Maricopa Unified School District Administrative Office

Counseling referrals could be used to cut down on days spent on suspension for local secondary students.

The Maricopa Unified School District discussed the possible change to its discipline policy during a Governing Board meeting Wednesday night. The referrals would only apply to students who are first-time, minor drug and violence offenders.

Board Member Torri Anderson suggested the change following similar policies enacted by other districts in the Valley, including Paradise Valley Unified School District. In similar districts, Superintendent Steve Chestnut explained, counseling sessions reduce the number of days a student is suspended from school.

Anderson said the move would allow parents and students to receive drug or bullying counseling to reinforce good behavior on campus.

“When they are on off-school suspension, they are gone for three days and they can go sell more drugs and make more money and come back to school and sell more drugs,” Anderson said.

Currently, codes of conduct included in student handbooks for secondary schools in the district allow administrators to apply a range of consequences for students, including 10 day suspension, “long term” suspension, expulsion, “alternate placement,” or a referral to the Maricopa Police Department.

Although MUSD students have access to school counselors, it is not required in the district’s disciplinary policies at either the elementary nor secondary level. The question of funding such referrals by the district is one that could only be answered by the district’s attorneys, Chestnut said, but one that will be looked into.

Anderson said a grant funded by the district itself could be another option.

“I think it would be worth the expense,” she said.

The discussion came after complaints made by parents about how the district handled student discipline in recent weeks.

Parents previously addressed the board concerning fights between students at Maricopa Wells Middle School, as well as a misconception that the district had a “zero tolerance” fighting policy in which students involved in fights are suspended regardless if one is a victim.

Chestnut clarified in past meetings and again Wednesday night that the notion MUSD has a zero tolerance policy is “inaccurate.”

However, Anderson requested the board hold a meeting with elementary teachers and principals due to wording within its code of conduct.

Under the fighting category, the handbook states, “Mutual participation in an incident involving physical violence where there is no major injury.”

Anderson said the district should meet with educators and administrators to work out a district definition of “mutual participation.”

Even without the suggested changes, Chestnut said district principals are “getting it right most of the time” with the current code.

“We have principals that use judgment and they are good at applying the discipline grid so that we have consequences that are fair. I am not saying they are perfect, but I am saying that I’ve been so impressed with them over the past five years,” Chestnut said.