The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
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Dexter School officials talking policy changes
By Sean Dalton, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: March 6, 2008
Several policy changes to the Dexter Community Schools student handbook were discussed this week and will return to committee for final review before the Board of Education votes on them.
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The changes run the gamut from changes in language in policies dealing with graduation to harassment and bullying, and even school visitors.
"We just need to incorporate (these revisions) into policy," said Superintendent Evelynn Shirk.
"Some of the other (revisions) are there for our guidance and are necessary to run the district in a standardized manner, so we're on the same page across the board."
The first amendment to the policy rulebook is a wholesale replacement of the career and technical education policy, section 2421, which includes provisions for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006.
The act stipulates an increased focus on the academic achievement of career and technical education students.
It is also intended to strengthen the connections between secondary and post-secondary education, with an emphasis on state and local accountability.
The new policy also puts a priority on "high skill, high wage, and high demand occupations in current and emerging professions."
The graduation requirement revision that will be brought into the policy book "is just a wording change," Shirk said.
"Michigan Public Acts 123 and 124 require a school district to grant a student credit if the student earns a qualifying score on certain assessment developed or selected by the Michigan Department of Education," according to the district's revision summary.
References to the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) tests have been omitted.
The district's harassment and bullying policies will also be revamped, bringing the district's ability to deal with those issues into the realm of new technology.
Section 5517, Harassment of Students, dealing with both general and sexual harassment, contains the language, "Harassment through any means, including electronically transmitted methods (e.g., internet, telephone or cell phone, personal digital assistant [PDA], computer or wireless hand held device), may be subject to District disciplinary procedures."
The policy also omits language and includes new language that essentially means harassment complaints should be handled at the building level before reaching the superintendent's office.
The bullying policy revision contains similar language to broaden the scope of denouncement of bullying to an absolute range of jurisdiction within, throughout and outside of the district.
It also adds language emphasizing an implicit attitude on why bullying is against the wishes of the district, as illustrated in the policy book.
"The Board of Education believes that a safe and civil environment in school is necessary for students to learn and achieve high academic standards," the revised policy states.
"It is the policy of the District to provide a safe and nurturing educational environment for all of its students. This policy applies to all activities on school property and to all school sponsored activities whether on or off school property."
The policy even explicitly states that bullying in "a school vehicle" will not be tolerated.
The harassment policy, it also stipulates that any district official or employee engaging in sexual harassment or "other inappropriate physical contact with a student may be guilty of criminal 'child abuse' as defined in State law," the policy states.
That language goes hand in hand with the school visitor policy, which has a proposed revision dealing with parents or guardians who are sex offenders.
"Parents/guardians, who are registered sex offenders and wish to participate in their child's school activities, may be allowed on campus at the discretion and under the direction of the principal," the policy states.
The policy would require prior permission for a visit, checking in at the school's office, being accompanied by an approved escort and leaving the building "immediately upon conclusion of business."
Ohio-based NEOLA, a school district policy review consulting firm, drew up the revisions which will be reviewed by the district's legal firm, Miller Canfield, prior to final adoption by the board.
The district has relied on yearly policy updates from NEOLA for the past six years, according to Shirk
"Everything comes to the policy committee first and once it has reviewed the revisions they are sent to the board," Shirk explained.
"If there are changes, it goes back to the committee and then comes back for final approval."
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