I am a green teacher and I am interested in knowing the procedure of other schools in sending students to the office. I don't intend to send kids on a whim, I just like having things cleared up and my school handbook wasn't much help.
Ex: When sending students to the office, do you go automatically to the principal and explain or go to the secretary? Do you have students escorted to the office after making a phone call to the principal and/or secretary?
At my school, we do everything in our power before sending a student to the office. If what we can do is not enough, we have to fill out a slip that explains what happened, where, who was involved, when, etc. They bring this slip to the office, and I call down to let them know who is coming to ensure they get there. Once they get to the office, it is usually the VP that handles the situation, but it all depends on who is in the office to take care of things.
In my school, there really is no sending a kid to the office. On our lunch or prep, we can fill out a behavior infraction form, and when the principal gets around to it, he will call the child down. Sometimes a week or two later....If there is something serious like a kid throwing chairs in a tantrum, I would call the office on the intercom, and they would send up the counselor, head teacher, or principal to walk him out. Our principal and counselor are not full time (both go between two schools) so most of the time it falls on our head teacher to take the behavior problem into her classroom.
I haven't sent a student to the office in YEARS. Our principals beg us not to unless there is a physical fight or the kid has thrown a desk or something. Despite this, there are always a bunch of students in the office that the secretary has to babysit. A lot times, there is no principal or guidance person available so the kid is sent RIGHT BACK to class! A few years back, a female student was about to attack me for no reason. This student had major problems and kept walking towards me. Two of my other students jumped in front of me and protected me from this enraged girl. Another teacher stepped in and walked her to the office. Guess what? THEY SENT HER BACK UP TO CLASS ABOUT TEN MINUTES LATER!!! She was still mad but some other girls took her aside and got her calmed down. She admitted that it had nothing to do with me and she was mad at her mother. Later in the day, she got called back down to the office and suspended. Guess who she was mad at? Yep, me!
We also are required to turn in a type of referral form. We can fill them out for various things. They do like us to contact parents first (if you can get a hold of them- good luck with that!) and have a paper trail. Even with all this, students typically get a few warnings before getting a lunch detention, after school detention, phone call from admin., or suspension! Yep, that's why our school is out of control. I've known kids who got referred SEVEN times and got candy and pats on the back from the VP. Sometimes when you refer a kid, YOU get in trouble. "Well, Tommy said that you yelled at him and he didn't do anything!" That's why I turn in very few referrals which is what the principals want in the first place. My advice: be strict but caring. Don't give in. Be friendly but not friends. Make your first answer your final answer. Put it all in writing.
Depending on the level of the offence there are a few things we have to do before referring a student to the office.For a level one offence, we have to have a conference with the student, and parent, and try different things in the classroom, like switching seats, changing daily conduct. Then we send the referral and student to the office. For a level four offence, students are sent directly to the office with a referral. The AP usually deals with referral right away. Punishments can range from a talking to for the AP or a pending suspension (a conference is called for the parent to meet with the teacher and P about behavior. If the parent does not come it becomes a out of school suspension until the parent comes in.) to several days of out of school suspension. The AP deals with referrals right away.
It's something to clear out the classroom (desk tossing), or a fight, basically never. We are suppose to document and send it to the office. We just document and it goes into the file. Email the parents after the event. Things like that. After so many this or that's it's meet with administration.
We can call if the kids are runners
The school used to have Principal Send Them Down To The Office and Call The Parents. People raised hell and got rid of him. It's a private school.
Principal Skittles got no time for that! Lol...everything can be cured with Skittles.
I've worked for two different principals. For one, I would e-mail or call the principal to come and get the kid rather than sending the kid down. He had his e-mail on his phone and was always on e-mail, so he got it right away, most times. If he didn't, he was busy and wouldn't get to it even if I sent the kid down. If he didn't respond and I felt the kid needed to leave (this kid was quite disruptive but hands were tired because he was not a threat to himself or others, just a threat to our learning!), I would send a kid down to tell the secretary, and then she, an aid, or the counselor would come and get him. If bad enough, the counselor would get the principal out of his meeting. That kid was hell on wheels.
My second year was the same principal. There was one incident where I got the principal involved. I felt I had exhausted all possibilities and was frustrated beyond belief. I went to talk to my principal in his office, more of like a vent, and then he told me to send the girl down because I truly did exhaust all possibilities.
With my current principal, I haven't had any emergency situations. If I felt there was something she should know, I either sent her and e-mail or stopped by on my prep, lunch, or recess. If needed, I would just walk the kid down to her office!
... When sending students to the office, do you go automatically to the principal and explain or go to the secretary? Do you have students escorted to the office after making a phone call to the principal and/or secretary?...
If a student is to the point of removal I suspend him/her from school for the rest of that day and the day following. Referral form, Reason for Suspension, is sent with the student to the office. No escort. Teacher Suspension in my district means the principal may not reassign the student to a class or another room. Principal is the only one who can suspend a student from the campus.
It's interesting how many teachers turn their students over to the principal and expect the principal to do discipline for them. I'm sure some of you know "bouncers" who cause the office to build bleachers for their students. When I first started teaching I was a bouncer. I received zilch management training. I didn't know what else to do. Problem was each time I sent a student he/she came back. I sent again. They came back. Behavior never changed. They got exercise and I got ulcers. Thankfully about five yeas in I must have slipped and hit my head. Coming out of a coma I realized "discipline by revolving door" method was getting me nowhere.
I have never heard of a teacher suspending a student from the classroom. That would not fly in my district.
I handle most discipline in my classroom. I only send students to the office if they were fighting or completely out of control. If they are out of control I call the P to come and get them. I have never had a kid out of control or fight in my room before. I teach elementary.
I once had kids fight on the playground and once in the bathroom an epic wedgie was given that was so bad the poor boy's underpants were ripped off. In both of those cases I sent the boys to the p. She called the cops on The wedgie boy
Most of us don't bother calling the Principal. She is very soft and touchy-feely and her way of dealing with it is to come to the classroom, see the child sitting still for 10seconds and praise them highly for their wonderful behaviour. So, the kid gets the message that "well, teacher doesn't like when I do this, but principal thinks it's just fine and dandy."
We don't bother.
We certainly aren't allowed to suspend from the classroom; that's a principal only job.
> 
08-29-2015, 04:36 PM
....If there is something serious like a kid throwing chairs in a tantrum, I would call the office on the intercom, and they would send up the counselor, head teacher, or principal to walk him out. Our principal and counselor are not full time (both go between two schools) so most of the time it falls on our head teacher to take the behavior problem into her classroom.
