The dilemma of student vandalism The dilemma of student vandalism (April 15, 2005)

It is hard to imagine anything more senseless and wasteful than student acts of vandalism against school property. Damages can run into the thousands of dollars -- money that comes directly from the school treasury -- unless the culprits are caught and can be forced to cover the costs.

Just such a crime occurred at the Mountain View High School last December, resulting in $2,100 worth of damages when four students put glue in classroom locks and defaced the school building with paint. The case was heard by district trustees, who decided all four students would pay the highest penalty -- expulsion for the remainder of the school year.

But rather than accept the punishment, parents of two of the students hired attorneys and appealed the decision to the county Board of Education, which last week overruled the local district and reinstated the students. The board said the youths had received an unfair hearing, and that the district did not show that the students were a danger to themselves or others and that other means of correcting the students were not available.

Perhaps still smarting from the county decision, the Mountain View-Los Altos board members heard a presentation Monday that could lead to new procedures in expulsion hearings. One suggestion would give students more of an opportunity to state their case before a three to five-person panel of trained administrators rather than the board itself.

Other ways to lessen the impact of a first vandalism offense were suggested by board member Phil Faillace, and include taking away senior privileges, banishment from extracurricular activities and forced transfer to another school.

This is a reasonable approach designed to accommodate the county board's criticism of the district's expulsion process. Without changes, other students expelled for vandalism are sure to find their way to the county board and raise similar complaints about the process. That certainly would send the wrong message.

Under the new proposals, students will continue to be warned about the severe consequences for vandalism, and that they will be held responsible for damages. But expulsion for a first offense seems excessive given the wide latitude of other punishments available to the district. The new ideas are a move in the right direction to help resolve a very difficult process. In addition, the district should step up its education process about the consequences of vandalism, especially for seniors, who might think they have to leave a lasting impact on the school. Students need to get a loud and clear message that such activities will not be tolerated.

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