Agreed Kathy -- for the most part. I am sure that DCPS has some level of plan that deals with these types of issues. From an operations perspective, I am sure that the rate of value system change is overwhelming. Personally, I have always said that having previous experience in managing a business is tantamount to dealing with issues that have lots of moving parts.
I often laugh at PHD's when I hear them talking about solutions when they have never done anything other than speak from behind a poduim and teach from a book. A Michelle Rhee would be singing a different song if she didn't have the Magic Wand of money and folks behind her.
Regardless of how I protest against certain approaches of DCPS, I work with kids and having 200 - 400 kids in any environment and not knowing what will "Pop" off but yet one has to be sensitive in handling the situation is not easy. Certain Schools are just time bombs waiting to explode and having to "walk on egg shells" every day has got to be stressful.
These kids wouldn't last 2 seconds in some countries. I keep trying to tell folks that DCPS needs to adopt having Boarding Schools if they truly want to be successful.
Rob.
On Sat, Apr 6, 2013 at 12:16 PM, <khenderson029@aol.com> wrote:
I believe there is more than enough shared blame here. Parents, DCPS representatives, including school administrators, OSSE et al. are culpable for this free for all that is supposed to be a learning environment. Our DCPS administrators are supposed to have the research-based expertise to educate students with challenges. Further, there should be specific protocols in place that address unlawful and disruptive students, without creating chaos for the other students.
The problems referenced do not appear to be new problems. I am glad Ms. Hicks-Parker spoke up and encourage other parents et al. to do likewise. I want to know Patrick Mara's position on this matter. As a school board member seeking to serve on the DC Council he should be prepared to articulate a plan for addressing this problem. This is an opportunity to lead a real reform effort.
Commissioner Kathy Henderson, 5D05Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®From: Rob <indianrob@gmail.com>Sender: ward5@yahoogroups.comDate: Fri, 5 Apr 2013 19:08:47 -0400ReplyTo: ward5@yahoogroups.comSubject: Re: [ward5] DCPS Calls Her Concerns About Shaw At Garnet-Patterson 'Valid' (WUSA9 TV)No one should be blaming DCPS administration on this. As much as I critize them on things that I think are just wrong, for DCPS to get any blame on this is ludicrous.Unless there are Boarding Schools Set up for the distractors, then we are going to either face expulsions -- which will further enhance the problem that we are having with kids. The paradigm has shifted tremendously and we have not changed the way we are approaching education.Here is where it will take a village -- and DCPS will have to be more embracing with the community for this to occur.RobOn Fri, Apr 5, 2013 at 1:07 PM, KPW <WKPW3@aol.com> wrote:
Go to link to see video.
DCPS Calls Her Concerns About Shaw At Garnet-Patterson 'Valid'
11:17 PM, Apr 4, 2013 | 2 comments
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WUSA9)--Only on 9, a local mother blows the lid off alleged conditions inside her daughter's middle school in Northwest Washington. She says she fears for her daughter's safety there and says the environment is not conducive to learning, or teaching.
Parents and teachers who confided in us believe their concerns are being dismissed because the school is among 15 DC Public Schools slated for closure this summer.
"I'm extremely upset. As a parent, I feel like you got back to me quicker than the Chancellor has," said Joy Hicks-Parker, who's distressed by what she calls an environment of chaos and violence inside the walls of Shaw at Garnet-Patterson Middle School."It seems as though they're training our children of color for prison," she said.
She and others-parents and teachers, most too afraid of repercussions to be on camera-describe out of control students punching and shoving teachers, throwing desks, setting fires in the school gym and in a girls' bathroom.
"Teachers and parents, we're supposed to provide structure and stability for our children. But it's just a free-for-all," said Hicks-Parker.
One teacher told us on any given day, there are students roaming the hallways cutting class, frequent fights, theft, profanity and even police leading a student through the halls, in restraints.
"They had him in handcuffs, brought him to the main office. Five minutes later, he's walking the hallways, back and forth, back and forth. I call it child ping-pong," she said.
Students allegedly smoke marijuana in school bathrooms, when it isn't uncovered by security as in this instance.
"As they were going through the metal detector, one of the security guards saw the box of candy. But there was no candy in the box. It was marijuana," she said.
On the day we visited Shaw, a homeless man smoking a cigarette, huddled under a tattered blanket on school grounds. A Metropolitan Police video reveals a robbery taking place during the school day. The suspect appears to leave the school with a plastic bag, which sources say, held a stolen laptop.
Said Hicks-Parker, "I'm trying to figure out how a child is supposed to learn in that environment?"
We asked DCPS for an interview and spokeswoman Melissa Salmanowitz responded with this statement:
"The concerns about Shaw at Garnett Patterson are valid and shared by DCPS. We've made proactive changes, including hiring three new administrators, one solely dedicated to addressing issues with the special education population. When there are allegations of wrong-doing, we take them all seriously and investigate accordingly, involving MPD where appropriate."
Written by Andrea McCarren, WUSA9--
R. Ramson
3744 12th Street, N.E.,
Washington D.C., 20017
202-438-5988
"We must become the change we want to see" - Mohandas Gandhi-
(Together, for a Brighter Tomorrow)
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R. Ramson
3744 12th Street, N.E.,
Washington D.C., 20017
202-438-5988
"We must become the change we want to see" - Mohandas Gandhi-
(Together, for a Brighter Tomorrow)
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