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The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, March 17, 199-6 Suspensions are not rare in any of Halton 's schools HOM SHOWPUN By TIM WHITNELL Special to The Champion A recent suspension of a Burlington high school OAC student is flot a rare occurrence within the Halton District School Board. While the nature of the offending material may be unique - a Cve-day sentence for severely cflticizing a teacher in a letter circulated to other students - sus- pensions of varying lengths for a multitude of reasons are common within the board, occurring on a daily basis at various sehools. A look at the full board agendas made available to the media by the new school board now includes a monthiy list of suspensions imposed at every public eiementary and secondary sehool in the region. Among the sparse details provided are the number incidents for each day and a general description of the punishable offence. The ist usualiy goes on for five or six pages per month. There were 200 incidents consisting of at ieast one day of suspension reported by principals across the region for December 1997; the previous month involved about 160 incidents. The raw figures, without a detailed expianation about length or reason for each suspension, seem overwhelming, but Halton education director Dusty Papke said they must be taken in context. "When you first glance at it, it looks like a lot. Ive looked at the figures and considering we have more than 40,000) students, you're talking about 0.2 per cent of ail students (being suspended monthly). For the number of students we have, its not unusual." Despite being the boards top administrator, Mr. Papke said he won't hear about many of the suspen- sions. "It's the principals job by law. 1 would get a copy of ail of them, they come into the office, but 1 proba- biy personaily wouidn't see them. 1 wouldn't be aware "lConsidering we have more than 40,000 students, you're talking about 0.2 per cent of ail students."1 IIJSTY PARKE unless an appeai is made," he said, noting almost al suspensions are not appealed. I think that means, in the majority of instances, the sentences were deserved," he concluded. Mr. Papke said under the Education Act, a principal can unilaterally suspend a student for up to 20 days, usualiy after eonsulting with the students' parents. "They can make a recommendation but a principal cant expel a student, only the board can do that." The director said he wasn't aware of any lengthy suspensions handed out since he came to the Halton board in June 1997, but he wouidn't be surprised if some 20-day sentences were given. He said no expul- sions have occurred at the huard in his time. The perception as to whether kids are behaving worse at school now or if principals are being less lenient is difficult to determine, said Mr. Papke. -There is a lot of debate as to whether theres more physical confrontations now or before. Maybe we react to it more now, we're more aware. Maybe it (violence) is more blatant. "The previous NDP govemmnents Zero Tolerance policy led (generally) to an increased number of sus- pensions for physical violence," he added. Sehool boards and individual schools have their esee BAD on page 16 Photos by GRAHAM PAINE Tale of two seasons Saturday's snowfali, which Iet a light dusting, saw Gino Scremin and son Johnny out using their blower to clear a lansway ait the same time some signs (inset) announced the arrivai of spring. 'OAC ON SELECTED MODELS, SALESHUS SRIE US C 0 6 r O 6 SB 16 Fnday . nuinTues ......... à n4 H .25S. AT DERRY RD., MILTON S ay ......... oflflSady...... w4 y r 7,r