Kicking kids out of school should be a last resort to deal with misbehaving students, according to New Westminster’s recently hired superintendent, who is calling for an overhaul of the way the district manages suspensions.
John Gaiptman has presented a draft policy that tightens the reins on suspensions in order to address his concerns about how they were being dealt with in the district.
“I can tell you that suspensions should be a last resort, and if we are suspending students, then I think there are too many suspensions. Our goal is to keep students in school,” Gaiptman said.
Lengthy suspensions should only be used to tackle serious issues, such as weapons and excessive violence, Gaiptman said, noting that suspensions hurt students’ relationships with their teachers and impact their ability to be successful in school.
The draft suspension policy, which the board of education has sent out for public input, includes recommendations that suspensions in excess of five days not be considered for students identified with special needs or for students in Kindergarten through Grade 7.
Suspensions in excess of five days may be considered for students in Grade 8 through 12, though homework and learning materials must be arranged for the student during their time away from school, according to the policy.
“I want to make sure that there is a plan for sending work home during suspensions,” Gaitpman said.
A formal letter must also be issued, citing the reason for a suspension, a reference to the School Act, preventative measures related to the incident and a notice that the superintendent will contact the parents to set the date and location for the district’s review committee meeting.
The draft policy also notes that the superintendent’s office will be notified of all suspensions, and the board will be informed about suspensions in excess of five days.
The district can use that data to hone in and focus on what is causing the bulk of suspensions and where it needs to focus resources to help struggling students, Gaiptman said.
“We need to know what the issues are in our school,” he said. “You should be able to turn to me and say over the past three years, what is the predominate reason for suspensions? And I should be able to answer that clearly, and right now, I cannot.”
The district review committee evaluates written documentation from the school regarding the incident or other related matters that led to the suspension, and to hear from staff, parents and the student.
The new policy calls for the district parent advisory council to no longer have a representative on the review committee.
“I am asking for consultation regarding whether or not a parent, a member of DPAC, be on that committee and this is not to say that they weren’t productive on the committee, but I would really like to see them in their role as advocates for parents and for students rather than as disciplinarians,” Gaiptman said.
To see the district’s policy on suspensions, visit the district’s website at district.sd40.bc.ca.
