I cleaned out his desk

[rosyred45]

I knew that was normal, I used to do it ;DI still have a rock that I found when I was kid.....sitting right on my mantel ;D

[tridlette]

Our school buildings are locked during the school day. You have to be "buzzed" in. They will not let a parent into the teaching area without an escort, and they conveniently never have anyone available to escort you.

Did I mention I caught the principal cussing at a child yesterday? Maybe they have good reason to keep parents out?

After school, you are NOT allowed into the classrooms, period. If your child forgot something, they are expected to live with the consequences of their errors. You are not allowed to take them back to the building to pick up a missing book or assignment.

I really think they are trying to protect the kids, since we had a shooting in a middle school here about 6 yrs. ago, and have had gang fights in the high school, one that spilled over to the elementary school parking lot resulting in a knifing and arrest in front of the entire elementary school student body.

But are these kids a product of their environment?

Hmmm. Another thought provoking question. I'll have to ponder that...

[mothercat]

I have often wondered about the lock down theory considering the teacher that died at Columbine was already locked in and trying to unlock the door when he was killed. I know it is hard to keep our children safe but you have to wander if maybe surveilance would be a better help . It would also cure the cussing at students and if your child was acting out in class they would have a record. It would also help to evaluate for IEP's and for teaching methods.
If they can surveilance a Walmart why not a school?

[rosyred45]

I don't know if survailence is the key, but the jury is still out on that one here. Not that I do anything wrong, but I don't like the feeling of big brother watching over my shoulder 24-7. Only because I know I am doing what I am supposed to be doing, so why watch, put your efforts into something that needs it.

Then again, I come from a small town that pretty much shuts down at 10pm and on a really good night, the state police ride through

I don't want to come across as disrespectfulmothercatellen, I actually feel the same, but just don't like the thought of it, know what I mean? I just don't like how times are changing that's all

[mothercat]

yeah I know what you mean but the thought of our kids being locked away in rooms at a school ( our school has put locks on each door) and locked inside a building. (so far the board has not let each door be locked as parents are fighting it )
..are we locking out or in ... columbine was locked and the guns and shooters were already in...personally how we handled it was we have taught our kids duck and cover . If you lock your kid in a room 8 hrs a day for their safety then someone is going to call dcfs, yet the schools have that right. It is a real worry for parents and it seems to be getting worse...I mean there has to be a better way out there somehow that doesnt include paralyzing the children with fear of having the door open. Our high school actualy has cops with guns. There is a nursing home in town that uses lock down 24hrs and they were using it to run shifts of 75 pts to 1 aide. Laws are good for safety but trust of those laws can be violated . There just has to be a different way.
The high school we had my neice enrolled at in Texas had locked doors..they were keeping the kids safe...tell that to the sixteen yr old girl that was tied to a tree in front of the school and raped by six boys after school. (they needed video) I wish they had a way to cover all their bases..that is all Iwish..

[rosyred45]

I understand what you mean, we have the doors locked at all but the front doors, but they aren't chained and there is access to get out.

I would be scared to death if they did chain the doors, can you say fire safety violation. I'd yank my kids in a heartbeat.

I think what it boils down to is, well, alot of things. Repect, letting kids be themselves without being bullied or teased....which comes back to respect. The kids need to start from an early age to be supported because they want to be different and in the same sense need to have a role model to do that.

I'm going to look for this Character education that my kids are doing in school. If I find it, I'll put it on the site. It is really interesting, but a reminder for the kids that respect and the other pillars are what makes each person an individual.

[mothercat]

That sounds really kool...tell me where it is when you post it..always willing to learn. It would be nice if we didn't need locked doors and surveilance in this world...wishful thinking..while I am at it I will wish for perfect children and all straight A's and perfect hubby and no more alsheimers and (I could go on forever) hehehe

[Linda]

Good character in kids should be taught at home and by example...

I think it is sad that the educators(the good ones) are doing this in school,which to me takes away some of the A B Cs!!!

Locked doors? Yes ours are locked too except for the front doors...another sign of our times!

[tridlette]

Maybe that is the difference here. All the exterior building doors are locked from the inside, but you can get out through the panic bars in case of an emergency. Our elementary classrooms are wide open pods, like the spokes of a wheel. Each grade has it's own pod and the kids can sort of free range among the 5 classes, no doors to any of them except the resource room.

Once the kids are in, there is a feeling of open air, but as a parent, I have to ring the door bell to get in, and then be escorted to where I want to go...except

It is a public polling place on election day, anyone can get in and out.

There is a book fair at school this week, so anyone can come and go as long as they remember to sign in and out.

It is also parent visitor week, so I am allowed to come in and observe the classroom this week (do you think there will be any cussing administrators at school this week?)

In the high school, the students all must use a certain doorway to get into or out of the building, and they all have to have photo ID with them at all times. Forget your ID, you are in the In-School suspension room for the day. No chances given.

Adults and visitors all enter through a different door, and can get only as far as the main office area. The nurse, guidance, and attendance offices are accessible to the public. If I want to pick my son up from the nurse, I can get in that far, and he enters through a different area. There is some sort of locking system, they can come out through the nurse's office, but you can't get back in without the key. During the day, again, the kids with ID's have a feeling of free roam.

I do wonder how the outdoor PE classes are handled though? There is no perfect world, but I think the district has tried to be visionary in safety since the worst has already happened here. They don't want the kids to be in a daily panic, but they want to reduce safety risks as much as possible. I think safety wise, they have done a good job, and I think for the majority of the families, there is no issue. It is just for folks like me that have a broom and want to fly at free will through the building that the locked doors are a problem!

But, I plan on making my free flight through several times this week, since the elementary building is unlocked for the book fair and parent visits!

[rosyred45]

Shoot, I forgot about Tara's lunchtime They sent home a notice to parents telling you when you can come in to eat with your kid.

AHHHHH, I'll do it next week, make her feel more special

[mskris]

Linda:

I'm with you on the "character education." These things should be instilled from birth in kids by the family. I also agree that school time shouldn't be used for this type of teaching. I guess it's all because of the "breakdown" of the family. I am continually appalled by the actions of kids in public - haven't their parents taught them better? Apparently not.

The only thing I do appreciate is the bullying prevention education. We seem to have a problem in our kids' elementary school with bullying (my son had a lot of problems in 2nd grade and the school personnel were of little help). There are some kids who are known as bullies, but do they get help? Nope. It's the victims who have to deal with it. So when they brought home anti-bullying materials, I was impressed. At least the school has recognized the problem (new principal).

As for locks, our school is unlocked but the front door is next to the main office (glass partition so they can see), and you have to sign in and out. In NJ, the front door was locked and they had to buzz you in (speaker to identify yourself and your reason for being there). Other than that, the classrooms are open until the janitors finish cleaning and lock them. So ds is able to run back to the classroom for things he's forgotten when I pick him up from afterschool care (unless it's past 5 p.m.). This helps us out a lot, because he's VERY forgetful. I don't know how I feel about lockdowns and surveillance. I want them to be safe, but I don't want them to feel imprisoned or "watched" constantly. I don't know what our middle and highschools are like yet.

Kris

[Linda]

kris:

Our High Schools here are "crawling" with security and cameras.The students have to wear ID every day supposedly to keep intruders out. If a student forgets his or her ID they have to pay for another! The price gets a little higher each time they forget!Thank God Paul has remembered so far

[rosyred45]

I agree about the character education.

Mikey and Tara BETTER remember how to act. That's another reason I like working at SACC, I KNOW that the kids will get a base for having a good character. I can help the parents by making sure the kids are held accountable for their actions/reactions.

Gets tough sometimes, but I hope the kids remember what I say