Until we address the immediate concern for safety in our schools, you will NEVER receive the support of SCSD staff and the majority of responsible parents in this district.
Our children and staff are no longer safe in the city schools.
Period.
This problem was not created overnight and it will not be solved overnight. We understand that. This problem was created, in part, by a system of rewarding and excusing bad behavior. And our kids are smart, they learn fast. Just as they do at home, if they can get away with pushing the boundary at school today, they will try to push it some more tomorrow, and the next day and the next.
Couple that with a community-wide violence issue and you have what we have today. A broken community and a broken school district. All of it will take time to fix. We know that.
But we will not accept that, while the District works on the long-range solution, our children and the dedicated that staff we value so deeply for their commitment will remain in danger on a daily basis!!!
We understand that increased suspensions are NOT the answer. The "Be the Change" group has been quite clear on that point. We understand that alternative settings are a LAST RESORT, reserved for the most violent and intentionally disruptive of students.
All of that being said, we cannot continue to sacrifice the education of 95% of our students at the altar of those few students, who for whatever reasons, are not able to conduct themselves appropriately in the classroom.
It is not fair!!!
In the short term, we MUST take a stand and say no more violence will be tolerated in our schools. We must increase our community agency partnerships, as requested in the "Be the Change" Plan of Action, to provide on-going and intensive community supports for those kids who need it. We must provide in-school solutions for kids who are struggling.
But... We also must also provide supports and a safe, chaos-free environment for the 95% of students who come to school every day, eager to learn! They deserve as much nurturing and support as the we can possibly give them. For many students, school is their safe place and they are working hard to succeed IN SPITE of the chaos around them both in and out of school. We need them to know that they are valuable and cherished by the District and hat they deserve our support.
It does not escape our notice that nowhere in the Board's statement - nor in the fabulous glossy brochure the District sent out two weeks ago - is there any mention of victims' rights or the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA).
Why is the district and the Board
so unconcerned about the victims?
so unconcerned about the victims?
This board needs to closely re-examine the message that their statement today has sent to all of those students who are working so hard to succeed. And what they are saying to all of the voters and taxpayers in the city of Syracuse.
Respectfully,
The moderators of SCSD Take Back Our Schools
we need help now before something serious happens to onre of r staff
ReplyDeleteYou are so right. I'm afraid it will be sooner than later...
DeleteI have the solution. It has been right in front of us the entire time! Restorative Justice states that violent and disruptive students are not to be removed from the schoolz. Cool let them stay. Remove the 95% of students ready to learn to Alternate SAFE locations!!! I bet the Supers "son" would be in the SAFE location!
ReplyDeletehttp://superintendentwgcsd.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteThe West Genesee Superintendent's blog. No sugarcoating, no BS, no fear. Nice to see a leader of the people hasn't forgotten the latter part of that designation.
This is a superintendent who cares more about his students and families than he does himself. We have the opposite. Sharon is only about loyalty to her and blaming everyone else for the problems. The board's editorial puts all the onus on the staff. Everyone knows that no relationship is one sided. If parents and kids have no part in this plan--no accountability or buy-in- nothing will change. Status quo will prevail. Teachers spinning their wheels to make things better and getting nowhere.
DeleteThe BOE members should be ashamed for playing this card at this point in the game. Now, I have no confidence in any of them.
ReplyDeleteThis strategy is inadequate and lacking. The editorial sounds like an excuse to keep the status quo going so the Board doesn't have to address the real underlying issues and solve the problem. It's like putting a band-aid on a severe wound and looking the other way. The patient will bleed to death. Maybe that's the goal. Do they want workable schools? It looks like all the burden is on the teacher, from what I can see. No one else seems accountable or involved. What kind of "tools" are they talking about giving teachers - with 30 kids in a classroom and no authority to do anything? What do functional students in the class do when the teacher's time is often involved in "de-escalating" disruptive situations? And should students have to be in disruptive environments day after day? That's not healthy. Where are all the support services the Board is talking about?? The last I knew social workers, teaching assistants, counseling positions have been cut in the budget. Is the Superintendent herself and the Board going to come in to the schools and counsel? This is laughable if it wasn't so sad. When someone finally gets killed, what will they say - oh well? Do they understand that staff and students are being abused in this district - both verbally and physically? There just doesn't seem to be any acknowledgment that behavior is a critical issue. Every child deserves a safe, orderly, and nurturing environment in which to learn - not what is currently happening in the schools.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see the no one, here on the blog, in the comments, and in the comments on syracuse.com, has fallen for the self-serving nonsense spewed out by "someone" under the authorship of the BOE. Do they care at all? Are they really so afraid of whatever, that they would rather see the vast majority of students and ALL the teachers and staff be at the mercy of a few individuals? What do they want to see? Death? Disabilities? Rape? Blood? And when they do, they will say," Well, at least the ACLU will be happy we didn't suspend anyone!" What is important? What were they elected to do? Stand by and watch the district implode? Alert!!!! Music teachers - BOE requests 7 violins so they can fiddle while the SCSD burns.
ReplyDeleteHow will this play into a teacher's APPR? What I mean is, if a constant-offender tells a teacher to "F*** off" during a formal observation, what exactly happens?
ReplyDeleteThat is what i have been saying all along. On the other hand, if an administrator is sitting in the classroom doing an evaluation and the kids act up that means the kids do not respect the administrator either!
DeleteWe are told if the kid act up it is our fault. Last year the first time i was observed i got a 4 on classroom control. The second time I was observed I got a 2. Same class but the difference was, one kid had been add in between and did not care about his education. He only came once a week and happen to come the day I was obsevered. I spoke with the Admistrator about it and was told I should have tried to make a connection with the student. I told him that the student never comes and asked how do you connect to someone that is not there. He told me to figure it out.
ReplyDeleteWe are told that too! It is sad when our leaders put us down instead of leading us in the right direction!
DeleteHow do you connect with a student when he doesn't come to school - and then when he does, he acts out?? The teacher gets unfairly punished for it - the only one held accountable. There is not just one child in a classroom such as this student - there are usually several. How is one teacher supposed to deal with all of these things, which are usually beyond his or her realm of control - with no support or authority to do anything about it? It really goes beyond a classroom management issue. Where are the support services for the child (other than the teacher)? Where are the parents?
DeleteTruth Beats An Organized Lie
ReplyDeleteThe Syracuse City School District Superintendent is a liar. What is a perceived escalation? GTFOH stuff is happening that is very real, children bringing weapons to school, attacking staff, staff attacking staff. You are not sharing information superintendent, your a liar, you are not equipped to fix anything, your inflated ego is one of the problems . Parents let's all stand together and fight these liars, girls get molested in bathroom from lil boys, girls fighting over other girls in school, bb guns coming into the school etc. Your superintendent is a liar and is aiding in the further breakdown of schools etc. Bringing in so called principals and others from other States and they have no clue, neither do you superintendent, stand up, support our children and support the truth. Don't be scared about retribution because you spoke up, stop being cowards.
Message from Billy Denham El