Post on 04-Jan-2016
School Safety Reporting
James, Kris, Terri, Christy, and Jarrod
Colorado High School Teachers
The Problem
The current School Accountability Report (SAR) provides an inaccurate picture of the school safety environment.
Who Has a Problem?
0.00%
0.20%
0.40%
0.60%
0.80%
1.00%
1.20%
Alcohol
Adams12
Cherry Creek
Jefferson Cty
Denver
0.00%
0.10%
0.20%
0.30%
0.40%
0.50%
Tobacco
Adams12
Cherry Creek
Jefferson Cty
Denver
0.00%
0.50%
1.00%
1.50%
2.00%
Assaults/Fights
Adams12
Cherry Creek
Jefferson Cty
Denver
0.00%
1.00%
2.00%
3.00%
4.00%
Drugs
Adams12
Cherry Creek
Jefferson Cty
Denver
Current Policy
Current SAR uses categories for providing data for school safety.
SB 186
Disagreements in Community
Some (school officials) might say the information shouldn’t be reported because it makes schools look bad.
Parents who have students who attend schools where the data looks good or where the data looks bad.
Original creators of the SAR.Governor Owens
Alternative 1: Modify the “Safety and Discipline” statistics to be more specific
Advantages Gives a truer
picture of what the deviations are
Provide information that reflects/means what parents think it reflects/means
Gets rid of some of the inaccuracies
Will make comparisons between schools easier
Alternative 1: Modify the “Safety and Discipline” statistics to be more specific
Disadvantages Might not be continuity between different levels of
government (NCLB, SAR, School Districts) Laws will have to be changed to incorporate new
categories Could end up with something more complex than
what we started with A negative perception of school safety because of
the additional information Number of things that are reported may reflect how
policies are enforced rather than school safety
Alternative 2: Remove “Safe and Orderly School Features” section
Advantages Current categories are
unclear and undefined Current categories are
inaccurately reported Specific words (allows
and encourages) do not have meaning – it does not say whether those things are actually happening
Disadvantages Connects with
“Safety and Discipline” statistics
Provides information that some parents want to have
Shows an action plan to take care of problems
Alternative 3:
Modify the “Safety and School Environment” panel of the SAR to include a single indicator (, ) of the safety and school environment as designated by the school principal.
Advantages: Simple portrayal of safety and school
environment Disadvantages:
May not include an accurate portrayal of safety and school environment
Our Proposed Policy
We are modifying the reporting of the “Safety and Discipline” category in the Safety and School Environment Panel of the SAR.
Our modifications to the SAR will include:
Type of Incident in Column 1 should be re-categorized as follows: Use or possession of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco Distribution of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco Violence towards other students (including, but not
limited to, intimidation, fights, threats) Violence towards staff (including, but not limited to,
intimidation, fights, threats) Violations of school code of conduct* (including, but
not limited to, behavior, truancy, theft, and dress code) not including violence or illegal substances
Possession of weapons as defined by school code of conduct
Modifications (continued)
Column 2 should remain as is. Column 3 will be added to read as follows:
Number of Incidents Reported per 100 students Current column 4 (Action Taken) which is sub-
columned will include the following changes: Referred to Law Enforcement will say Law
Enforcement intervention including ticketing or arrest Delete the Other column
*Include a footnote that states that a school’s code of conduct is annually distributed to students at their perspective school
Is it Constitutional?
YesOur proposed
changes will not violate the state constitution.
Agency of Government
State Government
State Department of Education
Individual School Districts throughout the state
Steps we will follow:
1. Write a draft of our proposed changes.2. Contact a state legislator.3. Work with legislator.
a) Help gain support of Parent/Teacher Organizations.
b) Help gather research/resources1) Meet with State Education officials2) Meet with education-related associations such as
CEA, CASB, CASE, ECS, and Independence Institute
c) Assist with drafting an editorial to assist the legislator with getting the issue into the public.
Steps (continued)
4. Get bill introduced into one of the houses of the General Assembly.
5. Use mafia connections to line up votes.
Supporters
School administrators, faculty, and staff
ParentsSupporters of school choiceThose who believe that accurate
data lead to quality decision-making
Opponents
Original creators of the SARGovernor Owens (?)Those who believe that data cannot
accurately reflect school safety or the school environment
Schools and/or communities that will be shown in a negative light with the new data
Sources
Pam Benigno, Director, Education Policy Center, Independence Institute
Kathy Christie, Vice President, Education Commission of the States
Kristen Engel Waters, Principle, Bruce Randolph Middle School, Denver Public Schools
Alex Halpern, Halpern Law Firm, Boulder State Legislation: 22-7-605 and 22-23-109.1 School Accountability Reports (
www.state.co.us/schools) Senator Sue Windels, Chair, Senate Education
Committee, State of Colorado