Pupil Services2013-2014

Administrative Staff Development

Due Process• Education is a fundamental right under the

Constitution and a protected student interest.

• Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment prohibits the states from depriving any person of life, liberty, and property without due process.

• Due Process – Essential element is fundamental fairness

• Fairness = fair hearing, and a fair impartial judgment

• Short term suspension – an informal discussion between the parent and administrator satisfies due process rights.

Expulsions – Middle School

• Students expelled before the 4th 9 weeks report to the home school for the upcoming school year.

• Students expelled during the 4th 9 weeks report to DCAC for the upcoming school year.

• Students in middle schools are required to take the APEX exit exam for the upcoming school year. The principal’s input along with the scale score from the exit exam determine placement for expelled students.

Expulsions – High Schools

• Students expelled before November report to the home school for the Spring semester.

• Students expelled after November report to DCAC for the Spring semester.

• Students expelled before the last 9 weeks return to the home school for the Fall semester.

• Students expelled after the last 9 weeks report to DCAC for the upcoming Fall semester.

Bullying and Reporting

• The DCSD will make every reasonable effort to ensure that no student or school employee is subjected to bullying.

• Once you receive a Bully and Anonymous Safety Alert report, please conduct an immediate investigation. Document each and every part of the investigation.

• Complete a Bullying/Harassing Behavior complaint if the student reports the incident(s) to you.

• Notify parents of all parties involved upon completion of the investigation.

• Forward a copy of investigation documents to Pupil Services.

Accident Reports• Better safe than sorry• Force staff to complete the report• Contact parent ASAP• Insurance claims come through Pupil

Services

• Ways to Cover the District and Your School1. Accident reports must be completed2. List all personnel present3. Save video if incident was recorded4. Sign and date each page of the report5. Preserve all evidence (videos,

statements)

Bring Your Own Device

• Inform the parent of the first offense.• On the second offense, retain phone for five

days and charge $20 when picked up for the storage fee.

• Giving the device back before the five days and charging $20 is not a good practice.

Potential Concerns• We have not violated any laws, but . . . • Disciplinary policies and Afro-American

males• Disproportion of Afro-American males being

suspended compared with other groups• Neighboring districts along with other

districts throughout the state and nation are being sued or targeted for what some would call unfair practices.

• Be mindful of what is going on around us.• We want to make sure that we are not

contributing to the problem. We want to treat all students with fairness.

FYI - Pipeline to Prison the Research or

Argument• Refers to the policies and practice that push

our nation’s school children, especially our most at-risk children, out of classrooms and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems.

• Failing public schools, zero-tolerance policies, policing school hallways, court involvement, and juvenile detention contributes to the pipeline

• The US has the highest incarceration rate in the world and its prisons and jails are overwhelmingly filled with Afro-American and Latinos males.

Pipeline to Prison – By the Numbers

• 40% of students expelled from schools each year are black

• 70% of students involved in “in-school” arrests or referred to law enforcement are black or Latino

• Black students are 3.5 times more likely to be suspended than whites

• Blacks and Latino students are twice as likely not to graduate high school as whites

• 68% of all inmates in state and federal prison do not have a diploma

• Blacks and Latinos make up 61% of the incarcerated population while making up 30% of the United States population

Pipeline to Prison – Sped

• 8.6% of students have been identified with having a learning disability. These students make up 32% of youth in juvenile detention centers

• 1 out of 4 black students were suspended at least once compared to 1 out of 11 white students

Concerning the Pipeline, You Might Say . . .

• We do not have a systematic plan or hidden agenda for black males to fail.

• The truth is that the black males are the most disruptive in the school.

• Our Code of Discipline is solid and the rules should simply be followed.

• Regardless of the arguments that we can make, the disproportionate numbers have placed us in a situation to act on bringing positive change in the way that we handle all students.

Our Response to the Pipeline

• Have round table discussions to create and implement solutions

• Be proactive by counseling and using detention when possible

• Code of Discipline with graduated levels• Use the Tiered Process for behavior• Create a positive school climate

Code of Discipline• It is Board Policy and we should follow it.• For every level there is a disciplinary action. • Under Disciplinary Actions, you should use

the First Violation (Minimum or Maximum) or Repeated or Flagrant Violations (Minimum or Maximum) to determine the appropriate action to take.

Code of Discipline 3 - 1 Fighting 3 - 2 Gambling* * 3 - 3 Theft of personal and/or school property 3 - 4 Acts which threaten the safety and well being of student and/or staff 3 - 5 Extortion - use of intimidation, coercion or force * 3 - 6 Cheating on tests or exams * * 3 - 7 Vandalism of personal and/or school property 3 - 8 Using profane, obscene, indecent, immoral, or offensive language and/or

gestures, and/or possession of obscene, indecent, immoral or offensive materials

Disciplinary ActionFirst Violation

Minimum: School suspension from one to three days, ALC, corporal punishment

Maximum: School suspension (three days), report to authorities when applicable

Repeated or Flagrant Violations:Minimum: School suspension (three days), ALC (ten days), and/or Teacher Support Team interventionsMaximum: School suspension (three days) and disciplinary hearing

•The grade “0” will be assigned regardless of other punishment

** For theft or vandalism, restitution shall be made regardless of punishment

Student Disciplinary Hearing

• A student should be brought to a disciplinary hearing when:

• When DeSoto County School Board Policy calls for more than a 3 day suspension

Disciplinary HearingsSpecial Education

•Special Education students have the same rights to Due Process as Regular education students.

•The Hearing Officers role in a Special Ed hearing is to determine guilt or innocence.

•The role of the IEP committee is to determine appropriate interventions which can include alternate placement.

Disciplinary Hearings• Take on the roll of the prosecution during

opening statements. • Present your case.• Prepare for every hearing as if an attorney

is going to be present. • Legally, our hearing procedures are sound. • Please look at the Administrative Guide to

Student Disciplinary Hearings to make sure that we are following procedures.

Disciplinary Hearings - Scheduling

• Call Beth Cross at Pupil Services Office 449-7131

• She has the schedule for the hearing officers

• Information needed to schedule hearing• Name of Student• Grade• Special Education Ruling• Charges against student• TST (yes or no)

Disciplinary Hearings – Necessary Paperwork

• The new Alternative Center Checklist must be complete

• Incomplete folders will be denied at District Review

• Please provide a narrative of the incident• Please note changes on the Alternative

Checklisto Youth Court Referral Forms (Complaint Report to Intake Unit and

School Incident Report) are not needed for District Review, but you will still need to use the forms to report campus crimes to the authorities and Desoto County Youth Services

o The Attendance Printout, Assessment Results, and Student Schedule have been removed

o Section 504 was added in place of FBA Results o Include a copy of waiver if the hearing waiver was signed

Pupil Services – My Role

• Support you• Listen to parents and be empathetic• Build a better bridge between school and

community• Facilitate solutions that would keep parents

from Mr. K and the School Board

I can assist you better if. . .• You can call me before the parent calls.