Meeting Story Excercise

Some students dread going to school for five days a week, but some could be facing six days of school with a new policy in motion from the Portsmouth School Board.

School Board member Tim Steele has put in motion to approve a new policy that a new rule be instituted requiring students who disciplinary problems during the week to return to school for a special Saturday morning session that would run from 8 a.m. until noon several weekends during the year.

With the Saturday morning session in effect, it would require an allocation of about $3,000 per year for staffing, Steele told the School Board. The new policy left people with negative and positive remarks to the proposal.

Peggy Bacon, a parent, said she did not think the proposal was a good idea.

“I work six days a week—including Saturday morning—and it’s bad enough to get my son off to school Monday through Friday,” Bacon said. “Why do we need a change? I know my son isn’t perfect, and I know he’ll probably wind up on the Saturday list at some point, but I’m not going to force him to go. The parents are going to pay for it in higher taxes as well as in ruined Saturdays.”

Well even though higher taxes will be implemented, Steele responded that the new program would mean that the student would miss no class time if her or she received in-house suspensions.

Resident Bob Farley praised the idea of the new policy because it teaches young adults discipline.

“Parents can whine all they want about this, but maybe it’s time for parents in America were made to take a little responsibility for their kids,” Farley said. “Parents aren’t teaching their kids any discipline, so the kids have no respect for rules. Maybe if they have to miss a few Saturday morning cartoons they’ll start wising up.”

One of the common in-house suspensions being given from Portsmouth High School to students are smoking violations. In 1995, 154 students received in-house suspensions, requiring to spend a school day under close supervision of a faculty member in an empty classroom.

Steele said the new program would mean that the student would miss no class time.

“I know this isn’t good news for parents, but I hope the threat of Saturday classes will make the students think twice before breaking the school rules,” Steele said.