Administrators have continued to edit the suspension policy by eliminating the “K Section” as a valid reason for suspension. They also cut down the length of suspensions and made them all in-house.
The K Section is defined by California Education Code section 48900 as an act that “disrupted school activities or otherwise willfully defied the valid authority of supervisors, teachers, administrators, school officials or other school personnel engaged in the performance of their duties.”
According to Assistant Principal Brian Lynch, administrators have decided to cut this section out of the suspension policy because they feel that there is a clear overrepresentation of certain demographics being suspended at Tam. Males are suspended more often than females and male minority students are suspended more frequently than white males.
Lynch describes the K section as “a big gray area… and with disruption and defiance, we might have different definitions.”
Administrators have also decided to shorten suspensions and make the suspensions in-house, meaning students will spend the suspension completing schoolwork on campus.
Tam has also made it possible for students suspended for drug and alcohol use to be automatically referred to a therapist and start therapy sessions during in-house suspension.
Lynch said so far many parents and the majority of the staff have responded well to these new policies.
“The goal is to get students in class as much as possible,” Lynch said. “We want students to be successful [so that] their behavior doesn’t impact their academic progress.”
Many staff members have also responded positively to the administrators’ changes to the suspension policy.
“I like the idea of us being more creative to try to get to the root of the issue and change behavior,” English teacher Abbey Levine said. “I think that any new policy is a trial-and-error and so I appreciate that our administration is having conversations about how to be more effective and is trying some new things… I look forward to seeing those results.”