The In School Suspension Program

For years schools have struggled with how to handle the suspended student. On the one hand, we don't want to send misbehaving students "home for a vacation." And yet, on the other hand, some students do not deserve to be in school after they have violated an important school rule. Many schools have solved the problem with the ISS Program -- or In School Suspension Program. Such a program potentially provides schools with the best of both worlds: the student is not sent home, and yet the student is also not in class. ISS Programs typically involve setting aside a space in the school where the suspended students can be carefully monitored, where they can be on task, and where they can be separated from their peers. Of course, the challenge for school staff is to create such a space given the limitations of what is currently available in the building, staffing it with the perfect person, and then implementing the program so that students will do their utmost to never be suspended again.

Successful ISS Programs have the following characteristics:

• A setting which is isolated from the rest of the students and conducive to work.
• A supervisor who is firm, has a good relations with staff and students, and can keep students on task.
• A set of rules for ISS behavior which promotes task-oriented behavior.
• A process where administration and teachers establish activities and/or work for ISS Students.

The Setting

Of course, there is little one can do about the physical limitations of the size and location of the ISS room. But there is much that can be done about the appearance of the room. It is important that the ISS Room look like a school classroom -- one in which students are expected to work. It is good to display interesting posters in the room, but it is more important to post the ISS Rules!

If students are to work, they will need routine supplies like paper and pencil. Some ISS Supervisors have a supply on hand for students (just in case), others actually sell pencils and paper to students who "forget" to bring their own. One high school we know has a policy where prices for supplies are posted on the door of the room. They report "this helps to teach students to be responsible." Before you start charging students, check with your principal and/or superintendent to make certain you have permission to do this.

The Supervisor

Supervising the ISS Program can be one of the most difficult and thankless tasks in the school. Supervisors are expected to successfully manage students who have already proven themselves difficult to manage. They are expected to enforce school rules with a group of students who have shown a propensity to violate those rules. They are expected to work well with students who have probably not worked well with other staff members.

The old adage "firm and fair" probably applies more to the ISS Supervisor than any other staff member. Some hints:

• Read the rules
• Have consequences for rule violations
• Read the consequences
• Have plenty of work for the students
• Communicate your expectations to students
• Communicate your needs to the teachers of the students in ISS
• Communicate with the student's teachers at the end of the day
• Communicate with the parents of the student (don't hesitate to have good things to say!)

The Rules

Most schools have found the need to delineate rules for the ISS Program. If you are just starting your program, get input from schools that have had their program in operation for a couple of years. If you are modifying your current program, you might want to get input from not only other schools, but also from the community as well. Many schools have published their rules on the internet; to find some you can do a search (using a search engine like Google, for example) by searching for the term "ISS" or "internal suspension" or simply "ISS rules."

One of the most important things you can do as an ISS Supervisor is to make certain your students know and understand the rules. Post the rules in the room for all to see. Read the rules at the start of the day. Some schools have students sign "contracts" at the start of the day. Students sign a statement declaring they have read and understand the rules. They then date it and the ISS Supervisor co-signs the agreement as the witness. Look at our ISS Contracts page an example of a contract that one school found effective.

Establishing Work

The most successful ISS Programs are the ones where students are kept busy with work that is purposeful. In order to keep students on task, there must be plenty for them to accomplish. One key here is to get input from the regular classroom teacher. The more work the classroom teacher provides for the student, the easier it is to keep that student on task. Of course, the expectation here is that the work provided for the student is reasonable work. Often teachers must be in-serviced as to the type of work to be provided to ISS Students. Reading is fine, but most students cannot read for seven long hours. Writing is fine, but simply copying material from a text or an encyclopedia is probably not very constructive. Teachers should be encouraged to provide a balance of both reading and writing. Look at our ISS Memo page for an example of a memo that one ISS Supervisors sent to classroom teachers regarding suggested assignments for students in the ISS room. It is a good idea to remind the teachers of some of the ISS Rules, especially the rule that states students are expected to stay in the ISS Room (an assignment for a student to "go to the library and do research...." is probably not a good idea).

Suspension Learning Packets have been designed to fill part of the ISS Student's day and provide a focus on what the student did which resulted in his suspension. The Learning Packets have reading sections as well as writing sections. The value of these packets is the fact they focus on the very rules that students have violated to get themselves assigned to the ISS Room. The packets are a tool: they teach students that what they did was wrong and then help guide them to an understanding of how misbehavior can be prevented. Each packet consists of about three hours of work and concludes with goal-setting exercises. Completion of the packets can be part of the students' contract at the beginning of the day and can be sent home with the student for parent signatures. When the student arrives at school the next morning, the signed Suspension Learning Packet can be reviewed by a teacher, counselor, or administrator and then become part of the student's discipline record.

Suspension Learning Packets are available for both junior high schools and senior high schools.