The first responsibility of education leaders must be to ensure that schools foster learning in a safe and healthy environment for all of our children, teachers, and staff. To support schools in fulfilling that responsibility, the U.S. Department of Education has developed this document that describes 15 principles for States, school districts,…

There is no evidence that physically restraining or putting children in unsupervised seclusion in the K-12 school system provides any educational or therapeutic benefit to a child. In fact, use of either seclusion or restraints in non-emergency situations poses significant physical and psychological danger to students. Yet the first round of data…

Corporal punishment is still legal under various circumstances in the United States public schools. This practice is specified in the discipline policies of cities and towns in roughly twenty-two states. Corporal punishment usually takes the form of paddling with wooden paddles or sticks by school administrators with the consent of the parents.…

The elimination of all forms of corporal punishment in educational settings must occur immediately. Not only does corporal punishment violate key democratic principals, but it also thwarts the increasing professionalization of teaching. In addition, available research findings illustrate that corporal punishment: (1) only temporarily suppresses…

To facilitate the learning process, each school's staff must be empowered to maintain strong, consistent discipline; however, school discipline maintenance is also a total community responsibility. Whenever possible, teachers should solicit parental assistance in correcting discipline problems. Fort Wayne Community School Employees or other adults…

A Georgia school district standardized discipline procedures, codified offenses, and published the results in booklet form. A clear hierarchy of offenses specifies problems to be handled at the local school, at formal hearings, or at a special disciplinary committee. Students know what to expect, and administrators know how to proceed. (MLF)

Describes how administrator-imposed discipline of students is circumscribed by their legal rights. (PKP)

In 1975, the Supreme Court decision in "Goss versus Lopez" established the foundation of procedural law in student suspensions. This text focuses on procedural aspects of the expulsion and suspension of students. It is devoted to the elementary and secondary public-school settings involving regular-education students. It describes how…

The courts have established that students have a right to due process when they are suspended from school for disciplinary reasons, since suspension involves depriving the student of his entitlement to an education. When grade reduction is used for punishing absence or tardiness or to discourage unacceptable behavior, must due process also be…

Case studies can help cast light on how schools face the problems of discipline and low achievement, neither of which is created or can be the sole responsibility of the schools. An attempt is made to report on the experience and performance of a public senior high school in the area of discipline. (Author)

Describes the development of a written policy of school conduct and discipline for a school district with students in grades K-6. Focuses on the district's efforts to incorporate student input in policy formation by conducting meetings between student representatives and the school superintendent. (KH)

Policies and procedures for disciplining students should be designed to teach them responsibility, rather than simply punish them. Providing educational opportunities to behavioral deviants is a problem that does not have a simple solution. However, alternatives to suspension or expulsion must be attempted before these disciplinary actions are…

The author discusses the various aspects of the legal struggle for abolishing corporal punishment in schools. A review of several recent cases of corporal punishment brought to the attention of the Supreme Court shows that the court has so far upheld the right of schools to practice physical punishment, within reasonable limits, as a disciplinary…

This bilingual handbook, in English and Spanish on facing pages, is intended to provide general information to Chicago (Illinois) public school parents about school discipline. After two brief introductory chapters that set forth the scope of the issue, the third chapter provides the following general guidelines for discipline programs in…

The conference from which these papers were taken was designed to present a balanced cross-section of opinion on the controversial subject of corporal punishment in the school. The papers contained in this volume include a review of the research on the effects of punishment, an analysis of state legislation regulating corporal punishment in the…