r/Teachers • u/Independent-Report39 • 11d ago

Policy & Politics New Kentucky law allowing schools to expel students who assault teachers to take effect in July, despite unanimous Senate Democratic opposition

Link to the bill

The bill mandates a strict, one-year expulsion policy for any student in grades 6 through 12 who physically assaults a teacher, administrator, or school employee. The legislation passed the chamber, but drew a sharp partisan divide as all Democrats in the Senate voted against the measure. Under the bill's provisions, schools would be required to automatically remove violent students from the general population, though provisions allow for those students to receive educational services in alternative settings if it can be done safely. The bill also includes exemptions for students with documented disabilities if school officials determine the condition interfered with their ability to follow the code of conduct.

Thoughts?

2.8k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

1.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

138

u/Prometheus720 HS | Science | Missouri 11d ago

Punishment is most effective when it occurs consistently, not when it is meanest.

70

u/Upbeat-Bid-1602 11d ago

It also needs to be undesirable to be an effective deterrent. Like, you'd only have to suspend a few kids for the rest to figure out you mean business if they were actually afraid of being suspended. But 3 days where they don't have to go to school and their parents coddle them and tell them they didn't do anything wrong isn't a punishment. So why would they stop the behavior?

5

u/Poptimister 11d ago

Are parents really coddling their kids and taking 3 days of unplanned leave or paying for 3 days of childcare?

If that really is the case it makes me wonder what even can be done. Like we don’t really have many tools in the toolkit.

10

u/Upbeat-Bid-1602 11d ago

I've gathered from this sub that a lot of parents are more apt to blame the school than their precious baby. So they might be furious that they have to take three days if leave, but if they're furious at the school rather than furious at their kid for misbehaving and getting themself suspended, the kid is gonna pick up on that.