While the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) Board of Education was deeply entrenched in facilities talk last week, other changes to district policy were able to make their way to the forefront.
Namely, the board officially approved an update to Board Policy and Administrative Regulation on Alcohol and Other Drugs, which hones in on first offenses by transitioning from a traditional suspension model to a more counseling-intensive method.
Initially broached in June, the updated policy replaces an automatic three-day suspension for an alcohol or drug offense with meetings and counseling sessions. SMMUSD Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton, making his presence felt on the subject after an absence during the June 25 discussion, said the counseling is based on "what harm has occurred" and what needs to be addressed from the student’s perspective.
Shelton added that the district is "not doing away with consequences," and that authorities are notified of each offense, stating that the district may work with local police to find a potential diversion program for a struggling student. The revised policy does not factor into the selling of controlled substances, which still results in an immediate suspension and mandated expulsion from campus.
On the first offense revision, Shelton recalled his time as Samohi principal as a factor in his support for the shift.
"We suspend the kid, the kid then goes home, the kid is now home by themselves," Shelton said. "If they’re home by themselves and there’s a problem, what are they going to do? Continue that problem. As a former high school principal, (I understand) that is not necessarily what we want to occur."
Meetings will be held with a counselor trained in alcohol and drug dependency, and will work with both students and their families to provide recommendations on the issue and dig deeper into the psyche behind the usage during school time.
"The majority of the time, there is something that is underlying that is going on why a student is turning to a substance … we’re wrapping the mental health piece into this, we’re wrapping the counselor into this, so that the counselor support that’s needed is provided," Shelton said.
Subsequent offenses of alcohol or drugs will now result in a one-day suspension followed by counselor meetings, crafting an individualized "action plan" for the offending student. The updated policy and regulation were unanimously approved, with board member Laurie Lieberman lauding the "good, full discussion" in June and feeling "comfortable" with adopting the revisions.
thomas@smdp.com
