Get Schooled

By shadow7071

July 15, 2008 8:46 AM | Link to this

It s a very sad commentary when we have to talk about police on school campuses. The question is how much can they do? The real question is why do they have to be there in the first place?

What has gone so terribly wrong with our society that we have to police our children in school? Somewhere we have failed and failed miserably.

By WFC

July 15, 2008 9:08 AM | Link to this

Here’s the deal, SHADOW. By the time they get to high school, some teens have figured out that they are STUPID and will NEVER be able to succeed playing by “the rules of the game.” Back in the day, we used to hang or behead such organisms. Now, we pretend that they are “normal.” Thus, the need for cops on campus! Show me a boy raised by the “sainted single mom” and I’ll show you a future inmmate!

By John

July 15, 2008 9:35 AM | Link to this

These cops could be the only father figure these kids will ever know. Hopefully the schools won’t hire jack booted thugs to run security.

By 4thyrteacher

July 15, 2008 9:53 AM | Link to this

Amen WFC! I had 4 such boys in my class last school year. Three of them wound up going to Crossroads in April and the sole survivor wound up flunking every class and failing all of his CRCT (7th grade) tests. Never did see or speak to any of the parents who were the single “saintly” moms. Either the phone was out of service or no one picked up. Like Set says; Its a brave new world.

By thomas

July 15, 2008 10:51 AM | Link to this

Why do we need police at school anyway? If the school is a good school, a uniformed cop is not needed. If the school has students who are considered “thugs”, then a cop is wanted— if only for appearances. These “school resource officers” do nothing but make the administrators and teachers feel good.

First of all, one police officer at a middle or high school amounts to very little. All that ends up happening is that you have a man (or woman) in a police uniform walking around. I guess they figure these walking (but usually sitting on their behinds in a office) goons will scare the students into compliance.

My philosophy is that if you are working at a school where you think you need a full time cop, you should not work there. That means that you think the students there are thugs, animals, or future jailbirds. Why would you put yourself in a mini-jail? Why is a MIDDLE school set up like a jail? Why is a high school run like a prison?

That’s the thing that just confuses the bejeezes out of me. Why would so-called self respecting people choose to work in a place where you don’t respect the students? I know we all need a paycheck, but darn, I see people CHOOSING to go down into schools— elementary, middle, and high school, to call themselves teaching. They go there and take jobs as teacher, parapro, media specialist, media secretary, etc. But then do nothing but b_tch, complain, degrade, and put down their students, parents, community, and school. I have seen so many people come into to these places with nothing but a pompous, arrogant attitude (they are so SUPERIOR) and yet end up doing nothing but sit on their behinds and just talk.

Personally I don’t think any school should have resource officers. They don’t do anything anyway. And if the staff is so scared of the students, they shouldn’t be there. Let some people who want to work with and know how to handle these youth work in the schools.

By Lisa B.

July 15, 2008 11:24 AM | Link to this

The local school board decided to put a resource officer in my school. The officer tries hard to be visible, and mentors a number of troubled students (mostly boys). One problem faced by the resource officer, is that he has the power to arrest students, which puts them into the legal system. For that reason, teachers do not need to call upon the resource officer, but should continue to write students up for misbehavior. For example; one student in class stole another student’s cell phone. Had I called the resource officer, he would have arrested the student for theft, which would have put the 12-year-old into the legal system. Instead, the suspected thief was referred to the office, where the assistant principal talked with him, and gave the student the opportunity to return the cell phone. I understand that the student committed a crime when he stole the cell phone. I also think he needed a chance to understand the error of his ways and correct his behavior.

I will add that our resource officer has been invaluable when dealing with fights and bullying. He warned the bullies, tried mentoring them, and finally carted them off to jail. That was great!

School resource officers walk a very tight rope. Their jobs are difficult. We don’t need them all the time, but when we do need them, we REALLY need them. The good officers use their time well, and work with students. As was said in a previous blog, for some of our students, the resource officer may be the only father figure some of these kids ever know.

By Lisa B.

July 15, 2008 12:33 PM | Link to this

I still think the best way to promote discipline in schools is to get the criminals out. Many “on the fence” kids would chose to follow the rules if the ring-leaders were not around.

I don’t know how resource officers can help with that problem.

By jim d

July 15, 2008 12:36 PM | Link to this

I have no problem with cops in our schools per se. I do take issue with them not being under the direct supervision of a law enforcement agency, answering to the whims of a school super.(heil napoalvin)

Place these officers under the direction of the county sheriff and I’d be rather pleased.

By Craig Spinks/ Evans

July 15, 2008 12:37 PM | Link to this

Can one cop keep the peace in a 2000-student school? Laura, I recognize a rhetorical question when my retired-teacher-eyes see one.

By jim d

July 15, 2008 12:42 PM | Link to this

“kids would chose to follow the rules if the ring-leaders were not around”

Lisa,

You do know they are allowed to carry weapons right? seems they could cure a lot of the ills schools face. Particularly if we put Jeff in charge! :-)

By T

July 15, 2008 12:46 PM | Link to this

Cops don’t always have to be seen so negatively. The good ones are there in case something happens. They also are active with children programs like DARE.

By shadow7071

July 15, 2008 1:09 PM | Link to this

Lisa B., I agree with you. Instead of policing people (to keep them in line) the better solution is to remove them.

Our schools have too many distractions that get in the way of the learning experience. Just last week, on this blog, we discussed interfering and demanding parents and the effect these people have on the system. The interference they bring to the system.

We’ve discussed all the social ills and the effect that each of these have on teaching and learning. Now we’re discussing the need for police. (I’ve noticed that not too many teachers want to join this discussion)

Quite honestly, for the outsider this whole thing is confusing. We hear about “Zero Tolerance” and we hear of good students being either suspended or expelled for a simple, non-sensical reason. And then, we see where we need police on campus to help control behavior. Question; where is the “Zero Tolerance” for fighting, drug activities, and gang activities. Do these people get a free pass to come back on campus and carry on their activities whereas a valedictorian gets expelled because they took a Tylenol?

These troublemakers should be removed permanently. (There are other options for them to be educated once they wake up and smell the coffee.) Then to your point Lisa B. the people on the fence will get in line and we want need police on campus.

By Saintly Single Mom

July 15, 2008 1:36 PM | Link to this

Ok, this is how I see it.

IF, and that’s a big IF, parents did their jobs, there would be no need for police at schools. Too many parents are their kids’ friends. Too many parents give their kids EVERYTHING but themselves and their time. They have no limits, they can come home when they want, you buy them cars, give them money, but the one thing they want more than anything else is this world is YOU!!!!!

This Saintly Single Mom has put her life on hold to properly raise her child. I don’t parade men in and out of the house, as a matter of fact, I have not dated at all in 15 years, due to this precious little package I am raising. Her father walked out on us, and it will not hinder her future. I have worked very hard to give her a good life. It is my job to guide my child through the formative years, then release them into society. It is my job to arm my child with information for them to succeed.

I have volunteered at all three schools my child has attended. I have met each and every one of her teachers. The principal in her school knows me and stops to talk to me often.

In my child’s entire school career, we have only moved once. That was to get her out of Duluth Schools and we moved up to Suwanee for her to go to North Gwinnett.

I have given my child 100% of me. I am the one who had her, I am responsible for her. Not the neighbors, not the teachers, not the administrators, but ME!!

She is taking AP classes and excelling in them. She has already decided where to go to college, and what she plans on studying. She will be successful in her life.

This, I did for her!!

By vader

July 15, 2008 1:55 PM | Link to this

The question was: how much can they do?

The answer: Depends on the support that they receive! end of story….

By Jason

July 15, 2008 2:07 PM | Link to this

Male students should be neutered if they don’t graduate high school. This would both deter misbehavior and halt the vicious deadbeat baby-daddy cycle. It’s also pretty tough to pull off the gangster posturing when everyone knows you have no balls—literally—so crime would likely wane, as well.

By Duluth

July 15, 2008 2:33 PM | Link to this

Jason, that has to be THE DUMBEST thing I have ever heard.

I personaly think they should be sent into the Military, and sent to Iraq…….

By Saintly Single Mom2

July 15, 2008 2:44 PM | Link to this

SSM - Why did you move out of Duluth schools? I just moved there from DeKalb, so we’re looking forward to Duluth High. He’s scheduled for Honors and AP classes, but he’s a Freshman.

I too have raised my child from the beginning as a single parent. The anti-single-parent comments on here are crazy.

As for the topic, my son’s attended schools with daily police presence. The schools involved didn’t have a crime issue, but they wanted to foster a relationship with the police. In Dekalb, we had a police presence some years and it always makes the news. I’m absolutely for this, especially if the officers actually try to reach out to the kids. If they’re just going to be another rigid authority figure that doesn’t give a crap, it won’t help.

By Stacey

July 15, 2008 2:49 PM | Link to this

Sadly, we’ve reached a point in a lot of school districts where the need for uniformed police officers on campus has become a dire necessity. I have heard so many stories both on the news and from relatives who are employed with the schools that sound like scenes from a prison than a school. The scariest part is a lot of this is coming from the elementary schools, not just high schools. Unfortunately, not all of us can afford to send our kids to private school and living in a nice or affluent neighborhood isn’t enough either.

By Saintly Single Mom2

July 15, 2008 3:02 PM | Link to this

No school is perfect, except maybe homeschool.

The parent’s involvement goes a long way, though. If my kid starts hanging out with druggies, thugs, gangs, you better believe I’m going to be All Over That. I don’t even see how he could start hanging out with them without my knowledge. It’d be interesting - ha!

By dbm

July 15, 2008 3:16 PM | Link to this

Is the problem single moms or teenage moms?

By Jeff

July 15, 2008 3:21 PM | Link to this

Put cops in schools. Arm them with pepper spray, Tasers, and .45s - in addition to nightsticks and cuffs.

Better if every single one of these cops are the size of Dave Bautista and wears tight shirts, just to emphasize the muscles.

Give them fairly lax ROEs (basically same ones ‘normal’ cops operate under, but this would be a DRASTIC relaxation of current school cop ROEs), and PERMANENTLY (not just for the remainder of the year) remove from the school any student they have to deal with for a violent offense - including threatening ANYONE.

Do this, and they probably wouldn’t have to be in the school for very long…

By catlady

July 15, 2008 3:24 PM | Link to this

I have seen some effective resource/police officers. It seems to depend on the message they are given from the Central Office.

The best thing to do would be to get the troublemakers, no matter how young, out of the regular classroom system. I have certainly known 4th and 5th graders who should have been taken out of the regular school and put somewhere that they could be closely monitored, with strict structure and immediate discipline, and not allowed to mess up the other kids’ education. Whether the child can be “redeemed” or not, he/she should neither be allowed to inflict mayhem on the other kids, nor suck other boarderline kids into the Dark Side.

It will never happen, however.

By lacey

July 15, 2008 3:27 PM | Link to this

Its sad but its true, we need police in school. They are there to protect students and to solve conflicts. However, at my school the police very often just walked around campus with their chest stuck out trying to intimidate students. One police even tried to intimidate me just because I was walking in the hallway during class time. Police should know there place and not violate students just because they have the authority to do so. Overall I think that police will cut out drugs being brough to school and they will prevent fights. Depending on the school,police officers can have a positive or negative effect on students.

By Beck

July 15, 2008 3:27 PM | Link to this

I work at a good suburban school with 2 full-time SROs. They are an absolutely invaluable resource to the kids, teachers and administrators.

And if we didn’t have them, we would no longer have a principal as one of them happened to be there when the principal had a heart attack in the office this year. His knowledge of and experience with CPR and the defibrillator saved the principal’s life. Many of us are trained for CPR, but not many of us (thank God) have ever had to do it before.

I honestly don’t know what we would do without either of them.

By lacey

July 15, 2008 3:27 PM | Link to this

Its sad but its true, we need police in school. They are there to protect students and to solve conflicts. However, at my school the police very often just walked around campus with their chest stuck out trying to intimidate students. One police even tried to intimidate me just because I was walking in the hallway during class time. Police should know there place and not violate students just because they have the authority to do so. Overall I think that police will cut out drugs being brough to school and they will prevent fights. Depending on the school,police officers can have a positive or negative effect on students.

By Saintly Single Mom

July 15, 2008 3:28 PM | Link to this

SSM2 I got my kid out of Duluth due to the Female Mexican Gangs. My neighborhood had gone downhill, property values plummented. I was lucky to get out when I did. Now when I drive back into the old neighborhood, it just looks horrible, and I am so thankful I left when I did, 5 years ago.

We are much happier in Suwanee, and I feel alot safer. In my opinion, North Gwinnett is the best school. I had several friends from our old neighborhood move up there and just raved about North. That school just celebrated their 50th year, and we have one of the best high school football teams around.

However, there are SEVERAL new schools going up in the Suwanee/Sugar Hill area. Lanier Middle school is becoming a high school, and a brand new middle school is being built on Peachtree Industrial at West Price. There is also a new elementary and middle school going up at the end of Sycamore Road at Buford Dam.

We have a ton of parks, and just a wonderful community. I absolutely love it up here, and will probably stay well after my child leaves North Gwinnett.

Good Luck to you, but keep your kids out of Duluth schools………

By Saintly Single Mom

July 15, 2008 3:29 PM | Link to this

SSM2 I got my kid out of Duluth due to the Female Mexican Gangs. My neighborhood had gone downhill, property values plummented. I was lucky to get out when I did. Now when I drive back into the old neighborhood, it just looks horrible, and I am so thankful I left when I did, 5 years ago.

We are much happier in Suwanee, and I feel alot safer. In my opinion, North Gwinnett is the best school. I had several friends from our old neighborhood move up there and just raved about North. That school just celebrated their 50th year, and we have one of the best high school football teams around.

However, there are SEVERAL new schools going up in the Suwanee/Sugar Hill area. Lanier Middle school is becoming a high school, and a brand new middle school is being built on Peachtree Industrial at West Price. There is also a new elementary and middle school going up at the end of Sycamore Road at Buford Dam.

We have a ton of parks, and just a wonderful community. I absolutely love it up here, and will probably stay well after my child leaves North Gwinnett.

Good Luck to you, but keep your kids out of Duluth schools………

By Jeff

July 15, 2008 3:50 PM | Link to this

SSM:

Don’t I know you from somewhere? (You read like a regular on one of the other blogs, and the details you’ve given jive with what I know about the other person.)

By Lee

July 15, 2008 4:02 PM | Link to this

You need a cop in the school to protect the majority of the students from the predators. Not a security agent, but real cop with arrest powers. The cops in cars are needed in the parking lots because kids sometimes come to school stoned, or their parents are. They are there to break up fights. They are there with an ocassional dope sniffing dog to help keep the school clean. Shady guys are afraid of the light, and cops shine a big light on campus. Besides, often the punishment is not suspension, but arrest and jail time or reform school. Schools far to often treat felony crime as a school infraction, which teaches the wrong lessons.

By ron

July 15, 2008 4:14 PM | Link to this

Some people above have the answer.Get the ones that don’t want to learn out of the classroom.Leave the classroom for the ones that are there for an education.Teachers can then teach,learners can then learn.Take the trouble makers and the cops to a separate facility.Put all the bad apples in one basket.Why is this so difficult to understand?

By HS Teacher, Too

July 15, 2008 5:03 PM | Link to this

Am I missing something? In Gwinnett, our school resource officers are real police officers, with guns, arrest powers, etc., etc. Are there other systems with security guards instead?

It seems from some of the discussion that not everyone is talking about the same thing.

In my experience what the resource officer does is to maintain a presence, establish a rapport with the kids, and — when the police are necessary — act as a liason and “first man there” before the cruiser rolls up. It was always give and take, in the schools where I’ve taught: sometimes the SRO went to school administrators and asked them to search a bag or a locker (as admins don’t need probable cause or a warrant); other times administrators went to the SRO when they needed police intervention.

Can a single officer really “police” 2000+ plus kids? Of course not; but can his presence make a difference? Every day, it does, and my guess is that the real significance may be immeasurable. (In other words, the signifcance may be in the deterrance factor, and how substantial that is, we may never be able to know.)

By Tony

July 15, 2008 5:11 PM | Link to this

Rarely have I ranted about parents not doing their jobs on this blog, but today’s topic is an open invitation.

The answer to the question is very simple. If parents did their jobs, we would not need uniformed officers of the law on our school campuses. When parents are slack in their enforcement of rules, it is only natural that schools will be unable to enforce those very basic rules. There will be no support from parents when we are required to take action against student offenders.

Let me give a few examples. Some schools have brought tribunal charges against students for drug possession. They have been caught red-handed with the illegal materials in their hands and smoke filling the air. Parents will come before the tribunal and say things like their child wasn’t smoking, someone else was smoking and saw the officer coming. They were innocent! When students get into fights that cause bodily injury to others, parents will deny their child had any involvement. They were only trying to break up the fight, or were viciously attacked and trying to defend. All kinds of absurd stories are told. With parents acting like this it is no wonder that schools need policemen.

For the parents who cry about “unwarranted” searches, too bad! The students are on public schools and school officials have broad authority in order to maintain safety. We are allowed to act as the parent (in loco parentis) and can reasonably ask any student to reveal the contents of their bags. If parents checked their kids bags before they left home and supported schools when rules were broken, then we would not have to act in these ways.

Finally, the push to keep all kids in high school will further create problems like these. As schools are forced to deal with the problems that are extensions of societal ills, we will have to be equipped with police officers in order to deal with the riff-raff. Perhaps, we should reconsider our approaches to increasing the graduation rates of teens.

By thomas

July 15, 2008 6:03 PM | Link to this

The Duluth schools are fine. I happen to like drama, thrills, and spills.

By Old School Al

July 15, 2008 6:18 PM | Link to this

I teach in a suburban middle school, and we have had a SRO for three years now. Budget woes indicate that we may not have him this year, and everyone (teachers, admininstrators, students, and parents) is a little uneasy about the move. We had a 40% increase in enrollment due to NCLB rules this year, and even with the overcrowding, we did not have any real serious issues. The SRO was very visible, patrolling the halls during class changes, the cafeteria during lunch, and the bus ramp/car rider lines in the mornings and at dismissal. He was the mentor, surrogate father, disciplinarian, and enforcer that many of the students lacked at home. All of the students adored him, but most of all they RESPECTED him and his authority. He was a resource for the teachers and the administration when the “borderline” students tried to break the rules. The power to arrest was not confused with the necessity to arrest. Students felt comfortable talking to him and informing him of illegal and/or illicit activities without recourse. The couple of students that did try to bring drugs and/or weapons to school were handled swiftly and appopriately by him and the administration. It is our entire school community’s hope that this budget item will be reviewed!

By TheBlogger

July 15, 2008 6:45 PM | Link to this

Simply patroling officers will do nothing.

Kids are smart. They will do whatever they are allowed to get away with. Bad behavior - to include criminal activity - will continue until those in charge (the school administration) enforces the rules and gives appropriate ‘punishment’ for that bad behavior.

The problem has arisen because school administrators want to sweep the problem under the carpet and pretend like everything is ‘just fine’ for the general public and for their bosses. The school administration will also blame the classroom teacher for the kids bad behavior rather than support the classroom teacher and punish the student.

Until school administration changes their policies and enforces their own rules, patroling police will do nothing. It is just window dressing and the kids will quickly see that.

And if parents don’t like that the school administration is doing the right thing, they can remove their brats from the school and go elsewhere! A free education does not mean that teachers and other students must be abused by your brats!

By Lee2

July 15, 2008 7:29 PM | Link to this

Bullcrap Tony. Police are not at schools because parents failed to do their jobs. Police are at schools because the administration and teachers failed to maintain order.

Period.

By Lee2

July 15, 2008 7:30 PM | Link to this

Bullcrap Tony. Police are not at schools because parents failed to do their jobs. Police are at schools because the administration and teachers failed to maintain order.

Period.

By Lee2

July 15, 2008 7:30 PM | Link to this

Bullcrap Tony. Police are not at schools because parents failed to do their jobs. Police are at schools because the administration and teachers failed to maintain order.

Period.

By HS Teacher, Too

July 15, 2008 9:25 PM | Link to this

Lee2,

You have to consider that often the administrators’ hands are tied. SpEd kids have special accommodations that often make the schools obligated to continue to put up with, and try to deal with, even the most disruptive students. Additionally, school systems, so fearful of litigation, have bowed to outrageous (and growing) external pressures to try to “educate everyone,” regardless of their disruptiveness. Ever try to get a kid expelled? Good luck.

The public schools need the police because our entire social system is broken, not just the homes, and not just the schools.

By luvs2teach

July 15, 2008 10:17 PM | Link to this

Want to know what we’re up against? Watch Season 4 of The Wire. Seriously. That show is amazing, and I can’t get over how realistic it is, at least as far as schools go.

By laydeeliberty

July 15, 2008 10:57 PM | Link to this

This question is off-topic, but I wanted to get the opinions of teachers in regard to what I should do.

My daughter will be starting kindergarten next year in fall 2009, so I went to the website of the elementary school, went to the kindergarten teachers’ blog pages, and looked around to get a feel for what they teach, see pictures, etc.

While looking at the page of one of the six kindergarten teachers, I noticed that there was a recurrance of incorrect punctuation (“the butterfly flapped it’s wings”) throughout the page.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’m a documentation editor by career, so I know that I tend to see things that the next 100,000 people after me wouldn’t see. That said, I am really surprised that a teacher would get something so basic and simple wrong.

My question is - should I let the teacher know about the errors I found on her page, so she can correct it, or do I just brush it off as “something insignificant” and let it go? It feels petty and important all at the same time.

Thank you for your opinions!

By Lee2

July 16, 2008 5:59 AM | Link to this

Sorry HST, I’m not buying it.

From 7am to 3pm, students are in the care and custody of the school. Student behavior, good and bad, is directly correlated to the monitoring and corrective actions of teachers and administrators.

Except for a tiny percentage of truly psychotic kids, bad behavior is exhibited by students because school administrators and teachers ALLOW it.

By jim d

July 16, 2008 7:43 AM | Link to this

Just playing devils advocate here, but I’ve read articles about kids being tasered by the SRO’s, a few broken bones caused by over zealous SRO’s and have found more than a few reports where an SRO had been arrested for sexual misconduct with a student. So I’d guess they are capable of doing a lot. Including somethings we’d prefer they not.

By WFC

July 16, 2008 8:01 AM | Link to this

LEE 2: you are far off base. Teachers and administrators (I was both in Fulton County) are trained to deal with normal teen misbehavior, not crime. God bless our resource officers! They have tough jobs and do them well.

LISA B & SSM: when a thug steals your car from the parking lot, report it to an administrator and see how far you get. ANSWER: your car is gone and your insurance cancelled.

By Jeff

July 16, 2008 8:34 AM | Link to this

jim:

If being tasered/ getting broken bones is what it took to stop the student, the SRO was well within his/her authority as far as I am concerned.

Then again, I’ve been attacked by students and had MULTIPLE students threaten me with either death or general violent acts.

Had it been within my ROEs as a teacher, such events would have happened ONCE per school. And that one kid would have been dealt with sufficiently harshly to serve as an example to all others.

By jim d

July 16, 2008 8:48 AM | Link to this

Too bad the SRO failed to shoot this scum bag a few years ago.

By anon

July 16, 2008 9:00 AM | Link to this

I attended an inner city school in the NE in the 80s. We had a SRO. I look at this from a different side. I was assaulted outside of the school (not on school property). I trusted this officer because I saw how he conducted himself everyday. I was able to confide in him. He helped me tell my parents. He was able to move this forward and the person who assaulted was arrested.

Bad things sometimes happen to good kids. SRO’s do more than just patrol the school. They can be a valuable resource to the kids in the school.

By jim d

July 16, 2008 9:13 AM | Link to this

Jeff,

Correct, however there is a fine line between necessary force and excessive force.

By Jeff

July 16, 2008 9:23 AM | Link to this

Ah, but what looks ‘excessive’ to a third party after the fact can in fact be ‘necessary’ when the situation is going down right in front of you.

Note that even I deem those videos you see occassionally of cops beating a man who is already on the ground as using ‘excessive’ force. To my mind, once he is on the ground on his stomach, cuffs/ restraint holds are good enough to make him manageable.

By DB

July 16, 2008 12:19 PM | Link to this

I guess in some schools, the resource officers are guarding the “inmates”. But at our school, the kids seem to love our “campus cop”, and I have more of a sense that he is protecting the school and the kids from outside forces rather than trying to wield power within the school. He has been known to pull kids aside if they are driving stupid on campus, and he is at almost every sporting event as a rabid fan, but also as a quiet presence reminding the fans “to behave”. It’s amusing to watch him quietly amble over to a loudmouthed fan who has gotten carried away. He may never say anything — but just sitting down within ten feet of the fan, seemingly ignoring the fan but concentrating on the game, seems to have a calming effect. We enjoy watching him work his magic, on kids and adults! We have a sense that he cares about everyone that falls under his responsibility — he’s been known to show up at award ceremonies out of uniform, just to applaud “his kids”.

By Lee2

July 16, 2008 7:35 PM | Link to this

RE “LEE 2: you are far off base. Teachers and administrators are trained to deal with normal teen misbehavior, not crime”

Hmmmm. That might explain the principal who thinks a Tweety Bird keychain is a dangerous weapon…

By For Pete's sake, let it go!

July 16, 2008 10:59 PM | Link to this

It wasn’t Tweety Bird, it was the 10 inch chain it was attached to that clearly violated district policy…this was at one of the toughest schools in the district for fighting. If she had got into a fight and hit another kid with it, then everyone would be up in arms about that.

The tweety bird key chain was 8 freakin’ years ago. The zero tolerance policy got a serious review and a needed revision.

Let it go, already.

By Lee

July 17, 2008 6:01 AM | Link to this

I’m sorry. I didn’t realize there was a statute of limitations on stupidity that we says we can’t reference to it after a specified period of time.

By the way, click here for a picture of this “dangerous weapon.”

By For Pete's sake, let it go!

July 17, 2008 11:40 AM | Link to this

I’ve seen the “weapon.” I’ve also seen where it violated policy. I’ve also seen “precious little angels” that think the rules don’t apply to them. I’ve also seen kids turn innocuous items into items that can hurt another. IMHO, I don’t think we heard the whole story (I’m so sure she “just had the wallet out” - yeah, right - she was probably trying to wack a friend with it, “just playin’”). The girl never served a day of her suspension. Let it go.

Politicians are the ones that created the zero-tolerance nonsense after public outcry from situations like Paducah and Columbine - administrators had to enforce the stupidity - and if she had hurt someone with it, heads would’ve rolled. Let. It. Go.

By For Pete's sake, let it go!

July 17, 2008 11:47 AM | Link to this

Dude - you’ve been duped - that’s not the right picture - the 10 inch chain has been removed. Innocuous looking or not, you tell me that at the end of a ten inch chain, that little tweety bird couldn’t hurt someone if it were whacked into her face hard enough. Doubt that would happen? Then you haven’t had the pleasure of trying to break up a fight between two middle school girls - they can and will draw blood, rip out each other’s hair, scratch, rip out earrings, etc. Yes, at 11, yes, in the 6th grade.

By SET

July 18, 2008 5:02 PM | Link to this

Be interesting the first time they shoot or Taser a student… or a non-student for that matter. You know, that’s what peace officers are paid to do when appropriate. Can the weak-kneed educrats handle it? And the fact that they have no authority over a peace officer, even the most junior. If the 1 day on the job cop tells the principal/teacher/parent/student etc.. to sit down and shut up (or stand over there..), they’d better do so.

All urban high schools should have armed uniformed police officers in residence. At least the teachers and students would have some protection from the jungle incursions.

By Amy Naddra

August 3, 2008 9:12 AM | Link to this

My daughter was beaten (ironically right under a NO Bullying sign posted) at Lanier Middle School. I am all for police officers and cameras. We had to fight the school just to get the attacker suspended properly when she committed a criminal assault!