Class excercise: Meeting story

Troublesome students who attend the Portsmouth High School may be required to sit through Saturday morning detentions, if a new proposed policy is accepted by the Portsmouth School Board.  The idea was brought up on Monday evening’s meeting by Tim Steele.

The Saturday session is an effort to reduce the number of in-house suspensions during the school year.  In-house suspensions require students to spend the entire school day in an empty classroom while being supervised by a faculty member.  Students are not allowed to make up any missed class work.  Steele hopes this new program will make sure students won’t miss anymore class time.

Peggy Bacon, a parent of a student who could be affected, did not agree with the proposed idea.

“I work six days a week – including Saturday morning- and it’s bad enough to get my son off to school Monday through Friday,” Bacon said.  “Why should I have to worry about Saturday as well...I just don’t think it’s going to make a difference, and the parents are going to pay for it – in higher taxes as well as ruined Saturdays.”

Steele understands parent’s frustration, but he believes that the new idea will keep students from breaking the rules. Last year close to 154 students served in-house suspensions because of violations of school rules.  He reports that smoking is the biggest problem the high school has.

“I just want to keep students from smoking the high school bathrooms,” Steele said.  “There are other problems, but smoking is by far the biggest one.”

Five high school students attended Monday’s meeting.  Lisa Gallagher, a senior, did not agree with the proposed idea at all.

“In 12 years of school I’ve never served a detention, and I don’t intend to.  But I don’t like this idea,” Gallagher said.  “I think it’s just being done to make life easier for the faculty, so they don’t have to deal with detentions during the week.”

Gallagher also brought up the issue of students skipping the Saturday sessions.  Steele explained that students would not be allowed to return to school if a student skips a Saturday detention.

While the board voted 5-3 to pass the proposed idea, one member abstained.  The issue is now tabled until the next meeting.  Steele was required to return to the next meeting with figures on this year’s in-school suspensions.