West Nova News

Loudoun County Public Schools is tackling a disparity in the rate of suspensions of non-minority and minority students by using alternatives and providing social and emotional supports.

Rob Doolittle, the Loudoun County Public Schools’ director of communications and community engagement, said it’s a “preventative and positive approach.”

Some parents, however, have a different take on changes the district is making or studying.

The district has been sued by a group of parents who allege their constitutional rights were violated when changes were made to the district’s Academy of Science and the Academy of Engineering as part of a new anti-racism effort. The new rules were adopted during the Aug. 11 school board meeting.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of 37 parents by Milton C. Johns of Executive Law Partners, said their equal protection rights guaranteed by the 14th Amendment are being violated by the new process, which reduces the number of tests and designates slots in the academy for students from all middle schools in the district in order to foster greater racial and ethnic diversity.

The lawsuit also argues the Virginia Freedom on Information Act was violated. Initially, the vote to make the changes was defeated 5-4, with a recommendation to send it to a committee for further study.

The board was meeting remotely. Chairwoman Brenda Sheridan ordered a recess and had the cameras shut off, meaning the public and media could not witness what was happening.

When the meeting resumed, at-large board member Denise Corbo, who had voted to send it to the committee, asked for a new vote. 

This time the measure was approved 5-4.

The lawsuit, which was filed Sept. 1, said board members discussed the matter and persuaded a member to alter their vote in violation of the open meetings law.

Trying to find a balance with demands for greater diversity while upholding high academic standards has been an issue for some time, and was addressed by the school board Feb. 26 with the formation of the ad hoc committee on equity. Its task is to study and work to correct problems with diversity and equal access.

Doolittle said this new approach to discipline is designed “to create safe, supportive and positive school climates” when staff members respond to problems.

They are using interventions and consequences to understand and address the causes of misbehavior, he said. This will, the district hopes, resolve conflicts while meeting students’ needs without being forced to suspend students and remove them from the learning environment.

“LCPS has adopted evidenced-based schoolwide preventative and positive discipline policies to reflect LPCS’ multi-tiered system of supports, which is a data-driven decision-making framework for establishing the academic, behavioral, and social emotional supports needed for a school to be an effective learning environment for all students,” Doolittle said. “Providing these supportive measures to our students should reduce suspension rates and ultimately close disparities between suspensions of minorities and non-minority students.

“Disorderly conduct and defiance sanctions are behaviors that warrant teacher and administrative responses for interventions designed to address student behavior and reinforce school and classroom expectations. Some responses to the behavior may include reteaching and modeling desired behavior, conferencing with student and parent, using a behavior chart all while keeping the student in school. This is aligned with the model guidance provided by the Virginia Department of Education.”

The district has stated it wants to bring attention on implicit bias when responding to subjective discipline codes. Superintendent Eric Williams and the school board has been working on an action plan to combat systemic racism, which was reviewed and discussed at meetings on July 21, Aug. 11 and Sept. 8.

That provides options, Doolittle said.

“LCPS has provided a reflective consideration tool consisting of questions for staff to use to determine if exclusionary practices or suspensions should be extended to the student for misbehavior,” he said. “The intent of the tool is to allow staff to process alternative options to remediate the behavior as alternatives to suspension. LCPS’ priority is keeping all students in school to avoid academic disengagement.”

Race remains a hot-button issue in Loudoun County, as it does across the country. Earlier this year the district investigated racist comments posted on social media.

Critics wonder if the district using race to equalize results rather than enforce discipline. Doolittle rejects that claim.

“No, it is not fair to say that,” he said. “The reflective consideration tool described above is used to assist in determining if interventions and practices are being applied equitably to all students served in LCPS. Importantly, LCPS designates implementation procedures for the student code of conduct in school board-approved discipline policies.”

The reaction has been positive, he said.

“LCPS has prepared a public guide, the student code of conduct, to assist families in understanding student discipline policies and practices in LCPS,” he said. “The guide is primarily intended to answer questions frequently asked by parents or guardians whose children have violated student conduct policies and have experienced disciplinary consequences. LCPS has not received complaints or comments related to implementation of the student code of conduct discipline guidance, which is aligned with policies and Virginia state code.”