Less K-I-S-S-I-N-G at City Schools

We'd love to see a copy of the Department of Education's "Citywide Standards of Discipline and Intervention Measures." The Post reports that the DOE is revising various rules to toughen disciplinary measures for students who have "inappropriate" sexual behavior.

In the past, an unwanted sexually suggested remark, innuendo, proposition or non-verbal or physical conduct was subject to at most 10 days of suspension. The new rules would result in punishment possibilities such as an automatic 90-day suspension, school transfer, and expulsion.

The interesting thing is that while this rule would protect student from unwanted attention, it "also applies to heavy make-out sessions between consenting classmates." We wonder how the DOE will be determining whether it's a a heavy make-out session!

Update: Thanks to InsideSchools' blog, here's a PDF of the standards. It looks like this kind of behavior has been bumped up from a Level 3 (Seriously Disruptive Behavior) infraction to Level 4 (Dangerous or Violent Behavior). Other Level 4 infractions include bomb threats, causing a riot, and possessing controlled substances.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on July 23, 2007 1:22 PM

Comments [rss]

guest

take that, you vicious little smoochers!

maileleilei

big up to Degrassi Junior High pic!

Tim N.

oops... nice to see you're paying attention, whoever you are...

guest

"While kids need to understand boundaries, 90 day suspensions do nothing but make the offender worse. What do you think they do during those suspensions, reflect heavily on their poor behaviour?"

As a teacher in the city: New York City doesn't have out of school suspension, for exactly this sort of reason (as well as parent inability to take care of them). These students serve their time in other schools. (For the most part; in some cases, if their parents keep them home, it counts, but it depends on the shittiness of the administration, and I don't think it's as screw-with-able for superintendent-hearing-mandated suspensions - which all ones this long require. All the kids from my school who got those did have to put in that time elsewhere.)

diabolix

Seems a little draconian if you ask me. While kids need to understand boundaries, 90 day suspensions do nothing but make the offender worse. What do you think they do during those suspensions, reflect heavily on their poor behaviour? It's party time and I think we need to wake up that the penalties that we have been dishing out for the last 50 years are not working and haven't had much success in rehabilitating the offending students away from the same behaviours.

guest

Tim N,

APPROPRIATE.

Please don't use big words you can't spell...

Tim N.

Heads up, kids... appropraite sexual behavior only...

guest

Degrassi TNG > any other Degrassi

guest

I thought teen pregnancies were down this year....

guest

This sentence makes no sense:

The Post reports that the DOE its disciplinary standards various rules to toughen disciplinary measures for students who have "inappropriate" sexual behavior.

gothamist, please fix it!