KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM/FM) — Taking a real gun to a public school in Kalamazoo will still result in automatic and permanent expulsion, but major revisions to the student code of conduct scheduled for a vote Thursday night gives the district more flexibility in handling other situations.
State rules adopted in the wave of concern that followed the mass murders at Columbine High School resulted in a zero-tolerance, one-size-fits all expulsion mandate for a range of violations that may not have always been fair.
The new policy requires that the district consider the student’s age, previous record, any disabilities, the seriousness and harm caused by the violation and if any restorative practice might be a better way to address the behavior.
The new rules give the Superintendent and his staff more flexibility to make the punishment fit the crime, and keep the student from falling behind, which they often do when expulsion is the punishment.
Trustees will also consider a revision on the district’s policies on seclusion and restraint, which have also been rewritten to conform to new state requirements.
