Tuscaloosa City Schools OKs code of conduct changes

Tuscaloosa City Schools Board of Education members voted unanimously Tuesday on approving changes to the 2023-24 Parent/Student Code of Conduct.

TCS Superintendent Mike Daria said several changes are being made, with a major adjustment to the disciplinary process.

“It’s important that the Code of Conduct does what we need it to do so that we have safe and orderly schools,” Daria said. “It’s important that our students come to school prepared to learn so that our teachers can teach. We want to make sure that we have rules in place for that to happen.”

But these changes are ripe for misuse, said NAACP Tuscaloosa Chapter President Lisa Young. At Tuesday’s meeting, she encouraged board members to instead reinstate the disciplinary review committee process.

“We’ve had several complaints and concerns from employees and administrators and parents about the changes to the code of conduct,” Young said. “They feel that it doesn’t lend itself to fairness. When you think about the due process of students and how a student is being punished, how that punishment can impact them and change the trajectory of their life. You want to be mindful of that when you are dealing with the disciplinary policy,” said Young.

In a prior interview with WVUA 23 News Tuscaloosa City Schools Executive Director of Learning Supports Janet Sherrod said the board is making the changes because of its strong stance against fighting. Sherrod said consequences can range from parent-teacher conferences to alternative school.