Fwd: Parents urged to study new behavior codes

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HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com | Section: Local & State

Aug. 19, 2002, 7:05AM

KNOWING THE RULES Parents urged to study new behavior codes By PAIGE HEWITT

Special to the Chronicle

With school doors opening for another year, it's signature time again for

parents.

Most are sure to read and sign medical release cards, allowing schools to

provide emergency care for their children.

Parents also are quick to check the " yes " box on information-release slips,

obliging schools to follow the law and provide all kinds of information about

students to virtually anyone requesting it.

Moms and dads sign forms relating to transportation, automatic-pay lunch

systems, student insurance and PTA membership.

But educators say parents often give short shift to one document that is

critical to the educational process -- the Code of Student Conduct.

It's a 50-plus-page pamphlet, full of legalisms, that reads almost like a penal

code and outlines the layers of rules on student behavior, punishment for

violators and grievance procedures.

" I don't think it's entertaining reading, but it ought to be read, " said Hilbert

Bludau, who oversees discipline for HISD. " I believe that very, very few parents

actually read the code of conduct until a problem has occurred.

" And that's when they're going to want it. ... Parents need to review it with

their kids. It shows a matter of importance to the kid. It adds emphasis to the

type of behavior we expect on campus. "

State law requires every district to have a student conduct code.

And a copy of the code must be sent home with every child at the beginning of

each school year.

In theory, parents and their children read it, then parents and older children

sign on the dotted line, and it goes back to campus.

But that rarely happens.

Educators say many parents assume the code deals mostly with serious offenses,

such as bringing weapons or drugs on campus, and that their youngsters won't be

among such troublemakers.

Because of that, some parents bury the booklet deep in a drawer or toss it in

the trash.

While student codes cover major discipline matters -- for which the punishment

is often mandated by law -- the reality is that most campus offenses are

considered low-level violations involving dress code, chronic tardiness,

bullying, gambling or kissing in school hallways.

That's when parents and their kids -- distraught over the likes of office

referrals, detentions and in-school suspensions -- start reading the rules.

Nonetheless, all rules must be enforced to maintain the integrity of a school's

culture, says Bill Malinowski, director of administrative services for Fort Bend

Independent School District.

" The Code of Student Conduct applies to all students, " he said. " It's obviously

to maintain order and a tranquil environment for students to conduct their

studies every day. Any time there's a disruption, you're losing instructional

time. It's paramount. "

HISD's Bludau added that student codes are about protection -- if troublemakers

get away with violating the rules, it can interfere with other students' rights

to education.

" In today's world, we have to ensure the rights of people, " he said. " And that

includes our students and our parents. It has to be defined. People want to see

something in writing. "

Official, written codes haven't always been around. In years past, school

administrators handled discipline " by the seat of their pants, " said Bludau, a

former secondary school principal.

" In the old days, we said, `You can't do that, because I say so,' " he said.

Discipline for less serious problems was more subjective, sometimes yielding

inequitable punishment, and serious troublemakers were often kicked out of

school, on to the streets.

Those days are gone.

" Now schools are having to accept more and more responsibility for student

behavior, " Bludau said. " ... It's gotten more and more legal. Codes have become

more and more comprehensive and related to specific laws in the country and

state. "

Prompted in great part by the zenith of juvenile crime in the 1980s, Texas

legislators in 1984 mandated that all schools have codes outlining rules on

student behavior, discipline and grievances procedures, Malinowski said.

" We had so much juvenile crime, and it kept increasing through the late '60s

and'70s, it became a national crisis, " he said. " Government officials recognized

that something had to be done. There were also other issues swirling around in

the world of education. There was more violence in the classroom; teachers felt

helpless to do anything about it. ... Even though it's much more complicated and

legalistic now, I think it has improved student discipline. It's a good thing. "

In 1995, Senate Bill 1 modified Texas' education code to include punishment for

students who committed serious offenses on or off campus, said Suzanne

Middlebrook of the Texas Education Agency.

Now, those students face punishment via the judicial system and their schools.

Districts, which in recent years have broadened codes to include issues dealing

with inappropriate computer use, bullying, sexual harassment and verbal taunting

over sexual orientation and ethnicity, have latitude on how to handle lower

level offenses.

In Fort Bend ISD, for instance, students who commit less serious, or Level I,

classroom-type violations -- such as horse playing or bringing toy weapons to

school -- can be sent to the office to after-school detention or lose

privileges.

Level II offenses -- fighting, gambling or verbal harassment -- allow a range of

punishment, including suspension.

Repeated violations of lower level offenses can bring in-school or out-of-school

suspension, even referral to an alternative campus.

Assault, matters involving alcohol or public lewdness, Level III violations, are

covered under state law and often are punishable by referrals to alternative

schools.

The most serious, Level IV violations, are felonies, such as murder, bringing

weapons to school and sexual assault of a child. Such offenses, whether they are

committed on or off campus, during or outside of school hours, can bring

suspension, referral to an alternative school or expulsion.

Gayle Fallon, executive director of the Houston Federation of Teachers, said

student codes are good for students and educators, because they keep

troublemakers out of the classroom.

" It turns the arbitrary nature of it all into something concrete, " she said.

" It's an extremely important document, and parents need to be familiar with it. "

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HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com | Section: Local & State

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