<p>"Hundreds of students have allegedly been beaten by teachers, coaches and staff at Chicago Public Schools. [TV]2 Investigator Dave Savini continues his ongoing investigation involving the illegal use corporal punishment."</p>
<p>Chicago</a> Public School Students Report Abuse By Teachers - cbs2chicago.com</p>
<p>I just read this article. This is astounding--for this abuse to occur and for the school system to drop the ball as it did. I am so concerned for all the kids who have experienced the opposite of what they need and deserve to experience in order to learn and succeed.</p>
<p>This is outrageous. I hope they send the abusers to jail and they can find out first hand what abuse does to people</p>
<p>Unfortunately, school systems can generally do what they want. There are no checks and balances in the system. If something happens in a school, the school system investigates, and how often does the school system find something wrong with the way it handled something? Not very often.</p>
<p>It takes getting attorneys or the press involved to find any satisfaction in individual cases; getting systemic changes made is very difficult and nearly always takes a scandal to achieve.</p>
<p>I've come to the conclusion that public school systems need to be opened up, with community members sitting on investigative teams, expulsion panels, and involved in any appeals processes, because at least in my district, the system watches out for itself first, and often for the children it's supposed to serve not at all.</p>
<p>Perhaps giving a disposal camera to a few thousands students and a reward for snapping an incriminating picture would stop that behavior in its tracks. </p>
<p>Is there ever any good news coming from Chicago public education system?</p>
<p>I know in our own state- teachers who have been accused of molestation, are changed to other schools, other districts, or even remain in the same school, because principals change very often and no records regarding abuse are kept.</p>
<p>I think we need a overhaul of urban school systems- and we shouldn't forget, that as horrific as physical abuse is, verbal abuse can be worse, because it gets down into a child and can be carried around with them for years.</p>
<p>Owlice, my D goes to a small public school, and the parents watch out for everyone's kids. We pay very high taxes, and the district understands it will only stay that way if they are responsive to everyone's needs. We have the best teachers, GCs, staff, that I could imagine.</p>
<p>
[quote]
with community members sitting on investigative teams, expulsion panels, and involved in any appeals processes,
[/quote]
</p>
<p>it's called the school board. community members who are elected by the community.</p>
<p>Anyway - all perpetrators should be charged with assault and battery.</p>
<p>it's called the school board. community members who are elected by the community.</p>
<p>in our district- what the school board does is hire the superintendent.
( and have meetings)</p>
<p>Also, the school board is elected by the city, since we have fewer children in Seattle than any other city in the country except for SF, we also have fewer families involved in the public schools.</p>
<p>Many people who live in Seattle, aren't interested in paying taxes for a service " they aren't using", so they are not very involved in the selection of the school board.</p>
<p>This is sickening. They should be fired and charged with breaking the law.</p>
<p>I think we're all missing the biggest question here.</p>
<p>Is this raising or lowering their standardized test scores?</p>
<p>Sounds like bs to me. Do you believe everything you read on the internet? Of course I may be just as bad - I believe nothing I read on the internet... and only half of what I see, just like Marvin told me.</p>
<p>
[quote]
it's called the school board. community members who are elected by the community.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>The school board is not involved in investigations at all, nor in expulsion panels, and their involvement in any appeals processes is limited to reading reports of the appeals hearings, written by someone employed by the school system, and deciding the results based on those reports. They do not hear any testimony directly.</p>
<p>The school board is also not involved in personnel decisions beyond hiring a superintendent. It took several years of parental complaints to get a bad principal replaced at one of our middle schools, and that happened only because the regional superintendent of that region actually does care about kids. (There are some such people in the system, but they are unfortunately relatively rare.) Of course, getting rid of the bad principal (who is still employed in the system, but isn't at <em>that</em> school anymore) didn't happen in time for several years of kids who were long gone by the time the principal was replaced. </p>
<p>Schools act with impunity because they can. There are no external checks on the system. Our system is well-known for not following its own policies; ask any lawyer who has dealt with it! (For that matter, ask most involved parents.) Kids whose parents don't have the means and wherewithal to fight the district can easily, oh, so very easily, be screwed out of their right to an education.</p>
<p>Where are the police? Fractures and whippings aren't considered assault in Chicago?! </p>
<p>A few years ago, a remedial teacher in our district was suspended and "resigned" after fastening a belt around an unruly 6th grader's waist to keep him in his seat. No hitting/injuries, just a restraint which is apparently also taboo. Knowing the kid by reputation, I actually felt bad for the teacher who was otherwise known for her good results. Parent complaints get a lot of attention here.</p>
<p>owlice - don't know what state you are from. Here is Pennsylvania the school board does sit on expulsion hearings - the are represented by legal counsel as are the defendants up for expulsion. The school board votes on the hiring of personnel as recommened by the Superintendent as well as firings. Members on the school board are elected to serve a term without pay. Parents can run for office, do run for office and are elected to serve.
In any case - the school board hires and fires the Superintendent. They are entitiled to the information they need. They are ultimately responsible.
Lastly, there is nothing wrong with getting the press involved. They are in business to sell papers and TV time and often are very eager to conduct their own investigations. They are also saavy and know how and what information the school is legally responsible to make public.</p>
<p>Hmmm .... Didn't President Obama select the superintendent (or whatever the title is in Chicago) to be the Sec. of Education? Where was he in this mix?</p>
<p>Imagine my shock, when I took my son to his first day of kindergarten in Texas and they asked which punishment they could use on him. Corporal punishment is still legal in 21 states.</p>
<p>More</a> than 200,000 kids spanked at school - CNN.com</p>
<p>toledo, that's shocking!</p>
<p>JustAMom, getting the press involved is exactly what people have to do to get a system to change, as we will likely see from the Chicago situation. Isn't that sad? That it takes something like getting the press involved before something is done to right such wrongs?</p>
<p>That's why I think having more community involvement in a system might help (though xiggi's idea of digital cameras is excellent and I suspect could help!). Since so many schools/school systems abuse their authority, giving others some authority -- a truly independent voice -- may be the way to go.</p>
<p>Re #14: Owlice, that may be how things work where you live, but not here. </p>
<p>Of course, I live in a school district that is composed of two small towns, with a total population of about 11-12K, and about 2,300 students total.</p>