Fairfax County (Va.) district proposes key changes to discipline policies

March 31, 2011
Hearings would occur more quickly and principals would have more leeway

From The Washington Post:Fairfax County (Va.) school officials have proposed a major revamping of school discipline policies that parents say are too adversarial and punitive. Fairfax Superintendent Jack D. Dale announced an array of proposals: t he district would begin recording disciplinary hearings, would accelerate the process and would give school principals more leeway in how they handle cases in which students are found to be in possession of their own prescription medication in school. Dale says some of the changes may happen quickly if the school board gives the go-ahead, and others could be in place by the start of the next school year. Under the existing system, more than 600 students are affected each year, some of whom spend 20 days or longer removed from class.
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