Student and parent urge Hobbs schools to change fighting/battery discipline policy

A student who identified himself at the podium as Elise Chantley Wilson Jr. told the Hobbs Municipal Schools board that the district's current approach to fighting and battery discipline treats students who defend themselves as if they were equally culpable.

"A student defending themselves should not be disciplined by us," Elise said, describing scenarios in which a student who tries to walk away can still be struck and then punished under the district's suspensions framework. He said current practice can impose five-day suspensions or longer and asked the board to change the policy.

A second speaker at the podium said the policy is unfair because "both parties are punished even though one party tried to prevent it," and described how attempting to walk away can leave a student vulnerable to further injury. A parent identifying herself as Chadwick's mother urged the board to consider bullying's role in student well-being and said support at home and school matters for suicide prevention.

Board members thanked the speakers and the Board President asked staff to collect contact information and follow up. "That's how you get things done," the Board President said.

The speakers framed their comments as a request for policy review; the board acknowledged the concerns and said it would review the discipline policy and follow up with the speakers. No formal policy change was proposed or voted on at the meeting.

Next steps: Board members said administrators would review the current fighting/battery discipline language and return with recommended changes or clarifications at a future meeting; no timeline was specified at the meeting.