Moms Chat: Deciphering Schools' Discipline Process

In the past year, two Fairfax County high school students committed suicide while facing the public schools' disciplinary process. Those deaths have triggered much  debate among  parents, teachers, students, administrators, and elected officials . 

Students have it drummed into their heads that they must have good grades, be competitive, and have no marks on their records to achieve their goals. Any failure can be interpreted as a life ending event, at least in terms of their goals and dreams. Being a teenager is almost synonymous with poor decision making.

Members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors were so concerned  they published a Board Matter questioning FCPS Zero Tolerance Policy and the limitations in the policy to recognize and address student’s ability to see a failure not as an end, but as a learning experience.

In Richmond, Del. Kaye Kory of Fairfax, is constructing a task force to investigate Virginia's student discipline policy in hopes of more clearly defining  the procedures.  That is why this dialogue is so important:  it may be time to change  our school policies to reflect the developmental stages of our kids when addressing misdeeds.

The introduction of the FCPS Student’s Rights and Responsibilities, says: "The Fairfax County School Board recognizes that in our free and democratic society the law imposes responsibilities upon public school students and guarantees to them constitutional and other legal rights appropriate to their ages and levels of maturity.“ How should FCPS shape it’s disciplinary procedures to include safety for all while also addressing the immaturity and development of it’s students? Here are our thoughts. Let us know yours.

Kathleen Weil, McLean Mom, married with three daughters and a sheltie.

I'm confused.  It is very hard to get information related to student disciplinary procedures in Fairfax County public schools.  In an effort to try and understand what Zero Tolerance means and where the policy is directed from, the closest explanation I could find came from:

The Fairfax County School Board; 2011 Legislative Program regarding Student Discipline:

“The Fairfax County School Board supports maintaining the current statutory authority of local school boards to adopt regulations permitting them to choose among alternative discipline procedures specified in the Code of Virginia for handling cases of suspension, expulsion, and exclusion.  These procedures and sanctions are critical to maintaining safe educational environments and guiding students in developing appropriate behavior and personal accountability.”  This, however, says nothing specific about procedure.

So I looked into the Virginia Code but came away more mystified than ever.  This is disturbing.  Why is it so hard to find information that specifically details the steps taken in FCPS when disciplinary procedures are called for?  On top of that, Jack Dale was even quoted in the McLean Connection as saying that Fairfax County Schools do not have a zero tolerance approach to discipline (Feb. 23-Mar 1, 2011 edition).  I don’t understand.  Chances are other parents don’t either.  Considering recent events, one would think administrators would be working to clarify information regarding Zero Tolerance (or whatever it is actually called).

In the FCPS Department of Special Services there is The Student Safety and Wellness Office (SSAW) which is dedicated to promoting prevention and early intervention for violence and drug use in our community. I applaud the school system for this, as well as their work with the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County Public Schools which is dedicated to promoting prevention and early intervention for violence and drug use in our community.

The school system is an important influence in our children’s lives, and the schools, as well as the students must be held accountable for choices made.  The developmental stage at which some teenagers are trying out risky behaviors can be a dangerous time.  I do wonder what administrators see when confronted with a troubled teen.  Do they see the young life in front of them and remember what that time of life is like? 

I’d like to know what drives their response to specific behavioral issues.  Are they worried about legal issues, challenges from parents, protecting the student, protecting themselves?  What are they looking at in the process of deciding how to handle a problem involving a student.

Because, after all, “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see” (Henry David Thoreau).