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WEBVTT A NEW DISCIPLINE SYSTEMWHEN THEY HEAD TO CLASSTOMORROW.ONLY ON WESH 2, HADAS BROWNUNCOVERED HOW THE CHANGES FIX APROBLEM THAT DISCRIMINATEDAGAINST CERTAIN GROUPS OFSTUDENTS.HADAS: IT'S A STATISTIC THAT HASBREVARD COUNTY SCHOOLS'SUPERINTENDENT TAKING ACTION.>> OUR CHILDREN LIVING INPOVERTY, OUR CHILDREN WITHDISABILITIES, AND OUR AFRICANAMERICAN STUDENTS WERE BEINGSUSPENDED AND EXPELLED AT TWICETHE RATE OF THEIR EXISTENCE INTHE STUDENT POPULATION.HADAS: THE DISTRICT RELEASEDTHIS RESEARCH TO WESH 2 SHOWINGJUST THAT.IN THE 2014 TO 2015 SCHOOL YEAR,AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS MADEUP 16% OF ENROLLED STUDENTS, BUT32% OF ALL THOSE SUSPENDED.THE NORTH BREVARD CHAPTER OF THENAACP SAYS THEY FILED A FORMALCOMPLAINT AGAINST BREVARD COUNTYSCHOOLS OVER THIS BACK IN 2013,SO WHAT WAS CAUSING THE PROBLEM?SUPERINTENDENT DESMOND BLACKBURNSAYS IT WAS THE LACK OF ONE,SINGLE DISTRICT-WIDE DISCIPLINESYSTEM.>> BASICALLY DECISIONS WERE MAAT THE SCHOOL SITE, GIVEN THEDISCRETION OF PRINCIPALS,ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS ETC.,HADAS: THE NEW SYSTEM SPLITSAND FRACTIONS WITH FIVE LEVELSWITH A LIST OF CORRESPONDINGPUNISHMENTS FOR EAST.-- FOR EACH.FOR INSTANCE, POSSESSION OFSTOLEN ITEMS IS A LEVEL TWOOFFENSE.THE POSSIBLE PUNISHMENTS RANGEFROM CLASSROOM REASSIGNMENT TOSUSPENSION.>> THE LIST OF POSSIBLEPENALTIES IS RATHER WIDE.HADAS: CENTRAL FLORIDA ACLUPRESIDENT CYNTHIA O'DONNELLTELLS ME SHE'S NOT SURE THISSYSTEM GOES FAR ENOUGH.>> IT'S A LITTLE TOO BROAD TO BEREALLY REMOVING ANY KIND OFDISCRETION.HADAS: A SPOKESPERSON FOR THEDISTRICT SAYS THEY CAN MAKEADJUSTMENTS GOING FORWARD, BUTTHEY PUT A LOT OF RESEARCH INTOTHE SYSTEM AND DID FIELDFEEDBACK.>> THERE ARE EXPECTEDCONSEQUENCES THAT STUDENTS WOULDRECEIVE AND THAT CONSISTENCYWILL HAPPEN ACROSS THE SYSTEM.HADAS: THE NAACP SAYS THEY'RENOT YET ABLE TO JUDGE IF THISNEW POLICY WILL BE EFFECTIVE.

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As a new school year starts in Brevard County, the district has a new discipline system in place.Superintendent Dr. Desmond Blackburn saw the need to create a district-wide student code of conduct as it pertains to punishment, when he saw how the lack of that very system was discriminating against certain groups of students."Our children living in poverty, our children with disabilities, and our African American students were being suspended and expelled at twice the rate of their existence in the student population," Blackburn told WESH 2 News. The district released the graphic below illustrating that point. It notes that in the 2014-2015 school year, African American students made up 16 percent of all enrolled students, but 32 percent of those suspended.The Brevard County NAACP said findings like these led them to file a formal complaint against the school district in 2013.Blackburn said the problem was created by the lack of one, single, district-wide discipline system."Basically decisions were made at the school site given the discretion of principals, assistant principals, etc.," he said.The new system splits infractions into five levels, based on the seriousness of the offense. Each level has a list of corresponding possible punishments.MORE: 10 tips for school carpooling"There are expected consequences that students would receive," Blackburn says, "and that consistency will happen across the system."Central Florida ACLU Chapter President Cynthia O'Donnell said she's not certain the new system goes far enough."The list of possible penalties is rather wide," she said. "It's a little too broad to be really removing any kind of discretion."A spokesperson for Brevard County Schools said they are able to make adjustments going forward, but did put significant research into forming the system, and fielded feedback from those who it affects.The Brevard County NAACP released the following statement to WESH 2 News on their views of the new system:"Brevard Public Schools acknowledging that there are problems with current policy (or lack thereof) is huge. Implementing the new disciplinary action policy is definitely a start toward an effective corrective action plan. The new policy is not perfect and as with any major overhaul of a policy it will require training, periodic reviews and revising as we measure its effectiveness. A component of diversity training will hopefully be provided to staff and administrators to further improve their ability to serve all of our students. "The NAACP and the communities we serve are encouraged by the moves thus far and look forward to the mutually beneficial relationship that has been established with the Superintendent and the School Board representatives."When WESH 2 News checked, we found that every other district in our coverage area does already have a district-wide discipline system. Most districts use a similar policy to Brevard, with levels of infractions and list of possible punishments. Osceola, Polk, and Seminole get a little more specific on punishments by individual offense.WESH 2 News made multiple attempts to reach the Department of Educations Office for Civil Rights to ask the status of Brevard NAACP's complaint and the investigation. We are still waiting for a response.