I think it's the principle who has to have a no tolerance attitude at school and stand behind it. Dr. Woodruff at Clayton Middle has that and stands behind it. If your child doens't follow the rules, they are out of there. I agree...if your child can't follow the rules, etc. of the public school system, then take them out of school and let the parents worry about their education. The sad thing is most of the time these are the same parents who don't give a crap what their kids are doing as long as they are out of their hair!
I have an idea. How about if a kid gets caught bullying another child, then the parents get a call, and they (BOTH parents if possible) have to come spend the next day at school with their child. The entire day! You work? Oh, so sorry, you'll have to call in sick or use a vacation day, whatever, and spend the day with your child at school, or else the child gets AT HOME suspension for X number of days with failing grades for those days. I'll bet the parents would learn to buckle down and make their kids accountable for their actions if their kid's actions ate into their lives, and their wallets!
The Johnston County Board of Education has their Board Policy Manual posted on-line. Hopefully the individual schools are following the guidelines posted by the county when it comes to matters of violence in the schools. You can see the manual in the following location: http://nt5.scbbs.com/cgi-bin/om_isa...obase=johnston.nfo&softpag=&softpage=PL_frame If you choose the "Table of Contents" tab at the top of the page you'll see that section 4000 deals with Students - including Code of Conduct, Procedures for Suspensions & Expulsions, Search & Seziures, Restraints, Interrogations, Bus Conduct, Corporal Punishments & Grievances among other topics.
. Sad thing is (but true)... most of these kids look at in home suspension as a vacation and could care less that they get failing grades for those days.
9. Hazing and Bullying - Requiring a fellow student to wear abnormal dress, playing abusive, demeaning, or embarrassing, tricks on a fellow student, frightening, scolding, swearing, harassing, or subjecting a fellow student to personal indignity. Subjecting another student to physical injury as part of an initiation, or as a prerequisite to membership into any organized school group, including any society, athletic team, club, or other similar group. In addition, any act or retaliation against an individual for reporting hazing, bullying, or harassing actions is expressly prohibited. Consequence(s): Up to 10 days suspension. Any subsequent offenses may result in a recommendation for long-term suspension. Long-term suspension may be recommended for offenses resulting in physical injury or that require medical treatment to another student. It looks good on paper doesn't it?? That's as far as it goes...NEVER , and I mean NEVER has this bully we deal with EVER been suspened from school. NEVER!!! This has been happening since September 06 to Present!!
Unfortunately kicking a kid out of school is not going to solve the issue. All this does is through him out in the community to continue his/her bad behavior. I knew a kid that was assaulted in the parking lot at school by another kid that had been kicked out of school, didn't stop him from hanging around the school. These kids just end up next on the list of suspects for unsolved murders/crimes. We need a program that decreases the likelihood of someone committing a violent act against others in the schools, some type of punishment/accountability/repercussions for their actions, first time offenders should fare bad, giving them a taste of what the future holds for them if they continue down that road. If they become repeat offenders the punishment gets harder. We need something that will show these kids that they need to change, not only in school but out of school as well, that their future depends on it. The harder the punishment hits them the most likely they are not to repeat it and I truely believe you'd have more that change for the good. But ya will always have those that never learn, ain't that the way of it.
Y'all know what the scariest part is to me? We are talking about JOHNSTON COUNTY schools here, not NYC, or even downtown Raleigh. I can't believe that school violence has gotten so bad that it is in OUR schools the way it appears to be. I grew up in Clayton and went to school there the whole time and I don't remember hearing of fights, EVER, while in school. There were some threats and probably some off campus fights, but I just don't remember hearing of actual fights. And I never, ever saw one. Bullying... that's another story and it did happen, but it was just kids giving kids a hard time over stuff, not beating them up! :neutral:
I agree with Openminded. The only thing is is that there are so many parents out there that "just won't have little Johnny or little Susy be punished for anything unless they (the parent) does it." THERE is the hold up. Too many parents who will protest it rather than help it. And unfortuantely, those are the parents who offer no other alternative either. We got paddled in school. I had my mouth washed out with soap in 4th grade by a teacher for saying "shut up" to another student AFTER she'd just told us not to use those terms in her class or face the consequences. Well, I did and when my mom found out, she laughed and said I deserved it and I got grounded at home as well. And I am quite a normal person with no mental trauma in my life because of it. My mother and I are close and she loves me very much and has been the best mother ever. She was not "mommie dearest". I think people use that as a crutch at times. We've taken away the discipline in the schools so much that even teachers get tired of the kids. I'd get tired of it too if I had to deal with someone's bratty, kid and was unable to do anything to stop it other than call the parent who will more than likely say, "There must be some mistake......." No, not all parents are like that but evidently there are alot or we wouldn't have the problems we have today. If your child, or mine for that matter, was to act a fool in school and do something to get in trouble, they need to have copnsequences there as well as at home. And the parents should not open their mouths to the school provided the consequences and results are explained at the beginning of the year. That way, if a parent does not like it, they can move their child elsewhere. Sure we have consequences for kids now.....well ya know what??? MAKE 'EM HARDER...........Everyone wants more protection for their kids and more discipline for the troublemakers but when the time comes to hand out punishment, some people get their undies in a knot and nothing gets done to amount to much.
The principle and Dr. Parker would get tired of seeing me sitting in their office, documenting every word being said.
It was simple in my house. The teacher was always right. Nothing they could have done at school would have measured anything close to what I got at home. If a child is a problem and prevents children from being educated he or she needs to be removed. If your child is banned from a public education due to behavior maybe the parents should take it upon themselves to educate them. If the parent chooses not to, is not willing to, or the child does not care is not my responsibility to continue to pay. Before someone says that we will pay later when they commit criminal offenses, I personally believe we pamper our criminals. The inmates in the state correctional facility live a much better life than the majority of homeless people, residents of a third world country, and our patriots in Iraq or Afghanistan do. Their is a deterrent to crime we just choose not to execute it.
And my wife wonders why I say I can do without grandchildren? It's not me, it's my poor kids that would have to send their kids to unsafe environments that I worry about. Also, any grandkids I have would almost have to write a thesis for their senior project (it gets tougher every year).
heard of a situation this past weekend, 1st grade child has been a severe discipline problem in class this year(has physically and verbally abused about every staff member he comes in contact with), new TA puts child in "time out" and has him write sentences while in "time out". Parent comes into school to complain that her child had to write sentences while in time out and child didn't like it. Teacher told TA they couldn't use that as punishment anymore.
I truly wish I was joking...have seen it with my own eyes. The child was sent to an exceptional child classroom for the afternoons, but the parent didn't want him there anymore, and he supposedly was falling behind academically there. So they moved him back to the "main classroom". My childs education has suffered sorely this year because the teacher spends most of the day dealing with him. The teacher has lost most parental support because the parent volunteers get too upset with the enviorment when they go in the classroom. The principal insists that the boy be passed to the 2nd grade as well.
Sounds like a textbook example of one reason why our educational system is failing and no amount of money will ever fix.
