Detention: But Is There Another Way?

At 3:15 Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, students file into the cafeteria to serve their detention hours. Students must be “caught up” on their detentions in order to participate in school activities. While most students have a handle on their detentions,  there are some students who have so many detentions that it prevents them from participating in activities for the whole year. 

Students at Leonia High School have mixed opinions about detention management for the upcoming school year. Many feel that only using detention as a form of discipline may not effectively address their behavior and could negatively impact their motivation and attitudes toward school. While some believe it can help, many feel that there are better ways to solve problems. 

According to Elijah Hernandez ‘25, “Using only detention might not always fix the problems that cause misbehavior.” Elijah went on to say, “It’s a clear consequence, but it doesn’t always help students understand why their actions were wrong or how to change their behavior.” 

Senior Daniel Alley pointed out that in spite of the threat of detention, “students still tend to continue with their bad habits.”

Senior Eri Tooher added,“I don’t think detention should be the only punishment in school. It often doesn’t solve the problems that cause bad behavior. Other methods, like conversations or guidance, might help students learn and grow more effectively.”

Both seniors Daniel and Eri agree that sometimes extra help might be a more effective solution. If a student is having trouble focusing, they might need extra help or a meeting with the teacher to talk about it, instead of just getting detention for being antsy. For issues like not completing homework, extra study time might work better. For disruptive behavior, a one-on-one talk with the teacher might be more effective. Extra help taking the place of detention  is a better alternative than to be sitting in the cafeteria and not actively learning, as maybe going to a teacher is going to keep them learning but still have their consequences for their actions. Overall it may even change their behavior and will help students grow and evolve from past mistakes. 

According to senior Eri Tooher, “If detention is the only punishment, students might start to dislike school and feel less motivated. They might see detention as unfair or just a punishment rather than a chance to improve. Mixing in other ways to handle problems might keep students more engaged and positive about school.”

Detentions are usually given for behaviors that disrupt the school environment, such as being disrespectful to teachers or classmates, in which case, the detention is often a reasonable response on the part of the teachers.

However, right now many students are getting detentions mainly because they are late to school, which shows a need for better time management. At the same time, it is important to acknowledge the fact that many students are coming from Edgewater is a factor contributing to a student’s lateness. It is more difficult to get to school on time even when leaving early since the traffic from going through two towns is crazy in the mornings as it’s the time most people leave their house to make their commutes for work. Many students find getting detention for lates is unfair and unreasonable unless it’s past a certain amount of time.

In conclusion, students have mixed feelings about detention as a punishment. While some think it is needed, many believe there are better ways to handle problems. Most agree that using only detention can hurt their motivation and attitudes toward school. Finding other ways to address behavior could lead to better results for everyone involved.