<p>I know that Hotchkiss, for example, has a one strike policy. This got me thinking: is it fair for high school kids, still immature and prone to mistakes, to only be given one chance? Is it better for kids to be offered a second chance in the case of a large scale mistake?</p>
<p>Know before you go.</p>
<p>At the Thacher revisits, the administration answered questions from parents about their discipline policies. Thacher doesn’t use “strikes” per se, but they did make the following point about behavior that could result in a student being expelled, even if the student had a “clean” record up to that point:</p>
<p>If you decide to bring drugs or alcohol on campus, and share it with others, you have made a series of decisions that you knew were wrong, or outside the rules. You would have to decide to procure the banned substance, then decide to bring it on to campus, and then decide to share it with others. At every step of the way, you had the opportunity to make a different choice, but chose not too. So, in that case, the penalty would reflect the fact that the student made a conscious decision, multiple times, to break the rules, knowing in advance the penalty.</p>
<p>Thacher has a less than 1% attrition rate, and drug and alcohol use by the students there is virtually non-existent.</p>
<p>The reality is that disciplinary action, as with admissions criteria, is not applied consistently. Those kids w famous late names or with ultra-wealthy parents play by a different set of rules.</p>
<p>mountainhiker, are you hearing about the virtually non-existent d&a use directly from the school’s administration? Or are you hearing it from parents & students? What about usage off campus?</p>
<p>Thacher is a tiny school in a very isolated location. There is virtually no unsupervised off campus activities. Students either hang out on campus or go home. I have no doubt it is a very safe place.</p>
<p>mountainhiker is correct…drugs and alcohol are virtually non-existent on Thacher’s campus. You can check with students, faculty, anyone you want… During my son’s four years, there was not a single instance. Nor did I ever hear about off campus use. I know I sound like a homie, but the culture of the school is powerful that way. Nor does it make a bit of difference if you’re a poor kid or the child of a zillionaire. </p>
<p>The school is 240 kids, 90% boarding. Ojai, where most of the day students live, is very close by. There are many schools of similar size or larger on the East Coast that are more isolated than Thacher. Size is much less a factor than the honor code in accounting for the non-existence of drugs and alcohol at Thacher. Sometimes I think that another contributing factor is the sunny, warm southern CA climate which has a way of drawing the kids outdoors and making everyone a bit happier.</p>
<p>Is there is a propensity for students to engage in drugs & alcohol at BS in a rural setting vs. town setting? Or does a strong positive school culture trump geography? I would appreciate parents insight about this.</p>
<p>ThacherParent, I was just trying to address one part of GMTplus7’s question: What about usage off campus? When there’s nowhere to go within walking distance, and the school area is - well just the school, more or less isolation doesn’t make much of a difference does it? </p>
<p>The climate of southern CA is unparalled. You have to visit in January to truely appreciate it, comparing it with the snow and cold wind in NE at that time.</p>