COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

P.O. BOX 2120

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120

SUPTS. MEMO NO. 245

December 3, 2004

INFORMATIONAL

TO:	Division Superintendents
FROM:	Jo Lynne DeMary Superintendent of Public Instruction
SUBJECT:	School Division and Regional Centers: Crime, Violence, and Substance Abuse Data Reporting

The purpose of this memo is to clarify how incidents resulting in crime, violence, and substance abuse occurring in school division centers/programs and regional centers/programs will be addressed in the 2004-2005 Crime, Violence and Substance Abuse Report and in the monitoring of schools for persistently dangerous designations. These centers and programs include centers operated by school divisions within a division; regional or division vocational centers; regional Governors schools; regional or division alternative programs; and regional or division special education centers.

• The Code of Virginia ( 22.1-279.3:1) requires school divisions statewide to submit data annually to the Department of Education on incidents of discipline, crime, and violence occurring on school property, on a school bus, or at a school-sponsored activity. This requirement includes incidents that occur at school division centers and programs and regional centers or programs. Data from centers will be reported separately in the Annual Report on Incidents of Crime, Violence, and Substance Abuse.

• For monitoring purposes, and to maintain safe environments, data on incidents occurring at centers and programs will be tracked annually. However, because these sites are not considered schools, the data will not be included in the designation of cautioned, probationary, or persistently dangerous schools under the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB).

• The incidents occurring in school division centers/programs or regional centers/programs will not be attributed to the school of student origin for purposes of determining cautioned, probationary or persistently dangerous status for schools under NCLB.

The Department of Education will provide specific instructions by separate mailing to all school division centers/programs and regional centers/programs on how to report data to school divisions on incidents occurring in their facilities. School divisions will receive a separate verification report for each school division center/program or regional center/program. Division and regional centers and programs will also receive notification of summary data reported for the center or program.

The Department of Education will be conducting regional workshops to address issues related to reporting incidents occurring at school division centers/programs and regional centers/programs during the months of February and March. Notice of the dates and times for these meetings will be mailed by separate notice to all school divisions and to all school division centers/programs and regional centers/programs.

Please contact Ms. Arlene Cundiff, safe and drug-free schools program coordinator, at (804) 225-2871, Arlene.Cundiff@doe.virginia.gov, or Dr. Cynthia Cave, director of student services, at (804) 225-2818, Cynthia.Cave@doe.virginia.gov, if you have any questions on this matter.

JLD/CAC/ec