Inside Four Walls: Update on School Discipline...or lack thereof

So I decided to follow up on the incident from Student S the other day. I emailed his counselor and wanted to know why Student S only got a 1 day suspension for lying to a sub and cutting class. His response? It was his first referral for cutting a class. And yes, he did lie, but it was still only his first referral for cutting a class. The counselor saw these as one offense, not two separate ones.

I didn't reply, but then at lunch a teacher said if I didn't write him up for lying to go ahead and write him up for it. So I did. I sent up Student S for lying to a sub. Now in our student handbook it talks about students not being willfully disobedient to a teacher and identifying yourself to a teacher or administrator when asked. Clearly, Student S didn't do this.

So I get a call from the counselor and he asks me if I read his email. I say yes, but the lying wasn't on the referral that way he could have his "paper trail" that we are always told about. He sounded a bit annoyed by that comment, but he didn't do anything else.

I saw him after school and he tried to tell me again that it was one offense and that the lying really wasn't that important because it lead to the class cut.

I don't know if I will take it higher or bring it up later in summer with the principal before the new school year.