NCSD policy for discipline of violent behavior does not change current practices

Newton Community School District is introducing a new policy required by the Iowa Department of Education that addresses discipline for students who make threats of violence or cause incidents of violence, which for the most part has already been in place in the buildings, superintendent Tom Messinger said.

“There was legislation that passed, House File 604, and it dealt with aggressive or violent student behaviors in school,” he said. “Usually what happens is the Iowa Association of School Boards puts out a policy for schools to adopt. This time, the policy did not come from IASB. It’s from the Iowa Department of Education.”

Iowa schools received the guidance on Sept. 19. Messinger said the law does several different things, like identifying the different types of aggressive behaviors: threat of violence, incident of violence, injury, property damage and assault. Escalated responses are then broken down by grade.

“It gives you a list of different consequences you can pick from like detention, suspension, expulsion — those type of things,” Messinger said in an interview with Newton News. “It clearly lays out that the parent or guardian has to be contacted. I always thought most schools did anyway.”

Messinger noted the policy affects student violence against other students and against teachers and staff members. Another component added to the policy allows administrators to look at past offenses, when applicable, during any subsequent offense to implement an increased level of response.

“If a behavior continues, then the level of response — in terms of consequences — should increase as well,” Messinger said of the law.

According to model policies from the Iowa Department of Education, the Level 3 response — the highest level — for students in grades 9-12 includes:

• Parent or guardian conference that includes the student, when appropriate.

• When appropriate and with written parent/guardian consent, counseling, and/or mental health counseling subject to available resources of the district.

• Behavior intervention student agreement coupled with another response(s).

• Restitution or opportunities to repair relationships coupled with another response(s).

• Detention.

• Temporary or permanent removal from extracurricular activities.

• Temporary or permanent removal from class.

• In-school suspension.

• Out-of-school suspension.

• Suspension of transportation privileges, if misconduct occurred in a school vehicle.

• Placement in an alternative learning environment, including a therapeutic classroom, when appropriate.

• Recommendation for expulsion.

Messinger said the policy does not change what Newton school district has done in the past, but rather the law codifies the response in a way.

“Sometimes when legislation is passed it is passed as much for public awareness and making sure everybody is doing things,” Messinger said. “The example would be the law that was passed on review of academic materials. Schools already had to have a school board policy to do that anyway.”

Passing the law, if anything, drove public awareness of already in place policies. But Messinger insisted the law does not change how the school operates.

According to the policy, teachers have 24 hours to report an incident to the school principal or lead administrator, who will then notify the parent or guardian of the student or students who threatened or perpetrated an act of violence. The teacher may also notify the guardians of the aggressor and victim.

Investigations will be initiated by the principal or lead administrator through any credible means. The resolution of the incident will focus on identifying the cause behind the behavior and the appropriate corrective action.

Unlike past policy actions where the school board updates and adopts new policies within two readings, brand new policies require three years. The Newton school board approved the second reading of the policy, and by the third reading of the policy later this month it is likely to be adopted.