You sound very isolated. Do you have any allies on your school board or
among other school administrators? Among any teachers? Is your school
the only one locally? What about allies in other schools? Could you call
a meeting to discuss your concerns and invite people you think would share
them? You obviously can't turn all this around by yourself.
Jo Sanders <jsanders@wri-edu.org>
On Sat, 28 Mar 1998, t. dean wrote:
> Date: Sat, 28 Mar 1998 09:48:44 -0500
> From: "t. dean" <tad@ohiolinks.com>
> Reply-To: edequity@tristram.edc.org
> To: edequity@tristram.edc.org
>
> I am a high school and elementary Principal in a rural school district. I did
> not grow up in this area; I grew up in the suburbs. I am very concerned with
> the culture in the area I work in. It is mostly a coal mining town. We
recently
> had an incident where high school students on the way to basketball practice
> "shot up the town" with paint ball guns. I have recently found bullets in my
> hallways. Locker searches have not produced guns or bullets. Almost every
> night beer bottles are found in front of my school. I have gone by my school
at
> 11:00 PM to find former graduates and students as young as 9th grade in the
> parking lot. The local Sheriff's Dept. "pretends" to support me by driving by
> 1/2 hour after I report suspicious activity on school property. Parents treat
> me like I am insane when I contact them about students being out so late at
> night (even on a school night). My home and car have been vandalized. My
> neighbor boy, a "nice kid" vandalized my car because I suspended his friend
for
> calling a new teacher a "fag". The boy wanted to teach me a lesson about
> "suspending everyone". My school is in a big football town. A 9th grade
student
> turned in upper classmen( 17 & 18 year olds) for drinking and driving, but the
> Sheriff's Dept. refused to believe him. Every school I have ever worked in
does
> not give serious discipline to kids on sports teams. The previous two
> principals were former coaches and athletic directors before becoming
principals
> and they have stated in writing that very few students "committed offences
> worthy of suspension". This is a crock of bull because verbal and physical
> abuse of weaker students (mostly female) has gone on unpunished for years. I
> regularly contact Children's Services about kids with bruises, they come in
and
> ask the kids what they ate for dinner, are they warm at night, etc. When they
> ask about being hit or touched in inappropriate places, the kids say nothing.
> So, Children's Services rarely invetigate further. I am really concerned that
> something like the masacre at Arkansas could occur in my town. "Dating"
starts
> very early in elementary school. It is very common for 12 year olds to be
> engaging in sexual relationships. I brought in the head Sheriff to speak
about
> guns and safety. He brought in statistics of crimes committed by juveniles,
but
> teachers refused to pass them out saying tghe literature would "put ideas in
> kids' heads". I am frustrated. I know my community is not the only one like
> this in America. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks,Rural Principal
> "t. dean" <tad@ohiolinks.com>
>
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEB SITE! http://www.wri-edu.org/equity
Jo Sanders
Director, Center for Gender Equity
Washington Research Institute
150 Nickerson Street, Suite 305
Seattle, WA 98109
Phone (206) 285-9317
Fax (206) 285-1523
E-mail <jsanders@wri-edu.org>