CANADA
Jane Goldspink is no stranger to playground disputes or inappropriate classroom behaviour that sometimes results in students being kicked out of school. "I do a lot of suspensions," admitted the principal at Major Ballachey School.
But she also believes in treating children with dignity and looking for alternative forms of discipline that help them stay in school, so that they can continue learning. "If all we do is punish kids, they just find better ways to not get caught," she said.
That focus on prevention, rather than reaction, is all part of the province's new approach to keeping schools safe. The revised Safe Schools Act, which came into effect Friday, calls for several key changes:
Progressive discipline techniques to improve and support student behaviour;
Programs, and in some cases counselling, for suspended and expelled students;
Clear identification of bullying as an infraction that could result in suspension.
The goal is to have a fair, consistent approach to discipline that provides clear consequences for unacceptable behaviour. But there's also a focus on helping kids change their behaviour and be successful in school – something that was missing in the 2000 act. "The whole concept of zero tolerance was problematic," said Trish Kings, a superintendent with the local Catholic school board. "It was too rigid. Now, mitigating factors can be considered before imposing a suspension."
Under the previous legislation, teachers could suspend a student for one day. Now, only principals can suspend students, for up to 20 days. When the suspension is longer than five days, the board must offer an academic program to the student. When the suspension is longer than 11 days, the board must offer counselling. "The idea is to correct the behaviour that got them suspended in the first place," said Greg Anderson, a superintendent with the Grand Erie District School Board.
Expulsions, for more serious offences, are done on the recommendation of the principal, but the final decision rests with a discipline committee made up of at least three trustees. Students may be expelled from one school or from all board schools, and there's no set time period.
"It can be for three weeks, three months or three years," Anderson said. But, before they return, students must comply with the steps set out in an action plan – and that includes keeping up with their studies. "It gives direction to kids and parents," Anderson said. "I think it will be a really helpful model."
He also applauds the addition of bullying to the list of offences that can result in a suspension. The new rules apply to physical, verbal or social bullying and they also give boards the authority to deal with threats or assaults that occur off school property but affect a safe school environment. "This means boards can deal with cyber-bullying on the web or an assault on the way to or from school," he says. "It closes a loophole in the previous act."
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Both boards have received provincial money to implement the new guidelines.
Grand Erie has used its $452,943 grant to set up a five-member Safe Schools team consisting of a principal leader, two teachers (one elementary, one secondary), a social worker and a youth worker.
Last year, the board had about 7,000 suspensions – roughly half in the secondary panel and half in the elementary. About 3,000 students were suspended, some several times. The number of expulsions were far fewer – 16 last year, all high school students.
Anderson hopes the new focus on intervention will reduce the number of repeat suspensions. "These are the type of student we really want to get to," he said. "They miss so much school that they can't catch up and then they misbehave again. It's a vicious cycle."
Under the new system, students who are out of school for long periods of time will be able to continue their school work at home. They'll receive regular assignments and be monitored by a teacher so that they have a chance to earn credits. That's especially important for secondary students who are at risk of failing after missing several months of school.
Students will also have the opportunity to receive counselling, from youth workers and social workers, to address issues such as anger management and problems at home that could be contributing to poor behaviour at school. "Before, when kids were suspended, they were gone, there was no intervention," Anderson said. "This supports kids. It recognizes that they've made a mistake but it helps them, so they don't do it again."
The Catholic board had 1,894 suspensions last year – 1,445 at the board's three high schools. There were nine expulsions of less than one year, all secondary students. The board received $188,000 to set up its new programs and hire additional staff. Kings says the board plans to build on practices that are already in place, including providing homework for suspended students.
"We'll do everything we can to encourage them to stay connected," she said. " The further they get behind, the harder it is to catch up." She said the board may look at putting together a pool of teachers to provide instruction. Counselling will be provided through board child and youth workers, or partnerships with community agencies. "We'll just be firming up a lot of things that are already in place."
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The idea of progressive discipline is nothing new at many local schools, including Major Ballachey, which is considered a high-needs school because of its core location.
Goldspink, an educator for more than 30 years, said suspensions are necessary in cases involving harm to people or damage to property. But they don't always work. In fact, they may make the situation worse, if the underlying problem is still there when the student returns to school.
Goldspink tells about a run-in with one Grade 8 student who swore at her in a fit of rage. Expecting to be thrown out of school, the student was invited into the principal's office for a heart-to-heart about what was really bugging her. After she had calmed down, she apologized. "A suspension wouldn't have worked for her," Goldspink said. "I didn't want that. What I wanted was for her to stay in class and learn. She already had attendance issues."
Special education teacher Jo-Anne Moir said schools have to have other discipline tools to use, especially when dealing with students with behaviour issues. "Zero tolerance doesn't work," she says. "If I only relied on suspension, I'd have an empty classroom."
Goldspink said the new legislation gives principals more leeway in how they handle discipline and encourages them to consider mitigating factors, such as the student's age, their ability to understand what they've done and the circumstances leading up to an event, before deciding whether suspension is the appropriate response.
She believes in making kids part of the solution by teaching them how to solve problems without violence and encouraging them to be respectful of others. Major Ballachey has introduced several programs that help kids develop these skills, including the Virtues Project, which teaches students about the gifts of character. Students focus on one new virtue – such as honesty, courtesy, co-operation and responsibility – each month and have the chance to earn "virtue vouchers" when they demonstrate the behaviour. "We're creating a more civil school."
The school also recognizes and rewards good sportsmanship with monthly prizes. The winner's name is displayed on a bulletin board in the front hallway.
Both programs are part of the school's anti-bullying plan, something all schools must have in place under the new legislation.
Alex, a Grade 7 student at Major Ballachey, said the sportsmanship program has taught him to be a better team player. "You don't want to put people down, because then they'll play poorly. The game's supposed to be for fun, not just to win." He also likes the virtues program, which "reminds kids of the way they should behave. I think it makes our school a better place."
Parents also have to be on board, Goldspink said. She said the school has a personal responsibility plan that sets out clear expectations and consequences, for good behaviour and misbehaviour. Those are communicated to parents at the beginning of every year. With the renewed focus on bullying, Goldspink has also shared information on bullying, so that parents can be part of the solution. "We're letting parents know what bullying is and what they can do. Parents and schools really need to work together."
That's exactly what happened before Christmas, when a group of girls was being targeted by bullies. Goldspink brought in the school's police liaison officer and invited all the girls in several classes – and their parents – to attend a workshop called Sugar and Spice that focused on bullying among girls.
She said the session was a real eye-opener for some parents. "Some of the mothers were shocked – they had no idea their daughters were involved."
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Anderson said the new rules won't eliminate suspensions and expulsions entirely. But he hopes to see numbers drop with the more proactive approach. "I hope we'll be able to help the kids who are disrupting school and the ones who are not," he said, noting that upsets in the classroom affect everyone's learning. "If you have a student swearing at a teacher and stomping out of the room, that's unsettling for everyone."
Kings said learning how to deal with conflict early in life is an important life lesson for students. "There's always going to be conflict – even when students are adults. That's a part of life. We need to learn how to respond to it and do something about it."
Cheryl Bauslaugh
3 February 2008
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