It’s been a year in the making but the Tucson Unified School District may be getting closer to rolling out a new student code of conduct.
The proposed plan is expected to go to the Governing Board on April 25 for review. It would replace TUSD’s existing code of conduct, implementing more strategies for positive behavior, intervention and support.
“The general response I would say is mixed,” said TUSD assistant superintendent Abel Morado. “There have been quite a few people that have had some real problems with how dense the new document is. They were expecting to see it in more bulleted fashion and want to see real defined directions in terms of when students are disrupting or causing dangerous situations on campus. The information that they’ve been giving us is that this document isn’t as proactive when it gets to that point.”
The existing code of conduct categorizes student violations on five different levels to determine consequences.
For example, inciting others to fight, is a level one violation that could be met with one of several level one consequences. The most severe violation is a level 5, for offenses like aggravated assault or taking a weapon to school, resulting in a report to law enforcement and long-term suspension or expulsion.
Those five levels have been eliminated in the revised code of conduct. While it specifies when law enforcement needs to be called, the proposed code has three levels of disciplinary response that school personnel can choose from depending on the severity of the incident and the surrounding context.
The first level of response occurs in the classroom, the second level involves support staff like counselors, and the highest response gets school administration involved.
The concerns over whether the new code is too vague were raised by parents, community members and staff during community forums hosted by TUSD over the last month.
Others questioned whether the rights of bullies are stronger than the rights of victims. Stakeholders also urged the district to incorporate mental- health resources for students.
The new code of conduct seeks to address the root causes of behavioral issues. It also works to keep students in the classroom while maintaining a safe learning environment.
“It’s not enough to just end negative behavior, but to teach positive behavior and what actions students should be taking,” said Michael Konrad, director of TUSD middle schools.
The work to overhaul the student code of conduct was initiated by the district’s former superintendent H.T. Sanchez.
TUSD hired consultant Jim Freeman to help create the new code. Freeman held focus groups with more than 200 students and parents , and came up with a first draft that was submitted last April.
After much back and forth with the Department of Justice, the code of conduct was submitted to the Governing Board in January, which was followed by the community forums, the last of which was held Thursday at Palo Verde High Magnet School.
Attendees at each of the six forums had the chance to submit written feedback that will be delivered the Governing Board.
The Governing Board will review the draft and community’s suggestions, and have the option of adopting the proposal , modifying it, or keeping the current code of conduct.
Morado expects a decision sometime in May.
