I want to caution all parents of Charles County public school students to thoroughly read the school system’s “Code of Conduct” before they sign, or allow their children to sign, this document. They should also make sure they retain the copy for the entire year.
Why give this advice to all parents? Three very important reasons.
First, it appears that after parents and students have signed saying they will abide by all policies printed in the Code of Conduct, the Charles County Public Schools administration wrongly feels they have the right to change any of the policies within the pamphlet without notice.
During the 2006-2007 school year, Charles County Public Schools changed policy in the Code of Conduct, without notifying students or parents of those changes, by just posting a new version on their website. They bent to the breaking point the Code of Maryland regulations Title 13A, Subtitle 08, Chapter 01 which requires them to disseminate their policies “… periodically to all members of the school community, including students, teachers, administrators, and parents or guardians.” CCPS did not tell the students or parents of these changes, nothing was sent home to be signed by the students and parents.
There is no requirement to have internet access to attend Charles County Public Schools, so just posting to their website does not fulfill the Maryland regulation to disseminate the changes. Even if it did, nowhere on their website is there a page asking for acknowledgement of said changes to the policies.
Second, the Charles County Public Schools have violated a written and signed contract with the students of Charles County and their parents.
According to the lawyers I have spoken with, three parties, the parents, students, and Charles County Public Schools, entered into a “contract” requiring all parties to abide by the policies printed in the Code of Conduct on the day the signed slips were turned into school officials. The administration wrongly assumed they could break a written contract by just posting a new version on the internet. All of the lawyers agreed on the fact that one party can’t change their portion of a contract without first, canceling the original contract, and then reentering a new signed contract. Charles County Public Schools willfully failed to uphold their end of the contract.
Lastly, do not assume that the employees of Charles County Public Schools will answer your questions regarding policies, or treat you politely or with respect.
Most of the representatives (principals, assistant superintendents, and various others) I spoke with didn’t seem to know there were two versions of the Code of Conduct (booklet and Internet). They either had a poor working knowledge of the Code of Conduct, or refused to discuss any changes with me. They could only answer the most basic questions. When asked in-depth questions, they became nervous and replied “I have to speak with our lawyers before I can answer.”
How are our children supposed to live up to a document that the administration can’t seem to interpret or implement without consulting a lawyer? The assistant in School Administration and Operations was extremely unprofessional and defensive when we asked direct questions about changes to or interpretation and impl
