Behavior takes center stage during last night's meeting

(source, Rhino Times)

It's good to see student behavior becoming more and more of a focus during these school board meetings. Last night was no exception.

This time around, many board members wanted to know if ISS (in-school suspension) teachers were really doing anything to teach behavior modification, or simply being there to babysit.

We've covered this in the past here on GSW.

GSW, April 6, 2007:

...Board member Dot Kearns wants to know why in-school suspension (ISS) cannot work. I’ll tell why it doesn’t work, Dorothy. ISS is not a deterrent. It is not punishment enough for the behaviorally-challenged child. For many of them, it is a vacation destination; many of them WANT to be in ISS. Find a punishment that sticks and has some teeth and maybe ISS will become a real deterrent. What we have now certainly isn’t working.
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But last night's dispute centered specifically on 15 behavior improvement teacher reportedly being used as ISS teachers, a problem Board member Jeff Belton wants answers about.

N&R:

"I don't recall us creating an ISS position," board member Jeff Belton said. He argued the position was meant to be proactive with student behavior problems. "That's what I recall us creating, someone who's out there during the day building these relationships."

High Point Enterprise:

"If they're sitting in an ISS classroom, I don't know who's doing this," he [Belton] said. "The ISS classroom is reactive. It's not proactive. I thought we were creating a proactive position."

I still stand by what I said both in 2007, and all along. ISS doesn't work, it drastically needs changed.

E.C. :)