Beginning in the early 1990s, states and districts enacted zero-tolerance discipline policies that relied heavily on out-of-school suspensions. Recently, districts nationwide have revised these policies in favor of more tempered disciplinary responses. In 2012-2013, Philadelphia reformed its discipline policy to limit suspensions for nonviolent…

This study explored the moral complexity of student drug and alcohol policies that are often disciplinary, punitive, and exclusionary in nature. The Ethic of the Profession and its Model for Students' Best Interests (Shapiro & Stefkovich, 2016; Stefkovich, 2013), a professional ethical construct for educational leadership and for school…

Over the past decade, many schools have adopted zero-tolerance policies as a means to curtail negative student behavior. Such policies persist although "there is as yet little evidence that the strategies typically associated with zero tolerance contribute to improved student behavior or overall school safety." School suspension and…

Educational leaders have a substantial degree of control over students and generally have a tremendous influence on the decisions that they make. District administrators are already involved in comprehensive efforts to stem sexual harassment, teen violence and bullying; therefore, they may be well positioned to identify and address the problem of…

This study explored administrators' attitudes about the use of physical restraint in their school settings. Administrators of day treatment and residential programs for elementary students with emotional and behavioral disorders in the Mid-Atlantic states were surveyed on their attitudes toward, and the use of, physical restraint within their…

Reviews a Pennsylvania higher court decison in which a student sued the school board for reducing her grades as punishment for misconduct during a school outing. The court found in the student's favor. The punishment must fit the crime. (MD)

Reviews two recent court decisions involving student discipline and academic grade reductions: "Campbell v. Board of Education" (Connecticut), and "Katzman v. Cumberland Valley School District" (Pennsylvania). The "Katzman" decision states clearly that academic grades should not be affected by activities unrelated to…

A Pennsylvania countywide, centralized alternative school called CLASS--Creative Learning Alternatives for Student Success--encourages students to stay in school, master the basic skills, and develop the cooperative attitudes needed for success. Eight districts now participate and enrollment has grown to 73 students in grades 7 through 12. (MLF)