New York City Schools under Mayor Bill DiBlasio are taking the kinder, gentler route on student discipline. In order to make the numbers look better, DiBlasio has instructed his education chancellor to strictly limit the types of infractions for which principals in NYC schools can administer appropriate, firm discipline. Fighting, cursing, defiance--any discipline for students engaging in these behaviors requires "approval" from downtown. Sounds familiar to me...minimize the significance of the misbehavior, water down the consequences, marginalize what impact such disturbances have on class learning time----then claim victory and "mission accomplished" when the "numbers" are lower.
Like he did for crime rates in NYC by eliminating proactive policing and "stop and frisk" policies that worked- leading to escalating crime rates--DiBlasio is now socially engineering schools to fulfill a campaign promise to make discipline more "fair."
And now he's claiming victory.
Appeasement does not equal solution, though.
from Staten Island Live:
"The system will basically bend over backward to cater to those who disrupt lessons and break the rules. The kids who actually behave and do their work be damned. It will also remove a measure of local control from borough schools and consolidate more power in the hands of the central authority, the DOE.
De Blasio is pushing the plan in response to data that indicates that minority students are more likely to be suspended or arrested. So it's basically a DOE version of stop-and-frisk reform. The message will be a powerful and simple one for disruptive kids, no matter what race they are: Don't worry. They can't touch you."
The administrator's Union has filed a protest.
Teachers hate this plan.
Parents are appalled.
Media have panned the plan.
But the numbers for school discipline, not surprisingly, are looking better!
