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Newlawlimitsstudentdisciplinemeasure|EdSource

DISCIPLINE

New law limits student discipline measure

By Susan Frey | September 28, 2014 | 15 Comments

Fewerthan11,000ofCalifornias6.2millionstudentswilllikelybeaffectedeach
yearbyanewlawthatlimitstheuseofwillfuldefianceasareasontoexpelor
suspendstudents.ButGov.JerryBrownssignatureonthebillsignifiesagrowing
commitmentonthepartofthestatetofindmorepositiveapproachestodisciplining
students.
AssemblyBill420signedbyBrownonSaturdayeliminateswillfuldefianceor
disruptionofschoolactivitiesasareasontoexpelstudents.Italsoprevents
administratorsfromusingthatreasontoissuesuspensionstoK3students.Thewillful
defiancecategoryhascomeunderfirebecauseithasbeendisproportionatelyused
statewidetodisciplineAfricanAmericanstudentsand,insomedistricts,Latino
students.In201213,AfricanAmericansmadeupabout6percentoftotalenrollment,
but19percentofsuspensionsfordefiance.
Californiaisnowthefirststateinthenationtotakebadlyneededmeasurestocurtail
suspensionsandexpulsionsforminormisbehaviorinourschools,saidAssemblyman
RogerDickinson,DSacramento,whointroducedthebill.

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Kidswhohavebeensuspendedorexpelledaretwotimesmorelikelytodropout
andfivetimesmorelikelytoturntocrime,Dickinsonsaidinastatement.Rather
thankickingstudentsoutofschool,weneedtokeepyoungpeopleinschoolontrack
tograduate,andoutofthecriminaljusticesystem.
Forthepastthreeyears,legislatorsandadvocateshavefocusedonwillfuldefiance,
whichaccountedforalmosthalfofsuspensions.Duringthattime,afewdistricts,
suchasLosAngelesUnifiedandSanFranciscoUnified,haveeliminatedthecategory
forexpulsionsandsuspensions,andotherdistrictshavereliedlessheavilyonit.The
mostrecentdatafrom201213showthatonly495studentsstatewidewereexpelled
forwillfuldefiance,accountingfor6percentofallexpulsions.Butabout43percent
ofallsuspensionscitedwillfuldefiance,whichhasbeeninterpretedbroadlybysome
schoolstoincludeanythingfromnotturninginhomeworktodisrespectingateacher
anddisruptingtheclass.

California is now the first state in the nation to take badly needed
measures to curtail suspensions and expulsions for minor
misbehavior in our schools, said Assemblyman Roger Dickinson,
D-Sacramento.

Altogether,10,190K3studentsweresuspendedfromschoolin201213asthe
resultofawillfuldefianceincident,accordingtotheCaliforniaDepartmentof
Education.Thatyear,districtsissued15,528suspensionstoK3studentswhere
willfuldefiancewasthemostseriousoffensealargernumberthanthestatewide
studentcountbecausesomestudentsreceivedmorethanonesuspension.Underthe
newlaw,teacherscanstillsendamisbehavingstudenttotheprincipalsoffice,but
theprincipalcannotsendthestudenthome.
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Brownhadvetoedearlierbillswhichwereopposedbyadministratorandschool
boardorganizationsthatwouldhavelimitedsuspensionsforolderstudents,saying
thatitwasuptolocaldistrictstodecidehowtodisciplinestudents.TheAssociation
ofCaliforniaSchoolAdministratorsandtheCaliforniaSchoolBoardsAssociation
supportedthisbill.
WebelievethatprohibitingthesuspensionofstudentsinK3forwillfuldefianceis
consistentwiththeintentoftheEducationCode,saidLauraPreston,aspokeswoman
fortheadministratorsassociation.Shepointedtootherpartsofthecodethatonly
allowsuspensionsandexpulsionsforhateviolenceorforharassmentbeginning
ingrade4.
Inaddition,theCaliforniaCommissiononTeacherCredentialingisnowrequiring
traininginpositivedisciplinefornewschoolprincipalsandadministrators.
Notalladministratorsarehappywiththenewlawlimitingtheuseofwillfuldefiance,
however.
Idontlikeanythingthatwouldinhibitmyabilitytodomyjob,saidPaulMeyers,
superintendentofStandardElementarySchoolDistrictinBakersfield.Yousavea
groupofkidswhoareoversuspendedincertainareas,butnowthoserulesaffectall
schoolsinthestate.
Meyerssaidheusedtobeasuperintendentofasmallruraldistrictthatmighthavea
superintendent/principal,asecretaryandsixteachers,makingitdifficulttorelyon
othermeasures,suchashavinganadministratorintervene,ifachildisdisruptinga
class.
Ifakidcomestokindergartenandismakingthreats,cussingandflippingoffthe
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teacher,whatcantheteacherdo?Restrainhimandthenputhimbackinclass?he
asked.Theyretakingawayatoolandnotreplacingitwithanything.

I dont like anything that would inhibit my ability to do my job,

said Paul Meyers, superintendent of Standard Elementary School
District in Bakersfield. You save a group of kids who are oversuspended in certain areas, but now those rules affect all schools
in the state.

Meyerssaidheagreesthatwillfuldefianceisacatchallandthathecan
understandtheexpulsionpiece.
Icanunderstandthatitsamanagementissuewheresuperintendentsneedtolookat
theirsystemsandhowtobettersupportkidswhoareactingupinclass,hesaid.
Anylargedistrictisnotgoingtohaveaproblemwiththis.
TeachersandprincipalsinSanFranciscoUnifiedarealreadyadjustingtothenewlaw
becausetheirdistricteliminatedwillfuldefianceasareasontosuspendorexpelany
studentingradesK12,beginningthisschoolyear.

It works when the kids understand what they have done and how
they have to change, said Ginny Daws, assistant principal of
Marina Middle School in San Francisco. Punishment doesnt really
work.

MatthewHardy,communicationsdirectorwithUnitedEducatorsofSanFrancisco,
saidsofarthingsseemtobegoingwell.But,hesaid,teachersneedtrainingand
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supportfromadministratorstomakeitwork.
GinnyDaws,assistantprincipalatMarinaMiddleSchoolinSanFrancisco,uses
positivedisciplinaryapproachesinherschool.Shevisitsclassrooms,sometimes
randomlyorifateacherrequestsherhelpwithdiscipline.Ifstudentsarefooling
aroundandnotpayingattentiontotheteacher,Dawssaid,shemightstoptheclass
andaskthestudentstositinacircle.Shewillthentalkwiththemaboutwhatshe
observed,explainingwhattheteacheristryingtodoandpointingouthowtheir
behaviorismakingitdifficult.
IdoAtticusFinch,saidDaws,whotaughtEnglishfor30yearsbeforebecomingan
administrator.Igetthestudentstoputthemselvesintheteachersshoes.
Itworkswhenthekidsunderstandwhattheyhavedoneandhowtheyhaveto
change,shesaid.Punishmentdoesntreallywork.
Iftheproblemisacoupleofstudentswhoarefidgetingandnotpayingattention,
Dawswilltakethemtoheroffice.Whentheytalktoher,shewillsquirrelaround
liketheyweredoing.Howhardisitforyoutotalktome?shellaskthem.
Dawsmakesitapointtoknowthenamesofeachofthe800studentsatherschool,
whichisneartheGoldenGateBridge.Shealsoinvitesstudentstorunwithherafter
schoolalongthemarinatowardthebeachesandthebridge.
Sometimeswellrunfourorfivemiles,shesaid.Othertimeswellruntwomiles
andwalkandtalkandsometimessitdownforafewminutes.Theydiscusslittle
thingslikenailpolishandConverseshoesandmoreimportantsubjects,suchastheir
families.

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Youmakethatconnectionwithkids,Dawssaid,andinsteadofmisbehavingwhen
facingdifficultiestheyunderstandthattheycancomeandtalkwithyou.

ExplorebyTag: AB420,AssociationofCaliforniaSchoolAdministrators,
CaliforniaSchoolBoardsAssociation(CSBA), Discipline,Featured,
LosAngelesUnifiedSchoolDistrict(LAUSD), PolicyandLegislation,PositiveDiscipline,
RogerDickinson,SanFranciscoUnifiedSchoolDistrict,SchoolClimate,WillfulDefiance

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