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Yeshiva Expulsions

"Our school officials contribute to the difficulties facing our youth by being too hasty in ridding themselves of students who don't meet standards. When a student's behavior adversely affects other students, there usually are grounds for expulsion. Not doing well academically is not an adequate ground, a position that I have expressed for many years, but few school officials agree with me.

It is intolerable that one person, usually the principal, has the sole say on who stays and who does not. When the prospect of expulsion arises, there must be a process involving several persons who are competent to decide. I cannot understand why the Orthodox community tolerates the sinful practice of allowing one person to make so vital a decision regarding the life of a youngster. There is no halachic justification for the practice."

At the charedi yeshiva at which I attended high school from 1986-1990, the principal also served as the 12th grade rebbi, and each year about 20 percent of those at the yeshiva during 11th grade would be asked to leave, rather than be allowed to finish their final year of high school in the principal's class. Transgressions resulting in expulsion usually related to things like being caught hanging out with girls or going to a movie one time too many. There were no issues involving drugs in that yeshiva in those days.

The principal was tough with me, primarily because of my interest in sports, which he saw as an absolute waste of time that should be spent learning gemara. He could understand human vice generally, but not the idea that someone could spend hours arguing why Keith Hernandez was more valuable than Don Mattingly.

While I was never a serious candidate for expulsion prior to 12th grade, the principal did almost expel me about a week prior to graduation. He spotted me having an animated discussion with another bochur in the beis medrash, and rushed over to ask the other guy what the discussion was about. "Sports," the other fellow responded. The principal went ballistic, and told me to go home and that I would not be getting a diploma. He asked what was so important that I had to discuss while my open gemara was ignored. I apologized and responded, truthfully, by saying something like: "I was discussing Joe Dumars, a basketball player whose team is playing for the championship. This player's father was on his deathbed as a game was about to start, but he told everyone not to inform him if his father was niftar. He had a very good game and his team won, but it turned out that his father was niftar during the game. Then there was another game two nights later, and he played again and scored a lot of points and his team won again. I couldn't believe that everyone complimented him for playing, like a game is more important than a person's father." The principal smiled and responded that the rebbeim had just been talking about this in the rebbis' room, and I got through the final week of high school without incident.
posted on 2/03/2005