At MacArthur Fundamental School, students will now receive two campus clean-ups for chewing gum.  At lunchtime, students with a campus beautification will eliminate litter in the quad.

Previously, the consequence for chewing gum was a 60-minute detention, held after school. Now, the two campus beautifications are designed to match the 60 minutes.

According to Assistant Principal Mr. Ray Gonzales, the reason the administration changed the rule for gum chewing is that detention is a delayed consequence.  When students pick up litter, they see the consequences of their misbehavior, in this case chewing gum, can cause.  Whereas detention only holds students in after school.

The new rule is a restorative practice.  These are school consequences that are designed to get students to understand how their misbehavior may hurt others or the campus.  Many rules this year, like the changes to the Friday schools are designed as restorative practices.

Everyone in the administration hopes this rule would help stop most students from chewing gum. Assistant Principal Mr. Steve Bayouk and Discipline Secretary Mrs. Teresa Salazar think that this new rule will help stop gum chewing.

“It was an administration decision as a team,” said Bayouk.  This rule change was made by Principal Ms. Katie Berger and the assistant principals at the beginning of the year.  The rule changed because the previous consequence did not match with the behavior. 

Salazar even designed a new form for the rule.  Instead of being written up on a Fundamental Consequence Form, the teacher will refer students with a quarter-sheet form designed for gum chewing.

Before this new rule change, students were given detention for not following school rules.  But now if they continue to chew gum on-campus students will receive a detention or a Friday school.  These are progressive consequences.

“I would hope that it would stop the reason I chose this was for students to know what they are doing to the campus,” said Berger.  There have been fewer students chewing gum lately.  This rule is also helping staff members with not having to clean up as much gum and litter.