DATE: Thursday, October 23, 1997            TAG: 9710230527

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE:    - Aleta Payne

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 34 lines

CIVIL RIGHTS OFFICE SIGNS OFF ON DISCIPLINE PLAN

The federal government has formally signed off on the agreement crafted by the school division to address concerns about the rate at which black students are disciplined.

In a letter to Superintendent Timothy R. Jenney, Jacques Toliver of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights writes that the agreement ``resolves this issue.''

The agreement means that the school division will more closely monitor student discipline information and report it to the federal government over the next three years.

For months, the Office of Civil Rights has been investigating complaints of racial discrimination over how students are disciplined, hiring and transfer practices, ability grouping and identification of gifted students.

The agency had previously found no evidence of violation on the transferring of black teachers and the assignment of black students to ability groups. A determination on the representation of African-American students in the gifted program and the hiring of African-American employees has not been made yet, but Toliver's letter indicates the division will be notified of a determination on them shortly.

The district admitted no wrongdoing in submitting the agreement on discipline but said it did not have the data gathered that would be needed to refute the allegations.

School officials had said they were advised that the agreement would be acceptable before it was sent to the Office of Civil Rights. KEYWORDS: RACE DISCIPLINE VIRGINIA BEACH SCHOOLS

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