Down River

By John Lipez

We’re Waiting:
The Keystone Central School District has probably seen better than a thousand school board meetings since its inception a half century or so ago.

There have been boring ones, enlightening ones, sometimes tumultuous ones (a few of the latter over the decades-long effort to consolidate high schools in the southern end of Clinton County).

But there has likely never been a more solemn one than the board’s March 9 voting session, the board’s first meeting in the aftermath of the unfortunate beating incident in one of the girls’ restrooms at Central Mountain High School on the previous Monday morning.

There’s often some light banter at these school board sessions, but not on March 9. During the public speaking portion of the meeting, five community members offered their thoughts on that reported assault several days earlier, an assault according to reports that left the ninth-grade victim with serious injuries.

Four of those who spoke rationally voiced their concern about safety for students. One of them was the mother of the victim, another a father with three children in the school district, and two others were students at the high school. (The fifth speaker was a public grandstander/political candidate/longtime school district critic who offered, as usual, nothing good for the order; enough said about her).

The comments from the students were particularly well delivered and those in attendance listened in rapt silence as they made their plea for improved security at the high school. Ironically, one of them, a senior co-ed, had gone before the same school board at an early February meeting and had raised the same safety concerns.

Six weeks later, we now sadly know, the type of incident she was most concerned about had taken place.
The student and parent comments were well taken by those in attendance. It is only wished the district had responded in a more empathetic manner. Board President David Dietrich, certainly well intentioned, did little to assuage public concern in his halting response, at both the early February session and the March 9 meeting. He did say meetings are being held and, in effect, stay tuned for updates on the safety issue. But his delivery wasn’t one to install great confidence as to the district response.

This is not to say Keystone Central is not in the midst of formulating a plan to provide increased security at its high school and other secondary schools. But word on that effort should be designed to provide a greater level of assurance to the public that steps will be taken, and taken soon, in order to prevent future restroom attacks. District comments so far have not done that,

Down River the last couple of weeks has solicited opinions from a variety of stakeholders as to the security problem in our schools and what might be done to provide for a safer environment.

Thoughts from community members have included: the school district is too soft in imposing discipline, doing away with expulsion as a disciplinary action; the local court system is too soft in its handling of repeat juvenile offenders; parenting, not the teachers, is the root of the problem.

Down River is in no position to pass judgment on those first couple community concerns listed above, but as for the parenting matter, no argument here.

People who know about these things tell us that too many parents in our county, to put it bluntly, do not care. Most of the problem kids come from homes with no income outside governmental assistance. And here’s one we hadn’t heard before: many of these problem students have been diagnosed with behavioral or mental disabilities and a result their parents receive social security each month for their child as well.

We’re also told there are not all that many disruptive students (and quite obviously there are also special needs students who are well behaved), that the troublemakers are a small minority, many with multiple discipline referrals. But there are enough that the situation in the halls and restrooms at Central Mountain High School needed addressed and, we are told, are being addressed.

Board president Dietrich in one of his public pronouncements, said the district is in touch with the local court system and there will be a follow-up. We’ll take him at his word. The problem needs a community response. Hopefully the district will work with the county court system, county probation, children and youth services and the district attorney’s office to find a practical response to a very real problem.

As one of the student speakers said at last week’s board meeting, the kids at Central Mountain High should not have to look over their shoulders to make sure they’re safe while traveling the high school hallways. Please make those hallways safe, Keystone Central school board, administration and appropriate community members. Our kids deserve better, much better.