Making the choice to send your kids to private school is a great decision for many families. While it may cost more to do this, your kids may also get a better education, as well as many other benefits. One key difference between public and private schools is the way discipline is handled, and this might be an important factor to you. Here are three things you should know about discipline, and the ways public and private schools handle it.

Why Discipline Is Important

Discipline is something very important in life for people of all ages, and you may take this subject very seriously at your house. Disciplining kids teaches them:

• There are consequences for their behavior
• To be respectful and considerate
• To make good choices

When children are not punished for bad choices, decisions, and behaviors, they have a hard time learning not to do these things. On the other hand, if a child is disciplined for something he or she did wrong, the child may have an easier time understanding what the right thing to do is. After all, the child will probably want to avoid punishment in the future for the same mistake.

In school, discipline is just as important. Just think about the effects of having one or two disrespectful, misbehaving kids in a classroom. Not only are these kids teaching the other kids bad habits and actions, but they will also be disrupting the learning process. If your child is one of the kids behaving, his or her education might be hindered from the disruptive children.

Because of this, private schools may offer a better and safer atmosphere for your children. Private school tends to take discipline more serious, and this can be helpful in many ways.

Public Schools Are Governed By State And Federal Rules

One thing you may notice with public schools is they tend to allow more disrespect and misbehavior than private schools, and there are a number of reasons for this. The first and main reason is they are tied to state and federal rules when it comes to disciplining students. They may have rules in place relating to discipline; however, they are also tied to following the constitutional rights of the students, as well as due process.

Due process involves scheduling a hearing that will determine what happens to the student. If the parent of the student fights the case, the child may end up without a punishment of any kind for his or her wrongdoing. This occurs because there are a lot of politics involved when it comes to public schools and discipline.

Private Schools Typically Have Zero-Tolerance Policies

Public schools cannot turn away kids who want to attend, but private schools can. This is one form of control private schools have over the students who attend. Because they can turn away kids, they might be less apt to accept students who have negative pasts. Weeding out students is one way private schools keep their classrooms under control.

Another way is through instituting a zero-tolerance policy. This type of policy is created to ensure kids follow rules. Students and parents might be required to sign the policy before school begins each year, and it basically states the school has the right to punish or expel any student who does not follow the rules of conduct.

If you want your kids to be held accountable for their actions and to learn from their mistakes, sending them to a private school can help reinforce these values and principles. To learn more info about the education and discipline policies of private schools, contact one in your area.