NEW ORLEANS (AP) - In a move to stop charter schools from expelling students too frequently, the state agency running most of New Orleans' public schools has issued new guidelines on what constitutes the kind of behavior that will get a student thrown out.
The Times-Picayune reports that the Recovery School District introduced a list of offenses that may result in expulsion from its campuses. The newspaper said the district's move is a nod to the skepticism that independent charter schools in New Orleans and around the country face about how welcoming they are of all students, particularly those whose behavior makes them difficult to educate.
The way schools enforce discipline has emerged as a flashpoint in the debate over public charter schools, which have come to dominate in New Orleans.
Charter schools have autonomy to write their own codes of student conduct. Many adhere to a no-excuses philosophy: Set a higher bar for behavior and academic achievement, and students will rise to meet it.
"We should always lean on the side of keeping kids in school," RSD chief Patrick Dobard said Monday. "There's been enough anecdotal evidence that students are being expelled for minor offenses."
The agency also outlined new policies for student admissions and readmission after expulsion and new guidelines for transfers and parents' complaints against schools.
The newspaper reported that the Recovery District did not provide solid data on how many recent expulsions could or should have been avoided.
The official expulsion rates at New Orleans charters as reported to the state don't stand out as particularly high, the newspaper reported. The rate of suspensions far exceeds the state average at many city schools, charter and otherwise, the newspaper said.
Dobard said a uniform policy on when it's appropriate to issue out-of-school suspensions may be the next conversation to have with the district's parents and schools.