School Board Considers More 'Holistic' Approach to Discipline

Fairfax County's School Board talked about offering a more holistic approach to student discipline at a Monday morning work session.

Members brought community-raised concerns to the table as they started their three-month review of the FCPS disciplinary process. The two-hour discussion led by Superintendent Jack Dale ended with a 10-15 item list of priorities to be discussed further in the board's April work session.

The meeting ran a gamut of topics, with some drawing cheers from the reform-friendly audience. Over 100 people sat along the end of the room, so many that staff warned that anyone left without a seat would not be allowed to to attend the meeting.

Board members rallied around the suggestion of a more holistic manner of dealing with disciplined students. The revised approach would provide academic and mental health outreach to students going through .

Member Tina Hone said there's a disconnect between the disciplinary hearing panel, the board and the public.

"They’re extending mercy by saying 'I’m not going to expel you, I’m going to reassign you to another school'," said board member Tina Hone of FCPS discipline hearing office. "But what the community is hearing is this kid made one mistake and we’re kicking him out of his school where his safety net and friends are."

Board member Stuart Gibson defended the tone of the disciplinary hearings.

"Students come to us with 30, 40, 50 disciplinary incidents," he said. "It's our job as board members and school administrators to make sure they get to the bottom of what happened in these cases. That's not always pretty. Sometimes the hearings are adversarial so we can get to the bottom of the conduct so we can prevent it from happening to other students."

Member Patricia Reed urged the board to take into account those students who have been "Eagle Scouts and chair violinists, who we know are coping with stress in ways that aren't appropriate."

"I'm haunted by a few of the decisions made by the board and the school system, and feel like we've made life-changing decisions for a few students on their first offense," she said. "We need to focus on that part of the spectrum."

Brad Center and other board members asked their peers to consider making the disciplinary process more open to parents by clarifying terms and outlining the stages so parents know what they're walking into.

Daniel Storck agreed, citing a need for parents to have a better understanding of what the process is and what options and opportunities there are each step of the way.

That understanding, however, shouldn't stop at the parents.

Right now kids are thinking 'If I take an Advil in the bathroom, they won't really...' Something should be done to make sure students know and understand the rules outlined in their Student Rights & Responsibilities (SR&R) Handbooks, said board member Sandra Evans.

Member James Raney suggested a look through state and federal regulations to see what things the county can change and where the board has a bit more flexibility.

Other issues on the table:

• Center: How do we ensure the changes we make continue with a new school board? What training are we providing to staff in regards to discipline and SR&R?
• Hone: What are the pros/cons to recording the hearings? What about involving a third-party? How do we collect and analyze data on absenteeism, disciplinary outcomes, etc.? Can we move hand-written recordings to electronic?
• Across the board: How can the process stay consistent while allowing discretion?

Caroline Hemenway, director of Fairfax Zero Tolerance Reform, a group of parents, teachers and community members advocating for more student rights and fairer punishments, was pleased with her group's turnout. She plans to talk one-on-one with board members and fill the meetings with reform supporters to keep the momentum going.

The board's April work session will discuss the issues board members narrowed down today. Members will decide what changes they wish to make in and beyond SR&R in May.

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