Report is a punishment often used in schools for persistent and serious bad behavior, such as truancy. Generally it is the strongest measure taken against a student that allows them to remain in lessons.
Typically a student is given a report card, which he or she carries to classes at school. At each lesson the teacher in charge of the class completes and signs a box on the card confirming the student's presence at the lesson and commenting on his or her attitude. In some cases there will also be a place for a more senior teacher and the student’s parent or guardians to confirm they have read the report at the end of each day. Some schools will also have a number of different grades of report reflecting the seriousness of the punishment.
A student may be placed on report for a fixed time period, such as a week, or until their behaviour improves. Their parents may also voluntarily place them on report.
In the U.S., this kind of report card is usually referred to as a Conduct Card, to differentiate it from the report card issued with grades each term or after each marking period. In many schools, the Conduct Card is issued to any student who has received a failing grade in Conduct for the previous marking period. Usual practice in the U.S. requires a student to present the card to each teacher each day for a week. The teacher confirms the student's presence in the class and, most importantly, enters a Conduct grade for the class. If the student fails to receive a passing grade in Conduct from each teacher for a full week, the usual practice is for the student to carry the card again for another week.
Among other refinements, in order to emphasize failures, teachers often enter a failing grade with red ink or circle it in red, although red ink may also be used to signify a grade subject to revision. Although issuance of a Conduct Card or placing a student on report is not a physical punishment, the psychological impact on some students may be significant since some teachers have been known to award a failing grade on the final day of each week so as to renew the punishment indefinitely. Each week the student may hope to escape from carrying the card but is frustrated by a teacher's seizing on a minor lapse in behaviour to fail the student and thus continue the punishment. Ancillary effects of the punishment may include the students being excluded from participation in extracurricular activities or ineligibility for any privileges while carrying the card.