KingSpry is proud to announce Episode Sixteen of our education law podcast, the Legal Lunch Room, “Student Discipline.”
Each episode, we invite education attorneys and school leaders to share how current education law trends and court decisions impact school boards, students and our community.
From off campus conduct and social media posts, to disruption in the classroom and safety issues, student discipline is rarely simple. On this episode of the Legal Lunch Room, we speak with Wilson Area School District Superintendent Dr. Harrison Bailey, Stroudsburg Area School District Superintendent Dr. Cosmas Curry and KingSpry education attorney Alyssa Hicks about best practices for student discipline.
“It’s a process of paying attention, being decisive, being communicative in the moment, and following through with the appropriate parties,” notes Dr. Curry.
With a conversation ranging from codes of conduct and communication tools to the trouble with Tik Tok, it is clear that good policy and consistent procedures are key.
“When we have (an incident), we make a decision and try to be as uniform as we can, but we also have to keep the kid’s scenario in mind. You’re navigating that line of trying to be fair and consistent, but also recognizing the kids have different needs,” Dr. Bailey adds.
And as always, documentation is critical to ensure a legally defensible process.
“We want to make sure we have those procedures in place, particularly all the evidence we need… those important acknowledgement forms for the code of conduct,” says Education attorney Alyssa Hicks, “from a linear perspective, that’s really important because that’s an exhibit I’ll have at the hearing.”
Legal Lunch Room is produced by Steel Pixel Studios with music by Don Loughney. This podcast is a production of KingSpry’s Education Law Practice Group. It is meant to be strictly informational and does not constitute legal advice. Should you have any questions about any of the topics discussed on the show, please contact your local legal counsel.
We hope you’ll join us. Listeners may tune in to Legal Lunch Room on all major podcast platforms.
