Saturday school has become a possibility for Portsmouth school punishment aimed primarily at bringing an end to students smoking both inside and outside the school.
Tim Steele, a school board member, proposed a new policy to be taken into consideration for a new school rule. The rule states that certain student disciplinary action should result in a Saturday morning session from 8 a.m. to noon. This rule is to reduce or remove the use of in0school suspensions which lead to missed class time that is never made up.
The reception of the policy was mostly negative, with an exception of one parent. Peggy Bacon, a working mother of a Portsmouth student, opposed the proposal. She noted that she had enough on her plate during the week, and getting her son to school on a Saturday would be a hassle.
“I just don’t think it’s going to make any difference,” said Bacon, “and the parents are going to pay for it – in higher taxes as well as in ruined Saturdays.”
Another opinion came from Portsmouth resident Bob Farley. Farley was in favor of the new rules. He believed it would send a message to the parents of unruly children.
“Parents can whine all they want about this,” said Farley, “but maybe it’s time parents in America were made to take a little responsibility for their kids.”
Farley also mentioned that parents were not teaching their children enough discipline. He believed that the consequence of having to go to school on a Saturday would be motivation for kids not to misbehave.
Some Portsmouth students also participated in the discussion. Among the 5 students who attended the meeting, senior Lisa Gallagher spoke up against the proposal.
“I don’t like this idea,” said Gallagher, “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.”
The new policy would require $3,000 a year for staffing and is set up for further discussion in the future.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
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