Rebecca Friedrichs writes for the Washington Examiner that teacher union activity has transformed many public schools into “war zones.”
America’s public schools are no longer safe thanks to “equity” anti-discipline policies that embolden aggressors at the expense of their victims.
Diego Stolz, a precious 13-year old boy from California, is the latest victim.
Though early testimonies reveal a teacher, classmates, Stolz, and his family reported ongoing bullying to school administrators, Stolz’s assailants persisted. Video evidence shows two boys heartlessly punching Stolz, and after his head hits a concrete pillar, one attacker plows in mercilessly for a final blow.
Stolz died at the hands of those brutal classmates who’d allegedly been tormenting him for a year.
As a teacher and mother, my blood boils over this complete failure to prevent Stolz’s senseless death and to provide boundaries and discipline to protect all children, including the delinquents who desperately need redemption.
So, who’s behind this nightmare?
Unions, their allies, and the politicians they control have for years been surreptitiously pushing lenient discipline policies nationwide. Their first major success was when the Obama administration sent its “Dear Colleague Letter” to school administrators, dangling financial rewards for schools that lowered suspension rates. Motivated by money, schools stopped administering consequences for unruly behaviors — even violence! They replaced effective discipline with “Positive Behavioral Intervention Supports” and “Restorative Justice” practices.
So-called experts claim lenient “equity” policies will help end the “school-to-prison pipeline” and provide “Restorative Justice” for children of color and special needs students.
The trouble is, they’re wrong.
