News-Record.com

Doesn't a part of the NCLB act say that if a school has a certain number of violent acts "REPORTED" in a year, they have to offer the students of that school a choice to attend another school considered to be safer?

I would think that the more police are involved, the more incidents get reported, the more Grier has to offer choice with transportation.

Great point Chris. Maybe the reason for the shifting of the Title I funds in HP High Schools. Do ya think?

I feel that safety in our PUBLIC schools should be a number one priority. We have read about the many acts of violence in our schools in the past year with both teachers and principals getting caught in the "crossfire"; there are many that have not made the paper because I have been told that fights happens all the time.

Also it is not a good PR image for GCS for potential businesses who may want to move here. It's not the typical fight to be concerned with, it is when they escalate, a weapon might be involved and you do not have trained staff available to help.

I think Seymour Hardy Floyd, a teacher at SWM explains it quite well on his website. (see over stand on CB for the link.) You need to talk to teachers/principals who are in this situation every day. They should have the final say.

SROs are also there to build relationships with the kids and have a presence. They should be specially trained to handle this unique situation. It is a balancing act between their presence being preventative and knowing how to handle dangerous situations that do arise and de-escalate them.

What is scary, is to know that there have been situations when a few SRO's could not handle the problem and outside help had to be called in.
All you have to do is read the police reports.

Above all there should be Alternative Schools offered to kid who are putting the safety of other students who want to learn at risk.

Many teachers have felt, at times, that they do not get the support and help they need. (Example the number of teachers who have left Andrews. And we have heard there is a freeze on any teacher transferring out of Andrews. Any news on that anyone? If this is true, they may be "stuck" in a situation they perceive as unsafe at times.) Here is a cut & paste from another strand and an excellent book I hope GCS will buy for their teachers and read themselves. Maybe it could help alleviate some of the problems before the SRO's are called in. C & P BEGINS:

While subbing the other day, I had the opportunity to read part of a great book entitled "Setting Limits in the Classroom" by Robert J. MacKenzie.

Per a discussion about a week ago on one of these strands and someone saying you can't have a plan for disruptive, fighting students and I suggested that one needs a definite plan (not the same as a disaster, etc.) I share the following:

Chapter 12 MANAGING EXTREME BEHAVIOR

"Most schools have procedures for handling emergencies such as fires, power failures, and natural disasters, but few schols adequately prepare teachers for the types of emergencies they're most likely to encounter in the classroom. I'm talking about extreme acts of defiance or disruption, destructive behavior, and violent or assaultive behavior. In these situations, we CANNOT AFFORD to fly by the seat of our pants and operate without a plan. The cost to our personal safety, the safety and welfare of our students, and to our careers is too great. We need effective plans and porcedures to protect us. This chapter will attempt to fill the gap and provide you with the procedures you need to manage the extreme behavior your're most likely to face."

Remember, that I said it first here on the CB.

The book goes on to talk about definite procedures. Notice the author used the words "most likely to encounter". This will more than likely happen more than a tornado hitting or a the need for a real lock down.

The book goes on to talk about back-up by the administration and support.

Barbara Ann

I think that improving the school climate is always a plus but $500 K for Crossroads??? See C & P below from budget strand. Then I am done for awhile - sorry, but $500 K is a lot of money - and the public deserves to know who wanted this and what this group is all about - now time for Deb, Joe or whoever to weigh in.

CUT & PASTE BEGINS:

If you get a chance to go to the meetings, don't forget to ask them about $500,000 still in the budget for Crossroads Ministries. N & R's article said for programs like that; but it is still in the budget by name.

For anyone who does not know about the ministry, PLEASE take time to do a google search.

After hearing from teachers who have attended, this confirms much of what their website "preaches". Much of it is scary stuff. Also it raises the question of church vs state by letting a "ministry" come in to "preach" this.

I had inquired about this still be in the budget for GCS. I had also inquired why it was just for the High Point teachers only. Their spokesperson was kind enough to get back to me on this in a speedy manner.

I was told that, "When the HP Choice Plan was being discussed, the City of HP recommended that it might be beneficial for the HP community and staff to take part in the Crossroads training (several city departments had gone through the training and felt it was helpful), so with that recommendation, it was built into the plan. While the program was primarily for HP school staff (as a starting point), it was open to HP community residents. Several central office staff members and some board members have also gone through this type of training."

Now I am wondering this. I didn't see any references to crossroads ministries workshops in the $12 million grant application last year. Maybe I missed that. It may be a moot point now because the grant was denied.

Nor did I hear it mentioned in the media or at any board/commissioners meeting when discussing FUNDING for the "Choice" Plan. I may have missed that too, but don't think so. I was very in tune to this.

My question is this, "Since when does GCS spend taxpayers dollars allocated for EDUCATION on RECOMMENDATIONS made by other "organizations", particularly HIGH POINT City should not be able to tell GCS where to spend their money. One is the city and a city at that whose representatives in the past have said they cannot get involved because that is "the COUNTY" and they build the schools and educate and we are the CITY.

The bottom line is GCS and the board made the decision to spend that money for those seminars and are now listing $500,000 for same. This is a lot of money that could be spent on teachers and in the classroom on education.

I do support teaching children about tolerance, respect, kindness, anti-bully, etc., but after researching this group and the press not being allowed in this "training", there are serious questions we all need to be asking ourselves. One of the most important ones is: WHAT ARE THEY TEACHING OUR KIDS WITH PUBLIC FUNDS?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Barbara Ann

i would think that before board members/staff decide that funding SRO's is an unnecessary expense, they make a surprise, unannounced visit & spend an entire day (including class changes and lunch hours) in all GC middle schools. i would also suggest they take the advice of school principals and parents who know the importance of these SRO's - these people are the experts.
the safety of our students is in large part, dependent on the presence of police - is safety not a priority any longer?
how much was in the budget for these SRO's?

A dollar figure for the middle school SROs wasn't available at the meeting. However, I'm sure it was less than the $500,000 budgeted for the anti-racism and classroom management training.

That's not saying the training isn't important. But what happens when training, counseling and conflict resolution don't work? That's when school resource officers come in.

The $500,000 in the budget includes mutiple training not just Crossroads-- might be win-win etc. IMHO this is a 'slush' fund that will be used however Dr Grier decides. I don't think there was any specific amounts for any special funds. Crossroads is just one that has been used (very controversial) in the past.

Money for SRO is around $88,000 per year (estimate, but heard this somewhere) and that includes the car allowance! As with any position it depends on the person that has the job as to whether it is a successful position.

I think we have 14 or so middle schools so this is not a small amount of money-- $1.2 mil or so!

A 6th grader is 12 years old. Replacing uniformed sworn officers with disciplinarians makes sense. We want to salvage these youths. Some of the SROs have these skills and some do not. There is no question that the SROs have been helpfu. The question is can we get more bang for the buck by using employees under BOE control. I think so.

Joe has a very good point. At our school I would trade the SRO for an additional assistant principal (like anyone cares what I think) That would give the students someone to talk to on a more personal level and not just for discipline issues. Currently our AP's have 600 kids each to keep up with, so there is not time to form any bonds. If we had 3 ap's that would be 400 per AP and much better-- still not great numbers, but better!

Deb, what is IMHO? Glad to know $500K not just for Crossroads.

I feel we need the SRO's and ones that are trained just for this specific job. We also need Assistant Principals and Counselors. Each school only has so much money alloted. Maybe the schools should decide what they feel they need more. Every school is unique in many ways.

Also it doesn't matter about the grade Joe. We have kids in middle school who have failed several times; they are older; they are big; they are frustrated and they lash out. You have to witness it first hand to understand it.

I have been in a classroom wear a 2nd grader grabbed the assistant's scissors; ran out the side door; then it took a special ed teacher and the principal and another adult to get him under control. Things like this happen. It only takes ONE child like this in a group to put the other children at risk.

There needs to be a definite procedure plan for emergencies like this just like tornado and fire drills. And above all, there needs to be a back-up system of support.

I recommend the book I referenced previously to anyone who cares. It had some great ideas.

please excuse past typos - meant to say "where a 2nd grader" - yes I can spell - just a very tiring day - sorry folks

In My Honest Opinion-- IMHO

Like LOL-- Laughing Out Loud

ROTFLOL rolling on the floor laughing out loud

We don't get a chance to use those two last ones very often. Anyone going to budget discussions. I can't go, but would love a report

If you go to the budget discussions you might have the opportunity to use "ROTFLOL".

In regards to the discussion concerning SROs, I believe that it is vital to the safety of both our students and staff to have the presence of a well-trained SRO. Yes, I also said staff. I was at a particular middle school where classroom materials were thrown out my window in front of me, students got in my face and cussed me out, and my classroom was ransacked and things on my desk thrown on the floor while I had left to go to a staff meeting. I was told by staff members that this was normal and it was because of the students' backgrounds. My SRO helped other teachers and me on several occasions. Otherwise, we could have been hurt ourselves.

In fact, I was reading about an incident that happened in High Point where a student threatened another student with a pair of scissors. This happened in a classroom across the hall from me here in Greensboro one year. I was thankful there was an SRO there to investigate, make a full report, and press the necessary charges. These are things my teaching degree has not prepared me for and I'd like all the help I can get to keep myself and my students safe.

P.S. I now work at a high school with students that tower over me. Even so, I feel much safer now with my high school students because they act more respectfully towards me.

Mrs. T, you took the words out of my mouth. I did see on the GCS website that there are several new top positions they are advertising for.

Where is all that money coming from?

Anyone know where that is in the budget or are people leaving?

Andi,

Thanks for hanging in there and doing what you do. You sound like a terrific teacher.

I don't think we should accept this behavior as "normal" because of anyone's background. How far will this "normal" behavior get a student in the real world of holding a job and having responsibility. To allow this to be "acceptable" is sending out a very negative message. We all have to get along in society.

If certain kids are allowed to do this, why shouldn't the other kids be allowed? That is what the other kids think. It just escalates out of control. One day it is not doing something, then followed by a cuss word, then a cuss word and a shove, then others join in.

In some of our schools and I am sad to say even in some of the elementary schools, I have witnessed kids who think you can't do a think about it. How in the world does this help kids?

Everyone has consequences for their actions in life sooner or later; whether it is positive or negative.

Random use of cameras to monitor student conduct is a no no in our school class rooms. Why?

JOe,

That's a great question. We have them in our hallways. I feel we definitely need them on the buses with full view of front and back.

The cameras would especically be great for when a teacher leaves the room and it is trashed as how Andi explained. Maybe they could just be used at certain times.

Barbara Ann,

Acronyms & Text Shorthand:
http://www.netlingo.com/emailsh.cfm

Barbara Ann,

You mentioned earlier in this strand that you hadn't seen Crossroads mentioned in the $12 million grant application. I didn't remember it coming up then either so I looked through my copy of the application. It is in there, and for all of the schools in the grant, including Southern, Brown-Summit and Lincoln.

I haven't heard that anyone at Southern and Brown-Summit, whose programs started this year, had to take the training.

Any teachers out there from those schools? Have you had to take this training or was it offered at your schools?

Since the grant money wasn't obtained, maybe this training was dropped from the other schools?

The grant also included diversity training for students. This would have been through NCCJ, the National Conference on Community and Justice. The group has a longstanding relationship with the schools and students have been attending this training for years. I think the grant would have just made it easier to send more students.

Jennifer,

As previously mentioned, I was told by GCS that the City of HP wanted this. (see previous post - taken directly from their email to me)

High Point would not include Brown-Summit or Southern. That is Greensboro.

Barbara Ann,

If we're going to quibble about geography, then Brown Summit is in, well, Brown Summit.

What I was trying to answer was your comment about whether Crossroads was mentioned in the magnet grant application. It was. And what I found interesting was that it was included as part of teacher training for ALL of the schools included in the grant. That included schools in Greensboro, Brown Summit and the county.

What I don't know is if those schools whose new program went online this year have been asked/required to go through the training like the High Point schools have, even though that grant money never materialized.

Jen,

Not going to quibble about geography - not being from here originally. I just knew that Brown Summit and Southern were not High Point.

I do know that the rest of Guilford County follows different "rules" other than HP for their schools. They don't have a lottery like HP. Their underprivileged children don't have these "world class" programs "yet". But the Guilford Plan may be coming on board as there is a movement out there for same. Since it is so great for HP it will be great for the entired county - racial training and all.

I do know that I read that only the High Point teachers (not the rest of the county) attended the Crossroads workshops.

I do know that that is was promoted as "open to the public"; then the press was turned away.

I do know that I have heard other teachers say they were very turned off by it.

I do know what I read on the web about them and it is scary stuff.

I do know that I was told that the City of High Point wanted it (Crossroads training) for the HP "Choice" Plan. Perhaps they thought it would "ease the pain" to "adjust" like good citizens to the HP Plan. Well it hasn't.

In all sincerity, I appreciate you pulling that grant app to look for this. I will have to dig out my copy too.

Perhaps the others didn't get it because the grant money did not come in. Perhaps this is why the HP schools are not "magnet" school now.

I just know the "rules" of everything sure keep changing during the past year.

jwg

THANK YOU - I think I have just printed a dictionary. Now I will know some of these abbreviations.

Never know what you might learn on the CB.

BA

Jen,

One other thing on "geography".

There are families who live in the county or the suburbs who are not in HP city limits who chose their "county" school when they moved to this area.

Another interesting fact, there are folks who live in the county (like me) who do not live in High Point; their address for mail purposes is "Jamestown". They use Jamestown water, but pay county taxes and no city taxes as they are "county". They are closer to Jamestown. These same kids are being bused to inner city schools in High Point by a lottery for High Point only.

These same county residents are coming under the influence of the City of High Point powers that be for programs when they promoted programs such as Crossroads Ministry in the city's schools only.

Why should the City of HP have this say so over county residents?

These are just some questions, concerned county residents need to be asking.

I agree, it would be nice to hear from the teachers of the schools you mentioned (Southern/Brown Summit) but from what I have read and heard, it was promoted for HP only.

If they don't respond here, perhaps you or Bruce could call a few of them and get it "straight from the horses mouths." Then we can all know the truth.

That is what this county wants to hear: the truth.