Board moves JICDE/JICDA bullying-policy revisions to November work session for fuller review
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Summary
Directors asked staff to return with additional materials — including Colorado Department of Education best-practice guidance, a statutory crosswalk and data on restorative-practice outcomes — before acting on proposed revisions to the district’s bullying-prevention and discipline policies.
Director Schmidt presented proposed revisions to the district’s bullying- and discipline-related policies (JICDE, JICDA) at the Oct. 23 special meeting and argued for several wording changes, including removing “restorative interventions” from a policy title and tightening some language. Other directors and the superintendent urged caution given the district’s existing resolution adopting restorative practices in 2016 and the fact that multiple other district policies and regulations reference restorative practices.
Administrators and legal staff noted the Colorado Department of Education publishes model bullying‑prevention guidance (referred to during the meeting as CBPEBP) and that statute (CRS citations referenced in discussion) provides parameters for school discipline and expulsions (including off‑campus conduct that materially affects school safety). The superintendent recommended a broader administrative review and a focused presentation on how restorative practices have been applied in the district and their documented effects on referrals, suspensions and exclusions.
Outcome: The board agreed to defer action and move the proposed revisions to a November work session in order to provide: (1) the CDE bullying-prevention model and other referenced guidance to the full board, (2) a crosswalk showing how proposed language would interact with the district’s existing body of policy and (3) empirical district data about restorative practices and disciplinary outcomes. No final change or vote was taken on policy language at the Oct. 23 meeting.