(2) Gosselin kids expelled from school for bullying

[emer95]

I really appreciate your graciousness at my correcting a grammar error. How obnoxious can I be?

In my defense, I had two glasses of wine with dinner. I really try to hold back but I go a little crazy when I drink and my true colors come out. I've just got to be me.

Thanks for being so cool about it!

 

[OhMari]

Anyone care to guess how long it will be before Kate is tearfully "umm"ing her way through an interview on the Today show about this?

I teach 3rd grade. In all of the years I've been a teacher, I have never known a child to be expelled for bullying. Does bullying happen? Absolutely! However, I have personally never seen it get to where a child needs to be expelled. Usually it is worked out between the children, parents, teachers and administrator.

Also, I can't leave this thread without being a total pain in the rear:

The plural form of bully is bullies, not bullys.

I'm sorry. I just can't help myself. Plural nouns was our grammar skill this week. I go in peace... and ducking...

People magazine has already published the story and gave Kate the benefit of the doubt. They are already saying, "it is not as bad as what they are saying".

The school the kids attend, could of made a new policy this year about zero tolerance for bullying. I'm sure they went through steps of discipline, and expelling is usually the last resort. Maybe it was a one time thing, but most school's have 3 strikes your out.

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

People magazine has already published the story and gave Kate the benefit of the doubt. They are already saying, "it is not as bad as what they are saying".

The school the kids attend, could of made a new policy this year about zero tolerance for bullying. I'm sure they went through steps of discipline, and expelling is usually the last resort. Maybe it was a one time thing, but most school's have 3 strikes your out.

Well, this is not surprising, People Magazine has always been very pro-Kate. I don't know why, but they seem to have a very good relationship with Kate and tend to only write articles that put her in a positive light.

 

[walden]

People magazine has already published the story and gave Kate the benefit of the doubt. They are already saying, "it is not as bad as what they are saying".

The school the kids attend, could of made a new policy this year about zero tolerance for bullying. I'm sure they went through steps of discipline, and expelling is usually the last resort. Maybe it was a one time thing, but most school's have 3 strikes your out.

Interesting. People Magazine has historically been Kate's chosen magazine for public statements, so I guess the story is confirmed if downplayed. People has always been squarely in Kate's corner, IMO.

I still think it is very sad that 2 kids have been expelled and I think it confirms some serious behavioral issues. That expulsion will follow them through life. As to labeling the kids bullies forever? I really don't like that. They are supposedly demonstrating "bullying behaviors" but those can be corrected with time, attention and help.

It is true that a lot more attention is being paid to bullying in schools and greater understanding of the serious consequences. The recent suicides of college and high school students are making us all more aware of the issue. This is an interesting site that explains some of the risk factors for bullying: http://www.education.com/reference/article/why-do-kids-bully/

If you scroll down the page I linked there is a specific link to bullying in kindergarten.

 

[RitaZ.]

Interesting. People Magazine has historically been Kate's chosen magazine for public statements, so I guess the story is confirmed if downplayed. People has always been squarely in Kate's corner, IMO.

Maybe there is a business link between People magazine and TLC.

 

[walden]

Maybe there is a business link between People magazine and TLC.

It makes me wonder too!

Here is more. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gosselin-kids-school-expulsion-part-44946

So, if it is all exaggerated and the two did not demonstrate violent and bullying behaviors then why the heck were they expelled? What other behaviors are actually expulsion-worthy? That wasn't a rhetorical question. I can only think of stealing, bringing *weapons* to school for protection against other bullying children, and drugs. But I wouldn't expect drugs to be that common in kindergarten!

What seems even worse to me is that they continued filming pre-, post-, and possibly during this "challenging time" to get the Holloween Special. I really think the plug should be pulled on Kate Plus Eight.

Kate's cookbook, Love is in the Mix, still seems missing from Zondervan's website. Twist of Kate seems to be delayed yet again. Wasn't it originally scheduled for the Fall?

 

[kidshop]

My first thought was Mady too. I think like several have said here, kate by herself isn't entertaining. People watch for the kids. People really don't seem to like Kate. Maybe TLC has realized this and has pulled the plug. I don't know.

Mady and Cara had a normal life with grandparents and family and no camera until they were what, 4? The six have had a circus since day one. They never had normal. I bet Mady is going to be just fine!

 

[kidshop]

Are there stats of expelled kids of any age? There are stats on kids who bully, including the above, that is more recent and shows elemnetary age at about 23%.

So do you consider Collin and Alexis normal since 23% is reported as the incidence of bullying? Should anything be done to correct them or is that just the way life is; some kids bully and get expelled a few month into the school year. No big deal, no changes needed.

 

[C.Ann]

Who cares about the percentages? Each case is its own. The percentage of serial killers to adults is minimal, doesn't change the facts of the cases.

I do.. Why? Simple curiosity.. Percentages of bullying have been bantered back and forth here - why not the percentages of 6 yr. olds who are expelled? I suppose I could search for that answer myself, but I'm too lazy - LOL - so I figured I would just leave it to others - who are much better and much quicker at pulling up percentages than I am..

------------------------------------

Interesting. People Magazine has historically been Kate's chosen magazine for public statements, so I guess the story is confirmed if downplayed. People has always been squarely in Kate's corner, IMO.

I still think it is very sad that 2 kids have been expelled and I think it confirms some serious behavioral issues. That expulsion will follow them through life. As to labeling the kids bullies forever? I really don't like that. They are supposedly demonstrating "bullying behaviors" but those can be corrected with time, attention and help.

It is true that a lot more attention is being paid to bullying in schools and greater understanding of the serious consequences. The recent suicides of college and high school students are making us all more aware of the issue. This is an interesting site that explains some of the risk factors for bullying: http://www.education.com/reference/article/why-do-kids-bully/

If you scroll down the page I linked there is a specific link to bullying in kindergarten.

It makes me wonder too!

Here is more. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gosselin-kids-school-expulsion-part-44946

So, if it is all exaggerated and the two did not demonstrate violent and bullying behaviors then why the heck were they expelled? What other behaviors are actually expulsion-worthy? That wasn't a rhetorical question. I can only think of stealing, bringing *weapons* to school for protection against other bullying children, and drugs. But I wouldn't expect drugs to be that common in kindergarten!

What seems even worse to me is that they continued filming pre-, post-, and possibly during this "challenging time" to get the Holloween Special. I really think the plug should be pulled on Kate Plus Eight.

Kate's cookbook, Love is in the Mix, still seems missing from Zondervan's website. Twist of Kate seems to be delayed yet again. Wasn't it originally scheduled for the Fall?

Interesting articles.. Thanks for sharing them..

I guess the cookbook was a flop - and no one seems to know anything about her solo show.. I guess that's a no-go too.. Do you think that Kate will still considered the folks at TLC to be her "best friends" if they dump her and her show(s) entirely?

Best case scenario - she put aside a ton of money since the kids first went on the air.. And if there's money put aside for college and it comes down to the choice of feeding her kids now - or sending them to college later - I guess she's just going to have to make that same tough choice that millions of parents face every day - who never had income from a tv series to begin with..

 

[JerseyJanice]

DS went to day care next door to where I worked from the time he was born until kindergarten. The center was a joint venture between the corporation I worked for and a nearby hospital. It was opened to be an employee perk, but the center did take other children for an increased cost.

While we were there, they asked at least two children to leave the center due to behavioral problems. It was put to them like they didn't have the resources to handle children with real problems. In case, the child was autistic and in the other, the child seemed to have a severe case of ADHD.

I know in the Catholic school I put DS in next, they didn't have any extra resources to help children with special needs.

At both places, I know they asked families to withdraw their children who needed more help than they were equipped to offer and place them where they could get the attention they needed.

"Expel" is a strong word and I wonder if that's the word the media is using instead of the gentler term of "withdraw" which I think is normally what would be used when talking about younger students being asked to leave a school.

Honestly, one of the many things that irk me about the Gosselins and Octomom family is how romanticized they make having multiples seem. As I stated earlier on the thread, the occurrence of learning and other disabilities in multiples is far higher than for single or twin children.

It's not often said, but at least two of the McCaughey septuplets have CP and at least one of them is severely impaired visually. Having multiples isn't "cute" or natural. There is good reason why they don't happen often naturally. It's just not what Mother Nature intended for human beings.

 

[DMRick]

I didn't say it was normal at all (that was someone else putting words in my mouth). I said, according to statisics, it's not unusal. I think bullying is terrible and schools need to be swift in stopping it, includding expulsion or counseling as part of the punishment. I assume most schools give a warning, but maybe not..it's a serious thing in the US, in school and on the internet. Many parents don't even know if their kids are bullied, and aren't able to interfere. I thought I made it pretty clear that I don't think that is aceptable behavior, but for some reason, that always goes by the wayside when I'm quoted.
I only mention statisics, to point out that there is a lot of bullying, and most of the kids doing the bullying, are not on TV.
If you can show where I said no big deal, no changes needed, then please do.

So do you consider Collin and Alexis normal since 23% is reported as the incidence of bullying? Should anything be done to correct them or is that just the way life is; some kids bully and get expelled a few month into the school year. No big deal, no changes needed.

 

[eliza61]

Wow, how sad

I can;t believe people on this thread. So every kid that is a bully learned that behavior from there parents

Except for kids of disser's who are magically perfect in every way.

I'm out on this one.

 

[DMRick]

When I'm curious, I go looking on the internet. I'm not at all curious about how many 6 year old are asked to be removed from school. I can't even imagine why there would be percentages of expelling, since, unlike bullying, it's prob pretty low, and I think you would see it more in private schools. But if you are really curious, you could prob get that info from your local school, since they too have expulsions, but because of laws about schooling, they are more discriminating. At least one expulsion they had last year at your GD's school, left them with no choice but to offer home tutors, and that is expensive. Also, lucky them, they often get to take the kids removed from private school because in NYS, they 'owe' them an education.

I do.. Why? Simple curiosity.. Percentages of bullying have been bantered back and forth here - why not the percentages of 6 yr. olds who are expelled? I suppose I could search for that answer myself, but I'm too lazy - LOL - so I figured I would just leave it to others - who are much better and much quicker at pulling up percentages than I am..

.

 

[C.Ann]

At least one expulsion they had last year at your GD's school, left them with no choice but to offer home tutors, and that is expensive. Also, lucky them, they often get to take the kids removed from private school because in NYS, they 'owe' them an education.

No need for you to make this personal.. Let's discuss the Gosellin children..

 

[JerseyJanice]

When I'm curious, I go looking on the internet. I'm not at all curious about how many 6 year old are asked to be removed from school. I can't even imagine why there would be percentages of expelling, since, unlike bullying, it's prob pretty low, and I think you would see it more in private schools.

I don't think there could possibly be any accurate way to measure "explusion" in lower grades and especially in private schools.

I doubt the public is getting the whole story about these children. (BTW, I haven't read any media accounts myself--just what's on this thread.) Who is giving info about this "expulsion" to the media? And who is saying it's due to bullying? Is it the school? I seriously doubt that, especially from any of the school's administrators.

Would you send your children to a private school that gave out info about its students to the media? Even though this family is famous, no school is going to release info about behavioral records to the media.

If the info is coming from parents of other students (very likely, as other PPs have pointed out), then we don't know whether it was really an expulsion or request to remove the students and place them in an environment where they can get the attention they need.

This is a common occurrence in private schools--especially for young children. Not all schools are equipped to handle all the needs of every student. It's not called "expulsion." It's termed "asked to withdraw."

You won't see many "expulsions" of 6 year-olds because there are very few instances that would be called technically that. The parents of students this age who are too aggressive to their peers are almost always asked to withdraw because the school feels the kids are emotionally disturbed and need to be in a school that is equipped to handle that.

 

[barkley]

When I'm curious, I go looking on the internet. I'm not at all curious about how many 6 year old are asked to be removed from school. I can't even imagine why there would be percentages of expelling, since, unlike bullying, it's prob pretty low, and I think you would see it more in private schools. But if you are really curious, you could prob get that info from your local school, since they too have expulsions, but because of laws about schooling, they are more discriminating. At least one expulsion they had last year at your GD's school, left them with no choice but to offer home tutors, and that is expensive. Also, lucky them, they often get to take the kids removed from private school because in NYS, they 'owe' them an education.

so in new york are the schools required to provide tutors to expelled students?

not the way it is here or in our former state. if you get a valid expulsion you get no paid services from the schools. you ARE subject to mandatory school enrollment (for certain ages, but in the case of 6 years olds here-they would'nt have to be enrolled for another 2 years if mom/dad did'nt want) so to meet that you have to choose from and get registered with one of the options open to anyone as an alternative to public school attendance-free homeschooling, free internet schooling or private school (but that costs). the schools are under no obligation to provide anything other than an alternative education mechanism for expelled kiddos.

now if it's a special ed. kid then it's a whole different set of rules.

 

[whitneyNC]

The kids are in 1st grade, right? I seem to remember some hitting and pushing going on in my DD's first grade. Being physical with classmates is not uncommon with 6-year olds but it was dealt with in ways other than expulsion.

FWIW, I don't have a dog in this fight. I don't watch the show and I think both of the parents are jerks. I just feel sorry for the kids and I can't help but think that maybe the school overreacted for some reason. Maybe they are tired of having the Gosselin kids as students and are making things difficult in hopes that they will leave.

They are 6.5 this month and in Kindergarten. A little old, but not all that unusual around here to hold kids back. They are bullied, they will bully. It's sad really.

 

[JerseyJanice]

so in new york are the schools required to provide tutors to expelled students?

not the way it is here or in our former state. if you get a valid expulsion you get no paid services from the schools. you ARE subject to mandatory school enrollment (for certain ages, but in the case of 6 years olds here-they would'nt have to be enrolled for another 2 years if mom/dad did'nt want) so to meet that you have to choose from and get registered with one of the options open to anyone as an alternative to public school attendance-free homeschooling, free internet schooling or private school (but that costs). the schools are under no obligation to provide anything other than an alternative education mechanism for expelled kiddos.

now if it's a special ed. kid then it's a whole different set of rules.

Actually, all minors without high school diplomas in the United States are entitled to a "free and appropriate education." Whatever state you live in, if your child is expelled, your local school district must provide education whether it's with a home tutor or in another school--it's federally mandated.

 

[barkley]

Actually, all minors without high school diplomas in the United States are entitled to a "free and appropriate education." Whatever state you live in, if your child is expelled, your local school district must provide education whether it's with a home tutor or in another school--it's federally mandated.

they must provide a no cost "alternative" education to attending a public school. that does'nt mean it has to be identical in how it's presented. since we have programs where homeschoolers can get free materials, and the internet distance learning is free it meets the federal mandate.

 

[DMRick]

While the school is a nice school, (one of the best in the area, way better than ours) they have also have problem kids (remember the three that caused all the damage (although they were much older)..google can be your friend). Most do, since kids still behave like kids. Obviously it did spread, since I know about it. She'll have to get the particulars from the principal. I'm not giving them out.

They have a great counseling group set up. Perhaps thats another plus, if your daughter didn't know about it. Perhaps they keep things more private than this school did.

Really? Was that the elementary school or the middle school? I'll have to ask her about that when I get the chance.. If a student was expelled, I wonder why she never mentioned it? That stuff spreads like wildfire - even when you're not a celeb - and I'm sure she would have said something about it, just from sheer shock..