Williamsville schools
Code of conduct adopted
by KEN BARTOLOTTA Reporter

The Williamsville Central School District adopted a code of conduct for the 2007-08 school year at its board meeting on Tuesday night, May 22.

However, the approval didn't come without the board first airing some grievances with the policy.

While most board members believed the code put the education and safety of its students at the forefront, it was in the wording that officials took issue.

Most notably, officials wanted more specific language in relation to school safety as well as policies concerning proper attire for students.

"I want stronger language in relation to what conduct would be taken if a student were caught with firearms in school," said board member Khalid Qazi. "We've had too many tragedies across the country not to look at this more seriously."

Qazi also believed that the code should be more specific with gambling on school property as well as tampering with institutional structures on the campus.

According to Qazi, the issue of gambling and betting on school grounds was not yet a problem in Williamsville but appeared to be a growing matter throughout the country.

The other problem the board had was with the dress code within the school, with many board members feeling the wording of the policies didn't allot the teachers enough authority in enforcing the code.

"From what I've seen and heard, it's apparent that teachers, males especially, won't put themselves in a position where they're questioning how a student is dressed," said board member Camille Eichhorn.

"I think they need more support from the board," she said. "It's not specific enough, and it doesn't have enough weight behind it."

While the policy was unanimously approved, the board agreed to continue to work on the code of conduct throughout the school year and take the suggestions into account when adopting conduct codes in the future.

The board's next meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 12 at the district office, 105 Casey Road, East Amherst. Among items on the agenda will be a proposed policy on "electronic devices with photographic or text messaging capability."

e-mail: kenb@beenews.com