In Loco Parentis: The Ethics of Dismissal at Boarding School
Snapshot: A disciplinary committee at a small, prestigious, independent boarding school must decide the consequences of a student’s disciplinary infraction. To complicate matters, the student is facing challenging family circumstances, her family makes significant donations, and the decision will set an example for the school community. How should schools balance accountability with care?
Detailed Case Description:
Student discipline is a persistent challenge in secondary education, and boarding schools occupy a unique position in this debate. Teachers and administrators at boarding schools are expected to act in loco parentis– in place of parents– requiring a level of responsibility for student wellbeing that extends beyond the classroom. But what happens when a student’s violations of school rules are serious, repeated, and entangled with a troubled home life? How should schools balance accountability with care?
“In Loco Parentis” centers on Zoey, an 11th-grade student at Mountain Academy whose personal struggles at home have led to serious breaches of the school’s Honor Code: she lied to her dorm parent and organized an off-campus drinking trip with her father's active complicity. Now the disciplinary committee must decide whether Zoey should be expelled. The committee is divided, as Zoey has no stable home to return to; this is not her first major disciplinary infraction; her father is a major donor; and other students are watching to see whether the rules apply equally to everyone.
This case study explores the tensions schools face when enforcing discipline fairly while also attending to the emotional and social needs of vulnerable students. When does maintaining school policy serve the community, and when does it harm a student who needs community the most? What role should a student’s circumstances play in disciplinary decisions? And how should schools respond when parents actively undermine the institution’s values?
Explore Further:
Unpack this Brookings article on the research behind how to reduce student misbehavior in schools.
Read the following opinion piece that highlights how unequal school discipline policies are enforced in schools.
Consider this Education Next article to explore a counterargument against restorative justice practices.
- For policymakers and administrators, here are some examples of restorative alternatives to out-of-school suspensions.