3 Hearings On School Discipline Set

Three public hearings will be held this month to obtain student and adult reaction to a proposed uniform discipline policy for all elementary and secondary Ann Arbor Public Schools. The sessions will. be held at 8 p.m. Monday at the Ann Arbor Community Center, at 8 p.m. next Thursday at Slauson Junior High School, and at 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 27, at Burns Park Elementary School. The suggested discipline policy, which has been in the works for more than a year, does not contain many changes or innovations. In fact, School Supt. W. Scott Westerman Jr. termed it "conservative" in the sense that "it resembles in good measure what are currently our practices." The proposed policy doesn't suggest any "great liberalization," Westerman added, and retains "adult authority." It does seek to safeguard students' rights through carefully spelled-out suspension, expulsión, and grievance procedures, however. The main purpose for ing the document was to have a uniform, written discipline policy for the entire school district. Parts of the proposed document detail ihe grievance procedure in the secondary schools, and spell out the length of suspensions for various offenses. On the secondary level, students may be suspended up to a maximum of three days for fighting, threats to harm another person, extortion, defiance of teachers andor other professional personnel, repeated breaking of school rules, use of profane or obscene language, use of degrading epithets, or "ther disruptive behavior." A maximum suspension of five days may be assigned for assault and battery; possession, sale of andor being under the influence of intoxicants or gal narcotics; willful destruction of property; possession or use of firearms or explosives; possession or use of weapons; arson ór attempted arson; theft; making a bomb threat or turning in a false f iré alarm; smoking, or "other illegal acts." In the cast of suspensions up to five days, the document recommends the following steps be taken: 1) "The student shall be informed of the reason for nis possible suspension"; 2) "Provisión shall le made for the student to be heard and to present nis view of the occurrence"; 3) "The student shall not be judged guilty by virtue of being accussed," and 4) "An informal irtvestigation shall be conducted by the principal or his designee for the pose of obtaining all relevant in-j formation pertinent to a fair deJ cision." The proposed discipline policjj contains sections on "Respon] sibility for Discipline," "Spe] cific Discipline PoHcies and Pro] cedures," "Extended Suspenj sion or Expulsión," and "Ap] peals." The committees which drafted the suggested document did not contain any students. They were composed of elementary and secondary teachers and principáis. The document is presently being reviewed by each secondary school's Student Council, each elementary and secondary Parent-Teacher Organization, eacn organization represented on tha Committee to Advise the Superintendent on Race Relations ana the Huron and Pioneer High newspaper staffs. Following the public hearings, Mueller expects further revisions of the document to take place. An assessment by all Ann Arbor faculty members also is planned bef ore the dpcument is submitted for adoption to the Ann Arbor Board of Education, probably on June 11. Persons may secure a copy of j the proposed document week-l days at the School Administra-] tive Offices, 1220 Wells, betweerJ the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. I