Student discipline at the high school level provides both opportunities and challenges. As principals it is our responsibility to lead staff and students in providing a safe, positive, and supportive environment that maximizes student learning opportunities for all students. Our vision is centered around the philosophy of “All means ALL”. We care about all students. We believe that all students can and will learn. To that end, principals – like shepherds – must wield wisdom to guide and protect to their flock.
Climate – Culture – Character
To ensure a positive learning environment free from disruptive behaviors, we must begin with a systemic approach to build leadership capacity within our student culture. While maintaining close attention to the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of all students, we must forge proactive support systems within the school that establish a learning culture, positive climate, and character development curriculum.
The Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (PBIS) program provides an effective, systemic approach to proactively model character and intervene especially from the perspective of the teacher in the classroom. Our SIT team provides leadership and guidance for students, teachers, and parents to achieve social, emotional, and academic support for all students – but especially for our at-risk students. Our team works tirelessly to provide counseling, conflict resolution, restorative practices, and structured systems of positive interventions. However, as we believe that all really means ALL, then this starts with building positive and powerful relationships with students. We know that students are more successful when they have at least one adult in the building with whom they trust – one positive relationship that helps to ensure that they grow both academically and emotionally.
In addition to our promoting positive activities to reinforce a culture of kindness and philanthropic giving, we have implemented a character education program through our weekly advisory period. Personalized career plans, suicide prevention programs, anti-bullying activities, community service promotions, character lessons, and school spirit activities provide opportunities for students to develop resiliency by forging relationships with caring adults. When coupled with engaging curriculum these proactive systems can prevent many discipline problems. This approach is prevent to “(1) reduce disruption and misconduct; (2) support and reinforce positive behavior and character development; and (3) help students succeed” (U.S. Department of Education, 2014).
Opportunity For Growth
Within these positive behavior systems, there are still many times when the administration must intervene. As a principal, I relish the opportunities to work with students who have demonstrated poor decisions regarding their behavior at school. Overall we have very few discipline referrals from classroom teachers, but when I have the chance to work through issues with a student, I always approach the situation with optimism. For the student, it is an opportunity for growth, and a chance for me to build a positive relationship with the student and parent. I always approach situation in addressing the behavior, not the student. In most cases the student made a poor choice and this is an opportunity to provide a fair, corrective solution to the problem/behavior.
I always use the approach of “accountability with grace.” The student must understand that they are accountable for their actions, and but we always want to maintain the student’s dignity in the process. Sometimes this involves maintaining the dignity of the parent(s) as well. Teenagers make mistakes – it is part of the maturation process, and we still have a system of consequences that accompany behaviors and the progression of behaviors. As an administrative team we always try to use a discipline model that is fair and corrective – that is we implement only what is necessary to change behavior. Many times this is merely a conversation with the student and possibly the parent. Discipline that is fair, corrective and includes relationship-building is an effective approach to minimizing future problems. Instead of automatically using detentions, suspensions, and expulsions, our team tries to apply opportunities for restorative justice to give students a voice in their consequences and/or make a positive contribution to their school community. These conversations ultimately empower students by providing them (and their parents) a voice by enabling them to express their feelings, asking them to take responsibility for their actions, and guiding them to participate in the decision-making process. Upon reflection, I believe that the most positive relationships that I have now with students, started in my office in response to negative behaviors.
Meeting the Needs of ALL
Unfortunately within the high school setting, we still have young people who are unable function productively in our learning environment. We strive to avoid suspensions and expulsions whenever possible; however, there are some situations where these ‘last resorts’ must remain an option. It is ultimately our responsibility to consistently defend and protect the positive learning environment, which means some students are suspended, expelled, or placed in an alternate setting. When behaviors significantly affect the safety and/or the learning opportunities of other students, then it is our obligation to reset the climate by removing the disruption.
In many ways, high schools are different than middle schools – and dramatically different than elementary schools. Unlike elementary and middle school settings, a large a high school includes a diverse population with 14-18 year-old young adults (*some 18 year olds have parents who have relinquished guardianship). The immense impact of social media in our culture means that high school students are now exposed to negative influences from local and global communities at unprecedented rates. Although we would like to believe that students always make wise decisions, we still have 1% of our students who are involved in unsafe behaviors and/or illegal activities.
Many times these behaviors do not occur on campus or even during the school day, but nonetheless disrupt the learning environment. When students break the law, the decision is taken out of our hands – we of course must follow the law. Situational ethics is replaced with legal procedure. We work with our resource officers and district attorney to support the student, but once a student is charged, we must maintain consistency with school consequences as well. Again, our approach is to implement only what is necessary to change behavior – “accountability with grace”. Unfortunately, for the small few, this means that suspension, expulsion, or alternative placement must remain viable options for administrators. Our all means ALL approach applies to what is best for ALL students. In these cases, suspending the student is what is best for the individual, but it is also best for ALL the other students. The “individual” needs to learn accountability and possibly an alternative learning environment, while the “many” need a safe environment conducive to learning. Principal’s shoulder a heavy responsibility when it comes student discipline, but if you care about the “person,” and focus on changing “behavior,” grace can be found.
Accountability with Grace
Dr. Todd Dain, Principal
Shawnee Mission South High School, @SMSouthTDain
U.S. Department of Education. (2014, January). Joint “Dear Colleague” Letter. Retrieved from
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-201401-title-vi.html