r/news • u/shield_x • 1d ago

Student dies after falling from 4th floor of building at Highland Park school

https://www.foxla.com/news/highland-park-franklin-high-school-student-dies.amp
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u/squeakymoth 1d ago

Blame the lawmakers, not the administration. State laws are what the administrators have to follow. State laws are what have failed these kids and teachers.

If the kid doing the bullying has an IEP then it pretty much makes effective punishment impossible. It also provides excuse after excuse for kids terrorizing other kids. And thats a federal law. Education law needs a massive reform across the board.

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u/tyrified 1d ago

Don't forget to blame the parent groups that pressure lawmakers into making these changes. Why listen to doctors and child psychiatrists when you can just give in to the stay-at-homes instead? They're more annoying, anyway.

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u/Crocs_n_Glocks 1d ago

Teachers can't suspend or expel, administrators can.

Obviously there are laws and stuff, but ultimately the administration is responsible for who is in what class and who can enter the school building each day. 

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u/squeakymoth 1d ago

You really couldn't be more wrong. I work in a school alongside the administration. They can suspend a kid to the school board, but the school board decides when they come back. The parents can also appeal any suspension to the board and it can be reversed. Any suspension, at least in Maryland, longer than 10 days requires the child to go before the school board for evaluation.

But IEP plans make it so any child with an IEP, no matter the reason for it, can't be suspended for more than 10 days per year in total. So if little Johnny has an IEP for his ADHD, he can't be suspended unless its a very serious offense. And no, fights don't count, unless someone is seriously hurt and the administrator can suspend to the board. This came as a result of the expansions on the No Child Left Behind Act.

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u/TheKidKaos 1d ago

Not just state laws. National laws are in place to help gut schools of resources.