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Two years ago elementary schools received Title 1 at 45% (I think I have that correct)-- Morgan, can you give us a history per year of the percentages that GCS has used?-thanks

Morgan,

Do you know of a listing of all of the schools in Guilford County along with their associated percentage of free-and-reduced-lunch students?

Look at the back pages of the Budget Message. It has what you want.

Joe,

That's it - thank you.

I would like to speak to anyone that has ever complained about an SRO. Please contact me and share your experience.

Terrina Picarello
282-2182
terrinap@triad.rr.com

Terrina,
Please get both sides of the story.

Terrina,

Let's tell all the SROs do for our children. Let's tell how they have saved our children from harm's way. Listen to what our children have to say if you took SROs away. They say it would be insane.

I have never suggested taking SROs away. We have some incredible SROs at our schools. I know several who are really serving as a true safety net for our kids. I have been standing in the halls watching, when no one knows I am watching, and I have seen a couple of SROs work magic with kids that are having a melt-down. The caring is very clear at those moments. The SRO at Page is like that. He really cares about those kids. He is a master at de-escalating a situation. That is what we want. He is an asset at Page.

I just hope we can have some clarity in the community about what we really want SROs to do. ANd how valuable they can be to our students and our community when we have the right person in the job.

But what do we have in place in case we have a person that is serving as an SRO and it is not a good fit? Do we have a way to evaluate an SRO's effectiveness?

Just a question.

Terrina:

Gathering information about complaints is a good idea. There are people who feel that SROs detract from the educational mission, and it would be helpful to see if there is evidence to back up those concerns.

I hope, however, that in analyzing and reporting those data you will keep in mind how one-sided they are. Some perspective is also in order. The performance of some SROs will be better than others--GCS should not make decisions based on the performance of one or two individuals. Similarly, perceptions of performance can vary from one person to the next. The squeakiest wheel shouldn't get the final say here.

When it comes down to it, it is nearly impossible to evaluate the effectiveness of the SROs. The relevant comparison is what would happen if they were not there in a given situation. This means speculating about things that haven't actually occurred.

I have a 14 year old grandaughter that lives in Charlotte; she has been suspended at least 5-6 times 10 days each suspension. I thought it was ridiculous when my daughter first started talking about the situation. My question is how does the no child left behind fit into situations like this? I was beginning to think this was an isolated incident until I heard it on 97.1 QMG

Dear Mr. Goins,
I don't think that NCLB addresses suspensions. If your granddaughter has been suspended that many times there is a real issue. I can't say if it is with her behavior or the system or a combination of both; but I hope her mother is addressing this. A child can not learn if they aren't in school; however no one child should be allowed to disrupt the learning environment for the rest of the students that are following the rules and doing their best to be good students.
It can be a catch 22 situation!
Is there alternative schools in Charlotte? Perhaps she would do better in a different environment.

Anyone who thinks that we don't need SRO's at the middle and high school level is totally in the dark. As a teacher believe me when I say that gang activity, fighting, acts of violence, theft, and drug use are becoming worse and worse every day in our system. Parents, as a teacher, I beg you to get in the hallways of your local schools and see for yourself what is going on!

jim...will I need to bring my taser?

NCLB does state that students must have a highly qualified teacher, and that means the teacher should be able to address classroom management and normative disruptive behaviors.

In some cases teachers clearly do not know how to handle disruptive students, and I have even had teachers tell me it was not their job to handle behavior issues. However NCLB says classroom management is part of determining whether a teacher is highly qualified, so we do need to support teachers in this area because it is an important part of the school experience.

Classroom behavior/school climate and culture is addressed in NCLB. It is considered part of the criteria for providing a quality education.

I would ask the parent in Charlotte what services the school offered to help the student be more successful in her environment. I hope they are at least providing referrals to community support services for her and the family. She might need mental health services or an educational intervention plan. Something should be happening in addition to sending her home for 10 days.

I think Highly Qualified means that the teacher is certified to teach their specialty area. Lateral entry teachers--those working on their teaching certificate--are even considered Highly Qualified if they have a certain number of college classes in the area they teach. To my knowledge, Highly Qualified says nothing about the teacher's ability to maintain order in a classroom.

Terrina, no disrespect meant, but you are living in a fantasy world. It just takes one student out of control to ruin a class. There are classes where teachers count the days to the year's end when they have certain students.

When a teacher has the responsbility to teach say 24 students is it fair for her to cheat 23 students out of their education and her teaching time, to constantly address the problems of one student?

If a child throws chairs, knocks over bookcases, uses profanities and take no responsibility for his own actions, how can you blaim the teacher?
At times this is in elementary school. Do you realize how much time this takes out of a teaching day?

We had some of the best, qualified teachers at Southwest Middle this year, the ones who ALL the kids love, calling the office this year for help.
Many students' behaviors are not "normative" by any means. There have been cases where parents have been asked to come to school (including elementary schools) and their behavior is just as bad or worse than the students. There are times when parents have been asked to leave the school grounds because of their behavior. How do you get anywhere with a student coming from this type of home environment. Teachers cannot change years of negative home environment. What are teachers supposed to do when parents hang up on them or cuss them out? There needs to be intervention for certain children and an alternative learning environment.

If children are just allowed to disobey school rules because of their "home environment or culture" this does not help them in real life. Do you think they can get jobs if they tell the boss to "F_ _ _ off" or are constantly aggressive?

A child with 10 day multiple suspensions must have some serious issues. Apparently this child cannot behave in the classroom for one reason or another. In past years there were Reform Schools for children who broke the law.

Now at least GCS is trying to find alternative settings like SCALES, community service or twilight schools.

The bottom line is: Is it fair to keep 23 students behind on their educations for the sake of one continually disruptive student? What about the other students' right to have a public education?

It is a sad state of affairs in our schools when high school and middle school children are afraid to go to the bathrooms alone, walk down certain hallways or be in the trailer areas when classes aren't changing. It's sad but true when the students are asking for more resource officers, not less because they make them feel safe.

Do you know SW's resource officer was at the prom Saturday. He knows most of the kids by name and has a great rapport with them. They consider him part of the SW family. I think this speaks highly of our resource officers. My daughter has said this is their "friend".

Well

Given the present situation I guess it's fair to assume the National Guard is not available.

We could out source to that secutity company in
NC. Ex commandos and all. Whats their name?

Very funny David. Try teaching in certain CP classrooms for one week. Then let me know if you feel the same way.

Again, To many community members have NO CLUE as to behavior in the classroom. It has absolutely nothing to do with being qualified to teach. Our county has created an environment where profanity, threats, violence, and drug use are not only tolerated, but are quickly becoming norms. There are students that have no business or desire to be in a classroom. The problem is that these are the kids that we bow down to. The kids that get the shaft are the ones that are trying to learn and better themselves and can't because their teachers are spending half of the class time correcting behaviors.
As for the grandparent of the suspended child, I have no sympathy. If a kid has been kicked out for that many days, they are certainly a constant disruption.

AMEN JIM! Everything you state is true. I challenge the director of the Guilford Education Alliance and Terrina to step in a CP class for one week. Algebra I would be a great start. Doing this at Northwest or Grimsley doesn't count. Go to Smith, SWH, Andrews, Central.

Walk the halls for one week in between classes where CP classes are held.

Let us know then if you feel the same way about catoring to the small percent of disruptive students who are responsible for cheating the majority of students who want to learn out of their educations.

First the problem starts with verbal abuse being accepted. Next it becomes a shove. Then a hit or a punch. Other students see this happening and allowed as "acceptable" behavior. Why should they then have to obey the rules?

by the way, I teach at none of the above high schools. I'm at a school that the county perceives as being pretty good and would have no clue of the discipline issues we deal with every day.

Cindy

You missed my point.

I was not trying to be funny.

SRO's are all you have.

Next step Chaos.

How did we get to this point? How do we regain control? Martial law sometines has its place.
You cannot get change without control.

As to education

I have just sent this to the school board.
Bet I get no answer
Ok

Mission Possible, Aviation Academy, Culinary Academy, Engineering Acadamy, Health/Medical Academy Performing Arts Academy, Two year GTCC scholarship. Discipline Task Force, Advance placement Courses ( some with less than 10% passing ) Striving Achieving Excelling,( Business spent half a million dollars telling the world )
Low drop out Award, Thematic Goals, New Mission Statement, Core Values

Can we get some perspective and finish something?

Well over 30 percent never graduate.

Many that do cannot be considered literate in the 21st century
They read write and do arithmetic at an abysmal level.

We fiddle with awards, end of grade statistics, guide lines. No Child Left Behind.
Fancy misleading names for programs. You name it.
They cannot read write and do arithmetic.

GTCC’s largest division is Developmental. That is a Euphemism for Remedial.

I would challenge every member of the School Board. This fall to go spend a few days at GTCC in the Developmental Division. Talk to the administrators, full time faculty etc.
Look at English and Math 050,060,070. Just go look. Read the Text Books, take the placement exams yourself ( you might learn something ), Attend some classes. Observe what you have given us.
Get off your Butts and actually see, feel, touch, understand, what you are turning out
Go look. Never mind Dr. Zhang’s Statistics, Grier’s chest beating. Take in the real thing.
You decide then. Is this striving achieving excelling or throwing many of our children away. I bet you don’t have the courage or interest. Just Actually Look That’s what real leaders do.
Have any of you every actually gone and looked.

By the way don’t write it off as well, community college. Check with many of the regional 4 yr colleges and see what they tell you about remediation

Remember. This is after over 30% never made it this far.
Now what all this means I think is that of those that start maybe we are managing to educate less than 30 to 40 % of them.
Stop taking credit for those and worry about the 60 to 70 percent we are throwing away.

Ms Fernandez Ms Josey Why don’t you go look. Write an article. Investigative reporting. Go to GTCC, Alamance Community, Randolph Community.
Beats hell out of all those reports ( I know you mean well ) that are just press releases

This is the answer I got from one board member
Our School Talk Committee just met on Thursday and it will be our recommendation that the Board meet with college/university counselors/registrars to determine how our graduates are fairing in their institutions.
60 to 70 percent of graduates and drop outs can’t function. Reading Writing and Arithmetic and the school talk committee will have the “board meet with college/university counselors/registrars”
Any one! go to GTCC (Developmental Division) and observe. Look at the text books required. Look at the Placement tests.
Just go look
Oh.
What is CP short for

Question to those concerned about discipline problems in schools: Would you support bringing back corporal punishment?

Ms Josey

No for two reasons.

1) The professionals seem to agree that most of the problem is psychologically based and requires professional attention.

2) As soon as you allow corporal punishment you risk the physical and mental authoritarian abuse of children. It will happen. Hell people would try waterboarding

The risk is to high.

If I can�t trust these people to educate our children I certainly wouldn�t allow them to slap them around.

David,

Point taken. My apologies and great e-mail. Let us know if you receive a response.

And Morgan, Ditto on what David has to say about corporal punishment. Most professionals would tell you that corporal punishment promotes bullying. It teaches children that just because a person is bigger, he is stronger and "wins". This is not the case. We must teach our children that there is strength in being respectful, having self-discipline and having a strong character. Children learn by example. What kind of example would hitting prove? It is abuse.

We get control by enforcing the school rules uniformly across the board for all students no matter what the sex or race. We cannot continue to do what we are doing, returning the same trouble makers to the traditional classroom. We continue to sacrifice the education of the majority of our children for the sake of a few students who choose not to learn. We can't make these children want to be in school.

Morgan, NO to corporal punishment. No one has the right to hurt a child. Hopefully we have come further than that in our schools. Sadly, we still see child abuse and neglect in homes.

Regardless, the school handbook needs to be enforced. Teachers and principals deserve respect and need our support. One problem is many parents have no clue what their children are doing, or don't care. Others are in denial when the teachers try to address the problems of certain children with their parents. It takes a team effort: the teacher, the parent and the child working together for a positive educational goal for the child. If one of these people are "missing" from the team, it doesn't work.