Should there be a limit to detention?
Detention is the legally authorized, temporary holding of a person in custody by authorities. Teachers are allowed to give detention to students, usually for bad behavior, but should they be able to hold after-school detentions?
Assistant Principal David O’Shell is in favor of after-school detentions. “I gave after school detentions and lunch detentions to make sure they meet the expectations of class,” O’Shell said.
One controversial thought about setting time limits on detentions could be students not taking them seriously. If students are aware they won’t be getting held after school, they might be more inclined to be involved in off-task behavior. Students may believe getting a small detention during the day isn’t enough to correct their behavior. An after-school detention could be more effective at stopping bad behavior and ensuring it won’t happen again.
However, teachers will still be able to give lunch detention, keeping that same detention policy. If a student’s behavior needs additional correction, teachers would still be able to give lunch detentions for as long as they decide necessary. This way students won’t have to stay after school, but will still get negative consequences for their actions.
Students have to spend hours at school throughout the day. By the final bell, students may feel tired and worn out. Having after-school detention could further impact their mental health because if students are neglected of their reset and free time, it may lead to them feeling drained and stressed. These effects might lead students to be less on task during the school day, leading to even more after-school detentions and creating an on-going loop.
Sophomore Ellie Buchman said after school detentions should not be allowed. “I think teachers shouldn’t be allowed to do after school detention because some kids’ parents work late and take the bus so they wouldn’t have a ride home. I also think it’s bad because lots of people have extra things to do after school like work and sports. Also, we spend our whole day at school, which is very draining, and get lots of homework, so adding after school detention would just add more stress,” Buchman said.
After school detention limits free time after school. Student athletes would especially be affected by an after-school detention. Sports practice times can range anywhere from the time schools let out to 11 p.m. Managing school work, sports and an after-school detention requires time management, and fitting all responsibilities in one day can get complicated.
Varsity soccer player and sophomore Hannah Yuan has a negative view on after-school detentions. “I don’t think teachers should be able to give after school detentions because as a student athlete, most of my responsibilities lie on what I do after school. Many times I have practice straight after school or extracurriculars such as clubs. Alternatively, teachers should give lunch detentions if they need to but after school detentions are a waste of time and can prevent students from completing their prior commitments,” Yuan said.
