The Failure of State Control

Anyone want to try to convince me that this is the fault of teachers unions?

They say there are rats, mice, cockroaches, spiders, guns and fights in the hallways.

That’s why students say they walked out of a Newark high school today, to protest what they called a filthy school environment that’s also not safe. They also called for the return of the school’s former principal.

During the afternoon protest, students walked out of Barringer High School in staggered waves of 10 or 20. Some students said security guards blocked doors to prevent anyone from going outside.

A large crowd came outside when the fire alarm sounded, but soon went back in.

The demonstration came two weeks after authorities said a 15-year-old student was sexually assaulted inside a classroom at the Parker Street school. A 17-year-old student was arrested in connection with the Sept. 22 incident, police said.

Students got the word out about the protest on Facebook and said they’ve had enough of feeling unsafe and learning in an unsanitary school.

This has nothing to do with "teacher effectiveness." It has nothing to do with "setting high expectations." It has nothing to do with believing that "poverty is not destiny."

Newark's schools are not clean and safe because of a failure of state-level leadership, a lack of accountability, and a loss of local control. The state has been running Newark's schools now for nearly twenty years, and yet they can't even guarantee a clean, safe place for Newark's children to learn.

You can't blame local citizens and their elected representatives for this because they have no say in how their schools are being run. In fact, under the current superintendent, Cami Anderson - hand picked by Chris Christie and NJDOE Commissioner Chris Cerf - the district has moved backwards from its goal of regaining local control.

These kids should be applauded for standing up for themselves and their younger brothers and sisters, who have no choice but to either attend disgusting, unsafe schools like Barringer, or enroll in autocratic, stifled, segregated charter schools that will kick counsel them out if they have special needs.

On several Facebook pages about the protest — one had more than 300 members who said they would attend the event — students said they need to see a dramatic change.

Tyree Thomas, also a 17-year-old senior, said he created a Facebook page about the protest because he feels like Barringer lacks structure. Thomas said he did not have a class schedule until the third week of school.

Merritt said some of Barringer’s students did not have their class schedules at the start of the school year, however the district worked with the school to ensure each student had a schedule and the "matter has been rectified."

That is simply inexcusable - but eerily familiar when it comes to superintendents who have the blessing of the current regime in Trenton. No one would put up with this in the suburbs: the white people living there would immediately vote out their board of education and demand competent administration of their children's schools.

Too bad the good people of Newark have no similar recourse. One might think that was actually by design...

I can save your freezing dog! But keeping your kid's school clean and safe? Yeah, not really my thing...