Disciplining the conduct of students outside of school.

I went to the Board of Ed meeting on Monday night to ask some questions and raise some concerns about one of the sections of revised policy that was having its first reading. Specifically my comments were about Policy #5600, which is the Extracurricular Code of Conduct. This is the policy that says actions of a student outside of school – for example, drinking or smoking – can be punished by the school, by restricting the student’s participation in extracurricular activities such as sports or clubs.

I’ve always had a problem with this policy, mainly because it seems to stretch the school’s business a little further than necessary. On top of that, I feel that if the school is going to have this type of policy, then it needs to be extremely clear and detailed, and should clearly spell out exactly how infractions that occur on a Friday night when no adults (let alone school staff) are around are going to be confirmed. It bothers me that a kid might be present at a home, it might even be a party, he might choose not to engage in any illegal behavior, but could be reported to the principal as drinking. How is he going to prove otherwise? Where is the due process? The presumption of innocence?

The policy contains very specific information about consequences, but what the behaviors are, and how that info will be verified, is not specific at all – in fact it’s not even mentioned. I think this opens up some confusion on the part of students and parents.

The policy mentions that the principal may act if there is a reasonable basis that a violation may have occurred. I think that language is vague and a little bit concerning… Whether it’s done within the policy or whether it’s communicated in another way, as a parent I would like to understand what guidelines or rubric the principal will use in deciding what to pursue and what not to pursue, how will he separate rumors from facts…and how will students’ due process rights be maintained?

Dr. Fishbein’s answer to this question Monday night was that the principal will rely on the reports of witnesses. I don’t think that really answered my concern.

The final issue I raised on Monday was to ask how Ridgewood’s extracurricular code of conduct differs from that of Ramapo-Indian Hills, which was overturned by the Commissioner of Education, who found it to be unlawful. As I understand it, that precedent applies to all districts in New Jersey. Dr. Fishbein pointed to a sentence in the policy that was added by our district’s lawyer, which purports to address the Commissioner’s objection. It states that the school may only impose discipline for activity that occurs outside of school, if that behavior “materially and substantially interferes with the requirements of appropriate discipline in the operation of the school or its programs…” I trust that the lawyer believes this addresses the concern…I can’t say I’m sold on the idea that a kid having a beer on Friday night automatically materially or substantially interferes with school on Monday. I guess it will take someone challenging the policy legally to put it to a constitutional test.

As I said Monday night, of course I support the intent of this policy, insofar as it deals with safety of students, but I think it’s confusing and vague and, for that reason, I don’t think it actually improves the safety of students enough to warrant the conflict with their rights. Truthfully, sometimes when I think about it, I admit I'm torn: if the policy results in some kids changing their behavior because they're afraid of the consequences, and if that means a kid avoids injury or worse, does that make it all worth while? Does the end justify the means? Does it ever? Are the rules different when kids' safety is involved?

It was a little odd to attend the meeting and make comments from the podium, but I thought it was important to ask those questions in public so there’s a record of the dialogue and so that other parents who might have questions can participate.

You can click here to read the Patch.com report on my comments from Monday night.

Monday's Board of Ed meeting: what's on the agenda.

Monday the Ridgewood Board of Education will meet and the agenda doesn't look too unwieldy -- mainly because we just met a week ago. Some of the highlights (full agenda available by clicking here):

-- Recognizing Ridgewood High School's National Merit and Advanced Placement scholars
-- Presentation on some of the math routines our kindergarten students participate in every day
-- Info on crisis management in our schools
-- Approval of our submission of a Grant Application to the Bergen County Historic Preservation Fund for funds to replace the Ed Center's slate roof.
-- Review of some proposed revisions to BOE by-laws and Board policy.

As always, the Board of Education meeting can be viewed live and in person at the Ed Center, 3rd floor, at 7:30 p.m. You can watch the meeting on Cablevision Channel 77, or you can view the live webcast by clicking here. Later, you can view the archived webcast by clicking here.

BOE 09-10 Self-Evaluation: Policy

continued...

This is a continuation of my previous post on our Board self-evaluation, which was discussed at the 8/30 Board meeting (click here for webcast).

Reminder: Board members (and Dr. Fishbein) rated each statement on a scale of 1-4:
1 = Unsatisfactory.
2 = Adequate
3 = Good
4 = Commendable
("Not Observed" was also an option)

Each section has two subsections: "About the Board" and "About You, the Board Member." (Only Board members rated the statements in the second subsection.)

I am sharing the average scores for each statement and then, (in parentheses), the score I gave.

So here we go. Today let's look at...

Section 2: Policy:

Our Board:
1. operates as a "policy-making body." 3.2 (3)
2. develops broad policies that give the administration sufficient authority and latitude to manage the day-to-day operations. 3.2 (4)
3. uses written policies as the framework for our decision-making process. 3.0 (3)
4. reviews and updates the policy manual regularly as required by NJQSAC insuring that our bylaws, policies and procedures reflect current regulatory, and statutory requirements. 3.7 (4)
5. ensures that the administration develops appropriate procedures and regulations to implement the board's policy intent. 3.3 (4)

As a board member, I:
A. am familiar with the Board's policies. 2.8 (2)
B. use Board policy as a basis for decision-making. 3.0 (3)
C. leave policy implementation to the administrative staff. 3.2 (3)
D. avoid involvement in day-to-day operations of the district. 3.0 (2)

My next Board Self-Evaluation post will cover Student Achievement.

Board of Ed meeting tonight

Head on over to the Ed Center, or tune in to our webcast, to watch tonight's meeting of the Board of Education. It starts at 7:30. A few highlights from the agenda:

-- Review of the annual report from our auditor on financial and administrative performance.
-- Some proposed course changes at RHS next year.
-- Discussion of our new Policy Manual...we've been working on revisions for the past year or so. No ground-breaking changes but lots of revision to ensure our policies are in compliance with state regulations. The draft Policy Manual is currently available on the District website (click here), if you want to take a look (warning: it's 1,500 pages long!)
-- Update on Referendum communications
-- Acceptance of donations from some very generous members of our community (thank you!)
-- Update on K-2 Math professional development
-- Various appointments, changes of assignment, bills, etc.

Oh, boy, this week's meeting required a ton of reading. I'm still reading.