The Issue Of Disciplinary Infractions For High School Students

In the case study Appropriate Punishment Versus Political Expediency, nine African American male teenagers were severely punished for their involvement in a violent altercation at a high school football game. Some people in the local community; especially the African American population became outraged by the school board’s ruling. Other community members, including many white residents, and school board officials thought the punishment was just. This situation exposes many controversial issues occurring within the educational system. Topics such as race relations and appropriateness in student discipline were prominent. With strong political and social context associated with these subject matters, there are complexities in addressing these types of situations. In any event, educational leaders and district representatives should aim to handle matters by considering the child’s best interest. They should also use the principle of subsidiarity to deal with challenges that may arise. School executives ought to implement effective solutions

A science teacher in Mississippi asked her students to take a picture with their completed DNA Lego model. John Doe took his picture with a smile and a hand gesture in which his thumb, index, and middle finger was raised. This was enough to earn him an indefinite suspension with a recommendation for expulsion because his school administrators believed he flashed a gang sign although he was simply putting up three fingers to represent his football jersey number. (NPR Isensee, 2014). This kind of criminalization of young people contributes to suspension, dropout, and incarceration, and too often pushes students into what is referred to by many education scholars and activists as the “school-to-prison pipeline,” a term that refers to “the

This paper addresses a situation in which a student notified this author that she was being subjected to bullying through another classmate’s Facebook page. A discussion of steps required by Oregon’s statutes, the Lake Oswego School District 's board policies and the student handbook, will provide a basis for examining any First Amendment arguments that the bullying has raised, with a discussion of the author 's First Amendment responses consistent with applicable Supreme Court cases.

In addition, we used the 2015 Florida School Laws book and the Florida State Statutes to review the K-20 Education Code. The major topics of the summary paper were bullying, due process, and FERPA. To complete the summary, I read through many legal documents, such as the Duval County School Board Policy Manual Chapter 10, Duval County Code of Conduct, Fla. Stat. §1006, §1002, §1003, and the U. S. Constitution. According to the state statutes, every school district must have a student code of conduct that includes a bullying and harassment policy. This document provides the foundation for student expectations and responsibilities at school, school-related activities, and situations that affect school culture. The state statutes specify the responsibilities and obligations of teachers regarding supervision and discipline of students. Teachers must make all decisions in the best interest of students in academics and safety. Due process of law and equality are guaranteed in the Fourteenth Amendment and forbid the basic rights of life, liberty, and property from being unfairly taken away. Substantive due process refers to government guidelines and rules that deny students of their fundamental rights. Procedural due process is a way of making sure the school system provides fair and appropriate measures to

After the Columbine massacre, schools have truly put their foot down on student threats and bullying by enforcing zero-tolerance policies that punish any violation of a rule, regardless of ignorance, accidents or other circumstances.("9 Ways School Has Changed Since Columbine." Criminal Justice Degrees Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2017.) Students, staff, parents and other school visitors who are in possession of a weapon or drug are punished. zero-tolerance has lead to many criticisms and overreactions by school districts, such as student expulsions for bringing nail clippers or a knife to cut a cake to school.("9 Ways School Has Changed Since Columbine." Criminal Justice Degrees Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct.

Bullying is such a dominant problem in schools that counselors must strive to discover effective strategies to address the issue. What intervention strategies are perceived by the counselors at a large diverse high school to be most effective in response to or in prevention of bullying? What is the

A teacher is obligated to defuse classroom conflicts that could turn into a bullying situation due to bullying overlapping with harassment in some states. In Texas, the terms are used separately, but this is only a distinction in law, with no model policies in place for the schools to use as a guideline on how to resolve conflicts such as bullying. The implementation of anti-bullying policies and how they are handled are ultimately left to the school district to decide. Despite the policies being left to the districts, the teachers still have an ethical obligation to reasonably protect the students from an environment that is harmful to their learning, or health and safety. Due to this obligation, reporting to the principal is used and the

‘Department for education advice preventing and tackling bullying (2013) ‘, advices that all the educational settings must prevent and respond to bullying.

In an era where school violence seems to have become an alarming trend, schools across the country face a never-ending battle where they must walk a thin line between providing safety to their students without restricting or prohibiting their freedom of speech and expression. Unfortunately, the case of Riley Stratton is one of several examples where schools have overstepped their authoritative bounds by disciplining students for expressing their own thoughts and opinions off school campus.

Most of the information regarding the violations of school infractions outside of school hours focuses on cyberbullying. In these cases students’ individual rights have been compromised. Though the violations occurred off of school property and after school hours, the repercussions are still felt at school during school

As principal of TWH, I feel it is vital to keep the urgency focused on academics. It is my belief that if we set students up for challenging and engaging classroom instruction, discipline issues will start to lessen. However, my teachers will feel supported and respected, and that will be communicated regularly to our students and school community. “…leaders treat others fairly, equitably, and with dignity and respect—and they establish the expectation that others in the school community act in a similar manner” (Murphy, 2006).

Administrators have responded to criticism by saying that they must treat all infractions the same way. This is not indicative of fairness, especially if a student who was caught with a pair of nail clippers was treated the same as a student who came to school with a firearm in their backpack. This is not to take away from the importance of taking a firm stand against violence. “To get a true picture of school violence, you must look at reported incidents, unreported incidents, and underreported

These skills and behaviors can be introduced to students in lessons and classroom discussions. Some of the intensive interventions consist of support to both victims and bullies through group therapy and individual counseling. Obtaining parent support for these children is a important component of intervention initiatives. The goals of these programs are to empower adults and children to take the appropriate steps to stop bulling when and where it occurs and to teach children positive behaviors and interpersonal skills. “Effective prevention efforts mobilize a school’s most vital resource- the students- to be a school’s most powerful force in fostering a caring culture in which all students can grow and learn”( Feinberg,2003).

As human beings, we are often presented with dilemmas that make us question our integrity and moral turpitude. School administrators, in particular, engage in multiple decision-making processes on a daily basis, as they are responsible for developing and maintaining a safe teaching and learning environment on their campus. In fact, Weaver (2007) adds that many school administrators make their decisions based on equity, fairness, and student achievement. After analyzing the case of Richard Inman, the junior high school assistant principal, it became evident that he made the decision not to complete the expulsion paper based on his personal code of ethics. That is, he made his decision based on his values, goals, and beliefs regarding the success of every student in his school. Moreover, because he was raised in the same neighborhood as his students, he felt he could identify with their struggles and therefore made a personal agenda to cultivate a relationship with the students

One of every five students is bullied each year (Bullying Basics,2017). Knowing that the problem of bullying is a large possibility in their classrooms, administrators’ and teachers’ main goal must be to offer a safe classroom and a positive, supportive learning environment to their students. If they work together to reach this goal, bullying can be