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Policy 9280 Implementation Procedures - School Use of Community or Reportable Offenses

Policy Document

Implementation Procedures

I. Notification

  1. The principal will inform all students, parents, and Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) employees of the provisions of this policy annually and at other times as appropriate. This may be done in the following ways:

    1. Making announcements via the public address system at the beginning of the school year.

    2. Publishing the information in school newsletters.

    3. Publishing the information in staff/student handbooks.

    4. Posting the information on a bulletin board and/or school’s website.

    5. Making the information available for new students through the registration process.

  2. Middle and high school students will be notified of the provisions of this policy through the Secondary Student & Parent Handbook and be asked to acknowledge receipt of such notification with their signature.

II. Investigative Procedures

  1. Upon receipt of information that a student has been arrested for a reportable offense or engaged in a community offense, the principal/designee may coordinate with the Community and Reportable Offense Evaluation (CARE) Team to conduct an investigation with assistance provided by the Superintendent/designee as needed. This investigation may include, but is not limited to, the questioning of the student, other students, and possible witnesses. When considering invoking Policy 9280, the principal/designee will schedule a conference with the student and parent to include members of the CARE Team be present where applicable. This meeting will provide due process in regards to all information received and investigative findings, discuss the allegations, gather additional information, and advise of policy and rights. The student and parent will be notified of their option to have an HCPSS school-based employee that they are comfortable with present at this meeting.

  2. Using information obtained in the investigation, the principal/designee and CARE Team, working together with the Superintendent/designee, will determine within 48 hours, or as soon as practicable, whether no action should be taken, or the student should be recommended for assignment to an alternative education placement and/or disciplined.

III. Administrative Response Options

  1. No Action Taken

    The principal/designee and CARE Team, working in collaboration with the Superintendent/designee, may determine that the situation does not require discipline or the assignment of the student to an alternative education placement. If it is determined by the CARE Team that no threat to the safety and well-being of students and HCPSS employees is identified, the student will remain in their current placement and a CARE plan may be put in place.

  2. Student is Assigned to an Alternative Education Placement

    1. Should the information gathered in the course of the administrative investigation result in concerns for the safety and well-being of students and/or HCPSS employees, the student may be assigned to an alternative education placement pending court disposition.

    2. If a decision is made to assign the student to an alternative education placement, the principal/designee and Superintendent/designee, with assistance from the CARE Team, will develop a CARE plan that addresses appropriate educational programming for the student. Students assigned to an alternative education placement are prohibited from accessing school property and attending or participating in school-related or extracurricular activities.

    3. HCPSS employees working in the assigned alternative education placement will be informed about individual student information and situation as needed to ensure their personal safety and ensure the implementation of an appropriate educational program. All student information not pertaining directly to safety and academics will remain confidential.

    4. If the student is to be assigned to an alternative education placement, the CARE Team will promptly inform the student’s parent of this decision. Plans to place a student will be implemented no later than five (5) school days after notification of the decision to assign the student in an alternative education placement.

    5. If the student is assigned to an alternative education placement following notification of a reportable offense; the Superintendent/designee and members from the CARE Team will regularly review the student’s performance and seek status related to any legal proceedings to make adjustments as appropriate.

    6. Students engaged in community offenses will have their placements reviewed on a quarterly basis.

    7. The student’s parent will be informed of any adjustments made to the CARE plan or to the student placement.

    8. The Superintendent/designee maintains the responsibility for determining the education placement of a student charged with a reportable offense or engaged in a community offense independent of the disposition of the criminal charges.

  3. Student is Disciplined

    1. Any decision to discipline a student for their involvement in a reportable offense or community offense will be made by the Superintendent/designee in collaboration with the principal/designee and CARE Team.

    2. A student will be disciplined under this policy only when the school system has proof of the offense independent of the notice of charges, and the student’s presence in school has a direct effect on the safety and well-being of students and/or HCPSS employees, and/or the order and general welfare of the school.

    3. If the student is to be disciplined and/or removed from school, the principal/designee will promptly inform the student’s parent of the suspension. Plans to discipline or assign a student to an alternative education placement will be implemented no later than five (5) school days after a decision following due process is made and notification to a student and parent has been provided.

    4. Any disciplinary action taken against a student under this policy will be in accordance with this policy and Policy 9200 Student Discipline.

  4. CARE Team

    A student who has violated this policy will meet with members of the CARE Team to support a successful transition to appropriate educational programming for the student which may include the use of restorative practices.

IV. Monitoring

Policy 9280 implementation procedures will be overseen by the Division of Academics and the Division of School Management and Instructional Leadership.

V. History

ADOPTED: April 3, 1990

REVIEWED: December 20, 2017

MODIFIED: January 12, 2023

REVISED:

  • May 14, 1992

  • October 22, 1998

  • June 12, 2008

EFFECTIVE: January 12, 2023

Policy History Key

  • Adopted-Original date the Board took action to approve a policy
  • Reviewed-The date the status of a policy was assessed by the Superintendent’s Standing Policy Group
  • Modified-The date the Board took action to alter a policy that based on the recommendation of the Superintendent/designee did not require a comprehensive examination
  • Revised-The date the Board took action on a that policy based on the recommendation of the Superintendent/designee needed a comprehensive examination
  • Effective-The date a policy is implemented throughout the HCPSS, typically July 1 following Board action.