A ban on cell phones in the classroom, a dedicated space for correcting student misbehavior and a process for parents to challenge library materials — these are just a few of the changes being made to school policy at Le Sueur-Henderson Middle School/High School before kids head back to class this fall.
Many of these additions to school policy (with the exception of the library policy) were included in the LS-H Middle School/High School handbook approved by the Le Sueur-Henderson School Board at their Aug. 5 meeting.
Following new requirements from the Minnesota Legislature mandating schools develop a policy on student cell phone use, LS-H instituted a ban on cell phones in the classroom for students grade 6 and up. High School students are permitted to keep their phones in their lockers during the school day while middle schoolers must have their phones in their locker turned off or at home during school hours.
The increased restrictions on student cell phone possession comes as teachers have long reported difficulty with keeping kids off their phones while in the classroom. Students violating the policy will be penalized with lunch workshop/detention for the first two offenses and an alternative learning day after the third. After one violation, the phone will be kept in the district office until the end of the day, and for any subsequent violations the student’s parent or guardian will have to pick up the phone for them.
The handbook also contains stricter academic requirements intended to ensure students remain invested in their schoolwork. To prevent students from shirking their homework, new assessment requirements have been instituted requiring pupils to complete a minimum of three to five assignments before taking a test. If students don’t complete their required homework, they can’t take the test.
“Most assignments are going to be small,” said Middle School/High School Principal Cindy Schmidt. “It’s more about making sure that you’re prepared for the test. It’s between three and five, so it won’t be a lot, and students will know parents will be able to see them on Infinite Campus because they will have the AR behind them.”
In addition, LS-H has altered its relearning opportunities so that students who take reassessments to improve their grades may not exceed a score of 80% after taking an assignment. Principal Cindy Schmidt said the change was made to ensure students’ grades more accurately reflected their academic performance.
“Right now with our relearning plans our grades have been inflated so bad that we’re seeing kids that are getting A’s and B’s and then when they go out to the colleges or the workforce, they’re really not prepared because of the inflation, because of the relearning plans,” said Schmidt. “So we’re going to step back on the relearning plans and put the rigor back on the students.”
For students who are misbehaving and/or in violation of school policy, LS-H has instituted a new form of disciplinary action called an alternative learning day, a time reserved for students to be placed in the school’s new P.O.W.E.R. lounge where they will have assignments to complete and teachers who instruct them.
“We’re trying to step away from the suspensions and keep kids in school where they need to be and provide them with the skills that they need,” said Schmidt.
The school’s former career center will serve as the location for the new P.O.W.E.R (Pride Ownership Willingness Empathy and Respect) Lounge, which will serve as a place for students to go over behavioral expectations with staff and reflect on their conduct in school. From there, what kind of support the student needs.
Another change being made this school year is the reintroduction of activity passes after encountering issues with younger students running around the school building without parental supervision.
Library policy
In addition to changes coming through the student handbook, the School Board approved a new library policy which outlines the district’s expectations for content included in the school library and gives parents, students and staff an opportunity to challenge the inclusion of books in the library based on appropriateness.
According to the new policy, the School Board recognizes the expertise of the district’s library media specialist, and while others may make recommendations on what materials should be included, the library media specialist ultimately holds the responsibility for selecting library content.
Books are to be chosen for the library based on their age-appropriateness and their artistic, literary and educational significance and the level of student interest in the material. In addition, materials cannot be removed based on the race, nationality, religion, sex, gender or political views of the writer.
Parents wishing to challenge the appropriateness of content in the library are directed to meet with the school library specialist and principal first. If the matter is not resolved, parents may then submit a formal request for reconsideration explaining their issues with the material. The district may then assemble a Library Materials Review Committee including school faculty and staff which will determine if the text should be kept in or removed from the library.
Parents are also given the right to request, in writing, that their child not have access to certain books in the library, without challenging the inclusion of the content in the school library.
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