Trouble on APS school buses just the tip of the iceberg.

It would appear that a significant number of students are "misbehaving" in school buses on their way to and from schools. "... throwing things out of windows, screaming and standing in the aisles ...", link, link.

If your immediate reaction was; well duh! then you have bought into the premise that children will misbehave no matter what; misbehavior on school buses is inevitable. There's nothing you can do about it.

Well there is in fact, something that can be done about it; we can make an overt effort to teach children what the rules are, why they should respect them, and then, most importantly, we can provide real consequences for their deliberate disobedience.

The leadership of the APS used to teach students about character. Then they made a deliberate decision to renege on their commitment to teach students about Character Counts!, link. Say what you will about CC!; what it is and isn't, what it will and what it won't; it was better than nothing.

To the extent that children think before misbehaving, it is a calculation; cost and benefit, how much fun it will be, and the likelihood of being caught and punished. The punishment itself is part of the calculation. If the punishment is inconsequential, its effect is zero. If the punishment is both certain and unpleasant, it becomes a factor in the decision making process.

In the APS and on its school buses, punishment for willful disobedience is neither certain nor unpleasant.

In the eyes of APS Supt Winston Brooks, link, willful disobedience of a teacher is the least severe deliberate misconduct. That is his philosophy. If you look for the Albuquerque Public Schools Discipline Philosophy, you will not find it; it doesn't exist.

Nowhere will you find it written, even so basic a commitment as, whether students who deliberately misbehave should be punished or cajoled.

What you will find written; is the "weasel clause"; the clause in the Student Behavior Handbook, link pg 2,

Nothing in the following is intended to prevent a ... principal or other administrator from using his/her best judgment with respect to a particular situation.

The weasel clause is what allows administrators to ignore their promise to punish students who misbehave, and then offer them yet another second chance to stop deliberately ignoring the rules.

"Best judgment" is not subject to review or even questioning; it is what it is, best judgment. How do you prove administrator didn't use their best judgment in sending a chronically disruptive student back into a classroom to continue their disruption?

The leadership of the APS has chosen to not provide punishment for deliberate (or reckless) misbehavior. Providing punishment for students who chose to misbehave has a cost; they're unwilling to pay it.

Students are in charge in schools. When adults make rules and children ignore them, children are in charge. When children are in charge, there is chaos instead of education.

One of the leading contributors to the failure of schools is their willingness to tolerate disruptive behavior; their unwillingness to provide certain and meaningful consequences for deliberate disruption. Ask a teacher.

It won't do any good to ask the leadership of the APS.

Standards of conduct, accountability and student discipline aren't even on the table for discussion, by their deliberate choice.

The truth about the out of control on public school campuses will not be told by their deliberate choice and with the aid and abet of the media.

The leadership of the APS is morally, ethically and legally responsible for maintaining discipline on public school campuses and on school buses. Yet they cannot, or will not, establish and maintain the authority of adults over the children in their charge.

How can you expect teachers and bus drivers to maintain control
if students are allowed to disobey them without consequence?

The very first rule has to be; you have to obey the other rules.
The consequences for deliberate disobedience must be certain
and significant enough to enter into their next calculation.




photo Mark Bralley