Bricks Not for Carrying, School in Texas Is Told

Hanging bricks around children’s necks was just a gimmick so they would remember their pencils and supplies, school officials said Wednesday, but the state said the school district should forget the whole practice.

Four fifth- and sixth-grade pupils were required to carry the bricks in their hands or around their necks in late April if they repeatedly forgot to take supplies from one class to another, Supt. James Bogue said.

Early this month, a parent called the Texas Education Agency to complain. “We told the school that it was an inappropriate form of discipline and to stop it,” agency spokeswoman Terri Moore said Wednesday. “But it’s not illegal and it does not violate state policies or rules.”