Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 14, 1995 TAG: 9502140113
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Principal Carlton Stevens recently suspended 95 of the 280 seniors at Huguenot High School because they were failing one or more courses.
The unusual move was designed as a wake-up call for the students and their parents
Stevens gave the suspension letters to the students and told them they could be reinstated when a parent came to school with them.
His goal was to encourage the parents to help turn around the situation so the students could graduate in June.
``I'd rather do this now than have a parent ask in June, `Why didn't someone tell me child wasn't passing?''' he said.
``It has exceeded our expectations,'' Stevens said Monday. The academic problems, caused by poor attendance in some cases, are being addressed, he said.
Eighty-nine seniors have been readmitted, and meetings have been scheduled for the other students.
The use of large-scale suspensions for academic problems apparently is rare in Virginia schools. Richmond has used group suspensions to address attendance problems, but not for grades.
In Roanoke, school administrators said they have not used large-scale suspensions either for academic or attendance problems.
``It is not something that we have considered,'' said Ann Harman, executive for student services in the Roanoke school system.
Lissy Runyon, longtime public information officer for the Roanoke school system, said she doesn't recall any large-scale suspensions in city schools or in nearby school systems.
Stevens said the Huguenot seniors had been warned in November that they faced suspension if their academic performance did not improve.
``This was not a spur-of-the-moment thing, something they didn't know about,'' he said.
Stevens said he was not happy that he had to suspend the students to get their attention but he was willing to take any approach that worked.
by CNB