Alice Deal Middle School

[Anonymous]

My son is a seventh grade Deal student and frequently complains about disruptive students who act up or talk incessantly in class. However, I have a hard time believing that a significant percentage of students at Alice Deal are smoking weed and/or observing drug deals in the school bathrooms.

Yes, these things might happen on occasion. However, middle school-aged kids can be hyper dramatic. Students who are unhappy or overwhelmed by the impersonal nature of the school may be inclined to embellish or rely on conjecture and gossip when describing the environment to parents.

Deal is not perfect, but there are lots of good kids and many smart, dedicated teachers there. The negatives I've encountered arise from the overly large student body, not from the Principal.

[Anonymous]

There are a ton of out of control 7th graders this year. Admin needs to tamp it down hard and soon.

[Anonymous]

Wow

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. Honestly, most public schools are a mess these days. There is no discipline except restorative justice. Pot smoking and vaping are practically legal and the police don’t care. Kids are addicted to cell phones.
There is a teacher + staff shortage.
Kids need boundaries and effective discipline but school administrators are not allowed to do much in the current socially permissive climate

OK, so the solution is give up? Private school?! Sheesh.

Nope, the option is to lobby downtown to allow principals to suspend again or to recreate the alternative school.

Teacher and parent of middle schoolers. If there are no consequences, then it becomes a mess. excused. in life and society, consequences have to exist. Schools and students should not be exempt.

[Anonymous]

This is a PUBLIC SCHOOL which means that kids from all walks of life are in attendance. If you have decided to send your kid to public school, these are some of the things that you can expect because not everyone is raising their children the same. More than that, kids cannot help the environment that they are raised in. So yes, there may be some students that are disruptive etc. but to place them elsewhere so your kid can be in an environment reflective of his upbringing is called SEGREGATION. If schools are truly preparing kids for the real world, then there should be some appreciation for diversity because the real world is not composed of one group of people.
Blaming the school leader is such an old song. How about trying to make connections with some of the parents of these students to gain a better understanding? How many of you even speak to people who are different from yourself?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a PUBLIC SCHOOL which means that kids from all walks of life are in attendance. If you have decided to send your kid to public school, these are some of the things that you can expect because not everyone is raising their children the same. More than that, kids cannot help the environment that they are raised in. So yes, there may be some students that are disruptive etc. but to place them elsewhere so your kid can be in an environment reflective of his upbringing is called SEGREGATION. If schools are truly preparing kids for the real world, then there should be some appreciation for diversity because the real world is not composed of one group of people.
Blaming the school leader is such an old song. How about trying to make connections with some of the parents of these students to gain a better understanding? How many of you even speak to people who are different from yourself?

The issue here is not about diversity. The issue is this restorative justice BS in DCPS that doesn’t have support and competent administrators and people. It’s just in name only and is not effective.

Kids learn real quick there are no consequences and can do what they want.

That is the bottom line and why DCPS loses so many families who have options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a PUBLIC SCHOOL which means that kids from all walks of life are in attendance. If you have decided to send your kid to public school, these are some of the things that you can expect because not everyone is raising their children the same. More than that, kids cannot help the environment that they are raised in. So yes, there may be some students that are disruptive etc. but to place them elsewhere so your kid can be in an environment reflective of his upbringing is called SEGREGATION. If schools are truly preparing kids for the real world, then there should be some appreciation for diversity because the real world is not composed of one group of people.
Blaming the school leader is such an old song. How about trying to make connections with some of the parents of these students to gain a better understanding? How many of you even speak to people who are different from yourself?

The issue here is not about diversity. The issue is this restorative justice BS in DCPS that doesn’t have support and competent administrators and people. It’s just in name only and is not effective.

Kids learn real quick there are no consequences and can do what they want.

That is the bottom line and why DCPS loses so many families who have options.

Holy cow. Are they still doing restorative justice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a PUBLIC SCHOOL which means that kids from all walks of life are in attendance. If you have decided to send your kid to public school, these are some of the things that you can expect because not everyone is raising their children the same. More than that, kids cannot help the environment that they are raised in. So yes, there may be some students that are disruptive etc. but to place them elsewhere so your kid can be in an environment reflective of his upbringing is called SEGREGATION. If schools are truly preparing kids for the real world, then there should be some appreciation for diversity because the real world is not composed of one group of people.
Blaming the school leader is such an old song. How about trying to make connections with some of the parents of these students to gain a better understanding? How many of you even speak to people who are different from yourself?

The issue here is not about diversity. The issue is this restorative justice BS in DCPS that doesn’t have support and competent administrators and people. It’s just in name only and is not effective.

Kids learn real quick there are no consequences and can do what they want.

That is the bottom line and why DCPS loses so many families who have options.

Holy cow. Are they still doing restorative justice?

Or not doing it… while pretending there’s a plan

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It certainly doesn't help that almost all behavior that is merely 'disruptive' and not actually violent gets a pass under the Fair Access to Schools Act:

Beginning in school year 2019-2020, no student in grades kindergarten through 8 may be subject to an out-of-school suspension or disciplinary unenrollment, unless a school administrator determines, consistent with school policy, that the student has willfully caused, attempted to cause, or threatened to cause bodily injury or emotional distress to another person, including behavior that happens off school grounds;

Schools are short-staffed as-is and it becomes challenging to enforce in-school suspension, especially when behavior such as smoking involves even 10, 15 students. That may only be 1% of the student body at Deal but when no punishment is possible because they can't staff in school suspension for 15 students at a time, others see that they can get away with these behaviors and things snowball.

Steps towards restorative justice are great, but schools still need to set expectations with clear and enforceable consequences.

Out of school suspension is a reward!

[Anonymous]

Deal is strict compared with Jackson-Reed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Deal is strict compared with Jackson-Reed.

How is Deal more strict?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a PUBLIC SCHOOL which means that kids from all walks of life are in attendance. If you have decided to send your kid to public school, these are some of the things that you can expect because not everyone is raising their children the same. More than that, kids cannot help the environment that they are raised in. So yes, there may be some students that are disruptive etc. but to place them elsewhere so your kid can be in an environment reflective of his upbringing is called SEGREGATION. If schools are truly preparing kids for the real world, then there should be some appreciation for diversity because the real world is not composed of one group of people.
Blaming the school leader is such an old song. How about trying to make connections with some of the parents of these students to gain a better understanding? How many of you even speak to people who are different from yourself?

The issue here is not about diversity. The issue is this restorative justice BS in DCPS that doesn’t have support and competent administrators and people. It’s just in name only and is not effective.

Kids learn real quick there are no consequences and can do what they want.

That is the bottom line and why DCPS loses so many families who have options.

Holy cow. Are they still doing restorative justice?

Or not doing it… while pretending there’s a plan

Probably not for long if they want federal funding!