Penalties for being late to school too harsh

I have several grandchildren in the Fayette County school system. I have just learned about a practice in a high school that appalls me. If a child is late going from one class to another three times, that child cannot eat in the lunchroom with his or her friends. The student must sit at a separate table where everyone knows that the student has committed a wrong.

After thinking about this practice, I have come to the conclusion that these students are being shunned, which reminded me of the caste system in India. Should the schools call, text, email or write the parents after the first offense? I think so.

There has to be a better way to reprimand our children. This may be as bad as corporal punishment.

It is easy for us to sit back and do nothing, but this is not right for any student. I know it is very difficult to deal with hundreds of students daily and I applaud teachers and administrators who are doing great jobs. But has anyone stated that this practice is wrong or tried to stop it?

This story was originally published December 22, 2017 at 6:52 PM with the headline "Penalties for being late to school too harsh."