Kent County High School has undergone some changes this year. Last year, a school wide policy was that students were held to a standard of following a set of rules called “The Non-Negotiables”.
The Non-Negotiables are: 1. No cellphones, 2. No profanity, 3. No disrespect, and 4. Wear proper school attire.
With having a new principal and new vice principal, these rules have been more demanding and pertinent to follow this school year.Teachers have said that the Non-Negotiable rules overall are to prepare you for the real world.
“I feel the Non-Negotiables are very important to making school a safe and engaging learning environment.” Mrs. LaBrie said, a science teacher at KCHS. “Students are able to focus more on the tasks given to them and engage more in person with their teacher and their classmates improving learning. This prepares students for the workplace. Many jobs have expectations that must be followed or employment could be terminated. We are preparing students for their future with a bit of cushioning should someone "forget" the expectations of our KCHS family.”
“I believe the KCHS staff is working hard to send a consistent message.” Mrs. Milligan said, an English teacher at KCHS. “I think the Non-Negotiables are important in order to create a culture where learning is the focus of KCHS. By being consistent in our messages about disrespect, cell phones, etc, everyone is held to the same expectation that all students are learning, and a culture for student success is created.”
With different point of views, students said their biggest obstacle was not being able to be on your phone is a difficult challenge for them.
Junior Daniel Menchy said “Keeping my phone away during class is not a problem for me. But, keeping my phone away during lunch is a struggle. Lunch is the students time to do as they please as long as no one is harmed and they are calm.” In agreeance , Emma Spray said “The Non-Negotiables were made to help us follow the rules of life better, but they would be easier to follow if the phone rule was not so strictly enforced.”
Overall, the Non-Negotiables have mixed reviews between a students perspective and a teachers perspective. But even with two points of view, everyone came to a conclusion about the Non-Negotiables having a positive effect on our school.
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