Phila School District forbids teachers from calling school police until AFTER someone is stabbed

[JPZenger]

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/homepage-feature/item/66215-philly-district-orders-school-police-to-stay-out-of-level-1-offenses?linktype=hp_impact

The US Dept of Justice has recently been threatening many public schools for disciplining minority students at a higher rate than non-minority students. Some school systems are over-reacting as a result, and cutting back on discipline and suspensions.

The Phila. School District has issued orders that the police officers serving inside public schools are not allowed to become involved in most types of disciplinary situations. The teachers have said that the appearance of a well-trained police officer often can resolve a situation before it results in violence. The teachers also say that the lay offs of most of the guidance counselors and some assistant principals and many aides because of state budget cuts have left them with few other alternatives to deal with problem students.

Meanwhile, this week, a teacher serving as a "conflict resolution specialist" in Philadelphia's Bartram High School was just knocked unconscious, with a fractured skull, by a student inside the school.

Excerpt:

"It is easy...to say that someone else should deal with it. There is no 'someone else,'" said Amy Roat, member of the caucus' steering committee, and teacher at Feltonville School of Arts and Sciences.

"We don't have anyone in our building most of the time that is 'qualified' to deal with these issues," she said. "We all just have to jump in and deal with it." Feltonville shares one school counselor with another school. Between the two, the counselor is responsible for 1,300 students.

In Roat's experience, the school police officer doesn't spark violent incidents, but often helps to de-escalate and pre-empt them. "Our school police officer is throwing cold water on everything. His appearance and his presence is very calming for everybody," she said.

At the same time, many parents have been pulling their kids out of public schools and moving them to very mediocre charter schools simply because the charter schools typically have fewer violent and disruptive students.

[bluestateguy]

1. As a general rule, school administrators are some of the dumbest people you will ever meet

They are slightly dumber than a kitchen table.

[exboyfil]

2. Contrast with recent story about too many suspensions

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024701943


Black/white variation in suspension rates

http://upload.democraticunderground.com/11241330

[JPZenger]

3. Zero tolerance polices went too far, but

Some schools had extreme zero tolerance policies where they expelled kindergardeners for having a plastic butter knife with their lunch. That was certainly one extreme. However, let's not force the schools to make a huge movement of the pendulum to the opposite extreme.

If the school district wants to limit situations where criminal charges are filed for minor issues, OK. However, don't limit the judgement of local educators in the trenches about when they can call upon a police officer who is already working inside their school.

[DebJ]

4. We have teachers who have received death threats from students who are already

in trouble with the law, wearing those ankle monitors...only in 7th grade! and absolutely nothing is done.
A student threw a huge textbook hit a teacher in the head. Nothing done.

Teachers health and safety is on the line, and nothing is done, except to allow this to happen.
Because they want it to. Because all teachers with less than 10 and more years experience
were laid off, and this is the best way for them to reduce their payroll costs.

But prison costs will ultimately go up because the students now laugh and joke about
how they are in 'control'.

Frightening, tragic and sad for all parties involved.