A Cry In The Wilderness?

And how are the children...….?

Captured here is 57 Seconds of "disorderly conduct" at DMHS in Englewood, NJ.    The video below was posted to Instagram minutes after the melee broke out. Within minutes, the children made this go viral to neighboring towns. I see the posting of this video from what I presume is a student as a cry for help. Are we going to help or are we going to condemn the people who understand the message?

 

I have published here the opinion of a father and grandfather who  knows it is crucially important for parents to understand the severity of the situations when students are not held accountable with the full force of the District policy/law. This law should be clearly outlined in the Student Handbook for Englewood Public School Students. Professor Kelly worked for 30 years in a School District that has a School Resource Officer and an Attendance Officer. I also worked in a School District nearly 30 years that has these student support programs and more in place. Englewood does not have these and other support positions in place even though they are mandated by NJ law.
  

             On the subject of the above "57 Second" video

"I must push back on one aspect of this video, as well as commend the posting of the video. 

1. Pushback: yes, the students should receive consequences for their very disturbing display of violence; however, the underlying causes of the violence are being overlooked. 

Paraphrasing MLK: “Violence [rioting] is the language of the unheard.” The violence is a symptom of the climate in the schools. Yes, schools. There are fights occurring in other schools in the city. Parents and stakeholders must begin asking those who’ve been entrusted w/ the children, WHY?

Do ALL of the children feel supported, respected, motivated, uplifted, and “heard”? If yes, then there should not be the intense violence as displayed on the video. If no, WHY?

Parents, do you know whether the schools that are charged with educating and protecting your children are fully staffed with certified, competent and dedicated teachers, administrators and support staff? Support staff like School Resource Officers Attendance Officers, Psychologists (optimally) or Social Workers (minimally) are mandated by NJ state Law. Are they present in the schools? Have you asked?

2. Posted video: I’ve read several parents’ reactions expressing not knowing there was such discord and dysfunction in the schools. Why? Because it’s bad PR! Without this very graphic display, it would be very easy to down play the exigency of the situation. It’s very problematic to “don’t believe your lying eyes”! Only showing it to parents and not the broader spectrum of all stakeholders weakens the impact of the potential dangers suggested in our schools.

Don’t be lulled into believing that everything is milk & honey. It’s not. Fluff, feel-good articles crowing about the gains in the schools are just that, FLUFF. 

The power is in your hands now (make phone calls, regularly attend Board of Education & City Council meetings (w/ your concerns and demand answers) and in the future (your vote for those who will walk the walk they “talk” when they campaign)!"

Peace...

Thom Kelly, Ph. D

NBC Coverage https://www.nbcnewyork.com/on-air/as-seen-on/Brawl-Breaks-Out-at-New-Jersey-High-School_New-York-509459941.html ATTENTION PARENTS: If your children are fighting in school they are breaking the law. Fighting in school is "disorderly conduct". It is a misdemeanor and it applies to everyone, even School Board Members. Read below. NJ Statute: 2C:33-2. Disorderly conduct.
a. Improper behavior. A person is guilty of a petty disorderly persons offense, if with purpose to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk thereof he
(1) Engages in fighting or threatening, or in violent or tumultuous behavior; or
(2) Creates a hazardous or physically dangerous condition by any act which serves no legitimate purpose of the actor.

b. Offensive language. A person is guilty of a petty disorderly persons offense if, in a public place, and with purpose to offend the sensibilities of a hearer or in reckless disregard of the probability of so doing, he addresses unreasonably loud and offensively coarse or abusive language, given the circumstances of the person present and the setting of the utterance, to any person present.

“Public” means affecting or likely to affect persons in a place to which the public or a substantial group has access; among the places included are highways, transport facilities, schools, prisons, apartment houses, places of business or amusement, or any neighborhood.

L.1978, c. 95, s. 2C:33-2, eff. Sept. 1, 1979.
https://www.lawserver.com/law/state/new-jersey/nj-laws/new_jersey_laws_2c_33-3-1?fbclid=IwAR24vWnqDGNcnTZUduZifKHEB_Q_drQerAwzWO4Lrz4-BWHpklUH2YGhjJM

And how are the children...………………?