Lake Roosevelt trying for positive discipline rather than fear-based

Do fear tactics work as a discipline technique in schools?

Not according to a slideshow that the Grand Coulee Dam School District board presented at their meeting in the Raider Hub at Lake Roosevelt High School.

Between 30 and 40 people attended the June 10 board meeting for a workshop on discipline within the school system.

A video slideshow with a recorded narrative from ChangeLab Solutions focused on things like “Why School Discipline Practices Matter,” and delved into the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, on students’ education and their lives in general, including illness resulting from stress, shorter lifespans, less-successful careers, and more.

Examples of ACEs include economic hardship at home, divorce, alcohol or drug misuse, mental illness, violence, and more.

Students who have one or more ACEs in their lives, the slideshow explained, are more likely to drop out of school or be held back, and exclusionary discipline doesn’t help.

According to the research presented, exclusionary discipline, such as suspensions and expulsions, is associated with lower performance from students and an increased likelihood of dropping out.

These “fear tactics” make the disciplined student feel ostracized, the presentation explained.

The slide show advocated getting away from “punitive discipline practices” and moving toward “restorative justice practices.”

This discipline tactic advocates for solutions like fostering healthy relationships, increasing engagement for students and families, communication, and strengthening “core life skills by replacing fear and punishment as motivators with belonging, connectedness, and a willingness to change.”

These tactics are meant to reduce stress, and make students feel welcome at school, even if they caused trouble, because threatening them with suspension or sending them out of the classroom only increases their dislike of school, the slideshow explained.

It said that consistency between all the teachers is important so that students don’t become confused or frustrated when behavior is treated differently throughout the day. Having a clear and concise behavioral plan helps the student have a better understanding of what is expected.

After the slideshow, Superintendent Paul Turner addressed the crowd, providing data that shows Lake Roosevelt is high in its rate of suspensions.

“You can’t educate kids that aren’t here,” Turner said before acknowledging the challenge of teaching students.

“Some days they can be total terrors,” he said, empathizing with the teachers present.

“We’ve got the knowledge to figure it out,” Turner continued. “When I say we, it’s not just the school. I believe it’s the parents, it’s the community. … This social/emotional, all this stuff, I think it’s crucial stuff. It takes us all. We all have to put our foot in the game, I truly, truly believe that.”

Turner explained the need to adopt these newer discipline tactics to help LR improve its numbers.

The changes aren’t just in the district but also in Washington state’s laws.

“By the start of the 2019-20 school year, school districts must eliminate any zero-tolerance approaches in local discipline policies and procedures that require a mandatory suspension or expulsion in response to any behavioral violation other than firearms violations,” according to information from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction that Turner handed out at the meeting.

“Before administering a short-term or in-school suspension, a school district must first attempt one or more other forms of discipline to support the student in meeting behavioral expectations,” states Washington Administrative Code 392-400-435.

Those at the meetings wrote comments and questions on Post-It Notes, and stuck them on boards in the room.

“What about the kids who are assaultive?” one note read. “Still in classrooms? Are we going to have alternate placement?”

“What about the students and the staff that want to learn and are being disrupted by the behavior of one or two students?” another note asked.

“For students to keep respect and trust,” read another, “they need to know that they will be treated fairly. For this, school rules need to be enforced equitably. This is not the case right now.”

“Demerits do not work,“ stated another. “They are used too often and sometimes with no reason. They have no positive effects on students.”

People mingled for a short time before the workshop ended and the board meeting continued.