EDUCATION SERVICE DELIVERY AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE 1 The director of Academic Programs contacts TEA's Division of
H. DISCIPLINE MANAGEMENT AND ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION
Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code addresses discipline, law and order in Texas public schools. The original provisions were adopted in 1995 as part of the revision of the Texas Education Code. The Legislature amended these provisions in 1997 and 1999.
Under Section 11.252, each school district must have a district
improvement plan that includes a discipline management plan. Chapter 37 provides additional guidelines that districts can use in formulating their own policies.
Alternative education programs (AEPs) became mandatory with the adoption of Chapter 37 in 1995. Section 37.008 of the Texas Education Code provides detailed information on the provision of such programs. Each school district shall provide an alternative education program:
• In a setting other than a student's regular classroom;
• On or off of a regular school campus;
• For students who are assigned to the alternative education program to be separated from students who are not assigned to the program;
• Focusing on English language arts, mathematics, science, history and self-discipline;
• Meeting students' educational and behavioral needs; and
• Provides supervision and counseling.
An alternative education program may provide for a student's transfer to a different campus, a school-community guidance center or a community- based alternative school.
On-campus AEPs must use certified personnel, however, off- campus AEPs may use instructional personnel as they choose fo r students who do not receive special education or bilingual education services.
An off-campus AEP is not required for compliance with the school-day length provision, however, funding is based on attendance in the same manner as other programs. Off-campus programs must be conducted in a separate facility from all campuses serving students in the regular
An AEP may not be held in the same room as an in-school suspension program or any other room that contains students not assigned to the AEP. Districts may continue to provide transportation services and allow
students to engage in activities such as eating in the same cafeteria with other students.
Districts develop local policies that explain how the district will provide for a student's educational needs, and provide counseling services for students during placement in an AEP.
EISD's discipline management program is coordinated through the superintendent with help from by campus administrators. The
superintendent, or his designee, is responsible for conducting student hearings for violations of the Student Code of Conduct and monitoring and tracking student disciplinary actions, including referrals to alternative education programs and expulsions.
Each school distributes EISD's Student Code of Conduct to principals, teachers, students and parents at the beginning of each school year to ensure that everyone is familiar with the district's disciplinary process and consequences for misbehavior. The Student Code of Conduct is printed in English only.
The superintendent, principals and assistant principals are responsible for enforcement of the district's discipline management policies and
procedures.
EISD has two alternative education programs. The Phoenix Learning Center (PLC) serves grades 9-12. In 1999-2000, 25 students were
enrolled. A disciplinary, on-campus program for middle and high school students is located at the high school campus. The on-campus program operates from 2:00-8:00 p.m. and usually has anywhere from five to 20 students for varying lengths of time.
PLC is a dropout recovery program for students meeting one or more of the state's criteria for being in at-risk situations: 1) was not advanced from one grade level to the next for two or more school years; 2) has
mathematics or reading skills that are two or more years below grade level; 3) did not maintain an average equivalent to 70 on a scale of 100 in two or more courses during a semester, or is not maintaining such an average in two or more courses in the current semester, and is not
expected to graduate within four years of the date the student begins ninth grade; 4) did not perform satisfactorily on an assessment instrument administered under Subchapter B, Chapter 39; or 5) is pregnant or a parent.
The PLC curriculum is competency-based- designed in concert with the student's level of achievement, using the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) as the base. A minimum of 20 hours of instruction per week at the center is required, however, students work under a flexible schedule around their work and other commitments. Almost all of the instruction is one-on-one and computer assisted.
FINDING
Bastrop County, the cities of Bastrop, Elgin and Smithville, and the Bastrop, Elgin, McDade and Smithville Independent School Districts entered into an interlocal agreement and memorandum of understanding in 1999 to develop and participate in the Bastrop County Juvenile Boot Camp. The purpose of the boot camp is to serve as a dropout prevention program for adjudicated youth. Students in the boot camp stay on track for graduation, and stay out of the legal system.
An 11-member board serves as the policy-making body and includes the district attorney, county-court-at-law judge, county judge, a representative of the Centex Regional Juvenile Services Department, the city managers of Bastrop, Elgin and Smithville, and the superintendents of Bastrop, Elgin, McDade and Smithville. There are also five ex-officio, or non- voting, members of the board: the police chiefs of Bastrop, Elgin and Smithville, the sheriff and the county auditor.
The project was a pilot project from March through May 1999, and served less than 10 students. In 1999-2000, the program served 39 students. The student day is 10 hours and consists of an academic and boot camp program.
The academic program is five hours per day and is a self-paced, computer- based program. Students can earn up to 2.5 credits a semester.
The boot camp part of the program is also five hours per day and consists of drill, physical and ceremony training.
Expenditures for 1999-2000 were $189,244 and an estimated $177,784 for 2000-01. A Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program grant pays $13,654 and special education funds provide $15,000. The remaining revenues are based on a per space charge, an estimated $5,679 per space for 20 spaces for the 2000-01. The participating cities divide one space equally, the county pays for 10 spaces, EISD pays for five spaces, Bastrop ISD and Smithville ISD pay for two spaces each and McDade ISD pays a daily fee whenever it uses the program.
The boot camp developed by EISD and other Bastrop County governmental organizations is an effective way to provide dropout prevention for adjudicated youth that keeps program costs to a minimum.
FINDING
The district has not standardized the discipline process on all campuses to provide consistent application of discipline.
The 1999-2000 Student Code of Conduct includes standards for student conduct and potential discipline applications (Exhibit 2-65), general misconduct violations and the consequences for committing such violations and the procedures for removal from the regular educational setting. The code of conduct also explains how discipline will be handled for students with disabilities.
Exhibit 2-65
Standards for Student Conduct EISD Student Code of Conduct 1999-2000
Standards for Student Conduct
Examples
of Discipline Management Techniques Demonstrate courtesy even when others do
not.
Oral correction.
Behave in a responsible manner, always exercising self-discipline.
Cooling-off time or time out. Attend all classes, regularly and on time. Seating changes within the
classroom. Prepare for each class; take appropriate
materials and assignments to class.
Counseling by teachers, counselors or administrative personnel. Meet district or campus standards of
grooming and dress.
Parent-teacher conferences.
Obey all campus and classroom rules. Rewards or demerits. Respect the rights and privileges of other
students and of teachers and other district staff.
Detention.
Respect the property of others, including district property and facilities.
In-school suspension.
maintaining safety, order and discipline. Avoid violations of the Student Code of Conduct.
Placement in a disciplinary alternative education program. Assigned school duties such as scrubbing desks or picking up litter. Withdrawal or restriction of bus privileges.
School-assessed and school- administered probation. Corporal punishment.
Referral to an outside agency and/or legal authority.
Source: EISD Student Code of Conduct, 1999-2000.
EISD'S Student Code of Conduct lists general misconduct violations for which discipline management techniques can be applied, including: disobeying rules for conduct on school buses, cheating or copying the work of another, displaying a fire alarm, gambling, possessing a firearm, making false threats, possessing or using tobacco products, violating computer use policies and possessing material that is pornographic. With the exception of a section entitled "Removal from the Regular Education Setting," that describes offenses that could result in either out-of-school suspension or placement in an alternative education program, the code of conduct does not outline levels of violations and consequences for each level of offense.
Principals said that application is left to individual judgment.Interviews with principals identified at least three different methods of applying discipline management (Exhibit 2-66).
Exhibit 2-66
EISD Discipline Management Systems Used by Principals
System
Step 1 2 3
First step
Teacher-student conference Cooling-off or time out
Teacher-student conference
Next step
Cooling-off or time out Parent-teacher- principal conference
Parent-teacher-principal conference when student reaches 10 demerits Next
step
Parent-teacher conference Referral to alternative education program
In-school suspension (three days) when student reaches 20 demerits
Next step
Principal-student conference: principal assesses options, such as lunch detention, recess detention
None In-school suspension (three days) when student reaches 30 demerits
Next step
In-school suspension (length varies from half day to two days)
None In-school suspension (three days) when student reaches 40 demerits
Next step
In-school suspension (length varies from half day to two days)
None Placement in alternative education program when student reaches 50 demerits
Next step
Placement in alternative education program or out-of- school suspension
None None
Source: TSPR interviews with principals.
Sixty-two percent of teachers responding to the TSPR written survey disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement, "Students receive fair and equitable discipline for misconduct." Comments teachers included on their surveys:
• "The dress code and discipline procedures are improperly managed."
• "There is an extremely high teacher turnover ratio due primarily to below-par leadership, poor discipline management at the
administrative level and an acceptance of general mediocrity."
• "Poor discipline at middle school."
• "The high school discipline plan is not equally/fairly enforced. There is in effect NO discipline at the high school."
• "The discipline plan is not followed consistently which makes the teachers unsure of discipline management. Lack of support in discipline issues makes teachers' jobs exponentially more difficult."
• "Student discipline is horrible: a. Discipline is not effective, b. Discipline is not applied fairly, c. There are too many loopholes in the system (parent complaints etc.) to let disruptive students 'off the hook'."
• "Teacher morale is very low. Inconsistent and weak discipline" Recomme ndation 14:
Develop a standardized approach to applying discipline in each EISD school.
The approach should define a specific progression of discipline
alternatives for repeat offenders. Alternatives within each level should be identified to allow limited discretion by the principal. The approach should also recognize different grade levels from one school to the next. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1. The executive director of Academic services facilitates a committee comprised of parents, teachers, students, principals, assistant principals and EISD's attorney that proposes a
standardized list of violations and disciplinary consequences for the entire district and forwards the proposal to the
superintendent, all principals and assistant principals.
October 2000
2. The superintendent, principals and assistant principals review the proposal and provide suggestions for improvement.
November 2000 3. The executive director and selected members of the committee
revise the standardized list based on the suggestions and forward the final version to the superintendent for approval.
December 2000
4. The board reviews and approves the standardized list of violations and disciplinary consequences with any necessary changes.
January 2001
5. The executive director incorporates the standardized list into the student code of conduct. The student code of conduct is re- written focusing on a standardized list of offenses and consequences.
February 2001
6. All campuses conduct a districtwide effort to communicate the new information in the code of conduct. Posters are placed in the halls by campus administrators to ensure that all students know the punishment for the various offenses.
March- April 2001