Youngstown school kids: A contract to behave

YOUNGSTOWN — Pupils in the city school district may soon be required to sign a contract promising to be on their best behavior at extracurricular events.

Dr. Wendy Webb, superintendent, told a city school board committee Wednesday that the contract — and the consequences for breaking it — could be put into place immediately.

Webb said the district is looking at working an anger management program into its eighth grade curriculum to teach children how to deal with confrontation and anger. The plan would involve some refresher work in the ninth grade, she said.

A behavior contract would be part of that program, and, although the anger management effort isn’t likely to be in place until next school year, the contract part of the arrangement could be put into practice now, Webb told the board’s Ad Hoc Committee for Alternative Education and Student Safety.

Pupils and their parents could be required to sign it, she said.

The issue came to focus after two girls were involved in a fight at the Chaney-East high school basketball game at East High School Friday. School officials halted the game at that point and the two girls face suspension for their actions.

Read more in Thursday’s Vindicator and at Vindy.com