t. dean wrote:
>
> 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>