Comments on: Not-So-Sweet Sixteen

By: bookjunkie

bookjunkie — Mon, 07 Mar 2005 23:25:51 +0000

ok, here we go again—notice the “school officials” part? the city is cited; the security company is cited; the parents are cited, too. but, once again the ADMINISTRATORS are basically getting a pass. they are more in control of what happens than they are being given credit for. i agree that parents are often shirking the responsibility of parenting, but schools stopped holding them accountable a long time ago, in large part due to the save-the-world mentality that came out of the 60’s and 70’s. (that includes me, but i have seen the light. i was often called to the office for my daring to make those phone calls home about a studen’t behavior. it rocked the boat.) the administrators and school boards are in the best position to monitor the security. (teachers aren’t often listened to when they are in as much or more danger than the kids. many teachers in high risk city schools suffer from battle fatigue. some get combat pay in some districts! the ADMINISTRATORS and school boards need to be held accountable, too. they call most of the shots in their districts.

By: CrankyBeach

CrankyBeach — Mon, 07 Mar 2005 20:18:34 +0000

Oh, for the good old days when the WORST thing you could do in school was chew gum… and the Spanish teacher could actually punish you for it by making you gnaw on the bicycle tire that hung prominently from the classroom clock….

And, oh for the old high school humanities/survival techniques class where a pocketknife (preferably a Swiss army knife, the more gadgets the better) was REQUIRED equipment for class!

By: Renee

Renee — Mon, 07 Mar 2005 17:33:17 +0000

I am with you Evon, however, the sad fact is…

In regards to kids having to deal with violence and guns in schools, it is the parents fault the schools are in such bad shape. They are the ones responsible for the “children” they put out in society (regardless of how many parents are at home, how rich or how poor, etc., etc.). Every child that goes to school has a parent. For some reason many parents believe that their only function in regards to their children is producing them … once they are out they are someone else’s (and society’s) responsibility.

By: Evon Bachaus

Evon Bachaus — Mon, 07 Mar 2005 16:57:48 +0000

I spent the first five years of schooling in a one-room country school that had grades 1-8 at first, then grades 1-6. The worst thing that happend was the fight after a softball game with another country school. We all had to come inside and sit two to a desk so the fighters could calm down. Fast forward to the 1990’s. I was visiting my mother at my sister’s home when my neice walked in about 1:00 PM. I asked her why she wasn’t in school and she said that there had been a fight at school and they had closed down the campus. She then went on to say that she didn’t understand why they closed the campus this time because, after all, of the fighters, NO ONE HAD ANY GUNS! If I had been the parent, I would have started home schooling the first time there had been an incident involving a gun on campus. I can’t believe what students have to deal with to go to school these days.

By: Elizabeth B

Elizabeth B — Mon, 07 Mar 2005 14:49:02 +0000

My kids are almost 3 and not even a week old, but I become more convinced every day that I’ll homeschool.

By: Renee

Renee — Mon, 07 Mar 2005 13:38:05 +0000

Poor security, cats being sterilized in a DC public elementary school cafeteria (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42473-2005Feb21.html)….

What’s next?

By: La Shawn

La Shawn — Mon, 07 Mar 2005 13:32:41 +0000

Great catch, Dan.

By: Dan

Dan — Mon, 07 Mar 2005 13:23:59 +0000

LaShawn:

I think the most interesting part of this story is the short-term contracts awarded to Watkins. Were those short-term contracts open to other bidders? I would be interested to know the difference in price between the total cost of the short-term contracts and the lowest bid price for the three-year contract (extrapolated out to 36 months for the short-term contracts).

What happened to the procurement officials who did not follow procurement regulations? My guess is that the short-term contracts are more expensive than a three-year contract.