Continuing a recent tradition of disciplining a child by having the wrongdoer hold up a confessional sign in public, a 12-year-old Houston boy recently stood at a busy crosswalk with a sign reading, "I was suspended from school for cussing out my teacher."

ABC affiliate KTRK reports that the child's mother's roommate had him stand outside at a crosswalk and hold up the sign. The mother's roommate said she was inspired by Congressman Ted Poe (R); when he was a local judge, Poe sentenced thieves to stand outside stores they stole from with signs offering an apology.

KHOU and USA Today reported that the child's name is Dylan and that Rachel Mancha, the roommate, drew up the sign with Dylan's mother's permission. She says they decided on this punishment because previous, traditional ones were ineffective.

"You try the different tactics, like grounding and taking things away," Macha told KHOU. "This was something different."

Despite the unusual nature of the punishment, there is a precedent for this type of disciplinary action. Recent examples include a California mother who had her daughter hold a sign after 'twerking' at a school dance, and a Texas man who had his son stand with a sign identifying himself as a bully.