is MS13 a big issue in your DC school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Is there pressure on principals to reduce suspensions/expulsions? The behavior at our school is appalling, and it seems that teachers do not address it themselves, nor do they call for an administrator. Behavior gets progressively worse and spreads as people see they are not getting in trouble (and most would not care if they were suspended)

Definitely, especially if the students involved are of color.

So what can/should they do about students causing trouble? Why are they pressured not to suspend students of color?

Not the PP, but kids of color tend to get suspended at rates disproportionate to their presence in a given school. This disproportionality is problematic for a whole variety of reasons and schools (other entities too) are under pressure to address it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Is there pressure on principals to reduce suspensions/expulsions? The behavior at our school is appalling, and it seems that teachers do not address it themselves, nor do they call for an administrator. Behavior gets progressively worse and spreads as people see they are not getting in trouble (and most would not care if they were suspended)

Definitely, especially if the students involved are of color.

So what can/should they do about students causing trouble? Why are they pressured not to suspend students of color?

I think they are pressured to not suspend students of color because there is a continuing tendency to hand down harsher penalties to minority students. The problem now becomes how to punish those minority kids who deserve punishment using a race neutral standard. I think administrators have a harder time justifying punishments of minority students because of the history and continuing tendency to be harsher on them. It's a tough situation.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:MY DD said she doesn't know about it. She said there might be but she doesn't noticed them.. from her knowledge there isn't a lot of fights at the school. So Is MS13 a big issue in a lot of school or is the media just making it seem like a big issue? she attends a FCPS school.

How would she notice them? It's not like they're walking around in MS-13 t-shirts. I teach in FCPS and we have a gang presence at our school. For the most part, they keep to themselves and lay low. They may be doing things inside school like dealing drugs, but they are not instigating fights in the hallways. Much of the recruitment is done online or outside of school. Plus, many of these kids are in ESOL and are often separated from the mainstream students at the school for most of their classes.

Does your school work with local law enforcement to shut down illegal activity?

Yes. We have a SRO (School Resource Officer) in our school.

I'm guessing this is either Glasgow or Stuart.

Nope, not Woodson.

Actually, it's not. It's one of the highly rated FCPS high schools that is recommended on this site quite often. I believe every FCPS high school has an SRO.

Interesting.

Woodson? Please tell, as our DCs are on track to attend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Principals don't want to work with the police because arrests are bad for a school's reputation. That's why they never let in drug dogs, for example.

We had drug dogs come through our school this year. Not sure if they found anything or not.

As my former SRO used to say, being in a gang is not illegal. So as long as whatever the gang members are doing is under the radar, nothing will happen. That said, if they or any student is caught with drugs, gets into a fight, brings a weapon to school, they are certainly going to get punished.