{"id":3683,"date":"2026-07-05T13:13:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T17:13:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/masfec.org\/?p=3683"},"modified":"2026-07-05T13:13:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T17:13:29","slug":"what-we-heard-from-families-a-look-at-school-discipline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/masfec.org\/zh\/what-we-heard-from-families-a-look-at-school-discipline\/","title":{"rendered":"What We Heard from Families: A Look at School Discipline"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the 2025-2026 school year, FCSN<\/a> held focus groups with families from six different language communities (Portuguese, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Chinese, Vietnamese, and English).\u00a0 These conversations showed real stories behind school data. Families shared how their children are often sent home without a paper trail, and they also shared powerful examples of what happens when schools get it right.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A Language of Blame
\n<\/strong>Many families felt that the word \u201cdiscipline\u201d is often used to blame children and parents rather than to find solutions. English-speaking parents noticed that if a child has a visible disability (like using a wheelchair), teachers\u00a0might\u00a0understand that acting out comes from discomfort\u00a0or problems with accessibility. But if a child has an invisible disability (like autism or anxiety), they are often labeled as “troublemakers” or “bad boys.” Chinese parents felt that school emails are mostly sent to blame parents instead of asking them to help solve the problem. Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian\u00a0families\u00a0added that schools often make final decisions about punishments without talking to the family first.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe teacher’s email was to blame me\u2014telling me to lecture my child at home. But my child has an IEP. If I could solve it myself, he\u00a0wouldn’t\u00a0need an IEP, right?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sending Kids Home Early
\n<\/strong>A major issue for\u00a0almost every\u00a0family was the use of unrecorded early pick-ups. In the English-speaking group, every single parent had been asked to pick up their child early because of behavior. Because schools do not\u00a0always\u00a0write up\u00a0formal paperwork for these pick-ups, they are kept “off the books.” This means schools can bypass legal protections that are supposed to keep students with disabilities in school. Parents are also frustrated that schools often rely on simple reward-and-punishment charts instead of deeper support, like a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA), which looks at\u00a0<\/span>why<\/span><\/i>\u00a0a behavior is happening.<\/span> \"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOnce they said he was too unsafe to be in a class with a teacher and two paras… but I was expected to get him home safely somehow by myself. No support, just blame.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bright Spots: What Works
\n<\/strong>Amid the challenges, families pointed to specific success stories that show exactly how schools can support students effectively. Parents noted that when educators treat them as partners and look at behavior with curiosity rather than anger, everything changes.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n