He said June 21 that the strategies will be workshopped this summer and in place by the start of the 2021-22 school year.
Proactive measures include programs and resources for student and staff wellness, as well as enhancing the reporting process for students and staff. Ledbetter said he has been in contact with principals and staff to workshop the strategies and put together action plans.
“I can't move forward as superintendent of schools without addressing the safety of our students,” he said.
The superintendent said the district is looking to review all changes made to the Student Code of Conduct in the last few years, to ensure appropriate systems are in place.
“I also understand that there's a desire to go beyond that," Ledbetter said. "We all know that it cannot just be strictly the Student Code of Conduct—there has to be some proactive measures that have to take place to educate our students."
As part of its review of policies, Ledbetter said CISD will need to reevaluate its harassment and discrimination policies, looking at the reporting system and how its enforcement, or lack thereof, has been followed through with.
“What I'm proposing to do—and this will come to the board in the future—is to look at a true investigation of our [Freedom From Discrimination, Harassment, And Retaliation] policy, to look at the systems that we have in place over the last several years, to look at how we've handled these situations,” he said. “Have they been handled appropriately, are there revisions we need to make to our current policy and systems to ensure that our kids are safe?”
Along with an investigation of policy implementation, the district is considering tracking reports of harassment and discrimination. Ledbetter said the data will only be used for district purposes.
“This is data for us to make decisions, as a district, as to how our training is going—how staff are training students—and then what we need to do if we need to step in on individual campuses,” he said.
The proposed strategies would also look at training opportunities for students, staff and parents relating to changes made to the student code of conduct.
