The New DMPS Code of Conduct that the Board will likely vote on at its May 19 meeting deserves more careful review than the usual "discuss at one meeting and approve at the next" process which is the rule applied to much of what the board does. It takes some time to read a 22 page document carefully and I really doubt a majority of the board has.
Another concern is giving parents time to read and digest the material. This is not the best time of year to thrust new ideas on parents. I'm skeptical of how much real parent input there has been. The board materials say that parent and student input was sought. I would like to know how much and was any of it followed.
I haven't had a chance to read the entire document, but I will. In the meantime here are some observations based on a skimming:
1. Facebook is a reliable source - page 19
2. Non-crime crimes are actionable offenses. Somehow if a student "commits" a crime but is not arrested, cited, convicted or adjudicated for that "crime" the student can still be punished for "committing" the crime. My question is, What crime? - page 18
3. A joke e-mail is as serious as a forgery and a host of other offenses. It is also not clear that the e-mail has to be to or from a district computer. Regulating conduct in a student's home is a real reach of jurisdictional authority by the school district. Hello, Big Brother? - page 10
4. Engaging in lawful activity in a foreign country even with parental permission can lead to discipline? What if the student is 18 or older and doesn't need parental permission? And making lawful acts unlawful? Another instance of overreach.
The school board will become more of an adjudicatory body than an educational body.
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