School Discipline Policies

It is a story that is all too often in the news: A child is subjected to torturous cyberbullying by his or her peers via social media. Threatening messages sent on Facebook, humiliating comments about their appearance on Twitter, and other such nonsense drives the student to lash out, possibly hurting themselves, their peers, or both.

Schools no doubt serve a protective function and are charged with ensuring students have access to a free, appropriate education in an environment that is safe, secure, and nurturing. To help achieve that end, some states are taking strong measures to bolster the authority and power of school districts with regard to investigating instances of bullying, even if such negative behaviors do not occur on school property or within the bounds of the school day.

The Illinois Law

In an attempt to curb cyberbullying behaviors, the Illinois General Assembly passed a law, enacted January 1st of this year, that allows public school districts to demand access to students’ personal social media accounts if the student is suspected of violating school rules.

A letter sent home to parents in Triad Community Schools in Illinois, obtained by Motherboard, outlines the new policy:

“School authorities may require a student or his or her parent/guardian to provide a password or other related account information in order to gain access to his/her account profile on a social networking website if school authorities have reasonable cause to believe

According to a 2014 report by the U.S. Department of Education’s Civil Rights Office, widespread racial disparities exist in how schoolchildren are punished. The longitudinal study looked at data from the past 15 years and found that minority students face a disproportional number of disciplinary actions in schools across the country, from those in affluent suburban neighborhoods to those in the poorest urban areas.

Graph from HechingerEd

These disparities have been known for some time in middle and high schools. However, this report reveals that unfair discipline procedures begin as early as preschool. The data, which was collected from 97,000 public schools across the country, paints a troubling picture:

• Black and Latino students are consistently punished more severely than white students for the same infractions.
• Nearly 50 percent of preschool children suspended multiple times are black, yet black children represent less than one-fifth of the preschool population.
• Black students are far more likely to be referred to law enforcement or arrested for a school-based offense than white students or other students of color.
• Black girls are suspended much more than girls of any other race.
• Students with disabilities, who represent only 12 percent of the public school population, account for almost 60 percent of students placed in seclusion.

Zero-Tolerance Policies

Many students suspended or placed in involuntary seclusion are put there because of the zero-tolerance policies that schools have put in place over the last two decades. Zero-tolerance

As students head back to school this fall, things may look a little different in some locations. In the aftermath of the Newtown Elementary tragedy, many districts across the country are looking for ways to beef up security procedures to keep students and staff a little safer. In light of those efforts, students may be greeted by new security devices, safety measures, and even armed guards at some schools.

Debates Over Best Security Options

The Courant reports that as schools weighed their options in new security procedures, debate over the best way to protect students and faculty ensued. Armed police guards are often the center of that debate, with some school officials in favor of the action and others opposed. Other issues that have been argued in recent months include arming school administrators and security personnel and allowing teachers to bring guns to school.

This video from ABC News reports on the mounting cries nationwide for better security in our schools.

Carl Sferrazza, police chief for Enfield, Connecticut, is one who agrees armed guards are the best way to keep students safe. Sferrazza told the Courant, “These people are homicidal and suicidal individuals. Their intent and their planning are all geared toward killing as many people as they possibly can.”

However, others liken placing armed guards at the entrances of schools to creating a prison-like atmosphere for students. Nate Quesnel,

A private high school in Illinois is raising the stakes on testing. However, the testing in question is not standardized examinations or even pop quizzes in the classroom. This school is adding testing for alcohol consumption to its current tests that randomly screen students for drug use.

Hair Test Detects Alcohol Consumption

The Huffington Post reports that St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois, will unveil its random alcohol testing at the start of the new school year. The private Catholic high school has been testing students for drug use for several years and now will use a similar test to check up on students’ alcohol consumption. The alcohol test is a new addition, and the high school will be one of the first in the country to try out this new testing method.

“We’re adding this test because we care about our kids, and we want them to be the best God created them to be,” St. Viator President Corey Brost said at the Huffington Post.

This video describes how Southington High School in Southington, Connecticut, will use a $600 alcohol-detection device similar to a Breathalyzer to screen students for alcohol consumption.

The new test will use hair samples, about the width of pencil lead, to reveal any alcohol use by the student. The test provides information about students who have had two to three drinks a week

Drug testing has become a common procedure in some areas of society, from teachers and athletes to professionals in a wide range of industries. More recently, the question of drug testing for students has been raised, as some schools have begun to institute random drug testing in high schools and even middle schools. Is drug testing an effective way to keep students “clean” or is it a blatant violation of students’ privacy rights? The answer to that question may depend on who you ask.

An Overview of Drug Testing

Drug testing can be done through a variety of methods, using samples that include urine or a few strands of hair. Common drugs tested for include marijuana, cocaine, steroids, opiates and amphetamines. Alcohol is not a substance that can be detected using standard drug testing procedures, since the substance does not stay in the body long enough to show up in test results. Current use of alcohol can be tested by breathalyzers and other testing methods.

Drug testing can be performed as a standard procedure, such as prior to hiring an applicant for a job. Some schools drug test teachers and have found positive results. Testing can also be done on an individual if substance use is suspected, due to suspicious behavior or actions of the individual. Another option is random testing, which can be done on any individual at any time, without warning. It is the random testing approach that has typically come under fire