Facing Consequences

What happens if a student gets into trouble outside school during school hours?

Chelsey Squiers, Staff Reporter

Behavioral consequences have a direct role in the behavior a child exhibits.

Misbehavior in school can be harmful to the individual student if it interferes with learning, decreases the chance of graduating, or reduces the chances of entering or even completing high school education, according to the website education.com.

The site states that misbehavior also is harmful to teachers and students if it interrupts instruction and the normal functioning of classrooms. Misbehavior is also harmful to the school if it creates a negative atmosphere of fear, or if administrators spend an outrageous amount of time dealing with discipline problems.

The consequences will be determined upon the student and how severe the case is. However, the age and the background of the student plays a major role in how harsh the consequences will be, according to school officials.

If the student participates in anything illegal during school hours, they will still be punished, even if it is outside of school. The consequences will still remain the same for that individual.

Although, if an illegal act of a student is done outside of school, on a Saturday night, that will be outside the authority of administrators and principals.

“If it is a title nine defense which is the worst of the worst, by state law, we have to remove that individual from the campus, even if it happened during the summer,” Principal James Ramage said.

According to Ramage, consequences would be a case-by-case basis, depending on a student’s previous record.

“For instance, if two students get into an argument, followed by a fight during lunch, the school administrators will handle it as if it happened in the school hallway,” Ramage said. “The same occurs if the fight happens right after school, which will still be under the school’s jurisdiction.”