Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Md. Schools Ban Zero-Tolerance Discipline Policies

Maryland education officials have approved changes to the state's discipline policy that are meant to cut back on suspensions and expulsions.

The State Board of Education approved the new regulations Tuesday. The changes come amid a national debate about whether too many students are suspended or expelled for offenses that could be handled in other ways.

Zero-tolerance discipline policies with automatic consequences will be banned under the regulations. Schools will now be required to adopt a rehabilitative approach to discipline, and suspensions and expulsions are referred to as a last result.

More

9 comments:

Dana said...

I wasn't aware there was a zero tolerance discipline policy, because kids aren't held accountable for their actions now. So in reality nothing is going to change. This is totally insane. What will it take to get things the way they used to be? When you did something wrong you had to answer for your actions.

Anonymous said...

We can't control the kids who won't follow any policies so just change the policies to allow the kids to do what they please. Lower suspensions, higher number of victims.

Anonymous said...

I have heard horror stories from a teacher. Just like staff of PRMC,,, they are threatened to not say anything. You talk about a war zone, that is what our schools are.

Anonymous said...

Here we go again, let the kids run the schools.. We're so afraid to hurt little Johnny's feeling. Just one more
way so the kids know for sure that despite what they do, no consequences.

Anonymous said...

This is nothing new in wicomico county...suspensions and expulsions rarely happened anyway because the numbers are reported! It's all about how they (administration) look! @ Dana, you are completely correct in saying that the students have absolutely zero accountability. I'm sure this is great news for the teachers and the students who actually want an education, but can't learn because of the complete nonsense that takes place in any given clasroom on any given day!

Anonymous said...

The principal at east Salisbury mr jones has already been enforcing this. Whenever he gets office referrals he just throws them away so he doesn't have to do the paperwork and to skew the statistics so it appears that he is running a clean safe school.

Anonymous said...

Most, if not all schools follow this policy now. It takes a lot to have a student removed from the learning environment. What needs to happen is a group of parents of students who follow the rules and are academically inclined need to get together and form a group because these are the kids that are "being left behind". Classrooms are becoming not a place of learning but a holding tank during the daylight hours. As far as special education and African American students having a higher rate of suspension, that is true. But did anyone ever think that this isn't because of their color or limitations but because these are in fact the ACTUAL students that are causing the problems.

Anonymous said...

The situation in the schools was alive & well when my daughter was in Wicomico Middle School aprox. 1994-5. She & a friend were attacked by a group of girls. They ran into a classroom for help. The principal at the time did NOTHING. He said there was nothing to worry about & "we's" not gonna do nothin'. I got him an English grammar book.

Anonymous said...

Unless they are in a jungle or something similar, people do not have a natural predator except other people.

There is nothing (legal) to thin the heard of such types. That is why we have an overabundance of low lifes and idiots.

They used to separate kids but levels of intelligence. They don't do that anymore?