Behavior - What parents need to know!

Teaching students appropriate behavior is one of the biggest jobs we have in elementary schools.  As stated in the MMSD Code of Conduct, "Schools must be places where effective learning can occur."  It goes on to state that "students and school personnel have a right to a safe and orderly learning environment" and that "prompt and effective disciplinary action must be taken to correct ... behaviors" which "are illegal, life or health threatening, or ... impede the orderly operation of the classroom or school."

The Code of Conduct goes on to describe student responsibilities (like active participation and obedience to laws and rules) and Parent Responsibilities:

1. Support school officials in their efforts to develop and maintain well-disciplined schools
2. Teach the child socially acceptable standards of behavior
3. Teach the child to have respect for law, authority, and the rights and property of others
4. Teach the child to be accountable for his/her own actions and help the child to grow and develop into a self-controlled, self-disciplined citizen
5. Share the responsibility for student conduct with the school
6. Maintain an active interest in the student's school work and activities
7. Advocate for quality education for the child
8. Require prompt and regular attendance at school

The Code of Conduct also describes parent and student rights, responsibilities of school staff, and the potential consequences (including suspension) for inappropriate behavior.

At school, staff accept the responsibility to keep students safe and free of bullying and distractions.  One of the most persistently challenging parts of our work is teaching students to be appropriate advocates for themselves.  We try to keep things easy for students by reminding them frequently that their job, when someone is doing something that they do not like ... is to
Say "Stop" and tell a teacher!

Too frequently, students remain silent or retaliate against negative behaviors, putting themselves at risk for bullying - or for consequences for engaging in negative behavior.

We also accept the responsibility to teach appropriate behaviors, which we do mostly through our work with Responsive Classrooms and Second Step curricula.

Finally, we realize that there are students who publicly display negative - and at times destructive - behavior at Sandburg.  We wish that were not the case, and we are committed to helping them learn more appropriate ways of behaving.  The frequently-asked question is, "What can be done?"  One thing that clearly can not be done, after a new state law in April 2011, is to physically restrain or seclude any student unless they are presenting an "imminent" and credible threat of harm to themselves or others.  For many of us in an older generation, we would have been physically stopped from engaging in significant property damage in our schools (for example, someone would have held our arms so that we wouldn't destroy property).  That is currently illegal in Wisconsin, and it is important for families to know that property damage and disruption are suspendable offenses in the MMSD Code of Conduct.

Parents - the degree to which you understand the Code of Conduct, the expectations for students, the language that is used at school ("Say "Stop" and tell a teacher") and the legal realities of our work, the more effective our schools' teaching, learning, and discipline will be.  Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns.