DISCIPLINE PROTOCOL revisions & REVIEW

1. Terrence S. Mixon, Sr. Executive Director Student Support Services Mobile County Public Schools DISCIPLINE PROTOCOLrevisions & REVIEW

2. SPLC • ALLEGATIONS • MONTHS OF DEPOSITIONS AND SUBSEQUENT NEGOTIATIONS DISCIPLINE PROTOCOLRevision & Review

3. PURPOSE AND INTENT • INITIAL HEARING FOR A LONG TERM SUSPENSION • FORMS OF POLICY/RULES • PROCEDURAL CHANGES • ENFORCEMENT AND APPLICATION • MONITORING SPLC Settlement agreement

4. To reduce long term suspensions if possible while maintaining safety and the effectiveness of the schools. PURPOSE AND INTENT:

5. Written notice of proposed long term suspension must be provided to the parents • Initial hearing must take place to allow the student and parent to provide additional information and ask questions. • DECISION WHETHER TO IMPOSE A LONG TERM SUSPENSION IS NOT MADE UNTIL AFTER THIS INITIAL HEARING. Long Term Suspensions:

6. Students will not be sent home pending the initial hearing unless there is a compelling reason to do so • Students not allowed to attend school pending the initial hearing, and those that receive a long term suspension will have the days at home count toward their total number of days suspended. LONG TERM SUSPENSIONS CONTINUED

7. Students are to receive homework and make up assignments for any loss of instructional days due to a suspension or the investigation of a suspension. • Translators must be present for non-English speaking parents. Student may not function as translators • Interpreters must be present for deaf parents. Students may not function as interpreters LONG TERM SUSPENSIONS CONTINUED

8. Code of Conduct will be simplified, shorter and printed in a larger font. • Code of Conduct will be made available in Spanish and Vietnamese and Arabic. • Informational sessions for parents and students at each school will be held to explain discipline policies and procedures. • Open House• Grade level assemblies• Full school assemblies Grade level assemblies• No later than September 16, 2013 Form of policy/rules

9. Suspension appeal forms will be made available at every school. • Principals will allow parents to request that the counselor attend the initial hearing on a possible long term suspensions to act as a liaison for parents. Lawyers may attend initial hearings. • Parents will be allowed to have a non-lawyer advocate attend due process hearings in the central office. Procedural changes:

10. School system will provide definitions and detailed of Code offenses in a grid format similar to that used by the City of Baltimore School System. • School system will make every reasonable effort to avoid suspension of students under age eight. Procedural changes continued

11. School based administrators will be required to attend and participate in formal training on out of school suspensions through a Professional Learning Unit, as dictated by the Alabama State Department of Education. Enforcement and application:

12. The school system will bring in a professional development instructor to provide training in behavior intervention. • Principals’ evaluation will contain a section to ascertain whether compliance with the system’s discipline and suspension polices if being achieved. Lead Alabama Sections 7&8 Enforcement and application continued

13. The Executive Director of Student Support Services will review all long-term suspensions and forward data to the PK-12 assistant superintendents. • The school system agrees to consult with the appropriate person with the Alabama State Department of Education to help implement the measures agreed up and assist with reducing long-term suspension Enforcement and application continued

14. The superintendent or her administrator designee will review any proposed suspensions over 20 school days and his or her approval of any such long term suspension will be required before the suspensions are imposed. Designees: T. Mixon S. Martin-Sp. Ed. • Long term suspensions not automatically until the end of the semester Enforcement and application continued

15. Monitoring will be done of both “aspirational goals” and “settlements terms”. • Settlement terms will be monitored constantly on the website and formally at the end of each quarter/year 1 and each semester/year 2 & 3. Monitoring:

16. Aspirational goals will be evaluated at the end of years 1, 2, and 3 of the settlement. • Settlement terms are the criteria that the parties will use to determine if the school system has met the terms of the settlement. Monitoring continued

17. Reduce total number of out-of-school suspensions. • Reduce number of students who receive two or more out of school suspensions in one academic year. • Reduce total number of suspensions over 20 days for A and B offenses. Aspirational goals:

18. Reduce average number of academic days lost to suspensions. • Avoid concentrating suspensions within any group or demographic (males, females, minorities, students with disabilities). Aspirational goals continued

19. Amend the Code of Conduct as described in the settlement agreement by October 1, 2013. • Hold one to two-day professional development by the end of summer, 2013. • Provide a professional development program over the course of the 2013-14 school year for school administrators and key staff members involved in administering discipline. Settlement Terms:

20. By September 1, 2013, identify schools with high suspension and high disparity rates and evaluate whether a plan should be implemented for those schools to address these issues and by October 1, 2013 implement such plans for those schools. Settlement terms continued

21. Compile and analyze three years’ worth of discipline data by September, 2013. By October 18, 2013 the Executive Director of Student Services will begin reviewing all long term suspensions and forwarding data on suspensions to the PK-12 assistant superintendents including graphic reports documenting the suspensions. These reports or some variation will be made publicly available on the System’s website. Settlement terms continued

22. By October 18, 2013, add out of school suspension data to the “Electronic Dashboard”. • By September 2013, initiate Superintendent (or designee) review and approval of proposed long term suspensions lasting longer than 20 days. Settlement terms continued

23. Convene working group and develop menu of alternatives to suspensions by February 2014. • Implement a suspension template similar to that used by the City of Baltimore School System by September 2013. • Incorporate suspension policy compliance into principal evaluations beginning with the 2014-2015 school year. Settlement terms continued

24. Complete three discipline scenarios where administrators will apply the protocol/procedures Mobile County Public School System’s Code of Conduct. • Review the infractions grid of the Baltimore City Schools Code of Conduct. • Feeder pattern presentations on alternatives to out of school suspension. Professional Learning Unit Components:

25. Attend session on the offerings available from local community service agencies to increase awareness (e.g. Alta Pointe Mental Health, Lifeline Counseling Services, Mobile County Police Department Family Intervention Service, Mobile County District Attorney’s Helping Families Program. Professional Learning Units Components Continued

26. Complete two case studies involving student discipline where the administrators will apply the system code of conduct. Specific attention will be given to administrators’ knowledge of due process and proper coding. • Analyses of local school discipline data where administrators will identify disparities at their schools. Professional Learning Units Components Continued

27. Attend all required sessions. • Conduct climate surveys of students, parents, and staff. • Administrators will present school-wide plan for reducing suspensions at the local school level. Plans are to be developed by using the Positive Behavior Intervention and Support system. Professional Learning Units Components Continued

28. INOW letters for discipline. • Homework forms submitted with request for long term suspensions. • Principals only sign suspensions forms. • Principal is required to attend appeals hearing when filed. Other Important Information:

29. Data will be posted on website and on the administrative electronic dashboards disaggregated by subgroups. • All requirements are mandatory. Other important Information