In School Suspension aka Solitary Confinement FOR KIDS!

[tobi.is.a.gross.nerd]

I have received 5 days of ISS because I was "skipping class"

In reality, I was making up work for another teacher during a different class period (with permission from both teachers) BUT, since I was working on the project in the library verses in the classroom it was considered skipping and landed me 5 days of solitary confinement. 

Or, sorry. ISS.

 

To explain why I say it is solitary confinement:

You are put in a large room with rows of cubicles. The cubicles, however, are not opened on one side, they are closed with a latched windowed door. You are allowed to do school work and nothing else, but FIRST? You have to complete 3 essays on random topics typically pertaining to why you ended up in ISS in the first place, and you have to fully write out all of the rules for ISS.

They monitor every cubicle with a camera. 

You are not allowed to speak to anyone if you do your sentence is increased.

You are allowed two supervised restroom breaks a day. No exceptions (sorry everybody with periods, you can sit in it for a few hours). The bathroom is immediately checked after the student leaves. 

You are brought you lunch. If you have a packed lunch you may eat that, but if you do not, then lunch will be provided for you. Same for everybody. No exceptions (allergies? vegetarian? lactose intolerant? Sooorrryyyy).

Any and everything you type, write, or think(I swear they would if they could) will be given to the teacher immediately after completion.

There is no drawing allowed, all drawings will be confiscated and thrown away. 

All phones and electronic watches are taken up and not given back until a legal guardian comes after school to pick it up. 

If you tap on the floor, desk, chair, or otherwise your sentence can be increased. 

There is no liquid, food, candy, gum, or medicine allowed in the ISS room. 

 

The list goes on, and on, and on. 

So to conclude:

Wish me luck next week, because it is a full week of Solitary Confinement... FOR KIDS!

[Baam]

You are paying them to give you an education, not lock you up. I think sometimes they forget that they're being paid for their services.

 

I'd be skipping school until they let up personally. This is crazy, is this normal for a school in the USA? That's prison, not education, and you didn't even break any rules...

[Prufrock, but like, worse]

The entire US education system is barbaric. It messed me up pretty bad and I never had any meaningful punishment. Can't imagine what sort of hell imperfect serfs students went through. Reading this inspires boiling rage in me, but nothing even approaching surprise.

 

Even barring mistreatment, any purported educational professional who thinks "to reinforce the importance of being in class, we will make you miss class" makes even 1/1000 of a lick of sense ought to be fired on the spot.

[Karret]

Being a lil dramatic there. I'd argue against going to ISS because, as you say, you were working on stuff for a teacher and had permission. If you weren't skipping, then get corroboration from your teacher to overturn the ISS. If you were, then don't lie or make excuses and understand that actions have consequences and accept them with grace. 

Also, the 'everyone gets the same lunch' sounds like a rather upper class complaint. Schools get shit for funding, so they don't have the resources to cater. They shouldn't be held accountable for that.

[tobi.is.a.gross.nerd]

1 minute ago, Karret said:

Being a lil dramatic there. I'd argue against going to ISS because, as you say, you were working on stuff for a teacher and had permission. If you weren't skipping, then get corroboration from your teacher to overturn the ISS. If you were, then don't lie or make excuses and understand that actions have consequences and accept them with grace. 

Also, the 'everyone gets the same lunch' sounds like a rather upper class complaint. Schools get shit for funding, so they don't have the resources to cater. They shouldn't be held accountable for that.

2

Of course. I only meant that they don't check for allergies or lactose intolerance which the school is required to do I have and am both and I couldn't eat what they provided. The thought itself is great and the opportunity is wonderful, but they disregarded school policies. The vegan vegetarian bit was me being upset as a whole. 

 

And when it comes to asking the teachers to explain the situation and get the sentence removed? 

They both did back my statement, Hinnant even pulled up the emails we had exchanged, we had an administrative meeting, but all of it was deemed "irrelevant" due to my location

[Karret]

4 minutes ago, tobi.is.a.gross.nerd said:

Of course. I only meant that they don't check for allergies or lactose intolerance which the school is required to do I have and am both and I couldn't eat what they provided. The thought itself is great and the opportunity is wonderful, but they disregarded school policies. The vegan vegetarian bit was me being upset as a whole. 

 

And when it comes to asking the teachers to explain the situation and get the sentence removed? 

They both did back my statement, Hinnant even pulled up the emails we had exchanged, we had an administrative meeting, but all of it was deemed "irrelevant" due to my location

Ah. That's fair. They should do that much. If they don't, though, the only thing to do in a situation like that is to let them know, and also serve as a reminder to them as to why they need to make sure everyone knows what kind of lunch they're in for if they get ISS. 

 

Oh? ... Well I wouldn't go to the ISS then. You were doing the right work, have the backing and evidence to prove your innocence and they still wanna try to punish you? Nope. You aren't guilty of anything, so there's nothing for which you need to be punished. In fact, by doing this, THEY'RE standing in the way of your education and they should be punished if they continue to try to push an unjust agenda.

[SithAzathoth WinterDragon]

21 minutes ago, Baam said:

This is crazy, is this normal for a school in the USA?

Yes in some states the systems are harsher on students. The school I went to on the other hand was not bad as they'd only make the said student be in a room during lunch but an officer was always there along with school security and make them do one of the assignments. I was only in it once when I was late to class back in 2007. The elementary school though made the student to work for the school, such as cutting paper that was needed to be done for the Classy Compliments for good standing (one of my friends was always in trouble so I heard quite a few things they made her do for the school office).

 

[Podsnap]

I can't believe what you are describing is even legal. There is a National Youth Rights Association Facebook page where they talk about this sort of thing.

[RoseGoesToYale]

I'm really sorry this happened to you. Nobody deserves ISS, ever. I consider it to be child abuse. At my high school, they would put kids in windowless brick rooms with heavy doors for the entire day. I'd hear stories of students going from ISS to OSS because they'd understandably lose their sh*t in those sensory-deprived rooms. I'd go as far as to say the UN or some other countries should sanction the US for this practice.

[tobi.is.a.gross.nerd]

34 minutes ago, OptimisticPessimist said:

Could your parent's get involved?

 

Ridiculous your being punished when you've done nothing wrong and they've seen proof and both teachers have backed you up. They should be checking for allergies, someone could have a severe peanut allergy for instance. 

My Mother has already contacted the school and asked for a different punishment if any at all and they said it wasn't negotiable. 

[tobi.is.a.gross.nerd]

@OptimisticPessimist I'm sure there probably is, I just wouldn't know how to get in contact with them, and to be completely honest with you. We don't even have the worst ISS in our school district. The state of South Carolina isn't going to change their policies now because of one kid when for years hundreds of parents and adults have complained.

[CosmicTheAceOfSpace]

I remember when I was at school, here in the UK, we had a similar set up with the whole isolation thing (in that you would be put into a room with cubicles, have to do set tasks/work, for most of the day), except that it wasn't really 'isolation' because you were put in with every other student who was also in isolation, it was basically a place to put disruptive students so that the rest of their peers could work in peace.

 

Of course, Isolation was only a last resort, before that you had your written warnings, then 'break detention' (15 minutes), lunch detention (between 30 minutes and 1 hour), after school detention (between 1 hour and 1 hour 30 minutes), and THEN Isolation (after that would be suspension or complete exclusion, depending on the severity of what you'd done, such as fighting with other students or almost assaulting teachers). 

 

From what you've said though, being given Isolation just for skipping classes (with no previous warnings or deterrents) sounds like a completely over the top and unwarranted punishment. I've been told that the American school system was difficult, but I didn't realise it was THAT harsh! To make matters worse, you weren't even trying to be a bad student, you were actually doing your work and they decided to punish you for it! 

 

That isn't fair, no matter which country you're from 

[tobi.is.a.gross.nerd]

1 minute ago, CosmicTheAceOfSpace said:

I remember when I was at school, here in the UK, we had a similar set up with the whole isolation thing (in that you would be put into a room with cubicles, have to do set tasks/work, for most of the day), except that it wasn't really 'isolation' because you were put in with every other student who was also in isolation, it was basically a place to put disruptive students so that the rest of their peers could work in peace.

 

Of course, Isolation was only a last resort, before that you had your written warnings, then 'break detention' (15 minutes), lunch detention (between 30 minutes and 1 hour), after school detention (between 1 hour and 1 hour 30 minutes), and THEN Isolation (after that would be suspension or complete exclusion, depending in the severity of what you'd done, such as fighting with other students or almost assaulting teachers). 

 

From what you've said though, being given Isolation just for skipping classes (with no previous warnings or deterrents) sounds like a completely over the top and unwarranted punishment. I've been told that the American school system was difficult, but I didn't realise it was THAT harsh! To make matters worse, you weren't even trying to be a bad student, you were actually doing your work and they decided to punish you for it! 

 

That isn't fair, no matter which country you're from 

It's things like the American School System that makes me desperately want to go back to Ireland. 

For this school, and more specifically for the administrator who gave me the punishment, ISS is the go to.

Whitfield (aka shitfield, it's immature but I don't care XD) Is a power-hungry person that gains a lot of pleasure from being able to make students do what he pleases when he pleases. 

 

[Epitaph]

Then leave, doc. Nobody can make you do anything you don't choose to.

[CosmicTheAceOfSpace]

18 minutes ago, tobi.is.a.gross.nerd said:

It's things like the American School System that makes me desperately want to go back to Ireland. 

For this school, and more specifically for the administrator who gave me the punishment, ISS is the go to.

Whitfield (aka shitfield, it's immature but I don't care XD) Is a power-hungry person that gains a lot of pleasure from being able to make students do what he pleases when he pleases. 

I had quite a few teachers who had questionable motives when it came to punishing students, the main ones that spring to mind were my French teacher (who hated almost everyone) and my IT teacher, even though I was a very quiet and non-disruptive student the two of them seemed to take issue with me. 

 

I can only assume it was because of how disruptive the rest of the class was, and they knew I wouldn't talk back if they wanted to have a go at someone, I wouldn't complain except I'd actually enjoyed learning French until I had HER as a teacher (it put me off from wanting to learn more of it). 

 

I hope that you and your parents are able to question the schools decision and prevent the Isolation. It isn't fair that we live in a world where bad students go (for the most part) unpunished, whereas the good students are left to suffer the consequences.

[Bronztrooper]

That's a hell of a lot worse than what I've experienced.  I've only been in ISS once for a day, but I also had OSS once for 2 days (which was the last 2 days before winter break, so it worked in my favor, lol).  Both were due to fights I had been in, but the thing to remember here is that the first fight was in my freshman year and before that, I'd been dealing with being picked on nearly constantly every day since 2nd grade in multiple different schools.  Basically, the first fight was a result of me deciding I'd finally had enough of that BS and stood up for myself.  As for the second, it happened in my sophomore year.

 

I'd been very lucky with my ISS 'punishment' (I prefer to call it 'stupidity') since I'd been my first real offence, and it was in the middle of quarterlies.  Normally I would've gotten immediate OSS, but the principle didn't want me to miss the tests I was supposed to take that day, so I got ISS with the allowance to leave the room for those class periods.  Had to explain it a couple times to the teachers for those classes, but the teacher in the ISS room didn't say anything, so I assumed he knew.  Still, it was a quiet classroom that didn't really have anything aside from desks and chairs, we weren't allowed to talk and we were supposed to write an essay on why we were there, but I didn't bother doing that part.  Was never penalized for that.

 

As for the 2 days of OSS, I'd gotten into another fight, but I did not swing first.  I got blindsided and punched in the face and immediately fought back because why should I just walk away from that like nothing happened?  The kid that punched me got 4 days of OSS and my dad flat-out told the principal that he wasn't going to punish me for defending myself.

 

Here's the thing that really got me, though.  Before the first fight, a friend of mine got attacked by a girl and all he did was try to get her off of him.  When my dad talked to the principal about it, the principal started making all these excuses for the girl ("Her family has been having a rough time the past few years", "They've been having money issues", etc.) and my dad started cursing him out.  When I heard about those 'excuses', I was pissed off at the principal too.  We'd had money issues for almost as long as I can remember and the principal tried to make excuses for some girl who attacked another kid just because they were having 'money issues'?

 

I don't even think she got punished.

 

btw, all the above events happened on the bus and the bus driver did nothing to stop any of it.  Why?  Because if the bus driver gets out of their seat while there are kids on the bus, even if there's a fight they need to break up, they'll lose their job.  WTF KIND OF MORONIC BS IS THAT?!?!

[tobi.is.a.gross.nerd]

3 minutes ago, Bronztrooper said:

That's a hell of a lot worse than what I've experienced.  I've only been in ISS once for a day, but I also had OSS once for 2 days (which was the last 2 days before winter break, so it worked in my favor, lol).  Both were due to fights I had been in, but the thing to remember here is that the first fight was in my freshman year and before that, I'd been dealing with being picked on nearly constantly every day since 2nd grade in multiple different schools.  Basically, the first fight was a result of me deciding I'd finally had enough of that BS and stood up for myself.  As for the second, it happened in my sophomore year.

 

I'd been very lucky with my ISS 'punishment' (I prefer to call it 'stupidity') since I'd been my first real offence, and it was in the middle of quarterlies.  Normally I would've gotten immediate OSS, but the principle didn't want me to miss the tests I was supposed to take that day, so I got ISS with the allowance to leave the room for those class periods.  Had to explain it a couple times to the teachers for those classes, but the teacher in the ISS room didn't say anything, so I assumed he knew.  Still, it was a quiet classroom that didn't really have anything aside from desks and chairs, we weren't allowed to talk and we were supposed to write an essay on why we were there, but I didn't bother doing that part.  Was never penalized for that.

 

As for the 2 days of OSS, I'd gotten into another fight, but I did not swing first.  I got blindsided and punched in the face and immediately fought back because why should I just walk away from that like nothing happened?  The kid that punched me got 4 days of OSS and my dad flat-out told the principal that he wasn't going to punish me for defending myself.

 

Here's the thing that really got me, though.  Before the first fight, a friend of mine got attacked by a girl and all he did was try to get her off of him.  When my dad talked to the principal about it, the principal started making all these excuses for the girl ("Her family has been having a rough time the past few years", "They've been having money issues", etc.) and my dad started cursing him out.  When I heard about those 'excuses', I was pissed off at the principal too.  We'd had money issues for almost as long as I can remember and the principal tried to make excuses for some girl who attacked another kid just because they were having 'money issues'?

 

I don't even think she got punished.

 

btw, all the above events happened on the bus and the bus driver did nothing to stop any of it.  Why?  Because if the bus driver gets out of their seat while there are kids on the bus, even if there's a fight they need to break up, they'll lose their job.  WTF KIND OF MORONIC BS IS THAT?!?!

Oh, don't even get me started on favouritism and allowing some students excuses while not allowing other students to use the f---ing SAME excuses. 

I have been through that spiel too many times in my life. 

 

The school system is all kinds of effed up, and honestly, I am so very sick and tired of it. I am debating just taking online classes for the remainder of my 12th year if that is possible. 

[Bronztrooper]

1 minute ago, tobi.is.a.gross.nerd said:

Oh, don't even get me started on favouritism and allowing some students excuses while not allowing other students to use the f---ing SAME excuses. 

I have been through that spiel too many times in my life. 

 

The school system is all kinds of effed up, and honestly, I am so very sick and tired of it. I am debating just taking online classes for the remainder of my 12th year if that is possible. 

I would've done that, but home internet wasn't really a thing for me until a few months before I moved down to Florida, which was after my sophomore year ended.  Add onto that the fact that my mom only ever let me stay home from school if I had a fever or was throwing up and it led to me caring less and less about school.  It was something that I was forced to go to, not something I enjoyed.  I like learning as much as anyone, but very, very few US teachers actually make it enjoyable.

 

Then there's the BS of my mom letting my sister stay home for a couple weeks at a time because her stomach was bothering her and now the stuff with her not being in school despite my mom having put in for her to go to the nearest high school after we moved back up to Jersey in the beginning of August (apparently the school has been dragging their heels about it and my mom hasn't gone to the school about it) and it really pisses me off.  Basically I was pushed into an environment that was emotionally and mentally draining for me and had no choice in the matter (I even mentioned that I was legally allowed to drop out after I turned 16 and my mom flipped out at me about it) while my sister gets all the leeway in the damn world.

[Gloomy]

Damn, stuff like this makes me glad I graduated from high school years ago. From what I’ve heard from my friends who had ISS they were put in a room, but being put in closed cubicles with cameras, only two bathroom breaks the whole day? That all seems like overkill.

[Guest]

Have you ever sat for a day long exam? Exact same thing. It's not solitary confinement for crying out loud, it's at most a handful of hours of quiet studying. 

[Sally]

52 minutes ago, Skullery Maid said:

Have you ever sat for a day long exam? Exact same thing. It's not solitary confinement for crying out loud, it's at most a handful of hours of quiet studying. 

So glad to have you back, skullery!   AVEN didn't have enough common-sense bitchery during your absence.  Only a few of us trying to fill that role.   

[Podsnap]

I can't think of any other situation where it would be legal to deny someone the use of a toilet or to forcibly isolate someone who hasn't committed a crime. I also can't think of any other situation where someone is forced to attend a class. If an adult is absent for a class, they miss the coursework for that class period and run the risk of failing the course. No one incarcerates them.

[Guest]

13 hours ago, podsnap said:

I can't think of any other situation where it would be legal to deny someone the use of a toilet or to forcibly isolate someone who hasn't committed a crime. I also can't think of any other situation where someone is forced to attend a class. If an adult is absent for a class, they miss the coursework for that class period and run the risk of failing the course. No one incarcerates them.

Have you literally never heard of detention? 

 

Have you literally never been to school, or the hospital, or the dentist, or any number of other places where you may have to be isolated? 

 

Have you ever had an MRI? 

 

Do you have a working knowledge of the word "incarcerate"? 

[Guest]

On 4/20/2018 at 7:35 PM, Sally said:

So glad to have you back, skullery!   AVEN didn't have enough common-sense bitchery during your absence.  Only a few of us trying to fill that role.   

Lol the absence of reality checks is obvious!! 😂 😂 

[Podsnap]

6 hours ago, Skullery Maid said:

Have you literally never heard of detention? 

 

Have you literally never been to school, or the hospital, or the dentist, or any number of other places where you may have to be isolated? 

 

Have you ever had an MRI? 

 

Do you have a working knowledge of the word "incarcerate"? 

As an adult, I have heard of detention. I managed to get thru school without anyone imposing it on me or on any of my classmates. There was a smoking section at my High School. There were no dress codes. Kids who didn't like school were free to leave and go get jobs. We survived. I've made it to almost age 50.

 

I chose to go to the dentist. I was free to check myself out of the hospital at any time. It was my decision to have an MRI.

 

The word incarcerate means to imprison. I live now in one of the just a few states that doesn't have compulsory education laws. It hasn't caused a problem.

[Bronztrooper]

5 hours ago, podsnap said:

As an adult, I have heard of detention. I managed to get thru school without anyone imposing it on me or on any of my classmates. There was a smoking section at my High School. There were no dress codes. Kids who didn't like school were free to leave and go get jobs. We survived. I've made it to almost age 50.

 

I chose to go to the dentist. I was free to check myself out of the hospital at any time. It was my decision to have an MRI.

 

The word incarcerate means to imprison. I live now in one of the just a few states that doesn't have compulsory education laws. It hasn't caused a problem.

Are you sure about that?  Because I went through school in Jersey until I moved down to Florida between my sophomore and junior years and I didn't really have a choice about whether or not I could go to school (legally) until I was 16-17.  And my mom kept saying that I couldn't take out of school because the state would go after her because I wasn't going to school.

 

Honestly, this is one of the things I've seen with people who tend to tell kids to 'suck it up' when they say that they hate school.  Things in schools are much different now, and your experience is no longer an actual possibility in the vast majority of public schools in the US.  Education is seen as mandatory until you hit 16-17, by which point you're legally allowed to drop out without a parent's approval and be able to get a job (which I think is rather 'convenient').

 

And really, the most messed up part is that after you graduate high school, education becomes a luxury- and a damn expensive one at that.

 

Just remember that just because you haven't experienced it or know something who's experienced it, it doesn't mean it isn't an issue.

[Homer]

Why are the US still seen as a 1st world country? They fail at all the basics. It's ridiculous.

[Bronztrooper]

1 minute ago, Homer said:

Why are the US still seen as a 1st world country? They fail at all the basics. It's ridiculous.

ikr?

 

All this stupid hyper-nationalist pride is beyond ridiculous at this point.  Only thing the US has on other nations is the military, and idk if even that is in the top 5.

[Evren]

4 hours ago, Homer said:

Why are the US still seen as a 1st world country? They fail at all the basics. It's ridiculous.

I ask that question most days. I think the only thing we pass on is that we keep most our population feed, and that has more to do with the ridiculous amounts of farmland than anything else.

[Guest]

I loved detention. I went sometimes when I didn't even have it, although tbh I graduated with about 110 unserved detentions... I rarely went to class but I did show up for detention. Ya'll are really blowing a quiet study day out of proportion. It's kind of absurd. I mean, you can choose not to go to detention just like you can choose not to get the MRI... in either case your choice will have consequences. That's life.