Middle school expulsions agitate debate on zero tolerance
By BARBARA BEHRENDT
Published February 22, 2004
INVERNESS - Since January, the School Board has expelled 19 students for a variety of offenses covered under the district's zero tolerance rules.
The number is not unprecedented - but the age of the offenders is.
While the board is accustomed to a monthly lineup of students facing the consequences of bringing drugs, alcohol and weapons on campus, in the past it has been much more likely to see high school students. Two weeks ago the board expelled seven seventh-grade girls from Inverness Middle School for possessing alcohol.
All total, of the 19 expulsions this year, only four were high school students. The rest were middle school children.
The effect of zero tolerance on middle school students is among the topics the School Board is expected to take up Tuesday as it gets its first shot to discuss the upcoming 2004-05 Student Code of Conduct, the document that sets out disciplinary rules for the district.
School officials discussing updates to the code have targeted the issue. They have suggested extending to middle schools the same language in the code which allows elementary school principals to exercise discretion in choosing punishment for students found with alcohol and drugs.
Although the comments made by the Code of Conduct committee and the Superintendent's Cabinet are not recommendations to the board, they do open a sore topic for discussion.
Since the zero tolerance policy was adopted by the board in 1998 to send a strong message to students, school administrators, teachers and parents have questioned whether the one-size-fits-all discipline is the best idea.
Over time, more discretion was added for first-time alcohol offenses. The board even has tentatively agreed that first-time drug and alcohol possession offenders might be better served by a new program that has been discussed for the Renaissance Center when it opens its new permanent facility.
A retired middle school teacher, board Chairwoman Ginger Bryant, said she was not interested in loosening the strong zero tolerance message for middle school children.
"I don't hardly think so," she said. "Look at the kids who have been bringing alcohol and weapons into our schools. It's middle school children."
The recent alcohol case at Inverness Middle included students who had brought alcohol multiple times before getting caught - demonstrating the need for a swift and specific punishment, Bryant said.
"I think it's needed," she said. "Middle school children have got to learn that they face consequences."
School Board member Lou Miele agreed, but noted that part of the problem with zero tolerance is that every set of circumstances is different.
"I guess at the core of it is that I'm not all that in favor of zero tolerance but I know it was set up for consistency," he said. "I'd like to see that we can make educated decisions based on specific circumstances."
But keeping the policy would also mean that the cases would come to the board, which could sort out the specifics and decide what should be done, he said. "Maybe it's better to keep it" as written, he said.
He said he looked forward to hearing the arguments on the issue.
Board member Sandra "Sam" Himmel said there might be room for some flexibility at the middle school level, so long as the students receive consequences of some sort. "But the message still needs to stand that we do not want drugs and alcohol on our campuses," she said.
Himmel said she welcomed the chance to hear how the zero tolerance rules were working in the schools. "I think we need to look at that every year," she said.
Other input received on the Code of Conduct raises a question about how punishments should vary between a student who brings alcohol or drugs to school and the person to hands the item to another student. The board has discussed that issue before without reaching any consensus on how to adjust the zero tolerance policy.
That type of incident prompted the board to plan a new program at the Renaissance Center for those who are first-time offenders of zero tolerance.
Other issues to be discussed concerning the Code of Conduct include a clarification question about definitions of weapons and a concern about whether a proposed policy outlawing student demonstrations which disrupt school needs to be both in the policy book and the Code of Conduct.
After Tuesday's workshop, the board will set a public hearing, probably in April, to discuss further any proposed changes, according to student services director Renna Jablonskis.
The School Board's special meeting and workshop begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the District Services Center, 1007 W Main St., in Inverness. The board will also be asked to approve the state-mandated "Career Ladder" plan, which would cost the district approximately $1.5-million if fully implemented.
The board also will discuss voluntary school zoning changes to alleviate overcrowding at Citrus Springs Middle and Elementary schools and will get updates on recent grants, the rewrite of the School Policy Manual and the district's strategic plan.
