Board sets walkout procedure

Officials set consequences

BENTONVILLE — High school students who participate in a planned walkout this week to remember school-shooting victims will be marked absent and receive detention in accordance with school policy.

The School Board made that decision in a 4-3 vote Monday, overruling a decision by School District administrators to allow the walkout to occur without consequences for students.

The board discussed the issue for an hour before voting. Travis Riggs, Rebecca Powers, Brent Leas and Eric White voted in favor of enforcing the district’s policy. Matt Burgess, Willie Cowgur and Joe Quinn voted against enforcing it.

Bentonville High School and West High School officials anticipate their students will take part in Wednesday’s national school walkout, which will come exactly a month after a gunman stormed a Parkland, Fla., high school and killed 17 people.

The national walkout has been billed as both a tribute to the victims and a call for action in response to gun violence. Powers acknowledged the desire of students to honor Parkland victims and provoke change, but said her job as a board member is to protect the district and enforce policy.

“We have policies in place to prevent disruption in our educational environment. We have policies in place that do not allow student-led meetings during instructional time,” Powers said.

She said allowing the walkout without consequence would set a precedent that would be used against the district.

“As much as we love our executive team, we can’t leave it to them to be able to pick and choose which demonstration or which student-led group they will be supporting by not following policy,” Powers said.

Debbie Jones, superintendent, told board members she had spoken with other local school districts about how they’re handling the walkout. Rogers, Fayetteville and Pea Ridge all are allowing

it without punishment, she said.

Jones added she’d spoken to Marshall Ney, the district’s attorney, who said he felt comfortable in allowing the walkout without punishment because he felt it was more a demonstration in honor of the lives lost than a protest.

Quinn said he’s proud of students for taking a stand. He also argued against reversing the administration’s decision and publicly embarrassing Jones.

“Our superintendent thoughtfully put a policy on the table with her executive staff,” Quinn said. “And she said, ‘This is how we should handle this.’ I, for one, think the superintendent handled it immensely professionally.”

Discussion turned to what punishment is typically doled out when a student misses class without a valid excuse. A student is assigned detention, Jones said. Detention usually lasts 30 to 45 minutes, according to Jennifer Morrow, director of secondary education.

Riggs, the board president, said the issue to him is still about policies and procedures. The board will be held accountable in the future for swaying from its policies, he said.

“The first time a group wants to come and organize a prayer event during school, I’m going to say no, because it’s the same thing,” Riggs said.

Riggs also chided board members — whom he didn’t call out by name — for comments they made about the administration’s decision on social media.

“We should never, ever throw our administration under the bus in a Facebook post,” he said.

Leas said he hated the way school shootings have been politicized. He also expressed a desire to stick to policy.

Five audience members expressed different opinions on the subject during time allotted for public comment.