by Jonathan Redondo
The TUSD Governing Board unanimously approved the district’s new Code of Conduct this summer before the 2023-2024 school year. It went into effect this fall.
This change comes as many educators and staff members in TUSD, including many at Pueblo High School, have been pushing for a more organized way to keep campuses safe.
Mr. Cristobal Santa Cruz, a longstanding and beloved social studies teacher, as well as Pueblo alumni, was a major proponent of the push for a new Code of Conduct, gathering hundreds of signatures and writing a petition.
Santa Cruz said, “Right now, things seem a lot calmer.” However, he added that Pueblo and TUSD will not see the full effects of the Code of Conduct change “until the year’s end.”
Another proponent of the long-awaited change was another PHS (English) teacher, Mr. Gage Stewart. An Area Director for Tucson Education Association, he was a formidable factor for a new Code of Conduct, often lending his voice and mind to the cause.
Stewart said he is not looking for more “punitive measures” or more “police on campus,” but is looking for better ways to “keep campuses safe.”
With this change, many teachers and administration officials are holding onto hope for this new year. Only time will tell how much effect this will have on students, faculty, and staff, and just how much safer TUSD campuses will be for the remainder of the school year.