FISD board members unanimously approved an amendment to the district's transfer policy during their June 12 meeting. It extends an existing protection victims receive—the option to have their perpetrator be transferred to a different campus—to their siblings regardless if the victim is no longer enrolled.
The transfer would only take place after other disciplinary actions have been exhausted, FISD General Counsel Daniel Stockton said.
“Even expulsion is temporary under state law,” Stockton said. “We have a maximum limit of how long people can be put into [Disciplinary Alternative Education Program] or expelled.”
The approach
FISD’s original policy and state law allows any victim to request their perpetrator be transferred out of their school after other disciplinary action had been taken. The exact language states:
The board of trustees of a school district may transfer the student who engaged in bullying to:
- Another classroom at the campus to which the victim was assigned at the time the bullying occurred
- A campus in the district other than the campus to which the victim was assigned at the time the bullying occurred, in consultation with a parent or other person with authority to act on behalf of the student who engaged in bullying
Also of note
Before the amendment was added, any transfer requests would generally be investigated and approved by the school board.
“The way the [amendment] policy is worded, it says the board may transfer, but you all have generally delegated the authority to investigate and approve transfers to the superintendent and his administrative team,” Stockton said.
The appeals process would still be overseen by the board, but not the initial transfer request, Stockton said.
“This is such an important policy amendment that I would not want it to be contingent upon who’s sitting in these seven seats,” Board Member Rene Archambault said.
Learn more
More information on other FISD policies can be found on its website.
