A Reader Writes... (Expulsion Documentation)

In response to the post, “Expulsion Documentation,” a reader (and Brown Guy) writes:

“Well said, Sean. I don't allow my assistant principals to expel kids because they are too close to the fire, so to speak, and cannot always be objective. In general, I will only expel when a Chapter 37 (Texas Education Code) expulsion is mandated, and even then I try to find a graduation solution. So far this year, I have had to expel three students for mandatory reasons, and two of the three have/will graduate. For a non-mandatory expulsion to occur, the amount of documentation I would require would be so substantial it would probably be easier for teachers and assistant principals to find other solutions. On a similar note, I still find it disturbing how fast band directors and athletic directors write kids off. I continuously have to fight that battle. I tend to believe that extra-curricular activities ceased to be about kids along time ago.”

SC Response
I think there are three keys to preventing expulsions and kicking kids out of extra-curricular activities. First, as I mentioned in my post, you have to create a system that removes the revenge / anger factor from the decision making process.

The second key is that you have to create a culture where the adults view student failure as their own failure. Too many schools have staff that view the failure of students as part of the natural order.

The third key is leadership. If leadership doesn’t take the loss of each student personally, then the staff will learn that there is an acceptable level of loss and will act accordingly.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn…

Expulsion Documentation

I’m working with a district that is revamping it's discipline procedures. Since adopting some of the recommended changes, a common staff compliant is that now it requires too much documentation to expel a student from a campus.

To which I reply, that’s the point.

It should and must be difficult to expel a student. We have a responsibility to educate and mentor all of our students, not just the easy ones. Before we give up on students and place them on the “drop-out” track (don’t fool yourself, once a students has been expelled it is a safer bet that he will drop out, than graduate) we need to document the steps that we took to try to prevent their failure.

Gone are the days where an individual teacher or assistant principal gets to serve as judge, jury and executioner of a student’s future. The stakes are too high and frankly it is too much to expect for an angry and frustrated adult to make consistently rational and objective decisions.

The discipline system has to err on the side of students and hold adults to the highest of professional standards, even when it is inconvenient.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn…