JAY — The Regional School Unit 73 Board of Directors heard a report Thursday on rising disciplinary problems at Spruce Mountain High school during the early part of the school year.
High School Principal TJ Plourde told the board that since school began on Aug. 27, the high school has issued 45 detentions.
He also enumerated 19 suspensions. Of these, six were for student vs. student conflicts, he said; five were for students using inappropriate language toward staff; six were civil rights violations, one was a threat; and two were for possession, which is “drugs or vapes.”
“It’s been a tough few weeks here, but we’ve dealt with it the best way we can, Plourde said. “This year just happens to be one of the toughest ones we’ve had in years.”
Plourde has been principal at the high school almost continuously since 2013.
Asked after his presentation if he could identify the cause of the increase, Plourde said, “I have an idea but I’m not going to say” what it is.
Director Tamara Hoke of Jay said she had “some concerns around civil rights” infractions. “Is it race, sexuality or what?” she asked Plourde.
He replied, “It’s a little bit of all of them.” He continued, “It’s just how do we recognize it, and our kids need to be held accountable.”
Plourde said an outside consultant called Choices Matter will work with Spruce Mountain students this fall on those issues.
Choices Matter is a national program that describes itself as “designed to help students understand the impact of their decisions, particularly in areas like impaired driving, peer pressure and personal responsibility. It aims to equip students with the knowledge, skills and motivation to make safer, smarter choices that protect them and others.”
“It’s always about choices,” Plourde said. “They (Choices Matter) haven’t given us exactly what it’s going to be but they’re going to talk a little about race and gender (and), about how we speak to one another.”
Of students returning to school from suspension, Plourde said, “We set them up with supports and we give them the opportunity to come back with a clean slate and move forward.”
Plourde also said the absentee rate among Spruce Mountain’s 419 students, which is unrelated to Choices Matter, is 11 percent. A student is counted absent who misses four or more classes in a day.
The Spruce Mountain absentee rate compares to 42 percent “chronic absenteeism” reported this week in Portland public high schools. Portland defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10 percent or more of classes in a year.
Plourde also reported that Rob Taylor, a high-school science teacher, and Kim Bryant, a high-school technology teacher, had been teaching other faculty members about artificial intelligence.
“It ‘s a great thing to see teachers teaching teachers,” he said.
“It’s pretty evident that paper is back,” he said, “and I think the kids are getting that.” He said teachers aren’t looking for AI-written papers. “We’re looking for your own work,” he said.
Internet reports suggest that schools and colleges are increasingly returning to pen and paper evaluations, mostly in class rather than take-home work.
According to the North American Community Hub Statistics website, “Pen, paper, and oral exams are returning because schools need credible evidence of learning amid instant machine-generated answers.”
In other business, the board heard from Special Services Director Cherie Parker that referrals for special-education needs have risen this school year. Referrals, she said outside the meeting, can come from a variety of sources, including physicians, family members and even neighbors.
This is especially true with primary-school students whose histories with the district are short or even unknown. Many of the four-year-olds, she said, have no special education record. Her staff has received 19 referrals for evaluation for kindergarten and pre-kindergarten pupils.
Special education plans by school are: primary, 90; elementary, 72, which is four fewer than last year; middle school, 74, the same number as last year; and high school, 104, an increase of two. The total of 340 is 11 more than last year.
Principals also reported that STAR (Student Testing and Reporting) assessments are in process at all four schools.
Most have finished with the math section and expect to finish the language section in the coming week.
Kristofer Targett, middle school principal, said the STAR assessments are usually used to weigh pupils’ progress during the school year. In reply to a question from Michele Moffett, board vice-chair, he said they could also be used to compare changes from the previous spring to the beginning of the school year in the fall.
