DPI - NC - CEDARS - USDDC - Discipline-reporting-procedures

DPI Federal Program Monitoring and Support Division

North Carolina Discipline Data Reporting Procedures
For Use in Reporting 2012-13 Discipline Data and Alternative Learning Program Roster Data

Revised, July 2012
1

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
WILLIAM C. HARRISON, Chairman Raleigh REGINALD KENAN Warsaw KEVIN HOWELL Raleigh SHIRLEY E. HARRIS Troy CHRIS GREENE High Point JEAN WOOLARD Plymouth MELISSA E. BARTLETT Roxboro ROBERT “TOM” SPEED Boone WAYNE MCDEVITT Asheville PATRICIA N. WILLOUGHBY Raleigh JOHN TATE III Charlotte WALTER DALTON, Lieutenant Governor JANET COWELL, State Treasurer

NC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION June St. Clair Atkinson, State Superintendent 301 N. Wilmington Street :: Raleigh, North Carolina 27601-2825 :: www.ncpublicschools.org
In compliance with federal law, including the provisions of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, NC Public Schools administers all state-operated educational programs, employment activities and admissions without discrimination because of race, religion, national or ethnic origin, color, age, military service, disability, or gender, except where exemption is appropriate and allowed by law. Inquiries or complaints should be directed to: Office of Curriculum and School Reform Services 6307 Mail Service Center :: Raleigh, NC 27699-6307 :: Telephone 919-807-3761 :: Fax 919-807-3767 Visit us on the Web: www.ncpublicschools.org

2

Table of Contents    
Rationale for Reporting Disciplinary Data......................................................................................4 Discipline Data Reporting and Verification Use of NC WISE New for 2012-13 What Must Be Reported in Discipline Data What Must Be Reported to Law Enforcement Disciplinary Data Terminology Value of Disciplinary Data to the State, LEA, and School Procedures for Reporting Incident Data.......................................................................................... 9 Reporting Acts Committed by an Offender Reporting Acts – Examples Reporting Assaults Reporting Bullying Reporting the Actions Assigned to Offenses (Consequences of an Act or Acts) Alternative Schools and Alternative Learning Programs Checking for Common Data Input Errors Authoritative Annual Totals in Reporting Hub Reports Procedures for Reporting Alternative Learning Program Data………….…………...…………..15 Appendix A – NC WISE Codes and Descriptions……………………..........................................17 Appendix B – Crime Definitions………….……...........................................................................23 Appendix C – Guidelines for the Use of Information from Juvenile Courts..................................28

3

Rationale for Reporting Disciplinary Data
The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is responsible for creating procedures for complying with statutory requirements and carrying out State Board of Education (SBE) policies, including the collection of disciplinary data. Schools must report to DPI all data required by statute and/or SBE policy, and DPI produces reports for the SBE in accordance with applicable statutes and policies. The data DPI collects on suspensions, expulsions, alternative learning program (ALP) placements and acts of crime and violence are also needed to produce reports for the federal government. North Carolina General Statute 115C-288(g) requires that certain criminal offenses occurring in the schools be reported to law enforcement immediately. (See “What Must Be Reported to Law Enforcement” on page 3 for details.) General Statute 115C-12(21) requires that an annual report of crimes be compiled by the SBE. These offenses must be reported if they occur on any site under the jurisdiction of the school regardless of the identity of the offender and even if the offender is unknown. In HRS-A-000 (see http://sbepolicy.dpi.state.nc.us/, the SBE lists 29 school offenses that must be reported. Most are defined in state criminal statutes (see Appendix B). Nine of the offenses are considered dangerous per HRS-A-006. These nine are:  Homicide  Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury  Assault Involving Use of a Weapon  Rape  Sexual Offense  Sexual Assault  Kidnapping  Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon  Taking Indecent Liberties with a Minor A high rate of dangerous acts committed over a two-year period may lead to a school being designated “persistently dangerous” by the SBE. Currently the threshold for this status is at least two dangerous acts and a ratio of at least five dangerous acts per thousand students. In addition, General Statute 115C-12(27) requires that the SBE compile annual reports of school crimes, suspensions, expulsions, uses of corporal punishment, and placements in alternative programs. In 2008 the US Department of Education issued new data collection requirements that increase the number of act types that must be reported regardless of disciplinary consequences. These include possession or use of tobacco products, threatening acts, and violent acts resulting in injuries that fall below the threshold defined by the SBE for a reportable assault resulting in “serious” injury. 4

In July 2009 the North Carolina General Assembly passed House Bill 1682, which required each use of corporal punishment to be reported. Corporal Punishment already existed as an Action Type in NC WISE, and some districts routinely reported corporal punishment whenever it occurred. The statute made the reporting of corporal punishment mandatory. To comply with federal reporting on disciplinary removal, both in-school and out-of-school suspensions must now be reported.

Discipline Data Reporting and Verification

Schools are responsible for entering required discipline data into the NC WISE discipline data module or other compatible system. LEAs are responsible for checking data for accuracy and completeness. NC WISE Reporting Hub reports (see page 15) serve as the authoritative source of school and LEA totals of 16 (of the 29) reportable offenses, short-term suspensions, long-term suspensions, and expulsions. The 16 offenses are used as the total for computing school, LEA, and state crime rates. No year-end incident data verification process will be required for these data. LEAs using third-party software for disciplinary data must ensure that the software can deliver a weekly data file to NC WISE. Schools and LEAs using third-party software will no longer use a year-end verification process for totals of 16 reportable offenses, short-term suspensions, longterm suspensions, and expulsions. Totals generated by NC WISE Reporting Hub reports will be authoritative for third-party users just as they are for the other LEAs. There is a verification process for the numbers of impermissible uses of seclusion and restraints and transfers offered to and accepted by victims of violent acts. The LEA discipline data coordinator is responsible for collecting these data from the schools and entering on a secured website.

Use of NC WISE

NC WISE is the system designated by DPI to record disciplinary incidents as part of the Uniform Education Reporting System (UERS). The complete guide to reporting incidents may be found at: http://www.ncwise.org/documents/training_group/docs/schl_info/WISE_Stud_Incidents.pdf A quick reference to reporting incidents may be found at: http://www.ncwise.org/documents/training_group/docs/schl_info/WISE_Inc_QRD_RecordingInc idents.pdf

5

New for 2012-13 In February, 2012, the State Board of Education revised SBE policy HRS-A-000 to include all 29 offenses that must be reported by schools to the Department of Public Instruction, including those required by the federal government. The State Board also removed of Robbery without a Weapon from the list of offenses used for the purpose of assigning Persistently Dangerous status to a school and set a minimum number of two dangerous acts for a school to be considered for that status. To comply with federal reporting on disciplinary removals, both in-school and out-of-school suspensions must now be reported for all students. The action type Homebound Instruction may not be used as a replacement for an out-of-school suspension as a disciplinary consequence. Because homebound instruction is limited in nature, students receiving this service while suspended must be classified as suspended. If Homebound Instruction is provided to a student on Long-Term Suspension, both of these actions should be listed as disciplinary consequences. EC Students assigned to an ALP who would have been long-term suspended but instead were assigned to an alternative school or alternative learning program should be assigned in NC WISE the additional Action Type of “EC Serve LTS in ALP.” Assignment to an ALP with the additional designation does not count as a suspension in state reporting (including School Report Cards), but will be counted as a long-term suspension for federal EC reporting purposes.

What Must Be Reported in Discipline Data

Due to state and federal statutes and State Board of Education policies, a record of incidents involving the following must be reported:  Any act resulting in an in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, or expulsion.  Any assignment to an alternative school or alternative learning program. The assignment should be reported as a consequence (or action) of an incident and as an enrollment on the NC WISE Program Assignment screen.  Any use of corporal punishment  Any of the following 29 offenses, regardless of consequences assigned:  - robbery without a weapon - robbery involving the use of a weapon - possession of a weapon - possession of a firearm - possession of a controlled substance - possession, underage sales, provision, or consumption of alcohol - burning of a school building - bomb threat - homicide 6

- assault resulting in serious personal injury - assault with a weapon - kidnapping - sexual assault - sexual offense - rape - taking indecent liberties with a minor - assault on school personnel - bullying - cyberbullying - discrimination - verbal harassment - sexual harassment - a violent assault not resulting in serious injury (as defined by criminal statute) - fighting, or affray - communicating threats - gang activity - extortion - property damage - possession or use of tobacco products In addition, the discipline data system may also be used to record other more routine disciplinary incidents, although this is not required. Using the system to record all incidents can help principals and LEA officials gain perspective on the entirety of disciplinary incidents and consequences. (It also eliminates the decision on whether the act must be reported.) For example, a principal may want to know what proportion of all school incidents resulted in a student conference, a parent conference, an in-school suspension, or an out-of-school suspension.

What Must Be Reported to Law Enforcement

Principals are required by law to report to police those crimes specified in 115C-288(g):  Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury  Assault Involving Use of a Weapon  Rape  Sexual Offense  Sexual Assault  Kidnapping  Taking Indecent Liberties with a Minor  Possession of a Firearm  Possession of a Weapon  Possession of a Controlled Substance

7

Disciplinary Data Terminology

Disciplinary data reporting is organized around incidents occurring at sites under the jurisdiction of the reporting school. Some incidents may involve a single offense, or act, by a single offender (or perpetrator). Other incidents may involve multiple acts by an offender. Occasionally, incidents such as fights will involve multiple offenders, each of whom may be charged with one or more offenses. If applicable, the reporting system can record information about a victim of a particular offender, the use of a weapon by an offender, or a police investigation. The system can also record a number of disciplinary actions (or consequences) for each offender, which may include assigned in-school or out-of-school suspension days. Consequences recorded in NC WISE should be limited to those assigned by the school or LEA and should not include consequences assigned by courts and other bodies. NC WISE allows for the reporting of a number of the most commonly occurring acts (offenses) and disciplinary consequences. See pages 17-20 for a listing of Act Types and pages 20-21 for a listing of Consequence Types. Acts that are not listed should be reported as Other School Defined Offense. Consequences not listed should be reported as Other.

Value of Disciplinary Data to the State, LEA, and School

The NC WISE system enables the Department of Public Instruction to fulfill its data reporting obligations in the areas of school crime and violence, suspensions and expulsions, and student placements in alternative learning programs. The accumulation of this information in one database allows for statewide analyses of relationships between these incident variables, for example, between acts of crime and suspensions. Analyses may also be performed on the demographics of student offenders, the frequency of occurrence of certain offenses, and the relationships between incident data and other student, teacher, or school data collected by DPI. The ongoing collection of the data each year helps DPI to analyze trends which may indicate whether certain local and statewide programming efforts are yielding results. Disciplinary data in the aggregate is public information. Data from NC WISE is used in the NC School Report Card (http://www.ncschoolreportcard.org). The Report Card makes available for each LEA and school the rate of crime and violence (the 16 reportable offenses) and the rate of suspensions and expulsions. All information about individual incidents, including disciplinary consequences and the names of offenders and victims, is kept confidential. In its capacity as the operating arm of SBE, the Department may assist local improvement efforts, for example, by using discipline data to evaluate LEA efforts to lower the school crime rate or reduce suspensions. In addition, the LEAs and schools may use information from NC WISE to study the numbers of certain types of minor offenses, the numbers of in-school suspensions or other disciplinary consequences, and the possible effects of local policies or behavioral intervention programs on 8

these offenses and consequences. For example, an LEA that has implemented the Positive Behavior and Intervention Support (PBIS) system might want to determine if the numbers of “Inappropriate language/disrespect” or “Insubordination” acts have been reduced or if the numbers of out-of-school or in-school suspensions have declined.

Procedures for Reporting Disciplinary Data
Each school should have one person responsible for documenting all disciplinary acts and consequences, the “school disciplinary data coordinator” for the purposes of this discussion. The school disciplinary data coordinator, often an assistant principal, must be familiar with the definitions of the 16 reportable acts, the lists of offenses and actions in the NC WISE system, and the reporting guidance provided in this section. The coordinator may or may not be the same person who inputs the data, however the coordinator is responsible for data accuracy. The coordinator should contact the LEA disciplinary data coordinator for guidance on local policies and procedures. Regardless of who determines the data to enter and who enters the data, the principal is ultimately responsible for the disciplinary data elements that are required by statutes or SBE policies. Principals must be thoroughly familiar with the definitions of the 16 reportable acts, as they are responsible for reporting to law enforcement any act that falls within the definitions [(GS 115C288(g)]. Disciplinary reporting is similar to the methods used by the justice system in charging a person with a crime, with a few exceptions. Guidelines have been created to ensure a fair representation of the level of criminal behavior in a particular school.

Reporting Acts Committed by an Offender

The school disciplinary data coordinator should consult the current listing of offenses and the descriptions of the Reportable Offenses in Appendix B in deciding how to report the offenses committed by a perpetrator. The complete list of offenses is kept current on pages 12 through 15 in this document. Use the following guidelines to help decide which offense(s) to report, especially when serious offenses are committed. Each offender involved in an incident should be considered separately. 1. For a particular offender in an incident, report the most serious offense(s) first. 2. Report each additional offense committed that is not subsumed by a previously reported offense. For example, in a knife assault the act of “Possession of a Weapon” is subsumed by the more serious “Assault Involving the Use of a Weapon,” (because the knife must be possessed in order for the assault to take place) so “Possession of a Weapon” for the knife does not have to be reported. In contrast, for an offender who commits a knife assault and has possession of alcohol, “Assault Involving the Use of a Weapon” does not subsume 9

3. 4.

5.

6. 7.

8.

“Possession of Alcoholic Beverage,” (because possession of alcohol is not required for the assault to occur) so both of these acts would have to be reported. If the student also had a handgun, but did not use it in an assault, “Possession of a Weapon” would be reported for the possession of the handgun (because possession of a handgun is not required for a knife assault to take place). For each weapon-related offense, the type of weapon should be reported. Report multiple offenses for incidents involving multiple victims if the offenses are clearly separate events in time. For example, if a student robs two other students, even if the two events happen very close together in time, these are distinct acts, and two acts of “Assault Resulting in Serious Injury” would be recorded. However, if the student waves a handgun at a group of students and threatens them collectively, only one act of “Assault Involving Use of a Weapon” would be recorded. Report a separate offense for each possession, use, or sale of a particular contraband item. Do not report possession as a separate offense if also reporting use or selling of the same item in the same incident. Crimes should be reported to the police or a School Resource Officer who is a sworn police officer. An offense should be reported whenever school officials become aware that the act occurred, regardless of when the act occurred. Therefore, it is possible that an offense that occurred in a previous year will need to be reported in the current year’s data. If a student from School A commits a reportable offense at School B, the offense should be recorded at School B and the perpetrator should be classified as “Student from Another School.” The disciplinary action for the student should be recorded at School A. To avoid double reporting the offense, record it at School A as “Other.” Use the narrative to explain the reason for the disciplinary action.

Reporting Offenses - Examples

These scenarios illustrate the selection of Offenses in reporting incidents. All of these scenarios involve reportable acts, which require a police investigation. Although not mentioned in the scenarios, the reporting official may use information from police investigations in determining how to report the acts. 1. A teacher smells alcohol on a student’s breath. The student is sent to the assistant principal, who investigates and finds a plastic bag of marijuana and another plastic bag of pills in the student’s book bag. Reporting: Because the pills and the marijuana are separate items, two acts will be reported, “Possession of a controlled substance in violation of law – marijuana” and “Possession of a controlled substance in violation of law-other.” Note that both of these Offense Types will map to the reporting category of “Possession of Controlled Substance in Violation of Law,” resulting in two reportable acts. Because the student wasn’t seen drinking alcohol and no alcohol was found in the student’s possession, the Offense Types “Alcohol Possession” and “Use of Alcoholic Beverages” are not used (unless the student is criminally charged with 10

underage drinking). The Offense Type, “Under the Influence of Alcohol” may be used to note that the student came onto campus intoxicated. 2. A student walks into a classroom with a small handgun and tells a teacher and two students in the room they are not to leave or he will shoot them. He does not hold the gun near or toward any particular individual. Police were dispatched to the scene, and after two hours a police negotiator convinces the student to give himself up. Reporting: This incident involves two dangerous acts, “Assault Involving Use of a Weapon,” because the weapon was displayed in a threatening manner, and “Kidnapping,” because the teacher and students were confined in a room without their consent. However, only one act of each should be reported because the acts were committed against the victims at the same time. “Possession of a Weapon” should not be reported, because that act is subsumed by “Assault Involving the Use of a Weapon.” Both students and the teacher should be listed as victims. 3. A number of witnesses have come forward to report that a student has been using physical intimidation to take small amounts of money from other students. After talking with the student, the victims, and the witnesses, the assistant principal determines that at least four occurrences occurred, three of them on different days. There was no report of a weapon used in the robberies. Reporting: Because the robberies took place at different times there should be four acts of “Robbery without a Dangerous Weapon” and the four victims should be listed. The acts could be documented as occurring in three incidents or four. The organization of acts into incidents is for organizational purposes and is not of major importance in disciplinary reporting. 4. A teacher tries to restrain a student who is fighting. The student is enraged and turns on the teacher, hitting him several times and knocking him down. The teacher loses consciousness briefly and has to be hospitalized for several days. Reporting: Because the teacher was hospitalized, the first act reported is “Assault Resulting in Serious Injury.” Because a teacher is the victim “Assault on School Personnel” might be reported, except for the fact that the SBE definition specifically limits this act to assaults on school personnel not involving serious injuries. Therefore, “Assault on School Personnel” should not be reported in this case. Knowing nothing about what precipitated the fight and assuming no serious injuries were sustained by the other student in the fight, the only other act to be reported is “Fighting,” and this should be reported for both students.

Reporting Assaults

A variety of offense types are available to report assaults. An assault should be reported when an unprovoked physical attack occurs or when a physical response to an altercation is disproportionate. When an altercation involves somewhat similar levels of violence by both (or multiple) parties it is appropriate to cite both with the act type of “Fighting” or “Affray.” 11

In 2008, a new offense type was added for serious assaults in which the victim suffers injuries less severe than those specified in the reportable act “Assault Resulting in Serious Injury.” Because of the violence, this offense must be reported regardless of disciplinary consequences. The new act, “Violent Assault Not Resulting in Serious Injury” is defined as “an intentional physical attack resulting in pain and/or fear of severe harm for the victim but resulting in an injury less severe than that described in the definition of Assault Resulting in Serious Injury.” Minor assaults less serious than “Assault Resulting in Serious Injury” and “Violent Assault Not Resulting in Serious Injury” may be reported. A minor assault is one that a reasonable person would not consider “violent.” Any of the other act types with the word “assault” may be used in cases where pain or violent intent is minimal, particularly when younger children are the offenders and victims.

Reporting Bullying

The School Violence Prevention Act passed in 2009 (Session Law 212) defines bullying as any pattern of gestures or written, electronic, or verbal communications, or any physical act or any threatening communication, that takes place on school property, at any schoolsponsored function, or on a school bus, and that: (1) places a student or school employee in actual and reasonable fear of harm to his or her person or damage to his or her property; or (2) creates or is certain to create a hostile environment by substantially interfering with or impairing a student's educational performance, opportunities, or benefits. Reporting acts of bullying in school was already required by SBE Policy HRS-A-007 at the time that the School Violence Prevention Act was passed. (HRS-A-007 is now subsumed by HRS-A000.) However the Act provided more guidance regarding the reporting of bullying, including the requirement that school districts adopt a policy prohibiting bullying or harassing behavior. Such policies must include consequences for perpetrators and a procedure for reporting an act of bullying or harassment, including a provision that permits a person to report anonymously. Experts in the field have defined bullying as a series of deliberate and hurtful actions inflicted by one or more students who are perceived to be or are actually stronger, more confident, and/or more aggressive than the target or who simply outnumber the target. Bullying may be: 1) physical, 2) verbal, 3) social/relational, and/or 4) sexual harassment. Social/relational bullying consists of indirect, covert attempts to affect the target’s reputation or social standing. It may or may not include “cyberbullying,” which is the use of information and 12

communication technologies such as email, cell phone and pager text messages, instant messaging, and defamatory personal polling web sites to intentionally harm others. In 2009 the General Assembly passed House Bill 1261, which made cyber-bullying a criminal offense punishable as a misdemeanor. For definitions and more information refer to NC Statute 14-458.1. Bullying (or cyber-bullying) should be reported as a single act committed by one or more offenders. Bullying is to be reported after repeated, deliberate acts (e.g. threats, shoving, chasing, pinching, etc.) are observed or reported over time. Often, Bullying will be reported along with another act, especially when that other act is serious enough to be reported on its own. For example, if a student engages in bullying behavior and, in the process, physically hurts another student, both Bullying and Assault should be reported (two Acts in the one Incident). In addition to the serious reportable acts, other acts, such as Communicating Threats, Theft, Extortion, Property Damage, or Gang Activity, might be the primary means through which bullies inflict their physical and emotional damage; therefore, these acts should be reported along with the Bullying: Second acts are not required to be reported along with Bullying. A teacher or principal may deem a student to be bullying simply because of the repetitiveness of the harassment of another student, especially after warnings to stop the behavior.

Reporting the Actions Assigned to Offenses (Consequences of an Act or Acts)

When students misbehave, schools assign consequences based on the seriousness of the offense and sometimes on the student’s history of misbehavior. Consequences are based on the totality of the student’s misbehavior during an incident; therefore they are linked to the incident and not to a specific act. In the NC WISE Incidents module, consequences are referred to as Action Types. Use the following guidelines in reporting consequences. 1. If you report two suspensions for an offender in a particular incident in NC WISE (as sometimes occurs when students are short-term suspended pending the results of a hearing), you must report the suspensions as separate non-overlapping events with different start dates. The two numbers added together should determine the total suspension length, which is the total number of days out of school for the particular offense. NC WISE will calculate the total suspension length for the purposed of determining the category (short-term or long-term) of the suspension for reporting purposes. 2. Do not report suspension days for time that students spend in alternative learning programs or alternative schools. If students are long-term suspended and allowed to attend an alternative program, adjust the length of suspension to include only the length of time out of school. In situations where students report immediately to an alternative 13

3.

4.

5.

6.

program and do not miss any days of schools, remove the suspension altogether and replace it with the consequence of assignment to an ALP program. The action type Homebound Instruction may not be used as a replacement for an out-ofschool suspension as a disciplinary consequence. Because homebound instruction is limited in nature, students receiving this service while suspended must be classified as suspended. When LEAs provide continued access to courses and a supervising teacher while students are suspended but that access does not meet the standards for an ALP program, an Action Type of “Community Based or Other Agency ALP” may be assigned instead of suspension days. Such students are not to be assigned to an Alternative Program in the Program Assignment screen in NC WISE. Assignments to such a program do not count as suspensions in state reporting, but EC students will be counted as long-term suspensions for federal EC reporting purposes. Often students are assigned to alternative schools or programs for short periods of time, and instead of receiving instruction from ALP teachers, the students work on assignments sent by teachers from the student’s home school. For reporting purposes, these assignments should be considered in-school suspensions and not ALP placements. EC Students (only) assigned to an ALP who would have been long-term suspended but instead were assigned to an alternative school or alternative learning program should be assigned in NC WISE the additional Action Type of “EC Serve LTS in ALP.” Assignment to an ALP with the additional designation does not count as a suspension in state reporting, but will be counted as a long-term suspension for federal EC reporting purposes.

Checking for Common Data Input Errors

There are four common types of errors found in discipline data entered in the eSIS Incidents module. Use these or other NC WISE Reporting Hub reports to spot these errors. Type of Data Input Error
Incomplete incidents: Offender or Action is missing for an incident. Caused either by failing to complete the input of an incident or by inputting part of the incident a second time. Duplicate Incidents: The same incident is captured more than once with different incident numbers. Number of Suspension Days Not Consistent with the Suspension Category: (e.g., 15 days entered along with category OSS 1 to 10 Days).

NC WISE Reporting Hub Report
“Incidents with No Members Involved.” Each incident in this report represents potential missing data. However, first check the “Incident Reported By” report as described below under “Duplicate Incidents.” Then delete any duplicated record fragments and complete any incomplete records. “Incidents Reported By” report has all incidents. Check this report to see if there is an incident with the same incident date and offender reported under a different incident number. “Student Incidents with OSS Codes Inconsistent with Suspension Days.” Report delivers just the errors.

14

Offender Identity Mistakenly Coded as Administrator -- (code 4) or some other incorrect identity instead of Student (code 1)

"Student Offender Type Not Student." Report delivers just the errors.

Authoritative Annual Totals in Reporting Hub Reports

The following Reporting Hub reports generate authoritative annual totals for important school and LEA measures. These reports are available at both school and LEA levels. Measure Reportable Offenses Suspensions/Expulsions Report with Totals “Summary” “Summary” Report with Records “Detail” “Detail”

Procedures for Reporting Alternative Learning Program (ALP) Roster Data and ALP Consequences in NC WISE
Alternative Schools and Alternative Learning Programs

North Carolina law requires that schools provide assistance to those students who are at risk of academic failure or of engaging in disruptive or disorderly behavior. The North Carolina SBE is charged with establishing the guidelines for setting up and evaluating alternative learning programs (ALPs), according to the regulations established by the General Assembly. As a consequence of criminal or unacceptable behavior, a student might be assigned to an alternative school or alternative learning program. Students are also assigned for other reasons, such as pregnancy, exceptionality, or other special academic needs. Some students are assigned to ALPs based on parental requests. North Carolina maintains stand-alone alternative schools and alternative programs, which can be administered within a numbered school or can be located at another site. Alternative schools and programs provide a student’s primary instruction in core courses or in all courses for a designated period of time, usually a minimum of one academic grading period. More information on standards and procedures for operating ALPs may be found at: http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/alp/develop/. For reporting purposes, assignments to alternative schools or programs for a short period of time should be considered in-school suspensions and not ALP placements. All LEAs are required to maintain at least one alternative school or program that meets state standards. Students who are assigned to such alternative schools or programs for disciplinary 15

reasons should have those disciplinary consequences entered in the discipline incident in NC WISE. Student who receive an assignment to alternative instruction not meeting state ALP standards should receive the consequence of “Community Based or Other Agency ALP” in NC WISE. LEAs are responsible for entering each ALP student placement (whether for disciplinary or other reasons) in NC WISE. The procedures document is located at: http://www.ncwise.org/documents/training_group/docs/gen_stu_info/WISE_ALPStudents.pdf . An annual report is produced for the SBE on the demographics of students placed in Alternative Learning Programs.

Status of Alternative Learning Programs and Alternative Schools

LEAs are responsible for notifying the Support Services Section of DPI regarding any changes in status or contact information for all alternative schools or alternative learning programs in the district. Contact Ken Gattis at (919) 807-3940 or [email protected] regarding status changes.

16

Appendix A – NC WISE Codes and Descriptions
Incident Site Codes 001 Classroom 002 Hallway 003 Cafeteria 004 Office 005 Restroom 006 Gym 007 Stairway 008 Other location in school bldg. 009 Parking lot 010 School grounds 011 Off school grounds 012 On school bus 013 Bus stop 014 Playground 015 Media Center

Offender Types 01 Student from this school 02 Teacher 03 Staff 04 Administrator 05 Parent/caregiver or relative 06 Student from another school 07 Non-student/non-staff 08 Other professional 09 Non-professional 10 Other 11 Unidentified Offender 12 Volunteer

NC WISE Offense Types Code 001 002 003 004 005 Description of Offense PD: Assault resulting in a serious injury PD: Assault involving the use of a weapon RO: Assault on school personnel not resulting in a serious injury PD: Homicide RO: Possession of controlled substance in violation of law - cocaine 17 RC* 01 02 03 06 09

Code 006 007 008 009 010 011 012 013 014 015 016 017 018 019 020 021 022 023 024 025 026 027 028 029 030 031 032 033 034 035 036 037 038 039 040 041 042 043 044 045 046

Description of Offense RO: Possession of controlled substance in violation of law - marijuana RO: Possession of controlled substance in violation of law - Ritalin RO: Possession of a firearm or powerful explosive RO: Possession of a weapon (excluding firearms and powerful explosives) PD: Robbery with a dangerous weapon Do Not Use – PD: Robbery without a dangerous weapon PD: Rape PD: Sexual offense PD: Sexual assault not involving rape or sexual offense PD: Taking indecent liberties with a minor PD: Kidnapping RO: Possession of controlled substance in violation of law - other UB: Unlawfully setting a fire (G.S. 14-277.1) UB: Communicating threats (G.S. 14-277.1) RO: Alcohol Possession (G.S. 18B) UB: Affray (G.S. 14-33) UB: Disorderly conduct (G.S. 14-288.4(a)(6)) UB: Extortion UB: Fighting UB: Harassment - verbal UB: Hazing UB: Aggressive behavior UB: Honor code violation UB: False fire alarm UB: Truancy UB: Dress code violation UB: Inappropriate language/disrespect UB: Insubordination UB: Gambling UB: Falsification of information UB: Theft UB: Bus misbehavior UB: Harassment - sexual UB: Property damage UB: Inappropriate items on school property UB: Possession of tobacco UB: Disruptive behavior RO: Bomb threat UB: Assault on student UB: Assault - other UB: Possession of counterfeit items 18

RC* 09 09 10 11 13 12 16 15 17 07 09

08

04

Code 047 048 049 050 051 052 053 054 055 056 057 058 059 060 061 062 063 064 065 066 067 068 069 070 071 072 073 074 075 076 077 078 079 080 086 087 088 090 091 092

Description of Offense UB: Use of counterfeit items RO: Use of alcoholic beverages RO: Use of controlled substances RO: Use of narcotics UB: Possession of chemical or drug paraphernalia UB: Bullying RO: Burning of a school building (G.S. 14-60) RO: Sale of controlled substance in violation of law - cocaine RO: Sale of controlled substance in violation of law - marijuana RO: Sale of controlled substance in violation of law - Ritalin RO: Sale of controlled substance in violation of law - other UB: Other School Defined Offense UB: Being in an unauthorized area UB: Cell phone use UB: Disrespect of faculty/staff Do Not Use – UB: Distribution of a prescription drug UB: Excessive display of affection UB: Excessive tardiness UB: No Immunization UB: Leaving class without permission UB: Leaving school without permission UB: Mutual sexual contact between two students UB: Other UB: Use of tobacco UB: Assault on non-student w/o weapon & not resulting in serious injury UB: Assault on student w/o weapon & not resulting in serious injury UB: Skipping class UB: Cutting class UB: Skipping school Do Not Use – UB: Possession of a prescription drug UB: Physical exam UB: Late to class UB: Gang activity UB: Discrimination UB: Possession of student's own prescription drug RO: Possession of another person's prescription drug RO: Distribution of a prescription drug UB: Violent assault not resulting in serious injury UB: Misuse of school technology UB: Repeat offender 19

RC* 08 09 09

05 09 09 09 09

09 09

Code 093 094 095 096

Description of Offense UB: Robbery without a weapon UB: Cyber-bullying UB: Under the influence of alcohol UB: Under the influence of controlled substances

RC*

*RC – reporting categories as defined below

Reporting Categories 01 Assault Resulting in Serious Injury 02 Assault Involving Use of a Weapon 03 Assault on School Personnel 04 Bomb Threat 05 Burning of a School Building 06 Death By Other Than Natural Causes 07 Kidnapping 08 Possession of Alcoholic Beverage 09 Possession of Controlled Substance in Violation of Law 10 Possession of a Firearm or Powerful Explosive 11 Possession of a Weapon 12 Rape 13 Robbery WITH a Dangerous Weapon (Armed Robbery) 15 Sexual Assault (Not Involving Rape or Sexual Offense) 16 Sexual Offense 17 Taking Indecent Liberties with a Minor 18 Other Offense

Consequence (Action) Types 001 Supervised Activities 002 ISS - In School Suspension 003 OSS 10 days or less 004 OSS 11-365 days 005 OSS 365 days 006 Expulsion 007 Corporal Punishment 008 Alternative School (with school number) 009 ALP program 010 Community Based or Other Agency ALP 012 Report to Law Enforcement 021 After School Detention 022 Bus Suspension 023 Conference 20

024 025 026 027 028 029 030 031 032 033 034 035 036 037 063 091 100 101 102 107 113 114 115 116 117 135

Lunch Detention Student Pays Restitution Time Out Student Written Warning Revoke Driving Privileges Student Oral Warning Administrative Conference with Parent Administrative Conference with Student Work Detail Homebound instruction Saturday Academy OSS 1-10 Days Pending Student Hearing DJJDP Alternative Program NCDPI Alternative Program Other Sent Home Early Unilateral change in placement (EC only) Hearing held, no change in placement (EC only) Hearing held, change in placement (EC only) Before School Detention Referral to Community Agency Restriction of School Privileges ISS Partial Day Tobacco Awareness Class Drug/Alcohol Class OSS Medical Reasons (will not count in suspension data)

Victim Types 01 Student 02 Teacher 03 Staff 04 Administrator 05 Parent/caregiver or relative 06 Student from another school 07 Non-student/non-staff 08 Other professional 09 Non-professional 10 Other 12 Unknown 13 Volunteer

Investigator Types 01 Police 21

02 03 04 05 06 07

Counselor Security Officer Truancy Officer School Resource Officer School Administrator Sworn (Police) School Resource Officer

Weapon Types 01 Handgun 02 Rifle 03 Shotgun 04 Pocket Knife 05 Box Cutter 06 Razor 07 Other Firearm 08 Other 09 Handgun (discharged) 10 Other Firearm (discharged) 11 Rifle (discharged) 12 Shotgun (discharged) 13 Knife

22

Appendix B – Crime Definitions
    1. Assault Resulting in Serious Personal Injury:   An intentional offer or attempt by force or  violence to do injury to the person of another that causes reasonable apprehension of  immediate bodily harm resulting in one of the following:  (1) substantial risk of death, (2) serious  permanent disfigurement, (3) a coma, (4) a permanent or protracted condition that causes  extreme pain, (5) permanent or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily  member or organ, or (6) that results in prolonged hospitalization.   If an offender used a weapon in an assault resulting in serious injury, report both Assault  Resulting in Serious Injury and Assault Involving Use of a Weapon.     G.S. 115C‐391 (state law) requires that local education agencies remove any student who  is 13 years or older to an alternative educational setting if the student physically assaults  and seriously injures a teacher or other school personnel.    o If no alternative educational setting is available, then the board shall suspend  the student for no less than 300 days, but not more than 365 days.      2. Assault Involving Use of a Weapon:  An intentional offer or attempt by force or violence to do  injury to the person of another that causes reasonable apprehension of immediate bodily harm  through the use of one of the following:  (1) any gun, rifle, pistol, or other firearm, (2) BB gun, (3)  stun gun, (4) air rifle, (5) air pistol, (6) bowie knife, (7) dirk, (8) dagger, (9) slingshot, (10) leaded  cane, (11) switchblade knife, (12) blackjack,  (13) metallic knuckles, (14) razors and razor blades,  (15) fireworks, or (16) any sharp‐pointed or edged instrument except instructional supplies,  unaltered nail files and clips and tools used solely for preparation of food, instruction, and  maintenance.    If a firearm or other weapon is used in the commission of any offense, the type of weapon  must be identified in the Weapon Used/Possessed column of the Date Collection Form.      3. Assault on School Officials, Employees, and Volunteers:  An intentional offer or attempt by  force or violence to do injury to a school official, employee, or volunteer that causes reasonable  apprehension of immediate bodily harm while the school official, employee, or volunteer is  discharging or attempting to discharge his/her duties.    ‐The “duties” of a school official, employee, or volunteer include the following:  (1) all  activities on school property, (2) all activities during a school authorized event or the  accompanying of students to or from that event, and (3) all activities relating to the  operation of school transportation.    ‐An “employee” includes (1) one who is employed by a local board of education, (2) one  who is employed by a charter school, (3) one who is employed by a nonpublic school that  operates under Part 1 or Part 2 of Article 39 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes, or  (4) an independent contractor if the independent contractor or employee of the  independent contractor carries out duties customarily performed by employees of the  school.    ‐A “volunteer” is one who volunteers his/her services or presence at any school activity  and is under the supervision of an employee.    

23

 This offense includes assaults on school personnel that do not involve the use of a weapon  and do not result in apparent serious injury.                                         4. Making Bomb Threats or Engaging in Bomb Hoaxes:  A person who, with intent to perpetrate a  hoax, conceals, places, or displays in or at a public building any device, machine, instrument, or  artifact, so as to cause any person reasonably to believe the same to be a bomb or other device  capable of causing injury to persons or property.  ‐A “public building” encompasses all educational property, as defined in G.S. 14‐269.2,  including:  (1) any school building or bus, and (2) school campus, grounds, recreational  area, athletic field, or other property owned, used, or operated, by any board of  education or school board of trustees or directors for the administration of any school.    ‐“Public buildings” also include: (1) hospitals, and (2) buildings that house only State,  federal, or local government offices, or the offices of the State, federal, or local  government located in a building that is not exclusively occupied by the State, federal, or  local government.      This offense includes when a person communicates a bomb threat by any means.      5. Willfully Burning a School Building:  A person who wantonly and willfully sets fire to, burns,  causes to be burned, or aids, counsels, or procures the burning of any schoolhouse or building  owned, leased, or used by any public school, private school, college, or educational institution.      6. Homicide:   A murder which is perpetrated by one of the following means:  (1) nuclear,  biological, or chemical weapon of mass destruction, (2) poison, (3) lying in wait, (4)  imprisonment, (5) starving, (6) torture, (7) any other kind of willful, deliberate, and premeditated  murder, (8) during the perpetration or attempted perpetration of an arson, rape, sex offense,  robbery, kidnapping, burglary, or other felony committed or attempted with the use of a deadly  weapon, (9) the unlawful distribution and ingestion by someone of opium or any other synthetic  or natural salt, compound, derivative, or preparation of opium, cocaine, or methamphetamine  resulting in death, or (10) all other types of murder.     7. Kidnapping:  A person who unlawfully confines, restrains, or removes from one place to another,  any other person 16 years of age or over without the consent of such person, or any other  person under the age of 16 years old without the consent of a parent or legal guardian of such  person, shall be guilty of kidnapping if such confinement, restraint, or removal is for the  purposes of one of the following:  (1) holding such other person for a ransom, as a hostage, or  using such other person as a shield, (2) facilitating the commission of any felony or facilitating  the flight of any person following the commission of a felony, (3) doing serious bodily harm to or  terrorizing the person so confined, restrained, or removed by any other person, (4) holding such  other person in involuntary servitude, (5) trafficking another person with the intent that the  person be held in involuntary servitude or sexual servitude, or (6) subjecting or maintaining such  other person for sexual servitude.      8. Unlawful, underage sales, purchase, provision, possession, or consumption of alcoholic  beverages:   It shall be unlawful for a person younger than 21 years of age to possess, sell, give, 

24

or purchase any alcoholic beverages.  It is also unlawful for any person to aid and abet a person  under the age of 21 years old in his/her attempt to obtain an alcoholic beverage.    ‐An “alcoholic beverage” includes the following:  (1) malt beverage, (2) fortified wine, (3)  unfortified wine, (4) spirituous liquor, (5) mixed beverages, or (6) beer.      9. Possession of Controlled Substance in Violation of Law:  It is unlawful for a person to possess or  have in his/her immediate control any of the following:  Marijuana, Heroin, LSD,  Methamphetamine, Cocaine, or any other drug listed in Schedules I ‐ VI of the North Carolina  Controlled Substances Act.  (G.S. §90‐89 through 90‐94.)       The unauthorized possession of a prescription drug is included under this offense.     The principal should confer with law enforcement personnel if there is doubt as to  whether or not a certain drug is considered a controlled substance.      10. Possession of a Firearm:  It is unlawful for any person to possess or carry, whether openly or  concealed, any gun, rifle, pistol, or other firearm of any kind on educational property or to a  curricular or extracurricular activity sponsored by a school.    ‐This offense does not apply to a BB gun, stun gun, air rifle, or air pistol.       Persons authorized to carry weapons on school property are law enforcement officers,  firefighters, and emergency service personnel when discharging their official duties.   G.S. 115C‐391 (state law) requires that local boards of education suspend for 365 days any  student who brings a firearm onto school property.      11. Possession of a Weapon:  It is unlawful for any person to possess or carry, whether openly or  concealed, any of the following weapons on campus or other educational property:  (1) any BB  gun, (2) stun gun, (3) air rifle, (4) air pistol, (5) bowie knife, (6) dirk, (7) dagger, (8) slingshot, (9)  leaded cane, (10) switchblade knife, (11) blackjack, (12) metallic knuckles, (13) razors and razor  blades, (14) fireworks, or (15) any sharp‐pointed or edged instrument,  except instructional  supplies, unaltered nail files, clips,  and tools used solely for preparation of food, instruction,  maintenance.    ‐“Educational Property” refers to any school building or bus, school campus, grounds,  recreational area, athletic field, or other property owned, used, or operated by any  board of education or school board of trustees, or directors for the administration of any  school.       Persons authorized to carry weapons on school property are law enforcement officers,  firefighters, and emergency service personnel when discharging their official duties.    12. Rape:  A person is guilty of rape if that person engages in vaginal intercourse with another  person by force and against the will of the other person, or if the person being assaulted is  mentally disabled, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless and the person performing the  act knows or should reasonably know that the other person is mentally disabled, mentally  incapacitated, or physically helpless.   

 

25

‐  Statutory rape is vaginal intercourse committed on a child under the age of 16 by a  person who is at least 12 years old and at least 4 years older than the victim, regardless  of whether the victim consented.      13. Robbery With a Dangerous Weapon:  Any person or persons who, having in possession or with  the use or threatened use of any firearms or other dangerous weapon, implement or means,  whereby the life of a person is endangered or threatened, unlawfully takes or attempts to take  personal property from another or from any place of business, residence, or banking institution  or any other place where there is a person or persons in attendance, at any time, either day or  night, or who aids or abets any such person or persons in the commission of such crime.    14. Sexual Assault (not involving rape or sexual offense):  A person is guilty of sexual battery if  he/she, for the purpose of sexual arousal, sexual gratification, or sexual abuse, engages in sexual  contact with another person by force and against the will of the other person, or if the person  being assaulted is mentally disabled, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless and the  person performing the act knows or should reasonably know that the other person is mentally  disabled, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless.    ‐ NCGS 14‐27.1 defines "sexual contact" as touching the sexual organ, anus, breast, groin  or buttocks of any person or a person touching another person with their own sexual  organ, anus, breast, groin, or buttocks.     The difference between a sexual assault and a sexual offense is that the sexual assault  involves forcible and intentional touching without penetration, and a sexual offense  involves penetration of a sex organ or anus by any object, or touching another’s mouth  or anus by the male sex organ.      15. Sexual Offense:    ‐First‐degree sexual offense:  A person is guilty of a sexual offense in the first degree if  the person engages in a sexual act with (1) a victim who is a child under the age of 13  years and the defendant is at least 12 years old and is at least four years older than the  victim, or (2) with another person by force and against the will of the other person, and  (a) employs or displays a dangerous or deadly weapon or an article which the person  reasonably believes to be a dangerous or deadly weapon, (b) inflicts serious personal  injury upon the victim or another person, or (c) the person commits the offense aided  and abetted by one or more other persons.      ‐Sexual offense with a child (adult offender):  A person is guilty of sexual offense with a  child if the person is at least 18 years of age and engages in a sexual act with a victim  who is a child and under the age of 13 years.      ‐Second‐degree sexual offense:  A person is guilty of a sexual offense in the second  degree if the person engages in a sexual act with another person (1) by force and against  the will of the other person, or (2) who is mentally disabled, mentally incapacitated, or  physically helpless, and the person performing the act knows or should reasonably know  that the other person is mentally disabled, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless.     

26

‐Statutory rape or sexual offense of person who is 13, 14, or 15 years old:  A person is  guilty if he/she engages in vaginal intercourse or a sexual act with another person who is  13, 14, or 15 years old and the person committing the act is at least six years older than  the person, except when the person committing the act is lawfully married to the other  person.      16. Taking Indecent Liberties With A Minor:  A person is guilty of taking indecent liberties with a  child if, being 16 years of age or more and at least five years older than the child in question,  he/she either:  (1) willfully takes or attempts to take any immoral, improper, or indecent liberties  with any child of either sex under the age of 16 years for the purpose of arousing or gratifying  sexual desire, or (2) willfully commits or attempts to commit any lewd or lascivious act upon or  with the body or any part or member of the body of any child of either sex under the age of 16  years.    ‐A “lewd and lascivious act” is defined as an act that is obscene, lustful, or indecent, or  tending to deprave the morals with respect to sexual relations.    

27

Appendix C – Guidelines for the Use of  Information from Juvenile Courts 
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) establishes the general rule that personally identifiable information in the student's education records must be kept confidential unless the parent agrees in writing to disclose the records or one of several narrow exceptions specified in FERPA exist. In addition, G.S. 7A‐675 requires that the records of juvenile cases maintained by the clerk of superior court be kept confidential, except that the juvenile, his parent or guardian may examine the records or the judge may order disclosure. Therefore, the general rule regarding juvenile court records is that these records are strictly confidential. Recognizing that a juvenile on probation attending school needs the full support of the school to meet the conditions of his probation and that school officials need to provide a safe environment for students and staff, the General Assembly amended G.S. 7A‐649(8)(b) to provide a narrow exception to the general rule that juvenile court records must be maintained in strictest confidence. G.S. 7A‐ 649(8)(b), as amended, permits judges to determine that the principal of the juvenile's school be notified of the nature of the juvenile's offense and the probation requirements related to school attendance when each of the following conditions exist: the court has found the juvenile to be delinquent; the offense involved a threat to the safety of the juvenile or others; the court has placed the juvenile on probation; and the court has ordered the juvenile to attend school as a condition of probation. G.S. 7A‐649(8)(b) goes on to provide that if the judge orders that the principal is to be notified, the juvenile court counselor must within five days or before the juvenile begins to attend school, whichever happens first, notify the principal in writing of the nature of the offense and the probation requirements related to school attendance. The following State Board of Education guidelines control the principal's disclosure and maintenance of the notification received from the juvenile court counselor. 1. The principal receives notification from the juvenile court counselor after the court has entered a probation order. 2. The principal may disclose the notification to appropriate staff members in a conference. At the conclusion of the conference, the staff members must state in writing that they have read the notification and agree to maintain its confidentiality. 3. Appropriate staff members are (a) school employees or agents who have direct guidance, teaching, or supervisory responsibility for the student or (b) other school employees or agents who have a specific need to know in order to protect the safety of the student or other persons. 4. The principal shall consider the following factors when making a decision whether to disclose all or a portion of the contents of the notification to appropriate staff members: a. whether the disclosure will enhance the juvenile's opportunities and abilities to meet the conditions of probation; b. whether the disclosure will increase the juvenile's ability to comply with school rules; c. whether the disclosure will increase the juvenile's opportunities to improve his academic, social, and adaptive skills;

28

whether the disclosure is necessary to protect the safety of the juvenile or other persons; e. whether the possibility of stigmatizing the juvenile outweighs the benefit of making the disclosure; f. whether disclosing information to school employees about the juvenile other than the nature of the offense and the probation conditions may achieve the objective of the principal without disclosing the offense and the fact that the juvenile is on probation. 5. The principal shall not provide a copy of the written document received from the court counselor to any other school employee, substitute teacher or volunteer. 6. During the time period that the juvenile is on probation, the principal must maintain the notification received from the juvenile court counselor in a safe, locked file separate from the student's cumulative record. After the juvenile's probation ends, the principal shall shred or burn the notification. 7. If the student transfers to another school during the period of probation, the principal will return the notification to the juvenile court counselor and inform him of the name and address of the school to which the student is transferring, if known. To further support a juvenile attending school, as well as school officials who need to provide a safe environment for students and staff, the General Assembly further amended G.S. 7A‐675.2 requirements relative to notification of schools, Article 29 of Chapter 115C stipulations relative to use of juvenile court information, and G.S. 15A‐505 relative to notification of schools. These amendments very much track the amendments of G.S. 7A‐649(8) referenced above. G.S. 7A‐675.2 mandates judges/juvenile court counselors or law enforcement officers to notify the principal of the juvenile's school, within five days, in all cases of more serious alleged crimes for which juveniles can now be prosecuted (e.g. felony, if committed by an adult). In order to protect the safety of or improve the educational opportunities for the juvenile student or others, G.S. 115C‐404 requires that the principal share the juvenile's court information with those have (a) direct guidance, teaching or supervisory responsibilities for the student, (b) a specific need to know, and (c) agree in writing to maintain the confidentiality of the information. If the presiding judge dismisses the juvenile's case, transfers it to superior court, or expunges it, the principal shall destroy all such court information, and retain no copies of it. Until this time, the principal must maintain the information in safe, locked storage that is separate from the student's other records. If the student graduates, withdraws or is expelled from school, or is suspended for the remainder of the school year, the principal shall return the information to the juvenile court counselor.

d.

29