"HARRISBURG, Pa. – Harrisburg High School’s new principal, Lisa Love, isn’t messing around.
“The problem I’ve noticed here as principal is that students are coming to school but they are not going to classes when they get here,” said Love, who started at Harrisburg High in January.
“Many parents send their kids to school and they’re thinking they’re going to class.
I needed to reach out because of the enormous number not going to class.”
Her solution to students skipping class: suspension for anyone with a total of 35 absences – roughly a week of classes for students expected to attend seven classes per day.
On Monday, Love sent out suspension notices to 500 of the school’s 1,100 students, PennLive reports.
According to PennLive:
Last year’s Keystone test scores showed 7.3 percent of Harrisburg High School students performed as proficient in biology; 11.7 percent in algebra and 28.8 in literature. The state averages for those subjects, meanwhile, were 64.5 percent, 59 percent and 72.89 percent.
The school’s graduation rate increased to 52.78 percent in 2015, but still fell short of the statewide average of 84.75.
...Love contends the “radical” approach was necessary to regain control of the school and set a new level of expectations for students.
... some parents said they don’t see the logic in forcing students to stay home as punishment for missing classes.
“What does that teach them?” parent Shanelle Franklin questioned.
“They’ve got senior projects to do.”
...They could also be forced to sit out graduation ceremonies, as well, he said."
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