Two Words: Press Charges

I was sickened when I watched a video of a student being sucker-punched, knocked to the ground, and then beaten with fists and kicks until he was unconscious.

Thankfully, I have spoken to my school board representative Kevin Adams and he reported to me that the student in the video is going to be okay.

And I know from my experience as a school board member that those that committed this battery on another student will face school discipline--which could potentially include reassignment or expulsion.

But after watching this and seeing it for myself----it is disturbing.  Really hard to watch.  I also believe the student (s) who filmed this from beginning to end, obviously knowing what was about to happen, these student (s) should be disciplined as well.  Will they be though?  We will never know but they should be.

Because the blows to a downed individual could have been lethal--this young man could have been killed in this attack.

That's why I have two words for the parents of the victim here--because that's what he was in this attack, a victim.   PRESS CHARGES.  I would strongly encourage the parents to press charges to get justice primarily, and to remove these violent students secondarily from the schools so that such attacks are not committed on other students.

I say this because I have seen, in my many years on the school board prior to joining the county commission, instances similar to this where  students that committed similar type assaults and or batteries come out of the school discipline process and return right back to the schools from which they were removed or are moved to different public schools once the often light school discipline (3-day, 5-day, or 10 Day suspension)-is concluded.  Sometimes this happens much too quickly--so far as I am concerned.  At least if charges are filed, a just penalty can be achieved for the families and the victim.

I tried hard to make discipline firm and meaningful when I was on the board, but the proclivity of the administration was always to defer to political correctness and discipline was watered down.  This was infuriating to parents, and frankly I do believe it is one of the reasons the population voted to finally move to the appointed superintendent model (which cannot happen soon enough!).  I also believe feckless, weak discipline is driving good parents and good families to flee the public schools--which is very sad to me as a staunch public school supporter.

Bring back firm discipline, remove and segregate the violent predatory monsters, protect the vulnerable, enforce board policy on bullying, and back up the teachers when they write referrals---and the school population will increase again.  I'm convinced of that.

(In case anyone is interested, here are some posts from the past on this topic, real incidents, real stories).