God forbid you punish kids for their laziness.
Then they go to university and feel entitled to get an "A" just for showing up. Or plagiarizing essays off the internet.
I believe that parents are the primary educators of their children.
But once you entrust the care of your child to a teacher, the teacher should have a free hand to teach as he (or more often she) sees fit, and not be bogged down by schoolboard or government policies. The teacher is boss in his classroom.
EDITED TO ADD: Link fixed.
