Discipline policy stirs concern in Sulphur
Sulphur school’s punishment policy allowed peers to name ‘bad kids’
BY MICHAEL BAKER | Oklahoman 2 Comments Published: March 13, 2010
SULPHUR — Second-grade students were told to put the names of misbehaving classmates into a bucket. If a child’s name appeared 10 times or more, the child was kept from recess and placed in a roped-off area.
AdvertisementSchool district officials ended the disciplinary practice after parents of students at Sulphur Elementary School complained the tactic turned discipline into a popularity contest and unfairly labeled children as "bad kids.”
"I don’t really know what the school was thinking doing that,” said Amanda Jones, the mother of an 8-year-old girl. "The whole situation is ridiculous.”
The number of times a name appeared was not the only criteria used to determine who would sit out at recess, Sulphur School District Superintendent Paula Crawford said. Observations by the principal and teachers were also used, she said.
"It was just a one-time strategy that was used,” Crawford said. "It’s not going to be used again.”
The discipline strategy was discussed at the school board meeting Monday in this city of about 4,800 in southern Oklahoma. About 425 students attend Sulphur Elementary, a pre-kindergarten through second-grade school.
Jones said her daughter was the only girl to be punished. The children removed from recess had to sit on concrete in a separate area.
Missy Vandever, the mother of an 8-year-old girl in second grade, didn’t like how the method singled out children.
"They’re allowing kids that don’t even need to be in trouble, they’re allowing them to be put out for all to see,” she said.
Elementary Principal Cathryn Harmon said the school tried a different type of punishment in February but wouldn’t elaborate.
"We did try a few things the parents got upset about,” Harmon said. "They don’t have all the facts, but that’s fine.”
Crawford said after hearing the parents’ complaints, she discussed the matter with school board members.
She then put an end to the practice and spoke to several concerned parents.
"I have visited with a number of those parents, and they have been very positive visits,” she said.
"They have indicated that they feel secure that I have taken care of the situation.”
Harmon said the school will "absolutely not” try the same type of punishment again.
"The only thing I’d really like to say is that no one enjoys punishing children, ever,” Harmon said. "We just prefer it when kids make good choices.”
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