Robert Lewis Middle School Principal Bettye Bell showed her students last week who’s boss &045; and we applaud her for it.

When dozens of her students stood watching a fight instead of getting to class Thursday morning, she did what is appropriate for a school administrator: She punished them.

Students who did not make it to class on time received one day of suspension, which they could take Friday or trade for a day of detention Saturday.

These students had two warnings &045; their tardy bell and then verbal warnings from Bell, their teachers and other authority figures &045; and those who did not obey suffered the consequences.

Both Bell and Superintendent Anthony Morris had calls and visits from angry parents during the day Friday, but both stood their ground.

And we stand with them.

To angry parents, it may seem like harsh punishment. To others, it may seem like much ado about nothing.

But these acts of discipline are exactly what are needed for children today. They may not like what happened last week, but one day they will appreciate it.

Over the years, students have lost respect for their teachers and administrators. And parents who don’t trust the teachers to do what is right chip away at that respect.

Robert Lewis Middle School students are in a tough position, not because they attend school in Natchez but because they are adolescents.

These students need discipline. They need strong authority figures who keep them in line and provide them with a safe, pleasant environment in which to learn.

Bettye Bell and her staff are providing them with just that, and last week’s disciplinary measures are not the only example. A ministers’ group working to help mentor the students and a major push to get more parents involved with the PTA are just a few of the ways RLMS administrators are working to improve students’ educational opportunities.

On the same day that dozens of students were absent from class because they couldn’t follow the rules, another group of middle school students got a ride in a limo to a special lunch at The Castle. The reward was thanks to their hard work in achieving special academic honors.

The example that those students set &045; and the example of the hundreds of students who did the right thing and made it to class &045; should be what parents teach all students to follow. And if last week’s suspensions weren’t enough of a lesson, they also need to teach their children who is boss.