This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.
Below is a list of the questions from the survey of principals, and a summary of the results. Responses that required explanation have been left off, in the interest of privacy.
Please answer the following questions on a scale from 1-5 | |
| How clear are the District’s policies on how to deal with disciplinary infractions? | |
| 1 – extremely clear | 2 |
| 3 – clear | 12 |
| 4 | 13 |
| 5 – not at all clear | 9 |
| How effective has District training been in guiding you in how to implement zero-tolerance policy? | |
| 1 – extremely effective | 1 |
| 3 – effective | 4 |
| 4 | 15 |
| 5 – not at all effective | 14 |
| To what extent do you get guidance from, superiors outside of official training, on how to use discretion in implementing zero tolerance? | |
| 1 – lots of guidance | 5 |
| 2 | 1 |
| 3 – some guidance | 13 |
| 4 | 5 |
| 5 – no guidance | 12 |
| Do you feel you have discretion to use common sense in handling discipline infractions? | |
| 1 – lots of discretion | 4 |
| 2 | 3 |
| 3 – some discretion | 15 |
| 4 | 10 |
| 5 – no discretion | 2 |
| Do you feel supported when a parent complains to the regional office about how you handled an incident? | |
| 1 – extremely supported | 8 |
| 2 | 1 |
| 3 – supported | 10 |
| 4 | 9 |
| 5 – not at all supported | 7 |
| Do you feel pressure not to report incidents that do seem serious enough to report? | |
| 1 – extremely pressured | 5 |
| 2 | 2 |
| 3 – pressured | 5 |
| 4 | 6 |
| 5 – not at all pressured | 17 |
| Do you feel supported when a teacher complains to the union about how you handled an incident? | |
| 1 – extremely supported | 8 |
| 2 | 2 |
| 3 – supported | 11 |
| 4 | 7 |
| 5 – not at all supported | 5 |
| Have you ever called police for an incident that you didn’t think warranted police intervention but felt compelled to do so? i.e. when a student bumped a teacher | |
| never | 14 |
| often | 6 |
| once | 6 |
| rarely | 10 |
| Does your school have preventive discipline approaches? Examples of preventive discipline approaches are restorative justice, positive behavior supports, peer mediation. | |
| Please list or describe them. | |
| How well does the District encourage and support those avenues? | |
| 1 – extremely well | 4 |
| 2 | 3 |
| 3 – well | 6 |
| 4 | 14 |
| 5 – not at all well | 7 |
| What region is your school in? | |
| Alternative Schools | 1 |
| Comprehensive High School | 3 |
| South | 9 |
| West | 1 |
| Please select the grade level of your school: | |
| Elementary school | 8 |
| High school | 7 |
| Are you willing to be interviewed further on this subject? |