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This article appeared recently in the Washington Times. Considering that Washington DC spends more that $5000 per student on their public schools, I think it conclusively shows that education can't necessarily be bought. It also makes me wonder if public schools LIKE THIS ONE don't do more harm than good. Is it worth the "education" if my child has to fear for his life every day? (I'm not bashing ALL public schools as I are a product of one, and I turnded out okay) Anyway, makes me glad to be able to homeschool. I'm sure lots of parents in the DC district wish that they could homeschool as well. Imagine if I spent $5000 a year on each of my kids' education! Now that would be something! "Okay kids! Tomorrow we're taking a field trip...to the pyramids!" Here's the article:
The Washington Times

www.washtimes.com


D.C. students well-armed at school

Vaishali Honawar

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Published 2/7/2002


     The number of assaults with deadly weapons in D.C. schools has doubled in the past four years, even though the system has spent $8 million on metal detectors, cameras and security officers trying to keep students safe.

     Information obtained after The Washington Times filed an open-records request shows that between the 1997-98 and the 2000-01 school years:

     •Assaults with deadly weapons shot up from 66 to 127.

     •Simple assaults in the school system rose from 384 to 475.

     •The number of children caught bringing concealed weapons to schools swelled from 329 to 423.

     •Robberies rose from 18 to 35.

     •Threats against students and staff increased from 156 to 225.

     The number of incidents reported to the school system are as bad or worse than those of school systems with twice the number of students.

     Last year alone, security personnel with the 68,449-student school district caught 423 students carrying concealed weapons. In Prince George's County, which has 137,299 students, 430 students were found carrying weapons. Montgomery County, with an enrollment of 136,653 students, had 235 students caught carrying weapons.

     D.C. school officials, who provided the numbers for a report in The Times on school security only after a request was filed under the Freedom of Information Act, said the surge in incidents was the result of broader social problems and better reporting.

     "We encourage our principals to report more now," said Patrick Fiel, chief of security for the District's public schools.

     Still, reporting an incident to the school district is entirely up to a school's principal; it is not mandatory, and there are no clear rules.

     "I'd love to say it is 100 percent, but it is not," said Steve G. Seleznow, chief of staff for the District's public schools. "There is a subjective element to reporting. A fight between a couple of children may be reported by one principal, but not by another."

     School officials also said their numbers are not comparable with other school systems because of differences in the categories for reporting incidents.

     Mr. Seleznow said the school system has made efforts, through better training of staff and increased security, to reduce the number of weapons being brought into schools. Since 1998, it has spent about $8 million on installing cameras, metal detectors and X-ray machines in all high schools and some middle schools.

     "The problem is, when you try to institute these types of procedures, you have a risk of reporting higher numbers of incidents," said Mr. Seleznow, who believes the security measures have made schools much safer.

     Superintendent Paul L. Vance did not return repeated calls seeking comment, but a spokesman quoted him as saying the school system "will be intensely vigilant in keeping our schools safe and putting in place programs that support" the development of students.

     In his Northeast office, Mr. Fiel keeps some of the weapons caught by the metal detectors and X-ray machines: a 2-foot sword, a knife concealed in a walking stick, guns and several brass knuckles.

     When it comes to reporting security incidents, Mr. Fiel said, a deadly weapon is not limited to a gun or a knife.

     "If a student picks up a pencil and attacks another student, it is reported as an attack with a deadly weapon. That's the law," he said.

     Mr. Fiel said security cannot control classroom behavior or the violence outside schools that sometimes finds its way in.

     "I don't control the 200 gangs we deal with here or the frustrations of students," he said.

     Students at Anacostia Senior High School in Southeast say they see fights break out almost every day.

     "Guns, knives, baseball bats you name it, they are all there," said one 12th-grader who did not want to be identified.

     He said security guards sometimes searched students but didn't always catch the weapons they were carrying.

     Another student said weapons were brought in through the school's back door to elude security guards and metal detectors at the front door.

     The 12th-grader said he often got involved in fights himself. "I never start it, but I go in and finish it," he said.

     Jeremiah Diggs, 14, and Danny Dixon, 16, said they often see students attacking each other.

     "Usually, they don't need anything more than their fists," said Danny, a ninth-grader.

     The baseball bats can cause serious damage. A female student who was too afraid to give her name described a fight between two students last month. "Then a third student snuck out from behind the vending machine and hit one of the students with a baseball bat," she said.

     The student who was struck had to be taken to the hospital. "It looked real bad," she said.

     Iris Toyer, president of Parents United for D.C. Schools, said she was worried about the culture of violence in city schools.

     "It is frightening that all these weapons are around our children, but it is also frightening that children feel they need to have them either to protect themselves or to fight," she said.

Copyright © 2001 News World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

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-- chuck in md (woah@mission4me.com), February 07, 2002

Answers

It is too bad they don't offer parents some kind of tax rebate or even free supplies for homeschooling. Maybe a credit for books and supplies from some approved companies. I know this wouldn't be ideal but it would help a little at least.

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), February 07, 2002.

Teachers' unions, a very strong lobby, in my homestate, at least, usually oppose homeschooling, because for every child NOT in their system, they don't get that money. Any tax dollars going to homeschoolers would be seen as money taken away from them. And, of course, they believe they can do a better job.

Most of us homeschoolers are so independent minded that we don't want the government helping us, in case they should think it means they can also tell us how to do things.

-- mary (marylgarcia@aol.com), February 07, 2002.


I agree, Mary. The gov't is intrusive enough as it is, but if they give us any financial assistance, no matter the form, they will be impossible.

Sorry, Chuck, I didn't read the article, just the responses, so I can't comment on it.

-- Jo (mamamia2kids@msn.com), February 07, 2002.


Gosh, it's so easy to pick on those public school teachers and on the evil leaders of their unions, isn't it?

Public schools aren't perfect by a long shot, but how many of you have walked a mile in those teachers' shoes? It's easy to teach the lovable, those who want to learn, those who have a stable life and thus can focus on school. Try teaching the child who hates everyone, who could not care less about learning, and who does not know who or what they will find when they return home each evening.

There is no reason why homeschoolers and the public schools could not coexist peacefully. Some of my closest friends homeschooled their children very successfully. My sons went to public school. The kids are now all in their early twenties and doing well. Much depends on the parents and the homelife. The students that do well in school generally have parents that follow their school progress carefully. Those parents that are self-absorbed or so fragmented that they give no guidance to their children's education often have children that have difficulties at school. Would this latter group benefit by being homeschooled? I think not.

And, contrary to the opinions held by some, even the unions are concerned with the needs and rights of children. We aren't in the profession for the money, but we do believe a teacher deserves a fair wage and proper working conditions.

Guess you know now that you can push my buttons by painting everything as either BLACK or WHITE. The media is good at inflamatory rhetoric; I had hoped we might avoid it here.

-- Debbie in S IL (dc1253@hcis.net), February 07, 2002.


Two of my siblings are public school teachers. I certainly have nothing against the profession, just stating the facts as I see them. My ideas about the opinions of the union came from listening to members speak publicly on the issue.

-- mary (marylgarcia@aol.com), February 07, 2002.


I agree with Debbie. It is the parents and the community that drive the school board and most just want the free babysitting.

Violent students are not just confined to public schools or urban areas, either. I live 3 1/2 hours from the nearest mall, 70 miles from the nearest Walmart, 12 miles from the nearest town 1 mile off public roads.

What do I have in my neighborhood? a 12 year old kid who's been assaulting little girls since he was 9. The neighbors call him Little Jeffrey Dahmer. My daughters call him Pinata Boy. They carry a baseball bat and take the agressive dog when they leave the property. I've caught this kid lurking behind the trees, just off my property watching my littlest kid.

My last neighborhood had a Pinata Boy, a 12 year old peeping tom whose father would threaten to sue me because my dogs scared his kid when they caught him at my daughters' window. This father is a school board member of that district.

-- Laura (Ladybugwrangler@hotmail.com), February 08, 2002.


My own children attend public schools so I am not against public schooling. Teachers do have a lot to deal with at this time. I don't think there is the respect there used to be for teachers.

I imagine if the schools and kids were perfect more parents might want to send their kids to school!! But that probably isn't going to happen. I can understand any parent keeping their kids home if they feel that there are safety issues. Am I 100% happy with my school system? NO. While many of the teachers and staff are great, some aren't. Just because someone is a teacher doesn't mean they walk around with a halo on their head!!!

I had some teachers when I was in school that were great. Especially my science teachers. What I learned from them carried me through college without even having to study!!

But I had other teachers who weren't so great... One would stand in the hall talking sports through most of the class. One brought movies every day (English class) and when we did have a test he would leave the room and just about everyone would copy off of each other. Another got in trouble for being a bit too friendly with the girls he coached. Another would discuss your grades with everyone but the student involved.

My kids have also had their own experiences including a teacher who was dismissed for alcoholism, teachers cussing in class, classes where kids are throwing paper airplanes and talking so loud you can't hear the teacher, etc.... But here is the way I look at it: It isn't a perfect world and teachers are just one example of that!! So you have to learn to get along in spite of these people.

I know some who are teachers will be upset about this, but if you truly look around, you will probably see teachers you know who aren't that good at what they do. Maybe you work in a school district where this isn't so...

I went to college to be a teacher and one of my professors said sometimes she just had to say to someone, "You know you are a nice person, but you are a lousy teacher". She didn't like saying it, but she had to tell them the truth. Not everyone is cut out for this work. I am friends with many teachers, and they will even tell you which teachers to avoid, and they don't want their kids to have them either.

There are many good teachers who are very conscientous. But when parents say that their schools are not so great, they should be believed, and I for one do believe that there is lots of room for improvement.

-- Could be anyone! (someone@somewhere.one), February 08, 2002.


In the case of the above article, I don't believe that the problem is necessarily with the teachers. Of all the money that goes into these schools, precious little of it, unfortunately, goes to the faculty. It's difficult for them to hire and retain good people because who wants to put their lives at risk every day and face an unruly school population for $32,000 a year. I'm sure that the majority of the teachers in the DC district are doing their best with a bad situation, and are doing a dirty, thankless job in a difficult situation. I think the majority of the blame for the condition of these schools rests on the shoulders of the parents, because regardless of the circumstances, they bear the ultimate responsibility for their children's education. There will be some students who grow up in that environment and actually get a good education, thanks to their parents' involvement.

I believe that if enough parents gave a rip about their children's education, they would be leaving the DC Public school system in droves, and it would eventually collapse under it's own bloated weight. Personally, I believe that if you are really committed to your family first, then you would sooner MOVE than allow your family to exist in that setting. The reason that the politicians and the NEA are so dead set against tuition vouchers is because they know that given the choice, many parents would yank their children out of those schools in a minute. I'm not a fan of Charles Darwin, but I certainly believe that his model applied to public institutions would be an improvement.

-- chuck in md (woah@mission4me.com), February 08, 2002.


chuck, you hit the nail on the head when you said, "they(the parents) bear the ultimate responsibility for their children's education." It is exactly this belief, and the fact that I do not choose to delegate what I consider such a sacred responsibility, that I homeschool my own. I have good friends, and family, on both sides of this issue.

And I must also say that I agree with almost everything that has been said here, despite the fact that some of us choose to approach the problems in different ways.

-- mary (marylgarcia@aol.com), February 08, 2002.


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