THS vice principal reports on disciplinary issues

By DEB WUETHRICH

Tecumseh High School Assistant Principal Dennis Niles told Tecumseh School Board members that the high school becomes the fourth or fifth largest city in the county for a time each day and is going to be reflective of its surrounding community when it comes to dealing with social and disciplinary issues.

Niles reported a total of 605 disciplinary referrals for the first semester at Tecumseh High School, down from 664 this same time last year, and nearly 200 fewer than two years ago. Nearly half of the referrals stem from issues involving locker security.

“One of the big things we have been dealing with is trying to be proactive and building relationships with the kids,” said Niles as he described some of the issues that regularly surface at THS. He said he and other administrators put forth regular reminders that the policies in place at the school are for student and staff protection, such as the locker checks that take place each day. Students receive citations for unsecured lockers, but Niles said the practice of making sure lockers are secure is not only to help prevent theft, but to protect students from having others place items in there for which the locker owner would be responsible.  

Niles also said that the cameras the district invested in a few years ago have been invaluable in helping to resolve conflict and also serve as a deterrent.
“Students all know they are there and might think twice before they do something,” said Niles.

He said one of the largest problems the school deals with involves technology, and specifically, cell phones. Students have been known to text during classes, which Niles says disrupts the flow of education, and tests have been photographed and texted to other students. He said district officials understand that parents want their kids to have access to their cell phones for such things as calling for a ride after school.

“We’re just asking that they turn them off and keep them in their lockers,” he said. “We’re also dealing with conflict that spills over into the school from social network sites,” Niles said. “These issues have nothing to do with school, but it’s brought into the school.” District officials have been attempting to be proactive in dealing with problems whenever they first surface, with some students brought in for counseling to work things out. Parent contact also is made early regarding students who come up against the attendance policy, and only a very small percentage lose credit when the issue is dealt with appropriately.

“We’re also trying to build relationships with the kids and using real life experiences to make a point,” said Niles, stating that students know there will be consequences if they choose to make poor decisions. “Sometimes it’s tough and your name is still Mud, but that’s okay,” he said. “It’s part of the job we’re doing.”
Tecumseh Middle School Assistant Principal Greg Lewis reported on the semester’s disciplinary actions for TMS students, and said the cell phones also are an issue at that level. He cited an example of a student who did not have one, but borrowed a friend’s, called her mother, and went out of the school to be picked up.  

“We didn’t know that she had left the school,” Lewis said. Another incident related how a student took locker room photos of a friend as a joke. “The parents dealt with that and we didn’t hear about it until later, but that’s the sort of thing that can happen. We understand parents want contact with their kids, but cell phones are not always used the way they are supposed to be.”

There were a total of 319 disciplinary actions for the first semester at TMS, with 133 students attending Saturday School, 46 In School Suspensions, and 82 Out Of School Suspensions.

“Our numbers really are pretty low, and it seems like a lot when you see the same kids over and over in the office and are telling them, ‘You’ve got Saturday School,’” Lewis said.

Tecumseh Superintendent Mike McAran pointed out that most students graduate without ever having been in trouble.

“The vast majority do not want trouble,” said McAran. “These guys [assistant principals] just expend more of their time with kids who do disrupt and want to disrupt others.”

Niles said that he and Lewis recently have coordinated efforts to ensure that the middle school and high school handbooks are aligned for consistency and that consequences are spelled out.

“It makes the transition easier,” he said.