BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Bradford County schools are discussing a plan to keep students in school while addressing addition to tobacco and vaping products.
During a workshop on proposed changes to the student code of conduct, Assistant Superintendent Karen Clarke said student vaping on campus has become a big issue, although she was quick to point out that Bradford County schools are not alone in experiencing the problem. It’s everywhere, she said.
“We wanted to implement some things that could help address that, because just sending kids home or sending kids to alternative placement doesn’t solve the problem,” Clarke said.
Superintendent Will Hartley what they are looking at will call on parental responsibility.
“What we’re seeing is if a student is addicted to a vape, they’re addicted to a vape, and sending them to alternative schools doesn’t fix that,” he said. “We need to do some more education and get the parents more involved in what’s going on.”
School Board Chairwoman Candace Osteen, who works in youth tobacco/nicotine education, described the approach taken in other counties, including Clay and Baker counties.
“Data showed that supportive approach to enforcement gets the family involved in the educational practices of prevention and intervention,” she said.
Based on her meetings with representatives in those counties, Osteen said a family education program would bring both student and parents together to talk about coping skills, cessation tools and resources, better decision making and more. She said there is a wealth of information that would be beneficial to students and parents that addresses the bigger issue of addiction to vaping or tobacco products.
“It’s something that we would like to do here to provide an extra layer of support for our families and our students, because at the end of the day, the student that’s addicted is going to have a lot more of an issue leaving it at home than they are concerned about getting suspended or caught on campus, because obviously it’s very difficult for them to address that addiction,” she said.
Hartley said the program would be for middle and high school students, and they would attend a cessation course on campus to address their addiction.
“If we can better educate them and get the parents more involved, hopefully we keep the students in the classroom, which is the end goal,” he said.
Clarke called it an alternative to suspension, but if the student refused participation, the school would have to move on to the consequences for being caught using tobacco or vaping on campus.
Code of conduct
Rules on the use of mobile phones by students are being clarified to allow for use of the devices under the direction of the teacher for educational purposes. Use is otherwise strictly prohibited.
The code requires cell phones, smart watches, music and other devices to be powered off and out of sight on school transportation and on campus unless attending an afterhours event. Violations will result in disciplinary action up to and including a “zero tolerance” consequence. Unauthorized audio and video recording or photographing of students or staff remains prohibited.
The proposed document goes on to amend the various categories of violations and potential consequences. These are based on alignment with the state’s School Environmental Safety Incident Reporting requirements or existing school board policy.
Clarke said the definitions of the levels of offense (formerly tiers) as well as examples of violations that fall within the levels are clearer.
New classes for high schoolers
The Student Progression Plan went through a lot of cleanup last year, according to Clarke, so changes this year are minimal. They do, however, include new requirements for high school students.
If adopted, the new plan will require high school students to be enrolled in a career technical education course every year or until passing an industry certification exam unless they are enrolled in the school’s Cambridge program or college dual enrollment. To facilitate this requirement, Clarke said some courses from North Florida Technical College would be moved to the high school campus.
The high school is also adding a college and career readiness course for all students. While this will include instruction on college entrance requirements and procedures, it will also include information beneficial to all students such as study habits, applying for jobs and financial literacy.
Students with difficulty meeting either requirement could be exempted by the principal.
While 24 credits are required for a standard diploma, students can earn up to 28 credits prior to graduation. Earning more that 24 is not necessary to graduate if students complete all the required courses.
“That doesn’t mean we’re going to add credits on, but within those 24 credits, especially since our students have the opportunity to earn 28 credits, there are some courses and some programs that we as a district feel are important for our students as they move out into the real world,” Clarke said.
