at least 150 words

A teacher should send a student to the principal when they are blatantly disrespectful, bullying, caught cheating, using verbally or physically aggressive behavior towards the teacher or another student, non compliant or refusing to follow school rules, in the possession of drugs or alcohol, if they bring a weapon to school, if students are fighting, etc. Think back to categorizing behaviors; any and all of the major behaviors fall under a referral to the office. These types of behaviors, whether in a general education classroom, special education classroom, at recess, or at lunch, can threaten the safety and/or well being of the student, their peers, and the teacher. The major behaviors and situations that I listed above disrupt the classroom to the point that they cannot be managed quietly and non discretely. Major behaviors may require consequences that teachers are not qualified to hand down. The principal may issue an in school or out of school suspension, or if the behavior is severe enough or illegal, he or she may need to call the police or social services. The principal is aware of the boundaries and legalities that bind the school and the rights that the district has when handling behaviors. Some students have behavior management or intervention plans put together by the intervention team. Classroom teachers that have those students should be aware and educate themselves on the plan so that they know how to handle specific behaviors, and when to involve the intervention team or the principal. I recently had a situation with a fourth grade level 3 student that raised a chair over his to throw it. I was able to grab the chair and gently bring it to the floor before he could throw it at a teacher. He then picked another chair up and threw it at my leg. In accordance with his behavior plan, we removed him and brought him to the principal. In this situation, our principal called the police because he is a fourth grade student that misused school property and intended to harm. If I had chosen to file an actual report, the police would have taken him directly to Juvenile detention. Calling the police was not my choice nor is it within my authority; however, it is an example of what the principal has the authority to do. On the flip side, we have a level 3 first grade student that is physically aggressive toward adults and slapped an aide across the face. Because he is a young elementary student, the school district’s attorneys did not recommend the principal calling the police. The aide could file a report individually had she chosen to, but again, an example of the principal knowing the boundaries and expectations of the district vs staff members that do not have that authority or knowledge.