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Board adopts updated student discipline policy after state WAC changes; staff to publish matching procedures
Summary
The board approved a revised student-discipline policy (Policy 32-41) implementing recent changes to state WAC rules. Deputy Chief Julie Schultz Bartlett said the updates clarify corrective action, require caregiver notification, and emphasize data-driven review and fairness. The board approved the policy on second reading.
The Peninsula School District Board of Directors approved an updated student discipline policy (Policy 32‑41) on second reading at its Aug. 19 meeting to align with changes the legislature made to the Washington Administrative Code governing exclusionary discipline practices.
Deputy Chief of Schools Julie Schultz Bartlett told the board the updated WAC went into effect July 11 and the district is required to follow the revised rules. She said the principal practical changes include clarifying the distinction between corrective action in the classroom and a suspension or exclusion, restoring teacher discretion to temporarily remove a student from a learning activity without triggering a suspension, and requiring that staff notify families when corrective exclusion occurs.
“This rule change made that possible again … and not be considered suspensions or student discipline,” Schultz Bartlett said of the restored corrective‑action language. She added administrators must also contact families during the initial hearing if an exclusion rises to that level, and that the updated approach requires schools to examine contributing factors and to use data when selecting corrective interventions.
Board members asked for clarity on where parents and staff can find the matching procedures. Schultz Bartlett said the district has revised the rights‑and‑responsibilities handbook and the building behavior matrices and will publish the new procedures online once the board adopts the policy. She recommended against changing the policy language itself because it must align with state law, but said building‑level protocols and procedures will be adjusted to fit local needs and the new WAC requirements.
The board voted to adopt the policy in a formal motion (second reading); the motion passed with unanimous “aye” votes. Schultz Bartlett said teacher and administrator training on the revised procedures will take place before the start of the school year and that principals are expected to have updated building protocols in place.
