Oklahoma School suspends most sixth-graders for mass rowdiness; 'You'd be shocked,' principal says

Associated Press ^ | 3-26-04

[Oldeconomybuyer]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A public school suspended nearly all of its sixth-graders for class disruptions and a cafeteria ruckus this week, though many of the students were allowed to return after their parents met with school officials.

Sixteen of the 147 sixth-graders at F.D. Moon Academy were suspended Monday for class disruptions, and 120 students were suspended Wednesday after they picked up cafeteria tables, slammed them to the floor and talked back to faculty, school officials said.

[LisaMalia]

Every year our local paper puts out a "Baby Edition" insert, and for a small fee your baby's picture and name, DOB, and parents name is included.

I've noticed, in the last few years, the trend is to take a perfectly normal name, and spell it in some strange way. For example:

Mary: Marey

Cindy: Cyndee

Ellen: Ellyn

Marie: Maree (they seem to be big on the "ee" thing).

Then you have the multiple spellings on popular names:

Madison: Madysen, Madisen, Madisun

Kristen: Kristyn, Krysten, Khristen

Dakota: Dycota, Dakkota, Dakotta

It's like they are having a contest to make sure their child's name is original...? When I had my children, I stuck with the old fashioned names with regular spellings. Amanda and Matthew. Silly me!

[PureSolace]

As a parent, when my kids were in school, I made it my business to know what was going on at their school.

Lisa, If everyone thought and did like you, then this world would be a better place.

Here's to hope! :)

[Old Student]

"An Akron (Ohio)Public School recently began having their
Parent/Teacher conferences in a local mall in an effort to encourage participation by the parents. Isn't that pathetic?"

This is.... hmmmm. At the same time, somehow, both terribly pathetic, and quite visionary. I wish them good luck and God Bless...

[Old Student]

"Do something about their unions? My daughter doesn't even have the choice of not paying union dues. She is charged the 900 dollars per year whether she chooses to be in the teacher's union or not."

I'm still seening "Say 'No' to Right to Work" bumperstickers here. We passed the Right to Work law about 3 years ago, it's still tied up in court. By law in Oklahoma, a teacher MUST belong to the union. Heck, when I was a temporary employee of UPS, I had to join the Teamsters, no choice whatsoever. And a more corrupt-and-thoughtless-of-its-members organization you'll not likely find in this country operating with public support. Except maybe the Democratic Party.

[mathluv]

Actually, the administration has to support teachers when they try to discipline students. Parents need to be supportive also. Teachers can't teach if there are disruptive students in class.

[Old Student]

"You would think that, but it turns out that people are much more pliable if justice is swift, harsh, and somewhat arbitrary. Random terror is the best sort of terror."

I believe you're misunderstanding me; If you line them up correctly, i.e. the bad kids are every tenth kid, not only do you get rid of them, you successfully terrorize all the others.

Random terror causes people to decide they can't possibly win, so they either quit trying, or decide to break the game. Besides, it isn't fair or wise to kill off kids who do behave, and let the ones who don't get away with it. The smart ones, good or bad, who do survive will get you in the end, if you do it that way.

[Old Student]

"Yep, Like Formica Dinette? ... no kiddin.

The mother said she heard the sound of it and liked it."

Armand Hammer was named after the baking soda, for the same reason. He was a success, why couldn't Ms. Dinette be one? Rap star, exotic dancer, there are loads of career possibilities...

[general_re]

Your suggestion is not without merit. I will consider it ;)

[FITZ]

Moon academy?

[Major_Risktaker]

Corporal Punishment Works

I should know because I was one of the Five in a Fix!

______________________________________

[Spook86]

Kudos to Ms. Ford, who is taking a stand most school administrators wouldn't dream of.

You'll note that the AP article failed to describe the demographic make-up of F.D. Moon Academy. If I had to guess, I'd say the school is probably in or near a poor neighborhood, with a significant number of minority students. This is the same type of school I've been teaching in for the past two years, and I can certainly empathize. Many of these schools--along with some in affuluent suburbs--have discipline problems that undermine education on a daily basis. And, unfortunately, most principals aren't willing to send the little hellions home for disruptive behavior.

Want an example? My school's seventh graders were sent to the office over 1,300 times last year for discipline problems, and we're talking about a class of only 135 students. Of course, many of our students are perfectly well-behaved, and are never sent to the office. However, at the other end of the spectrum, we've got a hardcore of 6-7% of the students who cause more than 60% of our discipline problems. And, aside from paddling an the occasional suspension, we don nothing to address the problem. The same kids are written up over and over again, and, after serving their punishment, they do the same thing again.

Our educational system desperately needs a "three strikes" program, resulting in long-term or even permanent suspensions for repeat offenders. We also need some principals, superintendents and school boards to take a stand, and not ignore this cancer. Regrettably, that's not going to happen. Most principals and other administrators have the spine of a jellyfish, and won't do anything to challenge the status quo. Just keep the balls in the air and move on to another, better-paying job before anyone finds out about the discipline crisis. My guess is that Ms. Ford will be hung out to dry by her superintendent and school board. I can't envision her retaining her job in today's educational environment. She'll be forced out, and replaced by someone who will ignore the problem and toe the line.

For what it's worth, I'm leaving my teaching job this week because of the discipline collapse within our schools. Sadly, a lot of other teachers are leaving the profession for the same reason.

[LisaMalia]

By law in Oklahoma, a teacher MUST belong to the union.

Obviously, the same in Ohio. It makes no sense to me. Maybe someone else posting on this thread can give us some input on how this is legal?

[Old Student]

I'd have to say you're teaching in the wrong district. Which is considerably kinder that what I started to say, I must admit. It's probably also closer to the truth.

In the 4-plus years I did the In-School-Restriction at my local high school, I saw, by the numbers, about 10% of my school's population. By the faces, it was more like 5%, which is in fair agreement with your numbers. Seriously, if you like teaching, still, consider moving to an area where they do discipline kids. I don't think this principle will be fired, or even in jeopardy. I suspect she is there BECAUSE they expect her to do what she is doing. This isn't to say the OKCPS administrators always do what they should, but they do usually try. My kids used to attend OKCPS, and are now in a private school. I don't want mine messed up while they are getting the district straightened out.

[LisaMalia]

For what it's worth, I'm leaving my teaching job this week because of the discipline collapse within our schools. Sadly, a lot of other teachers are leaving the profession for the same reason.

Like I said before, you'll be seeing some good teachers leave the profession en masse before it's over with. I'm not sure if this is the case in all states, but the girl who punched my daughter was exempt from permanent expulsion because she has been deemed as having a "learning disability".

Now mind you, the criteria they use is very loosely based. If you even have borderline ADD, a student can be put in that catagory. It can be compared (on a smaller scale) to a criminal who has a life sentence. Punch a teacher, get a 10 day vacation. There is no accountability, and we can all blame the liberal administations for the mess our public schools have become

[TexasCajun]

I had the biggest crush on my 6th grade teacher!

[Thoeting]

I get soooo sick of the teacher bashing in these threads. Lisa, Lisa, Lisa... I myself am a teacher, but I bash teachers all the time. When people bash teachers, they're not targeting your family in particular...

Soooooo, using your logic, it would be fine for me to comment on the 3 formally homeschooled children in my special education classroom who seem have acquired a great deal of television knowledge and incomplete alphabetic knowledge. All 3 in 6th grade. One reads at a 3rd grade level, one at 1st and one at primer. The first 4 weeks of school were a nightmare with these three because they didn't "get" the principle of waiting their turn, and listening to other's ideas, and understanding that each child cannot be first in line every time, every day. And that it's rude to call out answers before other children have been given a chance to process the information. And that tantrums, full on-the-floor-screaming-and-kicking tantrums are inappropriate for 12 year olds.

I won't get slammed now will I, because I am not bashing anyone here in particular.

Yeah, right. Here at Free Republic no one will ever admit that sometimes homeschooling doesn't work. Especially if the parent doesn't give a damn.

So, to paraphrase your words, "don't be offended by 'homeschool' bashing"

[Old Student]

I can explain it for Oklahoma, anyway. Oklahoma was a "progressive" state when it was founded. Progressive meant then much what it means now, i.e. socialistic. They just thought that was a good thing then. State law said that anyone who could be represented by a union had to belong to the union. If you weren't a member of the union, you were "taking unfair advantage" of their collective bargaining. The recently passed "Right to Work" law should fix that, if it survives the courtroom challenges.

btw, I'm a social studies-secondary ed student, and I've always been a student of history, informally. I've taken about 60 hours of history classes in the past few years, got MANY more to go, and I'll read just about anything I can get my hands on. Might happen to be why I'm not a liberal any longer. Some people DO learn from history.

[Old Student]

"Now mind you, the criteria they use is very loosely based. If you even have borderline ADD, a student can be put in that catagory. It can be compared (on a smaller scale) to a criminal who has a life sentence. Punch a teacher, get a 10 day vacation. There is no accountability, and we can all blame the liberal administations for the mess our public schools have become"

For that to happen, they have to do a "manifestation hearing" and determine if the behavior (i.e. punching your sister) was a manifestation of the disability. If not, they can, indeed, suspend the little monster. Apparently they decided it was a manifestation, so she got away with it.

If they didn't do the hearing, your sister can get them zapped for it. If they did, she should have been there for it. I had one of my students throw a desk across the room, and tell me I was lucky he hadn't thrown it at my "f'ing head." He was also special ed, (and actually, in my personal opinion, quite justified in being angry) and got long-term suspension. He did this in early February, and was suspended until October. If he'd responded differently, like by just walking out of my class, he'd have gotten a 3-day suspension, at maximum. It did have a salubrious effect on some of the other kids. The administrators at your sister's school just invited riot to come visit them...

[Thoeting]

For that to happen, they have to do a "manifestation hearing" and determine if the behavior (i.e. punching your sister) was a manifestation of the disability. If not, they can, indeed, suspend the little monster. Apparently they decided it was a manifestation, so she got away with it.

Old Student is exactly right about the manifestation. However, if the child is labeled "Learning Disabled" then I would have loved to be a fly on the wall to find out how that was determined to be a manifestation.

Even if it was, within the law is a requirement that the special education child's placement cannot harm other students. It sorta sounds like someone either dropped the ball, or pushed something under the rug. Tough to tell from here.

[j7gly]

well here we do it in the school's...