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Stop Expelling the Kids: Mr. Brown v. Maury Povich…
March 2, 2009 | Comments Off on Stop Expelling the Kids: Mr. Brown v. Maury Povich…
According to Massachusetts state law, once a student is expelled, no other school in the state is required to enroll him or her. This is especially unfortunate for low-income and African American students who are expelled at disproportionately high rates for minor (non-gun) infractions. Many groups blame this on the tendency of school administrators to recommend expulsion as opposed to non-exclusionary punishments, such as in-school suspension (ISS). Though each student is afforded a trial-like hearing in which he may have a lawyer and call witnesses, the “judge” in these situations is usually the very administrator who chose expulsion in the first place.
This just doesn’t seem fair. What are these kids supposed to do? Whether or not they are in school, they are going to get some kind of education somewhere. So, we must ask, do we want their teacher to be Mr. Brown? Or Maury Povich?
Who is Mr. Brown? Reginald Brown is the ISS teacher at Sutton Middle School. Though I never had the opportunity to experience him personally I certainly saw enough of him roaming the halls to know the type of person he was. He had a jheri curl (glossy!). He always wore gator boots. He often donned a white glove, a la Michael Jackson, to check for dust on the tops of our lockers. He was a character to say the least. But, he took his job seriously. He worked the kids in ISS to the point where they never wanted to go back. He commanded a level of respect and was clear about the high expectations he had for each student. He was a great alternative to expulsion and was exactly what the students needed so that they could return to class and go on to graduate.
Now, who is Maury Povich? Maury Povich is the host of the day-time television talk-show Maury. He is 70 years old and is married to Connie Chung. Povich is currently ranked number 31 in the book 110 People Who are Screwing Up America. His broadcast journalism credits include hard-hitting exposés such as “Who’s Your Baby’s Daddy?”, “Is it a Man or a Woman?” and “Maury’s Most Shocking Sex-Crazed Teens Ever: Where are They Now?”. Maury is the teacher of the expelled student who has little hope of returning to school under the current laws governing the Massachusetts public education system. He takes care of the kids who must sit at home during the day.
You get my point. Kids have to go somewhere during the school-day and their choices once they are expelled are likely limited, unproductive, and undesirable. The BLSA Social Justice Committee has joined with Massachusetts Advocates for Children and several other organizations in the Education Law Task Force to work on school discipline reform legislation that will require non-exclusionary punishments as alternatives to expulsion. The “Act to Help Students Stay in School,” sponsored by Representative Alice Wolf, has been filed with the state legislature. Throughout the next few months the SJC will continue to aid in gaining support for this bill. The following is a portion of the proposed bill:
Chapter 71: Section 37H. Policies relative to conduct of teachers or students; student handbooks
Section 37H. The superintendent of every school district shall publish the district’s policies pertaining to the conduct of teachers and students. Said policies shall prohibit the use of any tobacco products within the school buildings, the school facilities or on the school grounds or on school buses by any individual, including school personnel. Copies of these policies shall be provided to any person upon request and without cost by the principal of every school within the district.
Each school district’s policies pertaining to the conduct of students shall include the following: non-exclusionary alternatives to suspension and expulsion, disciplinary proceedings, including procedures assuring due process; standards and procedures for suspension and expulsion of students; procedures pertaining to discipline of students with special needs; standards and procedures to assure school building security and safety of students and school personnel; and the disciplinary measures to be taken in cases involving the possession or use of illegal substances or weapons, the use of force, vandalism, or violation of other student’s civil rights. Codes of discipline, as well as procedures used to develop such codes shall be filed with the department of education for informational purposes only.