Letters to the Editor
Call for Parents to "JoinHands"
Dear Sir,
Enclosed is our press statementwhich sets out the facts of the Academic Probation Policy at TripleC School. I trust that you will print it in its entirety. Theallegation of discrimination is totally unfounded.
The children placed on probation were of various nationalities,various skin colors, various economic backgrounds, various familybackgrounds. Some had been at Triple C School for many years;some were in their first year.
If Triple C's main concern was cash, why would we want to loseseven, (not eleven) students? Why would we want to lose nearly$30,000? Mrs. Stewart needs to acknowledge, because she certainlyknows, that there are many things that get our attention beforemoney.
This policy is one of standards, work ethic, success, and personalfulfillment. Tough love is never easy, and discipline is oftenpainful. We have tried many, many methods of discipline to correctthis unsatisfactory situation. One child had 40 detentions. Wedo not deny that there are seven families that have been affectedby this initiative; we wish it were otherwise, but we stand bythe policy.
If our parents will join hands with us now in this critical stageof their children's lives, we could make significant inroads intothe indifferent attitude by which some students approach theirstudies, and the regular complaint that we hear about some ofour young people both in and out of school, "They don't wantto work!"
One parent who disciplined his child through the academic probationperiod and came out successful stated, "This is the bestthing that could have happened to my son." Parents and alumnihave called to applaud the school's efforts to raise standardsboth academically and personally.
If these students attend somewhere else, become successful studentsthere, and remain, then they would have achieved the desired goal.It is our hope that each of these students will apply himself/herselfto the task of studying hard and doing well wherever they attendschool and one day graduate clutching a paper of worth and aboveall, possessing a sense of pride and self-esteem because of theiraccomplishments.
Marjorie Ebanks, Director
Triple C School
Academic Probation Policy atTriple C School
The above policy was approved by the Boardof Directors of Triple C School in March, 1999 to come into effectin the 1999-2000 school year. The several goals of the policywere: to combat student apathy, poor performance, and unacceptableeffort. to encourage students to do their best and work hard.to ensure that students would be eligible to graduate at the endof the senior year. to involve parents to a higher degree in theeducation/discipline of their children. After careful discussionby the Board, administration, and teachers, it was felt that thispolicy was a good one and would send the message that most parents,our community, and our school want to send. "Success comesbefore work only in the dictionary."
At the end of the 1998-99 school year parents were told aboutthe new policy. There was immediate alarm raised about the childrenwho had special needs, and it was pointed out that those childrenwould not be placed on probation because their situation was different,and that the school would continue to do everything possible tocater to their needs. Some parents were still concerned, but itwas clearly stated that all we were asking of our students waswhat every school expectsóreasonable attitude, effort,and grades. To tolerate any less would be to enable them to failnow and in the future, it would tell them that mediocrity or lessis ok, it would reward an unacceptable situation, and it woulddo a disservice to our community and families. On July 27, 1999all parents were sent letters from the office covering new policiesfor the new year. In that letter parents were told that ìStudentswith grades below 72% will be put on academic probation for thenext semester. Failure to attain a 79% average for the probationperiod will result in being removed from the school. The cumulativegrade percent average must be greater than 72% for the studentto go off probation status.î This was amended, in the studentsífavor, at the beginning of the school year whereby students thatearned at least 72% (not 79%) the second semester would be re-enrolledfor the new year, but would remain on academic probation if theircumulative average was still below 72%.
The policy was put into effect in August, 1999, and after thefirst semester some 16 student were listed as falling below anacceptable standard. Seniors were dealt with under a differentpolicy and one student withdrew from the school for personal reasons.The other 11 were placed on academic probation, and letters weresent to the parents to that effect. One of the terms of the probationas stated in the letter was that students would be on weekly reportand would have to bring their average for the semester up to 72%"in order to stay in school". Parents were asked tomonitor the students through the weekly reports. The office gavethe reports to the students each week and teachers completed them.Students were to take them home and bring them back signed. Alog was kept on reports given to students. Returned reports werelogged for the first four weeks to make sure that all parentswere into the routine. All parents returned some reports signed,acknowledging that they were aware of the progress or lack thereofof their child. One or two parents stayed on top of the situationand returned all of the reports.
Additionally three official reports were given to the parentsduring that time which showed the exact percentage the studentwas earning at precise cut-off dates. Some parents also had conferenceswith the Principal and teachers during the five-month period betweenJanuary and May.
At the end of the school year, the final reports were looked atagain. Seven of the original ll students did not qualify for re-enrollmentin the 2000-2001 school year.
The seven parents were called and conferences were held with eachone at which time they were told that the child would not be allowedto reenroll in Triple C School for the new school year. If theywere interested in re-enrolling in the future, their applicationswould be considered in the 2nd semester of the 2000-2001 schoolyear and thereafter, and students would be readmitted providedthey could bring a good behaviour/attitude reference their gradesrose to a 72% or equivalent other procedures laid down by theschool were followed.
The success of the students who are allowed to remain in schoolreveals what the policy intended to do. Both parents and studentscooperated to bring success, and those students and their parentsare better off because of it. The school stands behind this excellentpolicy and feels strongly that in the long term it will help usto provide a better education to our children and produce a bettercitizen for the Cayman Islands. We provide an excellent education,not just a service, and one way to improve that education is tosend the message that only a studentís best effort is goodenough. Surely that is the message that a business community whichis one of the worldís leading financial centers wants toconvey to our youth.