Deborah Magness and Brian Wagner, his two assistant principals, are charged with keeping track of those infractions. On some days, the chairs outside their offices are filled with offenders. Most are kids with the best intentions, who make a silly mistake as they navigate through the torturous middle school years. Their offenses are most often minor: they have pushed another student in a hallway, talked back to a teacher or said something mean to another child.
Baltimore County not only suspends a greater percentage of its students, but it also hands out more long-term punishments than other school systems. Last year the county sent 1,009 students to an alternative school for a quarter or half a school year as a punishment. By contrast, Howard County, which has half as many students, suspended only 107 kids for more than 10 days.
"Our major goal is to keep the schools safe. If the student is disrupting the school, then we have to make those tough decisions," said Dale R. Rauenzahn, director of student support services in Baltimore County.
Baltimore County has invested heavily in its alternative schools. It opened up a new school this year, which nearly doubled the number of spaces for students with behavior problems. With four alternative schools, night schools and two afternoon schools, the county now has places for 900 students, most of whom are sent there after a suspension.
Rauenzahn said alternative schools offer smaller classes and more remedial help and support services for troubled students. While most students do not want to go there, he said, he receives calls from parents whose children do well in that environment and want to stay.
But placement in an alternative school can be punitive, especially for high-achieving students, by disrupting their education. In those schools they have no access to honors or Advanced Placement classes and can end up far behind their peers academically, according to parents.
Baltimore County also takes a tough approach with alcohol and drug violations, meting out long-term punishments for a single infraction. A principal can send a student who comes to high school having had a drink of alcohol to an alternative school or night school for 90 days, or half a school year.
The same student in Howard and Anne Arundel counties would receive up to 10 days. Howard also requires counseling and the student is prohibited from taking part in extracurricular activities for about a month, said Craig Cummings, the superintendent's designee for suspensions in Howard County.
