Because of the controversy regarding the Clarke County School District discipline policy, the Board of Education as called a public forum for community members to address their concerns. English department teacher Andy Dean commends CCSD for addressing their issues. “I think that we do have some things to work on in Clarke County. From what I hear in the community, it sounds like this is something that the county needs to address and that they have taken steps to address,” Dean said. Photo by Karla Dougan.
By KARLA DOUGAN – Broadcast Editor
On April 7, the Clarke County School District Board of Education will conduct a public forum for community members to express concerns about the district discipline policy.
The Clarke County School District Board of Education will meet on April 7 in the Athens Community Career Academy Heritage Hall at 6 p.m. The meeting will be conducted as a public forum for parents and teachers to discuss attendance and discipline within the district.
Coile Middle School Spanish department teacher Marta Dean brought her concerns with the CCSD discipline policy to the community when she filed a lawsuit alleging that the district has failed to protect teachers from violence.
“The alleged lack of attention to student misconduct has fostered the transition of students from minor disrupters to dangerous assailants and batterers.” Dean said in an interview with Athens Banner Herald.
In light of the recent events, students are discussing the controversy surrounding the discipline policy.
“Some teachers enforce the policy more than others. Some just turn their cheek to it,” sophomore Mary Carroll Waller said. “It is a serious issue because I don’t think it’s fair that no one is getting punished and it’s not really how the world work. (Students) are seeing that if they do something wrong, nothing bad is going to happen so they are just going to keep living that way. It’s going to cause problems later and it is unfair. ”
Clarke Central High School English department teacher Andy Dean hopes this public forum will be a productive step in making changes within CCSD.
“I’m a firm believer of public input. However, I hope that the public will remember their manners and that this is a productive session instead of a destructive one. I applaud the school district that they’re willing to look at the imperfections that are within it. I want to see an honest conversation about what we need to work on and not just bashing the school district,” Dean said.
