TO: Vanessa Hatvan, Library & Study Hall Supervisor
FROM: David Harcourt, Principal / Ruth Copley, Assistant Principal for Student Affairs
DATE: April 24, 2026 (retroactive review of disciplinary referrals, Apr 9–Apr 22)
SUBJECT: Review of Disciplinary Write-Ups & Recommended Sanctions
Thank you for your diligence in maintaining order in the library. We appreciate the volume of your reporting, though we would like to offer some administrative perspective on the disciplinary actions you have recommended over the past two weeks.
After a full review, we have made the following adjustments to the sanction log. In several instances, we have downgraded punishments to align with our school-wide restorative practices and to avoid over-saturating the detention and suspension rosters.
General Observations:
• We note you filed an average of 6.1 write-ups per day. While thorough, this volume is beginning to overwhelm our administrative hearing schedule.
• The vast majority of infractions (phone usage, open beverages, headphones, sleeping) are considered Level 1 infractions under the student handbook. Our standard practice is a verbal warning for first and second offenses, with a parent phone call on the third. Automatic detention—especially multiple days—should be reserved for Level 2 or repeat Level 1 offenses only.
• Going forward, please reserve formal write-ups for Level 2 offenses (insolence, vandalism, leaving campus) or repeated Level 1 violations (4th+ instance). Everything else can be handled with a verbal redirect and a brief note in your personal log, not a formal disciplinary referral.
Specific Overrules and Downgrades (April 9 – April 22):
1. Jordan Finn (Gr. 11) – Apr 14 – Carving into table (2 days detention + restitution).
Admin Decision: Downgraded to 1 day detention. No restitution required. We spoke to Jordan; he agreed to sand down the marks during an after-school community service hour. The table was already 12 years old and slated for replacement next summer.
2. Caleb Dunn (Gr. 10) – Apr 15 – Vape pen referral (library privileges revoked).
Admin Decision: We’ll handle the vape pen through the standard substance policy. Library privileges are suspended for 2 weeks, not the remainder of the semester. Caleb is a struggling student; we don't want to cut off his access to resources entirely.
3. Dennis Wheeler (Gr. 10) – Apr 22 – Earbuds (AM warning), leaving campus via side gate (12:30 PM → 3 days detention + ISS), verbal abuse/refusal to sign (2:00 PM → OSS pending).
Admin Decision: This is three write-ups in a single day, which feels excessive for Dennis. We agree the side-gate exit is a serious safety concern; however, we are overruling the 3-day detention and ISS referral.
Instead, Dennis will serve 1 day of in-school suspension and his parents have been called for a conference on Monday. The OSS for "verbal abuse" is too harsh, as he was clearly agitated after being confronted multiple times in one day. We’ve classified that final interaction as a "heated exchange" and logged it as a warning. Dennis has a 504 plan for anxiety; please keep that in mind for future interactions.
4. John McMiller (Gr. 11) – Apr 22 – Sleeping (AM warning), phone refusal (11:00 AM → 3 days detention), knocking over trash/refusing to clean (1:30 PM → Saturday detention + parent conference + behavioral contract).
Admin Decision: Overruled entirely on the behavioral contract. John is a good kid who just lost his grandfather last week. We were unaware of this, but his guidance counselor informed us today. The phone refusal and trash incident were likely grief-related acting out.
We are vacating all detention time for John on April 22. He will receive a single warning for the trash incident, and we have scheduled a check-in with his counselor. Please be more mindful of personal circumstances before piling on punitive measures.
5. Marek Kowalski (Gr. 12) – Apr 22 – Disruptive loudness (10:00 AM), carving initials into carrel (2:45 PM → suspension hearing + restitution).
Admin Decision: We agree the vandalism is unacceptable, but we are overruling the suspension hearing. Marek is a senior with a full-ride ROTC scholarship pending; a suspension hearing on his permanent record this late in the year could jeopardize his military offer.
Instead, Marek will pay for the wood filler and stain to repair the carrel (materials cost: ~$15). He will also serve 1 hour of after-school clean-up in the cafeteria, not a formal detention. We’ve spoken to him; he’s remorseful. Let's keep it low-stakes.
6. General Downgrades (All Students, Apr 9–Apr 22):
• Any detention that was assigned for a first-time phone/headphone/coffee violation has been nullified and converted to a "Warning – Parent Email" (no phone call needed).
• Any "Saturday detention" assigned for non-aggressive disruption (e.g., talking too loud, sleeping) has been converted to a regular lunch-time detention (30 minutes) or waived entirely if the student has a clean record otherwise.
Final Note:
Vanessa, we know you take your job seriously, and we don't take that for granted. However, we are a public high school, not a military academy. Our goal is de-escalation and keeping kids in the classroom—not piling up punitive actions that we ultimately have to dismiss at the administrative level.
Please refer to the attached revised disciplinary chart for your records. Going forward, we ask that you limit formal write-ups to severe disruptions (vandalism, fighting, verbal abuse, leaving campus) and rely on verbal warnings for the day-to-day noise.
If you have concerns about any student's behavior, we are happy to discuss them in person before you file the official report.
Thanks,
David Harcourt (Principal)
Ruth Copley (Assistant Principal)
Attachments: Revised Sanction Guidelines / Approved Infraction Tiers