After half a year of reform efforts in the FCPS system, decisions are finally being made concerning changes to the current disciplinary policies that the FCPS School Board will vote on tomorrow. The board has also dedicated $500,000 to policy reform as part of the 2012 budget and Superintendent Jack Dale introduced ten recommendations to the SR&R handbook and the discipline process at the May 16 work session.

Among the recommendations for the 2011-2012 school year are increasing the communication and understanding between parents, students and staff members of the expectations for student behavior, and consequences for misbehavior, as stated in the Student Responsibilities and Rights handbook, increasing instructional support such as having an Alcohol and Drug Youth Services school resource specialist at a school, and having an psychologist or social worker stay with the family of a student for emotional support.

Changes to the SR&R include clarifying nonprescription drug use and possession (administrators can recommend alternative consequences for students instead of being required to recommend expulsion), what a controlled substance is (synthetic marijuana) and adding razor blades to “other” weapons. Principals will also be required to notify parents at the earliest possible time regarding their student and disciplinary actions and parents now can review recordings of any hearing proceedings involving their child. Further recommendations to the SR&R and the disciplinary process can be found at the FCPS website.

“I think that discipline in the school is a complex and involved issue.  It is just like parenting. It is the same as parents dealing with their kids at home. There are different levels.” Assistant Principal Jamie Carayiannis said. Carayiannis continued to say there are different consequences for every situation. “Some people who are not educators do not understand the complexity of disciplinary policy at school. Discipline is a private thing and it should be handled with discretion.”

In AHS, discipline is an intricate process just as any other place. “My fear is that if you take the consequences away, it is hard to have discipline. Every situation is different, but some lessons have to be learned,” Math teacher Judy Fisher said

Administrators countywide have to follow the SR&R without straying and they have little discretion in matters of discipline, but the administrators of Annandale share ideals about the objective of discipline. Students should have the right to learn in a safe environment and should not be at risk to any harmful influences.

“Most of the students at AHS are of high character and don’t find themselves in disciplinary matters with their administrators, but administrators are here to get kids back on track if they get lost,” Assistant Principal Pam Gravitte said.