Say What?!? Schools banish class honor rolls
 

Schools banish class honor rolls

Nashville officials fear underachievers could be offended :eek:

By Matt Gouras / Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The school honor roll, a time-honored system for rewarding A students, has become an apparent source of embarrassment for some underachievers.

As a result, all Nashville schools have stopped posting honor rolls, and some are also considering a ban on hanging good work in the hallways — all at the advice of school lawyers.

After a few parents complained their children might be ridiculed for not making the list, Nashville school system lawyers warned that state privacy laws forbid releasing any academic information, good or bad, without permission.

Some schools have since put a stop to academic pep rallies. Others think they may have to cancel spelling bees. Now, schools across the state may follow Nashville’s lead.

The change has upset many parents who want their children recognized for hard work.

“This is as backward as it gets,” said Miriam Mimms, who has a son at Meigs Magnet School and helps run the Parent Teacher Association. “There has to be a way to come back from the rigidity.”

The problem appears unique to Tennessee, since most states follow federal student privacy guidelines, which allow the release of such things as honor rolls, U.S. Department of Education officials said.

“It’s the first time I’ve heard of schools doing that,” department spokesman Jim Bradshaw said.

But Nashville school lawyers based their decision last month on a state privacy law dating back to the 1970s — a law that’s not always followed because no one challenged the honor roll status quo.

School officials are developing permission slips to give parents of the Nashville district’s 69,000 students the option of having their children’s work recognized. They hope to get clearance before the next grading cycle — in about six weeks at some schools.

Until then, school principals are left trying to figure out what they can and can’t do.

Sandy Johnson, chief instructional officer for the Nashville schools, says the restrictions go “far beyond the honor roll.”

“It’s for anything having to do with grades and attendance or anything normally reserved just for the student or parent,” she said.

Getting parents to sign permission slips won’t help protect students from being left out, but at least it will comply with the law, school officials said.

Christy Ballard, general counsel for the state Education Department, said she’s “getting a lot of calls” since the Nashville decision, and will recommend that all Tennessee public schools get honor roll permission slips from parents.

In Knoxville, school district spokesman Russ Oaks said they do not think posting good information about a student violates state law. He said they put such information in the same category as sports statistics.

But some school systems already get parents to sign a release before student information is made public. Others think it might be a good idea to get rid of the honor roll, as Principal Steven Baum did at Julia Green Elementary in Nashville.

“The rationale was, if there are some children that always make it and others that always don’t make it, there is a very subtle message that was sent,” he said. “I also understand right to privacy is the legal issue for the new century.”

Baum thinks spelling bees and other publicly graded events are leftovers from the days of ranking and sorting students.

“I discourage competitive games at school,” he said. “They just don’t fit my world view of what a school should be.”

Parents at most schools, though, have been close to outraged over the new rule.

“So far, what we’ve heard parents say is: ‘This is crazy; spend your time doing other things,’ ” said Teresa Dennis, principal at Percy Priest Elementary School. “It does seem really silly.”

A similar issue over student privacy went to the U.S. Supreme Court two years ago, when some parents objected to students grading each other’s work. The court sided with tradition in that case, ruling the long-standing practice of teachers asking students to swap papers and grade them in class does not violate federal privacy law.

“It’s not always clear what falls into (the privacy laws),” said Naomi E. Gittins, an attorney with the National School Boards Association. “Schools often take a more cautious route.”

Re: Say What?!? Schools banish class honor rolls
 

WOW :eek: I hate to see what happens to these kids when they hit the REAL world. :o

Umm, ok..

I could see if they put all the child's information (like each grade on each exam, quiz, assignment, etc.) but COME ON!!!!!
:rolleyes:

So what incentives do the children have to get good grades? What incentives to they have to work together, to communicate, to work on their social skills if they are not in competitive events?
What happens when they try to get into college? Is that not a competitive process? :rolleyes:

Sometimes adults are dumb.

This is BULL CHIT!!!

Tell those underachievers to do some dayum work!!!! LASAS!!!!!!

I totally agree!! I was proud when I made the honor roll as a child and so were my parents. All this is crap!! Excuse my language. I feel this should be an incentive(sp?) for the so called "underachievers" to try a little harder and they would get on the honor roll. I was raised on the "Do Good, Get a Reward" concept all my life. So these kids need to work hard (do good) and get on the Honor Roll (the reward). It really bothers me that some parents are agreeing to this farce. Why Hate??? Appreciate!!

i saw this in the paper Sun. couldn't believe it. you know what they say is next? spelling bees.:rolleyes:

[hijack] They can always list the kids by student number, can't they? I mean, that doesn't really identify who the kids are, but at the same time, have an honour roll [/hijack]

Re: Say What?!? Schools banish class honor rolls
 

I agree the "subtle" message is you need to study, stay after school for tutoring, pick up a book sometimes not a joystick (do they still call video game controls joysticks?) :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
We are going to self esteem our kids right into a life of expecting a handout. This is soooooo silly!

The permission slip should be to 'opt' out. Don't want your kids info posted, send the teacher a note~

edited to correc typo: S/B "Pick up a book" not "Put up a booK"

Re: Re: Say What?!? Schools banish class honor rolls
 

Holla!http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmili...mile/claps.gif
Whatever happened to studying hard and discipline? We just have got to stop talking out of both sides of our mouth.

Boo-FREEK'IN-whooo to those who are complaining about their children feeling bad because they are not on the honor roll. Growing up, I had a couple of teachers tell my mom to ask me to "tone down" my intelligence because some of the parents complained that I was giving their lower-achieving kids bad self-esteem. (Yes, my little 8-year old self was able to do that :rolleyes: ) I was also passed over on awards that I clearly deserved so someone else could "have a chance." That was ridiculous!!! I guess I am still a little ticked about that :)

And how about the flip side? In my high school, those of us who were always ON the honor roll were ridiculed and called nerds. No one said "we shouldn't post the names of the honor students because someone might make fun of them!" Hey, we LIVED then, and we are LIVING WELL today, I might add :)

I agree with everyone who said "what will happen when they get to college/real world/etc."!!!

I discovered this story at Number 2 Pencil, a weblog (sp) on educational issues (you'll need to scroll down to the 25th to see the comments).

One of her comments is, "The kids will still know who's smart and who's not," with which I totally concur.

Re: Re: Re: Say What?!? Schools banish class honor rolls
 

I don't FRIGGIN know! Ask our disciplinarians around here... :rolleyes: PPASASASMFWBD! :mad:

The NEXT thing to go probably will be regular tests. :rolleyes:

Those mofos (the school system) are STUCK ON STUPID!!!!! If some of those students were to read more instead of being glued to the X-box or Game Cube, they too could have better grades.

SMH in utter disgust. :mad: :mad: :mad:

Stop Passing the Buck... Home, Home, Home!
 

What does the School System have to do with Xbox and Game Cube? Shyyyyyyyyyytttttttttttttttt...that's moms, pops, grandmoms issue. IF THEY didn't mandate Johnny and Jane to read BEFORE they entered the system, how can the school system?

The Xbox and Game Cube is at home...we can't do anything (compete) with that. :confused:

Stop buying the entertainment devices and begin purchasing subcriptions to reading materials.

I really don't understand the problem with the spelling bees. That does not seem to me to be a release of personal information.

SC