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“Unsafe School Choice
Option” policy implemented; uses data reported by schools
The Dept. of Education
completed the state’s first analysis of Safe and Drug-Free/Gun-Free School
data in February in order to implement the state’s Unsafe School Choice
Option policy as required by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
Purpose of the program is to ensure that students are protected and have
a safe environment in which to learn.
A total of 22 schools
in 15 school districts were flagged when their self-reported data revealed
that the number of violent criminal offenses that occurred on school
property during the 2002-2003 school year exceeded the state’s criteria.
Schools that exceed their limit two years in a row will be identified as
“persistently dangerous schools” as required in Title IX, Section 9532, of
NCLB. South Dakota’s first identification will take place next year,
based on data from both the 02-03 and the 03-04 (current) school year.
The data items from the
annual report that are used by the department for purposes of the Unsafe
School Choice Option policy are:
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Arson
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Battery (aggravated assault)
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Homicide
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Kidnapping
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Robbery
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Sexual battery
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Weapon possession with intent to do harm, including handgun, rifle,
shotgun, other firearms, and all other weapons.
Definitions of the
violent criminal offenses are available on the web-entry system used by
schools to report their numbers at the close of school each year.
As a courtesy, schools
that were flagged based on one-year data received a letter from the
department in February, outlining the policy and the number of offenses that
were tabulated. Representatives of these schools will be invited to a
technical assistance this spring.
All public school
districts superintendents and CEOs received a letter outlining the program;
the state’s policy was first explained in detail in the May 2003 edition of
the Administrative Memorandum. The edition is still available online
at
http://www.state.sd.us/deca/Secretary/news/adminmem.htm.
Text of the state’s
approved policy is located at
http://www.state.sd.us/deca/NCLB/index.htm. |
