Parents, educators discuss school policy

MAT-SU -- Mat-Su Borough School District officials met with dozens of concerned parents, teachers and principals last week, during three town meetings, to discuss sweeping changes to school discipline programs, dress codes and attendance policies throughout the district.

The meetings were intended to give community members a chance to offer suggestions before final changes are made to the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook for next year.

The handbook covers general student conduct requirements as well as school rules and classroom environments. Principals use the handbooks to help them develop and enforce individual school policies according to districtwide standards.

Assistant Superintendent George Troxel said it has been nearly 20 years since the handbook was thoroughly updated, and with substantial increases in Valley population and changes in community values and expectations, school officials thought it was time for revisions.

The meetings, which took place at Palmer, Wasilla and Houston high schools, were sparsely attended, with roughly two dozen in attendance at each meeting. Those who came, however, were very engaged and full of suggestions.

Many of the discussions centered on standardizing district wide policies, to ensure uniformity between different schools and grade levels. Some parents were concerned that even within a single school, discipline policies often vary from classroom to classroom, depending on individual teachers.

Principals of each school currently have broad freedoms to define and implement discipline programs but the district acknowledged this does sometimes cause undue variations, which can be confusing to parents and students when children switch from one school to another. The revisions are meant to give principals more specific guidelines.

While some parents thought corporal punishment was effective enough in the old days and should be reinstated, the district's director of education, Lebron McPhail, said that just can't happen.

"Some of you may be thinking that corporal punishment worked and we should bring it back," he said, "Well, corporal punishment is no longer allowed."

Others were appalled by lax and often unenforced dress codes, complaining that high school and middle school students arrived on campus in miniskirts, tight jeans and revealing clothing.

Generally, most people agreed that the focus needed to stay on education but there was disagreement on how prescriptive the dress code should be.

Currently, the school district has proposed to make the dress code more specific, spelling out that skirts cannot be more than three inches above the knees and shirts must cover the midriff area.

Occasionally, the discussions grew heated but most parents seemed to agree that something needs to be done.

Marie Domer has a sixth-grade son in middle school and she expressed concern during Tuesday's meeting that the dress code be more specific.

"If we have to spell it out in black and white to keep kids from wearing the tightest jeans possible with their bellybuttons and underwear hanging out, then so be it," Domer said.

While the third and final town meeting concluded Thursday, the school district is continuing to take comments and suggestions for the next few weeks.

In November, a committee of representatives from the school board, Valley principals and district administrators will compile and review all suggestions before issuing a final recommendation to the school board. Additional public comment can then occur at the school board meeting before the revised handbook is approved.

Contact Joel Davidson at joel.davidson@frontiersman.com.