The Wisconsin State Journal reported a news story that both showed the dangers within classrooms at Madison Schools, while also underscoring the turtle-like process the Board is employing to deal with the violence.
Not for the first time does this blog ask for accountability from the Madison School Board. Given the makeup of the Board, it is not possible to inject the needed solutions to address the violence that concerns parents and creates fear and dread in students.
The paper noted the latest violence that took place Monday.
In the video taken Monday at East and later removed from Facebook, a student verbally confronts another student in a classroom before physically attacking the student, and eventually tackling the student onto a table, which subsequently buckles. Another person is seen in the video attempting to separate the two students, but it’s unclear whether the person who intervened is a student or staff member.
I am sure some gentle coaxing and soothing colors in a ‘time out’ room are all that will be required to bring this violence to an end. Right? Maybe throw in a pizza party, too!
Then the news article reported what is breaking news of sorts given the incredibly stodgy and arrogant way this Board has operated given the mounting examples of violence taking place on school grounds.
The board voted unanimously Monday evening to launch its student safety and wellness committee made up of community members, students, and staff five months after it was first discussed in the wake of multiple fights at East High.
I do hope the Board did not get dizzy from acting so quickly to form a committee. Deep breaths…..deep breaths after all that exertion.
But then true to form Board member and perhaps the weakest link in the chain of command on the Board, Ananda Mirilli, who will co-chair the ad hoc committee along with East student body president Gordon Allen, said board members are still submitting recommendations for committee members, and they’re still searching for students and support staff to take part.
I am not sure what the Board uses for the conveyance of messaging to interested parties, but if it is true that after five months Mirilli is still having board members “submitting recommendations for committee members” we might simply need to install a new dog sled team. I (truly) know of faster back and forth communication between small communities near Barrow, Alaska.
My first concern, as noted often on this blog in relation to this issue, is the needs of the students. First, obviously is safety. But a very close second is the desire of many students to have a well-rounded education so to capture the college of their choice upon graduation. Let us not forget most of the students in our schools wish to lead productive lives and make money with a good job.
Having even that small portion of the student body, however, with only low-brow brutish animal tendencies creating disruptions and utter chaos in the schools puts huge strains on teachers and students alike. It is not fair to the ones who wish to teach and learn. It is also not fair to the taxpayers who fund this district.
It is the last group which I very much believe this Board has forgotten about, over and over. It is pure arrogance for the Board to have pushed off the creation of this much-needed mechanism to deal with the growing violence in our schools. Whatever group this Board listens to, it clearly is not the ones who have pressed again and again for safety and sanity. Perhaps to get the attention of this Board parents just need to attend meetings and stand up, shout obscenities, and pound on the walls.
Because we know this Board is not listening to the polite well-articulated requests to stop the violence at our schools.
It is a lack of leadership and determination from this Board to address the violence in a timely fashion that was reported in this morning’s newspaper. Oh, do not worry if you missed Tuesday’s edition, because thanks to this Board more violence and news headlines are likely coming your way soon.
And so it goes.