91ÖÆƬ³§

The recent events at historic Saint Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, raise questions for us considering private school. was hard to miss as it seemed to air virtually non-stop for a week. Against that backdrop, let's look at things from our parental perspective.

What are the odds of this happening in the school our children attend?

Probably not very likely at all. Statistically speaking, very few incidents such as this occur in private schools annually. I searched carefully to see what I could find about private school scandals past and present. There weren't many, perhaps a handful or so of incidents annually. You can find my search results at the end of this article. The sensational coverage of the Saint Paul's story tended to blow the incident way out of proportion, in my opinion. I would think that the risk of similar events happening elsewhere is insignificant.

This video offers an overview of Saint Paul's School, Concord, New Hampshire.

How could something like this happen in a private school which prides itself on 24/7 supervision of its students?

All private schools, including Saint Paul's, take their students' safety seriously. In the case of boarding schools, their responsibility extends to 24/7 supervision while the students reside on campus. With day schools, things work differently because school opens in the morning and dismisses at the end of the day. As a

Editorial

Yet another horrific shooting. More innocent lives snuffed out. Twenty children sitting in their safe, familiar classroom. Gone.

These shootings have become an all too familiar story. I now think twice about visiting public places. I still go. But I am wary. The same defensive mechanism which kicks in when I drive is now present in my thinking. But let me back up a bit and explain my aversion to violence. This video gives an overview of the issue.

As a classicist I am quite familiar with our love of violent spectacles. Chariot races, gladiator contests and mock naval wars are all, as far as I am concerned, precursors of 21st century video games and movies. That does not mean that I like them. Not one bit.

My first taste of real violence was during the terrorist activities which took place in the Province of Quebec back in the 60s when I was a teen. I knew nothing of violence prior to that, having been raised in a leafy green English neighborhood in Montreal called Westmount. My family had lived there for several generations. But the French Canadians were tired of feeling oppressed and shackled economically and socially by a minority population, i.e., les Anglais. They started blowing things up. I was out for a walk one day heading north on Roslyn Avenue. I heard what I to this day recall as a thump. Not

A private school handbook is essentially a set of guidelines for life in the school community. The reason why I am devoting an entire article here on 91ÖÆƬ³§ Review is to underscore the importance of handbooks. Both you and your child need to understand that the school's handbook is linked to the contract which you signed with the school. Private schools are not like public schools in this very important regard: students have rights in a public school; but they do not have rights in a private school. They are governed by what is known as contract law. That contract which you signed with the school spells out all the obligations of the parties to that contract. Somewhere buried in the fine print will be a statement to the effect that one of your child's obligations is to abide by the rules and regulations of the school and its community as set forth in the school's handbook and elsewhere.

Most handbooks are comprehensive, very detailed documents which seek to cover every conceivable aspect of school life. They are generally rather lengthy documents too as you will see when you review the examples listed at the end of this article. Take time to review your school's handbook. Discuss and confirm that your child understands the seriousness of this document. While the school will explain the content of its handbook at the beginning of school, assume nothing. Make sure that she understands that failure to abide by the terms

Bullying has been part of our human existence since time began. While bullying goes by different names and takes several different forms, whether you call it intimidation or threatening, whether you do it verbally or with your body language, bullying is upsetting and unnerving behavior. Fortunately for us parents, it is completely unacceptable in most private schools, as it should be everywhere else. Most private school discipline codes have strict policies concerning bullying. Be aware that these policies are enforced quickly because students are governed by contract law. In other words, the contract which you signed with the school spells out very clearly the consequences of any infractions of the school's discipline code. Those consequences, such as suspension or expulsion, will happen swiftly.

Naturally, like just about anything else you can think of, bullying has gone electronic. If you thought that bullying was hard to detect in its analog forms, you could imagine how much more difficult , as it is now called, is to detect. So, where does cyberbullying fit in? As I noted, cyberbullying or bullying done electronically is extremely difficult for us adults to detect. The reason why is that cyberbullying lurks in the virtual shadows created by social media and smartphones. Unless you are following somebody and can monitor their various social media accounts or have access to their mobile device, you cannot definitively prove that cyberbullying is actually occurring. I used the term social media, which used

Most private schools have an in place governing the use of technology. That means that students in private schools must follow their school's guidelines and directives when using personal technology. Personal technology includes laptops, desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones. What perplexes many mature teachers is that none of these devices were commonly used years ago. The reality is that young people have some or all of these devices and use them naturally, freely, and without much thought. Using technology is second nature to students these days.

As a rule, there are limits on these devices and their use in private schools. Let's look at five things you are not supposed to do with personal technology. Breaking the rules in your school could land you in a heap of trouble, including expulsion. Review her school's personal technology use policy if you are a parent. Then discuss the policy with your child. Help her understand the rules, the limits, and why the school has a technology policy. Remind her further that she has no rights in a private school. So if the school disciplines her for an infraction, there is little or no recourse. That is because private school students are covered by contract law. The rights and privileges are spelled out in the contract you signed with the school. She does not have constitutional rights per se. The contract is a legal, binding document.

Here are five things you must not do