COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

P.O. BOX 2120

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120

SUPTS. MEMO NO. 58

October 24, 2003

ADMINISTRATIVE

TO:	Division Superintendents
FROM:	Jo Lynne DeMary Superintendent of Public Instruction
SUBJECT:	2003-2004 Discipline, Crime, and Violence Report

The purpose of this memo is to provide information for submitting data on discipline, crime, and violence in public schools for the 2003-2004 school year. Please submit data for the 365-day period starting with the first day of your 2003-2004 school year. Data submitted will meet the state and federal reporting requirements for the following:

• Persistently Dangerous Schools, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB)
• Safety Indicators for the state School Performance Report Card
• State Crime and Violence Report as required in Section 22.1-279.3:1 of the Code of Virginia
• Federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) report on suspension and expulsion of students with disabilities
• Federal Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act
• Federal Gun-Free Schools Act

The complete Instruction Booklet is located at the Department of Education (DOE) website: http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Publications/Discipline/datacoll/2003-2004/coll.html

The DOE has made several revisions to the offense codes for this years data collection. These revisions were made so that the codes could be more closely aligned with the collection of data for Persistently Dangerous Schools, which is part of NCLB. The areas that were modified are as follows:

Added malicious wounding

Redefined aggregated sexual assault of student to align with the Code of Virginia

Added Schedules I VI to controlled drugs and added anabolic steroids

Revised the structure of the drug codes to distinguish between sale or distribution and use or possession of Schedule I and II drugs, marijuana, or anabolic steroids.

Please note the shaded items in Appendix C in the Instruction Booklet. These items will be used to determine a schools status with regard to the criteria for Persistently Dangerous Schools (see Appendix D).

Other modifications include:

The addition of a subcategory to arson that includes lighted firecrackers or cherry bombs that contribute to a fire

Modifications to the definitions for assault and battery, fighting, and disorderly conduct to bring them into closer alignment with the Code of Virginia

The addition of a section for divisions to use to identify when and where the incident occurred, whether during the school day, during transit, at a school-sponsored event, or at a non-school sponsored event.

The revision of the title of the optional codes that provides a subcategory of the required codes. The codes in the subcategory can be used for purposes of local data collection, but these codes must be submitted to DOE if a student is suspended or expelled for a violation of the local code of conduct.

For example, the following offenses are a subcategory of optional codes and do not need to be reported to DOE unless the student is suspended or expelled:

o Disorderly conduct involving disrespect, defiance, possession of obscene or disruptive literature, obscene or inappropriate language or gestures

o Offensive sexual touching against staff and student

o Bringing a toy/look-alike gun to school

o Use, possession, sale, and distribution of over-the-counter medications

All data should be submitted through the Web-based submission process to the Department of Education (DOE) on or before Monday, September 13, 2004. The designated local contact person for this report should coordinate the collection of the data for the division.

The instruction booklet contains suggestions to ensure the accuracy and consistency of the data. You are especially encouraged to create a data review team that will examine the data periodically to identify concerns or inconsistencies.

Additional information related to this data collection process can be downloaded from the Department of Educations website at www.pen.k12.va.us. Users can select Reports at the top of the home page, or Data and Publications at the bottom, and then select Discipline, Crime, and Violence Data Collection from the Collections list. The complete address to access instructions for submission is as follows:

http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Publications/Discipline/datacoll/2003-2004/coll.html

Questions regarding the submission of this report may be directed to email address discipln@pen.k12.va.us or to Joyce Martin at (804) 225-2966.

JLD/JCC/dmb

cc: Discipline Contacts (via e-mail)