$103 Fine for Swearing in School. What do you think?

[Amg120499]

I agree that the fine seems a bit high. However, my fxdh works in the special ed department of our local high school and tells story after story about kids cussing out teachers. I think anything is worth a shot at getting that behavior to stop.

 

[shortbun]

In HIGH SCHOOL?? I assure you, all my kids are/were well aware of the difference between $1 and $103. MUCH younger than HS, actually.

I don't know about that. In DS's eighth grade class a student stole the teacher's laptop and sold it to another student for $4. They were caught, of course, and both got suspensions ALL for theft and $4. Shows they have no concept of the real value of things at age 14.

 

[DawnCt1]

There are already rules in place. How about enforcing them?

I think that is the purpose of the fine.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I think that is the purpose of the fine.

We will have to agree to disagree. The same kids that cuss out the teachers are the same kids who are not going to pay the fine.

It will blow up in their faces.

 

[luvmy3]

There are already rules in place. How about enforcing them?

 

[DawnCt1]

We will have to agree to disagree. The same kids that cuss out the teachers are the same kids who are not going to pay the fine.

It will blow up in their faces.

It is the police department and probably the resource police officer within the school that will be issuing the fines. If they won't pay, I guess they will get an opportunity to 'tell it to the judge'.

 

[Wall-E1]

Okay, I just did some quick mathematics. Follow me on this. 103 is a prime number. You heard me - a prime number. Why would they choose a prime number as a fine? Prime numbers are used for public-key cryptology. This form of cryptology is used for security. What are they hiding? Is this significant to the fine amount? I just don't know at this point. I shall keep digging and come back if I am able to obtain additional information on this unusual fine amount.

 

[Planogirl]

So what happens when the kids don't pay? These are minors so I assume that it would be the parents that would have to face the court. Nice for those that can't afford it plus I can already see trouble-making teens stirring up this hornet's nest.

What's wrong with detention?

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

In HIGH SCHOOL?? I assure you, all my kids are/were well aware of the difference between $1 and $103. MUCH younger than HS, actually.

Ofcourse, I was generalizing. Kudos to you for actually parenting your children and making them ready for the real world. I do alot of work with area hs kids and MOST of them are not taught this. $100 dollars to them is a purse or a pair of shoes.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

So what happens when the kids don't pay? These are minors so I assume that it would be the parents that would have to face the court. Nice for those that can't afford it plus I can already see trouble-making teens stirring up this hornet's nest.

What's wrong with detention?

It seems this will be a legally binding citation. When one fails to pay a fine, one can be subject to a court appearance.

I would guess that prior consequences did not help to eliminate the occurrence of the problem. And sometimes when people don't respect the consequences as they exist, there have to be stronger consequences.

There are many people in this country who cannot afford to receive a ticket. So they might do their best to not get a ticket in the first place.

While I could afford a $100 ticket at this time in my life--I personally don't wish to give the court system money that I could better use on something else.

So the premise that affordability sways obedience doesn't seem to me to be a valid justification for not having such an enforcement in place. If that were the case, then the law would be based on income and only those who made lots of money would get the higher fines. It simply is not the case.

 

[Pigeon]

I think that if you got a good lawyer, had deep pockets and were willing to contest this it wouldn't hold up in court.

How about having a cop in the teacher's lounge or in the administrators' offices? They could write lots of tickets for foul language there, some of it about students. But personally, I don't want cops in the schools, period, and as a taxpayer I find it a complete waste of my tax money to have them policing students' language. How about they go out and catch a few child molesters instead?

Schools pretty much always have punishments on the books about foul language. The real problem is that school administrators are, by and large, unwilling to enforce the rules they create. Dh is a public high school teacher. If we had a dime for every time he wrote up a student for cussing him out, only to have the school administrator just drop the whole thing without assigning the proscribed punishment...

Instead of giving fines that the parents will have to pay (or not), how about assigning a little detention first?

 

[SpecialK]

We will have to agree to disagree. The same kids that cuss out the teachers are the same kids who are not going to pay the fine.

It will blow up in their faces.

I agree. My husband teaches high school. I am appalled at the language I hear in the halls when I've gone to visit. If it's directed at another student or a teacher, he intervenes, but told me for day-to-day foulness it's a "choose your battles" type thing.

A lot of these kids are allowed to swear at home. When I was teaching, a kid got suspended for swearing at me. When he called his dad for a ride home, he used even worse language and it was okay with dad.

Schools are not the end-all be-all. If the parents aren't going to have expectations for civil behavior, nothing the school does will have an effect.

 

[tzolkin]

I think it's a great policy. It's only punishing the parents if the parents allow it...that is, they're not getting the money back from their kids.

If the kids don't have money, the parents are going to have to pay the fine. What does that have to do with parents "allowing" themselves to be punished?

So what happens when the kids don't pay? These are minors so I assume that it would be the parents that would have to face the court. Nice for those that can't afford it plus I can already see trouble-making teens stirring up this hornet's nest.

What's wrong with detention?

This is the issue I have with this.

I think there are plenty of kids who will not care about the fines at all. It will just be something their parents will have to take care of and not a punishment for them.

A consequence that actually affects the child: detention, not being able to participate in school activities (sports, dances), and other punishments seem like they would be more effective.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I think that if you got a good lawyer, had deep pockets and were willing to contest this it wouldn't hold up in court.

How about having a cop in the teacher's lounge or in the administrators' offices? They could write lots of tickets for foul language there, some of it about students. But personally, I don't want cops in the schools, period, and as a taxpayer I find it a complete waste of my tax money to have them policing students' language. How about they go out and catch a few child molesters instead?

Schools pretty much always have punishments on the books about foul language. The real problem is that school administrators are, by and large, unwilling to enforce the rules they create. Dh is a public high school teacher. If we had a dime for every time he wrote up a student for cussing him out, only to have the school administrator just drop the whole thing without assigning the proscribed punishment...

Instead of giving fines that the parents will have to pay (or not), how about assigning a little detention first?

We have police in every middle/high school here in our district as an FYI to you.

 

[DawnCt1]

I think that if you got a good lawyer, had deep pockets and were willing to contest this it wouldn't hold up in court.

How about having a cop in the teacher's lounge or in the administrators' offices? They could write lots of tickets for foul language there, some of it about students. But personally, I don't want cops in the schools, period, and as a taxpayer I find it a complete waste of my tax money to have them policing students' language. How about they go out and catch a few child molesters instead?

Schools pretty much always have punishments on the books about foul language. The real problem is that school administrators are, by and large, unwilling to enforce the rules they create. Dh is a public high school teacher. If we had a dime for every time he wrote up a student for cussing him out, only to have the school administrator just drop the whole thing without assigning the proscribed punishment...

Instead of giving fines that the parents will have to pay (or not), how about assigning a little detention first?

I don't think that they are addressing swearing in general, but profanity directed aggressively towards someone else. At least that is how the news has been portraying it, and what the article says. I agree with you about having cops in schools. I don't think that they belong there and I couldn't agree more. If the students are so "out of control" that they need cops in schools, maybe, just maybe , those students shouldn't be in school.

 

[DawnCt1]

I agree. My husband teaches high school. I am appalled at the language I hear in the halls when I've gone to visit. If it's directed at another student or a teacher, he intervenes, but told me for day-to-day foulness it's a "choose your battles" type thing.

A lot of these kids are allowed to swear at home. When I was teaching, a kid got suspended for swearing at me. When he called his dad for a ride home, he used even worse language and it was okay with dad.

Schools are not the end-all be-all. If the parents aren't going to have expectations for civil behavior, nothing the school does will have an effect.[/QUOTE]

In the end, isn't that what it comes down to?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I don't think that they are addressing swearing in general, but profanity directed aggressively towards someone else. At least that is how the news has been portraying it, and what the article says. I agree with you about having cops in schools. I don't think that they belong there and I couldn't agree more. If the students are so "out of control" that they need cops in schools, maybe, just maybe , those students shouldn't be in school.

Our county police officers are there for the safety of the students. Our students are not "out of control". That is a nasty thing to say.

He directs traffic arriving/dismissal, teaches DARE, and does a lot of other good things in the school. Plus he goes to surrounding elementary schools to be a resource officer there.

When there is a fight, drug issue, or other illegal thing he handles it. The teachers do not have to police the student body, our resource officer takes care of it.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

We have police in every middle/high school here in our district as an FYI to you.

I had cops present at my schools since the 1980s and 90s. An exception here or there, but it is nothing new. I think it is more so since Columbine that the presence was wider spread.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I had cops present at my schools since the 1980s and 90s. An exception here or there, but it is nothing new. I think it is more so since Columbine that the presence was wider spread.

The district we are in now has had them for almost 20yrs as well.

 

[jrmasm]

I agree. My husband teaches high school. I am appalled at the language I hear in the halls when I've gone to visit. If it's directed at another student or a teacher, he intervenes, but told me for day-to-day foulness it's a "choose your battles" type thing.

A lot of these kids are allowed to swear at home. When I was teaching, a kid got suspended for swearing at me. When he called his dad for a ride home, he used even worse language and it was okay with dad.

Schools are not the end-all be-all. If the parents aren't going to have expectations for civil behavior, nothing the school does will have an effect.

What makes you think parents have no expectation for civil behavior from their children? In your neck of the woods do kids always do what their parents want?

These fines are ridiculous. Give them detention. And save police involvement for real issues.