SCHOOLS TIGHTEN CONDUCT POLICIES

Students' Brazen Acts May Expand Zero-Tolerance List

Bringing a crack pipe to school, having sex on campus or vandalizing
school property are among student conduct violations likely to get
harsher punishment soon in some Midstate school systems.

School officials say they're forced to revise their policies annually
to keep up with students' more brazen behaviors.

"We look at what's going on in our schools. What are we running
into?" said Rick Miller, discipline coordinator for Wilson County
schools and principal of MAP Academy, an alternative school in Lebanon.

"The (student) creativity varies from year to year. I don't know
whether they've changed, but they've gotten more bold. They're taking
more risks," he said.

Wilson is among several local school districts that are updating
their codes of student conduct by expanding the zero-tolerance
violation list, which includes offenses typically punished by an
automatic one-year expulsion.

Rutherford County and Metro Nashville schools are reviewing their
policies, too.

Wilson County to add infractions

Under state law, three types of conduct automatically lead to a
one-year school expulsion: possession of drugs, possession of
firearms and battery on a school board employee or a school resources
officer.

Wilson County will add several infractions that could lead to
expulsion, including possession of drug paraphernalia, coming to
school under the influence of drugs, possession of dangerous weapons
such as knives or chains, causing a riot and bomb threat
instigation.

If approved by the county school board, the new infractions would be
classified as zero-tolerance ones but would not warrant automatic
expulsion, Miller said. Individual cases would go through a hearing
to determine whether the student should be expelled or face a lesser
punishment.

A committee of teachers, district officials and parents proposed the
list. Lula McCathern, who said she volunteered to serve on the panel
to understand what her three children go through if they're called to
the principal's office, is among them.

"The rules are for safety," said McCathern, who has one child at MAP
Academy for a string of violations, including being disrespectful to
a teacher.

"But the rules were so stiff. Rules should be enforced, but when you
have nit-picky rules for suspending a child for three days for having
an untucked shirt, that's three days of school a child missed.

"I've got to hear some of the reasons for their thinking why they
have those rules, and I got to say how I felt about the rules,"
McCathern said.

Last year, there were 49 cases of zero-tolerance incidents in Wilson
County, Miller said, but some students were allowed to continue
classes at an alternative school.

Vandalism may make list

In light of two cases of substantial school property damage at La
Vergne and Smyrna high schools earlier this school year, Rutherford
County school officials are considering adding vandalism of school
property of more than $500 to the zero-tolerance list, said Angel
McCloud, the district's staff attorney.

In Metro, where there were 258 zero-tolerance cases last school year
and 159 the first semester of this year, there's talk to include
inappropriate sexual conduct to the inventory of the worst offenses.

"The one that I struggle with is that inappropriate sexual behavior
is not automatically a zero-tolerance" offense, said Ralph Thompson,
Metro's assistant superintendent for student services, including safety.

"I have a problem with that because of the very nature of it...
Bringing a gun is horrible, but that's horrible, too."