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Parent questions 'zero tolerance' discipline after granddaughter removed from campus
Summary
At a March meeting of the Chesterfield County Board of Education, Renee Tyson urged the board to reconsider how the district applies its "zero tolerance" discipline policy after her granddaughter was removed from campus for the rest of the school year following a fight.
Renee Tyson told the Chesterfield County Board of Education during public comment that her granddaughter was suspended from campus for the remainder of the school year after a fight and that the family has received a third-degree battery charge as part of the case.
Tyson said she first took the matter to the school principal (who she said is no longer at the school), then to an assistant principal, then to Mr. King and the district superintendent. "He sent me back to Mr. King," Tyson said, describing repeated efforts to resolve the matter before bringing it to the board.
Why it matters: Tyson argued that the school applied a "zero tolerance" approach without adequately establishing intent or offering alternatives that could keep students in school. The board’s public participation rules limit comment to five minutes and state that members will listen but not debate issues during the comment period.
Tyson said the charge her granddaughter received requires reporting to a probation or parole officer and attendance at counseling. She said the family watched video of the incident and could not determine who started the fight. "I can't say she was," Tyson said of whether her granddaughter started the fight. "I can't say she wasn't." She also said her granddaughter has been moved to virtual learning, has been barred from extracurricular events and from being on school property.
Tyson asked whether the district’s handbook and the district’s use of a "zero tolerance" label allow for counseling, mentorship or teaching conflict-resolution skills as alternatives to exclusion. She said she does not object to defending oneself, but worries the district punished her granddaughter without proving intent.
Board members did not engage in debate during public comment. After Tyson finished, the chair closed the public comment period and the meeting proceeded to other agenda items, including personnel, curriculum approvals and the superintendent’s report.
