School suspensions.

[mallardisme]

Here is an interesting one:
My neighbor has kids at the high school. She was checking up on one of the kids yesterday when she found he was not in school. Why? He was suspended. (Yes, he deserved it, 2nd time this month)

My question is, How do you suspend a child WHITHOUT notifying the parents? WTF? This is the second time he was suspended and the second time that parents were not notified.

Also, doesn’t suspending a child without notifying the parents open up a liability for the school district? Where did the child go yesterday? What did he do? We know he caused trouble, but to just give him a free day to do ‘whatever’ in Maricopa really opens up some serious issues.

What do you think?

[the.pixie.stick.chick]

my parents only knew of one of my suspensions, and it was only because i wasn't allowed to stay on school grounds. i could've found all kinds of ways out of there, but they insisted a parent/guardian had to pick me up.

beyond that, my parents were notified by both phone call and letter. i was home way before and after them. i erased the voicemail and trashed the letter. tada!

don't automatically assume is lack of responsibly by the school.

[mallardisme]

His mother is home all day. She is a stay at home mom with cancer. She answers her calls.

There was no notification. There would have to be a very interesting quirk for notification to have come to her without her knowing.... Twice.

Also, this was not an in-school suspension. This was a 'don't be here the next day' suspension.

[ForcedFriction]

MUSD?

[Havikats]

Nowadays, with all the communication devices we have, there is NO excuse for parents to be out of the loop. NONE!
Up here, all the teachers have email addresses for all of the parents and that is how much of their communication is done.

[mallardisme]

MUSD..
I also agree with the technology available.

A suspension should be considered very serious and I would hope that the parents have at least the oppertunity to discipline their child. If, however, they don't know.... Well, you can see where this goes.

The child is in trouble. Sending him on his merry way to do 'whatever' seems like a pretty big issue that removes the one thing every teacher insists on for a succesfull education. Parent involvement.

You are correct as well, Mandy. It is possible, however very unlikely, that they attempted to contact.
I know where the mother was all day during that time, because we spent a lot of that day at her house.

[the.pixie.stick.chick]

Also, this was not an in-school suspension. This was a 'don't be here the next day' suspension.

so were mine. days to sit at home, not have to get up at 6am, eat real food instead of cafeteria food. ah, that's the life.

(out of school suspension are not "punishment". they're vacation.)

[mallardisme]

Also, this was not an in-school suspension. This was a 'don't be here the next day' suspension.

so were mine. days to sit at home, not have to get up at 6am, eat real food instead of cafeteria food. ah, that's the life.

(out of school suspension are not "punishment". they're vacation.)

LOL. Not in my house, they weren't.

Anyhow, the parents in question are following up. They get the automated calls regarding absences... But no call for a suspension?

[Desert Dweller]

Mandy was a wild child.

No administrator in their right mind, and I know that excludes many of them, should implement a suspension until the parents have been notified and acknowledged that their child will be supervised at home, or that the parents are aware that the child is at home alone.

No child should be sent home unless the parents are aware that child is coming home.

That's common sense 101.

[Tigg]

As DD said, suspension should only happen after a parent is notified, and it is verified that that notification was RECEIVED.  A voicemail (and it doesn't sound like there's any way that was done in this case) or a letter is not sufficient.  An actual CONVERSATION with a parent/guardian or communication that has a reasonably good chance it was with the parent (e-mail, using an e-mail address that is already on file and verified as a parents, granted a kid can hack into their parents e-mail and answer as the parent, but at least there's a reasonable chance it really is the parent) should be the only acceptable means of notification.  Just telling a kid/teen that they're suspended without making sure the parents are notified is 1) opening up a whole shitload of liability and 2)guarenteeing that the kid has a free day to roam freely, regardless of how the parents would otherwise treat a suspension.


And this IS possible.  When I was a teacher, each time I suspended a kid, I had an actual conversation with at least one parent/guardian in which I told the adult exactly why the kid was suspended.  Some were easy to get ahold of, others not so easy, but I managed to track them down and talk to them (whether they wanted to listen was on them, but I got ahold of them if I had to call them at work or had to keep calling well into the evening.  If I knew the parent wasn't able to answer the phone till late, I called late, but I always spoke with a parent).

[mallardisme]

Tigg, that is what I, as a parent, would expect.

Both parents are upset about this and they have asked for a meeting with the school.

That was set up for Friday.

Here is where it get real fun.

Well, today, Thursday, the school did not call back to confirm the meeting.
The mom called and asked for confirmation. The person she spoke with stated that they were not sure if it would happen because they were not sure if all the people involved could make it.

Again, WTF?

I am going to see how this plays out. I will not use the family's name. (It really is not important. if this happens to one family, it has happened to many, and appers to be very routine)

If the school does not follow through, I will step in on behalf of the community that the school serves.

[CopaDave]

If the school does not follow through, I will step in on behalf of the community that the school serves.

This is another use for that big camera bag you carry.  Swung at reasonable speed, it is a lethal weapon.  Or at least a motivational tool.

[ForcedFriction]

If the school does not follow through, I will step in on behalf of the community that the school serves.

Just be careful what knee you use when you step in. It would suck to step in and have your knee give out.....down and out without a swing of the camera

[mallardisme]

You crack me up.

Actually, it is not the camera bag. It is the weight that being a parent brings. I know all those involved.... And I really don't want the school to abet those kids, or mine, to roam the local streets when they should be in a time-out. I find this situation very disgusting.
I will do my best to see all sides and make changes if needed.

The meeting, that might be today, should be interesting. the father is a very no-nonsense type of person. I work hard to NOT get on his bad side.

[Sam]

Actually, Howard swings that giant telephoto lens he's always lugging around.  I don't even think it's a real lens... Just a clever way to get a weapon into a public event!