Speech Before the Bryan City School Board 2/2012
Thank you for allowing me to be here this evening.
I have just a few things to bring before this board. I believe you are on the board because you care about the kids in Bryan, Ohio. You want them to be well educated and develop into young men and women this community will be proud of. I am not going to waste your time by sandwiching the suggestions with that saying something good, saying something bad, then saying something good again technique. We are all aware of the strengths of this school system. But there are some detrimental aspects that need to be addressed and can be changed.
There are kids who are falling through the cracks, sometimes even being pushed through the cracks in the system. As a concerned parent, citizen and Christian I am here to point out some cracks in your system and offer solutions so that truly this is a district that never, ever gives up on kids.
There are four things I need to say. These are some of the things I found after an incident with my son at Bryan High School. But regarding that particular incident, and those involved, I have been advised not to say anything at this time. Therefore, I will hold my comments to pointing out aspects within the administrative process of the Bryan School District which need to be addressed if you sincerely want to live up to your stated intention, which is: a district that never, ever gives up on kids.
This motto ought to reflect the attitude of all the processes at this school. But I found that it doesn't. Of the four points, the first point is the discipline/punishment process up to and including expulsion and reintroduction into the school. I have spoken with the principal and counselor at the school. I asked what happens when a child is punished by being expelled. Is there any counseling by the school? The answer was no. None. No counseling to the youth. Not by the school.
I asked if the student receives counseling during the punishment phase. And if there is counseling during the reintroduction phase. The answer was no. No restorative measures! From the initial investigative phase, the punishment phase and the return to school phase. How can that be, I questioned? The response was the students is either referred or encouraged to seek counseling elsewhere.
But this also doesn't seem to happen. And with no counseling by the school, the discipline is purely a punishment and has no restorative measures whatsoever. And there is nothing in your guidelines that I have read which includes counseling during the disciplining process.
One would assume by your mission satement the school sysem should be working hard toward the goal of restoring that child. Therefore, I would like to recommend some thoughts on policy changes that would help these kids. First. develop a policy whereby any punishment greater than a few days' detention, should require immediate counselor intervention. Secondly, counseling should take place throughout the entire disciplinary process. Please note, the ones punishing should not be the ones counseling. After all, this is a school system that boasts, a district that never, ever gives up on kids.
The second point has to do with intervening with students who show a significant drop in grades which usually coincides with a negative change in attitude as well. On this point I asked the BHS counselor if there were a way to find and counsel these students. The answer I got was that if a teacher mentions falling grades to a counselor, then the counselor will seek out that child. Nothing proactive there! Otherwise there is nothing they do. And they are quite busy with reports, etc.
I was, as you may well be too, dumbfounded, because in this day and age we all know how failing grades, negative changes in attitudes reflect serious conflicts within the student. ie. drugs, family issues, school issues, etc. with which a good counselor can help that student cope.
I understand that long-term counseling to so many kids may be unworkable on a large scale. But if the scale is not large this is possible. And if it is large there should be initial conseling with further referrals to organizations that can help. I would hope that this board looks into policy changes to encourage this. I gave one possibility while meeting with your counselor and principal who unexpectedly joined the meeting with the counselor and I halfway through.
Why not have the computer program flag these falling grades and kick out the names to the counselors so they can approach the student? Your principal stated that the program was not their own and couldn't be changed. He offered nothing constructive on the idea of reaching these students. So, instead of a district that never gives up on kids, it may as well read a district that gives up on problem kids. But the rest are safe. This needs to be addressed and a policy put into place.
The third point is discrimination within the school system. I asked the principal if there was any prejudice or racism within the school. He emphatically said no. Prejudice and racism, we all know are societal problems even here in Bryan, OH. So, for anyone to state that there is no racism or prejudice in the school system is either dillusioned by wishful thinking or a whitewash job.
And there are several kinds of prejudice, as the board well knows. There is the prejuide against individuals and families. There is social economic prejudice, and of course, prejudice against skin color, etc. However, there is also prejudice for a family name, a social association, any number of status symbols in and out of school, etc. It is the kind of prejudice that will let some infraction slide while punishing others for the same infraction. This demonstrates blatant favoritism. And if you are a Christian, James clearly says, "My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism!" James 2:1 (NIV)
This all leads to the terms connected and disconnected. Those students disconnected from the movers,shakers and doers of the school system are often not treated fairly in your school system. This favoritism rears its ugly head only when something favorable or unfavorable comes to the attention of the system. The connected child and disconnected child are often treated differently.
If you don't think this happens, just ask the students! . And kids can see this. Kids know and kids can see the change in attitudes when a teacher is dealing with a priveledged child and a disconnected student. I have spoken with kids both connected and disconnected. They know it exists. Now you do, too. Now, if you have policies already in place they are not being enforced. But I haven't seen such policies.
The only way to fix this prejudice againt the disconnected is to have firm and fair leadership showing absolutely no favoritism. It must start at the top. From you. From the superintendent to the the teacher. I think you would agree that fairness must be in the forefront of this educational process. It isn't so at BHS. There should be no favors to students who are on the football team, certain families. No favors to the neighbor's kid, etc.
And now my final point. You know, there is a lot on TV and the internet now regarding bullying. And schools are doing much to stop this. Very commendable. We all agree that this is a terrible thing I am sure that the staff at BHS is strongly againt bullying. On the other hand, some of the teachers, principals and staff here at BHS sometimes become the bullies!
Fortuantely this isn't my son's current experinece but I have become aware that some kids have been and are being bullied by teachers and staff. You may ask, how do I know? Well, I talk to these kids. They tell me. And I am not naive. I know the differnce between not liking a teacher and not liking a teacher due to bullying. It is interesting to note that in your definition of harassment and bullying, it is only student(s) to student(s). There is nothing about staff, teachers or administrators. Again, this is the definition paragraph in your manual.
Sometimes bullyng is a conscious effort on the part of the bully and sometimes I believe this is caused by two personalities clashing. This antagnonism builds over time in the classroom and spills over into psychological bullying. The teacher either says disparaging remarks, gives lower grades, gives more detentions, etc. The student is being bullied into submission. The student has no recourse except to correctly feel that he or she is being treated unfairly by the teacher and the school system.
While talking with your principal and counselor I realized there is nothing set up to diffuse this ticking time bomb. You seem to have no checks and balances in place. Nothing in place to identify and rectify these bullying situations that do happen here.
And this seems so easy to correct. For example, each grading period the teacher is asked to submit the names of students he or she is having difficulty with. The counselors can follow this up by talking to the student the get his or her impressions. From that point many possibilities are available. No bullying and no issues. Mediation of feelings, changing classes. Apologies. Etc. But as of now, this doesn't seem to be the case. So, it seems our mission statement shlould not read "a district that never, ever gives up on kids" but should read "a district that never, ever gives up on kids who are connected, cause no problems and submit to an unfair system,
I urge the board to look into these matters itself. Go talk to the students, those you know and those you don't know. The leaders of your system have failed you. It seems that they are protecing themselves and their system at the expense of the kids. It is my hope this board looks into these four concerns and truly follows Bryan School District's stated philosophy. Also, I request that having looked into these matters you report your findings.
Thank you.
Luther J. Rupp
I have just a few things to bring before this board. I believe you are on the board because you care about the kids in Bryan, Ohio. You want them to be well educated and develop into young men and women this community will be proud of. I am not going to waste your time by sandwiching the suggestions with that saying something good, saying something bad, then saying something good again technique. We are all aware of the strengths of this school system. But there are some detrimental aspects that need to be addressed and can be changed.
There are kids who are falling through the cracks, sometimes even being pushed through the cracks in the system. As a concerned parent, citizen and Christian I am here to point out some cracks in your system and offer solutions so that truly this is a district that never, ever gives up on kids.
There are four things I need to say. These are some of the things I found after an incident with my son at Bryan High School. But regarding that particular incident, and those involved, I have been advised not to say anything at this time. Therefore, I will hold my comments to pointing out aspects within the administrative process of the Bryan School District which need to be addressed if you sincerely want to live up to your stated intention, which is: a district that never, ever gives up on kids.
This motto ought to reflect the attitude of all the processes at this school. But I found that it doesn't. Of the four points, the first point is the discipline/punishment process up to and including expulsion and reintroduction into the school. I have spoken with the principal and counselor at the school. I asked what happens when a child is punished by being expelled. Is there any counseling by the school? The answer was no. None. No counseling to the youth. Not by the school.
I asked if the student receives counseling during the punishment phase. And if there is counseling during the reintroduction phase. The answer was no. No restorative measures! From the initial investigative phase, the punishment phase and the return to school phase. How can that be, I questioned? The response was the students is either referred or encouraged to seek counseling elsewhere.
But this also doesn't seem to happen. And with no counseling by the school, the discipline is purely a punishment and has no restorative measures whatsoever. And there is nothing in your guidelines that I have read which includes counseling during the disciplining process.
One would assume by your mission satement the school sysem should be working hard toward the goal of restoring that child. Therefore, I would like to recommend some thoughts on policy changes that would help these kids. First. develop a policy whereby any punishment greater than a few days' detention, should require immediate counselor intervention. Secondly, counseling should take place throughout the entire disciplinary process. Please note, the ones punishing should not be the ones counseling. After all, this is a school system that boasts, a district that never, ever gives up on kids.
The second point has to do with intervening with students who show a significant drop in grades which usually coincides with a negative change in attitude as well. On this point I asked the BHS counselor if there were a way to find and counsel these students. The answer I got was that if a teacher mentions falling grades to a counselor, then the counselor will seek out that child. Nothing proactive there! Otherwise there is nothing they do. And they are quite busy with reports, etc.
I was, as you may well be too, dumbfounded, because in this day and age we all know how failing grades, negative changes in attitudes reflect serious conflicts within the student. ie. drugs, family issues, school issues, etc. with which a good counselor can help that student cope.
I understand that long-term counseling to so many kids may be unworkable on a large scale. But if the scale is not large this is possible. And if it is large there should be initial conseling with further referrals to organizations that can help. I would hope that this board looks into policy changes to encourage this. I gave one possibility while meeting with your counselor and principal who unexpectedly joined the meeting with the counselor and I halfway through.
Why not have the computer program flag these falling grades and kick out the names to the counselors so they can approach the student? Your principal stated that the program was not their own and couldn't be changed. He offered nothing constructive on the idea of reaching these students. So, instead of a district that never gives up on kids, it may as well read a district that gives up on problem kids. But the rest are safe. This needs to be addressed and a policy put into place.
The third point is discrimination within the school system. I asked the principal if there was any prejudice or racism within the school. He emphatically said no. Prejudice and racism, we all know are societal problems even here in Bryan, OH. So, for anyone to state that there is no racism or prejudice in the school system is either dillusioned by wishful thinking or a whitewash job.
And there are several kinds of prejudice, as the board well knows. There is the prejuide against individuals and families. There is social economic prejudice, and of course, prejudice against skin color, etc. However, there is also prejudice for a family name, a social association, any number of status symbols in and out of school, etc. It is the kind of prejudice that will let some infraction slide while punishing others for the same infraction. This demonstrates blatant favoritism. And if you are a Christian, James clearly says, "My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism!" James 2:1 (NIV)
This all leads to the terms connected and disconnected. Those students disconnected from the movers,shakers and doers of the school system are often not treated fairly in your school system. This favoritism rears its ugly head only when something favorable or unfavorable comes to the attention of the system. The connected child and disconnected child are often treated differently.
If you don't think this happens, just ask the students! . And kids can see this. Kids know and kids can see the change in attitudes when a teacher is dealing with a priveledged child and a disconnected student. I have spoken with kids both connected and disconnected. They know it exists. Now you do, too. Now, if you have policies already in place they are not being enforced. But I haven't seen such policies.
The only way to fix this prejudice againt the disconnected is to have firm and fair leadership showing absolutely no favoritism. It must start at the top. From you. From the superintendent to the the teacher. I think you would agree that fairness must be in the forefront of this educational process. It isn't so at BHS. There should be no favors to students who are on the football team, certain families. No favors to the neighbor's kid, etc.
And now my final point. You know, there is a lot on TV and the internet now regarding bullying. And schools are doing much to stop this. Very commendable. We all agree that this is a terrible thing I am sure that the staff at BHS is strongly againt bullying. On the other hand, some of the teachers, principals and staff here at BHS sometimes become the bullies!
Fortuantely this isn't my son's current experinece but I have become aware that some kids have been and are being bullied by teachers and staff. You may ask, how do I know? Well, I talk to these kids. They tell me. And I am not naive. I know the differnce between not liking a teacher and not liking a teacher due to bullying. It is interesting to note that in your definition of harassment and bullying, it is only student(s) to student(s). There is nothing about staff, teachers or administrators. Again, this is the definition paragraph in your manual.
Sometimes bullyng is a conscious effort on the part of the bully and sometimes I believe this is caused by two personalities clashing. This antagnonism builds over time in the classroom and spills over into psychological bullying. The teacher either says disparaging remarks, gives lower grades, gives more detentions, etc. The student is being bullied into submission. The student has no recourse except to correctly feel that he or she is being treated unfairly by the teacher and the school system.
While talking with your principal and counselor I realized there is nothing set up to diffuse this ticking time bomb. You seem to have no checks and balances in place. Nothing in place to identify and rectify these bullying situations that do happen here.
And this seems so easy to correct. For example, each grading period the teacher is asked to submit the names of students he or she is having difficulty with. The counselors can follow this up by talking to the student the get his or her impressions. From that point many possibilities are available. No bullying and no issues. Mediation of feelings, changing classes. Apologies. Etc. But as of now, this doesn't seem to be the case. So, it seems our mission statement shlould not read "a district that never, ever gives up on kids" but should read "a district that never, ever gives up on kids who are connected, cause no problems and submit to an unfair system,
I urge the board to look into these matters itself. Go talk to the students, those you know and those you don't know. The leaders of your system have failed you. It seems that they are protecing themselves and their system at the expense of the kids. It is my hope this board looks into these four concerns and truly follows Bryan School District's stated philosophy. Also, I request that having looked into these matters you report your findings.
Thank you.
Luther J. Rupp