Worcester School Committee meets Thursday

Sorry for being late posting this; if there is one thing to pay attention to, it is the job description of the Chief Diversity Officer being on the agenda for approval, which I already wrote something about.

The agenda is here.
The report of the Superintendent is on the South High student design club, as covered in the T&G earlier this week.
There are resignations, recognitions, and such.
Of passing interest is a prior year payment of over $18,000 to Leicester for what looks like a division of services to a student on an IEP. Is someone at some point going to ask why we have so many prior year payments now? This didn't used to be nearly as much of a thing.
There is motion to send a letter opposing the change in charter reimbursement proposed by the Governor and passed by the House that would only reimburse charter tuition increases that are due to enrollment being high that any of the prior five years.
As covered by the T&G, there is a proposed change in due process for students.
There is a request for approval for a donation of $685.00 to the Worcester Public Schools’ Transition Program.
There are requests from Miss Biancheria for reports on summer facilities work, on the BRACE program, and this--

Request that the Administration provide a summary of the funding proposed in the City’s Budget for the Worcester Public Schools and indicate the way in which this funding, if approved, can enhance programs in the Worcester Public Schools.

--which...isn't that the budget?

There is a plan to recognize students who will graduate with the Seal of Biliteracy.
And there is an item to set the budget hearings.

Discipline policy

Boone: sent out in advance of the agenda
consultation from the City Solicitor, as well
as a result of Legislative action as it relates to suspension and expulsion
Rodrigues: two specific areas that needed to be refurbished: Code of Conduct, and Due Process
to be sure we didn't have any conflicting messages
 Novick: refer whatever is passed to Governance for ongoing community conversation
request quarterly reports to Governance from administration on implimentation
update to language for next year based on experiences
concerns around timeline and process, due to state timelines
PreK-grade 3 suspension should not be happening at all
O'Connell: does not want to make changes:

• of eliminating "zero tolerance" language; believes this has legal implications; concern with federal civil rights statute
• Rule 9:excessive tardiness (which administration has recommended eliminating)
• Rule 10: repeated violations (which administration has recommended eliminating)

Boone: ahead of the curve since 2009, we can maintain "zero tolerance" for certain behavior, we cannot have a one-size-fits all policy. "It is the veil of zero tolerance that has gotten us to this point of overuse of suspension." School Committee has heard previously of students put into court pipeline through "disruption of school assembly" charges. Every charge must be investigated fully individually.

Rodrigues: removal of zero tolerance language is consistent with guidance from US DoE and DoJ. "continued process of this in our handbook may open us up to litigation"

class missed two or more times (or late two or more times) must notify parents per attendance policy now

Ramirez: thank for putting a lot of thought into this in a quick manner

happy to see language from zero tolerance being changed

concern with using "obey" rather than "follow" rules of conduct

extremely happy to see excessive tardiness being taken out; students walk a long distance to get to school

concerns that we may not have answers yet: Gateway City, have many languages, need translation services

what are the options for education (for students suspended)?

Boone: concern on translators has been discussed with principals; shortened time frame challenge, as well

ongoing education: opportunities in place, as we are a larger district, will provide to school committee, both in and out of district

Rodrigues: once a student is suspended for ten consecutive days or more, then alternative education deployed then; through collaboratives, in district, and tutoring

Biancheria: great deal of information here, twelve additional questions, at least here

questions, principals have questions

"the law is the law is the law, and we have to work with it, but let's get it to standing committee"

Foley: support motion to send it to Governance, an awful lot of work to be done here

reflect on the fact that we have reduce our suspensions

"embrance what Mr. Robarge said today about reflecting on these issues"

take a look at the languages and our policies

let's not leave the vague language in there that has caused some of the problems in there

Monfredo: only the first step, has to be the first step

don't want to leave it to the end of the year to make changes

O'Connell: don't want to make changes tonight, but make that part of consideration at subcommittee

vote on O'Connell's motion to retain language on zero tolerance and rules FAILS

vote to approve, as well as send then to Governance PASSES
motion to suspend the rules to reconsider PASSES; reconsideration FAILS
aka: we're going with what was recommended

Report of the Governance and Employee Issues

Novick: Question around suspensions: community meeting happening on May 8 at Worcester State regarding this. Grave community concern around our suspension rate. Fairly standard output: do this, ten days; do that, ten days. Essentially a zero tolerance policy. Don't let the conversation around suspension die; far too important
O'Connell: need more information to establish an appropriate disciplinary policy; doesn't explain context or where or what happened
Boone: reports to have meaning: table? total number? On at least a semester basis perhaps a quarterly basis
O'Connell: anything that provides more information



And as a side note: electronic readers (Kindles, Nooks) are allowed in the Worcester Public Schools. Confirmed again tonight. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Might want to look at those zero tolerance policies, folks

If your lawmakers are proposing laws like this, then you might want to take another look at your zero tolerance policies.

Disproportion and Discipline: Examining the Data: NSBA

Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights "answering questions about fundamental fairness"
self-reported information from districts across the country: database here:
from districts that educate 85% of our students: large sample

The downfalls of zero tolerance

A question posed at last night's School Committee debate by Brendan Melican cited the falling homicide rates and asked about Clive McFarlane's column of September 11 discussing the number of students that were arrested in school. Specifically, he raised the concern about the number of students, arrested not for threatening violence but for "disturbing school assembly" or "disorderly conduct" charges.
A timely question.
Yesterday's New York Times carried a story from Delaware about a six year old currently suspended from school for bringing in a camping utensil with which to eat his lunch. He was so excited about joining Cub Scouts that he brought it into school...and thus ran afowl of a zero tolerance policy on weapons in schools.
Now it's clear from the article that the state of Delaware has already been dealing with the more ridiculous ways in which a zero tolerance policy can come home to roost; a girl was expelled last year for having a knife for cutting her birthday cake in school, and lawmakers have been working to make the law more flexible.
The danger here is creating a system, in Worcester and around the country, in which the judicial system is brought in when we ought to still be in the realm of the disciplinary system (if, as in the Delaware case, even that). To bring a police officer in to deal with a kid misbehaving in assembly, or to suspend a six year old excited about Scouts, is to badly overreact. It also gets kids involved in the criminal justice system who don't belong there, and it eats up resources that could be better spent elsewhere.
This warrants a reconsideration.