Purpose over Punishment
Community service over suspension
"Trade the suspension desk for community service. We cannot fix behavioral issues with isolation; we fix them by connecting our students to a bigger purpose and teaching them the value of a hard day's work."
The Failure of Isolation
Right now, our approach to school discipline is focused entirely on isolation. When a student acts out, the default response is often In-School Suspension, placing them in a quiet room with a worksheet for days at a time. If a student has gross misconduct, we may isolate him further with Out-of-School Suspension.
This system is failing our teachers and our students. Data shows that simply isolating a teenager does absolutely nothing to address the root cause of their behavior, which is often a profound lack of engagement, purpose, or connection to their community. Instead of correcting the behavior, exclusionary discipline frequently accelerates a student's disengagement from school, driving down graduation rates and feeding a cycle that ultimately hurts Lynchburg's workforce and economy. It is a lazy, bureaucratic response to a complex human problem.
The Worksheet Trap
Locking an acting-out student in a quiet room with nothing but a packet of worksheets fails to teach accountability. It simply isolates the problem temporarily while neglecting the behavioral root cause.
Dave's "Purposeful" Plan
The Community Service Alternative
Dave will partner with local organizations, like Habitat for Humanity, Lynchburg Parks and Recreation, and local tradesmen, to create community service alternatives to traditional suspension.
Why Purpose is Popular
Failures of Exclusionary Discipline
There is a reason solitary confinement is a punishment in prisons. A Texas A&M study found that exclusionary punishment led to higher likelihood to repeat a grade, drop out of school, and enter the juvenile justice system. The disproportionate impact heavily favored male students and Black students.