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• a student was suspended (later repealed) for weapons violations for folding paper into the shape of a gun;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?