Teachers and principals often complain about student anger in
the classroom. Likewise, parents are naturally concerned when
their child is suspended from school for bad behaviour. The
length of the suspension usually ranges from one to five days, but
can be even longer depending on the circumstances. When
suspensions occur on a regular basis, the cumulative effect is that
the child ends up missing weeks or even months of school.
Parents worry about the overall impact repeated suspensions have on
their child's education, and feel that they effectively deprive the
student of the same education other kids enjoy. I have had
many conversations with parents who are frustrated that in spite an
Individual Education Plan (IEP) designed specifically to address
the child's behavioural exceptionality, he or she is still subject
to suspension as a disciplinary measure
because of their behaviour.
Special Education students are those who have learning needs
that are considered to be exceptional. Behaviour is one of
the "exceptionalities" in the Education Act, and for kids who meet
the criteria, it means that schools are required to develop a
special education plan that meets their behavioural needs.
However, the Safe Schools Act permits schools to use suspension as
a disciplinary measure for dealing with many of the behaviours
these same students display as part of their exceptionality and/or
diagnosis. For example, kids who are easily
frustrated, who are impulsive, who lack appropriate social skills,
or who are excluded from groups or bullied by their classmates will
sometimes react with anger and lash out at others. Regardless
of who starts the confrontation, physical attacks or threats
against other students or school personnel are grounds for
suspension in most cases under the Safe Schools Act. Parents
are often confused and frustrated with policies that they perceive
to contradict each other, and frequently ask what they can do to
decrease the number and frequency of suspensions.
One of the first things parents should do is take a critical
look at the IEP - these can vary from being very
comprehensive to barely adequate. Make sure that the IEP
accurately reflects the child's needs and contains meaningful
strategies for addressing these needs, including behaviour
management strategies, social skills, link to a safety plan (if
appropriate), etc. Many IEPs contain somewhat vague
descriptions of the student's needs and generic strategies for
addressing them, such as "teacher observation" or "parent teacher
communication." Students would be better served if
their IEPs contained more specific wording, particularly related to
anger management and including redirection to appropriate outlets
for releasing and dissipating anger.
Several years ago,in my son's elementary school, there was a
special behavioural withdrawal classroom containing stationary
bikes, a jogging trampoline (for getting their "angries" out), and
a claw-footed bathtub, rocking chairs, pillows and squishee toys to
help the kids re-establish their equilibrium. The
kids were allowed to remove themselves from their regular
classrooms (or teachers would send them out) whenever an incident
occurred, or more importantly, whenever a meltdown was
imminent. This not only helped them save face vis-à-vis their
peers, it also helped them develop self-regulation skills to
pre-empt their behavioural outbursts and taught them how to
redirect their anger in a more socially appropriate (and suspension
avoiding) manner.
In high school, the kids were allowed to use the punching bag in
the gym, to lift weights (with supervision), or to do laps around
the track. Depending on available resources, anger management
strategies can be built into most students' IEPs. These can
include:
- - Crushing pop cans (for recycling)
- - Ripping up old phone books, manuals or cardboard boxes (also
for recycling)
- - Running, walking, skipping rope
- - Listening to calming music, drumming or other activities
that help re-establish equilibrium
- - Any other physical activities that burn off energy - helping
to move desks, carrying boxes or books, taking attendance to the
office, etc.
These sorts of specific activities can help kids work off their
frustrations, but they require the participation and
cooperation of all school personnel. Therefore, it is
important that they be explicitly included, in writing, in the IEP
and be understood and agreed to by everyone. Parents can
share strategies they use and find effective at home as well, so
that methods are consistent across all settings.
Sustained physical activity seems to have the ability, in many
cases, to de-escalate inappropriate behaviour. Suspensions,
in and of themselves, do not teach the student any important self
management skills. They are to be used as a last
resort, and only after progressive disciplinary
measures have failed. Principals often cite the need to
protect the other students or staff, which is a legitimate
concern, but it should not preclude the suspended student from
receiving the education he or she is entitled to under the
Education Act. Parents can appeal a suspension, request home
instruction or alternative programming should they feel their
child's educational needs cannot be met in their home school
setting.
