UFT: Discipline Changes Aren't All for Better

By HOWARD MEGDAL

United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten plans to object to a number of proposed changes to the Department of Education disciplinary code during an Aug. 9 hearing at DOE headquarters.

RANDI WEINGARTEN: Can't undercut Teachers.

Among the changes are a number of updates which take new technology into account, such as the formal banning of Internet plagiarism and all "electronic communication devices," along with a wide swath of additional services to be offered by Guidance Counselors in lieu of or in addition to traditional penalties such as suspension and expulsion.

Guidance Menu to Grow

Additional services that would be provided by Guidance Counselors include oneon one or group counseling, peer mediation, short-term behavioral reports, and development of an individual behavioral contract.

"We agree that Guidance Counselors have a very important role," Ms. Weingarten said in a July 31 phone interview. "But you can't put additional responsibilities in the code without attendant resources there. How is a Guidance Counselor, who is often responsible for 500 or 600 kids to begin with, going to be productive if you add to his or her responsibilities? The resource allocation needs to be there - this can't just be an unfunded mandate."

She added that while she admired "the Mayor's zealousness on cell phones, I wish he had a similar zealousness on other issues."

DOE's Rationale

In a statement on the proposed disciplinary changes, the DOE said that "changes were made to define infractions more clearly; improve alignment between infractions and disciplinary responses; modify disciplinary responses to ensure greater continuity of instruction; and integrate more cohesively student support services."

Ms. Weingarten also expressed concern with the code's allowing parents to overturn Teacher disciplinary decisions on appeal.

"A Teacher's authority to remove a student has to be honored. That is the only way to assure that students that want to learn can learn. It seems like when [DOE has] an issue, they are more worried about what a parent of the disrupting child will do."