Copperas Cove gives Student 2 Day Suspension for Answering Call from Iraq

http://awurl.com/bJdkwji2F

This article mentions the two day suspension of Brandon Hill as a result of answering a phone call from his dad. Now, this could be the beginning of a typical battle between school vs. parent, except that Brandon’s dad was calling from military duty in Iraq. Another article http://glennsacks.com/blog/?p=2073 (one that, unfortunately, awesomehighlighter.com was not compatible with ) tells the story in more detail. Brandon’s mother tried to appeal the suspension of her son, but could not get an appointment with the principal for a week. She says that her husband had an arrangement with the assistant principal before he went to Iraq so that his sons could take his phone calls. Obviously this arrangement was not upheld by the administration on this day.

I thought this was really interesting, so I went looking for more information. I looked up the Copperas Cove High School student handbook to see how the policy was laid out (another website that awesomehighlighter.com could not handle, being a 169 page PDF file). They were extremely thorough. Cell phones are only permitted in “private vehicles” during school hours (7am-3:10pm) unless the student is a volunteer fire fighter or EMS. It describes the punishment for using one during a state test: “The student’s test will be coded as an “O.” This code designates a test administration irregularity and determines that the student’s test will not be scored by the state; therefore, the student will not meet the state requirements for that test. The student will not have an opportunity to retake the test until the next test administration.” Students who are caught with a cell phone are charged fifteen dollars. If students are caught with a cell phone repeatedly or refuse to give up their phone will warrant “additional disciplinary action.” However, the school policy does not say that the student will be suspended. They must have been very angry with Brandon to give him a two day suspension. Suspension is the last step before being sent to “Discipline Alternative Education Placement”.

My frustration after reading this story stems from two issues:
1.) The administration did not follow an arrangement made with the parents. A student is punished for leaving the room to take a phone call from his dad when it was approved in advance by the assistant principal. I can understand the teacher feeling it was his/her duty to report a violation of school policy, even though it would seem that a more understanding adult would permit a call from a parent serving in Iraq, but I do not understand how the administration could go back on it’s agreements.
2.) What did the student do to receive a suspension for answering a phone call? Why was Brandon not merely fined fifteen dollars? This seems like extreme “additional disciplinary action.” The school’s behavioral policy states that normally there are detention halls, Saturday dentations, and a SAC before a student is suspended. This was much too extreme.

Personally, if I were the teacher or the administration I would let the student finish his long distance phone call, and then take him to the office to see if his claims about an arrangement were true. If the student lied, then I would give him detention and take his phone until the end of the day. I would call his mother and discuss the incident with her so she knows what was going on. If the student was telling the truth, I would apologize and then create a cell phone pass so that there would be no confusion the next time his father called.

(I had many problems getting awesomehighliter.com to accept my sources. Check out the originals out if you wish:
http://www.tdtnews.com/story/2008/04/15/48659
http://glennsacks.com/blog/?p=2073
http://ccisd.esc11.net/98920621163230253/lib/98920621163230253/_files/Student_Handbook.pdf )