Dumbfounded

We cannot believe the silence from the
Syracuse City School District Board of Education!!!

Even after being called out publicly at the last Board of Education meeting AND hearing from several teachers regarding the conditions under which they are desperately trying to maintain order, not to mention teach, the board remains silent. Do they really care so little? Are they just hoping that all of this will die down and go away? Are they so swayed by the district administration that they believe this is much ado about nothing?

The time has come to start writing letters - to the board, to the superintendent, to your state senators and assembly people, to the newspaper, to the mayor, to your common council rep. Make your voice heard loud and clear.

In your letters,

• Demand concrete plans for dealing with chronic disruptive and /or violent behavioral issues
• Demand that those plans maintain the child's right to an education while not infringing on the rights of ALL OF THEIR CLASSMATES.
• Demand a zero tolerance policy for violence in school FOR ALL CHILDREN AND BUILDING PERSONNEL.
• Demand an educational climate where undesirable behaviors are dealt with swiftly and appropriately.
• Demand that the district be held accountable for living up to what they espouse in the newly adopted Interim Code of Conduct, specifically:

"The Syracuse City School District Board of Education ("Board")
 is committed to providing a safe, civil and orderly school environment
where students may receive and district personnel may deliver quality
educational services without disruption or interference."

Do not let the holiday break silence us. As we've seen with inBloom and the Common Core, people are starting to listen to parents and teachers. Let's keep up the pressure.

Rumors Running Rampant Again...

So, we've had several reports of an incident that took place on 12/17/13 involving a phoned-in threat to start shooting in a school at 3:00. We are trying to confirm the incident and its handling by the district. Here's what we've heard so far...

• District principals were in an all-day meeting with the Superintendant.
• A threat was allegedly phoned in - to whom we do not know.
• Threat reportedly was that someone (more than one?) would be shot at a school building at 3:00 pm. We do not know if the building was specified, although we have heard that it may have been a high school.
• The threat was reportedly credible enough and vague enough that all of the principals were released from their meeting and sent back to their buildings.
• At least one private school went into lockdown because they heard about the threat.
• Police were spotted at more than one school building at or around 3:00 pm.
• An arrest was made at some point

If indeed there was a threat of violence, why were parents not notified immediately via robo-call and allowed the opportunity to come pick up their children OR all threatened buildings put into lockdown and a notification made via robo-call to parents?

If you have any information, feel free to comment below or email us.

Bravo Teachers!

Thank you to the brave teachers who risked their careers by speaking publicly at tonight's SCSD Board meeting. And not just speaking, but speaking honestly and openly about the behavioral issues faced by our district's student and teachers.

Thank you for giving all of us hope that the silence can and will be broken!

SCSD Board Meeting - 12/11/13 at 5:30 pm

Well... The news reports this weekend about the NY Attorney General's investigation into disciplinary issues within the SCSD certainly helps to explain the urgency of approving the interim Code of Conduct that the Syracuse City School Board will be voting on at the Board meeting on December 11th at 5:30 pm. We believe that this vote is a formality as our Current Code is does not include provisions for the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA), as required by law.

That being said, it is still important that let the Board and Central Office administration know that we continue to be concerned about discipline, safety and security in our schools for ALL kids, teachers and staff. We will be closely watching and reading the new Code of Conduct that will be developed by the 50-member Code of Conduct Task Force.

We are not going away!

We ask teachers, parents and community members attend the board meeting on the 11th.

You do not need to speak.

Please come and show your support for our kids and our teachers! And use this as an opportunity to network and meet others who also want to do everything possible to stop sweeping our problems under the rug, to discuss the issues openly and honestly and to be a part of the solution.

I include here a plea that I received from a teacher...

"I am trying desperately to get staff to show up at BOE meeting this Wednesday @ 5:30-  if you can get this out as a priority on the blog maybe we can reach more people. I also feel that if teachers/staff JUST SHOW UP we will make a statement. I'm telling people that if they are uncomfortable speaking out , we could get parents (hopefully) to be our mouthpiece. I am sure that if a teacher has something important to say (that needs to be made public) we can get a parent to read it - on behalf of a teacher, who is present, but fears retribution. At least we get it out there. We will alert all media and the words will be made public - that is what we need. We need the public outcry. As you well know, just hearing that things are bad in SCSD is SO different than hearing the specifics and the severity of what is happening. EVERY PERSON that I speak to has the SAME MESSAGE - we are drowning, going down, imploding…..over the last 3 years especially!!!! Our buildings are NOT safe, our children are being bullied and having their education taken away from them. It's a travesty!!  I have heard today that the STA is asking some people to speak Wednesday….one teacher in particular, who has been physically assaulted and abused many times in the last few years was asked to speak out. She initially said yes, but then her husband and family advised her to rethink it - fearing retribution, she is backing out. It breaks my heart.  I told her maybe we could get someone to read her words….and that she should at least show up.   I am angry that we have so many people who will speak out and complain ….but when it comes time for rubber to hit the road (just showing up) - they can't make it….There is strength in numbers, I tell them. I cannot give up this fight - I care too much about my city and about my school district…….but, sometimes I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle."

If you are a parent who is willing to read a teacher's statement,
please try to identify yourself as such, with a nametag.
If you are a teacher with something to be read,
seek out one of these parents or email us at scsdtakebackourschools@gmail.com.

Over the next two weeks, we will pull together a compendium of all of the reports that we have received and share them on this blog. To stay abreast of this - and all of our postings - you can subscribe by email using the "Subscribe by Email" link near the bottom of the sidebar.

And, on a side note, we have received several requests to re-order the comments, from most recent to oldest. Unfortunately, the structure of the blogsite we are using does not permit - at least that we have figured out. We will continue to work on this and hope to have a resolution in the near future.

Nelson Mandela

Yesterday we had a reminder that greatness does not come without sacrifice. And yet, through it all, Nelson Mandela vowed to continue fighting - and he did.

Let his words inspire us in our fight to save are schools...

"A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination."
 

"It always seems impossible until it's done."

 

 "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can
use to change the world."

 

Wow! Just Wow

We have seen this post linked below circulating on Facebook recently and felt like it needed to be shared. The teacher who wrote this seems to echo the sentiment that we are hearing over and over again.

And it makes us sad, truly sad.

bgfay750: I am a teacher, and I am tired:
For the first time ever, I'm turning this blog over to a guest post .
This was written by my friend who says here what so many of us are...

So now, we can add to our worry pile that the teachers we value the most - those who want to teach to the kids, not the test -  will become so tired that they will decide they no longer wish to be part of this broken system. That would be the true tragedy for our kids.

Because as long as we have teachers who still care, we have hope. As long as we have teachers still willing to fight, we have hope.

Let's join together in the fight. Attending Commissioner King's forum this afternoon, we know that we are not alone. And while our issues in the city and suburbs may differ, teacher solidarity and parent solidarity has never been stronger. It was heartening to hear teachers supporting one another, regardless of district. It was heartening to hear parents supporting all. It was heartening to know that we are all in this fight together!

Questions

• Why would the district office schedule the kick-off meeting to roll out a new initiative at the same time the NY State Education Commissioner John King is holding a public forum? And... If it was scheduled prior to the announcement of Commissioner King's forum, why was it not rescheduled so that teachers and administrators might have an opportunity to attend?
• Having seen the latest story in the Post Standard today, we applaud Mrs. Grandinetti for her understanding and desire to help the kids receive the counseling and services they so desperately need, while still sheltering teachers and other students from harm. What are your thoughts regarding consequences vs. counseling for kids? What programs would you like to see put into place to try to stem the tide of violence and disrespect that permeates our schools?
  
  If you haven't seen the story, here's the link.
  http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/12/syracuse_teacher_injured_by_student_pushes_for_counseling_for_assailant.html

Sharon Contreras Clarifies Her Remarks in a Letter to Vera House

Just posted on syracuse.com is Superintendent Contreras' clarification of her remarks about the sexual assault that took place at H.W. Smith K-8. There is no apology, no talk of steps that are being put into place to provide a higher level of protection to our kids, no explanation of why she has said nothing for a week.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/11/syracuse_schools_superintendent_clarifies_comments_about_sexual_assault_in_lette.html#incart_m-rpt-2

What are your thoughts on this? Did her letter go far enough?

John King is Coming to Town

For those of you who may not know yet, the NY State Commissioner of Education is coming to town for his second public forum. He will be at Fayetteville-Manlius High School on Tuesday, December 3rd from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The stated purpose of the forum is to give King, along with members of the Board of Regents, an opportunity to meet with parents and educators to discuss the Common Core Standards and other education reforms.

If he truly wanted to meet with parents and educators, why is the forum scheduled at a time when most teachers are still trying to wind up their school day and parents are still at work? And wouldn't it take place at a location that is more central than Fayetteville-Manlius High School? Perhaps even hold it in the city...

Do they want a truly meaningful dialogue? 

That that will only happen when all interested parties are at the table, 

not just the one who controls the agenda.

In spite of the time challenges, we would love to see a large contingent of SCSD teachers and parents at this forum. Recognizing that people are hesitant to commit to showing up on this blog for fear of reprisal, you can email us to help with the planning or just keep watching for meeting details.

What Do We Hope to Accomplish?

WOW! The response to this blog has been overwhelming. Thank you!

From the Syracuse City School District Interim Student Code of Conduct, which is to be voted on December 11, 2013.

"The Syracuse City School District Board of Education ("Board")
is committed to providing a safe, civil, and orderly school environment
where students may receive and district personnel may deliver
quality educational services without disruption or interference.
Responsible behavior by students, teacher, other district personnel,
parents and visitors is essential to achieving this goal."

It has quickly become apparent that this is not happening now. The safety issues that parents at H.W. Smith have brought to the forefront are not isolated to that school, but exist in EVERY school. We want our children and school personnel to be safe at school, which cannot happen in a climate that many of our teachers feel is hostile, lawless and downright dangerous.

The time has come to demand change from our Board of Education.

Not lip service, but real substantive change.

The Board of Education is responsible not just for fiscal governance, but also for oversight of the Superintendent. We ask that the Board step in and do the following:

• Investigate the root cause for the reports of a culture of fear, intimidation and retaliation directed at teachers and building administration by the central office.
• Create a code of conduct that imposes real consequences for disruptiveness, disrespect, misbehavior and criminal conduct, not slaps on the wrist and excuses, while still complying with our kids' New York state constitutional right to receive an education.
• Create a distance between yourselves and the Superintendent and The Broad Academy, in order to facilitate objectivity in your oversight.
• And last, but not least, keep in mind that in spite of what some people may believe...

Civility, respect, citizenship, character, tolerance,
honesty and integrity ARE NOT just middle-class values.

Why are we asking for this? Because every student is entitled to a safe, orderly school, free of bullying and harassment, where they can learn. Because the only way teachers can be effective at their job is to know that the highest levels of their management support them and will do everything possible to ensure that they are safe.

Now the hard part... We believe that the only way we can force the Board of Education to take action is to provide concrete examples of the violence and disrespect that is taking place in our schools. So many examples that they are unable to look away. We need parents, teachers and students to report - in detail, but without names or confidential information - incidents that they are aware of.

If you fear reprisal, your post may remain anonymous. And, for those of you who have expressed concern that we are district or Broad Academy administrators trying to "trap" you, carefully evaluate whether we would be asking for this information in such a public way.

We need your help!

The Time is Now to Take Back Our Schools!

We, the parents of the Syracuse City School District, are concerned about escalating violence and disruptiveness in our schools. In a time of constant and deep budget cuts, not to mention implementation of new learning standards and an entirely new curriculum, the need for a safe and orderly environment is more critical than ever to ensure that our kids can learn in crowded classrooms.

While this site will evolve, our first priority is to bring parent concerns about violence and safety in our schools to forefront, in order to ensure public awareness and to request accountability and action on the part of our highest levels of administration and the Board of Education.

Our initial goal for this site is to provide parents, students and teachers with a safe place to report concerns at individual schools. We invite you to post your comments and concerns about safety and discipline at your school. In the interest of confidentiality, DO NOT provide names of alleged victims or perpetrators.


All reader comments will be approved before final posting and every effort will be made to "vet" allegations.