Parent concern sparks review of Beloit school district policy on involuntary student transferring

layout-1-7

Parents in the School District of Beloit are unclear about the process the schools use for involuntarily transferring students to alternative learning environments.

Moving students to a different school setting is one alternative to out-of-school suspensions, but school board president Pam Charles believes the process needs to be more clear in the district’s policies.

Director of School Leadership and Equity Peggy Muehlenkamp indicated only a handful of students have been involuntary transferred for disciplinary reasons, and parents are notified of the process and asked to meet with the student intervention team.

Superintendent Stanley Munro said the behavior intervention helps maintain the learning environment for the other students and teachers.

Interim Beloit Memorial High School Principal Emily Pelz told the school board they have some gaps in its intervention programs for reaching students before behavior issues require action. The high school currently only has one social worker for its roughly 1,700 students.

After much debate, the school board postponed making any changes to the policy Tuesday night to make sure the process will be properly outlined.