For the last several years, public schools have undergone many different changes. While the math and reading scores are still low, there is a crisis in public school education which goes beyond these important elements. The things going on at your teen’s school they don’t want you to know about encompasses many things. Let’s review some of the problems that are currently raising concerns among educators.
Gangs: Whether you realize it or not, this has become a major problem in high schools today. In fact, there are so many different types of gangs that law enforcement can’t keep track. They are preying on the middle schools kids and, depending upon where you live, can be identified by distinctively colored head wear.
Weapons: While some high schools have incorporated metal detectors in high schools, this does not deter the use of weapons. Knives and guns are confiscated on a daily basis.
Sex: From middle school through high school, teens are having sex every day. Whether it occurs in the boys’ bathroom, bus, auditorium, or stairwells, it is a situation that cannot be controlled, and is on-going.
Cameras: To deter teens from cutting school, cameras have been placed in many stairwells, but unfortunately there are not enough funds to place cameras in all stairwells. Thus, the teens know where they are and find other methods to cut classes. Remember, in most high schools that have a population of 2,000 or more, there are not enough security guards to control every exit in the school, thus teens are cutting school at all hours of the day.
Fighting: Whether in the schoolyard or stairwells, or even within the hallways, fighting among students is a daily occurrence. Specifically among teen girls, the number of fights per school term is astounding. Moreover, both female and male teens sometimes take their fights to the streets. They have these fights off school property and, in some cases, have caused serious injury to each other.
Drugs: Depending upon your high school area, drugs are being bought and sold every day. Although there are no statistics to support this, it is occurring and you should be made aware of it.
You may be asking: Why aren’t the schools’ administrators addressing these situations? In fact, they are…every day. The problem stems from the fact that some teens and parents fight the administration because they feel their child has been unduly cited for wrongdoing. Moreover, these teens and parents know the law better than we do, and sometimes use it to their advantage.
Unless and until every parent of every teen becomes intimately involved in their teen’s education, these incidents will never cease. Join the Parent’s Association and make your voice heard. Demand that additional security guards and cameras are installed in every high school; in every bathroom if necessary. The apathy that exists among certain parents is the real problem. If the parents do not stress the importance of education to their teens, how can you expect the teen to?
The Simple Life of the SuperMom 