 The day has gone into the history books as the deadliest high school
shooting in our nation. It spurred much debate and outrage about the
public schools, school safety and social influences of violent
television, video games and music.No one will ever make light of
what happened that day, but it needs to be put into perspective.
That year there were on record 92,012 public schools in the United
States, with a total student population in excess of 50 million.
When considering these statistics, one needs to understand that
the tragedy of Columbine was the exception, not the rule.
The role of the Regional Office of Education includes monitoring
school codes, rules and policies to assure that the children in the
classroom are in a safe, secure environment.
Jean Anderson is an experienced teacher who taught on the junior
high level before being elected regional superintendent of schools.
She taps into that experience when she explains that all children
have bad days, when they may lash out at teachers, administrators or
fellow students.
The role of the teacher includes being attuned to the behavior of
a student and acting on it as the situation dictates.
Children lash out for a variety of reasons, including but not
limited to times when something that is going on at home is
upsetting them, or they have had a falling out with their classmate
friends, or sometimes it is a need for attention.
Teachers and administrators have to consider the individual and
determine what the proper amount of discipline might be for a child
who is experiencing behavioral problems.
This discipline can be anything from loss of privileges to
detentions, suspensions or even expulsion, depending on the severity
and frequency of the offenses.
Suspension
A suspension is the removal of a student from school for 10 days
in a row or less. The day the suspension starts counts as one full
day, even if the student is suspended in the afternoon or for half a
day.
Each school district publishes a student handbook that parents
and students should read and understand. If there is any confusion
on a school rule or policy, the parents should address their
questions directly to the school administrators.
In the handbook there are specific details as to what can lead to
student suspension, what the process includes and how long the
suspension may be imposed.
Generally speaking, suspension can occur when a child is guilty
of disobeying school staff, leaving school without permission,
damaging school property, fighting, cheating, bullying or stealing,
just to name a few.
Administrative staff at the school will determine if suspension
is warranted and the length of the punishment if it is.
It should be noted that generally a first-time offense, unless it
is something quite serious, will not result in suspension.
During the suspension period, it is the responsibility of the
parent and student to see to it that class assignments are received
and completed so that the student doesn't fall behind in his or her
school work.
When a child is suspended, the school must immediately send a
letter to the parents explaining the student's violation and the
suspension term.
Parents can ask for a meeting to appeal the suspension, and while
this will not delay the punishment, the end result of winning an
appeal could be that the suspension is stricken from the child's
permanent record.
Expulsion
An expulsion is the removal of a student from school for more
than 10 days in a row. When a student is expelled, he or she will
usually first be suspended for 10 days, with expulsion commencing on
the 11th day and lasting up to two years.
Reasons for expulsion may include but are not limited to
bullying; using threats, intimidation or violence; gang activity;
stealing; making bomb threats; arson; sex crimes; fighting;
kidnapping; and it should also be noted that in certain specific
cases, the child may also be turned over the authorities for
criminal charges.
According to Illinois state law, there are specific violations
that will result in a minimum of one-year expulsion. These include
bringing a gun, knife, brass knuckles, billy clubs or other weapon
to school or to a school event.
Expelling a student is something that no one takes lightly. It is
a serious punishment for a serious offense. To assure that the
expulsion is justified and carried out to the letter of the law,
each district school board has a hearing policy they must follow
before an expulsion can be executed.
Before expelling a child, a school must give the parent and child
an opportunity to have a hearing. The school must send a notice of
the expulsion hearing in writing and by certified or registered
mail. The notice must state the time, place and reason for the
hearing.
At the hearing, the school must give reasons for the expulsion
and the date when it will commence.
Parents should attend the hearing and they have the right to
bring an attorney or advocate, call witnesses, present evidence, and
cross-examine the school's witnesses. However, before doing so, the
parent should notify the school of that intent.
Expelling a student from school serves to restore to the
classroom a safe, calm learning environment for students. However,
it also can present a new set of problems.
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While expelled, the education process stops for the student. This
can result in graduating late or dropping out of school altogether
once the child reaches age 17.
Also, with the student out of school, and possibly conducting
themselves during the day without adult supervision, the end result
can be kids on the street, getting into trouble in the community.
Salt Creek Academy
In 1997 the Regional Safe School Program was put into action by
the Illinois State Board of Education, providing expulsion-eligible
or expelled and suspension-eligible or suspended students in grades
six through 12 an opportunity to continue their education in an
environment outside their regular assigned school.
In the tri-county Logan, Mason and Menard region, that safe
school is Salt Creek Academy, located in Fancy Prairie.
Children who are suspended frequently and those who are facing
expulsion may be mandated to attend Salt Creek.
Anderson explained that in the case of children facing expulsion,
the school board offers this as an "either-or" scenario. They will
advise the child that they are expelled, but they can attend Salt
Creek as an alternative to expulsion.
However, if the child does not show significant progress in
attendance, behavior and course study completion, the board can,
without further notice, reverse their decision and expel the child
from school.
Salt Creek is staffed with a director, secretary and four
teachers. It offers basic course studies in mathematics, history,
social studies and language arts, with no extracurricular
activities.
For each student there is an Individualized Optional Education
Plan. The outcome goals of the plan include reducing disruptive
behavior, achieving regular attendance, course work completion and
integration back into the mainstream school.
Anderson emphasizes the importance of Salt Creek, and the Safe
School Program, saying: "Regional safe schools are very worthwhile
because they do what they are intended to do, and that is help kids
learn how to turn things around.
"They give them a calm, safe and stable environment and the right
kind of individual attention."
Anderson explains that disruptive behavior is amplified when
children have an audience. The safe school environment depletes that
audience potential and consequently depletes the desire to behave
badly.
Anderson says that it needs to be understood that these are
last-chance efforts, and prior to sending a child to the academy,
school officials have gone to great lengths on multiple occasions to
get the behavioral problems under control.
Also, behavioral problems in the region are not large-scale
problems. To put the Safe School Program in perspective, in the
month of February there were 32 students at Salt Creek, out of a
total student enrollment of about 9,000 in the region. This equates
to about one-third of 1 percent of the student population.
As this series of articles draws to a close, Anderson says that
on the whole, the schools in this region, their teachers,
administrators and boards are doing an excellent job of educating
our youth and maintaining a safe, secure learning environment.
This series of articles has touched on some very important roles
played by the regional superintendent of schools and the Regional
Office of Education, but the list is far from complete.
The regional office offers many services to the schools districts
and the citizens of our communities, including work permits for
underage youth and, new this year, a GED testing program offered
locally, just to name a couple.
The regional superintendent of schools is the only elected
education professional in the state of Illinois.
Elected in four-year terms, Jean Anderson is in the middle part
of her second term. She says that while she misses the classroom
environment, the superintendent position is challenging and
rewarding. She hopes to continue serving the people of Logan, Mason,
and Menard counties for many years to come.
For more information on the Logan, Mason, Menard Regional Office
of Education, visit
http://logan.k12.il.us/roe38/.
Other sources used for this article:
[By NILA SMITH]
Part 1 of series:
Regional Superintendent of Schools Jean Anderson offers insight
on the duties of the office
Part 2:
Homelessness in Logan County and other
issues
A discussion with Regional Superintendent of Schools Jean
Anderson
Part 3:
The SPIRIT truancy program
A discussion with Regional
Superintendent of Schools Jean Anderson |
