Yesterday, School Board member Tim Steele asked the School Board to consider accepting a new rule that would make students come in to school on Saturday mornings – from 8 a.m. to noon – rather than serving in-school suspensions during the week.
This new plan would need around $3000 per year for staffing during the four-hour period, and some parents disagree with the plan because of it.
“I work six days a week, including Saturday morning, and it’s bad enough to get my son off to school Monday through Friday,” said Peggy Bacon, one of the parents in attendance at the meeting. “I just don’t think it’s going to make any difference, and the parents are going to pay for it, in higher taxes as well as in ruined Saturdays.”
Bob Farley, of 64 Elm St., said that parents should take responsibility for their children and should teach them to have “respect for rules.”
“Maybe if they have to miss a few Saturday morning cartoons they’ll start wising up,” Farley said.
Lisa Gallagher, a senior and one of the five students at the meeting, disagreed and added that she thinks the policy would only benefit the faculty.
“I think it’s just being done to make life easier for the faculty, so they don’t have to deal with detentions during the week,” Gallagher said. “Anyway, what if someone skips the session? What are they going to do, make them stay all weekend?”
Steele responded that the students would not have to stay the whole weekend; however they “would not be allowed to return to school until the detention has been served.”
One of the examples Steele provided for an in-school suspension is when students are caught smoking on the school’s property. Under the current system, the student would spend the school day in an empty classroom with a teacher and would not be able to make up missed assignments.
Steele hopes that the Saturday sessions would prevent students – not just from smoking on the grounds – from violating school policies.
“I know this isn’t good news for parents,” said Steele, “but I hope the threat of Saturday classes will make the students think twice before breaking the school rules.”
The Board decided to put off the issue until its next meeting, where Steele will have to present more information about in-school suspensions this year.
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