They got it right. The N&R's two part series on school discipline by Taft Wireback and Jennifer Fernandez captures the true problems we are experiencing within the halls of Guilford County's middle and high schools.
Sure, highly publicized campus melees capture the attention of the media - but as the series points out it is the everyday, and all-too-common, 'minor' classroom disruption by a tiny minority of defiant children that is robbing the vast majority of our students of the opportunity to learn at their highest potential.
School violence is certainly a serious problem just as it has been since I was in school but I doubt that the frequency of fighting has appreciably changed since I used to walk to school, in the snow, uphill - both ways. What has changed in recent years, however, is the sheer number of students coming to school with a chips on their shoulders, an unhealthy self-centered view of themselves and a total lack of respect for authority. We used to call them brats, thugs, hoods and delinquents - now we call them 'at-risk students'. Same children, but with a new PC name - and a lot more of them.
I sure wish I were of a minority race and/or poor so I could preach from within like Bill Cosby. But here I am, a white middle-class guy, who can only stand by and hope for leaders to emerge from those groups who are willing to ask the really hard questions and start the highly charged introspection which must occur to bring about meaningful change. But until that happens locally I can only express my opinion and hope I don't get labeled a racist for stating the obvious.
The vast majority of our public school students' educations are being profoundly impacted by the unacceptable classroom and campus behavior of a relatively small number of badly reared children and this should no longer be tolerated by any race or class.
School board member Deena Hayes continues to blame the system for the consequences of bad behavior with her un-ending mantra of institutional racism. While I have no doubt that some institutional racism exists within our school system, it cannot account for anything approaching the 3-1 disparity in the suspension rates between black and white students. What is going on is that some children are learning respect for authority and acquiring discipline at home, and others are not. Today's article by Wireback on the lack of positive role models is closer to the heart of the problem than Hayes' broken record.
As it stands now, our school system is taking a shotgun approach in an attempt to re-exert control of the classroom instead taking the more tightly focused steps that might stand a chance at rectifying the problem while my children are still in Guilford County's schools. Diversity training, bully-proofing programs and conflict resolution classes might make a difference over the long haul, but our schools' learning environment is being negatively affected right now.
By not taking immediate and decisive action to quell the disruptors, our school's leaders are in effect sacrificing the learning potential of 96 percent of the student population. Remove the disruptive kids from the regular classroom and give those who are eager to learn a fighting chance to exel.
What to do with the disruptive kids? I don't have the answers. But let's not concern ourselves with them right now. Our concern should with educating the 96% to their fullest potential. The 4% can wait their turn.
This community must get involved to solve the problem of the lack of discipline in our schools. Attending the upcoming N&R sponsored forum on school discipline will be a great place to get the conversation going.
12:02:47 PM 
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