Culver School Board Reviews Student Handbook Updates

Students at Culver Community Schools will see some updated discipline policies when they return to school next month. The 2018-2019 student handbooks were presented to the Culver School Board last week.

Elementary School Principal Erin Proskey said she’s refined the behavior program from 19 steps down to about six. The felt the new system will be more “student-driven.”

The handbook also says that students who don’t model proper behavior may be excluded from incentive-based field trips. However, students may not be held back from educational field trips due to their inability to pay or refusal to take part in a fundraising event.

At the middle/high school, Principal Brett Berndt said student-athletes who attend a party where drugs or alcohol are discovered won’t be punished if they leave right away. The middle/high school’s cell phone policy was also updated. While the consequences for students will remain the same, Berndt said confiscated phones will now be given back to students at the end of the school day, rather than requiring them to be retrieved by parents. Berndt said the change is due to the fact that parents rarely came to pick them up.

Language was also added explicitly outlining the attendance policies for students in vocational programs. Berndt said there have been issues with students showing up to school, but then not going to their off-site vocational training.

Both schools’ handbooks will now include a policy regarding students’ behavior at athletic contests. It says that students who misbehave may be removed from an event and would have to talk to a school administrator before being allowed back in.

Other handbook changes reflect previously-approved updates to corporation policy, as well as state guidelines.