Latest news with #studentdiscipline
Washington Post
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Nearing a deal with Trump, Columbia expels and suspends student protesters
Columbia University disciplined more than 70 students for participating in a May protest of the Israeli government's actions in Gaza, the school said Tuesday, days after university officials hoping to cut a deal with the Trump administration to restore federal funding attended a meeting at the White House. The university suspended or expelled more than two-thirds of the students sanctioned in connection with a demonstration at the university's Butler Library, according to university spokeswoman Millie Wert. Some will have their degrees revoked, while others were put on probation.
The Guardian
04-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Power to expel students for poor behaviour outside school criticised as adding to Victorian educators' workload
Victorian school principals will soon have the power to suspend or expel students for their behaviour outside school, in a move that has been described as 'putting more pressure' on overworked educators. The state education minister, Ben Carroll, on Wednesday announced the expanded authority for principals to use when 'harmful behaviour' outside school and online puts other students and staff 'at serious risk'. It will come into effect from term three. Carroll told reporters it was a 'commonsense change' that principals and parents had long been calling for and would bring the state into line with New South Wales and South Australia. 'Poor behaviour has consequences, whether it's inside the classroom or out,' Carroll said. 'I've sat down with parents, with principals and indeed with students, where inappropriate behaviour has occurred outside the school gate and it's been very difficult for the perpetrator to be expelled or suspended.' Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The president and executive director of the Australian Secondary Principals' Association (Aspa), Andy Mison, said he supported the intent of the announcement but held concerns educators only discovered the news in the media. 'It would have been nice for Victorian principals to have had a bit of a heads up,' he said. 'This is a well-intentioned policy, but its implementation could be strengthened by consulting with principals about it before it was announced. 'If you want effective schools policy, it makes sense to involve those that have to implement that school policy.' Mison added that suspension and expulsion should only be used as 'absolutely last resort measures' with the aim being to support children to learn at their best. 'This is an acknowledgment that there are issues outside the school gate and that schools shouldn't be responsible for managing all of those things,' he said. 'It takes a village to raise a child. We just can't keep putting more and more pressure, expectation and accountability on schools to solve all the problems of society. Lecturer in early childhood at RMIT, Dr Elise Waghorn, said while the new powers would receive significant support, 'prevention is better than the cure'. She said greater emphasis should be given on educating parents and young people about unsafe behaviours and online safety, instead of 'constantly putting more pressure on teachers'. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'Principals or teachers shouldn't feel they are put in a position to expel children based on their online activity. It's not enough to just expel children – there needs to be education,' Waghorn said. 'We need to give a really clear message that it's not the school or the parents in isolation, we need to … prevent this behaviour as a community.' Carroll said harmful behaviour could include anything from physical assault to bullying to the distribution of 'deepfakes', where real images of a person are run through artificial intelligence to generate sexually explicit material. The use of artificial intelligence to create pornographic deepfakes of fellow school students has been the subject of multiple police investigations in recent months, raising alarm among federal crossbenchers. It comes amid growing concern over the behaviour of young people, with a recent survey finding instances of physical violence towards principals had increased by 82% since reporting began in 2011, while threats of violence were also at their highest rate in the same period. Last month, the federal government launched a review into bullying and cyberbullying at schools, with the aim of developing a nationally consistent response to the issue. The eSafety Commissioner is also in the process of drafting an industry code designed to protect children from age-inappropriate content, including pornography, high-impact violence and material relating to self-harm, suicide and disordered eating. 'We want to encourage kids to be coming to school hungry, to learn, not fearful or worried about what might have occurred over the weekend or indeed, overnight online, and how that will affect the school environment,' Carroll said.
ABC News
03-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Victorian principals given the power to expel students for behaviour outside school
Victorian school principals will have greater powers to suspend or expel students for misbehaviour outside of school or online from next term. The Victorian government has revealed changes that allow students to be suspended or expelled if their behaviour outside of school or online puts fellow students or staff at serious risk. Currently, those powers are restricted to responding to behaviour on school grounds. The government said the change brings Victoria in line with New South Wales and South Australia, and will take effect from the first day of term 3, 2025. Education Minister Ben Carroll said the move was in response to an increase in assaults and online bullying, including the use of AI deepfake images. "In Victoria, community safety comes first. These strengthened powers send a clear message that harmful behaviour outside of school or online has consequences," Mr Carroll said. "The safety of students, teachers and school staff is our top priority — we're investing in programs that foster more respectful schools and acting to protect school communities. Mr Carroll said it would be up to principals to decide how and when to use the new powers. "This is a measure we're putting in as a last resort," he said. "I've met with families and principals where incidents have occurred online, have been incredibly harmful and because it happened outside the school gate, the principal hasn't had the appropriate authority."
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bill expanding Texas student discipline options awaits Gov. Abbott's signature
The Brief A new bill has passed both sides of the Texas legislature, giving schools more options for student discipline. The bill allows for longer in-school suspensions, expands the use of out-of-school suspensions for younger students and those experiencing homelessness, and offers more flexible punishments for vaping. Governor Greg Abbott plans to sign the bill into law, and it is expected to take effect on Sept. 1. AUSTIN - A new bill has passed through both sides of the Texas legislature, aiming to increase options for student discipline in state schools. Gov. Greg Abbott says he plans to sign the bill into law once it reaches his desk, calling the proposal "common sense." The Proposal HB 6 would extend how long schools can place students on in-school suspension. Current law allows for three days; the proposed legislation would allow the suspension to last as long as schools deem appropriate, with principals required to review the placement every 10 days. "Repeated and significant" classroom disruption or threats to the health and safety of other children could now be met with out-of-school suspension, in a reversal of prior state laws that limited the punishment's use. Reporting by the Texas Tribune noted that the out-of-school suspension expansion would enable schools to discipline students experiencing homelessness, as well as students as young as kindergarten through the third grade. The bill also changes punishments for students caught with vapes. Schools previously were required to send such students to alternative education facilities; now, first-time offenders can be given less severe punishments, and alternative education programs can be administered remotely. The Texas House of Representatives passed HB 6 in April, and the Senate approved it last Wednesday, May 21. The House has now approved 19 Senate amendments to the bill, sending it to the governor's desk to be signed into law. What they're saying Abbott posted about HB 6 on X Wednesday night. "The school discipline bill passed the Texas House & is headed to my desk," Abbott said. "It's common sense to give teachers the authority to remove disruptive students from classrooms. We must restore discipline in our schools." The Texas Tribune quotes Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock), who championed the bill in the Senate. "Disruptions are impeding both the ability of teachers to teach and the ability of students to learn," Perry said. Perry went on to say that the bill has been six years in the making. "We've reached a crisis point where there's just some kids that absolutely are such a deterrent to the overall learning process that we have to find a better way," Perry said. "With that, HB 6 found that balance. I like where we landed." What's next As Abbott plans to approve the bill once it reaches his pen, it can be expected to take effect on Sept. 1. The Source Information in this article comes from Texas Legislature Online and the Texas Tribune.
Associated Press
29-05-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Texas to expand how schools discipline students
Texas schools will be able to use harsher punishments to discipline students after the Texas Legislature passed a sweeping package on Wednesday — part of their efforts to stem student violence after the pandemic. 'Disruptions are impeding both the ability of teachers to teach and the ability of students to learn,' said state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock. House Bill 6 would extend how long schools can place students in in-school suspensions from three days to as long as they see appropriate. Principals would need to review the placement every 10 days. Students facing in-school suspension still complete schoolwork in a different classroom on school grounds. Because the bill would allow schools to use out-of-school suspensions to discipline all students when they engage in 'repeated and significant' classroom disruption or threaten the health and safety of other children, it would make it easier for schools to discipline students experiencing homelessness and the state's youngest students. That's because the bill would reverse state laws from 2017 and 2019 that put limitations on when and how those students could be disciplined. When schools do out an out-of-school suspension to students in kindergarten through third grade, they'll need to provide documentation of the students' disruptive behavior. Both chambers have approved the legislation — the Senate last week and the House last month. With the House's approval Wednesday of 19 Senate amendments to the bill, 114-19, it now heads to the governor. The legislation also amends when schools send students to alternative education settings, a strict environment that often leans on computer-based work and is in a different building. While students caught vaping were previously required to go to alternative education settings, schools can now give students caught with a vape device less severe consequences if it is their first offense. Schools can also teach students in alternative education programs remotely — a mode of instruction that was shown to contribute to learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. Perry, who shepherded the bill in the Senate, said the legislation was six years in the making. 'We've reached a crisis point where there's just some kids that absolutely are such a deterrent to the overall learning process that we have to find a better way,' Perry said on the Senate floor last week. 'With that, HB 6 found that balance. I like where we landed.' ___ This story was originally published by The Texas Tribune and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
