LETTER: Education focus, not off-site conduct

To the editor:
While I generally respect the good work of the Upper Freehold Regional Board of Education, a recent letter from the board president missed the point.
    The case discussed in the Trentonian (March 6 issue) is all about school policies, and the appropriate application of the school’s authority. The board president is speaking about protecting student confidentiality, and the need to defend the principal, when the board should be addressing the school’s outdated public policies, which are the genesis of the school’s troubles.
    Intrusive policies enable bad disciplinary decisions. Frankly, all the talk about student confidentiality diverts attention from an important issue in this case.
    Simply put, Allentown High maintains a punitive, 24-hour code of conduct for student athletes, which is badly in need of revision. If students want to engage in extracurricular activities, parents and students are required to sign this broad code of conduct.
    As a result, the school administration recently mandated a 30-day suspension of a student athlete from all sports for alleged misconduct outside of school.
    In the state of New Jersey, a board of education cannot mandate and enforce a broad code of conduct, which encompasses all facets of a student’s public and private life. Schools don’t have the right to control a student’s private life.
    The school’s authority should be limited to activities at school and school-related events. Parents are the primary source of authority in a child’s life, especially outside of school. This is common sense.
    The school policies are a reflection of the much vaunted, but ineffective, “zero tolerance” policies of the ‘80s. Zero tolerance is a law enforcement strategy, originally designed by the U.S. Customs Agency. It is not an educational policy.
    Contrast this with Robbinsville High, which limits its prohibitions to “any school or school related activity.” Robbinsville’s athletic code is much more sensible, and it conforms to the spirit and letter of the New Jersey Administrative Codes – N.J.A.C 6A:16-7.1(e) and N.J.A.C 6A:16-7.6.
    In the end, Allentown High should spend less time and money “investigating” students and acting like a pseudo-law enforcement agency, and more time on “education” – in particular, science, technology, engineering and math.
    As parents and taxpayers, we don’t need our high schools to impose an invasive code of conduct, and monitor our children’s behavior 24 hours a day. We need our high schools to focus on the mission of education.
Matt Gallagher
Allentown