Fifty percent of schools said they will offer in-school suspension, compared with 41 percent last year. There is also an increase in the number of schools planning to hold after-school detention and Saturday classes and offer incentives for positive behavior.
The system has adopted a new code of conduct outlining what sanctions are appropriate for specific offenses. Brice said assistant principals will be trained to apply the code before classes begin, and students will have conduct lessons during the first three weeks of school.
Also at the hearing, the system's chief operating officer, Keith Scroggins, reported on $34 million worth of renovation work being done this summer: expanding 26 elementary schools that will also serve middle-school students, converting Benjamin Franklin Junior High into a high school, and opening six new middle/high schools and four new alternative schools.
