School Officials Fine-Tuning More Explicit Student Codes of Conduct for Middlebrook & WHS

With an increase of incidents involving hate speech, as well as “mean behavior” online, the Wilton School District is putting together umbrella Codes of Conduct for both Middlebrook School and Wilton High School students, which officials hope will clearly delineate the consequences for transgressions.

“Are we sending strong enough messages?” Superintendent Kevin Smith rhetorically asked the Board of Education at its Thursday night, June 6 meeting during a review of the two draft documents. The drafts will be finalized by each school’s administrators in the next week as plans are discussed on how to distribute them.

“What we’re aiming to do here is to give kids, to give their parents, to give our staff, to give ourselves, a really explicit guide,” Smith said, “so when students have those unfortunate moments when they misbehave, we have a clear set of parameters about how we’ll respond.”

“Philosophically, I think as a district, as we encounter really concerning student behavior across the board, and some really profoundly challenging behavior, we’re trying to reorient ourselves much more explicitly in what’s been described as a high support, high accountability paradigm,” he said.

While Smith said the high school’s code of conduct is already largely in place already, Middlebrook will see a much more comprehensive list of behavior infractions alongside potential consequences and opportunities for restoration and related learning.

With limited details, Middlebrook’s 18-page document lists a spectrum of behavior infractions, from physical assault, weapon possessions, and “any act of hate-based conduct,” to more pedestrian transgressions, such as violation of dress regulations and cutting class. Other specific items include unauthorized photographing or recording of individuals or school employees, hazing, staging sexual activity for the purposes of recording it, cyberbullying, bomb threats, and a range of drug offenses.

With a student cellphone ban at both schools likely to be imminent, another line item prohibits possession or use of a cellphone, radio, CD player, tablet or walkie talkie on school grounds, school transportation, or at a school-sponsored activity “in violation of Board policy and/or administrative regulations.”

The high school code contains largely the same behavior infractions, with some different specifics on forms of “insubordination,” as well as some different wording and parameters.

Consequences for infractions in both documents range from warnings for first offenses, to detentions and suspensions, as well as police referrals in many cases.

“In all of these things there is a ladder of discipline that speaks to the gravity,” Smith said.

“At the end of the day, administrators also have discretion,” he said with regard to consequences. “We have to rely on their professional judgment.”

“We’re probably going to make some modifications,” he said, describing the documents as “a little wonky” and looking somewhat “arbitrary.”

Smith said they borrow some code models from other school districts that are in process of making similar changes.

“This is a great document,” BOE Vice Chair Nicola Davies said, inquiring whether the document would just be handed to parents and students, or if there would be a more formal presentation.

Smith said that exactly how the documents would be disseminated remained a question for discussion amongst his administrators, which would be continuing this week.

“This will be live for the next school year,” he said.

Stating that the district wanted everyone to appreciate the seriousness with which these codes are being presented, Smith alluded to different possible methods of sharing the information, including presentations of some kinds.

“This is new,” he said. “It’s a change. We’re serious about it.”

He said that at times, because students haven’t actually seen such a code, a perception can exist that they won’t face consequences for their actions.

“Because they don’t necessarily see it, often times kids will develop a perception that we’re either soft on crime or there aren’t consequences,” he said.

“We don’t want to be overly punitive, but we want kids to know there are consequences,” he said, also stressing that the inclusion of relevant restorative activities related to transgressions are an important part of the code, inspired by revisions to the state’s anti-bullying laws.

Most of the “Range of Learning Opportunities/Restoration” items in the documents consist of restorative discussions with administrator, staff members, support service staff, or in some cases possible conferences.

BOE Chair Ruth DeLuca expressed support for the documents.

“It’s a good thing to have it in black and white,” she said, suggesting that it might be worthwhile to get some kind of in-person signature from parents and students with regard to acknowledging receipt of the codes.

Asked where the district had seen increases in errant behavior, Smith cited both hate speech and mean behavior.

“Categorically, online off-campus mean behavior,” he said. “That’s been a seen change in the last couple of years.”

Smith praised the work. 

“As a first draft, I’m really pleased with what our administrators put together,” he said.

“This will become part of the handbooks that will go out to families … Tomorrow we’ll be meeting and talk about how we’ll want to disseminate it,” he said.