Introduction
School policies are designed to ensure strict actions and repercussions for students who indulge in activities or perform acts that are considered highly objectionable. The severity of consequence increases with the level of the objectionable act. One of the most common consequences is suspension, detention, and if the accusation is of the highest level as per the school policy, then Expulsion from school.
Students found indulging in despicable acts on the school premises or violating serious school and not be expelled policies face severe actions such as permanent removal or dismissal from the education setting of the school. It is called Expulsion. It is a disciplinary action decided on by the authorities in consensus.
Students should not be expelled from school
Even though the violation may be of great severity, students should not be expelled from school because of its impact on their mental health, the involved stakeholders in the student’s life, and the student’s future. Expulsion hurts the student’s academic records and the mindset and mental health of the individual. Carrying a track record of Expulsion essentially limits the options for the student to continue pursuing their education from another esteemed school or mentors, boiling it down to mostly homeschooling or discontinuation of education. It further degrades their interest in pursuing education and pushes them in undesirable directions and unhealthy habits. Receiving proper education is of prime importance, not only because it gives conceptual knowledge about academic subjects but also grooms an individual to behave and perform well in society. It develops an individual’s personality and character, and the surroundings and environment of a school prepare students to face the outside world. Expulsion from this environment deprives them of the opportunity to improve themselves and realize that their choices and actions are objectionable and harmful to society and themselves.
Even though in most situations, Expulsion is the last resort of disciplinary action taken on the students after trying to better their behavior through counseling or community service. However, resolving to expel the student will only cause further harm. It may act as the driving force which leads to them indulging in more serious crimes as a rebellion to the system. Others may have a severe impact on their mental stability and health.
Considering themselves as failures and not being able to find an institution to welcome them into the education system again will no doubt affect their career prospects, leading to a lack of job opportunities and monetary strain. Expelling the student from the institution does not deal with the root cause of their actions and only indicates relieving the school of the responsibility of that individual’s academic and personal development. Every student indulging in disagreeable acts has their reasons which they themselves may not be able to comprehend or understand at their age, and it is an education institution’s responsibility to help them in overcoming that. It is understandable that if a student is constantly acting up, which is becoming a concern for teachers and fellow students, then strict consequences should be set up. However, complete removal from the system should not be encouraged. Expulsion of students leads to a cause-and-effect cycle wherein the school could not address the root cause of the student’s behaviour, and Expulsion will further motivate the student to walk free from a regulatory environment and continue such behaviour and rebel against any such regulatory systems including civil law and order.
How is Expulsion detrimental to the schools?
Schools admit students of various ethnicities and cultural backgrounds, and to say the least, school authorities do not hesitate Expulsion of students belonging to minority ethnicities as per the statistics of the past few years. It is the duty of the school to separate the crime and the cultural background of the student before making a conclusive decision about their lives. Continued Expulsion of these students will lead to an outrage by the student community viewing the situation as a discrimination against minority groups. It is also advisable for schools to avoid taking such actions to prevent protests and outrages, and resort to a different mechanism as a consequence.
As per the National Centre for Educational Statistics, “111,000 students were expelled in 2013–14, amounting to 0.2 percent of public-school students. The percentages of Black and American Indian/Alaska Native students who were expelled (both 0.4 percent) were higher than the percentages for students of all other racial/ethnic groups.” . This further discourages students of different racial and ethnic groups to continue their education.
What consequences can replace Expulsion?
Crimes such as school shootings cannot be supported or justified just to go against Expulsion, but setting up a mechanism such as continuation of primary education in prison or house arrest should be set up to allow the student to introspect reanalyze their choices and actions. In case of unavoidable situations where removing the student from that institution is the only appropriate resolution, aid should be set up to assist the students and their parents in relocating or re-enroll in a new school post counseling and proper guidance.
Many students committing violations of policies and indulging in reprehensible acts have suffered from emotional and behavioral disorders. Therefore, the direct Expulsion of these students is a matter of controversy. These students should receive proper guidance, professional help, and consequences, but permanent removal from the school should be discouraged.
Schools can revise and mold their educational and discipline policies to make them efficient to deter other students from violating disciplinary rules and refrain from reliance on practices such as Expulsion. In addition, committees of psychology professionals can be set up in all institutions to address each case more intricately and provide each student with professional help.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Expulsion is a conventional method to deal with students who violate disciplinary regulations. Still, with changing times, the consequences must also change to address the root cause of the actions instead of shunning away from that student’s responsibility altogether. Educational institutions are trusted with the responsibility for the development of each individual. The students must serve their punishment and have the right to continue their education and better their future.
