ABSTRACT
Butler Elementary School was built on school section land in 1906. The original white clapboard building is now surrounded by more modern brick structures that house kindergarten through fifth-grade classrooms. The playground looks out on wheat fields and clover meadows where Angus cattle graze. An idyllic scene. But what goes on inside is not always so ideal. Teachers complain that students are “disrespectful and prone to using foul language.” Fistfights occur on the playground and some children feel intimidated by classmates who bully and harass them. Teachers say they no longer can count on parents supporting the school discipline system.
