New Law in Missouri Makes Schoolyard Fights a Felony

a reply to: chrismarco

Well if they are teaching kids to fear the state it's because parents are doing a poor job with having the their children fear them.

I don't believe that.

From my own experience and from what I hear from other parents, teachers/administrators have little to no respect or regard for parents, and are teaching/demanding kids have no respect or regard for their parents. "We're the professionals... we know what's best... just shut up and let us do our jobs." There were many times when my kids told me that their teacher said I was wrong about something and encouraged them to ignore me... and I had to tell my kids that those teachers don't give a rats patootie what happens once they leave class because they'll get their paychecks no matter what happens.... but they're stuck with me forever and ever so they better choose wisely.

If a student is a problem, kick em out of the class -- kick em out of school! Or arrange for them to take their classes online. Or send the work home for them to do. There are plenty of other more practical and appropriate means of dealing with problem children without hurting the other kids. The fact that the most draconian method was chosen -- completely and totally eliminating the parents from the picture -- is just one more sign that this is exactly progression they want.

The proof is in the pudding. They're the "professionals"... they know exactly what they're doing.

so, they are teaching children to obey and respect the laws, what`s wrong with that?

if a 17 year old assaults someone on a public street they will be charged with a crime so they should also be charged with a crime if they assault someone while they are in school.

why did they even need this law aren`t there already laws that cover assault? and don`t the laws apply to everyone?

it sends a conflicting message to kids when you tell them that they won`t face legal consequences for breaking the law while in school but if they break that same law when not in school they could face legal consequences.

Imagine if they did that with everything in school, while in school you don`t have to live by the rules and laws of the real world which they are trying to teach and prepare the kids for when they graduate.

so,while out of school in the real world 1+1=2
while in school 1+1=1 because nobody wants to be number 2 every student should be allowed to be number 1 even if violates laws, reason and rules.

a reply to: eisegesis


WOW, and I wonder why the USA is such a joke now....with these kinds of policies....

The citizens are now even getting bypassed in important decisions


hmmmmmmm what could the US citizen do? Right to bear arms springs to mind

a reply to: Tardacus

Younger people need lenience because they need time to learn to control themselves. Not only that, but they're practically forced into undergoing the stress of schools like animals prodded in cages; and as you should know, stress is agitation, and agitation, with no escape, leads to fights and/or psychological trauma - the latter, I suspect, is their goal: break them down and make them servile.

If school were a privilege, it wouldn't be compulsory.

originally posted by: chrismarco
a reply to: intrptr

Not too sound like a hippy but they should not be fighting at all and allowing them to fight versus jail time is not a good solution either..

Thats how they used to settle things 'old school'. Get out the oversized boxing gloves and let them do it in front of everyone with supervision.

Now its oooh, no fighting. They don't even teach boxing in school any more. Or how to handle peer pressure, rejection teasing, etc.

shrugs shoulders, now wonder the hood is a mess.

Sounds like they are getting the kids ready for the Prison Industrial Complex. Where have we heard this before?

ZERO TOLERANCE DISCIPLINE, DISCRIMINATION, AND THE SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE

The School to Prison Pipeline (STPP) is a nationwide system of local, state, and federal education and public safety policies that pushes students out of school and into the criminal justice system. The system disproportionately targets youth of color and youth with disabilities. Inequities in areas such as school discipline, policing practices, high-stakes testing, wealth and healthcare distribution, school “grading” systems, and the prison-industrial complex all contribute to the Pipeline.

One source

Unless its stopped it's coming to a neighborhood near you.

a reply to: eisegesis


First, schools take kids and parents to court if they miss so many days; now, they want to serve them up to the justice system for fighting?


I have literally thrown myself between kids going at it on a playground, radioed for vice principal, who would then take children to their office. Contact parents, work their magic. You know what happens to those kids? They eventually become friends. Their brains aren't even fully developed until they are 25, sometimes longer.

What are kids suppose to do with their lives if they have felonies on their records?

There was a child who hit my son regularly in 3rd grade. I went to the school quite often to try to find a solution to this. The solution was a contract that both boys had to sign stating they could not be near each other. Guess what happened? The bully found a new victim, he strangled another child during reading time on the floor in front of the other children. Do I think this boy needed a record before the age of 9. NO. He needed to go to a school that handled his specialized needs, and eventually he was transferred to one.

I think community service, counseling for some situations, after school detentions work just fine!

Some kids due to terrible childhoods need more compassion than others. Compassion, de-escalation training go a Long way just sayin. People shouldn't just blame the parents/parent. Some kids have disabilities like PTSD, Asbergers, and other psychological issues, but due to lack of funding, and long waiting lists for psychiatric help, the kids suffer.

The kids need love and compassion not jail. Or the option to home school with counseling.

originally posted by: goou111
They want the kids in the system early. Easier to keep the prisons full that way.

Same with drugs...fast food...political leanings...etc.

a reply to: eisegesis

Art is imitating life again...life is imitating art again?

Since when does a school have authority to make laws?

a reply to: Boadicea

Yeah, but these days, the kid who defends himself is treated exactly the same as the kids who start the fight in the first place.

The local talker was on this story this morning, and several concerned parents called in to point this out.

a reply to: ketsuko

Yeah, but these days, the kid who defends himself is treated exactly the same as the kids who start the fight in the first place.

That's what I'm hearing and understanding.... that should worry all of us. Defending one's self is a fundamental natural and inalienable right. There is no good reason to deny anyone that right and no good can come of it.

But I'm pretty sure I'm preaching to the choir right now... you already know that

originally posted by: enlightenedservant
a reply to: eisegesis

Upon further inspection, this seems like it's limited to the Hazelwood School District which serves roughly 19,000 students in the St. Louis area. It still sucks, but at least it's not statewide.

Although it raises other questions such as "is this even legal?" and "why this district?" The courts should still treat the children "offenders" as minors, unless they're 18 years old or older (though I'm not familiar with Missouri law).

My sister teaches in that district. It's a dystopian war zone.

Thank God it's not state wide. For a second there, I was afraid this might effect my own kids. Looks like this is something they enacted in good ole Hazelwood. A local statute? Sounds insane, but I understand why they did it. The teachers cannot stand up to the kids there. If they do, they might not make it to their cars.

Frankly, we need to bring fighting back.

Builds character, builds backbone, teaches kids the hard way to learn how to respect others and that there's repercussions for acting like an A-hole.

I used to get beat up and picked on, then I learned how to stand up for myself. Valuable life lessons. Builds stronger men, not the effeminate pansies we see nowadays.