Schools and Education Changes to Student Code of Conduct, Progression Plan, Bullying Policies Presented at School Board Workshop

BRADENTON — At Tuesday's workshop, the Manatee School Board heard presentations on changes to the district's Student Conduct and Student Progression codes, and amendments to its bullying and harassment policies.

Changes to the Student Code of Conduct were presented by Dropout Prevention/Intervention Specialist & Coordinator of Safe Schools Skip Wilhoit.

One major change, said Wilhoit, was to use simpler language for the code's references to alignment of jurisdictional control. The change was made at the direction of School District Attorney Mitch Teitelbaum, who felt that the language was too broad, said Wilhoit. The language now simply advises that the district will conform to statutes 1006.07, 1006.09, 1006.13, and 1006.147.

Other changes to the code of conduct include adding powdered alcohol to the code's drug and alcohol beverages section; adding tobacco to the list of prohibited advertisements on clothing, and giving principals more flexibility on whether to suspend students for possession of weapon-like contraband.

After Board Chair Bob Gause asked about whether Florida law would allow giving administrators flexibility for suspensions on contraband, Wilhoit advised he would be correct on weapons, but such law does not apply to contraband. In dealing with contraband, he said, "We want to get as much flexibility as possible."

It was also advised that 'private humiliation' has been added to the bullying and harassment policy definition under the code of conduct, which Wilhoit says also applies to the district's bullying and harassment policy.

The revised bullying policy also includes expanding the definition of bullying and harassment by adding "intent to demean, dehumanize, embarrass, or cause emotional or physical harm to a student or school employee" by incitement or coercion; "accessing or knowingly and willingly causing or providing access to data or computer software through a computer, computer system, or computer network within the scope of the district school system"; and "acting in a manner that has an effect substantially similar to the effect of bullying or harassment."

In other changes to bullying and harassment, 'cyberstalking' is now defined, and school officials are now allowed to look into reports of bullying "occurring at any point on the way to or from school, while a student is aboard a school bus or at a school bus stop."

Speaking about changes to the Student Progression Plan, outgoing Executive Director of Secondary Schools and newly appointed Deputy Superintendent of Instructional Services Cynthia Saunders said that most changes this year are due to statutorily changes by the Florida DOE. "Last year we made our progression plan in the spring, then halfway through the year the state changed a lot ... so we really had to go back to clean up language," she said.

Among the added changes in language to the progression plan include: adding promotion and retention criteria for all grade levels based on statutes; ensuring that students can't be retained more than once in the third grade; spelling out letter grade award criteria; adding criteria for enrollment in high school credit CTE courses in middle school, and removing a reference to students' financial responsibility for dropped dual enrollment courses.