Rather than improve Madison schools,
Tuesday’s school board candidates would slam shut the exits
When your congenial yet irascible host first ran for public office way back in 1994, on-line social media consisted of BBS bulletin boards accessible by dial-up modems (BRR-BUZZ-Beep Beep!), run by dweebie kids in their basement. But Blaska for Safer Schools is waging our campaign on Facebook, big time, and hoping young Zuckerberg plays fair.
Do visit my facebook page. Here are a smattering of the comments we have received since Friday morning:
Teacher suffers traumatic brain injury
Jennifer Drake Figy — My husband’s 20+ year career started and ended at [Sherman middle school] due to a student’s physical violence against him. Amazing what a traumatic brain injury can do to a person! (Student slammed the classroom door on my husband’s head.)
Lisa Walton — Nowhere is [Blaska] saying beat the kids or anything like that. … Madison schools don’t believe in discipline at all because they’re too afraid of offending someone. They think talking can solve all problems. One of the many reasons we pulled our kids out, too.
John Easterday — It is a given one cannot provide mental health treatment in an unsafe environment. The same applies to schools. One needs a safe environment to teach and to learn.
Tobias Alastor Phoenix — I do expect the school to discipline them as students if they misbehave. Disciplining is the job of the parents. It does seem parents have done a poor job in disciplining kids though. Either way, many families and children suffer and behave due to all kinds of reasons, and they need help.
If it ain’t working …?
Linda Mccart — What happened to holding kids responsible for their behavior? Who let things get completely out of control? In most places when one discovers something isn’t working, one changes course.
Jill Cerniglia — My grandson was so bullied there he had to be escorted from the car to door and after school. He is no longer at the school and lives out of Madison. Thank God. We need someone that is going to take care of the violence in our schools. It is sad that the schools and the decisions of not making kids responsible for their actions has lead to have this kind of discussion.
Scott McNeill — This type of behavior, if left unchecked, will make these kids LESS employable. In the long run, this policy hurts teaching professionals, kids themselves. I want ALL kids employable and to succeed in whatever they choose. Starts with a safe environment with accountability.
Margaret Savides Benbow — … I won’t be voting for Blaska. But he is correct that after the adoption of the Behavior Education Plan, which did away with consequences for violent student behavior, there was a huge upswing in violent and unsafe incidents. This included bullying classmates, attacking teachers, loudly disrupting lessons and attempts to study and learn. Nobody is saying that the solution is beating kids with a board.
At the very least, the so-called BEP should be abandoned as the failure it is and former standards of behavior and consequences should prevail. And this should happen as soon as possible.
Pam Jackson — Children should be taught respect in the home, and reinforced in the school. Not enough parents take the time to be involved in their child’s education plan, expecting the teachers to do their job for them. Madison Public Schools has turned soft to discipline or any other deterrent of bad behavior due to standing lawsuits from lazy parents. They are afraid of discrimination lawsuits as well. This should not be the case.
Parents need to take more responsibility for their children’s education and behavior, and not place the blame of failure elsewhere. I see how these children act in school, on the bus, the library, and in the mall. Although it is not my child acting out, I am embarrassed to be in the presence of some of these teens in Madison.
Vote for safety in schools
JeannieCampbell — Children need to know they can be sad and/ or angry and helped to develop some techniques to help self calm and manage those strong emotions and stand up to peer pressure.
But they also need to know that if they rip up a bulletin board, verbally disrespect a teacher or fellow student or staff member or steal or fight there will be consequences and they will not be pleasant. In school suspension and loss of privileges and staying after school and the like should be available as options for educators to use with their students as mich as mindfulness and yoga training, because unfortunately some children need to have the stick while others respond better to the carrot.
James R Sawchuk — Sounds like the system needs a complete overhaul.
Susan Gregory Titus — Vote for safety in schools. Vote David!
But the enablers had their say, too
Because it is social media, the Ali Muldrow supporters flooded the zone.
Jocelyne Rodriguez — Fuck the Madison Police. Racist fuck.
Elizabeth Mannering — Take your privilege and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine, Dave.
Merideth JoAnne Fetting — You’re nothing but a sick, twisted, old racist.
Blaska’s Bottom Line: Those last three “ladies” elected the current school board. Can we put the brakes on this imminent train wreck? Visit my web page at www.blaskaforsaferschools.org and drop some coins in the collection plate.
Add your voice to the debate on my Facebook page. And vote Tuesday, February 19.
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