My little one is going to enter public school before long, and I’m not too crazy about these odds that say, more likely than not, at some point the system is going to throw up its hands and take her out of school if she acts up. I understand that teens misbehave and need limits, but suspension and expulsion are like the H-bomb of school discipline. Maybe some sanctions or diplomacy could be tried?

photo credit: ecastro

The study, which was done by the Council of State Governments Justice Center and Public Policy Research Institute at Texas A&M University, found children removed from class were five times more likely to repeat a grade or drop out of school and twice as likely to enter the juvenile justice system. Yet the offenses that got kids removed, in nearly every case, were minor enough to be considered against school rules but not against state law. (For serious offenses, schools have to suspend or expel.) Less fair still, schools aren’t enforcing those rules the same for every child: kids of certain races or with special needs bear the brunt of the punishments.

Fellow adults: let’s step back for a moment and consider what it would be like if, every time we had a not-so-good day on the job, our employer kicked us out. I think that would be a pretty hostile work environment, particularly if I were going through a lot of transition and drama at the time, as nearly every adolescent is. Schools, of all places, need to be able to handle kids being kids without periodically throwing in the towel for 60% of those in their charge. There are less reactionary ways to discipline and guide behavior.

School-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a method on a lot of school campuses that prevents kids from acting up, leads to students and teachers feeling safer at school, and improves student grades and attendance to boot. An Austin American-Statesman piece yesterday noted that it works so well, not only does the Texas Education Agency recommend it, the U.S. Department of Education is working actively to bring it to more schools. PBIS looks like the low-hanging fruit our schools need to replace what isn’t working in school discipline today.

What did you think of the report? Do you have kids in your family or of friends who have been over-disciplined at school? What advice would you give parents who think their school crossed a line when it came to discipline?

“Jamie Oliver is here to start a revolution. The impassioned chef, TV personality and best-selling author is determined to take on the high statistics of obesity, heart disease and diabetes in this country, where our nation’s children are the first generation not expected to live as long as their parents. Oliver is inviting viewers to take a stand and change the way America eats, in our home kitchens, schools and workplaces, with this thought-provoking new series.”

Most of what I saw I expected: further confirmation that kids are becoming more removed from where their food comes from, further sadness that some children can’t recognize vegetables LIKE A TOMATO (c’mon kids, don’t you see the picture of the tomato on the ketchup bottle?) and increased angst about my son entering the public school system and being forever resigned to packing his lunch.

I think it’s great that the show highlights a growing number of advocates (like Kate Adamick) who have changed their career path to lobby for changes in the meals we serve our children and a switch back to made-from-scratch meals and away from processed fare. If school lunch reform is the basis for a reality show, you know a critical mass is concerned about the issue and more will be made aware of the obvious link between raising childhood obesity rates and what is being served in our lunchrooms.

On one hand, I do feel lucky to live here in Austin and be surrounded by people who care about locally grown food. On the other hand, I cringe when I remember mentoring a Fulmore middle schooler and seeing that her lunch consisted of hot Cheetos, Powerade and fries (I felt like I was seriously helping her by taking her to Pizza Hut!)

For those of you with school-aged children, how do you feel about what’s served in Austin’s schools? How do you feel it compares to what was being served in Huntington, West Virginia? What efforts are you aware about locally to improve what’s served to Central Texas students?

Written by: Nicole Basham

We are currently living in the Round Rock area, but are considering making a move into Austin to shave off some time spent commuting to and from work. With two school-aged children at home, we need to narrow down our search to an Austin neighborhood with good schools and where the cost of homes are under 400K. I don’t know much about A.I.S.D. and am wondering if there are any Austin parents that can send over a recommendation.