School discipline involves a complex system of rules, monitoring, sanctions, and rewards to shape student behavior. However, these policies are often disproportionately applied against students of color and those with disabilities.

Teachers need to be able to set classroom rules and determine consequences for breaking those rules. But disciplinary measures should be used ethically and to promote an efficient learning environment.

Fundamental Dress Codes

School dress codes should allow students to wear clothing that is comfortable, conducive to learning and in accordance with their gender identity. They should also avoid reinforcing gender stereotypes (i.e., girls must wear dresses).

Policies should be written in such a way that staff members don’t have to touch students to measure them, which can lead to racial and socioeconomic disparities in discipline. Ideally, administrators should gather students at the start of the school year and review the dress code together.

Another common issue is that school dress codes don’t allow students to wear short skirts or shirts with a high neckline. This is a problem because it allows for the potential for sexualizing comments to be made to female classmates. To combat this, many schools have adopted the ‘armpit to armpit rule’ which states that shirts or skirts should be long enough to cover the bottom of the student’s hand when they hold their arms straight down their site and close them into a fist.

Essential Behavioural Rules

Educators should not forget the importance of discipline in grooming learners. They need to enforce the basic rules of classroom etiquette and maintain a peaceful classroom ambiance to ensure good learning results. They can help their students to learn in a positive environment with full motivation and zeal.

To establish these values, teachers can create a set of classroom rules by collaborating with their students. They can generate a list of potential values and then discuss and narrow down the list to a manageable number of rules. They should try to keep these rules short and easy to remember.

In addition to classroom disciplinary measures, schools must also focus on supporting the underlying issues that may contribute to misbehavior. For example, mental health experts advocate against corporal punishment and zero tolerance policies. Instead, they support individualized school disciplinary processes that take into account the emotional disturbances of the students. They also recommend using restorative welcome-back circles to help students reintegrate into the classroom after being removed from the classroom for misconduct.

Consequences of Rule-Breaking

The consequences of breaking school rules must be proportionate, appropriate and fair. Punishments must also be related to valid educational purposes and they cannot restrict activities that are constitutionally protected.

Detentions – usually students must stay behind for on average, about ten minutes. They often have to write and apologise for their actions and may be required to explain why they broke the rule and what they are going to do in future to avoid breaking the same rules again. Detentions are used for a range of things such as missing class, not turning up to school and misbehaving in lessons.

School service – often involves cleaning out the classroom or picking up rubbish. This can be a very unpleasant punishment and is typically done during lunchtime, free periods or when classes are not taking place. The main reason for this type of punishment is that it reduces disruptions and helps teachers finish their lesson plans on time.

Ethics

Teachers have a critical role in their students’ lives and must be aware of all the implications of their actions. They are expected to abide by the code of ethics and avoid any biases in behaviour. However, this is not easy as teachers are exposed to societal issues outside the classroom and may come close to their student’s personal life.

Moreover, they are tasked with teaching sensitive subjects like racism and sexual orientation. This can bring up a variety of ethical dilemmas and controversies for teachers. For instance, a high school English teacher wants to introduce her students to Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye. The book is set during the Great Depression and explores themes of race, class, exploitation, and sex.

Furthermore, a long history of school discipline research has shown that discipline policies are often disproportionately applied to minority and lower socioeconomic students. These practices lead to academic and psychological harms and have fueled the school-to-prison pipeline. Therefore, it is essential that schools take a racial equity approach to their discipline processes.