children out of school in america - University of Tennessee Digital ...

tion of the limitation on numbers or on lengths of
suspensions. And there was no clear provision for
a hearing or conference when a student is suspended.
The state law requires all these things. ,ol
In Davenport, Iowa, one assistant principal reported
that when they are suspended, "I don't tell
kids their rights. Come to think of it, I never thought
about it. "102
It is the principal's responsibility to maintain
safety and order in his building. He sets the tone
for his teachers and is held accountable for problems
that arise. As his school is compared to others, it
is likely that he will want his record to be as clean
as possible. He may want to get rid of students who
will blemish that record. Overcrowded school populations,
small budgets, and limited staff abet this
tendency to exclude troublesome children. But present
methods for maintaining order which deprive
children of education must be scrutinized. If children
are innocent and have no opportunity to prove
it, they will be bewildered, frustrated, and angry. If
they are guilty but punished in an unfair fashion
without a chance to present their side and to learn
from the experience, they will resent and disrespect
the punishing authority. Not only do arbitrary suspensions
fail to serve a disciplinary purpose, they
disserve that purpose. School administrators, therefore,
have an interest in preventing them that runs
parallel to the interest of their students. Unfair or
mistaken suspensions also disserve the overriding
school purpose of educating children.
Schools must maintain environments conducive to
learning, but not at the expense of individuals' rights.
A first step school officials must take to avoid arbitrary
exclusion from school is to establish fair disciplinary
procedures. A second step would be to
eliminate the many offenses like smoking or truancy
that do not seriously threaten or pose harm to
others. Only the most serious conduct should be a
basis for thro.wing a child out of school.
101 See Appendix V.
102 Interview with Randall Deer, Assistant Principal, J.B.
Young Junior High School, Davenport, Iowa, 11/9/73.
There is a special irony in this statement since the first
major students' right case to reach the U.S. Supreme Court
was brought in Iowa. See Tinker v. DesMoines Independent
Community School District, 393 U.S. 503 (1969).
140