[Southsider2k12]

http://heraldargus.com/archives/ha/display.php?id=386722

12-year-old boy was arrested Monday morning at a Michigan City middle school for punching the principal.

A Krueger Middle School employee told Michigan City Police that the boy punched Principal Lisa Emshwiller at the start of the day. Police said Emshwiller had a golf-ball-size lump on her forehead.

Emshwiller told officers the boy was hitting another student and she told him to stop. The boy refused, and when Emshwiller stepped in she was punched in the forehead.

The boy was charged with battery, a Class

D felony.

[Southsider2k12]

Kind of odd to see this letter with the story about the incident at Krueger in the LaPorte paper (the MC paper didn't report this of course). And this kind of stuff isn't a future occourence in the MCAS, it has happened before, and will happen again. Because the state looks down on systems with high suspension and expulsion rates, the current regime does everything that they can to not kick a kid out. There are some dangers in our schools, and in many cases the administration knows this and ignores it. I wonder if anyone has ever filed a liable suit against a school system for a situation where they knowingly let someone back into a school who had demonstrated that they werre a danger to others, and they again hurt someone?

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=53943.53

Schools Contain Some Dangerous Youths
There is danger in the public schools, and it is disturbing. The environment of the teachers and counselors who are dedicating their lives, and attempting to better the lives of the many, is dangerously close to "code yellow," which in the medical field means disaster.

I talked to someone in the school system. "Secret Squirrel" shared experiences at the high school. For the most part Secret likes the job, and says the majority of the kids are good. However, some of the kids are not kids at all. They have no sense of respect, and are very, very "street."

Secret told me individuals, after reprimands, will speak just loud enough to be heard. The words are of a threatening nature typically heard on the street. Last week a confrontation between Secret and a student was brought to a level where Secret felt physically threatened. Shaken from the incident, Secret said it took a few minutes to get oneself together.

I asked what can you do? Secret told me the options are few and not effective. The kids do what they want. They are ice cold, brazen and fearless, and there are no real repercussions, with the exception of expulsion, and too many expulsions is a negative reflection on the school system, so that trigger is hard for the administration to pull. This inaction invites more and higher level animosity by the kids.

Secret does not know where the blame lies, and said what is important is to try to remember that there are kids there willing and wanting to learn, and tries to focus on the reason for being there.

Even with the hope of that statement, there is still an undertone of danger in the halls of the public schools. One day a teacher will be assaulted. The anger and disrespect in some of these kids is very apparent, and can be very intimidating. Secret says "a good poker face is a necessary tool that only comes with time and experience," and fears the bluff one day will be called.

Robert Weber

Michigan City

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=41374.03

Teacher Struck By Student

From Staff Reports

MICHIGAN CITY - Four 12-year-old boys were arrested Friday at Elston Middle School, 317 Detroit St., after a fight in which a teacher was struck and injured.

According to police reports, the teacher was attempting to break up the fight, and as she turned her back on one of the students, she was struck from behind.

The four were handcuffed and taken to the police department. Three were charged with disorderly conduct and one with battery.

The teacher was treated at Working Well, a medical facility specializing in job-related injuries.

[JHeath]

These are the kind of stories that really scare me, as I have a daughter who will be entering Jr. high in 2 years. I'm very nervous about sending a child with a disability into this environment.

With these stories coming out more and more, I'm thinking it was a HUGE mistake to have closed down the alternative school.

[Roger Kaputnik]

I would love to hear the 12 y/o's parents' take on this matter. Also, MCAS should make it mandatory for all assaults to be reported; that removes the option from the teachers, etc., to let this slide or to be coerced into not reporting an assault.

[Southsider2k12]

FWIW, when the teachers had their last work to rules strike, safety was one of the main issues that was discussed. The MCEA wanted these things to go through the police.

[Ang]

I agree with Jenny on this issue. There is so much violence in the halls of the middle schools it's very scary. I'm thinking that schools on the south side of Chicago are safer than in Michigan City

[Roger Kaputnik]

Are the workplace safety rules posted anywhere?

[JHeath]

Are the workplace safety rules posted anywhere?

What difference would this make? It's the kids, acting out and not knowing how to handle the issues, not the teachers or administrative staff.

[Ang]

To answer Roger, they are posted in the teacher's lounges and the break rooms off the cafeterias. Plant Planning is resposible for employee safety. But Jenny is right. Does it make a difference? I think not. The kids don't care about that. The teachers try their best, but short of carrying around pepper spray (which I'm sure would be considered unconstitutional or cruel and unusual), there is nothing they can do to break up fights without endangering themselves.

Here, they have a place called "A2S" which is "Alternative to Suspension" It is a facility located outside of the schools. A student assigned to A2S from any school goes to the same location. Talking is absolutely forbidden and they have volunteer policemen on site to keep peace and order. They do not have out-of-school suspension here, if a kid is kicked out of school, he is expelled for the rest of the year. All suspensions go to A2S. It is grim and depressing, but that's the point of it. They don't want kids to like it there so they will behave and not want to go back. It doesn't matter how old you are either. 3rd graders have been sent to A2S for fighting and sit beside the Senior who cussed out a teacher.

Maybe MC should do something like that?