The Portland teachers’ union and school administration are planning to collaborate on a task force to update student discipline policies.

The proposal comes just weeks after a high profile event in Portland Public Schools, where a Lincoln Middle School athletic director was facing termination after he hit a student from another school during an off-campus soccer game.

Portland Education Association President Kerrie Dowdy proposed the task force during a Portland school board meeting Tuesday night at Casco Bay High School, alongside Jen Cooper, president of the district’s educational technician union.

“After much feedback and listening loops, the Portland Education Association has proposed to the superintendent a task force to review Portland Public Schools student discipline policies and procedures, and to develop a draft proposal of a progressive discipline document for Portland Public Schools students by the first school board meeting in May,” Dowdy said at the board meeting.

She proposed that the task force be co-chaired by union representation and administrators, and that they begin work as soon as possible. She said the group will have to consider how to accommodate students with Individualized Education Plans and think about what information can be shared with staff, protocols for safety at off-site events, and an understanding of how state laws fit into school discipline policies.

“A district-wide progressive discipline protocol for students is something that has been widely requested since I began teaching in the Portland Public Schools in 1992,” she said. “We propose this not only to advocate for all students and staff in the Portland Public Schools, but also to advocate for parents, as embedding parent collaboration into this process is critical for student success.”

Superintendent Ryan Scallon said during the meeting that the district administration would be jointly moving forward with the union on the task force. Scallon said he was excited to partner with the union and staff to set clear expectations for students, and make guidelines for how teachers can respond to student behavior in caring and progressive ways.

“I believe that making sure that we’re really clear on this, and up-front and transparent about this, is part of the key way that we ensure that our schools embody what we are talking about in our mission statement, about making sure that we have joyful places for students to learn,” he said.

It wasn’t clear during the meeting Tuesday whether the task force was spurred by the discussion surrounding last month’s pubic termination hearing; union leaders did not respond to messages about the motivation behind the task force.

The teacher maintained that he acted in self defense when surrounded by a large group of students, some of whom were not allowed to be at the game because of their past behavior at athletic events. He was not ultimately fired after reaching a private agreement with the district, but throughout a public hearing process, faculty, parents and students defended the athletic director, and called on the district to have stronger policies around student discipline.