Call it a reform school if you want, but it’s an alternative school, such as are currently available to many school districts in the U.S.
By the way, I believe the school district is going to have to pay to send the kids to the alternative school, since they are required by law to provide for their education unless they could successfully expel them, which would be far too harsh a penalty given the circumstances. Since you don’t save any money by having one or two less students in a classroom, the money to send them to the alternative school will come from the taxpayers, rather than from foregone expenses.
For that reason, the community service they’re required to perform should conceivably be something that saves the school money, like summer maintenance projects, or serving as scorekeepers at ball games, lining fields, cleaning under bleachers, etc.
Ms. Klein suffered, and is being compensated for it by donations. The school district is paying in terms of both money and administrative time, both of which detract from the regular business of the school. I’ll bet a couple hundred hours of administrative time has already been expended on this matter, with more to come. Current laws, both state and federal, tie public schools in knots that most people remain blissfully unaware of.
Expulsion id not ‘too harsh a penalty. These little darlings did not experience ‘sudden bully syndrome’. They have been like this for a while.
Their punishment should have STARTED with expulsion. The compensation the woman got came from private donations, not the school/district.
“IMO” - It’s pathetic that people on this site defend this crap. Actions have consequences. They screwed up big, they pay big. Personally I think they got off light, but I’m good with it overall. At least they weren’t served milk and cookies.