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A task force made up of school staff, community members and students will work to find alternatives to suspending students for discipline due to concerns that many students were missing out on academics while suspended from school.
School discipline has been a focus for board members in recent months. The board approved the task force in February, and last week board members received a report about discipline issues in schools, including that 170 students have been expelled from school so far this year, though that number is down from a total of 310 last school year.
Board member Heather Iliff (Dist. 2) said she is "very concerned about what has been deemed the ‘school-to-prison pipeline.'"
The Suspension/Expulsion Reduction Task Force had its first meeting April 29 and will have additional meetings May 11, May 26 and June 8. All meetings are scheduled for 6 p.m. in the Board Executive Conference Room at the Sasscer Administration Building, 14201 School Lane, Upper Marlboro.
The meetings are open to the public, but there is no public comment during the meetings.
The task force will review the school system's discipline policies, the use of discipline in the school system and research on school discipline. The group will make recommendations to the school board in June.
In the 2007-2008 school year, Prince George's students had 3,686 in-school suspensions and 21,760 out-of-school suspensions, according to data collected by the Maryland State Department of Education.
The task force's members are school board member Pat J. Fletcher (Dist. 3), school board member Heather Iliff (Dist. 2), school board member Rosalind A. Johnson (Dist. 1), student board member Edward Burroughs III, David Murray (student member-elect, Maryland State Board of Education), Del. Aisha Braveboy (D-Dist. 25) of Mitchellville, Donald Briscoe (president, Prince George's County Educators' Association), Crystal Scott (parent and community representative), Phil Lee (community representative), Everett Sesker (parent), Lupi Quinteros-Grady (parent), Raymond J. Miller (principal, DuVal High School in Lanham), Jeffrey J. Parker (principal, G. James Gholson Middle School in Landover), LaChon Winston (principal, Waldon Woods Elementary School in Clinton), Alethia McCullough (teacher, Kenmoor Middle School in Landover), Robert Anderson (supervisor, Office of Pupil Personnel), Hector Aquiniga (counselor specialist), Betty Despenza-Green (chief of student services) and Robin B. Shell (assistant supervisor, Office of Appeals).
School year extended to make up for snow days
Prince George's students will have one additional school day at the end of the year in June, as a result of days off from inclement weather this winter.
The school year will now end for students on June 18, and teachers will work through June 19.
Students had a day off for the presidential Inauguration Jan. 20 and for inclement weather on Jan. 28 and March 2.
Other 10-month employees were asked to confirm their last day with their immediate supervisors.
If schools are closed again due to inclement weather or other emergencies this school year, additional make-up days may be required.
Staff Writer Megan McKeever contributed to this report.