‘We Need Behavior to Improve’: School Board Talks Defiance, Language, Violence at NMS

By Layla Kalinen
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
NEWPORT, NH April 8, 2023–At its meeting on April 6, the Newport School Board discussed ways to address defiance, inappropriate language and potential acts of violence at Newport Middle School and ways to improve the school policy to protect students, faculty and staff.

Newport Middle School Principal David Bailey outlined the different levels of offenses that require disciplinary action. He said the school policy has three basic categories.

Tier 1 includes basic student infractions at a first offense level, such as poor attendance, tardiness, skipping class, defiance or refusal to cooperate with staff and misuse of technology.

Tier 2 identifies more serious offenses, including academic dishonesty, repeated defiance, misuse of vehicles or behavioral issues on school transportation.

Tier 3 addresses ongoing defiance, dishonesty, theft, arson, bomb threats, assault, cyberbullying, illegal substances, vandalism and weapons.

Bailey said there have been seven assaults at Newport Middle School during the current school year, but he clarified that not all of them were acts of severe physical aggression. “Kids are hands on and touch each other. The classification of assaults is open ended in definition,” he explained.

Superintendent Donna Magoon said the presentation was intended to start narrowing down specific behaviors, reducing the number of offenses and defining offenses more specifically.

“It’s just an overview of what our policies are and another way to let parents know what the policies are and hold students accountable for their behavior,” Magoon said. “We are seeing a huge spike in behavior in our children. We want students, faculty and staff to feel safe in the building and we need to bring it back to that.”

Magoon also specified that assault, by the current definition, could be poking, shoving, pushing and not necessarily defined as aggravated physical combat. She also said that the district will be tightening up protocols for individual offenses to include detention, suspension and, in cases of illegal activity, notification of law enforcement.

“We need behavior to improve so the teachers can do their job and we need parental support of the rules so we can better educate our students,” Magoon said.