Chaney & East - Problem Students - On the Radio Now

[Towntalk]

Here is an example of why we MUST stop hiding our heads in the sand and demand that our school officials either crack down harder than hard or get out of the system.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21224357/

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/10/cleveland.shooting/index.html

I refuse to believe a single word that Superintendent Webb says on what she is doing to clean up the mess our schools are in and would not hesitate to call her a BALD FACED LIAR to her face!

The truth of the matter is that our high schools are a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode thanks in no small part to the total incompetence of the Board of Education of the Youngstown City Schools from top to bottom and something must be done and done quickly.

At the same time our city officials MUST demand that the Board takes all the steps necessary to tighten up the security in our schools. When the tax payers of Youngstown have to have police officers that should be on the streets protecting us, patrolling the halls of city schools the Mayor has every good reason to make tough demands on the Board!

[northside lurker]

IF a student commits a serious problem like beating up a teacher or a fellow student are you saying that they can not be permanently expelled? What if a student is caught dealing drugs in school or on school property? Are you saying that the school has to take him back and pretend nothing happened.

Sure, for these offences he would go to the slammer, but should he be allowed back to do it again?

This was posted on the vindy boards, and what prompted my previous statement:

FROM THE OHIO STATE BAR ASSOCIATION

Schools Must Follow Procedures to Suspend or Expel Students

Q.: What is the difference between a suspension and an expulsion?
A.: A principal or superintendent may prohibit a student from attending school for a period of up to ten days; this is considered a suspension. The removal of a student from school for more than ten days is an expulsion. Students are generally expelled for more serious offenses, such as bringing weapons or drugs to school.

Q.: What is the maximum length of an expulsion?
A.: Generally, a superintendent may expel a student for up to 80 days, or the number of school days remaining in the semester in which the incident in question takes place, whichever is greater. If there are less than 80 days remaining in the school year, the expulsion may be extended into the following school year.

For students who bring firearms onto school property, both state and federal laws require a one-year expulsion. The superintendent may modify this requirement on a case-by-case basis. In addition, the board of education may enact a policy permitting the superintendent to expel for one year a student who brings a knife to school, makes a bomb threat or commits certain acts on school property that would be considered a crime if committed by an adult. A superintendent also may expel a student for up to one year if the student brings a firearm or knife to an interscholastic competition, an extracurricular event, or any other school program or activity.

Q.: May a student be permanently expelled?
A.: Yes, but only in limited circumstances and only for the most serious offenses. If a student, aged 16 or older, is convicted of offenses such as murder or manslaughter of a school employee, selling drugs or possessing a deadly weapon on school grounds, the board of education may request that the state superintendent of public instruction permanently exclude the student from attendance at any public school in Ohio.

Q.: If a student is suspended or expelled from District A, can he or she just transfer to District B?
A.: Not necessarily. First, there are certain rules that govern where a student attends school, such as the residence of the parents or payment of tuition. Second, the law allows the receiving/new district (District B) to temporarily deny admission to a student who has been suspended or expelled from another district until the time period of the suspension or expulsion has expired.

Q.: What procedure does a school need to follow to suspend a student?
A.: Prior to the suspension, the superintendent or principal must give the student written notice of the intention to suspend and provide the student with an opportunity to appear at an informal hearing to challenge the reason for the intended suspension or to explain his/her actions. This is an informal hearing, so the school need not allow the student to have legal counsel or question witnesses. If, as a result of the hearing, the principal decides the student should be suspended, he/she must notify the parents, in writing, of the reasons for the suspension. This notice must also inform the parents of the right of appeal to the board of education or its designee and to be represented at the appeal hearing.

Q.: What procedure must be followed for an expulsion?
A.: Because of the serious nature of the offenses that typically lead to an expulsion and the longer time period the student will be removed from school, the procedures to be followed for an expulsion are more formal than those for a suspension. The superintendent must give the student and the student's parents written notice of the intent to expel and provide the student, parents, or a representative of the student the opportunity to appear before the superintendent or the superintendent's designee to challenge the reasons for the intended expulsion.

If the superintendent decides that an expulsion is warranted, he/she must send a notice of the expulsion to the parents and student. This notice must include the reasons for the expulsion and notice of the right to appear before the board of education or its designee to appeal the expulsion.

Q.: Do the above rules apply to in-school suspensions, "Saturday school" or removal of a student from class by a teacher?
A.: No. These are considered "routine" disciplinary measures and do not require the formality needed to suspend or expel a student.

So yes, a student can be permanently expelled, but only for the most serious crimes.

[jay]

The south side forum contains considerable discussion about the youth gang activities in the hot spot between South Avenue and Market Street.  With the closing of Wilson High School, these thugs are now attending Chaney and East.  As stated on the Ron Verb show yesterday, these thugs are infecting the student populations of both schools.

[jay]

School board elections will take place this November.  We should attend every candidates' forum and ask the questions posed by Towntalk.

[Towntalk]

IF a student commits a serious problem like beating up a teacher or a fellow student are you saying that they can not be permanently expelled? What if a student is caught dealing drugs in school or on school property? Are you saying that the school has to take him back and pretend nothing happened.

Sure, for these offences he would go to the slammer, but should he be allowed back to do it again?

[northside lurker]

I like your idea of a separate school for the trouble makers.  I could be wrong, but I think they already have one, although I'm sure it's not like you describe.  It's just separate. (and full)

However, it's against the law for a student to be expelled permanently.

[Towntalk]

What angers me is the pathetic excuses that the Board gives. Sure, most of the students are good kids, and sure, the trouble makers are in the minority, but that is NO EXCUSE.

The sob sisters that sit around whining that we've "got to understand" only prove their ignorance. Young people need grown ups who are not afraid to exercise authority over them, and when they start talking back to their teachers, and tell school officials that they will move along when they get good and ready, the time has come for the system to bring down the hammer good and hard.

What this system needs is a policy of STRIKE ONE AND YOU'RE OUT, AND YOU DON'T GET BACK!

What needs to be done is to turn an empty school building into a school for trouble makers. They would be assigned a classroom and there they would stay all day taking all their classes in that one room, and there would not only be an intercom in the rooms, but also a closed circut TV camera monitored by a City Policeman. The ONLY time that a student could leave the classroom would be to go to the toilet and to lunch. They could NOT leave the building until dismissal, and there would be no extracurricular activities.

IF after a year in that environment a student proves him or herself the next year they could return to a regular school, but if they get in trouble a second time they should be perminantly expelled.

[Mary]

There were people going door to door in my neighborhood asking for support for youngstown schools. They also placed a sign in a yard of a home that is empty. I thought you had to get permission to place those signs.

[jay]

Residents of the Chaney neighborhood have complained about students loitering around the school after sunset.  Litter and trash have already increased in the area around Chaney.  The neighbors are fearful that crime will also increase.   

[Towntalk]

Here is a copy of an E-Mail to WKBN on this topic:

As you well know, the Youngstown City Schools are going to the ballot for more money, and our answer must be ... NOT ONE MORE PENNY UNTIL THE SYSTEM BRINGS EAST AND CHANEY UNDER CONTROL AND UNTIL THE CURRENT SUPERINTENDENT IS REPLACED BY SOMEONE WHO WILL SEE TO IT THAT THERE IS ZERO TOLERANCE FOR ALL OFFENSES BOTH BY STUDENTS AND STAFF.

To reinforce zero tolerance the Board must end all extra-curricular activities at East and Chaney for the remainder of the year and if they refuse to, call for a removal referendum calling for the removal of ALL the board members.

NO MORE EXCUSES! NO MORE EXCUSES FROM THE BOARD ... THE SUPERINTENDENT ... THE TEACHERS ... THE TEACHERS UNION ... OR PARENTS!

NONE!!!

Good students will suffer by the loss of ALL EXTRA-CURRICULAR activities for the remainder of the school year, but hopefully this move would get them to come forward and report the troublemakers.

As for the parients of the troublemakers, they should be forced to spend time in the slammer and their kids taken away from them because it is clear that they are unfit to raise dogs much less children.

HARSH MEASURES ARE CALLED FOR AND IF THE BOARD BACKS DOWN A SINGLE INCH THEY MUST BE REMOVED!

As for the so-called superintendant she isn't fit to run a school system and must be shown the door ASAP!

[jay]

What an eye opener!  The problems with students at Youngstown city high schools is being discussed on WKBN 570-AM today.  The program started at 3:00 p.m. and should run until 6:00 p.m.

If you listen, discuss this issue on the forum this afternoon and evening.