Teacher apparently assaulted at Magruder

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is literally no attendance policy or consequence if a kid skips or walks out of class. The kids pass no matter what do to the stupid 50% rule and lack of attendance requirements.

My worry is that the teacher will get in trouble for trying to stop the student. We have not been told anything by any admin at Magruder. We have not had any “de-escalation training”. Admin talks about “desisting” students without any ideas or references. And blames staff when we have grade differences between race/ethnicities even though one of the main reasons is attendance.

-Magruder teacher

Magruder Mom here. Thank you. And even though it may not help, i will bring it up at the next PTSA meeting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the MCPS HS where I work, we have groups of kids who routinely skip classes and walk around the hallways all day. Even security officers leave them alone because there is nothing they can do. Security officers have no power and the kids know it.
Hallways often smell of pot because kids are getting high in the bathrooms. MCPS has eliminated student accountability. The only thing I know that will get a kid detention at my school is if they are involved in a physical fight. Then the kid gets at home suspension for 3 days

Same at our HS. Instead of doing something about the vaping/pot smoking at school, our HS simply closed off the bathrooms on the 3rd floor. So, nobody can use them.

It’s sh$tty on so many levels. Stinks for the kids who are actually there and want to learn, or at least want to earn a legitimate high school diploma. And honestly, it sucks for the kids who just roam the hallways. Clearly nobody cares about them and nobody cares what happens to them.

This exactly. The situation sucks all around.
The truant kids need to be in a different place. Regular HS is not working for them. They are unable to sit in a regular classroom for various reasons.
High performing kids are negatively affected. And teachers are miserable as well. The system is completely broken. The wheels have come off the bus.
At my school, administrators harangue the teachers constantly saying that we do a bad job building relationships with students and that is why these kids are roaming the halls.

[Anonymous]

My kid is at a different school but it shocks me that schools are allowed to close bathrooms like that — our school did it as well. Then kids tet UTI or miss class because they don’t have a bathroom accessible. How is that allowed? A bathroom is a basic human right. My kids say it’s often near impossible to find an open functioning bathroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the MCPS HS where I work, we have groups of kids who routinely skip classes and walk around the hallways all day. Even security officers leave them alone because there is nothing they can do. Security officers have no power and the kids know it.
Hallways often smell of pot because kids are getting high in the bathrooms. MCPS has eliminated student accountability. The only thing I know that will get a kid detention at my school is if they are involved in a physical fight. Then the kid gets at home suspension for 3 days

Same at our HS. Instead of doing something about the vaping/pot smoking at school, our HS simply closed off the bathrooms on the 3rd floor. So, nobody can use them.

It’s sh$tty on so many levels. Stinks for the kids who are actually there and want to learn, or at least want to earn a legitimate high school diploma. And honestly, it sucks for the kids who just roam the hallways. Clearly nobody cares about them and nobody cares what happens to them.

This exactly. The situation sucks all around.
The truant kids need to be in a different place. Regular HS is not working for them. They are unable to sit in a regular classroom for various reasons.
High performing kids are negatively affected. And teachers are miserable as well. The system is completely broken. The wheels have come off the bus.
At my school, administrators harangue the teachers constantly saying that we do a bad job building relationships with students and that is why these kids are roaming the halls.

We have some bathrooms in my HS that have been permanently locked for over 5 years do to being notorious vaping/mj hangouts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At the MCPS HS where I work, we have groups of kids who routinely skip classes and walk around the hallways all day. Even security officers leave them alone because there is nothing they can do. Security officers have no power and the kids know it.
Hallways often smell of pot because kids are getting high in the bathrooms. MCPS has eliminated student accountability. The only thing I know that will get a kid detention at my school is if they are involved in a physical fight. Then the kid gets at home suspension for 3 days

Sounds like Kennedy.

Why can't MCPS security do anything?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is literally no attendance policy or consequence if a kid skips or walks out of class. The kids pass no matter what do to the stupid 50% rule and lack of attendance requirements.

My worry is that the teacher will get in trouble for trying to stop the student. We have not been told anything by any admin at Magruder. We have not had any “de-escalation training”. Admin talks about “desisting” students without any ideas or references. And blames staff when we have grade differences between race/ethnicities even though one of the main reasons is attendance.

-Magruder teacher

Why would the 50% rule allow them to pass? It's still an E.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the MCPS HS where I work, we have groups of kids who routinely skip classes and walk around the hallways all day. Even security officers leave them alone because there is nothing they can do. Security officers have no power and the kids know it.
Hallways often smell of pot because kids are getting high in the bathrooms. MCPS has eliminated student accountability. The only thing I know that will get a kid detention at my school is if they are involved in a physical fight. Then the kid gets at home suspension for 3 days

Same at our HS. Instead of doing something about the vaping/pot smoking at school, our HS simply closed off the bathrooms on the 3rd floor. So, nobody can use them.

It’s sh$tty on so many levels. Stinks for the kids who are actually there and want to learn, or at least want to earn a legitimate high school diploma. And honestly, it sucks for the kids who just roam the hallways. Clearly nobody cares about them and nobody cares what happens to them.

This exactly. The situation sucks all around.
The truant kids need to be in a different place. Regular HS is not working for them. They are unable to sit in a regular classroom for various reasons.
High performing kids are negatively affected. And teachers are miserable as well. The system is completely broken. The wheels have come off the bus.
At my school, administrators harangue the teachers constantly saying that we do a bad job building relationships with students and that is why these kids are roaming the halls.

Is Mark Twain high school no longer the place where MCPS sends kids who behave badly?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the MCPS HS where I work, we have groups of kids who routinely skip classes and walk around the hallways all day. Even security officers leave them alone because there is nothing they can do. Security officers have no power and the kids know it.
Hallways often smell of pot because kids are getting high in the bathrooms. MCPS has eliminated student accountability. The only thing I know that will get a kid detention at my school is if they are involved in a physical fight. Then the kid gets at home suspension for 3 days

Same at our HS. Instead of doing something about the vaping/pot smoking at school, our HS simply closed off the bathrooms on the 3rd floor. So, nobody can use them.

It’s sh$tty on so many levels. Stinks for the kids who are actually there and want to learn, or at least want to earn a legitimate high school diploma. And honestly, it sucks for the kids who just roam the hallways. Clearly nobody cares about them and nobody cares what happens to them.

This exactly. The situation sucks all around.
The truant kids need to be in a different place. Regular HS is not working for them. They are unable to sit in a regular classroom for various reasons.
High performing kids are negatively affected. And teachers are miserable as well. The system is completely broken. The wheels have come off the bus.
At my school, administrators harangue the teachers constantly saying that we do a bad job building relationships with students and that is why these kids are roaming the halls.

We have some bathrooms in my HS that have been permanently locked for over 5 years do to being notorious vaping/mj hangouts.

The bathrooms in all high schools are a serious problem. The only thing my kids' MCPS high school does is take the doors off the bathroom, which doesn't prevent the druggies from vaping or smoking percocets in the bathroom. And admin just shrugs their shoulders when we ask for meaningful solutions to the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the MCPS HS where I work, we have groups of kids who routinely skip classes and walk around the hallways all day. Even security officers leave them alone because there is nothing they can do. Security officers have no power and the kids know it.
Hallways often smell of pot because kids are getting high in the bathrooms. MCPS has eliminated student accountability. The only thing I know that will get a kid detention at my school is if they are involved in a physical fight. Then the kid gets at home suspension for 3 days

Same at our HS. Instead of doing something about the vaping/pot smoking at school, our HS simply closed off the bathrooms on the 3rd floor. So, nobody can use them.

It’s sh$tty on so many levels. Stinks for the kids who are actually there and want to learn, or at least want to earn a legitimate high school diploma. And honestly, it sucks for the kids who just roam the hallways. Clearly nobody cares about them and nobody cares what happens to them.

This exactly. The situation sucks all around.
The truant kids need to be in a different place. Regular HS is not working for them. They are unable to sit in a regular classroom for various reasons.
High performing kids are negatively affected. And teachers are miserable as well. The system is completely broken. The wheels have come off the bus.
At my school, administrators harangue the teachers constantly saying that we do a bad job building relationships with students and that is why these kids are roaming the halls.

Are you kidding me? I can't believe you all still work for those people! That's an incredible insult!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is at a different school but it shocks me that schools are allowed to close bathrooms like that — our school did it as well. Then kids tet UTI or miss class because they don’t have a bathroom accessible. How is that allowed? A bathroom is a basic human right. My kids say it’s often near impossible to find an open functioning bathroom.

It's pretty tough. Especially for girls, IME.

I don't blame the principal or admin though. Their hands are tied. Security can't be everywhere at once. The schools are BIG. And, it's just easier to close the bathrooms than have kids vandalizing/smoking/etc in there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the MCPS HS where I work, we have groups of kids who routinely skip classes and walk around the hallways all day. Even security officers leave them alone because there is nothing they can do. Security officers have no power and the kids know it.
Hallways often smell of pot because kids are getting high in the bathrooms. MCPS has eliminated student accountability. The only thing I know that will get a kid detention at my school is if they are involved in a physical fight. Then the kid gets at home suspension for 3 days

Same at our HS. Instead of doing something about the vaping/pot smoking at school, our HS simply closed off the bathrooms on the 3rd floor. So, nobody can use them.

It’s sh$tty on so many levels. Stinks for the kids who are actually there and want to learn, or at least want to earn a legitimate high school diploma. And honestly, it sucks for the kids who just roam the hallways. Clearly nobody cares about them and nobody cares what happens to them.

This exactly. The situation sucks all around.
The truant kids need to be in a different place. Regular HS is not working for them. They are unable to sit in a regular classroom for various reasons.
High performing kids are negatively affected. And teachers are miserable as well. The system is completely broken. The wheels have come off the bus.
At my school, administrators harangue the teachers constantly saying that we do a bad job building relationships with students and that is why these kids are roaming the halls.

We have some bathrooms in my HS that have been permanently locked for over 5 years do to being notorious vaping/mj hangouts.

The bathrooms in all high schools are a serious problem. The only thing my kids' MCPS high school does is take the doors off the bathroom, which doesn't prevent the druggies from vaping or smoking percocets in the bathroom. And admin just shrugs their shoulders when we ask for meaningful solutions to the problem.

Because admin isn't allowed to do anything. The focus in MCPS is on Restorative Justice. Punitive measures are not approved of, especially if the students are of certain races. What can they do with kids who are vaping or smoking in the bathroom? NOTHING. Their hands are tied. If it gets really bad, the student gets transferred to a different school. But, that is a last resort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the MCPS HS where I work, we have groups of kids who routinely skip classes and walk around the hallways all day. Even security officers leave them alone because there is nothing they can do. Security officers have no power and the kids know it.
Hallways often smell of pot because kids are getting high in the bathrooms. MCPS has eliminated student accountability. The only thing I know that will get a kid detention at my school is if they are involved in a physical fight. Then the kid gets at home suspension for 3 days

Same at our HS. Instead of doing something about the vaping/pot smoking at school, our HS simply closed off the bathrooms on the 3rd floor. So, nobody can use them.

It’s sh$tty on so many levels. Stinks for the kids who are actually there and want to learn, or at least want to earn a legitimate high school diploma. And honestly, it sucks for the kids who just roam the hallways. Clearly nobody cares about them and nobody cares what happens to them.

This exactly. The situation sucks all around.
The truant kids need to be in a different place. Regular HS is not working for them. They are unable to sit in a regular classroom for various reasons.
High performing kids are negatively affected. And teachers are miserable as well. The system is completely broken. The wheels have come off the bus.
At my school, administrators harangue the teachers constantly saying that we do a bad job building relationships with students and that is why these kids are roaming the halls.

Are you kidding me? I can't believe you all still work for those people! That's an incredible insult!

I can try to switch schools at the end of this year and I might but there is crazy stuff happening everywhere. It seems like this is just a terrible time to be a teacher. I like teaching and I enjoy working with teenagers but it is all the other crap that is turning the job into a miserable slog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the MCPS HS where I work, we have groups of kids who routinely skip classes and walk around the hallways all day. Even security officers leave them alone because there is nothing they can do. Security officers have no power and the kids know it.
Hallways often smell of pot because kids are getting high in the bathrooms. MCPS has eliminated student accountability. The only thing I know that will get a kid detention at my school is if they are involved in a physical fight. Then the kid gets at home suspension for 3 days

Same at our HS. Instead of doing something about the vaping/pot smoking at school, our HS simply closed off the bathrooms on the 3rd floor. So, nobody can use them.

It’s sh$tty on so many levels. Stinks for the kids who are actually there and want to learn, or at least want to earn a legitimate high school diploma. And honestly, it sucks for the kids who just roam the hallways. Clearly nobody cares about them and nobody cares what happens to them.

This exactly. The situation sucks all around.
The truant kids need to be in a different place. Regular HS is not working for them. They are unable to sit in a regular classroom for various reasons.
High performing kids are negatively affected. And teachers are miserable as well. The system is completely broken. The wheels have come off the bus.
At my school, administrators harangue the teachers constantly saying that we do a bad job building relationships with students and that is why these kids are roaming the halls.

THIS, sadly.

But, don't worry. I just got an email today that MCPS approved a selection of LGBQT+ books to be read in classrooms. We can see where MCPS' priorities lie, I guess. Who cares that none of the kids - LGBQT or straight can use the bathrooms safely.

Yes! MCPS is avoiding all the big issues. They don’t want to address cell phone use and cheating in high schools. They don’t want to address kids getting high at school. We keep getting hammered on the head to make sure our lessons are culturally responsive but they won’t answer any questions when teachers say they need support on enforcing a no cell phone policy in class

How can we force them to do something? It's really frustrating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the MCPS HS where I work, we have groups of kids who routinely skip classes and walk around the hallways all day. Even security officers leave them alone because there is nothing they can do. Security officers have no power and the kids know it.
Hallways often smell of pot because kids are getting high in the bathrooms. MCPS has eliminated student accountability. The only thing I know that will get a kid detention at my school is if they are involved in a physical fight. Then the kid gets at home suspension for 3 days

Same at our HS. Instead of doing something about the vaping/pot smoking at school, our HS simply closed off the bathrooms on the 3rd floor. So, nobody can use them.

It’s sh$tty on so many levels. Stinks for the kids who are actually there and want to learn, or at least want to earn a legitimate high school diploma. And honestly, it sucks for the kids who just roam the hallways. Clearly nobody cares about them and nobody cares what happens to them.

This exactly. The situation sucks all around.
The truant kids need to be in a different place. Regular HS is not working for them. They are unable to sit in a regular classroom for various reasons.
High performing kids are negatively affected. And teachers are miserable as well. The system is completely broken. The wheels have come off the bus.
At my school, administrators harangue the teachers constantly saying that we do a bad job building relationships with students and that is why these kids are roaming the halls.

Are you kidding me? I can't believe you all still work for those people! That's an incredible insult!

I can try to switch schools at the end of this year and I might but there is crazy stuff happening everywhere. It seems like this is just a terrible time to be a teacher. I like teaching and I enjoy working with teenagers but it is all the other crap that is turning the job into a miserable slog.

I'm so sorry for you! While I'm not surprised your admins are stonewalling, I would expect this is where the union would be effective? But I don't see the union pressing for these kinds of changes. Just more on wages and time off, which I get are priorities.

Also, how can we empower the PTSAs to force MCPS to be more responsive? If parents and teachers join forces, then I think MCPS would have to respond. I'm learning just how "political" MCPS really is and it's sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is literally no attendance policy or consequence if a kid skips or walks out of class. The kids pass no matter what do to the stupid 50% rule and lack of attendance requirements.

My worry is that the teacher will get in trouble for trying to stop the student. We have not been told anything by any admin at Magruder. We have not had any “de-escalation training”. Admin talks about “desisting” students without any ideas or references. And blames staff when we have grade differences between race/ethnicities even though one of the main reasons is attendance.

-Magruder teacher

Why would the 50% rule allow them to pass? It's still an E.

Because the kid can get do no work at all and get E first quarter and then do enough work for a week in the 2nd quarter to get a D and pass a class. All the kids know this.