School safety
My column in Sunday's newspaper quoted several students talking at a forum about Baltimore school safety and truancy. One student, Chante Bonner, 16, told the city school police chief that she felt unsafe at Western High School because, she alleged, the police officer assigned there stayed in her office and didn't patrol the hallways.
That prompted responses from readers of Sara Neufeld's education blog and from the school's principal, Eleanor P. Matthews, who called the student's statements false. At the time, the school police chief took notes and promised to look into her allegations.
Here is what Matthews wrote (she gave me permission to post these lines):
Every Sunday morning, I read the Baltimore Sun from front to back page; yesterday I read your article with interest, foremost because your topic dealt with the students in Baltimore City, and secondly because a student in my school was featured. My pleasure at the mention of Western was quickly replaced with consternation when I read the line credited to our student, Chante Bonner, "We have one officer and she is always in the office or sitting somewhere.” And, your reply, “It matters that the police officer assigned to Chante's school doesn't seem to do her job.” I was astounded. In two quick sentences your article impugned both our school and our police officer’s reputation. To imply that students at Western are not inclined to attend school because of the school police officer, or to assume in print that our school police does not do her job is erroneous.
You wrote, “…So let's try and find a way to keep Chante safe in her school…” Obviously, you have never visited our school. Western exhibits most of the characteristics of a college preparatory school. Students are in the classrooms during the class periods and out of the hallways; very little mischief occurs in the hallways or the restrooms. Over 94% of our students arrive on time to school every day. Western has one of the largest number of minority students enrolled in and taking Advanced Placement Classes.
The vast majority of our students are focused on their studies; yes, there are students here who are involved in minor mischief, but please don’t make the assumption that one student, one who is well known to all of the administrators in the office, speaks the truth about the safety issues in our school. I do invite you to visit our school at your convenience.
Comments
One call to Western HS to fact-check would have avoided this entire back-and-forth.
Posted by: blarg | January 12, 2009 6:45 PM
Blarg, it's not that simple. The back and forth would have been published even if I had spoken to the principal. Keep in mind, the student made the comments at a public forum to the city school police chief, so the officer's boss was standing next to me at the time.
I checked last night and the student stands by her story, even noting that yesterday, the police officer was out patrolling the hallways.
Posted by: Peter Hermann | January 13, 2009 8:14 AM
Most parents do not fully understand the positive impact of the school resource officer. Through my experience in the middle and junior high levels as an “active in education” father, I see firsthand the value these men and women have on campus.
Over the last 10 years, I helped lead a program designed to get fathers and father-figures started and active in my children’s elementary and middle schools. The purpose and vision of this program was safety and positive male role models. Due to the challenge of 65-85% of students in some schools / school districts who live in a single parent home, typically with mom, the program did not have the ability to serve all communities nationally.
To help support personal responsibility, safety and education, Schools And Families Engaged (the S.A.F.E. TEAM on Campus) was launched in 2008 to meet the needs of schools and families. Many of our school's families do not know where to begin in school. Many parents today never had an example of their parents supporting the school, let alone having a personal schooling experience they enjoyed. Why would they have a desire to serve? You only know what you have experienced.
Provide support for your school, families, community and school resource officers. Make time to check out our site www.thesafeteam.com . On the About SAFE page, click on the 40 Developmental Assets link. This reference will tie in all the benefits of families and communities supporting their students both in school and out of school.
Posted by: Scott Huse | January 15, 2009 8:15 PM
Siting school safety issues our local school system banned traditional book bags. As a concerned parent I invented a new book bag that allows teachers and safety personnel to quickly identify what students are bringing onto school campuses. Check out inpackbookbag.com to view this new bag that our school allows the students to carry onto and around the campus.
Posted by: Lynne Inman | August 24, 2009 12:47 PM