New England High School Offers an Alternative to Detention

Detention in high school was the pits, especially if you had no homework to finish and little else to do but put your head down on the desk for an hour.

The school day is over, your friends are all outside or doing something fun, and you are doing penance for acting like a fool during math class. It's not a fabulous way to spend free time, nor is it productive.

But wait – maybe there is another way (besides not acting like a fool in math class).

An Alternative to Detention

Fox News Digital reports that Morse High School in Bath, Maine, is "ditching detention in favor of disciplinary hikes." Fox says as part of its "detention hikes program," Morse High School is "offering students the option to go for a walk instead of sitting in a classroom as punishment."

Maine Public says the detention alternative is the idea of school counselor Leslie Trundy.

"My hope was that time in the woods, like I could sort of take the skills that I have on the road with them or on the trail, and be a listener for them, and pay back the time to the school and sort of serve their consequence. But also receive more care and attention," Trundy said.

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Pushback on the Idea

Maine Public reports Trundy said she has gotten pushback from some who "don't believe a walk in the woods is enough punishment for making poor choices." Some parents have refused to allow their youngsters to participate.

"I don't think I have enough data yet" to determine if the program has been successful, Trundy said.

Trundy participates in a student outdoor outing club that appears to have attracted more student interest since word spread of the detention hikes program. Maybe it is working.