New Principal Suspends HALF Her Students — Here’s The Stunning Reason Why

Almost one-half of the students at a high school in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, were hit with suspension notices when the new principal found out the students had too many unexcused absences (video below).

Nearly 500 students reportedly received suspension notices after Lisa Love, the new principal, decided to crack down on absences. At least 100 students served single-day suspensions the following day. The outcome of the other students’ suspension notices were not disclosed.

After news broke of the mass suspensions, the school held a meeting with parents that took place in the form of an informal news conference.

“The problem I’ve noticed here as principal is that students are coming to school but they are not going to classes when they get here,” Love said during the meeting, PennLive reported. “Many parents send their kids to school and they’re thinking they’re going to class. I needed to reach out because of the enormous number not going to class.”

Love added that students tend to go to the restroom and hang out in the hallways and gyms rather than reporting to class.

“If you’re not in class, all you’re here to do then is to wreak havoc upon the school and disrupt the work that we are trying to do here,” she said. “And that’s to focus on student achievement.”

Parent Shanelle Franklin, whose daughter was given a notice, questioned the disciplinary method and its effectiveness.

“But what does that teach them?” Franklin asked. “They’ve got senior projects to do.”

Love told PennLive she hoped the suspensions resulted in a positive change.

“This was a hard decision for me to make,” she said, “but I had to get the attention of the community to let them know that we are here. And we’re about to do some wonderful things for students and the community and we want this to be a school that everyone is proud of. And this was probably the eye opener we needed to make that happen.”

Many readers applauded Love for taking action to get students to attend classes.

“Good for her,” one Mad World News reader commented on the site’s Facebook page. “Parents need to know what their kids are doing. They would complain if they got the grades they deserved and more than likely blame the school. I would want to know my kids were doing this and want an answer as to what they were doing during this time, I mean my child would have a hard time explaining this to me, I’m sure!!”

“Good for her,” another wrote. “If the kids don’t go to class they have no business being there at the school. It should get the parents involved. A lot of young people who work are always calling in. I guess they learn that in schools.”

“I do not blame her she is responsible for these students when they are on school property,” commented a third. “Good for her if I were a parent to one of these kids I would give her a medal.”

Sources: PennLive, Mad World News/Facebook / Featured Image: Joe Wolf/Flickr / Embedded Images: Screenshot via YouTube