3/27/08

Student walkout leads to talks about discipline, school safety

by Beckye Randall

On March 5 more than 200 students at Totem Middle School participated in a planned walkout to protest “a lack of discipline” at their school.

Disruptive behavior in classrooms, bullying in hallways and fighting on school grounds had gone too far, claimed the students. Those causing the problems were “getting away” with bad behavior and the atmosphere of chaos was getting worse, they said.

The walkout has prompted a series of frank discussions between students, parents, staff and administrators, leading to a renewed commitment to create a safe and respectful environment of learning within the district’s middle schools.

School administrators initially responded to the protest by sending letters home explaining that students who participated in the walkout would face disciplinary action. Parents quickly demanded a public meeting to discuss the issue.

More than 60 parents and staff members met with representatives of the Marysville School Board in the Cedarcrest Middle School gym on March 12 to hear more about district disciplinary policies and to voice their concerns.

Principals from Totem, Cedarcrest and Marysville Middle School were asked about equitable enforcement of a discipline matrix. Totem principal Judy Albertson admitted it was difficult to compare discipline policies “because it’s not always clear what constitutes horseplay and what is considered disrespectful or aggressive behavior.”

Parents were less ambiguous in their assessments.

“The district needs to stand up, take responsibility, put aside your egos and fix the problem,” said parent Vicky Fitch.

Fitch, the parent of an 8th grader at Totem, said she hoped the administration would use the walkout as a catalyst for improvement in the schools. Her daughter did not participate in the walkout, even though her parents had given her permission to do so.

The students claim that because discipline is not uniformly and equitably applied, the behavior doesn’t change. Stories of bullying and harassment were common, along with frustration over class time wasted while teachers try to deal with behavior problems.

Sherry Davies, a substitute teacher in the Marysville district, read from a log of specific incidents in which students exhibited disruptive or aggressive behavior and received no consequences for their actions. The incidents occurred at multiple schools and in a number of different grade levels.

Referring to even more disturbing stories, parent Erin Raglund pointed out that if an adult “shoved a disabled person into a wall and punched him,” jail time would result. “If an adult taunted an overweight person until that person considered suicide, they’d be arrested.”

“Our children are being traumatized and terrorized,” said Raglund. “We need to stop this PC behavior and call a spade a spade.” She called for the installation of security cameras in hallways and outdoor walkways to monitor student behavior.

A mother whose daughter did join the walkout, Yvonne Paul pointed to the Totem student handbook that guaranteed the students’ “right to peaceful assembly.”

The district had previously adopted a program called Safe and Civil Schools that trains teachers to better manage disruptive and unsafe behavior. However, with resources stretched to meet federal testing guidelines, seventh-grade teacher Dave Van Kooten claimed there’s little time left to provide this important training.

On March 14, which was a non-school day for the rest of the district, 172 students met with teachers and staff at Totem for a discussion about the discipline problem. Attendance at the forum was proposed in lieu of other punishment for the protesters.

The top three issues identified by students during the March 14 brainstorm session were “too much hate at our school,” a need for uniform punishments, and too much violence including fighting, bullying and intimidation.

Principal Albertson and the school’s staff made personal commitments designed to improve the atmosphere at Totem, including the institution of a Tuesday Breakfast Club hosted by Albertson and open to all students who want to share ideas or voice concerns. Students also made personal commitments to report bullies, to stand up for each other, to refrain from harmful talk and other positive behaviors. Banners displaying those written declarations are being posted throughout the school building.

Following the forum, Advisory classes on March 17 and 18 were structured to allow all students an opportunity to provide input on the discipline problem and to suggest possible solutions.

A report to the School Board the evening of March 17, presented by Director of Teaching and Learning Ray Houser, recapped the events of the previous weeks, beginning with the student walkout, and itemized actions taken by middle school staff and district support personnel to address the issues.

Houser explained that the district’s goal is to “help students learn to use mistakes as learning opportunities, while teaching empathy and healthy remorse.” Teachers and staffers are encouraged to “focus on the child’s behavior, never the child.”

Recommendations by Houser, Albertson and assistant superintendent Gail Miller include implementation and adherence to Safe and Civil Schools along with investigation of alternative disciplinary actions for offending students. Student recognition programs are also being considered to reward pro-social behavior.

All parties agreed that increased communication is key to resolving the complex issues brought to light by the walkout.

To that end, comments made at the public meetings and the student forum have been posted on the district’s web site at www.msvl.k12.wa.us.

“We all share the same goals of student safety and respectfulness in the classroom,” said superintendent Larry Nyland at the March 12 meeting. “We need to come together as a community—a community of parents, students and interested citizens—to address these concerns and seek solutions.”