And so I was glad to read an article in today's Washington Post called More schools rethinking zero-tolerance discipline stand, which correctly noted that LCPS has been implementing better approaches to discipline for years. I've pulled the Loudoun citations:
One widely popular strategy, known as positive behavior support, uses structured methods for teaching behavior, with prompting, practice and intervention. Suspensions still occur, but the goal is to keep problems from happening in the first place. Nationally, 14,000 schools are involved — including schools in the District and in Loudoun, Alexandria, Fairfax, Montgomery, Prince George’s and Prince William counties.
Fairfax also is proposing expanding a pilot program on “restorative justice,” which emphasizes recognizing mistakes and repairing harm. And several years ago, it enlisted researchers from U-Va. to bring in threat-assessment techniques — so that threats of violence are handled according to the danger they pose.
This approach is used in Loudoun schools, also.
“It’s the antidote to zero-tolerance,” said Cornell, lead designer of the program.
In Loudoun, positive-behavior support has “really changed the way in which we’ve dealt with behavior,” said John Lody, director of diagnostic and prevention services. The approach, now in 45 of 80 schools, “is one of those concepts that is really simplistic and obvious on the surface,” he said, “but almost never practiced in school.”
I got an email from my kid's elementary school reminding me that sunscreen is considered medicine and therefore was not allowed to be sent in with kid on field day. Seriously?
ReplyDeleteIsn't there a way to come to a happy medium on this? Such as labeled advil, cough drops and the like. Sure, a kid caught with illegal drugs should automatically be suspended, no questions asked. I just don't understand the advil/cough drop thing. It actually causes my girls to miss more school than necessary, because they don't want to go to the nurse when they have cramps (it's embarassing) or a headache. Being able to take an advil at the first sign of a headache would do a lot towards lessening the calls from the nurse's office to pick up my child because she has a headache.
I just wish the school board could work on finding a happy medium on this. Thanks.
sunscreen a medication??? Be real! That is just going way too far! We are told at our school to make sure the kids have sunscreen on so that they are protected and for many years it has been sent in and applied on field day.
ReplyDeleteThere are some things that should be considered zero tolerance- drugs (illegal ones and certain prescription drugs, such as those for pain or ADHD~those can be sold or abused) for sure but a tylenol or cough drop is just silly (at least at the high school level) I can see not giving that to younger children to carry around.
Children should be dealt with as individuals and dealt with in a positive way. If you treat them as criminals, they will live up to that....respect goes both ways. And really, what does suspending kids do, just gives them time off school, they should be in school doing something constructive!
I absolutely agree...the zero tolerance policy came about as an "out" for school systems because they can apply a blanket policy and not have to use ANY common sense....makes it MUCH easier for administrators! Allow kids to have OTC medications (age appropriate) and don't define such things as sunscreen as medications. Do not punish the majority of students who can handle such things as tylenol, cough drops etc. If students have ILLEGAL or RX drugs, or are mis using OTC items, then punish THEM. But that means the administration would have to look into the situation(s), use common sense in making judgements and be prepared to defend these judgements! Another way to avoid administration having to put time, energy and common sense into their discipline decisions. This way, they can just throw up their hands and say "well it's policy"!
ReplyDeleteAh, yes, Loudoun has adopted another, expensive, program. Do we have ANY evidence that this program works? Has it worked in other school districts? How well? Has it worked in Loudoun? How much is it costing to prevent how many suspensions and expulsions? We need a school board that asks these questions about every new, and usually flaky, program that LCPS wants to start.
ReplyDeleteMr. Stevens,
ReplyDeleteIs there any way to ascertain the total number of LCPS employees? And how many of those are real teachers, those who actually stand in a classroom (not librarians, counselors, psychologists, social workers, nurses, audiologists, etc.)
Thank you.