Have you noticed a changing trend in our schools regarding bullying, fighting and negative learning experiences for your child?   Has your school implented the federally mandated positive behaviorial interventions and support?   Could there be a connection between the two?  

I can only speak for myself, but I encourage others to do so.  PBIS (Positive Behaviorial Interventions and Support) program has been rolled out in our school district.   The idea of this federally mandated program bascially states that the school will reward good behavior without punishing negative behavior??  WHAT???  You heard me correctly.  A bully is rewarded for not bullying someone when 95% of the class who never bullies is rewarded with nothing.    Children are rewarded when they don't run in the halls but those that never run are not rewarded.   Fighting is handled with positive actions like seperating the children without any punishment.  

The education of the majority is being compromised by the behaviorial issues of a few.   Don't get me wrong, I am sympathetic to the fact that some of these children have not learned right from wrong at home.   However, the main purpose of our schools is to teach children an education not what is basic appriorate behavior of keeping your hands to yourself.   When the education of children is being compromised because teachers are having to teach the basic rules of what is right and what is wrong, I need to stand up and scream "FOUL!!". 

You can not have a systems comprised of only rewards.    At our school, children earn "bucks" for good behavior and those "bucks" can be used to purchase items in a store.  Items vary from small trinkets to larger rewards of being "principal for the day".   I have personally worked in our store, every time I see some children with a large amount of bucks and yet the majority of the kids that have been taught right from wrong have very little.  What are we teaching these children?  It is better to not follow the rules?   There must be a balance between rewards and punishments and that balance MUST be equal to ALL children!

Please help me in signing this petition.