As evidence that discipline is still being meted out at virtually the same rate as prior years, the Superintendent informed the Board and the public that the numbers of both referrals and suspensions are virtually unchanged for September/October of 2014 when compared year-over-year to the same timeframe in 2013.
This would imply that behavioral challenges remain about the same,
in spite of teachers' outcry to the contrary.
If this is the case, then why do so many teachers, parents and students continue to feel that they are not safe at school? That behavior continues to spiral downward, at an increasingly fast pace? That students are no longer concerned that misbehavior will warrant a disciplinary referral?
Why?
If you believe in fairy tales, you might also believe that statistics don't lie? Or that the district is being 100% transparent in their reporting of disciplinary numbers. They certainly wouldn't intentionally try to mislead us, right?
Wrong!
When the Superintendent compares referrals year-over-year, she does not mention that Level One behaviors no longer get referrals. Level One behaviors include, but are not limited to...
- refusing to respond to staff directions or requests;
- non-compliance with classroom rules and procedures;
- goofing off in class;
- teasing, taunting and name-calling;
- throwing objects without injuring others;
- making excessive, distracting, or disruptive movements or noises;
- engaging in confrontational arguing or backtalk;
- cutting class; and
- minor hall or public space misconduct.
So... In order to compare statistical apples-to-apples, one would have to take all of this year's referrals and add in all of the "observation notes" documenting Level One behaviors and the behavior of our younger kids. Only then would you have a truly accurate year-over-year comparison.
Do you think that the picture would look as rosy?
We don't... It is time to demand the truth from our district leaders! And to also demand that our city and county leaders stop continuing to blindly accept that which they are being told by those in charge at 725 Harrison.
Only when the truth is fully told can we
- as a district, city and county -
begin to work together to address the problem and
help our children succeed.
help our children succeed.
Word is out (unconfirmed) that several teachers at one SCSD elementary school walked out together last Thursday, and didn't return, in exasperation over the UNSAFE, out of control environment within the building. If anyone cares to confirm, correct, or share more information, please post. The schools have become TOXIC work environments, and sadly, this could just be the tipping point. The TRUTH needs to come out to the PUBLIC.
ReplyDeleteMore has come out about the teachers and support staff who walked out of Dr. Weeks last week. Reportedly, there were six SCSD employees who left their positions, with school still in session, in desperate protest over the persistently UNSAFE WORK and LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, and lack of administrative support in dealing with those students responsible for the worsening mayhem.
DeleteThis is profoundly disturbing, when a small percentage of our children are THAT far out of control, creating such levels of aggressive disruption and overt defiance, that six professionals (not just teachers) in one building (allegedly) put their professional careers on the line. Dr. Weeks is NOT unique -- it is representative of just HOW FRIGHTENING, SERIOUS and PERVASIVE these problems have become and CONTINUE to ESCALATE across the SCSD, from Kindergarten through all twelve grades, as instruction takes a back seat to futile discipline.
WHY have we not heard anything, publicly?
WHERE IS THE MEDIA?
Watch how, when and if the SCSD does make a statement, it is to condemn these professionals for dereliction of duty, intentionally diverting attention from the gargantuan elephant in the proverbial living room.
Thank you. This is the beginning of change, when truth triumphs. It's important to note that, aside from numbers of referrals being down (?), per Contreras, the in-school environments have become progressively less and less safe and less and less under control of staff. Said another way, as countless staff have said on Be the Change, BUILDINGS ARE NOW BEING CONTROLLED BY THE KIDS, who, without fear of consequences, have created havoc to the level of ANARCHY. As correctly stated in the blog, today, the numbers of Level One observations (and the utterly outrageous behaviors these observations serve to HIDE from the public and the AG) are the primary reason for lower numbers of suspensions. AND AT WHAT COST? We are losing egregious numbers of wonderfully talented, dedicated and caring administrators, teachers, TAs and support staff to other districts and other careers. Parents are pulling their kids out of the SCSD to either home-school or enroll in other districts, at an alarming rate (fearing for their children's safety, and wanting their kids to have a safer, learning-centered, vs discipline-centered, environment). An 18-year old boy is fighting to survive grievous injuries sustained in a brutal attack in one school, as countless others (both students AND staff) have endured non-publicized injuries, and live each day at school in FEAR, as the unprecedented levels of violence escalate. Shocking numbers of teachers and support staff are out with serious injuries, from STUDENT-RELATED Workers' Compensation leaves at record-high levels, in comparison to previous years. Added to this, staff are ordered NOT to call 911 for attacks and violent behaviors and/or injuries, as the SCSD wants to handle these events IN-house, deliberately limiting media-access to what would otherwise be scandalous, news-worthy stories. As announced by Contreras, it sounds as if SCSD staff (read: those white, biased, culturally-insensitive teachers living in the suburbs, per the [totally UNfounded] accusations hurled at teachers, support staff and Syr Teachers' Union officials at Board of Ed meetings) are now suddenly showing more fairness, empathy, cultural sensitivity and less racism (NONE of which were EVER the problem, nor the rationale prompting the high numbers of suspensions, in the first place, despite the fever-pitched, often vulgar, accusations from MISINFORMED community groups and individuals, many of whom have no vested interest or involvement in the SCSD, let alone who have set foot in the schools, to observe, first-hand). THIS is the TRUTH behind the reduced numbers of suspensions, and it needs to come out, in banner headlines, on all major media, NOW, before another serious injury occurs to either students or staff.
ReplyDeleteLet's be honest - many SCSD schools are simply OUT OF CONTROL, virtual powder kegs waiting to explode.
Yes, let's not forget ALL the observations/referrals NOT written because 1.) many new students still not able to get on Educators Handbook...2.) behaviors during "Enrichment Time -( in extended day schools) not documented since those teachers do not have access to the system - believe me, in my school behaviors are OUTRAGEOUS during Enrichment time!!!! 3.) Most teachers DO NOT have time during the day to get onto a computer and document the many, many behaviors they witness - by the time many get home they are too exhausted to put another hour into their day. MANY, MANY behaviors are just not documented.....If all behaviors were, the numbers would be "off the charts".....
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that at the last board meeting when Mr. Scott was saying that there are things that Be the Change and Ms. Billue all agree on. He then went on to list several ideals to include that all children and teachers should go to school in a safe environment and that suspension is a less than desirable option. To each of his comments Ms. Billue said "No I don't."
ReplyDeleteI could only walk away thinking that her anger has blinded her and that regardless of what "some" people say she will disagree with them for the sake of disagreeing.
As long as we are seeking TRUTH -- how is that no one outside the schools questions why it is that the SCSD cannot get SUBSTITUTE teachers, anymore?
ReplyDeleteIt's not for lack of trying. Subs refuse to subject themselves to the ABUSE AND THREATS of the out-of-control students. Schools in OTHER local districts, meanwhile, have an abundance of teachers willing to substitute, many of them former SCSD subs.
The SCSD has lost many of its previous roster of qualified, regular subs, who now, for self-protection, refuse to work in the SCSD schools.
Think there's a REASON for that?
As a result, teachers regularly come to school sick, knowing there will be NO SUBS, and teaching assistants (usually NOT certified as teachers) are pulled away from their assigned positions with the most needy students, to "man" the classrooms of teachers who do call in sick (NOTE: purposeful choice of the verb, man, vs. the verb, teach).
People! HOW IS THIS OK? Parents! There is power in numbers -- talk among yourselves. You HAVE to take action. Talk with your children's teachers -- BELIEVE what they tell you -- press the SCSD for transparency, and demand from the media an all-out, INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION into WHY 93% of the Syracuse Teachers' Association members, including far more than just teachers, put forth an overwhelming vote of NO CONFIDENCE in this superintendent. Parents need to press the Board of Education for NOT addressing this nearly unanimous vote of no confidence back in June, and for NOT responding to the daily reports of violence and unprecedented lack of support for teachers (and support staff) in dealing with these OUTRAGEOUS BEHAVIORS (that are notably, NOT dealt with, via the new Code of Conduct, which has no teeth). Parents need to stop falling for the artfully-crafted, propaganda-filled sound bytes, spewing from the Superintendent and her hand-picked staff and followers. Parents need to question WHY and HOW Contreras is justified in creating more and more administrative positions (with six-figure salaries), filling them with outsiders completely unfamiliar with the culture and climate of our district, WHILE CUTTING CLASSROOM POSITIONS, creating larger and larger size classes, when virtually ALL research points to SMALLER class sizes being undeniably superior for maximum learning to take place.
If EVER hidden cameras were to record what REALLY goes on inside classrooms, parents would (and should) be OUTRAGED at what their children are exposed to on a daily basis, and how regularly (and and completely) it totally shuts down the educational process.
Parents need to ASK their kids what REALLY goes on in school -- and then, BELIEVE them -- AND their teachers.
You couldn't make this stuff up!
BUT -- as long as parents sit on their hands, or join in with angry community groups whose members have little-to-no vested interest, let alone involvement with the schools (one might ask how many of these grandstanding critics actually have children in the SCSD right now, and how many of these people have even set foot in any of the schools to observe, let alone volunteer, within the past two years). The answers to these questions should cause concern about how these critics have suddenly become such vocal "experts" on something about which they are GRAVELY mis- or under-informed. The cry of racism has been bantered about. Funny, how with two, well-respected, previous superintendents, Dr. Williams and Dr. Jones, both African American, racism on the part of teachers never entered the discussion. One might also call into question personal motives, such as seeking publicity for a SELF-published book, as Ms Billue is doing right now.
Come on, PARENTS -- GET INVOLVED and TAKE ACTION. Talking among yourselves isn't going to do it! Share the link to this site. Not sure where to begin? Contact the administrators of this blog.
Until you do, downhill is the ONLY direction we are going.
Your KIDS are worth SO MUCH MORE.
Yes, sadly, Ms Billue and other vociferous (and often extremely rude, brutally aggressive and much of the time, ill-informed) critics ARE blinded by their own deep-seated rage (and personal agendas). As such, they are doing serious damage to the SCSD system, with its thousands of staff who put their own safety and well-being on the line every single day, as they try, REALLY, earnestly TRY to meet the educational (and socio/emotional) needs of each student, no matter what their baggage and/or needs), while working, daily, in a CLIMATE OF FEAR. Their fear is twofold -- first, fear of what each day will bring, from the disruptions and unimaginable aggression (and attacks) of some of the students, to the fear of repercussions for any staff member who dares to question the powers and policies of Central Office.
ReplyDeleteMs Billue and her like-minded, rage-filled peers are also doing what may come to be irreparable harm to the very students this district exists to serve. By fanning the flames of a racist divide, undermining a huge sector of the area's the most dedicated professionals (many who are regretfully leaving the district in mid-career), and removing consequences for all but the most heinous of infractions by the students, she, like the Board of Education, and our not-so-benevolent, self-serving leader, Ms Contreras, is a major player in the obvious downfall, and impending destruction of our once proud and great district.
The public deserves the TRUTH about what is REALLY going on inside the schools. The public should be clamoring for transparency. Parents, at the very least, should be calling the Post Standard, and all the major news stations, demanding an investigation that does NOT go through channels controlled by the superintendent's office. The public, however, is shielded from the truth, via a wily and most convincing (and well-financed) PR campaign to discredit the very professionals who have dedicated themselves to helping the children of this city succeed for decades, both academically and socio/emotionally. Teachers are NOT making this story up! It really is THAT serious and is impacting the learning of thousands of great kids who actually want an education, and come to school, day after day, fearing for their own safety, and being short-changed of their teachers' time, as the unruly, aggressive, sometimes overtly dangerous students defy teachers and staff, hour by hour, day after day, often taunting their teachers with "You can't do NOTHING to me!" And they are right! The kids know the Code of Conduct is utterly spineless, and that they will be returned right back to the room, within minutes, even if sent to the administrators. How can learning take place when vulgar, insulting language, physical threats, objects being thrown and terrorizing both students and adults is OUR NEW CLASSROOM NORM?
PARENTS -- Where are YOU while this goes on?
If you already ARE an involved parent, then you need to recruit others. There is POWER IN NUMBERS! Subscribe to this blog to keep up to date on what is REALLY going on within our schools, and share a link to this blog with every parent you know.
The ostrich approach, thinking somebody ELSE will do it, ISN'T going to cut it.
Change CANNOT happen until ACTION occurs.
One must also wonder if the vocal cries of racism, that teachers are racist is giving students permission to be abusive to teachers.
ReplyDeleteThere is NO doubt that the vocal cries of racism ARE indeed firing up students (and a good number of community members) to be abusive to teachers and those representing them, both within the school buildings, and PUBLICLY, AT SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS (without any attempts by either the Board president OR the superintendent to control these often vulgar, highly disrespectful, interruptive outbursts).
ReplyDeleteRacism, by its very nature, is an incendiary issue, and stirs people of all ages to protest and fight back (look what is happening right now in Ferguson, MO). In the case of the racism that some community leaders, citizens and (allegedly) some SCSD higher-level administrators are charging SCSD teachers with, these accusations are entirely UNFOUNDED, and are NOT the problem. If the SCSD teachers and support staff were racist, it is highly unlikely they would have applied to work in an urban school district (let alone, would have stayed for years, often extending themselves well beyond their academic roles and work hours to help and mentor thousands of students every single day). Also, if racism were an issue contributing to the high numbers of suspensions among students of color, is it not likely that both Dr. Williams and Dr. Jones, themselves African-American, would have addressed this issue, as recent SCSD superintendents? Teachers had NO problem working along with both of these dedicated leaders, who, unlike our current superintendent, were NOT afraid to walk the hallways of all the schools, unannounced, and without an entourage of supporters, and readily took questions from the media, responding spontaneously, WITHOUT prepared sound-bytes. These two superintendents, like ALL others before and after them, with the exception of our current superintendent, welcomed input from their teachers, and responded professionally, even when they disagreed, without repercussions. Until NOW, there has always existed a climate of respectful, collegial relationships. Ms. Contreras is the first SCSD superintendent to ever get a vote of NO CONFIDENCE from the thousands of professional staff she oversees. THERE IS A REASON FOR THAT, yet the Board of Education has NOT addressed this vote of 93% voicing no confidence and calling for her removal last JUNE!
So, are the absolutely GROUNDLESS accusations of racism making things WORSE within the schools, fueling even more anger among the disruptive students, and escalating the degree of aggression and rage?
The answer is quite obvious.
Perhaps a link to this blog, and importantly, the stream of responses, should be sent to individual reporters and editors of ALL print AND broadcast media, asking WHY NO INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION has been launched. Perhaps the Attorney General, as well, should take a look?
ReplyDeleteYesterday, at dismissal a fire was started in the boy's restroom on second floor of Fowler. That would explain why police and fire department were dispatched to Fowler at approx 3 p.m. The fire was extinguished prior to FD arrival.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, it has been noted that a couple of fires have been set in middle school restrooms at HW Smith.
I want to know how we are supposed to feel our children are safe when we as parents, our children's advocates, are physically assaulted and battered by "significant" Syracuse City School District officials?. As a parent, Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect to walk into the Central registration Bldg. On South Ave two Tuesday's ago and be and victim of an adult BULLY! I was PHYSICALLY battered!! By Octavia Wilcox. Mrs. Wilcox then proceeded to LIE to cover her butt, hmm...could this be a pattern? I am currently following up with a legal case, and plan on making sure our communities and families know who the real bullies are. Mrs. Wilcox messed with the wrong mom, & I have every intention on exposing this pathetic poor excuse for a school district that is in charge of our children on a daily basis. Everyone wants to sweep this under the rug, kind of a similar situation as the child locked in a janitors closet! If we keep pretending it's not happening, our children suffer, it breaks them down, and leaves them to believe we as parents have failed them, and I REFUSE to allow that. Abuse is abuse. Bullying is bullying, & assault is assault. Unprovoked may I add. Imagine if they'll do this in front of people what they do as the doors close behind our kids. This is not a reference to "every" teacher, or school official. I am referring to a personal experience, & things I have witnessed first hand in my 10 yrs. Of having kids in the Syracuse City School District. I am appalled and I am disappointed.
ReplyDeleteCan you contact us? Email scsdtakebackourschools@gmail.com. We heard about an incident with Ms. Wilcox and would like your side of the story. We know that there are issues in the district to and would want to learn from you to find ways to improve how staff relates to parents.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Fairy Tales . . .
ReplyDeleteOnce upon a time, in the (formerly) great district of Syracuse, was an alternative program called Beard School, along with Carnegie and VINTA -- academic sites for students with behaviors so egregious and persistent it was not feasible to remain in their home schools, impacting the education of other students, draining instruction time.
Assignment was reserved for the worst offenders -- an earnest attempt to KEEP these kids IN school, and off the streets. Return to their original schools was determined by each individual's progress in these RESTORATIVE programs, and was a PRODUCTIVE measure, far superior to the only option, now (suspensions), to ensure a SAFE, productive learning environment for kids in school, WANTING their education.
Surprisingly, this is NOT part of the conversation, today, as administrators routinely return defiant, abusive, disruptive kids right back to their classrooms, where the disruption resumes and again, shuts down learning.
Kids were TEMPORARILY re-assigned, to REMAIN IN SCHOOL for as long as it took to prepare for successful re-entry to their own schools.
BEARD SCHOOL, CARNEGIE, VINTA . . . kept the offenders off the streets and IN the classroom, while receiving the mentoring and support they desperately needed to assimilate back in their own schools. Classes were small, structure was exceedingly tight, expectations were high, and students were held accountable, AND the ratio of staff to students was much higher than in the traditional schools.
Then, a few years ago, budget cuts closed these programs, and the most hard-core of the offenders were expected to remain in their own schools. At the same time, budget cuts axed 100's of teachers and support staff, and class sizes mushroomed, as staff all knew they would. With the larger classes in every building, and INADEQUATE numbers of staff in them keep control, the proportion of kids to adults also increased significantly -- as did the number, frequency and levels of defiance and aggression.
Now, with no alternative sites designed expressively to serve the most problematic students, we are confronted with first, the charge of too many suspensions, as the only alternative to get these kids out of the classrooms they are terrorizing (and allow learning to continue), and then, almost NO suspensions, per the spineless Code of Conduct that shrouds outrageous behaviors, as students disrupt WITHOUT FEAR of CONSEQUENCES or even referrals!
Tragically, kids who behave responsibly and respectfully are routinely subjected to the often violent, raging, vulgar disruptions of a few, who abuse teachers and support staff, daily, shutting down learning, consuming teachers' time and energy, trying to get the offenders under control, while protecting the rest of the class, and then having to document excessive amounts of records, without even having the option of writing a referral for any but very highest-level offenses. All this at a cost of instruction time and a positive, productive learning climate for the REST of the kids, many of whom are SEVERELY stressed out from this.
Numbers of suspensions HAVE gone down, per Ms Contreras' recent statement, but at the ALARMING COST of WREAKING HAVOC in the classrooms and hallways as these out-of-control kids continue to disrupt and defy, and assault -- all without fear of consequences. Countless staff in many of our schools have reported the KIDS are in control of the buildings, from K through 12.
So how's that Code of Conduct working????
The superintendent is playing a shell game -- and people are falling for it, as to date, NO ONE in the media has launched an in-depth investigation, independent of SCSD Central Offices, who have somehow managed to control what gets to the press, and then to the public (and city/county officials), while concurrently undermining the credibility of the dedicated, professional staff working daily on the front-line with our kids.
This is one fairy tale WITHOUT a happy ending.
I agree - and those programs need to be back NOW!
DeleteEveryone can talk until they are blue in the face and it does not change the tragic bottom line...approx 95% of all children, all races, are being sacrificed to the unruly, belligerent, violent 5% of children, all races.
ReplyDeleteWhere in the hell is the ACLU for the 95%? Barrie Gewanter when are you going to stand up for the CIVIL LIBERTIES of the children of ALL RACES who desperately are trying to receive an education? The bulk of those children in the District ARE African-American! Why aren't you, Billue, Dixie, Chang, and Jones fighting for and nodding your head for those children?
Don't you get how successful the children of this District would be? Or does it serve your political agenda better if the children fail?
BRAVO.
ReplyDeleteLet's stand up and speak out.
PARENTS of the 95%, YOUR voices are desperately needed. NOW.