Brooks and Armenta to take another run at bullying

The leadership of the APS has a problem, the community is upset about the bullying that goes on APS schools, link. Community members are upset enough that they are showing up at school board meetings to complain about bullying, link.

The truth is, the leadership of the APS has a bigger problem than bullying; bullies can be dealt with.

APS Supt Winston Brooks' real problem, and by extension, APS Executive Director of Communications and Crisis Manager Monica Armenta's real problem is, how to placate the community about bullies and bullying, without talking about the administrative failures that enabled the bullying in the first place and continue to enable bullying to take place again and again and again.

Enforcing district and school discipline policies is an administrative responsibility. In particular, when a teacher tells a student to stop misbehaving, and the student's response means no, enforcing discipline policies is an administrative responsibility.

Why do we never talk about student discipline? In all of the endless meetings and task forces and town halls, why do we never talk about student discipline?

Where is the PowerPoint presentation on student discipline in the APS, link?

Where is the candid, forthright and honest presentation of the facts about student discipline and its effects on test scores and graduation rates?

Consider KRQE's report and the districts response. KRQE reports that a student claims the fights are organized and are a part of gang initiations. The student reports, students set up fights to get into gangs; an opportunity to prove themselves in action.

KRQE went to APS on "Thursday afternoon" (presumably during the work day) and was told by "an APS spokesperson ... everyone who could speak about the videos was gone."

The anonymous spokesperson went on to say,

"APS doesn't believe that these videos may be part of a fight club or gang initiation ..."

and we are left with a question; who is more likely to know the truth about what's going on, on the ground in APS high schools, a student at one of the schools where fights are being staged, or the unnamed APS spokesperson?

KRQE reports;

"One of the fights was actually stopped by what officials believe is a teacher, but APS says there's no record of the kids being disciplined for fighting at Rio Grande around that time that brawl took place."

And there you have it, the rubber meets the road; no record of kids being disciplined. They got away with it.

Nobody ever asks teachers about student discipline and its effect on their ability to educate classrooms full of kids. Nobody ever asks them whether their administration is taking care of business and bullies. No data is gathered on the administration of district and school discipline policies. Either that, or the data has been gathered, and it is being hidden.

The leadership of the APS is planning two public meetings on bullying. They will do everything they can to contain the conversation and to prevent the open and honest public discussion of the underlying administrative failure to maintain order in schools.

Students are in charge at school. It is their will being done.

Who is really in charge in schools where the adults say there
will be no fighting at school, or the students who go ahead
and fight anyway?

Kids are in charge at school and the last thing the Executive Director of Communication and Crisis Management is going to do is to prepare a candid, forthright and honest PowerPoint presentation of the evidence supporting that conclusion.

There will be no PowerPoint on student discipline. Ever.




photo Mark Bralley