Paula White
Northern News Services

INUVIK (Jun 18/99) - The District Education Authority handed out some stunning facts and figures at its annual general meeting June 8, to back up its discipline, attendance and suspension policies.

Board member Arlene Hansen presented the figures to the crowd of between 15 and 20 people. She said she had gathered the figures from going through the suspension letters that had been handed out from September until about mid-May. The many complaints about the high number of suspensions and the attention it had been getting in the press were reasons Hansen decided to gather the statistics.

Hansen said up until May 15, there had been 164 suspensions of 83 students. Of those 83, 55 were from junior high and of those 83, 45 were suspended once, 16 twice, nine were suspended three times, eight had four, four students had five suspensions and one student had seven suspensions. But Hansen added that, to receive a suspension, a student has to have been sent to the office 10 times.

The suspensions were split up into three categories -- those resulting from poor attendance, those from behaviour problems and those from fighting. Hansen said 22 per cent of the suspensions came from poor attendance, 51 per cent from behaviour and 27 per cent from fighting.

There were a total of 83 suspensions resulting from behaviour problems, which include being disruptive in class, refusing to participate, swearing and doing drugs. These suspensions were handed out to 83 students. Of the 83, 30 were three-day suspensions, 34 were for five days and 19 were 20-day suspensions.

Thirty-four students were suspended 44 times for fighting or violent behaviour. Twenty-nine students received 20-day suspensions, two received two-day suspensions and 10 were handed three-day suspensions. The offences ranged from throwing a desk, hitting a teacher and punching a window.

Hansen said, based on these figures, it is her belief that the policies are too lenient.

"When I look at this, it tells me that students in this community have trouble with respect," Hansen said, both for themselves and for others. She added that she believed it is the parents' responsibility to teach respect, not the teachers'.

"The majority of suspensions within this school have been handled appropriately or...too leniently."

Following Hansen's presentation, the crowd was given the opportunity to discuss the statistics with the board, as well as with principal Bernie MacLean and vice-principals Chuck Lirette and Bill Gowans.

"I think suspending kids for attendance is wrong," one parent said.

Another parent raised the point that education is a health and social services issue. She pointed out that the generation of people who attended residential schools weren't able to develop parenting skills as a result.

Most of the parents in the audience, however, backed the schools.

"I have no problem with the number of suspensions," one parent said. "We have to teach our kids to be respectful...and I agree it should be in the home."

"If anything, it's too lenient and I support both schools wholeheartedly," said Alan Fehr, another parent.

Samuel Hearne has a student population of close to 300. Hansen said of the 83 students suspended, only 38 went on to repeat offences. She said that is a relatively small number, and added "Boy oh boy oh boy, we sure do have a heck of a lot of them (students) that are really, really wonderful."

DEA chair Yvonne Carpenter ended the AGM by pointing out the attendance at the meeting was triple the amount of the previous meeting. She then pointed out the DEA meets every second and fourth Tuesday of each month.