Apr 30, 2014

Bullying In The Allentown School District

Last month I posted about a young lady who was victimized by both bullies and the Allentown School System. When she complained to the school principal about the bullying, his solution was to throw her, in mid term, into the advanced honor's class. While this didn't protect her from her antagonists, she still had to walk to and from school, it did interrupt her scholastic accomplishment. She had been only one marking period away from making the Jr. National Honor Society, in regular classes. Her mother feels that her daughter should be allowed to retake the finals for that marking period, but the school administration refuses. I share the mother's pride in updating you about her next marking period. This remarkable girl, named Jalonda, tutored herself on the internet for the advanced math classes, and once again made honor roll, even in the advanced honor class. A college professor told me that the school district's decision is defective. Putting the girl into the advanced classes, instead of dealing with the bullying problem, was the school's decision, not the girls. She has since proven to be a true honors student, who deserves the opportunity to retake those exams, and restore her scholastic record.

The Express Times informs us that some bullies at William Allen picked on the wrong kid, the son of an Allentown School Director. I wish the best solution for the director's son, but also want the District to do right by Jalonda, even if her mother isn't a school director.

11 comments:

  1. MM -

    I can honestly say that it looks like all students in the Allentown School District get treated the same regardless of whether your parent is a school director or not.

    From the article, if say they all get treated pretty poorly.

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  2. Michael:

    I will look into it.

    Many thanks.

    David Fehr Zimmerman

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  3. Big all the shiny new buildings you want, but THIS is why Allentown will not succeed.

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  4. Michael,

    I am not the least bit surprised incidents like this CONTINUE to occur in ASD. It's been going on for years and given the recent reductions in staffing I only ever expected the situation to worsen.

    My view comes from a full 33 year career in ASD. I've seen all of this before, and am analytical enough to seek out probable causes.
    Here's the deal.

    Most on the outside sit back in horror and wonder why the schools don't do something to prevent all of this. Well, OK. What have we allowed them to do?

    Answer: NOTHING.

    In our wonderful new, politically correct, LIBERAL America, no one is responsible for anything. There is always some contributing factor, outside the individual's control, that absolves the miscreant of any responsibility.

    Just TRY to inflict some sort of penalty. You will be met by claims of racism, threats of lawsuits, and sometimes, physical resistance. In today's America, everyone has a 'right' to do whatever they want. If you don't like it, that's your problem.

    So, here we are in an ASD environment of LESS teachers, less special, elective courses, LARGE class sizes, idiotic study halls to warehouse kids because we don't know what to do with all of them without the usual elective classes and teachers. Teachers that are demoralized, beaten down by the public, and left to 'swing in the breeze' alone by their building administration who has opted out of discipline and placed even MORE responsibility on teachers.

    I could go on and on. I can point out the administrator's goal to keep everything under wraps, so as not to appear unable to control their building, and resist state classification as a dangerous school.

    I can tell readers how kids labeled 'Special Ed' can only be suspended a limited number of times (by regulation). How kids who act out enough and REACH the Special Education Student label now become eligible for Social Security Disability payments.

    My message has always been - the classroom teacher is NOT the problem. The problem is with decisions made by those at a higher pay grade.

    Fred Windish

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  5. As a teacher, the general public has no clue just how right Fred's write-up is spot on.

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  6. Mr. Windish might be correct about what goes on inside schools, but to label ideologically as a "LIBERAL" problem simply adds fuel to the fire.

    Both conservatives and liberals are at fault for implementing poorly one of Democracy's greatest contributions -- public education. The future of our children becomes wrapped up in political mumbo, jumbo.

    Mr. Windish, a teacher has a responsibility to guide children to approach competing views with an open mind, and to decipher arguments wisely.

    I hope you are able to do that, or did do that during your tenure.

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  7. 9:22 -

    Thanks for your response. MOST of the issues negatively affecting public education are the result of big government regulations, ever-changing mandates that are often unfunded, bilingual education, politically correct decisions, loose immigration standards and overly generous government benefits that make successful behavior in school less important.

    Considering all of this, if asked to choose ONE label that connects best in a cause and effectual way, I will now choose LIBERAL over CONSERVATIVE. Certainly, BOTH parties are involved and share responsibility, just not equally in my mind.

    Much of ASD's problems can be better solved if its Board had greater decision-making ability outside the heavy hand of federal and state big government.

    It's past time to be frank about some of these issues, no matter who might feel offended. So much of the hatred lobbed at classroom teachers is NOT justified.

    And look were we're going with all of this . . . stretching teachers even more thin, adding to their daily challenges.

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  8. Like I sometimes do, I forgot to identify my post to 9:22.

    Let's keep discussions like this going, it's critical.

    Fred Windish

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  9. fred@11:59, may i suggest that you get yourself a orange blogger name tag; you need not have a blog, it protects and identifies your comments, and it's free.

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  10. Teachers need to take a honest look in the mirror and ask themselves where their union dues are going --- i.e., to which political party that supports what policies?

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  11. Ethic Intimidation is the charge! Thank you DA Martin for not sucumbing to PC. Unfortunately, any caucasian kid in Allen is a target. Not sure why their parents would let them attend that zoo.

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