Clarification on Disciplinary Procedures at CSS-MSE

Dear parents,
 
Some of you have raised questions about our disciplinary protocols and concerns about limited communication with parents. I want to explain our approach to disciplining students and why parents are only brought into the loop in egregious cases, after the students have had structured opportunities to address the behavioral issues within the context of their classroom and school community.
 
Middle school is a time of transition for our students – a time when becoming independent from the parents is a key part of the growing up process and of becoming autonomous. Our goal is to have students that are capable of self-regulation – who possess the capacity to control their emotions and make decisions about what behaviors are appropriate under different circumstances, without adult supervision or active authority. Self-regulation, and the independent judgment necessary for it, develop through an acculturation process that lays out consequences for inappropriate behaviors, provides incentives for appropriate ones, and provides for opportunities to choose freely and behave responsibly and ethically. Key to this is an understanding of disciplinary consequences and how inappropriate behaviors negatively affect the individual or the community. Also critical is an understanding of the special context of the school community they are a part of, and of the special responsibilities and values that come with being part of a diverse learning community.
 
While we believe very strongly that we are partners with parents in raising our students, there are powerful reasons for not overusing parents as a first recourse whenever there are behavioral or academic problems. In some sense we want to wean the kids from parental authority (and of the additional layer of disciplinary repercussions from parents) because in the school environment, parents are not regularly present – they cannot play a daily role in the school’s acculturation process, like teachers and administrators can. If we rely on parents too much or too quickly, faculty and staff can end up losing authority and control that we need for the day to day managing and educating of our students. In addition, widely varying responses by parents to the same student behaviors sends very different messages to the students, confusing the signals the school is sending about what ethical and behavioral expectations we have of our students in our school. Thus we have made the very conscious decision to only contact parents when the situation is of a very serious nature or when there is a pattern of behaviors that clearly demands a joint school and parental intervention.
 
The disciplinary program we have begun to develop at CSS-MSE is progressive and layered – that is, it provides students with opportunities to make mistakes, reflect on them, assume responsibility over their actions and decisions, and deal with the consequences as individuals.  It involves the faculty, the student body (Fairness Committee and Chief Justice) and the student’s advisor and principal (or his representative). I have sent home a sheet that outlines the 5 stage sequence that is posted throughout our school and that the kids at this point know by heart. The second step in the process – what we call the THINK SHEET  – is designed to force the student to reflect on their behaviors and plan out remedial action. For the vast majority of the cases, this second step is as severe a punishment/remedy as the kids get. We have only had about a dozen principal’s conferences (and 7 of these have been with the same 3 individuals). There has only been one principal’s suspension over what was a rather minor issue. Now that the student government has been elected, we expect the student Chief Justice and the Fairness committee to address many of the behavioral issues that arise. Overall, despite some management challenges in a few classrooms, I believe that we have achieved a very safe and orderly school environment that is conducive to learning and that promotes social, moral and personal growth.  
 
As always I welcome any suggestions, comments and feedback.
 
 
 
Dr. Jose Gabriel Maldonado-Rivera, Principal and Associate Scientist