Long-term suspensions are considered a deprivation of a student’s property and/or liberty interests protected under the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
– OCMBOCES
The Board of Education is required to “collaborate” with parents and teachers in writing a Code of Conduct, and “may adopt the code or revisions to the code of conduct only after at least one public hearing that provides for the participation of school personnel, parents, students, and other interested parties.”
Neither of those things has happened in any meaningful way.
Superintendent of schools, Kristopher Harrison, seems to be responsible for the insertion of the “police” line, which appeared for the first time in the 2012-2013 Code of Conduct, shortly after he assumed his position:
Police will be notified if an electronic media crime has taken place.
2011-2012 Code of Conduct: does not include a line stating that police will be notified for “electronic media crime”
2012-2013 Code of conduct: 1st year of Kris Harrison’s contract & first mention of police being called for “electronic media crime”; Code approved without discussion
2013-2014 Code of Conduct – from 8/27/2013 minutes: “Dr. Harrison noted that there was a Public Hearing on July 2nd regarding revisions to the Code, therefore, there were six weeks available to make comments. Mr. Montgomery asked if was made available to the public for comment. Dr. Harrison reported that it has been posted under the “news” on the District’s homepage.”
2014-2015 Irvington USFD Code of Conduct Revised | Adopted by the Board of Education July 1, 2014
Pages from IUFSD Code of Conduct related to computer infractions
IMS Code of Conduct – Plain Language 2014-15
Acceptable Use Form for Computers
New York State School Board Association (NYSSBA) Sample Code of Conduct – does not notify police for “electronic media crime”
Dobbs Ferry UFSD Code of Conduct – does not notify police for “electronic media crime”
New York Education Law
52:6. Must school districts make public their code of conduct?
Yes. School districts must ensure community awareness of their code of conduct by: posting the complete code on their website, if any, including any annual updates or other amendments; providing copies of a summary of the code to all students, in an age-appropriate version written in plain language, at a school assembly to be held at the beginning of each school year; mailing a plain language summary of the code to students’ parents before the beginning of each school year, and making such summary available thereafter upon request; providing each teacher with a complete copy of the code and any amendments thereto as soon as practicable following adoption and to new teachers upon employment; and making complete copies available for review by students, parents or other persons in parental relation to students, non-teaching staff, and other community members (§ 2801(4); 8 NYCRR §§ 100.2(l)(2)(iii)(b)).
source: School Law (New York School Law)
NOTE:
The Summary contains no mention of “electronic media crime;” no mention of police being called for “electronic media crime;” no mention of long-term suspension as the first punishment for misbehavior involving a computer.
In short, where computers are concerned, the Plain Language Summary is not a summary.
Worse yet, the sections of the Plain Language Summary that you might assume apply to computers (“copying assignments or work”; “stealing or willful possession of another’s property”) specifically rank these infractions as less serious than those listed in Tier 3, for which the most severe punishments are imposed.
Not only is the Plain Language Summary not a summary, it’s outright misleading.
Board of Education
Phil Whitney
(914) 591-9175
phil.whitney@irvingtonschools.org
Catherine Palmieri
914) 693-6896
Catherine.Palmieri@irvingtonschools.org
John Montgomery
(914) 591-9352
John.Montgomery@irvingtonschools.org
Bob Grados
(914) 231-6365
Robert.Grados@irvingtonschools.org
Michael Hanna
(917) 750-8790
michael.hanna@irvingtonschools.org
• Flipped classrooms, learning stations, and police
• Did BOE members and parents know about insertion of “police” line?
• Irvington Parents Forum at Yahoo Groups
• Irvington Parents Forum on Facebook
• Irvington Union Free School District
• BoardDocs
• Irvington USFD Board Meetings – YouTube
• Data NYSED
Irvington Parents Forum 
0 Comments