By Jon Craig 

 

A Rye City School District hearing on revisions to the district Code of Conduct was met Monday with a mix of praise and skepticism.

 

Praise came from some parents, and Parent Organization officers, seeking more specific rules, definitions, and punishment for misbehavior such as bullying, harassing, and/or discriminating against others.

 

But others expressed doubts about application of the 50-page policy and proposed revisions, especially in light of a June 1 hazing incident that resulted in injuries that sent one boy to a local hospital and felony charges against three teens, all of whom are minors.

 

One Midland parent said her sixth-grade daughter burst into tears upon first hearing the hazing news, but then two weeks later said, “It’s not a big deal.’’ We missed that “teaching moment” she and others agreed.

 

One parent of an eighth-grader wondered aloud why more people weren’t at the hearing in the Rye Middle School multipurpose room, attended by about 40. “I think we’re getting lost in the weeds,’’ he said. “I’m kind of floored the room isn’t filled. This community should be up in arms about this.’’

 

He and a couple of others said this “teaching moment’’ will pass Rye by if parents don’t act and react to the hazing incident instead of recoiling and hushing it up due to national media attention.

 

District officials explained the policy revisions are being made to comply with a July 1 deadline set by the state under the Dignity for All Students Act — and not in reaction to the hazing, assault, and unlawful imprisonment of at least two youths who were paddled multiple times with a large piece of lumber causing bruises and other injuries to their buttocks and legs. According to a statement released by the District, the purpose of the act is to “afford all students in public school an environment free of discrimination and harassment.”

 

Responding to criticism from Bertrand de Frondeville that the lengthy policy should be summarized in two to three pages to make it easier for students and parents to understand — and school officials to enforce — Superintendent Dr. Edward Shine and several School Board members said detail is required to meet the state mandate and address the District’s liability concerns. Change in behavior takes a lot of time, Dr. Shine said, and does not come from words on a page. “It does come down to the Golden Rule,’’ he said.

 

Casey DeCola, Director of Teen Services at the Rye Youth Council, said many teens might be afraid to come forward if they hear about possible wrongdoing, for fear of reprisals by the school or peers. The revised Code of Conduct needs to assure students and parents that they can “safely come forward. Punishment doesn’t teach them to do something correctly,’’ DeCola said.

 

Last week, three teens pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor hazing and unlawful imprisonment charges. No plea was entered on the felony second-degree assault charge. Their next scheduled court date is July 24 at Rye City Court.

 

According to police, the accused rounded up a group of Rye Middle School eighth-graders, forced them into a car in front of the Rye library and drove them to the County-owned Marshlands Conservancy.

 

As is its practice, The Rye Record does not publish the names of minors accused of a crime.