From the Times Union, The (school) board said… Vitti also needs to
strengthen school safety and change the perception that the public thinks
schools are unsafe.
We just have perception problem friends; things are fine in
our schools. Gosh, I really hope
nobody on the board actually said that and instead it was the Times Union
taking literary license. If not then that serial bully who later got to go to
Universal Studios and the SED kids who are roaming our halls beating up other
students are just figments of our collective imaginations.
Ask a teacher if they know a student who acts as if they own
the place, running the halls, talking back and disrupting classes without
consequences. Ask a student the same question too. Ask them what their
perceptions are.
We don’t have a perception problem and maybe the board would
know that if they got out and talked to teachers and students. We have a
discipline problem. Maybe the new dean positions will help mitigate some of what’s
going on but unless we commit to giving students who act up real consequences
instead of barely slaps on the wrist I doubt it. The problem is not our perception;
the problem is the inaction of the school board and it is a problem that has been going on for years.
I have seen firsthand why teachers stop 'caring' about student safety issues. There is nothing in it for them to even try. I know of teachers, including myself, who run around in circles trying to protect students but get no help or appreciation from administrators who would rather focus on nothing but test scores to the detriment of everything else. This is sad.
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