THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 2, 1995 TAG: 9507020164
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Short : 47 lines
A zero-tardy policy is one of the new rules awaiting students at Northeastern High School this fall.
The policy says being late will not be tolerated. It's part of a new student handbook that school administrators and faculty sweated over all week in daylong sessions aimed at improving discipline at the area's largest high school.
``We've really worked hard on it,'' said Becky Phelps, who served as the school's acting principal for a year. ``We were just all really pleased with this. It set some definite standards.''
Northeastern's discipline plan, still in draft form, is in line with a districtwide policy also being reviewed by officials.
The plan aims to make discipline a part of the teaching process, like any other subject, officials say.
``We tried to be as specific as possible with setting expectations and how we're going to hold students accountable,'' incoming Principal David Christenbury said last week. ``We're not into setting up punishments for misbehavior,'' but rather ``a learning process and behavior modification process.''
One expectation is that students will come prepared for class. But if a student shows up without his books, ``we're going to focus on helping him, not punishing him,'' Phelps said. ``Just sit down and talk with him more.''
The plan, Christenbury said, will help students set and achieve goals, and use problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills to stem misbehavior.
For students who continue to misbehave, officials still will have a record of trying their best.
``If it doesn't work, then we've got more reason to follow up when we finally get in the discipline end of it,'' Phelps said. ``A parent won't be able to come in and say, `You didn't help my child.' ''
Phelps said the teachers who worked on the plan were excited about it. One said he was ``pumped up'' for the coming year.
The weeklong process began with a brainstorming session to identify problems and ended with the drafting of a code of conduct.
``It's a lot of sitting and talking,'' Phelps said. ``We covered a lot of ground.'' by CNB