School Safety

Last week, a report was released by the Solano County Grand Jury regarding safety concerns at Vallejo High School. VEA will be releasing a statement regarding the report within the next few days.

• Solano County Grand Jury Report – VHS

AR 1250 – Community Relations:Principal’s Registration Authority has replaced BP 1314, which used to be known as the “Civility Policy.” Both policies are posted below in their entirety.

AR 1250 – Community Relations: Principal’s Registration Authority
The principal or designee may refuse to register any outsider if he/she reasonably concludes that the individual’s presence or acts would disrupt the school, students, or employees; would result in damage to property; or would result in the distribution or use of a controlled substance. The principal or designee or school security officer may revoke any outsider’s registration if he/she has a reasonable basis for concluding that the individual’s presence on school grounds would interfere or is interfering with the peaceful conduct of school activities or would disrupt or is disrupting the school, students, or staff.

BP 1314
1. Any individual who disrupts or threatens to disrupt school/office operations; threatens the health and safety of students or staff; willfully causes property damage, uses loud and/or offensive language which could provoke a violent reaction; or who has otherwise established a continued pattern of unauthorized entry on school district property, will be directed to leave school or school district property promptly by the Superintendent or designee.

2. If any member of the public uses obscenities or speaks in a demanding, loud, insulting and/or demeaning manner, the administrator or employee to whom the remarks are directed will calmly and politely admonish the speaker to communicate civilly. If corrective action is not taken by the abusing party, the district employee will verbally notify the abusing party that the meeting, conference, or telephone conversation is terminated and, if the meeting or conference is on district premises, the offending person will be directed to leave promptly.

3. When an individual is directed to leave under such paragraph 1 or 2 circumstances, the Superintendent or designee shall inform the person that he/she will be guilty of a misdemeanor in accordance with Education Code 44811 and Penal Code 415.5 and 626.7 . . .

4. The Superintendent or designee will ensure that a safety and/or crisis intervention techniques program is provided in order to raise awareness on how to deal with these situations if and when they occur.

5. When violence is directed against an employee, or theft against property, employees shall promptly report the occurrence to their principal or supervisor and complete an Incident Report. Employees and supervisors should complete an Incident Report and report to law enforcement any attack, assault, or threat made against them on district premises or at school-/district-sponsored activities.

6. An employee whose person or property is injured or damaged by willful misconduct of a student, may ask the district to pursue legal action against the student or the student’s parent/guardian.

When the school board trustees were questioned on this change, they seem to be unaware that the old policy had been replaced with the new one.

This letter is in regards to the recent article, “Vallejo district to avoid major budget cuts,” (April 25). In this article, the Superintendent speaks to the drastic reduction in school suspensions and expulsions. She states the District is not looking the other way on student behaviors, rather that students are being suspended for suspendable offenses.

How do we know that this statement is true? The teachers don’t know it as they have been denied access to being able to easily look at a student’s discipline record that used to be readily available on AERIES, the computer program that tracks attendance, grades, and discipline. The discipline tab was disabled shortly into the Superintendent’s first year in the district.

Teachers will report that too often referrals that are written are never returned or are returned days letter. Teachers will say that even after sending a student out for a suspendable offense (offenses are listed under 48900 of the California Education Code), such as engaging in threatening behavior, students are returned to class. Even after a referral is returned days later, too often the referral provides no information as to what, if any, action was taken by the site administrator. Teachers will also report that it appears that their site administrators are under great pressure to reduce suspensions and expulsions and that many referrals disappear.

The one reliable source that teachers could use to see what consequences was given after a referral was written was disabled on AERIES. This action was taken after the District claimed that a teacher at a school site shared confidential information. This teacher was disciplined, but so was every other teacher in the district. There was no conversation with VEA on how to make sure confidentiality is not breached, rather the one tool we had was conveniently disabled around the same time the push to reduce suspensions and expulsions was put into place at school sites.

I keep trying to remind our school board members to be thoughtfully skeptical when the district provides information, whether it is on finances or discipline. There is a deep distrust with the numbers reported because I know from talking to teachers at our school sites that referrals are not being handled in any way that can be tracked by anyone outside of site and/or district administration.

Christal Watts,
President
Vallejo Education Association

(This letter appeared in the Vallejo Times Herald on Sunday, April 28, 2013.)