By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
After a lengthy discussion about discipline at the high school and policy revisions, the Hays USD school board approved the Hays High School handbook on July 21.
Board member Jayme Goetz requested revisions to the handbook when it was presented to the board in June. Her primary concern was the policy on discipline.
See copies of Hays High's civility policy and discipline point system at the end of this story.
Shawn Henderson, Hays High principal, said at a board meeting in June the handbook had been edited for clarity and to provide administrators more flexibility in addressing individual students and circumstances.
However, Goetz argued the handbook needed to contain specific consequences for violations to maintain consistency. The handbook was revised again and brought back to the board on July 21.
Goetz said she had at least six complaints leading up to the meeting regarding the handbook and a lack of consistency in discipline at the high school.
Goetz taught one year at Hays High under Henderson before taking a job teaching at Fort Hays State University.
"All discipline is teamwork," Henderson told the board, "and we have to work together and we have to understand where and how the experience is implemented for our families, stakeholders and students."
He added, "We want to be as clear as we possibly can be. Behavior is communication."
Goetz said the changes brought to the July meeting put the administrators all on the same page.
"This is going to come up again next year, and I would encourage you this year to lead from the middle and create a little committee of teachers ... so you can come up with a handbook that works for everyone," she said.
"You probably know this, but before a teachers sends a student to the office, they have already tried to create a relationship with them, cut them some slack talked about what's going on in their day, given them a break, sent them on a walk to cool down, done all of these things," she said.
"So when a teacher is sending a student to you, all of those boxes should already be checked, and your job ... your part of this is to take it to the next level," Goetz said.
"I don't see administrators as someone who is supposed to create a friendship with a student," Goetz said. "It's more of a professional relationship. It is more, 'This is what you did, and this is the consequence.'"
Board member Ruth Ruder, whose daughter is a Hays High student, said, "Every scenario is going to be different."
Ruder said administrators can't anticipate all of the different scenarios that they will have to deal with.
"I appreciate your staff looking into it," she said. "I didn't have an issue with it the first time."
Ruder urged teachers who had issues to come to Henderson or board members. However, she said teachers are not reaching out to her with issues.
"Until I do, I'm on the administration's side," she said.
Henderson said, "We want the communication, and we want the collaboration. I would echo that across all of our buildings. We feel that there is a lot of detail here in this handbook, and we are always open for conversation. I can't speak to every scenario."
Henderson said the high school has already been working under the same discipline framework described in the handbook for five years.
Board Vice President Ken Brooks said he thought Henderson had gone above and beyond in revising the handbook.
Allen Park asked about procedures for bathrooms at the high school.
Although some bathrooms share a common sink area, half of those restrooms will be labeled for girls and half will be labeled for boys.
The handbook states that only one person can be in a stall at a time. The bathrooms will continue to be monitored during passing periods by teachers. Cameras will also monitor the sink areas.
Goetz continued to ask questions about the discipline section of the handbook.
Ruder asked, "What does that have to do with the board?"
Goetz said, "It's policy."
"It's their policy," Ruder said, referring to Henderson and the other high school administration.
Ruder argued the board hires the superintendent, and it is up to the superintendent to manage his staff and the principals to manage their schools, not the board.
"I do not want to be involved in every disciplinary action that any kid has at Hays High School," Ruder said. "I don't have that kind of time, and I bet you don't either. That is [Henderson's] job to handle discipline, not ours."
Goetz said to Ruder, "You have a really good kid."
Henderson said he is unable to share what happens during discipline procedures with specific students because he is barred from doing so by privacy laws.
Henderson said a student might say they had no repercussions, but they did, and Henderson can't release anything to the contrary.
He compared these laws to HIPAA, which prevents doctors from releasing medical information.
"When we start with someone's bad day, we start with privacy, dignity and respect," Henderson said.
"To Dr. Yarmer, I'm one more patient, but [a student is] someone's kid, friend, dad, and I don't approach education any differently, and I can't," Henderson said.
"I'm passionate about this because the things that happen in the office are super private, but I promise you, board of education and anyone listening, we function as a team," Henderson said.
"From my point of view as a principal, I can't always share all of the things that are going on," he said.
Henderson said he would appreciate it if issues were directed through the chain of command. He added that the most common complaint the administration receives is from parents who don't want their students held accountable.
Henderson said he, as a non-elected school staff member, is being put in a difficult place if he is going to be called out in a public meeting every time someone calls a board member.
"There will always be comments about the person who holds people accountable for a living. I know that. I know that is going to come," he said.
"If anyone who stands here is going to be talked about in this way, I don't know if this is the right way," Henderson said.
The school board approved the elementary, middle and virtual school handbooks without discussion during the June meeting.
The high school handbook was approved at the July 21 meeting on a vote of 6-1, with Allen Park voting against.
