Tag: School Discipline

  • Hoover Builds On School Discipline Reform With Wellness Center

    By Megan Burks Last year Hoover High School teachers cut suspensions by 80 percent after being trained to recognize and address trauma in their students. Hoover is building on that success by establishing a wellness center. It will offer traditional counseling, substance abuse counseling, legal help and referrals to other services for the students and…

  • School Discipline Changes Yield Big Drop in Expulsions

    By Megan Burks Expulsions at San Diego Unified schools are down nearly 60 percent. This time last year, school administrators had heard nearly 400 expulsion cases and handed down 134 of them. Students are recommended for expulsions and get a hearing before it’s made final. As of May 29, administrators had considered 178 expulsions and…

  • Suspensions, Expulsions Down In San Diego Schools

    A student runs up stairs at Monroe Clark Middle School in City Heights. | Photo Credit: Cecia, The AjA Project By Megan Burks A new law aiming to limit school discipline measures that take students out of class went into effect Jan. 1. But new data from the California Department of Education shows districts have…

  • The End of ‘Willful Defiance’ School Punishments (Sort of)

    When a child gets in trouble at Cherokee Point Elementary School, Principal Godwin Higa, talks quietly to the student to sort things out. | Photo Credit: Jane Stevens By Mario Koran On this, most school officials agree: “Willful defiance,” a kind of catch-all reason for ejecting students from class is overbroad and problematic. But for…

  • Voices: New Teachers Bear the Burden of Public Policy Failures

    By Oscar Ramos Oscar Ramos taught at The Preuss School for seven years and now works at a public school district in Texas. He’s also a previous contributor to Speak City Heights partner Voice of San Diego. Ramos’ commentary has been edited for style and clarity. Say you’re a teacher. You’re conducting a lesson in…