I want to acknowledge the growing call for more transparency as families, staff, and community members voice concerns about safety and disciplinary matters within the Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District. In particular, I want to address concerns involving a student at Jamesville-DeWitt Middle School. I want to assure you that your voices have been heard, your feelings about safety in J-D schools are valid, and administrators and the Board of Education are going to do everything we can to ensure students and staff feel safe in our buildings and stakeholders feel more informed about how we handle disciplinary matters.
I want to expand on our previous explanation of what happened on Tuesday, Feb. 11. At approximately 2:15 p.m., while outside the office of a school counselor, a student briefly put their hands on an aide’s neck before removing their hands themself. An Assistant Principal was right there and our School Patrol Officer was nearby but neither had to intervene as the student quickly removed their hands. No other students were in the area at the time.
We’ve been in touch with the staff member to discuss what happened, how they are feeling, and what steps are needed to help them feel comfortable and safe in returning to work.
Administrators handled discipline in this situation by following the district’s safety and Code of Conduct protocols approved by the Board of Education. The student, and family of the student, have cooperated. In this case and in all situations, the Code of Conduct is applied with an understanding that discipline is most effective when it deals directly with the problem at the time and place it occurs, and in a way that students view as fair and impartial. In all cases, district personnel impose disciplinary penalties by considering the student’s age, the nature of the offense and the circumstances, the student’s prior disciplinary record, the effectiveness of other forms of discipline, and other extenuating circumstances and information. As a general rule, discipline will be progressive, meaning that a student’s subsequent violations will usually merit a more intense intervention or response than the first violation.
It is also important to know that the disciplinary process is different when it involves a student with a disability. Current federal and state laws contain specific guidelines of how and when students with disabilities can be removed from their educational setting.
In certain situations where a student’s behavior poses a significant threat to the safety of others, schools may disclose limited information about the disciplinary action to relevant authorities or other school officials with a legitimate educational interest. At J-D, this is part of the district’s threat assessment protocol which in some cases involves getting outside recommendations from experts to determine if a student is a threat to others while in school. The district partners with Onondaga County in some more challenging situations so we have access to additional resources such as: Onondaga County Social Services, NYS Department of Children and Family Affairs, the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, Town of DeWitt Police Department, social workers, and Onondaga County Department of Mental Health representatives.
We are constrained by law to not discuss details or specifics of particular situations that may result in the loss of privacy for individual students. Maintaining confidentiality is an essential safety component and specific laws – such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) – have been enacted to protect the privacy of all students as it pertains to their educational records.
However, in this particular situation, the family has allowed the district to share that their child is not returning to school this year. I am unable to expand or share any additional details beyond that.
The safety and security of all students and staff is of the utmost importance to the Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District. Our top priority is to ensure that all students and staff feel welcome and secure in their learning and working environments.
I am very aware that it is not easy for parents and guardians to put their children’s safety and well being in the hands of others. We highly value the trust families place in us to ensure their children can learn safely and productively while they are in our care. We are committed to upholding this vital responsibility and will continue to collaborate with our stakeholders, including law enforcement and outside partners, to provide a safe learning experience for all.
The district and building leaders are making every effort to follow the laws that govern schools while protecting the safety and privacy of all students.
If families or staff would like to discuss specific safety concerns, they are encouraged to contact building leaders or the Superintendent’s office.
Dr. Peter Smith, Superintendent of Schools