Full Membership Meeting

Thursday, August 19, 2010, 6 p.m.

Caddo Federation of Teachers & Support Personnel

1726 Line Ave, Shreveport, LA 71101

DON'T MISS IT!!

CFT/SP PRESIDENT JACKIE LANSDALE'S SPEECH BEFORE THE CADDO PARISH SCHOOL BOARD, AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY, JULY 20, 2010:

President Priest, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Board, Dr. Dawkins,

When it comes to managing a safe and orderly classroom free of disruptions and discord, we hear teachers tell us all the time that they follow the policies and procedures you have established religiously, only to see administration fail to follow through.  We hear principals vent their frustration that when they try to enforce the policies and procedures, they don’t get the backing of the Central Office.

We come before you this afternoon, to provide evidence of this breakdown.  What we have used is the data we requested under public records.  The request that we made was specific to assault and battery on school teachers and employees.

The law says, and your policy mirrors, that when a student is accused of assaulting or battering a teacher or school employee they shall be immediately removed pending the outcome of all hearings.  If the student is found responsible for assault or battery, they cannot come back to that school where the employee works unless that is the only place the student can receive services.  Your handout contains the breakdown of the data.  We looked at referrals coded 21 and 23. The reason for the two codes is that until the new state discipline form was implemented last year – assaults and battery were combined with other incidents under code 21, labeled, “commits any other serious offense.”

The new code 23, specific to assaults and batteries, is part of the new form.  We did not include Code 21 if it resulted in an in-school-suspension as we knew that a referral of assault and battery required immediate removal.  Yet, with only counting code 21’s out of school suspensions and code 23 – assault battery, we came up with a total of 458   which we believe represents the number of assault and battery referrals last school year.

We do not have detailed information to explain why out of those 458 referrals, only 81 hearings were held.  We can guess that if it was a special education student accused of assault or battery, it was determined at the manifestation hearing that the assault or battery on the employee was a manifestation of the student’s disability and there was no disciplinary hearing held.  Although it is hard to believe that 83% of the assault and batteries were committed by the special education students.

We should tell you that of the referrals written, the district was unable to provide a school by school breakdown.   We were only provided the school location if the student was removed at the conclusion of the disciplinary hearing.  So, out of 81 hearings, 28 students were moved away to another school away from the teacher or school employee they were accused of assaulting or battering.  Out of that 28, 23 were from elementary schools, 4 from middle schools and 1 from a high school.   Although we believe it is relevant, we were provided no information regarding students being moved to an alternative school.

So, you start out with 458 referrals written by teachers who are following the state laws and your policies, which are then reduced to 81 hearings, with the final number of 28 students or 6% were found responsible.   And if you bring in outside data – charges of assault and battery on teachers reported to the Shreveport police -  that happened on 43 occasions last year.

Wow!

We know you passed the policies, so what are we asking you to do now?

1.         Communicate to your employees, your parents, your students that you will do everything in your power to insure that their school is a safe environment where your priority is teaching and learning over disciplinary referral and suspension counts.  You know as well as we do that it does not matter where you come from; you understand there is an expectation for your behavior, and we do have codes of conduct that everyone must follow.  It is insulting to students to say that anything else is acceptable.  They know better.

2.         We want you to ask for reports each month on the number of disciplinary referrals citing assault and battery. Ask for the number of hearings held.  Ask for their outcomes.

3.         We want you to ensure the process is fair to all.  We want you to insure that teachers and school employees who have been assaulted or battered are notified of all hearings regarding the matter and are provided the opportunity to participate in the hearings.

4.         And because we have such doubt about those that have been placed in authority in the decision-making process. Please immediately review your personnel and insist those in recognizing the importance of due process. Certainly, due process for the student who offends, but also for the employee who is charged to provide instruction under these trying circumstances, to the others students who deserve to be in a safe classroom conducive to teaching and learning, and to the parents who want first and foremost to send their children into a safe learning environment. The data clearly suggest there is work to be done.

So, while we struggle with economic issues that impact us all, accountability issues that make us wring our hands, this IS something within your power to change. Please do so.