Reform student discipline policies

Public schools in the U.S. embraced "zero tolerance" policies many years ago to ensure that dangerous student misconduct, especially that involving weapons, violence or drugs, was dealt with swiftly and consistently. Over the years, though, these disciplinary mandates, which often suspended students for prolonged periods, expanded to include far less serious infractions.

Meanwhile, research mounted that such harsh penalties, coupled with having more law-enforcement officers on campuses, contributed to a school-to-prison pipeline that criminalized juveniles for misbehavior that school administrators of bygone eras had managed to deal with on their own.

Moreover, the discipline was not consistently applied, with male, minority and special-education students more likely to be punished.

Recognizing this reality, it is appropriate for Hawaii’s Board of Education to direct a reassessment of disciplinary practices in Hawaii’s public schools, with the goal of reducing suspensions and keeping delinquent students connected to supportive educational environments that offer them the surest paths to productive lives. This approach is best not only for the individual students, but for the broader community, which thrives with an educated, cohesive population and suffers with a marginalized, illiterate one.

Still, any new disciplinary policy approved by the BOE must also vigorously emphasize the rights of all students, faculty and staff to learn and work in safe settings.

The proposal that the board will consider for approval next week succeeds in limiting suspension as a disciplinary tool, but should be more explicit in detailing the rights of well-behaved students and school employees whose lives and learning are disrupted when unruly students act out.

While minor infractions should not rise to criminal status, neither should chronic misbehavior be allowed to escalate out of control. Successful classroom management trusts teachers, first and foremost, to exercise their best judgment on the spot.

In Hawaii’s public schools during the 2013-14 school year, about 6,345 students accounted for a total 10,530 suspensions, meaning some students were suspended more than once. Of those suspensions, 1,029 resulted in students being arrested at school. Drug use, insubordination and assault were leading causes of arrest.

The proposed policy, which the BOE’s Student Achievement Committee unanimously recommended the full board approve, stipulates that disciplined students be suspended "only as a last resort" and that those who are receive "meaningful academic instruction and behavioral supports" while out of the classroom.

Any decision to suspend a student would have to be documented in writing, before the suspension takes effect.

Notably, the plan limits the authority of campus-based law enforcement agents, known as school resource officers (SROs), and requires that they not be involved in routine disciplinary matters.

It is important for the BOE to adopt a disciplinary policy that will guide the Department of Education and other stakeholders in revising Hawaii Administrative Rules Chapter 19, which governs punishment for student misconduct.

Likewise, the DOE must forge pacts with county police over the rightful roles of SROs. The lack of such formal agreements blurs the lines of responsibility when students act up and surely contributes to avoidable arrests.

But in promoting the worthy goal of keeping troublesome students in school, the board must work doubly hard to obtain the resources to achieve this aim — without raiding the regular-education budget — and do more to reassure school employees and students that safe learning environments will not be compromised.

Farrington High School, Hawaii’s fourth-largest high school, offers a good model in this regard, with its intensive efforts to engage students and promote positive behavior so that fewer serious incidents occur. When suspensions are unavoidable, the school staffs an off-campus classroom that helps suspended students catch up and keep up with their schoolwork and develop and maintain the important routine of attending classes.

The result is not only lower suspension rates — which frankly can be achieved simply by ignoring student misconduct — but a truly better campus climate that makes it easier for all students to learn.