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The Edutopia Poll
by Sara Bernard
As student suspension rates rise dramatically, many schools and school districts are reconsidering their discipline policies -- and even state governments are weighing in. In Connecticut, for instance, the state House of Representatives voted unanimously last week in favor of a bill that would prevent suspensions of all students except those too dangerous or disruptive to be in class.
Supporters of the bill say that suspensions have been handed out too freely, and that simply forbidding students to come to school tends to exacerbate rather than remediate the problem. School officials, however, contend that this legislation is too restrictive and vague, and that alternatives to suspension -- such as in-school suspension or other programs -- are too costly. What do you think?
Comments & Responses
Suspension for false accusations
My friend got suspended because apparently she said some ignorant things when i was with her and she didnt and now im tryin to figure out how to reverse the suspension because now she cant graduate on time and it interferred with something i was going to ask her. Anyone have any suggestions for me?
School is unjust and unfair
I got In school suspension for 3 days and a Hearing with the school bored 2 days ago. It started with the teacher leaving the class and I decided that it would be funny to erase a part of the question off the board ,because its the end of school and the question was not that important anyway, well when he came back in he didn't think it was funny so he sent me to the office and i now have to go to a hearing with the school board. I know what i did was wrong but, it was not that serious. In fact, I've done worse things and only gotten a detention.
yea i know
i know how ya feel ive done worse things and only gotten slightly punished but then when i do somethin small i end up getting suspended pretty dumb
Rochester MI Middle School VP Abuses Power
I am dealing with a new vice principal at my son's school who is definitely on a power trip. She is suspending kids left and right for things that don't involve classroom disruption or physical harm to anyone. For example, she suspended kids for popping lunch bags in the lunchroom. She also exaggerates beyond belief about incidents. She said my son is feared by other kids. My son has never been in a fight in his life, nor is he violent in any way. I put in a request with the school board to see the number of suspensions at his school compared with the other middle schools in the district, plus compared to the prior year at his school. I have heard nothing, which proves to me the numbers must put her in an unfavorable light. I need to find out how and if I can get those numbers from the county or the state. Does anyone know if this is possible?
Fair Discipline in School
I have ran into a problem at my son's school with a dishonest administration. My son had not had prior discipline problems until a new Principal and Assistant came to his middle school, both of them were coaches who came from the high school. The year started off wrong because I challenged the Principal for charging my son with a class III violation when it was a class II based on the code of conduct. The record was changed but from that point on it has been a total nightmare. The students in our district are assingned to an Alternative school which is a Boot Camp. The instructers are drill sargents and the students have to do four complete hours of intense physical excercise in the hot sun, they are searched as they walk in the building each day and they have to eat lunch standing up. They are not allowed to talk to each other at all and they have to earn a certian number of points each day or they will loose the day and have to stay an extra day. They have no academic instruction. They are sentenced from 30 to 55 days. Many of these kids haven't done anything more than be tardy or have thier shirt tail out too many times. The punishment does not fit the crime and if the administrator wants a kid out of the school he will get him out one way or another. No wonder kids are dropping out of school, Kids need discipline but they also need to be able to trust those in authority to be honest and play by thier own rules.
School Suspension
I am in Middle school, I got suspended because of a teacher. I was told that I had flipped off the whole class with my middle finger and so I told her I did nothing. But she said there are two witnesses that said I did it. I was told to leave the classroom and I said no because there is no reason I needed to go and the teacher standed right in front of face and said leave the classroom and I went. She called the Vice principal on me. I was outside of the classroom and I saw the vice principal she said "Are you the one?" I said Yes and she said. Go to the office. I tried to ask her a question but she didn't let me ask and so I finally got answer it was "JUST GO". And so I walked to the office and when I saw her she had the two witnesses, they were friends so I thought they just wanted to cause trouble for me. I was tooken into the vice princpal office and she said I was derespecting a teacher and her. So she gave me three days suspension then I said I was not derespecting because I was proving that I did nothing. BUT THE STUPID VICE PRINCIPAL DOESN'T LISTEN TO ANYONE.
So when my parents came in to see the case. The vice principal said that I standed up to the teachers face when she did that to me. she said I was really angry and i kept yelling at the teacher. I was furious, but I knew the teacher was being dishonest, but there is no way i could prove my case because I was just a student and the teacher had more power in her words. And the vice principal is just a fat lady who thinks she is the power of them all and she says i disrespected her. I seriously wish all the DISTRICTS around the world would read this or just even try to think of a better way then suspending because we do have ISS but they didn't give it to me because they said I had raging anger going on when I was just quite calm. I mean I don't understand why the teacher would be so dishonest when she knew that she had more power then me.
Please reply to this I really need a explaination because I really didn't do anything.
This is what happens.
I'm a senior at the mid-Michigan Linden High School, and I just got suspended for three days today. The reason is: I called my dad in between classes on my cell phone to ask him for lunch money. Cell phones are not allowed in our school, but everybody has them, and I thought I could just make a quick call, that way I didn't have to get a pass out of class, waste a lot of time, and go to the office to call.
But instead, a passing teacher snapped it out of my hand. So now, not only am I in a world of trouble, I also don't get to eat until around ten P.M. tonight. I have pit band practice, bowling, and I won't be home until then. I don't have any money.
I think it's ridiculous that I should be suspended for three entire days for calling my dad to get lunch money.
School Suspension
I am the parent of 2 boys, who have been the poster children for school suspension.
In Norwalk, CT. the norm is 10 days for any offense. I agree, that consequences are valid for behavioral issues in school.But why deny a child an education because of behavioral issues. Do you deny a child food, because of this actions. Deny a child an education, for taxpayers in a town is a lawless act. Is this a tool for success, no, this actually creates a larger problem. Children can become despondent, more time off for fun, dismiss his education and become a larger problem than what they were out to solve. In school suspension is the answer. If he must report to school, and be confined to an area for the entire day, including lunch - I think this is the approach which is needed. When are Principals, Teachers, Housemaster, Guidance counselor going to wake up and confront this problem in a constructive manner. I also fear school suspensions. There are no statitics to let us know who, why, what, where and when kids are suspended. I am wary of a practice that is closed without outside knowledge of what is occuring. Suspensions are a private matter for families, and parents have no way of knowing if their child is being discriminated against for the amount of time, suspensions they receive. I look to the future, in hopes that someone will find a better way to address school issues. Enough is enough already.
Why is everyone trying to put
Why is everyone trying to put their responsibles on the school system, discipline starts at home. The school shouldn't have to raise our children. We allow our children to do whatever their want to at home; talk like they want at home, look at whatever their want on the TV, listen to whatever they want at home; stay out as long as they want to home; hung out with whoever they want at home, and then expect to behavior at school. This is not the school responsible, it is the parents' responsible and it doesn't have to be a two parent home, but a responsible parent home. Education starts at home.
Yup
i completely agree with you im in high school and ive seen it happen before when they have free time they forget things as time passes and when they do go back they have a hard time catching up so suspensions are really worthless
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