Decreasing the suspension rate at Reservoir High School was a collaborative effort that began in the spring of 2008, Principal Adrianne Kaufman said.

With the help of the system's Central Office, Kaufman created a school-based intervention team that included the county's Student Services director and Alternative Education coordinator, school administrators, guidance counselors, pupil personnel workers, psychologists, and alternative intervention staff, and representatives of the Black Student Achievement Program and English as a Second Language program.

The resulting plan included more home visits for students who frequently cut class, a counselor-led group aimed at reducing the number of fights between girls, and two groups for black male students organized by a social worker.

Immediate changes were made to the school's suspension practices as well. The intervention team decided the school should no longer suspend students for refusing to identify themselves to an adult on school grounds, or for cutting class.

"It didn't make sense, and it wasn't working," said Kaufman, who recently served on state task forces devoted to school safety issues and multiple suspensions. "The recidivism rate was high."

Administrators also decided to reduce what had been an automatic 10-day suspension for drug and alcohol violations to five days.

"We got counselors involved and parents involved. That was a key piece in changing behavior," she said.

Ideas also came from a student advisory committee in the fall of 2008, which recommended the school do away with its practice of suspending students for refusing to turn over electronic devices before school. Students convinced Kaufman that using their phones prior to the morning school bell could not constitute cheating or cause a disruption to class.

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user comments (7)

user bogglesthemind says...

Does anyone else wonder why Reservoir was the only school in the county suspending students for not identifying themselves or for cutting class or better yet for using electronic devices before school? Are these the decisions we are paying our administrators for? Did it really take an intervention team to figure this out after 6 years of these types of practices. Thank goodness the students have more common sense than the principal.

Posted 9:48 AM, 03.11.10 | Permalink

user says...

Glad to hear your principal finally realized that "It didn't make sense" It's a shame it took years to figure out. If she was a VP at Atholton and a principal a Mt. Hebron, don't you think she could have come to this conclusion sooner...or was it because a few parents had the nerve to bring the data to light? What's more why has it taken 2-3 years for the Board of Ed. to look into this or are they still in denial?

Posted 6:19 PM, 03.11.10 | Permalink

user belovedcartoonmouse says...

HAHAHA! Suspending kids for refusing to identify themselves to an adult? What a joke. I'd skip too.

Posted 1:23 PM, 03.14.10 | Permalink

user truthteller says...

It's amazing that anybody could find it acceptable for a student NOT to identify him/herself to a faculty member. Try not identifying yourself to the police and see what happens - you can be arrested. When did it become "okay" to be disrespectful to teachers? No wonder they have trouble populating these schools with qualified staff; who would want to work there if there wasn't any discipline?

Posted 3:32 PM, 03.14.10 | Permalink

user concernedparent says...

Dr. Kaufman and county administrators claim that suspensions are necessary to maintain safety and security. How are cutting class, not identifying oneself, and not turning over electronic devices a safety issue? How can a student not in the school pose a safety risk? Those behaviors certainly require disciplinary action…but suspension? The number 1 reason for suspensions in the 07-08 school year was attendance which has since been outlawed in the state of Maryland. How can the County Administrators and the Board of Education not act on this principal? Why are consequences for bad judgment only imposed on the students?

Posted 10:00 PM, 03.16.10 | Permalink

user studentrhs says...

Dr. Kaufman needs to be replaced, because her hypothesis are just not working. See the board should do the same thing they did for murray hill . When the replaced the former principal with Mr.Dickey. Because obviously she's not working . We need a principal who would know how to deal with these problems and also try to communicate with students more. Like the spend so much time dealing with the MINOR problems, they forget about the ones that actually need attention.

Posted 7:57 PM, 03.17.10 | Permalink

user says...

Please don't blame the PTSA for not promoting any one paricular complaint or issue. It's a volunteer organization, the meetings are open and pretty much anyone can successfully step up into a leadership position. I admire your persistence in pushing the data out there, but I don't think it's fair to blame the PTSA for not adding this issue to its agenda. PTSAs are the same at every school whether your child is in kindergarten or a senior. Every issue or project the group takes on, from teacher lunches to working on the suspension issue, has to have a parent volunteer willing to do the work and head the committee. In my experience, PTSAs are willing to take on virtually any task you ask them to do -- if you are willing to step up and do the work. If there's no one willing to take on the task, the issue gets dropped. It's unreasonable to expect someone else to champion your cause.

Posted 10:35 AM, 03.18.10 | Permalink