The following incident occurred at an inner city public school in Chicago-
An eighth grade girl became involved in a fight with another eighth grade girl several hours after school was dismissed. Girl A, a quiet student, a good student, never involved in negative behavior, "won" the fight with Girl B who had been involved in many fights and negative behaviors. The next day the mother of Girl B came to school with her daughter and was loud, profane, and disruptive. She cursed the Dean of Students, the principal, the school system, the President, Girl A and her mother. Girl B joined her mother in the mother's tirade. The mother of Girl B demanded that Girl A be suspended for attacking her daughter and that the teacher be fired.
State briefly how you would respond as principal in that situation.
The following occurred in the same school during school hours on a different day-
A very neatly dressed,quiet, well mannered sixth grade male student was brought to the principal by the Dean of Students. The Dean asked the student to empty his pockets on the desk in the presence of the principal.
A large clear plastic bag filled with dark leaves was placed on the desk. The student was asked to explain what was in the bag. The student said it was "weed". The parent and the police were called to school. The principal in the presence of the Dean, the student, the student's father, and the police that all were in the principal's office because the student had in his pocket a bag of what the student said was "weed". The father looked at the bag and said "Boy, what you doing in my stach?".
Briefly state how you would handle this situation as principal.
2 comments:
As a principal, my first priority is the safety of my school and its students. First of all, I would invite the mother and Girl B into a private meeting, showing empathy and willingness to listen. I would then explain that I what to hear her concerns and get all the information from the previous day and to do so, we need to stay calm and speak in an effective manner. After listening and taking notes, I would reflect back to her the information as I understood it. We would then continue with the policies stated in the school handbook. If the fight occurred on school grounds, I would suspend both Girl A and Girl B. Even though Girl A has been a good student and not involved in negative behavior, she should have walked away from the fight and found an adult. If there is a zero tolerance policy, suspension of both girls would be supported. I would explain to mom that both girls are at fault and will be dealt with according to the district’s behavior policies that she was given a copy of at the beginning of the school year. Since this seems to be an ongoing concern with Girl B, I would remind mom that this cannot continue and is not safe for the school or her daughter. I would explain the consequences, such as a district hearing, her daughter may have to face in the future if this continues. I would offer some interventions and/or strategies her daughter could try when faced with a similar situation.
As the principal of the school, I would refer to the school district’s handbook and follow the procedure stated. Our school has a zero tolerance policy, so the student would be suspended for having possession of an illegal substance at school. I would look deeper into the situation, is the student using the drugs, selling them, or trying to get them away from dad. We have a behavior specialist at our school, which I would call in and set up some one on one sessions. I may also contact social services to ensure the student has a stable, safe environment at home. As for the father, I think the police would take over where that is concerned.
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