Board reviews discipline trends and cellphone policy; seeks stronger in‑building supports and mentoring

The board spent substantial time reviewing discipline data, coding practices and policy implications, and encouraged staff to prioritize restorative and instructional alternatives to out‑of‑school suspension.

What was presented: Staff showed multi‑year infraction totals and grade‑level patterns, noting declines from pandemic peaks but continuing substantial use of in‑building responses and removals. The district codes certain incidents (for example, 'cell violation' appears in the infraction types); staff said 162 district‑wide cell violations were logged in the reporting period but noted undercounting is possible because teachers may handle minor incidents without formally referring to the office.

Cellphone policy: Board members discussed a recent state law that tightened restrictions on personal devices. Staff confirmed handbooks were updated, coding includes a 'cell violation' category, and administrative guidelines are being developed to clarify escalation steps, medical exceptions and parent pickup processes. An implementation communication campaign and training for teachers were requested.

Guided learning and suspension alternatives: Members asked whether guided learning (in‑building alternatives) includes direct instruction or only independent work; staff said both occur, depending on building staffing and capacity. The board pressed for more consistent staffing and a systemwide approach to mentoring during guided learning (for example, pairing mentoring or intervention during in‑school removal rather than leaving the student unserved). Staff noted existing options such as Pike Support Academy and historical 'Pike Preparatory Academy' models and agreed to explore consistent mentoring, targeted PD for adults in guided‑learning spaces, and clearer monitoring of repeat referrals.

Equity questions and next steps: Board members raised concerns about disproportionality in discipline data and asked for analysis of repeated offenders vs. many single incidents. Staff agreed to return with disaggregated incident counts, the number of unique students affected, and proposals for consistent guided‑learning staffing and mentoring protocols.

Provenance: Discipline, cell‑phone and guided‑learning discussion (topic intro: SEG 3320; topic finish: SEG 4560).