| March 10, 2008 | Volume 83, Number 10 | |
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School disciplineThings really got out of hand recently when students on a school bus in Gilbert, Ariz., witnessed a bitter exchange between their bus driver and a 15-year-old girl that soon escalated into what some would call a knock-down, drag-out fight which involved shoving and hair pulling. The whole episode was taped by a surveillance camera and then shown 11 days later on ABC’s “Good Morning America” broadcast Feb. 26. The language uttered by the angry student was bleeped at various points during the replay, but it was obvious that she was using words from the gutter. And don’t think that it went on for just a few minutes. The yelling and shoving continued for more than 15 minutes. A frightened student used a cell phone to call 911 and the operator called local police. Watching and listening to the excerpts of the fight, one can clearly see that there was a teenage girl out of control. The unruly student was “in your face” to the bus driver and it was all caught on tape. But guess what happens? The Gilbert police now want to charge the bus driver with assault and have recommended to the Maricopa County attorney that charges be filed. There will also likely be charges against the student who initiated the activity. The bus driver appeared to be coping as best she could with the situation. She is heard saying “Calm down, calm down” while trying to stabilize the student. But meanwhile the girl’s tirade is peppered with vulgar language as she impugns the authority of the driver. This unfortunately is one more example of how adult authority is thwarted by minors whose parents defend their children. It’s the teacher’s fault or, in this case, it’s the bus driver’s fault. A principal at a Catholic school in the Richmond diocese admitted that she recently had to contend with an angry mother who defended her child against discipline issued by a teacher. Two years ago a mother upset that her son had to cut his hair to adhere to one of Richmond’s Catholic school’s dress code phoned a local TV station to publicize what she felt was an injustice and her son’s story was told on the air. The school’s response to the dress code violation — supported by all the other parents — got short shrift by the TV station’s coverage. Gone are the days when students were fearful of facing their parents because they had been disciplined by the teacher or principal. Parents respected the authority of the school and acted accordingly. Lack of respect for authority by children is a big problem in many schools. Parents who teach their children to respect authority at school are teaching them a valuable lesson.
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