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Committee amends short-term suspension language, agrees to pursue monthly behavior reporting conversation
Summary
Policy committee added short-term suspension policy 4351 to the agenda, amended proposed language to require school principals or designees to attempt parent contact when a suspension determination is made, and agreed to further discuss a request for monthly behavioral reports at the next policy meeting.
The New Hanover County Schools policy committee on Jan. 21 added proposed policy 4351, a short-term suspension protocol, to its agenda and approved amended language requiring principals or their designees to attempt to contact parents as soon as possible when a suspension determination is made.
Board members said the change aims to formalize current practice in schools: district staff and several board members said administrators commonly attempt to contact parents in suspension cases but that the attempt is not always codified in policy. Committee members modified the draft to replace singular references to K–2 with a district-wide approach and to allow a principal’s designee (for example, an assistant principal or dean) to make contact when appropriate. Committee members asked that the language read that principals or designees “shall attempt to contact parents as soon as possible when a suspension determination is made.” The committee approved the amendment and directed staff to place the revised draft before the full board at its next meeting.
Separately, committee members discussed a request from community groups and board members for monthly behavioral reports and suspension data. District staff told the committee that a comprehensive “student services” monthly report had previously been created to support internal district problem-solving, but that the report has not been produced each month since staff reductions and because much of the same data is available through dashboards used by district leaders. Staff said compiling a comprehensive monthly packet consumes considerable staff time and that public posting poses privacy risks when small counts could allow identification of individual students.
Staff offered alternatives: produce aggregated counts for the board on request, publish non-identifying district-level trend data, or present targeted summaries in board office hours or smaller working sessions. Committee members asked staff to pursue options and agreed to revisit the reporting question at the next policy meeting.
Ending: The committee advanced a revised 4351 to the full board for first reading and asked staff to return with options for regular, non-identifying behavioral or suspension summaries at the next policy meeting.
