Students are no longer required to tuck their shirts in. They just have to be long enough not to show any skin but also not too long. The key thing is they must have the ability to be tucked in.
The GANG threat has lessened and there is not the danger of weapons under the shirt. Of course how quickly we forget SANDY HOOK!
This was the talk in the Policy Subcommittee, a vote was taken and passed I think but then they got bogged down on cell phone usage during school time, data access vs. 350 phone conversations during lunch that something was tabled and the sound was so bad during the broadcast I couldn;t tell whether both measures ended up being tabled or just the phone usage,
District wide, Lynn had almost 3000 suspensions for 2011-2012 (inside and outside combined) English had 638 outside suspensions, Classical had 379 and Tech had 212. That is a lot of suspensions! In fact, Lynn had one of the highest number of suspensions in the state. I know at Classical, the number one reason for suspensions is cell phone use and I am guessing it is similar at the other high schools. Students should not be forced to miss valuable class time merely because they possess, looked at or used their cell phone. That said, they also should not be using them during class. It is disrespectful and disruptive. However, there should be other consequences besides suspension. When the new laws regarding suspensions comes into play in July 2014, Lynn will face some issues.
ReplyDeleteI agree it is stupid and counter-intuitive to be using suspensions in most cases. As far as cell phone usage, you hit the core principle - BE RESPECTFUL. This the 21st century.
DeleteWhat other sanctions would,you suggest? I am a teacher of high school,students. When one student commits an infraction it becomes an epidemic. They test you, taunt you, see what they can get away with. Rules have to be strictly adhered to and I am loose about giving kids half a chance.
ReplyDeleteTechnology used in LPS needs to be expanded on to keep but until there is a district wide plan , no cell phone use in school.
You are sorta right, teenagers are a UNIQUE animal. We are limited in the SANCTIONS we can use (How about if you are caught with a cell phone in your hand we start lopping them off? They will only do it twice.) Using adverse reinforcement requires you yo pick your spots and this is not one of them.
DeleteThere currently is a district wide policy which states, "Use of all electronic devices, including cell phones, is not allowed on
Deleteschool property during school hours. Violation of this policy will
result in immediate confiscation of the item, parental notification as well as possible conditional suspension. If these items are brought to school they must remain out of sight and off" The problem with this policy is the language is not specific enough. For example, it states "during school hours" but does not give specific hours. Therefore, there are principals who make up their own school hours. I believe I was told Mr. Strangie made up his own school hours to be until 4:00. This is absurd. Again, students should not be using them during class, and if they do, the less severe consequences should to be take, such as confiscating the device, and/or detention. I don't see any harm in allowing students to use them outside of class. College students can use cell phones outside of class, why not high school students?
You are too smart!
DeleteAre you serious ? College students are not 14 yrs old. College students are paying customers. I wish you could spend one day, just one day in a middle or high school ..they would eat you alive .
ReplyDeleteAnd most high school students are not 14 years old either, not that age is even a factor with the cell phone issue. Just what do you think will happen if students are allowed to use their cell phones outside of class? I bet you would see less students using them during class!
DeleteFolks, guess what? They use them anyway, So, we are left with teaching them indirectly how to break the rules (They are rewarded if the are successful at breaking the rules) or we could teach them how to use them responsibly. Sounds to me like Anon:76 is the one getting eaten alive. Kids that age you can't tell them what to do you have to negotiate (Trick them into thinking your way is what they wanted to do what you wanted them to.)
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