Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Slightly better older article.

https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/maryland-dems-want-to-drop-penalties-for-students-who-commit-certain-crimes-at-school-democrats-annapolis-md-project-baltimore-crisis-in-the-classroom-sheila-ruth-law-proposal-bill-

Obviously "put kids in jail" and "do nothing" are both bad options. I'm sure you wouldn't be happy if the police came to arrest your kids every time they talked back to you or slapped their sibling. So why is it OK in school?

We need sensible tools for classroom safety, including separating children who can't control their behavior, while still providing educational opportunity and showing respect.

How has that gone so far? My experience as a parent has been that MCPS tied the hands of teachers and administrators to deal with violent and predatory children, in the name of "ending the school to prison pipeline."

Detention and suspension were taken off the table, and SROs were removed from schools. In return, we were supposed to get increased mental health support, alternative placements, and actual tools for keeping classrooms safe.

None of those materialized. So now teachers and administrators have no tools at their disposal other than building a case strong enough to get kids moved to another school, which is bad for everyone.

We've given this approach a chance, and schools have become less safe as a result. Let's stop the insanity and give teachers and administrators a full set of tools to deal with violent kids in the classroom.

SRO's were not removed from the school.

Kids are still disciplined.

You seem to be really out of touch of what is really going on.

What is missing, has been missing for 25 years is expulsion and making it easier for principals to send kids to alternate schools.

That is not new.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Slightly better older article.

https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/maryland-dems-want-to-drop-penalties-for-students-who-commit-certain-crimes-at-school-democrats-annapolis-md-project-baltimore-crisis-in-the-classroom-sheila-ruth-law-proposal-bill-

Obviously "put kids in jail" and "do nothing" are both bad options. I'm sure you wouldn't be happy if the police came to arrest your kids every time they talked back to you or slapped their sibling. So why is it OK in school?

We need sensible tools for classroom safety, including separating children who can't control their behavior, while still providing educational opportunity and showing respect.

How has that gone so far? My experience as a parent has been that MCPS tied the hands of teachers and administrators to deal with violent and predatory children, in the name of "ending the school to prison pipeline."

Detention and suspension were taken off the table, and SROs were removed from schools. In return, we were supposed to get increased mental health support, alternative placements, and actual tools for keeping classrooms safe.

None of those materialized. So now teachers and administrators have no tools at their disposal other than building a case strong enough to get kids moved to another school, which is bad for everyone.

We've given this approach a chance, and schools have become less safe as a result. Let's stop the insanity and give teachers and administrators a full set of tools to deal with violent kids in the classroom.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This bill doesn't exempt students from punishment for threatening teachers. It doesn't having anything to do with punishment in school, only with a single criminal charge that exists under the education code for willfully disturbing orderly conduct of school activities or molesting or threatening those present at the school (26-101 in the Maryland Education Code)


It also doesn't exempt them from criminal charges for threatening or assaulting staff or other students. Those are separate crimes that are (rightly) handled in the criminal code, not this part of the education code.

What this bill does do, is eliminate, for actions that happen in a student's own school, from the education code charge for disrupting school activities. If a student threatens a classmate or a teacher that's still a crime, just not THIS crime.

Given the very broad language of the statute, I think that's very reasonable. Willfully disturbing the orderly conduct of the classes can cover a huge range of behavior, most of which is properly the target of school discipline not criminal charges. The behavior that should be targeted by the criminal justice system (assault, harassment, threats) already is through other offenses.

An example of what is covered by 26-101 that made it to the Court of Special Appeals was for a student who refused to go to the principal's office and used profanity in the hallways, disrupting classes. That's absolutely something that should be punished by school discipline, but making it a criminal offense is ridiculous.

Your post seems very reasonable, but how are high schools supposed to resolve a situation where an adult sized student continues to be disruptive and will not go to the principal’s office?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Slightly better older article.

https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/maryland-dems-want-to-drop-penalties-for-students-who-commit-certain-crimes-at-school-democrats-annapolis-md-project-baltimore-crisis-in-the-classroom-sheila-ruth-law-proposal-bill-

Obviously "put kids in jail" and "do nothing" are both bad options. I'm sure you wouldn't be happy if the police came to arrest your kids every time they talked back to you or slapped their sibling. So why is it OK in school?

We need sensible tools for classroom safety, including separating children who can't control their behavior, while still providing educational opportunity and showing respect.

How has that gone so far? My experience as a parent has been that MCPS tied the hands of teachers and administrators to deal with violent and predatory children, in the name of "ending the school to prison pipeline."

Detention and suspension were taken off the table, and SROs were removed from schools. In return, we were supposed to get increased mental health support, alternative placements, and actual tools for keeping classrooms safe.

None of those materialized. So now teachers and administrators have no tools at their disposal other than building a case strong enough to get kids moved to another school, which is bad for everyone.

We've given this approach a chance, and schools have become less safe as a result. Let's stop the insanity and give teachers and administrators a full set of tools to deal with violent kids in the classroom.

SRO's were not removed from the school.

Kids are still disciplined.

You seem to be really out of touch of what is really going on.

What is missing, has been missing for 25 years is expulsion and making it easier for principals to send kids to alternate schools.

That is not new.

Anonymous wrote:This bill doesn't exempt students from punishment for threatening teachers. It doesn't having anything to do with punishment in school, only with a single criminal charge that exists under the education code for willfully disturbing orderly conduct of school activities or molesting or threatening those present at the school (26-101 in the Maryland Education Code)


It also doesn't exempt them from criminal charges for threatening or assaulting staff or other students. Those are separate crimes that are (rightly) handled in the criminal code, not this part of the education code.

What this bill does do, is eliminate, for actions that happen in a student's own school, from the education code charge for disrupting school activities. If a student threatens a classmate or a teacher that's still a crime, just not THIS crime.

Given the very broad language of the statute, I think that's very reasonable. Willfully disturbing the orderly conduct of the classes can cover a huge range of behavior, most of which is properly the target of school discipline not criminal charges. The behavior that should be targeted by the criminal justice system (assault, harassment, threats) already is through other offenses.

An example of what is covered by 26-101 that made it to the Court of Special Appeals was for a student who refused to go to the principal's office and used profanity in the hallways, disrupting classes. That's absolutely something that should be punished by school discipline, but making it a criminal offense is ridiculous.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why anyone would support exempting kids who threaten the lives of others, especially authority figures who are on the front lines, from punishments. What is the rationale? Are we encouraging school shooters now?

Has your child ever threatened you or another child? Ever?

I'm sure you'll say "no, my golden child never does anything like that". But think about all your friends who aren't as good parents as you and their kids, who go on fortnite and yell threats at each other, or throw controllers at TV screens

the law actually is in line with all laws in the united states. there is a difference between a threat and a credible theat.

You can't just arrest someone for saying a threat unless they can carry it out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Slightly better older article.

https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/maryland-dems-want-to-drop-penalties-for-students-who-commit-certain-crimes-at-school-democrats-annapolis-md-project-baltimore-crisis-in-the-classroom-sheila-ruth-law-proposal-bill-

Obviously "put kids in jail" and "do nothing" are both bad options. I'm sure you wouldn't be happy if the police came to arrest your kids every time they talked back to you or slapped their sibling. So why is it OK in school?

We need sensible tools for classroom safety, including separating children who can't control their behavior, while still providing educational opportunity and showing respect.

How has that gone so far? My experience as a parent has been that MCPS tied the hands of teachers and administrators to deal with violent and predatory children, in the name of "ending the school to prison pipeline."

Detention and suspension were taken off the table, and SROs were removed from schools. In return, we were supposed to get increased mental health support, alternative placements, and actual tools for keeping classrooms safe.

None of those materialized. So now teachers and administrators have no tools at their disposal other than building a case strong enough to get kids moved to another school, which is bad for everyone.

We've given this approach a chance, and schools have become less safe as a result. Let's stop the insanity and give teachers and administrators a full set of tools to deal with violent kids in the classroom.

Anonymous wrote:Slightly better older article.

https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/maryland-dems-want-to-drop-penalties-for-students-who-commit-certain-crimes-at-school-democrats-annapolis-md-project-baltimore-crisis-in-the-classroom-sheila-ruth-law-proposal-bill-

Obviously "put kids in jail" and "do nothing" are both bad options. I'm sure you wouldn't be happy if the police came to arrest your kids every time they talked back to you or slapped their sibling. So why is it OK in school?

We need sensible tools for classroom safety, including separating children who can't control their behavior, while still providing educational opportunity and showing respect.