Cynthia Parkhill – Clear Lake Observer-American
CLEARLAKE Only offenses for which a student can be suspended will bar Oak Hill Middle School students who are academically qualified from taking part in a promotion ceremony. The Konocti Unified School District Board voted 5-0 on Wednesday to approve proposed requirements brought by Principal Maria de los Angeles Friedrich.
Students incurring minor infractions would previously have been barred from the ceremony by virtue of being placed on an unsat list within 20 days of the promotion ceremony. Unsat placement carries a 20-day prohibition against any extracurricular activities.
But a series of town hall meetings that gauged parents and students input led to a revision in policy that came before the school board on Wednesday.
The board s motion included a proposed ceremony that will reflect the following program:
” Students will walk in to the ceremony.
” There will be a student performance (auditions will be held).
” There will be a short speech by two other adults chosen by the eighth-graders.
” The ceremony will be held during the evening.
Friedrich told the board that this proposed ceremony was applicable only to eighth-grade promotion this June, adding that the parents of Oak Hill seventh graders want to have their own input into what their children s ceremony will reflect.
Concerns raised by parents last year whose children were on the unsat list and could not participate in last year s ceremony stemmed from what they viewed as school rules that were inconsistently applied.
My staff is fully aware that parents have complained about inconsistent application, especially about dress code violations by the students, Friedrich told the board. She added that a recent faculty meeting addressed areas of needed consistency including dress code violations, gum chewing and possession of electronic devices.
Some proposed requirements brought to the board on Wednesday concerned students who are only conditionally qualified because they have to attend summer school.
Boardmembers were concerned that if these students sat with graduating classmates without being called to receive a diploma or having their names read aloud for recognition, these students conditional status would be disclosed and that it might violate confidentiality.
Board consensus was to postpone a vote on these recommendations until the matter could be investigated further.
Contact Cynthia Parkhill at cparkhill@clearlakeobserver.com.
