Tasmanian high school implements policy to suspend students for being five minutes late to class
UPDATED: A Tasmanian school has backflipped on its controversial new policy that saw students arriving late to class immediately suspended.
Tasmania
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UPDATED: A Tasmanian school has backflipped on its controversial new policy that saw students arriving late to class immediately suspended.
The new rules, revealed by the Mercury on Thursday night, were enforced at Sorell High School this week and resulted in students more than five minutes late to class being suspended for a day.
Students also faced suspensions for leaving class without a pass and failing to follow “a reasonable request or instruction after one reminder”.
But only two days after the measures were implemented, and after at least 16 students were reportedly suspended, the school rescinded the policy.
On Friday afternoon the Education Department said suspensions for arriving late or leaving early would cease.
“After receiving community feedback, the school has been supported to review the suspensions to ensure its behaviour-management approach aligns with broader department policies,” a statement said.
“The department understands the concern this has caused for the families. The suspensions will not be recorded.”
The department said over recent weeks the school had experienced an increased number of students arriving late and leaving early, which prompted the new policy.
The State Opposition on Friday described the policy as a “scream for help”.
Labor education spokesman Josh Willie, a former teacher, stressed suspension from school should be a last-resort punishment.
“[This is] a scream for help from a school that is struggling with its school culture, that is struggling with student attitudes,” Mr Willie said.
“They need the resources to drive change. Suspending students isn’t the way to do that.”
There was some social media support for Sorell principal Andy Bennett’s tough stance, with one parent saying it would help “students understand their responsibilities”, while another person said his “care and forward thinking” was clear.
University of Tasmania behaviour management expert Jeffrey Thomas said he empathised with Mr Bennett for his well-intentioned attempt to resolve a challenging problem.
But he said mandatory suspensions for lateness would “not work in the best interests of the school or its students”.
“Suspending a student will not increase a student’s engagement, it will likely further disengage them and result in more problematic behaviour,” he said.
“Suspensions, in my opinion, are only appropriate if they resolve an immediate safety issue in the school.”
Dr Thomas said the best way to reduce lateness and other disengaged behaviour was to make it easy for students to be on time, make expectations well-known and explicitly teach them, such as organisation skills, time management, decision making, and instil a culture in students that classes are worthwhile.
Premier Will Hodgman said on Friday morning, before the rule was dropped, that the Education Department was working with Sorell towards a mutually agreeable policy.
“I won’t presume to tell educators what’s in the best interests of their students and I do back school communities to make decisions that are in the interests of students,” he said.
EARLIER: A Tasmanian school has started suspending students for being late to class under a drastic new policy implemented this week.
Sorell High School students will be suspended for a day if they are more than five minutes late to class.
The new rule will also see students suspended for one day if they are out of class without a pass and do not “follow a reasonable request or instruction after one reminder”.
The Mercury understands multiple students were suspended on Wednesday after the measures came into effect.
One shocked parent said she was outraged children would miss a whole day of learning just for being a little late.
The Education Department on Thursday night confirmed a number of Sorell School students had received one-day suspensions this week.
“The department’s Respectful Students policy does not support the sanction of suspension for late arrival to school,” a statement said.
“When responding to unacceptable behaviour schools are encouraged to use restorative practices.
“The department, through Learning Services, is currently working with staff and parents to address this particular issue.”
In a letter dated March 12 addressed to families of Grade 6 to 12 students, seen by the Mercury, principal Andy Bennett acknowledged the consequences the new measures could have and asked parents for their support.
“We understand that these consequences may impact parents and carers who may be asked to collect children from school if suspended,” he said.
“We hope our students consider this inconvenience when making choices about behaviour at school.
“We believe that all students are responsible for behaving in ways that do not interfere with the rights of other students to learn and for teachers to teach — hence this letter and my request for your support.”
Mr Bennett said “by and large” students followed the rules successfully without the need for reminders and consequences.
The letter said the school needed to “make clear the consequences of not meeting expectations”, which are:
IF a student is late to class by up to five minutes they will make up the time with their class teacher at the next break. Continual lateness will be referred to senior staff.
IF students are more than five minutes late they will be suspended for one day in the first instance, effective immediately.
IF a student is out of class without a pass they will be suspended for one day in the first instance, effective immediately.
IF a student does not follow a reasonable request or instruction after one reminder, they will be suspended from school for one day in the first instance, effective immediately.
Association of State School Organisations president Nigel Jones labelled the policy “ludicrous and draconian”.
“It’s a 1970s-style discipline which will achieve nothing,” he said. “This is not how we should be treating kids in 2019. There are a lot of kids who are late to school for a reason.”
Mr Bennett refused to provide a comment to the Mercury.
jack.paynter@news.com.au
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