He got in trouble mostly for insubordination. Having sex, getting pregnant, doing drugs or fighting are grounds for expulsion. Sex is of particular concern. On prom night, students are told to dance six inches apart. Throughout the year, students take turns carrying baby dolls around for three weeks, to hammer home that an unwanted pregnancy can ruin their lives.
Surveillance cameras watch the students day and night as they come and go from their dorms.
Christian religion is central at Piney Woods. There is prayer, hymn singing and a sermon every morning, and just before noon, a bell rings across campus, and everyone is expected to stop in their tracks for a moment of prayer and thanks. On Sundays, the school attends three worship services. Many kids can't hack it. Eighteen percent drop out each year, two or three are expelled, and 15-20 students are suspended for a semester or a year, Beady says.