The Bibb County Board of Education and Schools are not upholding the student code of conduct. I am starting this petition in hopes that all schools are operated under the same code of conduct. All students should be treated fairly no matter what gender or race they are. Dan Anthony Sims is the new Bibb County School Superintendent and I hope he makes the changes the children need.

Here is my story... My son is a 7th grader at Rutland Middle School in Macon, Ga. He was suspended by the Dean of Students for ten days for slap boxing (horse playing) in the restroom with another student. There were other boys in the restroom recording and somehow the video landed in the hands of the Dean of Students. After meeting with all the boys, he made the decision to suspend both of the boys for ten days. After speaking with the administrators about the unsatisfactory outcome, the Dean and the Principal said that this was a fight because two students engaged in contact with one another. They also told me that the Bibb County Board of Education implemented a new rule stating that when students engage in fighting, physically contacting one another, they will automatically be suspended for ten days. The principal told me he couldn’t overturn this decision because of the new rule that was put in place. This still didn’t sit well with me so I contacted the Bibb County School District  I called a total of three times and left messages and didn’t get a response. Finally a day later on my fourth attempt I was able to speak with Student Affairs. When speaking with her, she confirmed the new rule and also stated that students know this rule as well. She also told me that the Bbb County Code of Conduct is a book of guidelines that doesn’t have to be followed step by step and it’s to the administrators discretion on what punishment the students will receive. This also means that they couldn’t overturn the school's decision to suspend my child for ten days. I expressed to her my concerns as I did with Rutland Middle School. She told me that she would send my concerns to the Assistant Superintendent of Student Affairs.It has been several weeks and I still haven't received a response from the Board of Education about this matter. These are my concerns... How could this be deemed as a fight when it is clearly Horse Play??? On the video you see the boys laughing and playing, simply being immature and silly teenage boys. How can Bibb County Board of Education implement a new rule that is not in Code of Conduct nor was it communicated to the parents??? It is my belief that the code of conduct is considered a legal document, how does this allow administrators to use it as a guideline? What is the purpose of us signing and returning the document if Bibb County doesn’t uphold the code of conduct??? Why couldn’t this have been an opportunity for a teachable moment, where is the positive reinforcement??? If this is considered a fight, why wasn’t my son suspended for 1-3 days for a first offense as stated in the Bibb County Code of Conduct? Why didn’t the school send home any assignments to be completed during the suspension??? Why are there different rules at different schools when the Code of Conduct is the same throughout the district? How can the school board implement a new rule and not update the code of conduct nor the parents?? Why does the Board of Education fail to communicate with the parents when we express our concerns? It clearly states that the board will try its best to respond within 3 days after contact but you never get a response.