Portsmouth School Board to Approve Saturday School Sessions

Saturdays could be threatened if a new proposal by the Portsmouth School Board is passed, inconveniencing both students, parents, and faculty, and requiring tax payers to pay more money.

The Portsmouth School Board may approve a new policy requiring disciplined students to go to a Saturday school session. 

The policy was motioned by School Board member Tim Steele. The Saturday session would run from 8 a.m. until noon several weekends during the year. It would require an allocation of about $3,000 per year for staffing, Steele told the School Board.

During discussion of the proposal, Peggy Bacon, a local parent, said she did not think the proposal was a good idea. “I work six days a week – including Saturday morning,” Bacon said. “The parents are going to pay for it – in higher taxes as well as in ruined Saturdays.”

Steele responded that the new disciplinary measure was being proposed in an effort to reduce the number of in-house suspensions, given to students caught smoking inside or outside of Portsmouth High School.

Since suspended students are not allowed to make up class work they missed, Steele said the new program would allow the student to not miss class time. “I know this isn’t good news for the parents,” Steele said, “but I hope the threat of Saturday classes will make the students think twice before breaking the school rules.”

Resident Bob Farley liked the idea of the new policy. He said that parents are not teaching their kids any discipline, resulting in students who have no respect for rules. “Parents can whine all they want about this, “Farley said, “but maybe it’s time parents in America were made to take a little responsibility for their kids.”

Five high school students attended the meeting. Lisa Gallagher, a senior, spoke against the rule. “What if someone skips the session?” she said.

Steele explained what would be done with students who skip the session. “If a student skips Saturday School, he or she would not be allowed to return to school until the detention has been served,” Steele said.

Steele also said that smoking was not the only discipline problem at the school, but it is certainly the worst one. “I just want to keep students from smoking in the high school bathrooms,” Steele said.

After almost three hours of deliberation, the board voted 5-3, with one member abstaining, to table the issue until its next meeting on March 7. Steele was instructed to return at that time with figures on in-school detentions so far this year