FWCS Discipline - Nothing To See Here; Move Along
Posted by Jeff Pruitt - 8/13/08 @ 9:00 am - Filed Under 2008 Local Elections, Featured
On Monday Governor Mitch Daniels gave a press conference in Fort Wayne about passing legislation to protect teachers trying to enact proper discipline in their classroom. FWCS board president Mark GiaQuinta responded with the following quote:
FWCS board president Mark GiaQuinta said that discipline is actually not a problem in Fort Wayne schools, and other schools should take notes on what the district is currently doing.
“If you give them hope that they have a hope in their education, then that should take care of any discipline issues,” GiaQuinta said.
When I say that voters have a chance to vote against the status quo in the upcoming school board election this is exactly what I’m talking about. Instead of confronting the problems and working to solve them the current board majority just buries their head in the sand.
FWCS suspends or expels 3 out of every 10 students! But, nah, there’s no discipline problem here. We are the 14th worst in the state and at nearly twice the state average:
Suspension or Expulsion, Incidents per 100 Students 2006-07
Highest 10
1 School City of East Chicago 78.7
2 School City of Hammond 48.7
3 Lake Ridge Schools 48.6
4 Gary Community School Corp 47.3
5 South Bend Community Sch Corp 46.7
6 Lake Station Community Schools 45.9
7 Kokomo-Center Twp Con Sch Corp 42.1
8 Anderson Community School Corp 41.9
9 Milan Community Schools 38.4
10 River Forest Community Sch Corp 37.9
14 Fort Wayne Community Schools 30.6
Lowest 10
285 Crawfordsville Com Schools 1.3
286 Southern Hancock Co Com Sch Corp 1.3
287 Southeast Dubois Co Sch Corp 1.3
288 North Harrison Com School Corp 1.1
289 Southeast Fountain School Corp 1.0
290 M S D Wabash County Schools 0.9
291 Barr-Reeve Com Schools Inc 0.6
292 South Central Com School Corp 0.5
293 Burris Laboratory School 0.4
294 Zionsville Community Schools 0.2
State Average 16.2
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12 Responses to “FWCS Discipline - Nothing To See Here; Move Along”
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Well the JG has jumped on the bandwagon - Gov. Mitch Daniels picked a puzzling topic and venue to kick off the first announcement of his re-election education agenda. Classroom discipline is hardly the issue on most voters’ minds, and Fort Wayne Community Schools is far from an example of school disorder.
If this wasn’t so sad - I’d be laughing my butt off.
Go Governor Daniels!
He is right on point.
The JG has its collective head up its ___ if they do not believe there is a disorder problem at SOME (definitely not all) of FWC Schools.
“If you give them hope that they have a hope in their education, then that should take care of any discipline issues,”
Wow, GiaQuita should run for mayor of La La Land.
“If you give them hope that they have a hope in their education, then that should take care of any discipline issues,”
Give who hope about what?
Give teachers hope they will live through the school year without injury?
Give good students hope they wont be shot, stabbed or beaten in the classroom?
Is GiaQuinta on some of the drugs being brought into the schools?
Another case of politicians being “out of touch with reality”!
GiaQuinta’s quote may be the single most ridiculous thing I have read in the paper this decade. Are you kidding me??
If it doesn’t fit their message they don’t want to hear it. In June a teacher from Elmhurst talked about discipline issues in his classroom. “Most kids are here for the social experience, not for the education”. For telling the truth he was reproached by high school administrator Debra Faye Robbins and received the scorn and derision of board president GiaQuinta and his followers, executive committee members Pamela Martin Diaz and Steve Corona.
Chipped tooth…
Bruised hands….
Stolen debit card….
Stolen cell phone twice…
Death threats….
Name calling….
And FWCS does not have a discpline problem!
They don’t, they don’t anything about the students, they don’t care about anything else, but their asses.
Just for record…I have been in EACS, NWCS and WCCS and I HAVE HAD LITTLE OR NO PROBLEMS! In the high schools, in particular New Haven and Columbia City the students still fear their administrators. If I have a slight problem in a class, all I have to state is…do I need to call Mr./Mrs. Principal and soon after you can hear a pin drop! It is not like that in FWCS!
Just an FYI:
Due to FWCS not meeting AYP standards will cost them! It is estimated that during the 2008-09 school year, I will bill them close to $75,000.
I married a FWCS teacher, and I can tell from what SHE relates that we do indeed have a discipline problem, but it all begins AT HOME. And I see it ON THE STREET every day, without being in any classroom.
HOME is where the problems emanates from, and HOME is where it needs to be quashed, NOT in the classroom.
It’s hard to teach ALL the students when 1 or 2 are disruptive to the point of causing the REST to be denyed THEIR education.
As for my “personal” views…I’m of the “Harry Senate” school of education and Discipline…!
;)
B.G.
It’s hard to teach ALL the students when 1 or 2 are disruptive to the point of causing the REST to be denyed THEIR education.
The problem is in some of the classes it’s not just one or two…it is usually five to seven, and sometimes double!
Mr. GiaQuinta should not speak for FWCS’ hundreds of teachers; the JG should ask the opinions of the union, or some other teaching leadership.
Bob, excellent comments and Evert I wish I could vote for you.
[...] our school system. Stop telling me we are “ on the verge of greatness“. Stop telling me we don’t have a discipline problem and that we should be a model for every other district. Stop hiring consultants to come in and blow [...]