Maryland "Freak State" PING!
Posted on 05/09/2015 8:13:18 AM PDT by HomerBohn
A coalition of youth and juvenile justice advocates called on the city school system Thursday to refrain from suspending or expelling teenagers arrested in last week's rioting in Baltimore.
In the days after the melee outside Mondawmin Mall, which sparked rioting in other parts of Baltimore, city schools CEO Gregory Thornton said that students who participated in the incidents would face consequences.
The Coalition to Reform School Discipline -- which includes the American Civil Liberties Union, Maryland Disability Law Center, Advocates for Children and Youth, and Office of the Public Defender -- issued a joint statement asking the school system to employ "restorative practices," such as community service and anger management counseling, rather than expulsion.
They noted that state discipline regulations were revised recently with the aim of keeping more students in school.
They said "unique circumstances" may have contributed to the unrest, such as heavily militarized police, suspended bus service at Mondawmin, the arrests of innocent bystanders, and the throwing of bricks and debris back at students by police.
"We hope that this important moment in history will be used as a teachable one, and call on Dr. Thornton, and other administrators, to exercise the utmost care and consideration as they make any disciplinary decisions," the statement said.
In a letter to the public the day after the rioting, Thornton wrote that he was "deeply angered" and wanted to "assert in the strongest possible terms that the students who engaged in violence on Monday will be held accountable."
"We are working to identify those students, who will experience consequences in full accordance with the law and City Schools' code of conduct," Thornton said.
He also said that a group of 75 students walked out of Frederick Douglass High School at 3 p.m. on the day of the rioting, about an hour before dismissal time, and those students would face consequences.
On Thursday, the city school system declined to answer questions. Thornton also declined a request for comment.
Instead, the district said in a statement that it was "cooperating with authorities in their investigation of last week's incident and conducting our own exploration into any potential violations of the code of conduct."
"We cannot offer additional information as our review is continuing," the statement concluded.
Jenny Egan, a juvenile public defender in Baltimore City, said her office is representing one student who has been asked not to return to school, per a law that allows students to be excluded from school because they are considered a risk to public safety.
The public defender's office is preparing to challenge the decision.
"Schools should take care of school-based incidents," Egan said. "And these students, no matter what happens outside of school, are entitled to a free and appropriate education."
Moreover, Egan said, none of the cases against juveniles have gone to trial so there's no proof that students pose a risk to public safety.
"That rush to criminalize all childish behavior contributes to some of the systemic problems we see in impoverished communities, and what we see in Baltimore City," Egan said.
The public defender's office has criticized the high rate of juvenile arrests that happen in schools.
The office found that in 2013, 90 percent of the state's in-school arrests and referrals to the juvenile justice system were in Baltimore. Egan followed 152 cases in the 2013-2014 school year and found that 73 percent were either dismissed, diverted to a program such as teen court or found to be non-delinquent. Only two of the students arrested were found guilty of a felony offense, she said.
Sixty juveniles were arrested during protests or rioting between April 25 and May 3, according to Baltimore police.
The public defender's office said some juveniles as young as 12 were held unnecessarily in a concrete cell when they should have been released to their families.
Between April 27 -- when students confronted officers outside Mondawmin Mall -- until April 29, the public defender's office said police arrested 49 juveniles, 39 of whom should have been released to their parents, either because they were never charged or their release was recommended.
Juveniles charged with nonviolent offenses and those without records should never see the inside of the detention center, said Melanie Shapiro, head of the public defender's office's juvenile division.
"It damages kids. It's harmful for them," she said.
Eight juveniles are still being detained, said Eric Solomon, a spokesman for the state Department of Juvenile Services. Those cases are being reviewed by the state's attorney's office, he said, and they will be held until their next hearing, which is usually within 30 days.
In cases related to the protests, he said, the charges include burglary, robbery, destruction of property, disturbing the peace, assaulting the police, or violating the curfew.
The juveniles were held because of the unrest, Solomon said, adding that they must be released to a parent or guardian.
"This is a situation that doesn't occur too often in Baltimore. It was a state of emergency. We protected the youth," he said. "Any other time, if they were going to be released, we would do it. We need a guardian to come pick them up. During this time, to get around the city, it was very difficult. We made a decision to hold on to the kids until a judge could hold on to their case."
Just give their full ID +photos to the police.
Gold star in Chemistry and Phys Ed for Molotov cocktail hurling.
” As Jeremiah 13:23 says, leopards do not change their spots. “
Good thinking lasts for thousands of years.
They should get extra credit for “community enrichment activities.”
Once again condescending liberals holding blacks to a lower standard.
Rioting is a Civil Right?
Ah, there's that entitlement mindset again. Oh, and if you're so sure that what happens outside of school has no bearing on what goes on in school, well, first - you're an idiot. Second, then why are libtards so interested in if kids' families have firearms in the house, and "turning in" parents etc.? Hypocrites.
Moreover, Egan said, none of the cases against juveniles have gone to trial so there's no proof that students pose a risk to public safety.
Is she really that stupid? How does she feed and clothe herself without assistance?
"That rush to criminalize all childish behavior contributes to some of the systemic problems we see in impoverished communities, and what we see in Baltimore City," Egan said.
"Childish behavior?!" Has this mental midget ever been in a riot, ever really bothered to look at the aftermath? Refusing to eat your veggies is childish behavior. Looting and burning down someone's place of business, placing dozens of lives at risk, is pure criminal and ought to be treated as such.
The public defender's office has criticized the high rate of juvenile arrests that happen in schools.
What, you're expecting to arrest senior citizens in high schools? Fool. You make your arrests where you find criminals. If you're upset over the high rate of arrests, maybe you ought to look into why so many of that particular demographic are committing crimes. Duh!
"It damages kids. It's harmful for them," she said.
No, what damages kids is raising them with this asinine notion that there are no significant consequences to their choices and actions. There are always consequences, always. The sooner and more deeply they learn that the better. It will keep them from making bad choices later on that could get themselves and/or others hurt or killed.
This Egan is apparently a real piece of work. Someone needs to literally take her outside and slap her repeatedly until some common sense seeps into her muddled psyche.
Civics credit... and science credits, too!
Why don’t they just have school at the mall?
Liberals are taught the lowest common denominator early in life.
They hold it to the highest degree of society.
Not only no, but h*ll no.
Howz about you ACLU loser lawyers board these pukes in your homes?
They should be arrested, expelled and (if convicted) exiled.
They noted that state discipline regulations were revised recently with the aim of once again lowering standards and keeping more black students in school.
Maryland "Freak State" PING!
The non-troublemakers in Baltimore finally get a chance to have the animals cleared out, if only for a week or two, but that is even too long for the ACLU to put up with.
Figures.
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The question:
“How does she feed and clothe herself without assistance?”
She is a Trough Feeder - the productive feed her.
But the Trough Feeder has to on on her own clothes, though rumor has it she never buys shoes with laces, ‘cause dem knots be hard.
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