Chaney

[AllanY2525]

As a "Citizen Emeritus" of Youngstown, I am not in touch with the
daily goings-on regarding the whole schools issue, or the gang violence
problems in the city - but here is my $0.02 on a couple of things, as
an outsider looking in:

1) The city school board MUST get some police officers on-campus
at the high schools to STOP the violence - NOW.   Even back in
the early 1980's [ when I attended Rayen High School] we had at
least one police officer on duty at all times.

2) I don't think we can blame the school board, the state, etc for
the behaviour of individual students within or around the school
buildings.  The bottom line is this: ALL students need to be held
accountable for their actions - and the parents of problem students
need to be held accountable for the actions of their children, PERIOD.
ANY student that assaults a teacher, administrator, another student,
or anyone else for that matter needs to be IMMEDIATELY and
permanently BANNED from the premesis and have criminal charges
filed against them - their continued presence in the city's schools
disrupts the schools, breeds fear in the students and faculty and
makes it difficult if not impossible to provide a decent education
for the other students.

3) The city has done what it had to do as far as consolidation of
the student bodies from the former Wilson and Rayen high schools
into the existing student populations of Chaney and the new East
High.  The reason Rayen and Wilson were closed in the first place
is that there are simply fewer students in the city than in the past.
It is only logical, and sensible, that the number of "neighborhood
school buildings" be reduced and that the student population be
consolidated. 

4) I think that Mayor Williams needs to have some more "Town Hall
Meetings" (maybe at the schools themselves) and try to get the
parents, teachers, administrators, the Y.P.D. and the students
to come together and discuss the problem of gangs, etc in the
schools.  Who knows, maybe something positive might just
come out of such meetings.

I realize that I don't necessarily have all of the nitty-gritty
details on the whole issue, but these are my humble opinions
for what they are worth.

[irishbobcat]

In today's society, the blame should be placed on the Ohio School Facilities Commission who dangles state dollars in the face of the voters to eliminate the old fashioned neighborhood school buildings and build "city-wide" buildings where you now are forced to
bring in all the neighborhood gangs into 2 buildings and fights will occur.

All the new building program will do in the end is cause more parents and students to look for open enrollment out of the city to
neighboring districts or private schools.

I'm surprised any non-gang student from the Brownlee Woods area going to Chaney or East right now instead of enrolling in Struthers.

[jay]

The principal was a retiree who was then rehired. (just an observation)

Some of the students at Chaney are from the hardcore criminal gangs of the south side's hot spot.  Mr. Spencer is now the victim of the school board's failed pupil redistribution system.

[Towntalk]

What on earth is going on at Chaney?

http://www.vindy.com/content/local_regional/361838594429598.php

"The city school board accepted Robert Spencer's resignation Tuesday, saying only that Spencer listed "personal reasons" for his decision."

" There were unconfirmed reports that Spencer had been assaulted twice by students at Chaney last week, but Webb said she had no such reports."

"Chaney has had numerous reports of fights and assaults this school year, but Webb said she believes that things are improving in the school."

If this is anywhere near correct, then the PTA should demand that police officers should be assigned to that school with orders to exercise ZERO TOLERANCE toward any and all students, and the citizens should DEMAND IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS THAT WINDY WEBB MUST EITHER TENDER HER RESIGNATION IMMEDIATELY OR BE FIRED!

This is totally UNFORGIVEABLE!