By PAMELA GOULD
Two Spotsylvania County School Board members said they might ask to table the proposed sports participation policy set for a final vote tomorrow.
"I think we need to be very careful about how we proceed," Battlefield District member Linda Wie-land said in a recent interview. "I'm in full support of the policy. I just want to make sure we take the time to get it right."
The School Board gave the policy preliminary approval in a 5-1 vote April 27, but asked staff to continue reviewing it. Board member Donald Holmes cast the dissenting vote then, and said this week that he may ask to table it until his concerns are resolved.
The system now has no comprehensive policy for sports participation. School officials set about crafting one after nine Spotsylvania students were arrested following a beating incident in a county neighborhood Jan. 11. Each of the students was charged with two counts of malicious wounding by mob. Two teens were hospitalized after the incident, which was unrelated to school activity.
The incident, which the Sheriff's Office said was captured on video, came to the School Board's attention after it was learned that two of the charged teens helped Courtland High School win the Battlefield District title in track and field the next month.
Holmes has said the policy's wording was a knee-jerk reaction to that incident.
Holmes said the proposal doesn't give principals room to exercise discretion, that it treats students as guilty before they are convicted, and that any policy should apply to participation in all extracurricular activities.
Lee Hill District board member Amanda Blalock said this week that she hadn't finished evaluating the policy, but supported taking action following an arrest.
"I don't know what the answer is going to be, but it's our job to take a look at this and find it," she said.
The proposed policy addresses guidelines for eligibility, training and practice sessions for athletes in grades seven through 12. It was crafted after consultation with middle and high school principals and their activities and athletic directors.
The original version called for a student to be removed from a team following an arrest for a violent crime or for using alcohol or another prohibited substance. It also declared students ineligible if they engaged in conduct that "reflects discredit" upon their team or school.
This week, principals had an online meeting to further discuss the policy proposal, Courtland Principal Mike Bedwell said.
Bedwell said that when the incident occurred in January, his only guidance came from the school system's code of conduct. He relied on the section that states that a student could be suspended or expelled for a drug-related crime or one involving violence, but not until there was a conviction.
Given that, he believed the best course of action was to keep the accused students involved in productive after-school activities, he said.
"I think it is consistent with the school's mission to provide wholesome activity after school," said Bedwell, who has been an educator for 34 years.
Bedwell said it will be helpful to have a formal policy.
This week, Holmes said he wants a policy but stressed that he felt principals should have the opportunity to look at the circumstances of a situation in meting out discipline. He contrasted a repeat offender with someone who made one mistake, and said punishment should fit the student and the offense.
The goal, he said, is to correct the behavior and prevent it from happening again. He said the schools have many privileges they can suspend as punishment, not just participation on a team.
"You have to know your people," Holmes said. "You can't cookie-cut this."
Holmes and Wieland agreed with other board members and Superintendent Jerry Hill that sports participation is a privilege and that athletes are held to a higher standard because they represent their schools.
Wieland expressed concern that children no longer learn that their actions can bring repercussions.
"We've taken a step in the wrong direction," she said. "We've protected our children to the point they don't realize there are consequences."
Pamela Gould: 540/735-1972
Email: pgould@freelancestar.com