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Culture & Climate Committee

The Waggoner Road Junior High School Culture and Climate Committee consisting of students, parents, PTO members, teachers, and building administrators met on May 20, 2008 to start a conversation about resolving concerns from the 2007-2008 school year. The challenges posed by administration in the initial meeting were:

  1. Dress Code Consequences
  2. Cell Phone Usage
  3. Attendance Issues and Gum in the Building

The first 3C meeting started with administration reviewing group norms and the school's mission, vision, and guiding beliefs statements, the purpose for the 3C group, and student challenges during 2007-2008. Administration shared up front that many of the challenges during the 2007-2008 school year were correctable and that they needed to hear the different perspectives (student, parent, teacher, administration and community) in creating a living document that would be revisited quarterly or as needed by the 3C group. Administration shared with the group what practices were already in place in addressing student conduct, such as, reviewing the student compact the first week of school and ongoing "Seminars" which teach students expected behaviors. The first meeting concluded with setting an agenda for the next meeting in which the focus would be:

  1. Inappropriate Language, Insubordination
  2. Profanity and Back-Talking
  3. Bus Violations
  4. Creating a system to involve parents in the implementation process of appropriate student consequences

A second meeting was held May 29, 2008 to discuss acceptable student conduct. The meeting started with a review from the first meeting and an outline for the second meeting. We then discussed student use of inappropriate language, insubordination, profanity and back-talking, bus violations and student consequences. The meeting ended with an agenda being set for June 2008 to further discuss student consequences and parent involvement in the discipline process.

Our third meeting was held on June 27, 2008 and the meeting focused on involving parents in the discipline process. The meeting started off by reviewing items in the second meeting and progressing towards bus violations and parent involvement. The transportation supervisor attended this meeting and explained safety procedures and the need for schools to review with students bus rules and regulations for bus riders. The meeting concluded with administration stating that they would provide the outcomes of the meetings with the local media outlets. The media coverage would assure that all of the community would be informed of the WRJHS consequences for dress code violations and our commitment to continuous improvement.

Lastly, administration shared with the group that they would reconvene in September to complete the Ohio Department of Education "School to Watch" application for our school to receive the "Schools to Watch" designation from the Ohio Department of Education and the National Middle Schools Association. This designation is well recognized nationally, similarly to that of the U.S. Department of Education's "Blue Ribbon Awards" program.

After convening this fall, the culture and climate committee updated consequences for non-academic violations.  The updated document is available here:

> Consequences