bwheeler at albemarlematters.com
http://www.wheeleronboard.com