Effectiveness of in-school suspension is debatable

In-school suspension is notorious among middle school students. It is the room in the basement, the last resort for teachers. One question, however, troubles both students and teachers: does ISS work or should it be replaced?

Sadie Frady, Sevier Middle’s ISS teacher, is responsible for making sure the students in ISS have the work and papers they need. In addition, Frady is also responsible for scheduling lunch detentions, though the majority of Frady’s day is spent making sure students are not slacking off or sleeping.

“Every morning, I email all of the teachers of the kids in my room to find out what they need to do and request that any needed papers are sent down,” she said.

The students sent to ISS work on class assignments from the time they arrive until they leave. In addition to completing classwork, students must complete a motivator if they do not have work, or finish all the work that is assigned to them.

According to Frady, ISS is not supposed to be a fun experience.

“ISS is here to be used as a consequence,” she said. “Nothing about ISS is supposed to be enjoyable.”

Jesse McCormick, an 8th grade science teacher, believes that ISS should be used as a short term fix.

“It allows the rest of the class to learn without disruption, but the student in ISS misses out on the lesson, which is a negative,” he said.

Missing out on class time and classwork could result in students falling behind. If the student does not catch up on this missing work, or does not understand the topic they missed in ISS, it could lead to lunch detentions, bad grades, or, under drastic circumstances, another trip to the ISS.

Although ISS is supposed to be a last resort, some students come back repeatedly. Is that a sign that students aren’t scared of the consequences of an unexpected trip to ISS?

“I know kids do not want to come back to the ISS,” Frady said. “I also know that some kids cannot control themselves or run with the wrong people, so they end up back in the ISS anyways. For some, it is a wakeup call, and I won’t see them again.”

Kristen Bridwell, a 6th grade math teacher, believes that repeat visitors to ISS need to make a choice.

“Sometimes, the student has to make the decision that they don’t want to spend any more time in ISS and change their behavior,” she said.

London Evans, a 7th grade student, agreed.

“Sometimes it depends on if they have a fixed mindset,” she said.

Nicole Mejia, another 6th grade student, thinks ISS teaches a lesson to those who go.

“People who go to ISS actually come back as better students,” she said.

Many teachers and students agree that there are better alternatives to ISS. McCormick, for example, believes that teachers should give students a chance to calm down or make them sit in the hallway.

Emma Bluto, a 7th grade student, thinks that lunch detention already works well and should replace the ISS.

Band director Alex White also has a suggestion for replacing ISS.

“Tasers,” he said.

ISS is generally reserved for severe behaviors.

“Disrupting the learning environment of others and showing disrespectful behavior to others,” Bridwell said.

McCormick agreed.

“I believe a student should be sent to ISS when their actions in the classroom are so disruptive that it has a negative impact on the learning of the rest of the students,” he said. “It can also be used for students that need to be isolated for a small amount of time to think about their actions in class or the hall.”

Many teachers believe that an alternative to ISS is not necessary. Instead, students need to learn to change their behavior to avoid the consequences.

“Don’t do the crime if you can’t pay the time,” Frady said.