School Discipline Lacking Common Sense

I thought I had seen strange things in schools in the this area but the blog zero intelligence has compiled an impressive roster of the truly bizarre--Ripley's has nothing on this lineup. Here are some of the strange events which have been recently featured:

• a student who was acting as a designated driver drove and picked up friends at an off campus party where alcohol was being served. For this act of public safety he was suspended 20 days;
• a student was suspended (later repealed) for weapons violations for folding paper into the shape of a gun;
• a student was charged with a felony for bringing a butter knife to school;
• under Indiana law a student can be suspended or expelled for actions taken "any where and at any time" even if the action has no geographic relationship to the school or any connection to a school activity no matter how remote;
• a student was charged with sexual assault and sexual harassment for streaking in his underwear during homecoming when he accidentally bumped into a science teacher;
• an honor roll student held up a 1 oz. test tube of beer (she did not drink it) and received a 6 week stint in an alternative school [probably will not be on honor roll when she gets back];
• Janesville, Wisconsin High School students beware; there have been 7 expulsions this year almost equaling the total for all of last year.

I understand the need for school discipline and order in schools.  The point is that arbitrary and irrational applications of rules does not encourage respect for the system, it undermines it.  Historically, there seem to be spike in this kind of irrationality, especially in the  wake of real and tragic school violence in the headlines like we have had this last week.  Talk to your children at all grades to be extra vigilant of staying clear of the deans of discipline, especially if there is a shortage of common sense in your district.

Comments

[Sherry Hollis]

I don't understand how schools do these things for the sake of 'zero tolerance policy' but then let the kids bully others to no end. Even to the point of parents getting the police involved and the school STILL ignores the behavior.
Lots of parents don't know that they can find out what the districts written policies are on these matters, to see if the 'time fits the crime' so to speak. Schools go way out of line against their own policies in these and any matters. Seems funny that all these school shootings and other things are happening in spite of 'zero tolerance'.

I would like to ask you a question Charles if that's ok. I have heard, but not read for myself, that there is a 'stipulation' to the NCLB law that states schools will get more funds for the least behavior issues the school has. Is this true?
This in turn is causing schools to ignore the bad behavior.
This stipulation would make sense if you think about all the bullys that are getting away with it all, while the GOOD kids who they are bullying are the ones getting in trouble, even to the point of being sent off to other schools.
Schools do not have to have documentation to prove there was bad behavior if they disclipline the GOOD kid.

If this stipulation is in fact true, then the schools are violating their own 'anti bully' policy.

It's all crazy now. The serious behavior is being ignored to the point of killing each other, while the stupid little things are being treated like federal crimes.

[Dawn]

Charles,
What a GREAT SITE!! I have found it by accident. Could not even tell you how. Thank you.
Just imagine if your special ed student turned 17, and instead of dealing with his disability has him arrested for saying "if she ever talked to me like that, outside of school I would want to slap her" arrested and placed into Adult Jail (GA LAW, 17 year olds are adults, yet parents responsibile) for the past 26 days. Terrorist Treat. Also kicked out of school.

[teacher- special ed]

Although these things may seem minor, when you deal with students everyday and you want them to learn, why put up with some of this? I'm not saying all above is justified, but why do parents want to condem and blame the schools instead of looking at what the child did. Everyday I get up and hope to help my students, but often can't. Instead of wondering what the school did to the student, why not what the student did at school. If parents don't care, what can schools do? I'm not a licensed counselor, but I spend more and more time dealing with issues that are out of my range. We aren't perfect, but we try. If children aren't made accountable, what can we do. School doesn't work without support from home, and I get less of that every year. I never think what can I do to get rid of this student, I think what can I do to keep them here? We see so many things now that weren't accepted by our parents, but now it's okay, you didn't mean to be bad. It wasn't accepted then, why relax and let students get away with these things now. Teachers and schools need support from you parents, not dumped on. Parents aren't perfect, they're human, guess what so are schools.

[Charles Fox]

Dear Teacher-Special Ed: Many school people are working hard and are dedicated. The reality is that very aberrant things are happening everyday that must be brought to the fore. In addition, there are many parents who would wish to be more involved and supportive but are rebuffed as micro-managers who are shut out by all means legal and extra-legal.

I am not a school-basher and certainly agree that parents and children need to take personal responsibility for the system to work, but school irrationality can be as much the rule as the exception at times.

[Vicodin Detox]

Sometimes I wonder if the officials that took these measures are sane. Suspending a kid for folding paper is absurd, don't they see it? But the real damage here is the education given to the kids: a child who learns from an early age that doing ANYTHING out of the ordinary might get him in trouble will give him all the chances to grow up to be an ignorant and a conformist. Is that what our nation needs?

[Vicodin Detox]

I don't blema the teachers for being so eager to prevent problems in our schools. It's a good thing that they are keeping it under control. I once heard from a teacher of mine that he found out of case in his school about two boys aged 5 and 6 that raped a little girl aged 4. Can you believe that!? Well I don't want that for my children...I totally agree with these actions

[concerned parent]

My son has been suspended from middle school for behavior issues however other students have not received the same discipline. My child was diagnosed with ADHD 3yrs ago. The actions are very minor and those of compulsive behavior. His disability has been discussed with Principal and Dean, but they did not attempt to offer assistance. My child has not even received in-school detention, but immediately suspended from school without prior contacting parent or child. I did not have opportunity to discuss with school as all I received was a voicemail on my cell phone and did not get it until 2 am of day suspension started. This situation is causing my child to be more and more emotional and disconnected. He feels like an outsider and no longer wants to attend school. He needs help, but I am a single mom and can only give my child what I can. I pleaded for help from the Principal but they seem to think the other children feel threatened. Yet my child is home crying and wanting to take self defense classes because he is scared and feels abandoned by the teachers.

My son was labeled as a bully by school when playing flag football and knocked a child over when reaching for their flag. On another occasion during gym class, a student shoved my son and he immediately my shoved the other student back. Not only was my child (not the student who started the incident) suspended from school, but was also kicked off the school football team as an additional punishment. Other students taunt my child by intentionally sitting in his assigned seat and hoping for a reaction. After begging the other student to please give his seat back all the students were laughing at him. He shook the desk in an effort to get the other kid to get out of his seat. The other students were not disciplined for bullying my child, but rather my son was punished for his defensive behavior that is associated with ADHD. His enrollment forms clearly stated his disability. Unfortunately his missed classes may cause his removal from the gifted and talented classes as they are too difficult to maintain with lossed days without instruction. The Principal has warned that if another child claims he says or does anything inappropriate regardless of his side of the story, he will be expelled for the year and will fail the 7th grade. Brilliant children are still children and still have disabilities. Schools cannot hold them to higher standards than those without disabilities. The school has not offered assistance with the school psychiatrist or offered any other possibility than punishment by suspension or expulsion. The school has completely turned their head at the possibility that my son’s behavior could be a result of his disability. As a single parent with limited resources, I don’t know where to begin. This school is failing my child and they do not want to deal with his special need.

This is just more examples of wasted efforts in the wrong departments. We have severely struggling students and academic cocerns that seem to be so much more important than a butter knife in a school lunch. Shouldn't efforts be put into reorganizing the things that aren't working with a focus on education rather than focusing on the students' outside-of-school lives and incarceration? In their defense, I understand these things that probably (let's hope) sparked the administration's thinking: school should = safe, no tolerance, we're always teaching lessons. However, as humans, we have the capability to reason and problem-solve, and we even possess foresight. Wouldn't these attributes cause a person to see the humorous over-exaggeration of policy? Children burnt by these policies (the un-deserved ones) will have less trust in the school and with authority. We are desensitizing them to repercussion. It could even encourage more poor behavior.
CMC - Sherrard Cohort

[silvia]

Hello!
I am writing a paper on these exact types of topics for my graduate class. Does anyone know of any resources that I can use for my research? All these comments are great, but I need something more appropriate for use on a project.