Saturday, April 16, 2016

Beat the teacher, get a star.

Enforcing school discipline is apparently considered to be racist.  Paul Sperry argues the Obama administration is endangering teachers with its attacks on school discipline in a New York Post column.  One school district even offered bonuses to principals for lowering suspension rates even as their teachers are beaten by students.  Mr. Sperry writes:


Under pressure from Obama educrats, public school districts are no longer suspending even violent students; but now, under pressure from Black Lives Matter, they are suspending teachers who complain about not suspending bad kids.

In St. Paul, Minn., a high school teacher was put on administrative leave last month after Black Lives Matter threatened to shut down the school because the teacher complained about lenient discipline policies that have led to a string of assaults on fellow teachers.

Last month, two students at Como Park Senior High School punched and body slammed a business teacher unconscious, opening a head wound that required staples. And earlier in the year, another student choked a science teacher into a partial coma that left him hospitalized for several days.

In both cases, the teachers were white and the students black.

Theo Olson, a teacher at the school complained on Facebook about new district policies that fail to punish kids for fighting and drug-dealing. Like dozens of cities across the country — including New York — St. Paul adopted the policies in compliance with new discipline guidelines issued by the Obama administration. The Education Department has threatened school districts with lawsuits and funding cuts wherever if finds racial “disparities” in suspensions and expulsions, arguing such disparities have created a “school-to-prison pipeline” for African-Americans children. The agency claims such disparities are the product of racism in schools.

St. Paul teacher Theo Olson is labeled a racist by Black Lives Matter for saying that a lack of discipline hurts education.

“Anyone care to explain to me the school-to-prison pipeline my colleagues and I have somehow created, or perpetuated, or not done enough to interrupt?” Olson wrote. “Because if you can’t prove it, the campaigns you’ve waged to deconstruct adult authority in my building by enabling student misconduct, you seriously owe us real teachers an apology.”

Complained Olson: “Since we now have no backup, no functional location to send kids who won’t quit gaming, setting up fights, selling drugs, whoring trains, or cyber bullying, we’re screwed, just designing our own classroom rules.

For these mild opinions, Black Lives Matter called Olson “a white supremacist” even though he had once marched with the group. Two days after Black Lives Matter met with the St. Paul school superintendent — and agreed to call off its protest — the 10-year veteran teacher was put on leave. Original Fox9 story. and copy of Facebook post ...
 
To lower suspension rates, St. Paul tied principals’ bonuses to discipline stats. Suspensions are down, but assaults have explode by 62%. In 2015 alone, 14 students had to be arrested for attacking school officials. Even the liberal Minneapolis Star-Tribune is drawing a link between the hug-a-thug policies and recent thuggery: “St. Paul school officials should be questioning whether recent changes in disciplinary policies have, in fact, emboldened some students to act against teachers.”

An alarming number of other school districts are coddling violent kids, while punishing the teachers they attack.  Read one incident report for yourself.

In February, a Colorado teacher sued Thompson School District for firing her when she called the police to report death threats from a 13-year-old student. Carrie Giesler claims superiors warned her against documenting attacks by the boy, who allegedly punched her in the ribs and broke her thumb. “I’m going to kill you, bitch,” she said he told her one day. The district discouraged punishments, she says, after adopting “restorative practices” whose goals, according to its website, are to “reduce suspensions and expulsions (and) reduce (the) number of discipline referrals.”Read Denver Post story for more details. 
 
Last month, a 16-year-old high school student in Syracuse slugged not one but two teachers in the mouth after they asked him to put away his phone, something Obama educrats say is a big no-no. The Education Department states that even if the only reason a school happens to punish more black students for unauthorized “use of electronic devices” is because blacks actually “are engaging in the use of electronic devices at a higher rate than students of other races,” it can still be liable for discrimination under so-called “disparate impact” theory.

A recent survey of 830 Syracuse teachers by the New York State United Teachers union found that more than a third say they’ve been assaulted at least once in the classroom, with more than 70% of victims saying they’ve suffered cuts and bruises or broken bones. Overall, two-thirds of teachers say they fear for their safety, and 43% complain their schools are no longer committed to protecting them. As a result, nearly half say they’re “seriously considering” quitting.

Most teachers blame the district’s new code of conduct. “Negative student behavior is being tolerated at the expense of safety,” a local union spokesman said.  Syracuse Now coverage of attack....

What’s happening here is emblematic of a national trend. The American Psychological Association calls student-on-teacher violence “a silent national crisis,” and recommends schools prepare to replace teachers who leave the profession “prematurely.”

In fact, national data show assaults on teachers are on the rise after several years of steady decline. A 2015 report by the National Center for Education Statistics found that 6% of all public teachers have been physically attacked by a student — the highest rate ever surveyed by the agency.

“Federally promoted discipline practices are wreaking havoc in schools,” former Education Department civil-rights attorney Hans Bader said. “Students who are threatening or engage in fights deserve more than a mere talking to.”.... Rest of column

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

If teachers will not stand up and defend themselves they should get out of teaching.

Anonymous said...

Where, oh where is the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers? Both organizations should be demanding protections for their dues paying members.

Anonymous said...

What really amazes me is how those who are NOT employed as educators always have all the answers. @1:30, it's just not that simple. Please let us know how to "defend" ourselves without being fired, imprisoned, fined, etc. I'd like to encourage you to spend some time simply volunteering at a JPS school. You'd really change your tune.

Anonymous said...

2:53, Everyone should defend themselves. Being a teacher does not mean you don't have rights.
Why would anyone in their right mind volunteer when that means you must forfeit your right to defend yourself?
Is a job teaching worth being crippled or killed?
People, even school kids, will do whatever you allow them to do. It is up to you to decide how you want to be treated.

Kingfish said...

Really? Fortenberry suspended teachers who defended themselves or broke up fights.

Anonymous said...

I teach at a Madison County school. We are not supposed to hurt their feelings. Parents call and complain if we "make them feel bad". Are you kidding? Defend ourselves? You have to walk away. I have been threatened several times at school as well as on Facebook, and I am a female. It does not help that the NAACP or someone has done a study on how many young black students have been in ISD or suspended. Madison county was at the top of this list, so it is an unwritten rule that they cannot be fully disciplined. Recently one student was continually in fights and threatened many of us. They had to have 10 (ten) separate offenses documented before he could be sent to an alternative school. This "study" they did was in the last two years, and it does not consider what the the students did. They are not even sent away if they fight at school. Used to be you were sent away when you had the first fight, now you get several fights, and the kids all know this. Everyone bashes the teachers and no one supports us. As one parent told me this week, it's all MY fault. It really hurts these students because when they get out in the "real" world, they are surprised when they break the law and they are not
"understood".

Anonymous said...

@5:45

I want to thank you for hanging in there. I believe every word that you say. The answer to fixing these problems seems easy to an old person such as I, but I know that if you do what I think would solve the problem you would no longer have a job. I won't go into details as to how it was when I was in school, but suffice it to say the problems with which you (and all teachers) have to deal today were never even dreamed of all those years ago. All teachers were respected and shown that respect by the students as well as the parents. Both my grandchildren are in public schools. Their parents are behind the teachers and staff 100%. If one them misbehaves in class or has to be reprimanded by their teacher then have also suffer consequences at home and are required to write a note of apology to the teacher. Maybe, just maybe, if their classmates witness that they are not allowed to be disrespectful to teachers then they will too get the message. I know, it's a pipe dream! Do realize you are appreciated and supported by those of us that don't think our kids (or grandkids) are the absolute center of the universe.
Please continue the good fight!!!

Anonymous said...

I know it is difficult and thankless in many cases, but school districts must hold the line on discipline. Years ago, before integration, the hallmark of the predominantly black schools was strict discipline, and it was accepted and expected. Those teachers and administrators did not tolerate disruption in the schools and they were forceful. The community supported them wholeheartedly and they were successful. They entrusted their schools with their kids and they welcomed discipline. Now, the Black community views public school administrations the way they view the police-with distrust. Parents who think the schools intention is to exploit, subjugate, and ultimately jail their children will not be supportive of discipline and do not trust the schools to do the right thing. The result is a disaster. The leadership of this state and nation must acknowledge this lack of trust and address it as a national problem on the grassroots level. At the same time, so-called Black leadership has to call out the community to start connecting with their school administrations and either trust them or get rid of them if they want effective schools. This mess can be changed, not easily, but certainly.

Anonymous said...

Many people, I was going to say parents but that would be wrong, expect the school to raise their kids. For them it isn't a place for learning, it is a day care. Kids are fed breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner. Some even have food sent home for the weekends. Many kids have parents who are supported by govt. benefits. These kids do not have parents. Of course they do not want the school to discipline their kids. They would have to be notified. That would take up their time. It is wrong to use their when many homes have a single parent.
If schools are going to raise the kids they should be able to teach right from wrong. If you are a teacher and unable to do that you should look for another job.

Messick said...

At what point do teachers cease to be teachers and become babysitters??


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In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


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If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

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