Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 31, 1995 TAG: 9508310061
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LISA APPLEGATE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
``He said to me, `Mom, we have to sign this letter or we'll have to pay $50, and then, if we don't, it'll be $500,''' she said.
The letter, an "acknowledgment of responsibility" that parents must sign, was sent home to the parents of public school children in Montgomery County - and, in the next few weeks, will go to parents in every other locality in Virginia. It's part of the student code of conduct handbook that every child reads in school. It's also required by state law.
But some parents see it as an insult - and a threat.
Brozonsky, president of Margaret Beeks Elementary School's PTA, said she heard from about 25 angry parents Tuesday night.
Some told her they would sign the letter just to calm their children's fears of seeing their parents get slapped with a fine. Others refused to sign and wondered how the requirements could be enforced.
Under Virginia law, the letter explains, the local Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court has a right to fine a parent $50 if he or she "willfully and unreasonably fails to return" the signed statement.
If a child is suspended or expelled, and a parent does not meet with school officials, the court can impose a $500 fine.
"As a parent," Brozonsky said, "I can't put up with it. It's like 1984 - Big Brother's watching."
One man with two children in school called the letter "a Nazi tactic" and told the newspaper that he planned to call his lawyer to challenge the Montgomery County School Board.
But this requirement is a state mandate, not an individual school system decision, said Jim Sellers, Montgomery County's assistant superintendent for instruction.
"We're following the same guidelines as every other county in the commonwealth," he said.
The General Assembly passed these requirements to ensure that parents are involved with their children's education.
After the law was passed, the legislature amended the requirements to include strict guidelines for expulsion from school. School boards must expel students for 365 days if they are found on school property with a weapon. That could range from a pistol to a slingshot.
Those and other rules are reviewed by teachers when the school year opens, and parents are asked to make sure their children understand what's expected of them.
Brozonsky said she wonders if such specificity is really necessary for 5-year-olds in kindergarten, especially in a relatively safe area like Montgomery County.
This summer, the School Board reviewed the changes to the code of conduct and demanded to see clear regulations and strict penalties.
Last year, the board struggled over how to punish two Blacksburg High School students who brought weapons to school. Both students were suspended.
In Botetourt County, where schools opened Monday, there have been no complaints about the requirement to sign the student conduct agreement.
"We have gotten a few back, but we have heard no reaction so far," said Garland Jones, assistant superintendent.
If there are going to be complaints, they may come when school officials contact parents who have not signed the agreement, he said.
Localities where classes won't begin until after Labor Day are preparing to send out the agreement.
Joe Kirby, Salem's director of instruction, said he will send a letter to parents explaining the conduct standards and the General Assembly's requirement.
In Montgomery County, Sellers said he plans to talk with principals in a month to see whether the letters are being returned.
The legislature did not give school systems any guidance on how to enforce the 30-day return requirement, but Sellers doesn't foresee the need for court intervention.
"That's not the way we work," he said.
Staff writer Joel Turner contributed information to this story.
by CNB