Across the country, news stories abound about lessening jail time for various crimes. For example, as more and more states legalize the use of marijuana, others aren’t at that point but are reducing jail sentences for the crime of possession or sale of the drug.
That’s an example that could be used by our school district. Though drugs can be a part of it, I’m referring mainly to the school policy regarding punishment for students in extracurriculars who get caught drinking or smoking. The Minnesota State High School League suggests a two-week suspension from the activity for a first offense. Our district, however, places a first-time offender out of the activity for four weeks.
When I was in high school, that was also our school policy. I was petrified of missing sports and never even considered breaking those rules. I never thought about why four weeks was the punishment because I wasn’t planning on testing the idea. I knew a few kids that got busted and had to miss time, but it didn’t happen often.
Thus, when I arrived in New Richland and heard that was the rule here as well, I didn’t think much of it. Every year, there were kids who made poor choices and paid the time for the crime. Since that was what I was familiar with in high school, I didn’t have any thoughts about how other schools looked at this problem.
In fact, I was fully supportive of the idea. Don’t drink. Don’t smoke. Stay in your activity. You know the rules, so don’t complain if you get caught.
However, as with many things in life, age and experience have given me a different perspective on the matter.
I don’t condone kids drinking and smoking/vaping and doing drugs. Not at all. But I do know that kids make mistakes. They make poor choices. I know I did. It’s likely that many of you reading this did as well.
I worry about kids drinking and driving. I’m concerned about the health consequences of some of the activities our teenagers partake in. However, I’m also concerned about the impact of missing a full month of an activity.
Part of this is an equity issue. Not all sports seasons are created equally. Four weeks is half of football or volleyball season, but about one-third of basketball. The impact is felt very differently depending on the season. These kids on suspension continue to practice so they stay in shape and are part of the team; in fact, that’s required in order to fulfill the suspension.
As with many things, kids and their families look at neighboring districts who follow the guidelines of the MSHSL and wonder why we double the penalty when everyone around us follows the suggestion of the MSHSL. In this case, the only thing I’ve heard is that this is how it’s always been done.
I read about a school in Baltimore that re-examined their policy for these circumstances. They decided to lessen the penalty for a first offense. However, a second offense was more than four times the first suspension. A third offense meant you were done in extracurriculars, period. That might be a route we want to consider.
Think about it this way. Let’s say a teenager goes to a friend’s house on a Saturday night and a bunch of people show up with booze. That kid has never had a drink but decides to have one in order to fit in. (Let’s be honest; for many of us, that’s the reason behind our first drink.) This group of kids gets busted by a parent coming home and reporting them.
That kid who had their first drink gets four weeks. The kid who brought the booze and then sucked down six cans also gets four weeks. Fair?
You can make the same example with vaping, which is an epidemic these days. There will always be that kid who decides to try it out, just like I tried my dad’s chewing tobacco one time in high school. (Gross.) Should that kid know better? Of course. Should they have to miss a month of their sport because of one vape?
Here is a scientific fact: the prefrontal cortex of the teenage brain is not fully developed until their 20s. This is the part of the brain which assists in making rational decisions. If the average teenage brain is not capable of always making good decisions, shouldn’t we recognize that when meting out consequences?
The more I think about it and listen to parents and coaches, the more I disagree with the way things are. Punishment? Absolutely. But if the MSHSL thinks two weeks is sufficient, what makes us that much better that we double it?
In fact, kids who fail a class only miss three weeks. So now the school, as an educational institute, punishes less for not passing a class, which is our main objective, than it does for drinking or smoking? That also seems off a little.
I don’t have all the answers. I wish kids would not make these choices. But we know this is something that will happen at every school every year. It’s high time to ask why we do things the way we do and what’s best for our students.
In the meantime, especially as summer approaches, I urge our students to make good choices. Don’t do dumb things and you won’t have to worry about whether the punishment is two weeks or four weeks.
Word of the Week: This week’s word is blowzy, which means being disheveled or having a ruddy complexion, as in, “It was obvious the teenager had been drinking based on their blowzy appearance.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!