Say #!%* and Pay $$$, Hartford Tells High School Students (NYT)

The NY Times - Education ^ | December 14, 2005 | ABIGAIL SULLIVAN MOORE

[summer]

Reprimands did not work. Neither did detentions or suspensions. Frustrated over their inability to stop high school students from cursing aggressively, educators and police officials decided it was time to get tough.

In November, they authorized police officers assigned to two of the city's public high schools to begin issuing tickets to students who hurl expletives. The fine: $103.

The officers have issued about 60 tickets to students at Bulkeley and Hartford High Schools in what several experts think is the first such effort in the country. There are already signs that the new approach may be working, some teachers and principals said. Fights have decreased, classrooms are calmer and there is less cursing in the corridors.

"Has it gone away completely? No," said Zandralyn Gordon, the acting principal of Hartford Public High School. "It is helping a whole lot."...

Some people question the strategy. "If a student is frustrated or angry, you don't want just to fine them for swearing," said Timothy Jay, a psychology professor at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts who wrote "What to Do When Your Students Talk Dirty" (Resource Publications, 1996). "You want to teach them how to deal with their frustrations."

But many parents, educators and students applaud the Hartford initiative. "It's a good thing that they're fixing it, because cursing is out of control," said Ulises Himely, a junior at Bulkeley. "The only way people know how to express themselves is through cursing."

[summer]

Reprimands did not work. Neither did detentions or suspensions.

And these methods do not change behavior in low income middle or elementary schools either. But, kids do understand this concept: money.

[summer]

Also from article:

Paul Stringer, the principal of Weaver High School, a third public high school in Hartford, has declined to participate. "Throwing a $103 fine at people who can't afford it - is that going to solve the problem or make it worse?" Mr. Stringer asked.

Prosecutors will have the discretion to take into account a student's financial circumstances, said Christopher L. Morano, Connecticut's chief state's attorney....

[lawnguy]

I guess the concept of shame and embarrassment is long gone.

Thank God I'm not a teacher, I would be in trouble ALL the time, at least until they fired me.

[summer]

I have to say that each day I find more and more reasons to support homeschooling, though I was never opposed to it in the first place.

[michaelbfree]

Some people question the strategy. "If a student is frustrated or angry, you don't want just to fine them for swearing," said Timothy Jay, a psychology professor at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. "You want to teach them how to deal with their frustrations."

Another idiot liberal chimes in - DUH PSYCHOLOGY PROF, I would imagine paying a $103 fine teaches them how to deal with frustrations much more rapidly than your little touchy feely BS....eff'ing liberal idiots...you're the reason our schools are in such bad shape to begin with Bozo....

[summer]

I guess the concept of shame and embarrassment is long gone

Actually, it's not gone, but it's become a very delayed reaction -- VERY delayed. Some kids today are astonishingly quick tempered. They curse and throw a punch like it's nothing.

I'm only surprised there is not more violence in certain low income public schools. Maybe there is, but it's not reported.

[whispering out loud]

well, If the parents can't afford the fine, maybe they shouldn't teach their children such language

"disclaimer" not saying that all kids who cuss, learned it from their parents, but at least this method will make the parents "painfully aware" of the problem. If the parents don't wanna pay the fines they'll find a way to stop their kids from using the language

[Sarajevo]

My mother found that a bar of soap works just fine.

[whispering out loud]

yes, yes it does, and the bubble blowing that ensues after, is quite entertaining for the parents

[Cicero]

It must be said that the public schools have gotten significantly worse year by year over the course of my lifetime. Most of my children went through public schools, but I'm not sure what I would do now.

Regretably, much of this happened at the same time that many Catholic parochial schools lost their way, so there were not a lot of alternatives.

Some of my grandchildren are being homeschooled. One grandchild near Boston may be assigned to an all-black inner city school, and he already finds school somewhat difficult, so his parents are looking for alternatives. Apparently he lost a lottery and is not allowed to go to the local school, which is reasonably good. This is fallout from the famous Boston school busing decision imposed on the city by judicial fiat many years ago, which destroyed most of the old neighborhoods.

[PMCarey]

How long before they get sued because swear words are part of someone's "culture"?

[kingu]

John Spartan, you are fined $103 for acting like a conservative, err, I mean cursing.

[Amelia]

I have to say that each day I find more and more reasons to support homeschooling, though I was never opposed to it in the first place.

I'm not sure...where do you suppose these students learned to curse in the first place?

[KateatRFM]

I wish we could hand out tickets on the subway. I could make $100,000 per week just handing out tickets to boys between 13 and 20 who end every single sentence with "and s**t."

Between Mom and Sister Mary Bernadette, I think I was well aware of the immorality of cursing by the time I was in Grade 8. Dish soap on the tongue will do it every time.