By
The Associated Press
ANAHEIM, Calif. - Orange County school officials believe students should show their teachers a little respect - but they've decided to let them do it sitting down.
Superintendent Janice Billings of the Anaheim Union High School District told parents, students and teachers Tuesday night that officials are working on a proposal to have students address teachers as "sir" or "ma'am" but have dropped the idea of having them stand up every time an adult enters the room.
Billings said most of the thousands of people who called to discuss the proposal, first raised by board member Katherine Smith, generally supported it but thought requiring students to stand was going too far.
"Mrs. Smith came to the conclusion that the standing part was a stumbling block," she said.
Instead, a proposal stressing politeness and respect will be presented to the board next month. While the proposal appears to be the first on the West Coast, Louisiana and South Carolina passed "respect" laws last year.
Billings said Anaheim's policy likely would be offered as a set of rules to "live by," rather than punish those who don't obey.
"We want to reinforce it's cool to be good," she said.
Several people at Tuesday's meeting mentioned the recent school shootings in San Diego County, saying there was a lesson to be learned in cases where students were said to have been bullied or treated with disrespect.
"We need to boil this down, start the kids early, let them know what the rules are and enforce the rules," said parent John Armstrong.
Anaheim's proposal is the latest either considered or adopted by the 30,000-student district to make schools safer, more civil and financially stable. The district has also adopted a dress code - a policy implemented at five schools - and a moment of silence, which is being challenged in court.
