I was extremely disturbed by this article. While articulate, the author expressed an emphatic and detailed view of school discipline - after admitting he had no educational experience. Those of us who have been involved in serious discipline issues know that every case is unique and painful. No exception or mention was made by the author for students who:
Are causing massive disruptions to the learning
Are directly leading other students away from their Torah observance
Are engaging in illegal activity on school grounds
Are encouraging other students to engage in illegal activities, on or off school grounds
Are a physical or psychological danger to other students
Are a physical danger to themselves
Every one of the above examples are sadly prevalent in our schools, and every student deserves the best chance to succeed. But often, expulsion is an admission that the school is not equipped to deal with that student's issues, or that the school is unwilling to endanger the rest of their student body through continued exposure to this student.
Moreover, the author claims to support parent responsibility above all else, that school discipline cannot replace parent discipline. I heartily agree. But he then turns around to claim that schools cannot remove a student whose parents are obviously not participating in discipline to an acceptable degree. So what is the role of parent discipline, if the school is forced to retain the student in its absence?
Every expulsion is a tragedy, but claiming that expulsions are all invalid is ignorant and naive.
