Racial conflicts reported by Shawnee Mission high school students, in the wake of a fight in the hallways of Shawnee Mission East last fall, have resulted in changes to the district’s student handbooks on conduct and discipline.
Last month, the Shawnee Mission school board approved handbook changes that specify racial jokes, derogatory slurs and demeaning comments as behavior that could prompt disciplinary action. The new language also specifies corrective actions for significant discrimination or harassment.
The items were proposed and approved as “explicit recognition and an opportunity to address and communicate and educate as our students and our families come back to us in the fall about what is appropriate versus inappropriate in our schools,” said Dr. Christy Ziegler, chief of student services, diversity, equity and inclusion for the district.
Racist slurs caught on video
The fight at East was not specifically mentioned during the discussion about the handbook changes at the school board’s June 24 meeting.
In that incident last November, a white male student was caught in a cell phone video getting into an argument with a Black female student in a hallway inside SM East.
The video showed the male student charging toward the female student, saying the N-word and giving her a shove. The ensuing fight led to suspensions of both students and battery charges against the male student.
In the aftermath of the incident, students of color called on administrators to address what they said was a tolerance of racial slurs and an atmosphere that made them feel unsafe in their high schools.
Ziegler told the board the handbook changes came about after students initiated discussions that led to a larger roundtable session in February.
The upshot, she said, was that the district needed to be more clear about what kind of interactions were out-of-bounds, especially when it comes to jokes.
Consequences for using slurs and derogatory language
To that end, the new student handbook will include “jokes, slurs and other derogatory or demeaning comments” under the “significant disrespect” category.
Recommended disciplinary action for a first offense ranges from a conference with the student, detention, apology, restitution and follow-up record of student commitment, to more serious consequences, including an out-of-school suspension under parent supervision for one to ten days.
Repeated or more serious offenses range from a short-term suspension to expulsion of not more than a calendar year.
The board also added a new item of “discrimination or harassment” as defined in school policy, to the matrix.
First offenses come with suggested actions ranging from temporary removal from class to short-term suspension. Repeated or severe offenses range from short-term suspension to expulsion.
‘Teachable moments’
Ziegler told the board that school administrators have been responsible for addressing and applying consequences when such behavior is reported.
According to a statement provided by the district spokesperson Kristin Babcock, schools have had policies in place to address misbehavior.
“This gives us an opportunity at the start of the year to provide increased emphasis and understanding to our community of the expectations,” she said.
The district has worked hard to build an inclusive culture in its schools, but there will be next steps, she continued.
Many of those steps will be included in the district’s next five-year strategic plan, which was approved at the same meeting as the handbook changes, the statement added.
“While expectations are high, we know we will need to support our students through teachable moments, through educating, coaching, counseling and collaborating,” the statement said. “We are committed to making sure our schools are places where each person is treated with dignity and respect and feels a sense of belonging.”
This story was originally published by the Johnson County Post.
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