ARCHIVED ARTICLES

 

Week of June 17, 2011

Teen Violence and Abuse Policy In The Books, Dunedin Patch
The Pinellas, County FL school board adopted new policies to prohibit sexting and spreading malicious rumors.

Six schools in danger of sanctions, The Advertiser
Schools in Louisiana face sanctions because they have failed to foster good academic performance schoolwide, among students of color, or students with disabilities.

Federal Courts: Schools Can Punish Students For Off-Campus, Online Speech, The Consumerist
Although the Supreme Court ruled in favor of students wrongly discipline for mocking their school principal on MySpace, the ruling leaves open the possibility that out-of-school, online speech could result in school discipline if the speech leads to substantive school disruptions.

Activists Say Discipline Reform Doesn’t Go Far Enough, Centre View
Fairfax, VA parents aren’t satisfied with the modest reforms made so far.  They’re pushing to increase reporting to parents on school discipline matters.

Appeals Court Backs Students in Internet Parodies of Principals, Education Week
Appeals court limits punishment for speech and writing done by students out of school, The Philadelphia Inquirer
A federal appellate court has ruled that the suspension of two students who mocked their school’s principal on MySpace violated those students’ First Amendment rights.

Judge: No Expulsion for 6-Year-Old Touching, The Associated Press
A judge has overturned the expulsion of kindergartener who touched his teacher’s leg after she complained that they hurt.  Advancement Project drew attention to the expulsion in its Philly report.

McPherson Middle School rewards students with programs, The News-Messenger
Another schools decides to give PBIS a try.

Charter schools expel special needs students at high rates, Liberation
An American Bar Association study found that DC charter schools disproportionately discipline students of color and students with disabilities.

Cumberland schools to look at changing guns on campus policy, fayobserver.com
School board considers new weapons policy, ABC 11
A NC school board is considering ending its zero tolerance weapons policy so school officials can consider the student’s intent.

NC lawmakers revisit school zero-tolerance rules, Winston-Salem Journal
The NC Senate voted unanimously to advance a bill that would end automatic suspensions for merely appearing to threaten others. Long-term suspensions and expulsions would be limited to serious violations.

Data: School discipline varies widely in Hampton Roads, The Virginia Pilot
Discipline rates in Virginia schools vary widely.

Sometimes Giving Kids the Run-Around Is a Good Thing, Wired
A Maryland elementary school gym teacher created a running club for students. The result was improved fitness, fewer discipline problems, and higher test scores.

Parents Of Son Who Committed Suicide Rally For Change, WUSA9
Story on the Fairfax parents rally.

School discipline changes coming to Fairfax County, WTOP
School Board: Discipline Changes Won’t End ‘Involuntary Transfer’ Option, Burke Patch
School Board Votes To Make Discipline Process More Flexible, Supportive, Rose Hill Patch
The Fairfax, VA school board voted unanimously to make involuntary transfers a last resort after parents protested the lack of promised reforms.  Principals will now be able require community service or Saturday school as alternatives to involuntary transfers or expulsion.

Jackson, Miss. school district sued over punishments, Associated Press
The Associated Press reports on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s recent lawsuit.

Opinions/Editorials

Are minority and poor kids disciplined more harshly in Georgia schools?, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The AJC asks rhetorically whether students of color are being unfairly overdisciplined.

A Tale of Two Food Fights and Effective School Discipline, Dignity in Schools
Two food fights occurred recently in California. The one at a school in a Latino neighborhood ended with students getting pepper sprayed; the one at a school in an affluent neighborhood resulted in kids writing letters and community service.

 

Week of June 10, 2011

JPS sued over alleged discipline abuses, Clarion Ledger
The Southern Poverty Law Center is suing Jackson Public Schools (Mississippi) after several students were handcuffed for hours over minor dress code violations.

Fairfax may reexamine forced school transfers in discipline cases, The Washington Post
Fairfax, VA school district to reconsider practice of involuntary transfers.  Last year, these transfers cost $718,000 in transportation costs.

Parents rally against ‘lame’ discipline changes, The Washington Examiner
Fairfax, VA parents are upset at the lack of real school discipline reform.

House, senate discuss schools, St. Tammany News
Lousiana education legislation overview.  A bill passed by the Senate would deem suspensions, expulsions, and transfers to alternative schools as measures of last resort and would introduce restorative practices.

Johnston school to allow nose stud, News & Observer
A NC student will be allowed to wear a nose stud to school despite a dress code prohibiting facial jewelry.

Parents seek answers on bullying at Bridgewater Middle School meeting, Wicked Local Bridgewater
Parents in MA seek zero tolerance discipline for bullies after a fifth grader was beaten up by three classmates.  But, the alternative to zero tolerance isn’t turning a blind eye to school violence.  Schools can sensibly discipline students without zero-tolerance policies.   

Opinions sought on Rockford student discipline plan, Rockford Register Star
Rockford, IL seeks input from the local community on potential revisions to its school discipline plan.

SuEllen Fried wants to stop bullying in schools, Kansas City Star
Anti-bullying author says she would like bullying to be defined as “child abuse.”  Instead of taking steps to prevent bullying, Fried is part of the movement to increase punishment once bullying has already occurred.

New Rockford schools discipline policy code would rank infractions, Rockford Register Star
Rockford, IL schools will require teachers to report all infractions, including minor infractions handled inside the classroom.

MUHS to make changes to discipline process, Verde Independent
Arizona high school bucks the national trend by making school discipline for infractions more severe.

School Board OKs New Policy for Substance-Abuse Infractions, Sun Gazette
Arlington, VA is rolling out an alternative to suspension or expulsion for middle school and high school students caught under the influence of or in possession of alcohol or illegal drugs.

Students Can Be Expelled For Sexting Under New California Bill, SB 919, Huffington Post
The California Senate passed a bill that would make sexting an expellable offense.

Discipline bill passes Senate, 2theadvocate
Louisiana Senate passes a bill that would prohibit schools from suspending elementary school students for dress code or tardiness violations.  It’s amazing anyone every thought it was a good idea to suspend elementary school students for getting dropped off at school late.

Zero Tolerance = Zero Help, The Advocate
An uncommonly well written article which argues that zero-tolerance, anti-bullying policies will actually harm LGBT youth more than they will help.  Such policies will not make schools safer, and they will inevitably ensnare LGBT youth into the school-to-prison pipeline.

More schools rethinking zero-tolerance discipline stand, The Washington Post
An important article by the Washington Post cataloguing the national trend away from zero tolerance. The Washington Post proposes PBIS as an alternative to zero tolerance.

Eastmont tries out a new approach to school discipline, The Wenatchee World
A school in WA will allow students charged with first-time drug offenses to take one day off of ten-day suspensions for every adult they bring to an intervention meeting (up to five).

Opinions/Editorials

Child discipline in a time warp, Coolum News
Humor article satirizes “old-school” disciplinarians who lament that they can no longer beat kids to teach them lessons.

An Interview with Anne Marie: Alternatives to Zero Tolerance, Education News
Researcher explains alternatives to zero tolerance.

Stubans: Discipline Journey has Eroded Community’s Trust in FCPS, Fairfax City Patch
Fairfax, VA parent speaks out against the district’s policy of involuntary transfers, saying the district has provided no evidence of its efficacy.

There Are Proven Tools to Make Schools Safer – We Just Have to Use Them, Fox News
“Thoughlove” author touts restorative practices as a more effective alternative to zero-tolerance policies.

School Cuts and ‘Reforms’ Feed The Prison Pipeline, Campaign for America’s Future
A school superintendent rhetorically asks that his school be turned into a prison, since states spend far more money on prisons than they do schools. Campaign for America’s Future relates the comments to the NAACP’s recent report comparing school and prison spending as well as YUC and Advancement Project’s Philly report.

Letter: Government prevents parents from disciplining their children, MLive
Letter to the editor from 71-year-old grandmother who bemoans the fact that parents cannot hit unruly kids the way they used to.  She argues that kids’ misbehavior is a totally new phenomenon caused by prohibitions on corporal punishment.

Zero Tolerance Losing Its Appeal?, Mother Jones
Mother Jones op-ed comments on recent Washington Post article and wonders why zero tolerance ever seemed like a good idea.