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Field Experience D: Identifying Safety-Related Issues

Kevin Chang

Master of Education in Leadership, Grand Canyon University

EAD 505: Educational Law

Dr. Beckerman

April 06, 2022

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Areas of Concern

One of the biggest areas of concern according to the safety audit of my school was the

number of fights that occurred on campus so far in the school year. The school suspects that this

number hiked as a result of students being locked down at home for about two years. The second

area of concern was the extreme amount of student attendance, tardies, and early leaves. While

some of the reasons are related to COVID-19, the school believes that this number has also hiked

compared to the past.

Ideas and Solutions

My principal and the counselors have been dealing with student behavior and discipline

issues all year long at a rate they have never seen before. They believe that the cause of this

reaction was being locked down at home for almost two years with minimal interaction with

their peers. Most of them only had access to their friends through cellphones, online gaming, and

Zoom. However, students explained that they hardly made new friends on Zoom as everyone

always kept their cameras off, never participated, or did not show up. They also said that

attending school online was awkward, boring, and did not have much opportunity to truly

interact with other students.

One way the school is mitigating this situation is by providing a ton of afterschool

activities and various clubs to provide more human-to-human interaction. At the beginning of the

year, we spent the entire first week of school playing games and participating in activities to get

to know each other. The principal and counselors believe that students' anger roots in not being

able to interact, express their feelings, and staying isolated for such a long period of time.
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Afterschool activities/clubs include Band, Colorguard, Cooking, Math Counts, Gardening Club,

Sports, Debate, Leadership, and ASB.

The school is concerned regarding students' inconsistent attendance. The COVID-19

policy mandates that students who are exposed to COVID-19 must quarantine at home for 10

days if they are not vaccinated or show proof of negative results if they are vaccinated. However,

this is understandable as the school is doing its part to slow the spread. At the same time, many

students are using this excuse to not attend school and taking advantage of the system. In fact,

even parents are using this excuse to take their children on vacation, small trips, and other

events. Student surveys showed that a number of them did not value school and believed it was

not a big deal if they skipped school. The same group of students also explained that their parents

did not care either. The school is trying to incentivize students to aim for perfect attendance with

a bingo party at the end of the semester. Students with perfect attendance are invited to a bingo

party where they get to win various prizes, eat pizza, and miss a few classes. The school is also

reaching out to parents daily to inform their child’s attendance records via phone calls.

Concerns Related to School Vision and Mission

These ongoing issues directly oppose the school's vision and mission. My school’s

mission is to dedicate a program of academic excellence where they provide students

opportunities to realize their full potential. Classes are designed for student-centered instructions

and cultivates high self-esteem and self-discipline. When students decide to not attend school,

they are forfeiting the opportunity to learn, grow, and everything mentioned above. The school

must never give up on students and continue to communicate with the parents to encourage their
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children to attend school. The school must also educate parents on the importance of school as

many of them pick up their children early on a regular basis for inexcusable reasons.

The school’s vision follows the H.O.N.O.R. belief system. H is for Honesty: Speak

Truthfully, Act with integrity, Be Trustworty; O is for Ownership: Own your actions, Own your

words, Own your future; N is for Never Give Up: Believe in yourself, Use the power of YET,

Focus on progression, not perfection; O is for Open-hearted: Be welcoming, Embrace diversity,

Speak and act with thoughtfulness; and R is for Respect: Respect yourself, Respect others,

Respect your school and community.

While disagreements, debates, and disputes are all acceptable forms of conflict, fistfights

have no place in the school community. The school must continue to integrate the H.O.N.O.R.

system and encourage students to discipline themselves, so the school does not need to.

Discipline must come from oneself and work towards it continuously. Teachers should embody

the H.O.N.O.R. characteristics and always advocate the importance of exhibiting them.

Mentor’s Perspective on Problems/Solutions

(This is already addressed in the Ideas and Solutions paragraph.)

Reflection/Implications for Future Practice

My principal displayed the PSEL Standard 5 through his everyday dialogues, body

language, and decision-making process - Community of care and support for students. As I may

perhaps one day become a principal myself, I would like to promote an inclusive, caring, and

supportive community that prioritizes the academic success and the wellness of every student. To

cultivate such dispositions, I must understand the school’s and community’s culture in depth to
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connect with them in a genuine manner. My principal stated that principals sometimes walk into

their new jobs and try to “fix” or “help” the community with their philosophies and methods.

Unfortunately, they do not work well for the community if the two parties cannot relate or

understand the intention. Nevertheless, principals must always remember to keep their goals

student-centered, not their own. I will commit myself to always creating a community where

students are valued, trusted, respected, and encouraged in positive ways.

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References

Alvarado Intermediate Mission & Visio. (n.d.). Alvarado Intermediate School.

https://www.alvaradoschool.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?

uRECID=231068&type=d&pREC_ID=527397

Professional Standards for Educational Leaders. (2015). National Policy Board for Educational

Administration. https://www.npbea.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Professional-Standards-

for-Educational-Leaders_2015.pdf