Discipline within CASD: Perception Vs Reality

As most of us in Coatesville are aware, discipline is an area that we need to address.  Not only did CCAP show this need in our Charter School Survey results, but just recently, the district also agreed with this concern when they shared their Comprehensive bridge plan draft on January 28^th.  This is certainly an area of discussion for many who enter and leave the Coatesville Area School District.     

Why is it important to have discipline in school?  Discipline holds students accountable for appropriate conduct and behavior. It gives them the opportunity to understand consequences, learn shared values, and prepare for life. Learning to identify how to avert inappropriate behavior also contributes to positive growth in social-emotional learning.  Discipline is a self-improvement practice that we owe to our children. It needs to be taught from a very young age, and if done correctly, will continue to help create better choices throughout life. 

As you read last week, CASD instituted PBIS in the past and is now actively looking at ways to implement it to fidelity in the future.  Promoting positive behaviors within the classroom and other school settings instead of instantly issuing punitive actions like detention, suspension, or expulsion, can encourage learning and discourage future misbehavior.

What type of behavioral concerns do we have? These are the most common:

• Disrespect - students speak and act in a disrespectful way to adults and peers 
• Defiance - students openly refuse to listen to adults
• Bullying - students consistently intimidate others
• Disruptive- students become physically or verbally aggressive

To the majority, discipline is very easy to define.  A student does something that violates the Student Code of Conduct and a consequence is issued for that behavior.  These consequences should be equal across the board to ensure that there is no bias and it  should be consistent to establish the authority within the building.  Simple, right?  

Unfortunately, it's just not as simple as we would like.  In order for us to be consistent across the board, we would have to assume that everyone is exactly the same and that is just not the case.  There are a number of factors that need to be considered when disciplinary action is being given to a student.  When it comes to laws, the district is required to adjust when it comes to discipline.

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So… why is it perceived by so many that there is very little discipline within our schools when behaviors like these occur?   Is it in fact perception or is it a true reality?   To us, it is all semantics.   The fact of the matter is that it is unrealistic for any district to expect any other perception to come from this without adequate knowledge and a true explanation of special education law.    Unfortunately, by not being proactive in educating our parents and our staff on what we can and cannot do by law, the district has set a precedent that has given truth to the perception that we lack consequences within our schools.  Maybe the question should be, is there a better way to communicate the truth of the law to families and our community? 

Understanding your rights as a parent are so important to advocate efficiently for your child.  Sadly, Coatesville Area School District has not been proactive in keeping their entire staff accurately informed about education law. It would be wise for staff to know what they can and cannot do in order to avoid lawsuits– as you can see from all the legal fees we’ve paid over the last three years.  My hope is that CASD will do better.  Not only can the district be proactive in properly educating school staff on these complex laws, but we also think it would be beneficial for our district to start educating our families and community on these laws and their rights as well. Honestly, we would have a much smaller “perception issue” if we were just transparent about what school staff is and is not able to do within the schools.   

Since this is such a hot topic that comes with so many facets and complex talking points we will be doing a deep dive into understanding the “Discipline Within CASD.” Over the next few days we are going to be talking about the ways discipline works and how it can impact everyone within the district.  We hope to be able to give you a better understanding about discipline and the truth about the law, while bringing clarity to current perceptions throughout the community. We will all benefit from knowing how we can best support our students here in the Coatesville Area School District. 

See you tomorrow when we start the conversation about Discipline for Students with Disabilities.