A Minor Private School Drawback

No regulations for hiring teachers. Even if those teachers are convicted second degree murderers and have been repeatedly accused of raping 13 year olds.

According to police charging documents, two other girls reported being abused by Carroll between December 2004 and April 2005.

The girl previously testified that Carroll fondled and groped her on numerous occasions, sometimes consensually, before eventually raping her on the classroom floor.

Christina Phillips Holtsclaw, principal of Community Initiatives Academy, publicly defended Carroll after his 2005 rape indictment, saying he deserved a “second chance,” and never told parents about Carroll’s 1995 second-degree murder conviction.

For all we know, Mr. Carroll is teaching could be teaching a class in a week or two. No regulations exist, aside from internal ones (which clearly SUCK if a murderer/rapist had a job) to keep men like Carroll from being hired at private institutions. What is particularly troubling is that parents had no clue about Mr. Carroll's past when they paid through the nose to send their children to "Community Initiatives Academy". How about we have a "community initiative" to keep murderers and rapists out of our schools? Oh wait, we already do, and they are called public schools where teachers have to earn degrees and become certified to teach, and where all school employees must pass a criminal background check. These are all things to keep in mind when debating school privatization.

Schooling Baltimore Street

Schooling Baltimore Street chronicles 10 months of youth-led organizing for education equity in Baltimore's public schools. Featuring the stories of three youth advocates, this documentary explores the motivations that can turn students into activists. This video was created by high school students Kyle Halle-Erby and Lendl Tellington to raise awareness for public education issues, and share the voices of those most affected - the students. They produced this video as part of the Mentoring Video Project, Wide Angle's youth leadership and technical production program.

Check it out.

Dixon Considers Merging City and School Police Forces

Interesting. While I agree that this move would help to streamline things, and possibly increase organization among school police, I must disagree with it. Just read this quote from Baltimore Police spokesman Matt Jablow:

"If it's going to happen, this is the perfect time for it to happen," Jablow said. "He can integrate them as well as anyone. Commissioner Hamm has always said that there's a lot of very good criminal intelligence to be gained from our schools. It would be of tremendous advantage to us."

The emphasis is mine.

Is that the point of school police, to gather criminal intelligence on minors? I thought it was to protect our students, teachers, and school workers. This whole thing rubs me the wrong way. School is a place you go to learn, not to be monitored by police. What message does this send to our students? What message does it send to our teachers and parents? Is it really necessary to use public schools as intelligence gathering locations?

I am all for the integration if it is simply a structural change. However, I fear this change has more sinister motives. The Baltimore Police see this as just another chance to get some good intelligence. What's next? How far will we go to root out "gang activity"? How long until we see daily arrests in our school hallways? How long until our schools resemble jails or halfway houses? This is a move in the wrong direction, both for Baltimore City schools and for Baltimore's policing strategy as a whole.

Some Feel Good News Stories

First, possibly the feel good story of the year:

Worlds Tallest Man Saves Dolphin

The world's tallest man has saved two dolphins by using his long arms to reach into their stomachs and pull out dangerous plastic shards.

Hell yes.



How can you not love that picture?

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And now for a local feel good story that involves a collision of generations in Baltimore City schools.

A national program placing senior citizens in elementary classrooms as mentors is scheduled to announce an expansion today to four more schools in Baltimore.

Currently in 12 city elementary schools and poised to expand to 16, the Experience Corps program assigns seniors to work in kindergarten through third-grade classrooms.

Officials report that participating schools have seen significant reductions in the number of children sent to the office for disciplinary problems. And, they say, seniors are often happier and healthier as a result of the work.

This week, the city school board voted to spend $94,000 to expand the program to Eutaw-Marshburn, Furley and Highlandtown No. 215 elementary schools. Coldstream Park Elementary will add the program in the spring using private funds.

This is the type of outside of the box thinking that Baltimore City schools need. Providing adult mentors to K-3 students is a great service and it appears to have benefits for all those who are involved.

Sylvia McGill, education director at the Greater Homewood Community Corp., which administers Experience Corps in Baltimore, said students in participating schools have been less likely to act out when they get attention from seniors. She said there is anecdotal evidence that the seniors need fewer medical appointments and give up canes and walkers.

If she can prove those health benefits are widespread, Fried said, "it would have very significant implications for the country."

"There are very few meaningful roles for people after retirement," she said. "People feel thrown away." A sense of purpose, she said, might make the difference.

Its not often that a program comes along where everyone involved benefits. Lets hope this program can be funded citywide in the future.