After school suspension policy to change at Bronaugh

Nevada Daily Mail

The after school suspension policy at Bronaugh R-7 is going to change for the upcoming school year.

When school starts Aug. 20, the policy put in place by the Bronaugh School Board's unanimous vote Thursday night will see that twice a week, a teacher will stay behind to watch those in suspension.

The teacher who will stay behind is to be paid $15 for the extra hour they stay behind. The "worst case" scenario will see $900 being spent to watch the children in detention, Principal Jordan Dickey said. In this case, every Tuesday and Thursday will be used, but she said this situation is unlikely.

The old policy in place for after school suspension made the teacher or faculty who handed the suspension to the students have to stay and watch the student.

"I love this new idea," said Travis Wait, an agriculture teacher who attended the meeting. "Some kids get in trouble, but the teacher would let it slide because they wanted to go get groceries before making supper that night."

Dickey said the teacher selected for suspension duty after school will be chosen based on their willingness to do the supervision.

Dickey said she would also like for children who need academic help to stay behind during that time. Instead of being called after school suspension for those students, the time would be considered "academic recovery."

The students in academic recovery will be in the same room as the suspended students.

Wait said he was worried about the idea of a small child being in the same room learning while an "18-year-old kid is hot and mad" during his suspension. Many school board members shared Wait's concern.

Dickey and Superintendent David Copeland said in a "perfect world," the two students would be in separate rooms, but because of money, one room was all they could do.

"The students in suspension should be sitting quietly," Dickey said. "If they have an issue with keeping quiet, they can come sit in my office."

The academic recovery portion sat well with the school board and Copeland.

"I love the academic recovery part because this is a great way to give kids who need help, one-on-one attention," Copeland said.

In other business:

* The board voted unanimously to change the homework policy for the 2015-16 school. This school year, all day-late homework will be graded from 80 percent of the points possible. If a homework assignment is handed in after a day being late it will be graded from a 50 percent scale, and anything later than a week will not be graded for any points. Teachers may not change this policy independently.

* Last weekend, the Bronaugh preschool's water fountain, which was installed in 2000, sprang a leak. About 70 gallons of water were lost from the fountain after what Copeland was told "something rusted out." The damage was estimated at $5,000, and the school will file an insurance claim to help pay for the damage. Copeland and several school board members purchased shelves and other used items for the preschool at what Copeland said was a "great price." Books will still need to be replaced.