Willful Defiance – LA School Report

Brown signs bill limiting ‘willful defiance’ suspensions, expulsions

Craig Clough — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 17:41:24 +0000

Gov. Jerry Brown

With the signing of AB 420, Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday made California the first state in the nation to limit suspensions and expulsions for the reason of “willful defiance,” a term critics call a catch-all phrase that can be hard to define but includes such categories as talking back, refusing assignments or violating the dress code.

The bill eliminates “willful defiance” suspensions and expulsions for the next 3 1/2 years for children in grades K-3 for disruptive behavior and eliminates expulsions for all students. The bill will have limited impact on LA Unified, which in 2013 became the first school district in the state to ban “willful defiance” as grounds for suspension, a groundbreaking move that paved the way for AB 420.

“This is the first step to restorative justice for all youth. We expect more from California and will keep fighting for more,” LA Unified Board Member Monica Garcia said in a statement. “Thank you to all of the community leaders, parents and students in Los Angeles and throughout the state who continue to fight to ensure that all youth stay in school and on track.”

The bill comes after new federal guidelines were issued this year aimed at helping schools in “administering discipline in a nondiscriminatory way and to provide alternatives to overly punitive school discipline practices.”

AB 420 was co-sponsored by Public Counsel, Children Now, Fight Crime Invest in Kids, and the ACLU of California.

Willful defiance “disproportionately affects students of color, LGBTQ students, and students with disabilities,” according to the ACLU’s website, which also noted that about 600 K-3 students are expelled and 10,000 are suspended each year in California under “willful defiance,” which could include something as minor as missing a homework assignment.

Willful defiance accounts for 43 percent of suspensions of California students and is the suspension offense category with the most significant racial disparities, according to Public Counsel.

“In just a few short years, school discipline reform has become an important education policy priority in California because the stakes are very high – research has shown that even one suspension can make it five times more likely that a child will drop out of school and significantly increase the odds they will get in trouble and head into our juvenile delinquency system,” Roger Dickinson, an Assembly member from Sacramento and author of AB 420, said in a statement.

LA Unified Suspension Rate Accelerating Down, to 1.5 Percent

Hillel Aron — Mon, 14 Oct 2013 19:10:11 +0000

The suspension rate in LA Unified has fallen to 1.5 percent — an impressive drop from the 8.1 percent of the 2007-08 school year. The rate of decrease has been even more pronounced since John Deasy was appointed Superintendent in 2011. In his first full school year in charge, the suspension rate fell to 3.7 percent from 5.4 percent; in his second full year, it fell by more than half.

“It’s something that I moved really quickly on,” Deasy said. “I’ve placed an emphasis on it. We’ve tracked it school by school.”

The number of instructional days lost due to suspension began to drop before Deasy took over. In 2007, the school board passed the Discipline Foundation Policy, which aimed to lower suspensions by “using effective classroom management and positive behavior support strategies by providing early intervention for misconduct and appropriate use of consequences.”

But as he has on many fronts, Deasy has taken a more aggressive approach to lowering suspensions.

“Dr. Deasy has been very diligent on conducting performance dialogues with instructional superintendents and looking at data,” said Zsuzsanna Vincenze, Director of School Operations. “It’s been very data driven.”

In 2011-12, nearly half of all suspensions were for “willful defiance,” essentially failing to obey an order by a teacher, such as refusing to spit out gum or turn off a cell phone.

But in May, the board voted, 5-2, to stop suspending students for “willful defiance.” The two dissenting votes were cast my Marguerite LaMotte and Tamar Galatzan, who told LA School Report at the time, “I think that limiting the options for schools to deal with students who don’t listen, disrupt the class, don’t what to be there — it’s sending the wrong message, and it’s not fair to students who are there to learn.”

As a result of the vote, the new district policy is expected to lower the suspension rate even more.

“I wouldn’t say nobody will ever be suspended,” said Vincenze. “But we do continue to reduce the rate of suspension and to look at the rate of disproportionate suspension.”

According to a U.S. Department of Education report released last year, black students in Los Angeles are suspended at a far higher rate than other students. “That gap,” said Deasy, “has closed dramatically.”

Previous posts: District Claims Reduced Suspensions; Why Galatzan Opposed End to “Willful Defiance” Suspensions; Suspension Rates Vary Widely Among Schools; LAUSD Suspensions: Not Great, but Not the Worst

Deasy & Allies Prevail at May Board Meeting

Hillel Aron — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:09:18 +0000

Tuesday’s marathon School Board meeting included an ambitiously long agenda, simmering tensions among Board members, and no less than three different rallies going on outside the LAUSD headquarters on Beaudry Avenue throughout the day.

Though the exchanges never quite rose to the level of outright acrimony, there were some dramatic moments as the Board members and speakers debated the latest parent trigger petition and the consequences of changing the district’s school discipline policies.

In the end, the Board voted to end suspensions for “willful defiance,” a cause championed by Superintendent John Deasy and Board President Monica Garcia, and to approve the latest parent trigger petition at Weigand Elementary. The Board also voted — unanimously — to continue and expand the controversial Breakfast in the Classroom program.

After several weeks of having his leadership and policies pummeled by the teachers union, Deasy and his allies on the Board prevailed on pretty much every one of their priorities.

The two demonstrations – students in blue, teachers in red – took hardly any notice of each other

Out in the Street

In the morning, cafeteria workers represented by the SEIU Local 99 rallied in favor of Breakfast in the classroom.

But later in the day, two other rallies were held concurrently: one by students, and another by teachers.

The students, clad in bright blue shirts reading “Every Student Matters,” were there to support Garcia’s proposal to reform school discipline and, among other things, ban suspensions for “willful defiance” (refusing a teacher’s instructions or complying with adminstrators’ orders).

A crowd of teachers, roughly the same size but dressed in UTLA red, held their own rally a mere twenty feet away. Their demands included the hiring of more teachers and higher salaries.

“We haven’t had a raise in 7 years!” cried UTLA President Warren Fletcher, addressed the crowd from a giant stage erected in the middle of the street. “We will not let them pour millions of dollars down a rabbit hole! We will not go without a fight!”

Fletcher exited the stage to the Queen song, “We Will Rock You.”

School Board candidate Monica Ratliff was spotted at the UTLA rally by KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez.

Participants of the two rallies took barely any notice of each other.

Members of the SEIU local 99 celebrate after the vote

Classroom Breakfasts Approved Unanimously

As expected, the Board voted to keep the Breakfast in the Classroom program, which is set to expand over the next couple years.

There were two surprises, though: the vote was unanimous; even Maurgerite LaMotte and Bennett Kayser voted to keep the program.

“I understand the program has issues,” said Dr. Richard Vladovic. “We should add a half hour of instructional time… But in the meantime, our children cannot be pawns. They need to be fed.”

Board Member Steve Zimmer spoke passionately about the school district’s role in fighting hunger.

“We cannot pretend this is someone else’s problem,” he said. “This is not instead of education — this is education.”

And not a single public commenter argued for the program to be scrapped — including the UTLA’s Fletcher, who sat through most of the meeting in the audience.

After the vote, he said that his union, which voted overwhelmingly against Breakfast in the Classroom, simply wanted changes to be made.

“The majority of our members did say if issues of cleanliness and loss of instructional time could be addressed, we would have no objection,” said Fletcher. “What we said is that the program right now is having consequences.”

He blamed the program’s problems on the fact that UTLA had never been consulted on its implementation: “If the district engaged in basic good management, which is to say, talking to employees, talking to teachers, before implementing complex changes in the school day… we wouldn’t be having this conversation now.”

Greuel speaking to reporters outside the meeting

Mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel popped into the meeting to praise Breakfast in the Classroom and urge the Board to re-approve it.

“We cannot have great classrooms when students go hungry,” she said, although she allowed, “I understand the program may not be perfect.”

(See also: LA Times, Daily News, KPCC)

Budget Items

Superintendent Deasy presented a decidedly dour report on the district’s budget outlook, saying that he expects the district’s budget deficit to be $337.2 million even if Governor Jerry Brown’s local control funding formula is approved by the State Assembly.

And LAUSD Chief Financial Officer Megan Reilly said the district faced a “structural deficit,” caused in part by declining enrollment and the growth of independent charter schools, that “is not sustainable over time.”

She added: “We are relying on one-time funds to support our enormous labor force and programs.”

Later, Kayser called for a special Board meeting to discuss the gloomy budget outlook and to hear from community members.

“I just think there’s too much on the line,” he said. “This is the main role of this body.”

Despite objections from Board Members Galatzan and Garcia that it was unnecessary, the motion passed 5-2. The meeting will be held on June 4 at 5 PM.

A number of budget items that Deasy had unilaterally placed on the agenda for Board approval were all re-approved unanimously — including money for school police and for the district’s TV station, KLCS.

UTLA Area Chair Jose Lara spoke out against keeping the school police but not hiring any other positions:

“We’re increasing police and decreasing counselors and librarians? That makes no sense. If we have money for school police then we have money for counselors and social workers.”

Parent Revolution parents, before the vote

“In-District” Parent Trigger

The Board also voted 5-2 to approve a parent trigger petition signed by roughly 60% of parents at Weigand Elementary — but not before a tense debate.

Before the vote was taken, five different parents spoke out against the trigger, saying that parents and organizers had been lying to other parents in order to obtain signatures. Two others spoke in support.

“I am against the parent’s revolution because they have deceived a lot of parents,” said one parent during public comment. “They have obtained a lot of signatures by lying.”

These parents’ testimony left Board Members LaMotte and Kayser upset. LaMotte, strangely, suggested that Parent Revolution was the benefit of some sort of inside information.

“They always seem to know when something is happening at a school before the Board office knows,” she said. “How do they get the word first and we don’t know anything that’s going on?”

“I have no idea,” said Superintendent Deasy.

“I’m getting really angry over this,” she said. “I’m sick of the crooked stuff that goes on. Someone on our staff is talking to the parent revolution and we need to know who it is.”

Parent Revolution’s reply came over twitter:

LaMotte asks how to find bad schools? Happy to assist School Board Member: #LAUSD‘s own site to find failing schools. bit.ly/15Ln6js

Kayser went on to suggest that the parent trigger law needed to be revised to provide more guidelines on how to gather signatures. “This process is one that’s out of control and needs to be fixed,” he said.

After the vote, a defiant Ben Austin had this to say about the trigger’s retractors: “Anyone who whines against the parents of Weigand… They’re simply against parents having power.”

Weigand is the first in-district parent trigger, which means that parents were asking for the principal to be replaced and for various other reforms to be implemented, but not asking for teachers to be replaced or for the school to be taken away from LAUSD and given to an outside charter network.

(See also: Daily News)

“Willful Defiance”

Dozens of students spoke out in favor of Garcia’s proposal to reform school discipline, which is aimed at reducing the number of suspensions that the district hands out each year.

But Board members, at first, seemed inclined to vote it down, arguing that suspension was an important punishment for teachers to wield against unruly students.

“It’s called tough love!” said LaMotte. “There is no pass for disrespect.”

“If anyone stops anyone else from learning, that’s wrong,” said Dr. Vladovic.

But then, after both Deasy and Garcia passionately defended the measure, and blasted willful defiance suspensions as racist, Vladovic seemed to have a change of heart.

“I’ll give it a try if you’re that adamant,” he said to Garcia, adding that he would watch closely for any negative consequences it might have. “If it hurts kids from learning, I’ll be the first one to stop it.”

And so the motion passed, 5-2, with LaMotte and Tamar Galatzan voting no.

Morning Read: Progress for Bill Limiting Overuse of Suspensions

Samantha Oltman — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:32:35 +0000

Bill Restricting ‘Willful Defiance’ for Suspending Students Moves Ahead
With new data showing that more than half of all suspensions and a quarter of expulsions in California schools are for “willful defiance” of school authorities, the Assembly Education Committee voted 6-0 on Wednesday to move forward a bill that would restrict the use of the vague category by school administrators. EdSource

School Boards Join Movement Against Out-of-School Suspensions
The National School Boards Association has labeled the use of out-of-school suspensions a “crisis” in a new report. EdWeek

Baldwin Park School District Wins #1 Spot in Closing the Achievement Gap
Recently we reported on two schools in the Baldwin Park school district that have unique programs: a high school that helps teenage parents stay in school, and an elementary school where teaching a dual language immersion program is yielding top results. KPCC

Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti Engage in Acrimonious Debate
Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti blasted one another with a torrent of allegations Wednesday night in the most acrimonious debate of the Los Angeles mayor’s race. LA Times

Frustrated Parents Fought to Reclaim Their Kids’ Destiny—And It Worked
The parents of children attending the 24th Street Elementary School in Los Angeles made history this week. And, in doing so, the use of ‘Parent Trigger’ legislation to ensure parents have a seat at the education decision-making table for their children has gone mainstream. TakePart Op-Ed

Voters Favor Extra Funds for Poor Students but Not English Learners
A majority of Californians support Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to provide additional funding to districts with more low-income and English learner students, according to a newly released poll by the Public Policy Institute of California. EdSource

Students Rally to Support Adult Education Programs
A group of adult education students held a rally Wednesday to demand greater funding for adult education programs. LA Times

New RTTT Competition Announced, Targets Early Learning
The majority of the Obama administration’s remaining 2013 Race to the Top funds – some $370 million – will be available for states looking to develop successful early learning programs for children, according to an announcement Tuesday. SI&A Cabinet Report

Education Advocate Michelle Rhee Fends Off Accusations
Michelle Rhee, head of a group that advocates using student test scores to evaluate teachers, fends off accusations that she failed to pursue evidence of cheating when she ran the D.C. school system. LA Times

Study: Charters Get Less Funding Than Traditional Public Schools
Public charter schools received significantly less funding than traditional public schools in five cities, including the District, between 2007 and 2011, according to a new study released Wednesday. WaPo

CA Legislature Kills Bill to Shield Identities of Armed Teachers
A bill pushed by Assemblyman Tim Donnelly to train and shield armed “school marshals” failed to make it out of the Assembly Education Committee today after a 5-1 vote. Sac Bee

Morning Read: Board Considers Speedier Teacher Investigations

Samantha Oltman — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:46:14 +0000

L.A. School Board to Consider Faster Investigation of Teachers
Sexual misconduct allegations at Miramonte Elementary School sparked a surge of investigations of Los Angeles teachers, pushing the ranks of those in “teacher jail” to more than 300 — and prompting officials this week to consider the rights of accused employees. LA Times
See also: AP, SI&A Cabinet Report, LA School Report

Teacher Dismissals: How Do We Protect Children and Safeguard Teachers’ Due Process?
Fire them. Dismiss them. Send them back. Let them languish in “teacher jails” while investigations drag on for months — or even years. There’s got to be a better, quicker and fairer way to get rid of teachers who truly do not belong in the classroom and support those teachers who do. Huff Po Op-Ed by Tamar Galatzan

Deasy Should Be Thrilled With Union’s No Confidence Vote
It means he’s shaking up the moribund Los Angeles Unified School District and bucking the union that has battled every education reform proposed to protect the livelihood of its teachers – a livelihood that has put a stranglehold on education. LA Daily News Editorial

‘Willful Defiance’ in L.A. Schools
A proposal to prevent the suspending of students for a relatively minor infraction deserves the approval of the school board. LA Times Editorial

Sal Castro Dies at 79; L.A. Teacher Played Role in 1968 Protests
Sal Castro, a veteran Los Angeles Unified School District teacher who played a central role in the 1968 “blowouts,” when more than 1,000 students in predominantly Latino high schools walked out of their classrooms to protest inequalities in education, died in his sleep Monday after a long bout with cancer. LA Times
See also: KPCC

Teachers Dislike Breakfast in the Classroom Program, Survey Finds
An L.A. Unified program to serve breakfast in the classroom to make sure students don’t start school hungry has increased pests, created messes and cut down on instructional time, according to a teacher survey released Monday. LA Times

Teach for America: California Schools Need Their Talent
The English Learner Authorization embedded within the intern credential is a very hot issue for the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing due to the concerns over incomplete education and preparation of intern teachers who serve students who are English Learners. Silicon Valley Mercury News Op-Ed

District’s Voting Rights Called Into Question
Latinos make up 42 percent of ABC Unified School District, located in Southeastern Los Angeles County. They are the largest ethnic demographic in the 30-school district, but the last time a Latino was elected to the seven member board was in 1997. EdWeek

Family Fee for Half-Day State Preschool Likely to Be Rescinded
A much-disputed daily fee for families with children in state-funded preschool programs will likely be removed from next year’s state budget. EdSource

Morning Read: Teachers Vote “No Confidence” in Deasy

Samantha Oltman — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:03:43 +0000

UTLA Delivers No-Confidence Vote to LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy
LAUSD’s teachers union issued an overwhelming vote of no-confidence Thursday in the leadership of Superintendent John Deasy as he finishes his second year, while a rival survey released by civil rights groups showed strong support for his reform strategies and called for an even more aggressive approach to improving student achievement. LA Daily News
See also: LA Times, KPCC, LA School Report, WSJ

Greuel Vows School Reform as Garcetti Seeks End to ‘Division’
Los Angeles mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel laid out her plans to improve public schools on Thursday, pushing for tougher evaluations of teachers and principals, while opponent Eric Garcetti secured endorsements from a handful of African American leaders. LA Times
See also: LA Daily News, LA School Report, LA Times Now, LA Weekly

Education Leaders Divulge What They Want From LA’s Next Mayor
There’s been a lot of talk about what the next mayor of Los Angeles should do for public education. KPCC talked to three leaders in the education field about what they expect from the city’s next leader. KPCC

Imagine That: Happy Ending to a ‘Parent Trigger’ Petition
The “parent trigger” movement underwent a maturation process in its latest campaign, a petition to restructure 24th Street Elementary in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Unlike in previous campaigns, there were no lawsuits against the district, no claims by parents that they had been duped into signing the petition. LA Times Op-Ed

Defiance No Reason to Suspend Students, Board President Says
Administrators in the Los Angeles Unified School District would no longer be allowed to suspend students for mouthing off or other acts of “willful defiance” under a groundbreaking school board resolution set to be proposed next week. LA Times
See also: LA School Report

Bill Makes It (a Tiny Bit) Easier to Fire Abusive Teachers
A bill that would have made it easier to fire teachers accused of molesting students or committing other serious crimes died in committee last summer – a victim of the most powerful force in state politics today: teachers unions. There’s a new version of the bill in the Legislature this year. Pasadena Star News Op-Ed

LAUSD Reform Agenda Gets High Marks From Civic Groups
A new coalition of civil rights groups, led by the United Way, released a poll today showing strong support for reforms taking place in Los Angeles Unified and calling for an even more aggressive approach to improving student achievement and increasing local control of neighborhood schools. LA Daily News

LAUSD Summer Enrichment Programs Reduced Again
The Los Angeles Unified School District announced today that funding limits are forcing it to reduce its summer enrichment programming, which includes academic, fitness and other enrichments like art, music and drama activities. KPCC
See also: LA Times

With Police in Schools, More Children in Court
As school districts across the country consider placing more police officers in schools, youth advocates and judges are raising alarm about what they have seen in the schools where officers are already stationed: a surge in criminal charges against children for misbehavior that many believe is better handled in the principal’s office. NY Times

APU to Hold First-Ever Spanish Language Spelling Bee for L.A. County High School Students
Native Spanish speakers and Spanish class students from throughout Los Angeles County will compete in the first-ever Spanish language spelling bee on at 2 p.m. Saturday at Azusa Civic Auditorium. LA Daily News