House Splits On Passage Of Student Expulsion Bill A divided House on Wednesday approved legislation that would allow a school superintendent to extend the expulsion of students they perceive as a threat. Members also voted unanimously to approve an overhaul of the states vehicle towing law. The chamber voted 69-26 with most Democrats in opposition in passing the expulsion bill (HB 334*), which the sponsors said was in response to school shootings that followed earlier signs the attacker posed a threat. Rep. Bill Hayes (R-Harrison Twp.) said it would allow superintendents who have already expelled a student in accordance with current law to extend the childs exclusion from school if there is reason to believe he or she still poses and imminent threat. Currently the maximum 80-day suspension cannot be prolonged if the student has not committed a crime. The measure would also allow superintendents to stipulate conditions the youth must meet before being permitted to return to school - such as seeing a psychologist. They must also set up a plan to deliver educational services to the child outside of school. We must do all we can to protect students and school personnel from risks before a bad act occurs, not after the damage has been done, Rep. Hayes said. This bill gives schools another tool. Rep. Hayes asked members to imagine a situation involving an expelled student who has made it known to school staff and others that he intends to kill some of the students, even detailing their names. You investigate and you come to a conclusion that this student does pose an imminent and severe risk or danger to the school community, he said. Then a local prosecutor would say that because there is no overt act, there is no legal way to address the threat, the sponsor said. Rep. Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo) argued that the bill would create more problems than it attempts to solve. As states begin to abolish zero-tolerance policies, the bill would exacerbate such an approach to discipline, she added. The Democrat said it grants districts dangerous leeway to expel students for extended amounts of time, allowing for expanded expulsions if the student fails to show sufficient rehabilitation. Studies show that suspensions and expulsions increase the likelihood a child will come in contact with the juvenile justice system, she said. School removal has also shown to impact mental health, and the likelihood of dropping out. What were doing here, folks, is something that the professionals are saying, Whoa, wait a minute, take a second thought, she said. Rep. Denise Driehaus (D-Cincinnati) referenced testimony from Cincinnati Childrens Hospital when saying research consistently demonstrates that removal from school is an ineffective response to child behavior. Expanded expulsion fails to address the underlying problems for the child, she said. She said the measure allows for a superintendent to expand the 180-day expulsion by 90 days for as long as he or she deems necessary. The 180 days alone is the length of a school year. Mr. Hayes countered the arguments by saying a nonexistent policy is worse than a zero-tolerance policy. The zero tolerance was enacted in response to students bringing bombs and guns to school. Co-sponsor Rep. Jay Hottinger (R-Newark) said the bill is just one piece to keep schools safe. He said he does not think it is possible to have a 100% foolproof plan to guarantee the safety of schools and noted the bill was permissive. My thought process on this is...if were going to err on the important, critical issues such as school safety, as for me...Im going to err on the side of safety and err on the side of taking extra precautions, he said. Mr. Hottinger said the measure is supported by the Educators School Safety Network, Buckeye Association of school Administrators, and Ohio School Boards Association. Unfortunately school violence has become more prevalent in todays society and we want to ensure that our school administrators are given the tools needed to protect students, he said. I believe this legislation will not only add to the safety of our schools by removing dangerous students, but will also provide mechanisms to rehabilitate those students and return them to school when they are ready. Speaking in response to Democrats concerns about the rights of the student being expelled, Rep. Lou Terhar (R-Cincinnati) said it is every other student in the school for which he has concern. I would you like to consider poor children, no matter what their color, who know their only way out is to get a good education, who know that they can in no way afford college or any other vocational training unless they do well in school, he said. I would like you to consider the atmosphere when something like this happens in a school and how those children are affected. Rep. John Patterson Jr. (D-Jefferson) said he would support the bill because he, as a former teacher, has to protect my kids first. The chamber also voted to remove an emergency clause from the bill. Rep. Hayes said the clause was no longer necessary because it would likely not be enacted until after the close of the present school year anyway. He said he previously expected the bill, introduced in November, would fly through the House Education Committee. Also on the school safety subject, the House approved a bill (HB 178*) to add school safety drills to the required practice runs school buildings are required to conduct. Rep. Debbie Phillips (D-Athens) said schools are presently already required to conduct nine fire drills and one safety drill per year, and the bill would require three safety and six fire drills only if the school has smoke detectors or a sprinkler system. For older buildings that do not have those systems, nine fire drills would still be required and the three safety runs would be in addition to those. No children have died in a school fire for more than 100 years, she said. The simulations would practice the buildings plan in, for instance, the case of a school shooting. The local police would be required to participate, she said. At least one of the three practice runs would be required to include a lock-down response rather than rapid evacuation. The legislation also requires the school leader to conduct one extra theoretical safety drill for faculty and staff. House Bill 178 will improve emergency preparedness in Ohio schools, which will make schools safer for students, House Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) said in a release. This is an important step toward giving parents, students, and faculty peace of mind and providing the necessarily training to make our schools better learning environments for children.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 13:38:49 +0000