Final Assessment Questions

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Liberty University *

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Philosophy

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Oct 30, 2023

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Assessment Questions: Scored 60/60 1. Select one of the case studies at the end of the chapter on school safety. Answer all the questions at the end of the case study. Discuss any other unresolved issues that might not have been addressed by one of the questions. Incorporate principles from the textbook and/or course videos in your response. Case Study: Q: Trouble in Paradise: Pastor announces, that the church’s private Christian school is opening up to allow all students and families, Christian or otherwise, to apply for enrolment. The church is a “seeker- sensitive” church with active outreach programs for non-Christians. The parent advisory board is disappointed and concerned the school is losing its way their voices will not be heard. Parents are threatening to pull students. If you were an elder, how would you advise the pastor to proceed? A: First and foremost, as a Christian, it is important to remember we are all God’s people; whether one believes in him or not is up to them. God welcomes and calls us all to be shepherds of the flock. God says in Ezekiel 34:11 “Behold, I, myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.” (King James Bible, 1769/2020). He does this with our help, like this church, being “seekers” of non-Christians and guiding them back to him. As an elder of the church, I would encourage the Pastor to proceed with the plans to open up the church and school to all persons, believing and non-believing. I would remind them and support them as Jesus says “Permit the children to come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to them” (Luke 18:16). Children learn and grow spiritually through their parents and then their community, if God is not in their homes, then how else might they encounter his love if we do not open our doors? As for the disappointed parents, I would encourage the pastor to allow for an open discussion, find out where these fears are coming from, what knowledge might they be missing about the vision for the school, and try to come to a consensus about the school/churches shared vision moving forward (Claxton, 2013). This does not mean everyone will agree or vote and majority rules but coming together to understand what progress is being made, why it is being made, and find common ground that everyone can agree to move forward with. A church is its people so it is important for the pastor to hear the people out and allow them a voice, this will help build an authentic partnership between them (Claxton, 2013). As part of best practice ideas for creating a positive shared vision, it is important that the pastor and the people come together as an organization and address several points. Together they should:  Define core values, beliefs, and goals  Define the five-year plan and what it looks like  Define areas of strength and weakness  Define any changes that need to occur to meet ALL student needs By involving all stakeholders, the pastor has allowed all to feel part of the process and change in a positive way versus the change being forced upon them. As the year progresses, I would encourage the pastor to continue to meet with the parent advisory board to continue discussing their shared vision while supporting each other in the process. References

Claxton, R. L. (2013). Public and private school administration: An overview in Christian perspective (second). Kendall Hunt Publishing Company. King James Bible. (2020). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.orgLinks to an external site. /(originally published 1769) 2. Read the case study at the end of the chapter on school-community relations. Respond to each of the questions at the end of the case study and write a paragraph analyzing any issues not addressed by the questions. Incorporate principles from the textbook and/or course videos in your response . Case Study: Trouble at Pineville Middle School The current environment at Pineville Middle School is one of low morale, support, and positivity. Parents are not as engaged with the school, teachers do not feel supported, and the parents that are engaged, only have a negative view or experiences with the school and staff. While reviewing the parent comments, the most significant was by a parent stating their child was one of 24 in a classroom lacking resources, specifically calculators to appropriately and equally access the curriculum. Next discouraging comment was from a parent saying in their experience, they do not feel welcome by the administration and staff. This comment was supported by the teachers gathering at the end of the hallway speaking about the open house as a waste of time and when gathered, staying in their classrooms versus out in the hallways to greet visitors. The other two comments shared were not as significant but did contribute to the school culture and community members' experiences. Parents noted they did not see faculty or other parents supporting extracurriculars in either basketball or the yearbook. This shed a negative light on the school as a whole. From these comments, Dr. Chiles should start by opening up the school more, inspiring change through a revamped school mission, and involving all stakeholders in the process. Inviting the community in can be as easy as hosting a simple meal night, a picnic book break at lunch for parents and students, and community service days to paint or clean up around the school and local area (Claxton, 2013). Offering events at different times or places allows for more parents to be involved as their schedules might vary greatly. To boost teacher morale, Dr. Chiles could start with an anonymous survey, allowing educators to share their thoughts and struggles without fear or reparation. Once those are in and Dr. Chiles has had time to evaluate their thoughts and experiences, meet with the staff, share what she has learned, and plan with them for change. Allowing transparency and the opportunity to collaborate and take ownership in the process is what will help build trust and buy-in to build a more positive environment (Claxton, 2013). Within larger issues, there is still a lack of parental and community partnerships and engagement, no process to track parental engagement or success of plans, and no overall improvement plan has been developed. Dr. Chiles should start with the teachers to build morale, participation in school activities, and support for building an improvement plan. Once the teachers are in a good space, working to connect to the community is most important. Through digital connections, emails, callouts, and paper

fliers home, parents will begin to feel welcomed. The process is a slow and difficult but not impossible one. Dr. Chiles will need the support of all staff to turn the school around and bring the community back through the doors. 3. Compare how religious expressions may be exercised in public schools as compared to private schools. What might be permissible in one environment but not in another? Why is this so? Incorporate principles from the textbook and/or course videos in your response. Religion in public schools is much more restricted than it once was. The standard, accepted practice in a public school is that students are allowed to lead prayers, quote scripture, and give testimony as long as it is of their own doing (Claxton, 2013). These acts of religion cannot be requested or arranged by faculty or staff, it is not disruptive to any learning environment or school setting, and done in a way that students who want to participate can but no one is required or obligated to stay or join in (Claxton, 2013). The students' rights to religion in the public school space are protected rights under the US Constitution so as long as others' rights are not violated in the process, they are free to practice. Religion in private schools is much more visible and widely expressed. Teachers are able to congregate and discuss religion and practices freely as long as it does not contain or can be identified as hate speech. Students are often required to participate in religious courses and might pray or attend a church service throughout the week. However, the rights of the private schools are also much different regarding religion because they can bleed into the staff or faculty's private lives as well. A private Christian school for example can set expectations for its teachers to live a certain lifestyle that is in line with the school's morals and beliefs, they have a say if a single teacher becomes pregnant or divorced (Claxton, 2013). Most often, it is implied or understood when one applies to work a religious-based school, that they understand the expectations, often live that religious life already, and believe in the mission of that religion. There are laws, rules, and regulations in place for both private and public schools but even then, there are some variances in what is allowed in both settings depending on the local community, culture, and other influences. For both schools, typically in the south, there is more flexibility and tolerance of prayer in all settings before all events, and staff are often included or even leading. If looking at a region like the Pacific Northwest or down into parts of California, you will see very little prayer at school events and if occurring, is typically not led by staff; but initiated and done independently by students. Reference Claxton, R. L. (2013). Public and private school administration: An overview in Christian perspective (second). Kendall Hunt Publishing Company . 4. Regarding searching a student’s person, property, or locker, compare how circumstances may differ depending on whether it is a school administrator or a police offer requesting and conducting the search. Explain how probable cause and reasonable suspicion are different and how those differences may affect a prospective search.

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Searching a student physically or their belongings can and is a very delicate situation. First, it is important to recognize the Fourth Amendment rights to all individuals for rational search and seizure. This right protects the individual from unlawful searches based on discrimination, harassment, or other bias (Claxton, 2013). That being said, school officials, acting in lieu of parents- in loco parentis, while students are at school, do have the right to search student belongings and request assistance from resource officers to search physically under certain circumstances (Claxton, 2013). Different school searches include a search of property due to reasonable suspicion, metal detectors, canine searches, random drug tests, locker searches, and strip searches. For all searchers, the principal must give permission. Then based on the suspicion, such as a weapon was seen or suspected, drugs were seen or suspected, or there is a suspicion of harm to one’s self or others will determine which search is conducted. Student parents must be informed if their student is suspected to need a drug test, strip search (done at a law enforcement location, never advised at school), or law informant is called, to include the school resource officer for drug or weapon-related paraphernalia or actual items (Claxton, 2013). Other less invasive searchers such as metal detectors or drug dogs do not need parent permission or notification however, parents are typically notified in the school code of conduct, parent informationals, and other avenues that these practices are in place for student safety and monitoring. Locker searches are also common and do not require parent or student consent unless something unlawful is found (Claxton, 2013). If school officials have reasonable suspicion that there is something that could be of danger to the student or others, they may cut the locker lock and search; if there is not reasonable suspicion, no locker searches can take place (Claxton, 2013). Reasonable suspicion can come in many forms but in the school setting might appear as a student's report of seeing, hearing or smelling something on another student, eyewitness accounts form student or faculty, unusual student behavior, or an anonymous tip of perceived wrong doing (Claxton, 2013). Reference Claxton, R. L. (2013). Public and private school administration: An overview in Christian perspective (second). Kendall Hunt Publishing Company . 5. Discuss how school-community relations may be maximized to assist in one of the other topics addressed in this course (e.g., vision development, school improvement, instructional leadership, curriculum development, faculty professional development, budgeting, finance, and school safety). Incorporate principles from the textbook and/or course videos in your response. School community relations are not only important but help a school grow, support where there are gaps financially, and add engaging rigor or enrichment for developing students. As we learned through the simulation, stakeholders contribute in many ways that directly and indirectly influence and affect students, teachers, staff, and the broader community (Claxton, 2013). To maximize their benefit, community relationships need to be fostered and allowed to grow in meaningful ways. Some examples include partnerships with local universities to provide students with tutoring, exposure to STEM programs, or enrichment through the arts. Principals or admin teams have to work with the budgets

they are given, it is with the help of parent-teacher associations, and others that the financial gaps are filled so students have the resources they need or are able to purchase updated curricula. The community is essential for helping a school prosper and be successful. Claxton discusses the need for school/community transparency and communication, to allow buy-in from the community and an opportunity to collaborate in the future direction of the school (2013). Allowing this partnership supports the progress toward goals in a school's improvement plan, budgeting for coming years, and school safety. Some best practices outside of school that maximize resources include encouraging parents/families to help at home, attending school events, volunteering within the school, and communicating with their student's team of teachers and staff. Other ways to maximize the community resources are to seek out business sponsorships and support relationships with the school and local firefighter or law informant. Open the school to them as well and invite them in for career-building days or safety lessons. By allowing them in and showing support for what they do, they will in turn be there to help support the school, invest in the students, and help to maintain positive growth (Claxton, 2013) 6. Provide an explanation in your own words of the terms “open forum” and “equal access.” What implications do these terms have regarding school law and student rights? Incorporate principles from the textbook and/or course videos in your response. Equal access refers to the federal law for individuals with disabilities known as the Individuals with Disabilities Act or IDEA which was established to provide all students with the opportunity for equal access to education no matter their ability. This also led to and was further supported by the Free and Appropriate Public Education Act or FAPE which allows all students the right to attend and receive a free public education. Reference Claxton, R. L. (2013). Public and private school administration: An overview in Christian perspective (second). Kendall Hunt Publishing Company .