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The two girls getting beat up in the video are residents of the neighborhood. It's a shame that middle school students are harrassing our community. Locust Point has never had issues like this in the past. I also believe that the principle is aware of her students behavior but she is looking out for the reputation of her school. Maybe the school board should evaluate these student's grades to even see if they keep the required GPA to attend a magnet school.

To all those that clamour for middles school choice, this is one of the expected outcomes. You have children criss-crossing the city to attend schools. They in turn become "gangs" of their own since many do not live in the school's neighborhood OR are preyed upon by the neighborhood children. Remember the young man that was beat to death in Chicago?

I don't need to see the video to know how serious this situation is. My child attends this school and it is absolutely horrible. There is so much bullying and fighting within the school that its no surprise it carries out into the neighborhood. Majority of the children that use public transportation behave absolutely horribly and are so rude and disruptive to the members of the community, that most times adults from the school, if available, have to stand with them at the bus stop until they are all loaded on the bus. Unfortunately they don't behave any better on the buses either.
I was really thrilled about sending my child to this school last year from attending the open house and according to previous parents comments but being there now, things are very different in a negative way.
The fact that the principal and City School's administration members are saying that they were unaware that the community has a problem with the students of this school is a lie b/c it has been spoken about numerous times to parents and there have been meetings also with the school and community regarding these frequent situations.
I think the problem stems from children from less than desirable neighborhoods, traveling very far to attend this school to attempt to recieve quality education, due to the new BCPSS Middle School Choice movement/policy. This allows students to attend schools outside of their neighborhood zone anywhere w/i the city basically and with the grades that some of them are receiving, they should be there. However, their behavior is the problem.
Many of the city's schools are suffering b/c of the Middle School Choice policy b/c many, not all, of the students that attend public school now have parents that lack parenting sense/skills and care less and don't take the time to properly raise their children. If you ask many of the teachers there, they will tell you that even on back to school or report card/pto nights, very few parents attend or come at any other time as well. Even when called.
There is a police on staff there at all times, though he doesn't do much but thats not his fault b/c the children are so unruly, its basically risking his life to handle them. And the VP's, are jokes. How some people obtain their positions is far beyond me! The principal overall is great and most of the teachers are as well but there needs to be a large reform in city schools, especially this one or one day, all of the schools here will be chartered schools.

Bottom line: Don't send your children here unless they know how to defend themselves very well.

Boo hoo. Kids are fighting. It's awful. Buses and choice will spell our doom. Wah. The principal should police the neighborhood. Kids are the school's responsibility 24-7. Sob sob. Parents aren't doing their jobs. I don't like the AP at my child's school. Wah! Baltimore is a city of disempowered whiners held hostage by it's children and the inability of adults to be proactive.

This is just one more in a long string of examples of children who have not been taught how to behave. Behavior should be taught at home and reinforced at school.Not able to raise your kid? Then don't have them. One day we are all going to look back and wonder what we were thinking when we tolerated the destructive,obnoxious, disruptive behavior that certain North Avenue folks are trying to convince us we must accept. While inappropriate behavior reigns, kids who want to learn are sielined. As a teacher, I plan engaging lessons and do the best job I know how to do, but I should not have to do the parent's job. I am so sick of all the excuses. Kids fighting in the neighborhoods is the responsibility of the fighter and his/her parent.

Where else do kids go and society holds the place/provider responsible for the kids behavior? Doctor? Dentist? Church? Mall?Work?
If a parent can't handle a kid, how is a teacher to handle the child?

Where you live should not affect how you get along in a school. You should not have to stay in your own neighborhood! For heaven's sake. Will you go to college in your own neighborhood? Work? Vacation. Either you know how to behave properly or you don't.Good behavior should know no boundries! The only thing that is going to fix City Schools is honesty about what the problems really are and who can really fix the problems.

elisabeth is absolutely right. Behavior should be taught at home but in far too many cases it isn't. I'm on the front lines of the mayhem and foolishness that reigns supreme some city schools and I know what I am talking about.

@elisabeth & scholastica -

I'm not going to disagree, but do you have anything constructive to suggest beyond the concept that "some people shouldn't have kids"? It seems like one of the ground rules of public education is that you work with the kids you are given. Are you suggesting something else be done with troubled kids, and if so what? Do you think that social services and foster care is the answer? I don't think they could handle the flood of kids that you're talking about.

I think every job has ground rules that you just can't change. I could rage about the injustice of some of the things I deal with in my job that don't seem fair and certainly aren't efficient, but there are some things that you deal with as opposed to eliminate.

More segregated schools for kids who get in fights, family training and parent involvement plans, gang and bullying reduction? I don't know what's practical and what's do-able, but I'm pretty sure saying "I shouldn't have to deal with this crap" over and over, isn't going to change anything.

Clearly, teachers in public schools deal with all kids every day. My comments were rhetorical. I am just trying to make the point that as long as "society" continues to make excuses for every sort of behavior, those behaviors will never be remedied.Whether it be school attendance, tardiness, lack of homework, lack of participation in parent conferences, or student behavior at school or in the greater community, there is always someone ready to make an excuse. Meanwhile, all of the above would rarely happen in most other school systems. We (parents and educators) neeed to prepare students for a bigger world where excuses will hold no water. Both college and the workplace would not tolerate the above for a day.But, hey, if you are uncomfortable with honesty, then be prepared to deal with our continued failures.

Clearly, I have problems expressing myself if I come across as being uncomfortable with honesty. Complain all you want and say you can't do any more than you're doing. All I'm asking for is one possible thing that you think someone, anyone, should do. I'm not saying there's nothing that can be done so just suck it up and be quiet. I didn't mean to imply that these kids have excuses for being violent, so schools need to accept it and do nothing.

I threw out some ideas but, since I'm not in a classroom, they might be stupid ideas. I was asking for suggestions on the hope that this would spark a discussion. I'm sorry if my comment didn't state that clearly.

What can we do? Send kids to school understanding acceptable behavior, send them everyday and on time with all their homework done and checked, study with them, don't tell them to fight back, tell them to ask an adult for help, teach them to respect not only their school but the community they live in or travel through, consult teachers and then actually believe them.I raise my kids this way and have never had any big problems.

I realize that we need to accept kids where they are and work from there. I willingly do that. However, I refuse(along with many great teachers) to be forever targeted as the reason kids don't succeed. For the fourth year in a row, over a third of my coworkers(the ones I wish would stay) are leaving BCPS. They are not leaving for promotions or money. They are leaving to work where they can actually teach and teach in some peace. Call me complaining. Call me whatever. I believe that my feelings and those of my peers are valid and worthy of expressing.

If a parent has any ideas school based staff can try that we have not tried, please share. We are not at war with you. We should be allies.

this video is not working it is bs bull shit

this video is not working it is bs bull shit