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School candidates focus on student conduct

Discipline is a hot topic for the 16 individuals vying for four seats on the Pinellas County School Board.

By DONNA WINCHESTER
Published August 12, 2006

From the classroom to the board room, student discipline - or the lack thereof - is a hot topic these days in Pinellas County.

Disciplinary referrals are up for elementary school students, both in the classroom and on buses. And violence is on the rise. Two recent surveys, including one by the St. Petersburg Times, indicate that student misconduct is one reason that Pinellas teachers suffer from poor morale.

The situation has become so acute that superintendent Clayton Wilcox has announced a districtwide push to address the issue.

So it comes as little surprise that student discipline is on the minds and the lips of the 16 individuals vying for four seats on the Pinellas County School Board.

Candidates who have spent time as teachers or administrators, as well as those who have worked in business, agree that discipline is a problem in Pinellas schools. Many have made student behavior part of their platforms, but each has a different take on what to do about it.

Speaking at a School Board candidates forum Thursday night, Minetha L. Morris said teachers need increased support from administrators and more diversity training to help them deal with disruptive students. Morris, a candidate in the District 7 race, is a former Pinellas County teacher.

Peggy O'Shea, a professional mediator and a candidate in the District 3 race, disagrees that teachers need more training.

"The message has to be loud and clear to the parents," O'Shea said. "We can communicate to them through the student code of conduct to say bad behavior won't be tolerated in the classroom."

Anne K. Scofield, another candidate in the District 3 race, agrees that parents must be included in the discussion. She advocates a policy that would require schools to immediately contact parents regarding a student's misbehavior. Parents would be obligated to respond within 24 hours.

"Not being available for contact by the school is not acceptable and should carry a consequence," Scofield said.

Discipline has been a high-profile issue for years in Pinellas schools, but it became even more prominent after the videotaped handcuffing of a kindergarten student at Fairmount Park Elementary in the spring of 2005.

While some were struck by images of the crying child being surrounded by police, others were just as dismayed by footage of the girl throwing punches and continually defying adults at the school.

The issue gained more traction in recent months as board members, in their role as arbiters in employee discipline cases, were confronted with several instances in which teachers had reacted poorly to bad student behavior. In the course of those debates, "we got more information about the kind of things students were doing," said board member Linda Lerner, who is running for re-election.

As board members discussed whether to suspend or fire teachers, some began to ask whether the district was doing enough about student discipline.

The issue, which has received national attention, may even be affecting the district's ability to recruit teachers, officials say.

"A lot of people do research before they come to us," said Sandra Hopkins, a senior human resources specialist with the school district. "After the situation with the Fairmount Park student, some asked, 'How do you teach in a district that does that to a student?' "

Wilcox, the superintendent, opened classes last week with a call for more civility on campuses. Though overall statistics don't show a huge increase in discipline referrals written by teachers, a closer look reveals a problem in elementary schools, Wilcox said.

During the 2005-06 school year, disciplinary referrals for student violence in kindergarten through fifth grade rose 47 percent over the previous year's and were more than double the number reported in 2002-03. Elementary school referrals for classroom behavior, rules violations and bus misconduct were up an average of 21 percent from the year before.

"When you look deeper into those incidents, some of them are a lot more aggressive than they ever were," Wilcox said. "They are more filled with rage. They're more angry. ... We really want to look at civility to just tone things down a little bit."

Ray Tampa, a former elementary school principal and a candidate in the District 7 race, said an increase in referrals may or may not mean student misbehavior is escalating.

"The numbers suggest it's worse, but that could just be a matter of the teachers being less tolerant of certain things," Tampa said. "Right now, it's probably a big issue because of the fact that people are saying, 'Enough is enough.' "

Do you see poor student behavior as an issue in Pinellas schools? What are your ideas for improving discipline?

HIGHLIGHTS

A recent St. Petersburg Times poll of Pinellas County teachers showed that:

* 39 percent say discipline is a problem in their classrooms.

* 37 percent say administrators take meaningful action only sometimes, hardly ever or never when they write a discipline referral.

* 45 percent say they have felt physically threatened by a student in their school in recent years.

ON THE WEB: For more on the poll, see links.tampabay.com

SCHOOL BOARD ISSUE: STUDENT BEHAVIOR

DISTRICT 2

The District 2 seat is an at-large post elected by voters countywide.

* Nancy Bostock*: Says the board can address discipline by ensuring that teachers have access to tools the district already has in place, including the option of sending disruptive students to alternative schools. Says teachers also need support from behavior specialists and assistant principals.

* Chris Hardman: Says student behavior is a serious problem at some schools and a critical campaign issue. As a board member, he would call for school leaders to make behavior expectations clear to students. Says teachers need administrators to back them on discipline.

* Mary Russell*: Says discipline was on her platform in 2002. Wants to expand the district's "Commitment to Character" initiative and require behavior management plans at schools. Wants the district to survey all school employees on discipline.

DISTRICT 3

The District 3 seat is an at-large post elected by voters countywide.

* Marti Folwell: Considers student misbehavior that disrupts teaching a serious problem. Would like to see "fair, firm, consistent enforcement of expectations" by both teachers and administrators. Thinks presentation of "relevant curriculum" could reduce behavior problems.

* Sean M. O'Flannery: Would like the district to adopt a program used at Northeast High that requires students who chronically misbehave to attend school after normal school hours rather than being suspended.

* Peggy O'Shea: Thinks the district needs to "restore discipline to the classroom and buses" and "make it clear what behavior is expected from the students." Believes discipline problems can lead to "less learning and to increased safety concerns."

* Anne K. Scofield: Believes disciplinary consequences, including expulsion and relocation to disciplinary schools, should be clearly defined and implemented. Would require teachers to call parents directly from the classroom when a student misbehaves and to keep a log of behavior issues.

* Lew Williams: Is opposed to adding more rules, but favors dealing with behavior issues "firmly, fairly and consistently." Would support teachers and staffers in protecting their right to teach in a civil atmosphere. Would favor a more case-by-case approach in enforcing zero-tolerance policy.

DISTRICT 6

Includes Seminole, Pinellas Park, north St. Petersburg, Tierra Verde and the gulf beaches from Redington Shores south.

* Jack Killingsworth: Says, "I advocate more expulsions." Asserts that the district does not expel more students for fear of losing state funding. "The bottom line is disruptive students do not belong in the classroom," he says. "The school climate is more important than losing one student."

* Linda Lerner*: Says the district has taken some steps to deal with chronically disruptive students, including opening two alternative schools and making the student code of conduct more understandable, but needs to do more. Says the problem is complex and requires more input from district employees and parents.

* Carl Neumann: Says discipline is "one of the No. 1 issues that needs to be addressed" in Pinellas schools. As a board member, he would ask administrators to see that the student code of conduct is more uniformly enforced.

DISTRICT 7

Includes St. Petersburg south of 54th Avenue N, plus Kenneth City, Gulfport and South Pasadena.

* Mary L.T. Brown*: Says district "must define the discipline expectations" and then "set the standards and boundaries" for student behavior. Believes the board "must encourage and insist" that parents get more involved in student discipline.

* Jennifer S. Crockett: Says "classroom settings focused on intervention ... at the point of need" are required at all levels. Makes the point that some children "act out" because they are struggling academically.

* Minetha L. Morris: Would like more resources to help teachers deal with disruptive students and to make sure repeated outbursts do not continue "without evident consequences." Opposes a cookie-cutter policy in dealing with zero-tolerance situations.

* Sheldon A. Schwartz: Says the current student code of conduct "includes all of the necessary elements ... to maintain a positive learning environment." Wants to see "timely and effective implementation" of the code by students, teachers, administrators and parents.

* Ray Tampa: Says the School Board needs to clarify its position regarding what teachers can and cannot do when dealing with out-of-control students. Says clarification would allow the staff to deal more effectively with situations and not allow them to escalate.

* Denotes a sitting School Board member

[Last modified August 12, 2006, 05:40:53]