Parent ad hoc recommends discipline ladders, reporting changes and alternative placements for bullying; district to formalize plan for next school year

Superintendent Pete Heath told the board on May 29 that the district’s ad hoc parent group—formed from parents recommended by board members—met recently and surfaced several recurring themes about bullying and student behavior.

Heath summarized three priorities from the parent conversations: clearer discipline ladders (standardized consequences by offense at middle and high school levels), stronger and more visible reporting options for students (including the Safer Ohio tip line and a proposal to place a reporting link higher on the district website), and short‑term alternative placements for repeat offenders so victims do not see the alleged offender return to the same classes within days.

Heath said the group discussed moving beyond single‑day suspensions to a short-term alternative setting (for example, up to seven days) with academic support and behavioral intervention work led by behavior specialists and outside counselors to address root causes. He said administrators will continue gathering data and will review recommendations with the district leadership team and the administrative group through June; a formal plan combining short‑ and long‑term goals is expected for implementation at the start of the 2025–26 school year.

Board members and parents at the meeting raised related concerns: whether reporting forms are readily available (one principal, Principal Blackburn, was identified as having a form that some board members had not received), whether students are comfortable reporting incidents, and whether discipline is applied consistently across schools. One board member suggested reviewing Richmond Heights for a discipline rubric that sets minimum consequences tied to offenses.

Heath said the district will continue to refine options including moving a reporting button higher on the homepage and exploring placement sites that provide academic instruction alongside behavioral supports. He also said the district leadership team will include the work in upcoming June sessions and produce a final recommendation ahead of the next school year.

Ending

District leaders said the final plan will include both short‑term and long‑term components and will be shared with administrators and parents; the board will receive further updates in June and through the district leadership team.