Waco Schools Move Away from Criminalizing Discipline

The kids are supposed to get grades, not rap sheets

A new student discipline program that emphasizes handling bad behavior in schools rather than courts has taken hold in Waco ISD.

Advocates believe that if the program improves academic outcomes for teens, it could become a model for a broader shift away from criminalizing student behavior in a state where students have been ticketed for horseplay, cursing or putting on perfume. The pilot, initiated by the the governor's office, is in its second year.