Pasco school board poised to set rules for parents behaving badly
The Pasco County school district is considering a new policy aimed at setting boundaries when angry parents approach educators with complaints.
The proposal, which goes to the school board for a public hearing Tuesday morning, sets forth that school and district employees are expected to treat students, parents and visitors with courtesy and respect — and that the consideration is to go both ways.
“I was hearing from principals about uncivilized behavior, inappropriate behavior, from parents,” said superintendent Kurt Browning. “The yelling, the screaming, the threatening — the parents that tend to want to have a hostile interaction with their child’s school. There’s got to be a level of civility.”
The change is part of a response to an interaction last year between the district and a parent that ended up in federal court. After the district accused parent Rebecca Yuengling of disrupting school operations with numerous complaints, Browning unilaterally reassigned her daughter to a different school, prompting Yuengling to sue.
The judge criticized Browning for not having a due process procedure, and for punishing a student over her parent’s actions. In mediation, the district agreed to provide a way for parents to get an independent appeal of the superintendent’s reassignment decision.
Browning said he also wanted to get something in place to deal with the other side of the issue, which led to the civility proposal.
He suggests scrapping the district’s three current civility policies in favor of one that would set guidelines for parent behavior on district properties, in addition to the rules for employees and students.
The school board will hold public hearings Tuesday on both the appeal system and the civility rules, with a final vote scheduled for Dec. 13.
Board members said they expected to support the appeal options for families dissatisfied with the superintendent’s decision to administratively reassign their children for nondisciplinary reasons. They had questions about Browning’s recommendation on civility, which was new to them, too. Board member Alison Crumbley said she’s begun receiving emails opposing the idea.
Most recently, the district has dealt with a situation regarding a resident who came to a middle school for a tour and raised questions over a mural that had caused a stir in some circles. The principal later reportedly called the person’s employer to complain.
The matter received coverage in national conservative media similar to attention that Yuengling’s case got. It remains under district review, and the mural has since been painted over.
Saying the district has expectations is one thing, Browning suggested. But the time has come for something enforceable, he added.
The proposal defines unacceptable or disruptive behavior, including such things as using loud or offensive language, damaging or destroying property and making abusive, threatening or “overly voluminous” calls, emails and other communications.
It then describes the authority of school employees to deal with such behaviors, starting with warnings and escalating as necessary. For example, officials would have the authority to ask people who are abusive to leave the premises, and to seek law enforcement support to remove them if they refuse.
The proposal leans on state law that makes it a misdemeanor to disrupt or interfere with the orderly operation of a school.
Anyone who feels they are being mistreated by the employee would be directed to notify that person’s immediate supervisor.
“It cuts both ways,” Browning added. “We need to be able to have civil dialogue. ... When parents are yelling and screaming, it doesn’t mean you get to yell and scream at them.”
Employees who violate the policy would face repercussions from personnel guidelines and contracts. Students who do so would be subject to discipline outlined in the code of conduct.
Parents will get to look to a more detailed district procedure that will be attached to the rule, but is not yet available. Browning said it will be publicized before the board votes on the item.
Board member Crumbley said she hoped the public will not misinterpret the proposal to say they cannot express their concerns to district officials or employees, or be passionate about their views.
“It’s about the way in which these conversations go,” Crumbley said, likening the situation to when parents sign agreements to behave at their children’s club sports events.
The district has come under fire in the past for adopting procedures, which do not require board approval. The most high-profile instance involved the district’s LGBTQ student services guide, which generated years of criticism — in part because it never came to the public or board for review.
Officials could face similar pushback over the procedures for both the reassignment and civility policies.
Browning acknowledged the possibility, and said he planned to make the procedures available and receive input in ways that haven’t been done before.
“We’re making it very public for both the board and the public to read,” he said.
But he did not anticipate asking the board to approve the procedures.
Yuengling declined to comment for this story.
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