From another thread:
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
57 comments:
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Anonymous said...
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So do we now blame the substitute? He/she may have passed out the pencils that started it all. The rascal who did the recording had a hand in this too. Both were suspended. I know the line "Any fighting, you both are suspended". In the video, the attacked student did nothing than cover his head. Ho made no move (in the video) to defend himself. Pittsburgh police not yet involved? Is Spolar still pulling the puppet polices' strings?
Was there or was there not an incident at Carrick this week? Fighting, gun reported? The broom gets bigger and bigger. We will need a carpet the size of Heinz field to sweep this dirt under. -
March 19, 2014 at 9:40 AM
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Anonymous said...
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9:40, one step in the right direction would be to always involve the city police whenever there is a criminal act at a PPS school.
The administration can (and does) control the school police reports, but they cannot control the city police reports.
The trick is to figure out how to get the city involved. I think the best (and maybe the only way) is for parents to call the city police whenever their children are victimized. Don't let the school police "handle" it!
Oh, and a parent of a serious crime victim should also call a lawyer. Put the pressure on the PPS for not providing a safe learning environment.
By the way, I fully agree with your characterization of the school police as "puppet police." Sometimes I think the school police were formed just for that purpose; to allow PPS administration to manipulate crime reports in the schools. -
March 19, 2014 at 11:21 AM
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Anonymous said...
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Well, was there an incident at Carrick or not? We can assume it will not be reported to city police. We can take it for granted there will be no mention on the 6:00 news. Sweeping it away does not mean it will go away. Wes a letter sent home to parents? Were the school/city police involved? Did anything really happen? It's a good diversion to have a fictional incident while test scores are dropping, finances tanking, pointing fingers at substitutes. It keeps us looking away from the real problems.
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March 19, 2014 at 12:35 PM
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Anonymous said...
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This portion of the article by Molly Born in the PG is troubling:
"Both students were disciplined following the first fight, Ms. Pugh said. Asked whether the substitute teacher, who called security during both incidents, faced any discipline, she said she was not aware of any pending action."
I think Ms. Pugh does an outstanding job but she faltered here. I am just a Mother, no credentials of any kind, but really, to leave readers with any impression that somehow the sub was in some way accountable? Holy cow! Using "not aware" implies some action is possible. For what? You want to hear something equally as outrageous as allowing anyone to think a sub should be disciplined because a fight broke out in a class? Why not arm all subs with pepper spray?
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March 19, 2014 at 1:47 PM
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Anonymous said...
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This problems at Perry are the the kids faults for acting like savages! The parents are to blame here people. We are dealing with poverty kids and some that live poor, drug addict parents, fatherless, motherless, mental problems, drug problems. Their are problems at all school you just did not hear about those! The teachers are here to teach not discipline a student that does not know how to behave. These teachers are teaching 30 kids in a classroom. The Security are not in class rooms and they have to be dispatched to the class room. Their is one Security guard per floor and the hallways are long and around corners or sometimes doors. What about the Security and Police Officers that were injured this year from these kids because they did do their jobs? I bet the media did not get a call for that! What you need in these schools are better trained Security and that is the districts fault 100%! Are the Police in the schools when not in court? How many parents volunteer? Is the Administration doing their jobs or just harassing the staff because they are in charge? Its time for the school district to send questionnaires to staff, student and parents! How is it the schools fault that these kids are not mentally healthy enough to handle their problems without violence????
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March 19, 2014 at 6:55 PM
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Anonymous said...
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The schools do not sweep away anything. School Police file charges and that is what the district is suppose to do! I bet the positive things that do happen at the schools are not on the 6 o'clock news.
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March 19, 2014 at 6:57 PM
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Anonymous said...
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PARENTS VOLUNTEER YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
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March 19, 2014 at 7:04 PM
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Anonymous said...
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PARENTS VOLUNTEER YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! IN THE SUBURB THE PARENTS ARE HIGHLY INVOLVED! AND FOR SOME REASON THE KIDS TO NO ACT LIKE THIS!
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March 19, 2014 at 7:05 PM
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Questioner said...
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Maybe there should be a centralized PPS Volunteer Opportunities list- with volunteer positions sortable by school, grade level, type of activity, etc.
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March 19, 2014 at 7:08 PM
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Anonymous said...
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This would be a good post - please post: Okay, can the school district tell us what kind of training all the staff have handling inner city kids? What kind of training does the Security receive because as a parent I always see the Security handle everything in the schools - the police only handle reports but, make more money that the Security. How strong is the School Police Department? Are the staff stress free to handle the kids or in a volatile environment? How many parents volunteer? How many Administrators should not be running a school? Why are the kids fighting so much and who is to blame? Are the parents to blame? Do they need more Security Guards?
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March 19, 2014 at 7:21 PM
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Anonymous said...
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7:21,
We need to put the school police back into the schools.
What you said is correct. The security guards handle almost every incident. All the school police do is show up after everything is over and take a report.
But it wasn't always that way. Back in the early 90's every large PPS school had a school police officer permanently assigned to the building. The officer walked the halls, and got to know the kids.
Unlike school security, this officer had full arrest powers. And the kids knew it. It provided immediate deterence.
But then the school police were pulled out of the buildings. They are now all riding around on mobile patrol.
So our highest-paid, highest-trained people are not even in the buildings on a regular basis. -
March 19, 2014 at 7:45 PM
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Anonymous said...
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As a teacher, I was taught to teach my students. Teacher training does not change due to inner city or suburbs. As a teacher, I am cautioned against breaking up fights. Many times, a teacher does not have a choice but to get involved. Consider sitting in the principals office with a screaming parent whose child was badly beaten and all you did was call security.
I do not know the extent of training security receives. School police go to police academy the same as city, county, PAT, Pitt police do. They have police powers and firearm training. In all my years, the only person whoever carried a firearm was Stanley Rideout, former school police chief. The board has decided that school police not carry firearms. A school policeman once commented that PPS police are not hired by city because they are mentally un-suitable for public service because they would do this job without a gun. -
March 19, 2014 at 7:51 PM
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Anonymous said...
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If you are a PPS teacher, as I am, then you know the district will to ANYTHING to minimize, cover up, or even outright lie to keep crimes committed by students out of the local media. The only reason we heard about this is because the student showed the video, so the school was FORCED to release a statement. The statement minimized the incident by referring to it as "horseplay" Horseplay implies a somewhat normal social interaction between students who are playing around with each other. If you were walking down the street and somebody did you what was done on that video, it would be reported by the media as an attack or an assault, definitely not "horseplay"
The school police are employed in order to keep the city police out of the schools, so the public will be kept in the dark about the violence that permeates too many schools. I have only worked in k-5 and k-8 buildings and have witnessed so many things covered up that would be breaking news for the whole day if they happened in Mount Lebanon or Upper St. Clair. The only time a PPS incident ends up reported to the public is when the district is unable to prevent city police involvement or in a situation like this, where there is a public video. Then the district releases a statement that minimizes the situation.
I worked in one building was so consistently dangerous, I knew I would call 911 and risk the disciplinary action if I felt truly threatened. 8th graders would walk into my room and drag younger kids out and assault them, elementary students were sexually assaulted in restrooms by older students, a student even reported being raped in the building and notified city police and it was the smallest blurb on the news. Then the clip they aired showed a parent saying "Well I don't believe her" Students routinely used drugs in the building, we would have to use alternate staircases coming in from recess because our assigned stairwell would be filled with marijuana smoke. Students hid weapons on the playground to bring in after recess because they only passed through metal detectors in the morning. Teachers and security were frequently injured by students. I actually told my young students who had cell phones to call 911 if any older kids or parents came in the room to try to hurt me or them in an effort to try to get the REAL police there.
This was ONE elementary k-8 and this barely scratches the surface of the total culture of violence and dysfunction. This violent behavior and disregard for other human being is becoming the 'norm' in so many schools.
The district will continue to hide this criminal and anti- social behavior. They don't want the bad PR and more importantly would rather continue to blame teachers for the demise of the district because they can't say the culture of violence the students are bringing to school is the real problem. -
March 19, 2014 at 8:08 PM
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Anonymous said...
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Please post this as a question: Who knows anything about the new Assistant Chief and Chief of School Safety? Why is the district paying for an Assistant Chief? I believe after research with HR today the Chief takes in the $90,000 and the Assistant Chief almost at $70,000. The Police make $47,000 plus over time. The Security are at $22 an hour. Who works for their income? Why are the Security handing everything in these schools and making the least? We know that the Security are in the schools, So what do the Chiefs' and Police do?
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March 19, 2014 at 9:27 PM
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Anonymous said...
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anon 6:57, you sound like an administrator either at Bellefield or in a school. Or even worse, you could be a PELA. They are the powerless folks who are supporting poor behavior by dumping it on the teacher.
As for volunteers-forget it. The last thing a principal wants is a pair of biased eyes and ears in the building. A smart principal can encourage a teacher to keep his mouth shut. A bully principal will use the dirty methods. Threats of critical incident, focusing, observations out the whoha. A volunteer can simply call the police and make a report. Or, go to the court and file a complaint. How often do you see a teacher doing that? Just last year the district court in Carrick asked why he was not seeing as many cases as in the past. Why not? -
March 19, 2014 at 9:34 PM
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Anonymous said...
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Sweeping incidents under the carpet has been done for years. Back in the mid 80's, a student slashed a bus driver with a razor. The county police came to Allderdice to arrest the offender.
The principal told the officers it was an internal matter and the student would be disciplined at school. The first policeman pulled his cuffs and began to arrest the principal. The second officer took her cuffs out and told the V.P. "And your going too" With that, the V.P. gave up the students location. Please don't say PPS would never cover up or not sweep a problem under the rug. -
March 19, 2014 at 9:41 PM
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Questioner said...
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PPS really doesn't need to bother covering up or sweeping, there is little accountability for ANYTHING.
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March 19, 2014 at 9:46 PM
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Anonymous said...
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9:27, you asked "We know that the Security are in the schools, So what do the Chiefs' and Police do?"
I'll field that one. The Chiefs sit in their offices all day. The School Police ride around in their patrol cars all day.
None of them spend much time in the schools. Imagine that. They are the School Police, but they are rarely in the schools. And none of them prevent anything bad from happening.
It's the lower-paid Security Guards who are in the buildings. They try to get the job done, as best they can.
That's not a knock against the School Police. They're just doing what they are told to do, even if it's a silly waste of manpower.
But it is a knock against the Chiefs and the other do-nothing PPS administrators. -
March 19, 2014 at 10:01 PM
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Anonymous said...
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8:08 pm., your comments brings tears to my eyes. I taught in the 80's when our district was nationally recognized as one of the best urban school districts in the nation. It saddens me to hear how low we have fallen with no answers just finger pointing.
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March 19, 2014 at 10:51 PM
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10:01 again said...
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9:27, let me add something else.
I have a lot of PPS teaching experience, all of it in the high schools. And I have never once seen a School Police supervisor just walking the hallways, on patrol. Never once.
And I have never once seen a School Police car officer just walking the hallways, on patrol. Never once.
I'm sure it happens, but I've never seen it.
The School Police show up long after any fight is over. The Security Guards break up the fights, often at some risk to themselves.
Then the School Police will show up with their paperwork. And then maybe the Chief will put in an appearance (gold braid and all), and stand sternly in front of the main office like some kind of big shot.
It would actually be comical if we weren't taking about student safety. -
March 19, 2014 at 10:53 PM
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Anonymous said...
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What kind of Training do the employees receive with handling kids from poverty neighborhoods, out of control, on probation, mental issues, drug addictions, no father, no mother, child abuse? It is a whole different universe for a inner City kid! Give these employees a break will you because they are verbally and physically abused there too that just does not reach the news. I am sure that the Security Officers that are the ones in the schools making the least in their department do not get paid enough to deal with these kids! I am a parent and I have never seen a parent volunteer at Perry. I do see Security but never Police or their Commander or Chiefs. Yes, the district has 2 Chiefs a Chief, Asst. Chief, Commander and Police. Why are they never helping these poor Security Officers? They do not need to be riding around wasting tax payers money on their trucks. They need to be in these schools! The Commander and Chiefs should all have offices inside these schools!
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March 20, 2014 at 9:59 AM
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Anonymous said...
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The police should have their entire department in these schools. Put all Offices in the schools! As a parent I can not figure out for the life of me why they are not in these schools. The Security do not have arresting powers and do all the work and make less. If you paid by experience the Security would make more! I am a parent and a lot of us parents are pulling our children out of these city schools.
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March 20, 2014 at 10:07 AM
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Anonymous said...
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When I would go see my son play basketball and football I would see the Security standing in the cold, standing on the runway and in the aisles and the metal detectors. Like they are beneath the others in their department and on several occasions their were fights and the security were the ones that handled the fights 100%! NO, when the police are their they should handle the problems because they are suppose to be the police not depend on the security guard to handle it fore them. I just read that their are two Chiefs? Really? Why? These kids are out of control so quit blaming the schools. The suburbs have huge drug problems that are hidden from the parents. I say that the City Police need to take over. Because none of the School Police are in the schools. They are afraid to handle situation I seen it with my own eyes. These kids bring the problems not the district. Tell me how does the schools cause a kid to commit violence? They are their to teach. So if this is such a problem put the Chiefs, commander and Officer in these schools. Give them a office. It is not rocket science! My daughter is a senior this year thank God!
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March 20, 2014 at 10:23 AM
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Anonymous said...
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How do you expect these employees to handle the kids when they are out of control? First, they are not trained!!!!!!!! Second, the Police Force has an Office in Oakland away from the schools not in the schools!!!!!!! Third, Is this not suppose to be a learning environment so these kids that have issues are in the wrong environment! Where were the Security? Where was the Police, commander and two Chiefs (IN OAKLAND)! The police went to the academy and have no college education. The Security are under staffed and not trained to handle riots, multiple kids fighting, and so on. Where was the teacher most likely trying to teach! Teachers are not trained how to handle mental unstable children nor are Security. I use to work the games a few years ago as a volunteer until the kids became uncontrollable!
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March 20, 2014 at 12:01 PM
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Anonymous said...
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Who is the PPS school chief now that Fadzen is gone?
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March 20, 2014 at 5:56 PM
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Anonymous said...
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I am a 30 year teacher. What I find extremely troubling is the level of extreme violence. When students fight these days they are out for blood. Spectators don't just watch, they encourage the fighters to go for blood. Its like a drug and its not over when the fight is over. It comes into the classroom as students only want to discuss the gory details. Try to teach after a fight, you lose a good 10-15 minutes trying to get students involved in your lesson. Sure there were always fights, the difference is years ago you could always count on a few students help to break up the fighters. You didn't have to ask, it just happened. Now the norm is go for the kill. I didn't plan to retire before 35 years, but I don't think can stick around this type of environment. The PELA principals do not address discipline. They either pretend it doesn't exist or play the blame game. It's a disgrace and students and staff suffer as a result.
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March 20, 2014 at 6:29 PM
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Anonymous said...
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The employees are also in danger. This is why they need to place a office in each school and put a Officer, the two Chiefs and the Commander inside these schools. So that they can also assist with breaking the fights up not just wait for Security to do it! They have the act 21 right and the hand cuffs! You put Security in these Schools with nothing and want miracles. The Chiefs, Commander and Officer can break up fights too you know! From what I hear the Security are way under paid unless you can get over time and you have to be the best friend (Harris)of the Asst. Chief to get that. The Chief is Novicki, Asst Chief is Brown. I retired a few years ago because I could no longer deal with the mental and verbal abuse from the kids and the district does not train the employees to deal with problem kids and their are more with problems then those with none.
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March 20, 2014 at 7:19 PM
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Anonymous said...
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Annon 6:29
Hang in there, you only have a few more to go. I have had principals tell our staff not to intervene. If you get hurt, the board will not back you. If you are splitting up girls, there is always the touching issues. Again, the board will not back you and neither will the union. Now you have to stand before a parent and explain why you did not jump in.
My last fight before I retired was horrible. It was a small confined space. One fellow beat another very badly. Blood splatter everywhere. Walls, floor, ceiling. Then there was the vomit. The sound of that kids nose breaking will stay with me forever. Worst part was, girls in the main office yelling and cursing about "That old man did nothing". They were right, I was powerless to stop it. The girls were adamant that the principal fire me for doing nothing. The two were suspended. The worst part was what was I doing when it started. I had to explain I was going to lunch and was walking past the room where it happened. It wasn't even my class.
God Bless Us! -
March 20, 2014 at 7:52 PM
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Anonymous said...
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I look at it this way. Their is one principal and if they are snobby arrogant and not good with their employees the school is doomed. Their is only one security guard per floor so what do you want from them and the police are not their to help them, hand cuff the kids and arrest them. The security handle everything and then when its all over the police come wow big deal. The district need to train all their staff on how to deal with this kids that are mentally not stable. From what I hear the security do not even know restraints because they never had the training. If their is a huge fight it takes time for the security to come from other floors and the damage can be done by the time they get there even running. Their needs to be at least two guards on every floor and a arresting officer that is not afraid of the kids. The Chiefs, commander and officers should all be placed in the schools! Their office should be in schools! Staff member get hit, sworn at, spit on you name it! It is a stressful environment and dangerous to work in! A police officer should be at every door! The Officers should be college educated. I know of one Officer that still has not passes a test in Harrisburg(B). The kids need shrinks. The employees are not responsible for raising peoples kids and teaching them moral just giving them an education. The kids do not get an education because the special ed kids, autistic kids and main stream are all in the same class room. A special ed kid and autistic kid need a pace learning environment and main stream does not so no one learns!
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March 20, 2014 at 8:37 PM
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Anonymous said...
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I heard that they only have one security guard in the middle schools? That can not be true? How can one guard handle all that alone?
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March 20, 2014 at 9:01 PM
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Anonymous said...
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To Anon 9:01
If commentators on this site expect the 3 supervisors to be in every high school, middle school, and k-8 as well as being on every floor and every class to prevent fights from happening, surely one security guard can handle a single building. It's just ONE school out of how many in PPS. -
March 20, 2014 at 10:31 PM
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Anonymous said...
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Robert Lellock lawsuit:
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/03/21/2-from-Rooney-school-dismissed-from-case/stories/201403210131
The former Rooney Middle School principal and detention aide won't be held legally responsible for the sexual abuse committed by Lellock there. Their motions to dismiss were granted "leaving Lellock as a defendant, but essentially taking the school district out of the picture." What does "essentially" mean in this case? I hope that other victims Lellock abused sued the district because the district certainly is culpable in this case. -
March 21, 2014 at 9:23 AM
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Anonymous said...
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9:23
That is nauseating. They were sworn to report any abuse to the proper authorities.
This is too messed up. -
March 22, 2014 at 2:11 AM
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Anonymous said...
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I have a brother-n-law that is a security officer and he is over whelmed with this job. One security guard can in no way or form work in a school alone, That is the dumbest thing I ever heard. One guard for many kids out of control? How does one guard break up 5 people fist fighting at one time. These kids do not fight one on one and yes the supervisors need to have their office in the schools breaking up fights too! They do not have anything to do. Why not? Are they better because they have a piece of paper, white shirt and with no hands on experience? Or if they do its from when the kids were not crazy out of control! These Security are not trained correctly so know what you are talking about! I was once at a game and saw the Assistant Chief ordering the security around not once standing in the stands only sitting in the building. He would tell them to handle a fight and not help them. A police Officer to me has a gun and handles the situations not depending on security to do it for them. I also over heard his staff saying that he is very rude too them and ever sense becoming a police officer thinks he is better than them and talks to them terribly so they lost respect for him! My son-n-law said that he never gets over time because the Assistant Chief always gives it to his best friend security guard Harris who is a security guard at margaret milliones. I also heard that one police officer on the school district still has not passed the test they must take in Harrisburg. Why is he an Officer illegally? Put all these officers, 3 supervisors inside these schools, give them a office in the schools because security can not even cuff a student they have to lay on them until they calm down. The officers can cuff them, take them to their off and help break up fights and help with class room calls.
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March 22, 2014 at 11:29 AM
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Anonymous said...
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Are they bringing Fadzen back? The staff seemed to respect him and enjoy working for him!? Does anyone know what is going on with him? They need a chief from the outside with no favorites and can run an actually make the police do their job and be in the schools. I feel bad for all the people that work in these schools. They are not given the credit they deserve. Unless your a Police officer or Supervisor riding around coming to pick up a kid after the under paid security do all the dirty work! The district and parents need to realize that the schools would not be safe without the security because the police office is no where near the schools. They should be inside the schools!
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March 22, 2014 at 12:02 PM
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Anonymous said...
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Was there ever an incident at Carrick last week (17th) involving a gun. Me and the person at the top of this post are still in the dark here. If nothing to it, just say so. Or, just tell us the truth. A thing like this can be bad for a schools reputation.
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March 22, 2014 at 2:22 PM
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Anonymous said...
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Hello March 22, 2:22, it is pretty doubtful that the moderator or most of the contributors to this blog would know about a specific incident at a school. I only mention this in case there are newer visitors to the blog who might think this is operated by pps staff.
I have encouraged many people to pay attention to purereform. There is no reason someone reading a post here can't go to a PSCC meeting or even an EFA meeting or call their board member to ask a question. When PSCCs were more useful, taking an issue there got some answers or discussion started. Can anyone say how the PSCCs operate now? What the structure is? How many parents can name their FACE coordinator? -
March 23, 2014 at 9:20 AM
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Anonymous said...
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Who is the security guard Harris and why does he get all of the O.T .I heard the security does get training but all of the things they get trained on is against school policy,like kicking ,punching and arm locks.A police officer was arresting a student and broke her arm because she was resisting him trying to handcuff her and he got suspended until further investigated .the chief and asst chief are a joke and need to be investigated.Security are the first to everything that happens in the schools but are hated by the 2 chiefs because they do their jobs better then the lazy police and are afraid they will take their jobs if lane would get rid of the police force
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March 23, 2014 at 10:31 AM
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Anonymous said...
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Who is the police officer who did not pass the test and what happens to all the children he arrested because he wasn't certified to arrest them .Any judge who finds out will trow the case out of court and should fine the school district for letting a person impersonate a police officer.
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March 23, 2014 at 11:01 AM
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Anonymous said...
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if you are not a person of color or a women you have no chance with chief brown.
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March 23, 2014 at 11:21 AM
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Anonymous said...
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The DAs office will be notified about the non certified police officer and i hope the chief gets disciplined for letting this happened.
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March 23, 2014 at 11:41 AM
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Anonymous said...
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They cannot put police in the schools because there are too many schools and not enough police.Say a riot breaks out at perry ,they would have to pull all the police out of the schools they are assigned to and rush to perry by the time they get there its over and chaos erupts.They do their best like hiding or going home during work hours[K9 DB ].Why is there security at the admin bld ,shouldn't they be schools and police do dispatch not security.And why is there a security officer at the admin bld wearing a police uniform did he not pass the test either .There are 3 security officers at the admin bld who need to be in schools and risk their health every day like the rest of security.If they think they are to old or cant handle the kids its time to retire [SORRY].
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March 23, 2014 at 12:25 PM
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Anonymous said...
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12:25, they should put the school police in the schools. And if a riot breaks out, don't pull the school police out. Like you said, that would take too much time.
If a riot breaks out, they should call the city police instead. The city could get a dozen officers to the riot in five minutes.
But the PPS bosses would never go for that, because they can't control the city police. So rather than lose control, the PPS bosses will risk student safety. -
March 23, 2014 at 5:43 PM
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Anonymous said...
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The School Police handle a riot? Now that is so funny! You mean Security handle a riot!
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March 24, 2014 at 8:49 PM
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Anonymous said...
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The Officer that they hired before even taking his test to be certified was the last officer that they hired. Assistant Chiefs best friend Security Harris is the one who gets the most over time and all you have to do is pull up all the security's over time. Now this is posted on here they will slow it down. The district only needs the security. Why do they need police that do not do real police work? They do not handle situations the security do. They do write a report and go to court with the security that handles the entire situation. Security can do that.
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March 24, 2014 at 9:30 PM
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Anonymous said...
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45 comments later, it occurred to me that perry was one of the schools getting extra attention via the project with Pedro Nogura and via ripper consulting. can any parent or student share what is improved or different at perry since their involvement began? nobody is going to judge the success or failure of either party's efforts based on this last incident. however, if things were percolating since the March 10th initial classroom incident and the admin did not take the steps to completely put the situation to rest, something is wrong.
we childless families pay a lot of taxes to live in the city. don't raise our taxes and then waste the money on plans that don't get results. -
March 25, 2014 at 9:51 AM
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Anonymous said...
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The principals at Perry are doing what they can. Often times they are limited by either the board administrators or the special education status of the student. The consultants are utterly useless. They have not made any progress with bettering the school.
The school police do what they can. The officers are hamstrung by an ineffective chain of command. The officers should be armed and often put themselves in danger. The security guards do what they can but are often times made scapegoats because they are easy to blame.
The true problem is the lack of parenting, poverty, and the overwhelming lack of discipline. The only way these problems can get solved is if the community starts to take care of itself and stop blaming everyone else. The absenteeism, tardiness, and general lack of interest in getting a free education are the problems. ..Not the teachers, security, school police etc. -
March 26, 2014 at 12:24 AM
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Anonymous said...
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The first thing I learned from this string of post is 1) there is one disgruntled security guard out there. Are you angry at what your lifes work become. You should be thankful you still work after all the fake illness' you've pulled to get out being in a building with the scary children's. You should be thankful that your one of the highest paid security guards in The US. (find me a district paying more). 2) For those who feel unsafe in the class room maybe its time for your retirement. Just like those old police if your an old teacher and can't keep up with todays discipline, establish dominance, then teach; game plan its time to go. 3) do your homework. PA Constitution gives school districts the ability to appoint people to file charges. The PPS district policy is that they are Act 120 cert. Therefore a MOPETC test for a Municipal Police number is irrelevant since its a School District department. Unless you work for a Municipality you don't need it and only a small handful moonlite at other departments and have said number. 4) did you really expect the OT to flow like the old days the district is broke, at some point the Chiefs had to put the brakes on that but there will always be some overtime and until seniority policy is put in place it will go to nepotism like the good ol'days.
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March 26, 2014 at 11:23 AM
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Anonymous said...
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Anon march 26 11:23 AM You sound like 1 of the chiefs writing that.1 and i know they read these blogs they should have never appointed GB [assistant chief] who does not even like his self let alone caucasian people That is Harris BFF and thats why he gets all The O.T.2 if you think there is a disgruntled security person ,you are mistaken [he has a lot of former police officers who were treated bad and unfairly]3 Teachers do their best with these children but when you come from the nothing and are angry all time the teachers get bad end of the deal.4 do you homework with what actually goes on inside these schools ,spend a day with a teacher or a cafeteria worker ,custodian,paraprofessional,security the way these children talk and treat these employes and you will think different and agree with these people who are trying to make a difference in these children's lives.
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March 26, 2014 at 4:21 PM
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Anonymous said...
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why does harris get all the overtime details,spread it out among others in his area i am sure those people would love some extra income or give the overtime to the middle schools security they never get any overtime.why give it all to 1 person.
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March 26, 2014 at 4:31 PM
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Anonymous said...
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march 26 11:23 so you are telling me you can be a school police officer as long as you have your act 120,so the school police are nothing more than a high priced security guard with a # what a joke. There are at least 2 on the school police force maybe more who do not and cannot pass the MOPECT test and got there act 120 online.I wonder how safe our children really are ?
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March 26, 2014 at 4:51 PM
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Anonymous said...
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There is a budget for safety and it is no where close to being depleted just certain people get more overtime than others.
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March 26, 2014 at 4:59 PM
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Anonymous said...
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11:23 what a horribly venomous post. I have had the pleasure of knowing many hard-working dedicated teachers and security guards. They are both seriously under appreciated lines of work these days, especially with pps. They should be respected and valued. What I hear are a lot of people deeply concerned about the safety of our schools, as they should be. Complaints about declining discipline have been wide spread and rampant for a long time. They need to be assessed in a serious and systemic way. Do much talk about effective teachers and we aren't even creating the necessary environment for learning. No one is able to learn in an image environment. It shouldn't take something like the Perry incident to spark change. The problem is systemic and its at the top. Unfortunately all anyone at the top of pps is interested in is blaming people below them and intimidation. That's true weakness. So don't nah the teachers and security guards. They actually care about what's happening. They want better discipline and safety. And we all have a responsibility to create schools that are safe. Bellfield admin needs to be held accountable.
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March 26, 2014 at 8:16 PM
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Anonymous said...
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8:16, I decided to post because I agree with you entirely. I am a PPS teacher, and I have the highest respect for the Security Guards. I can count on them.
Sure, there are a few exceptions. But the huge majority of them are great people, and they are there to help. Bless them.
I cannot say the same thing about the School Police. I rarely see them, unless a fight is over. Then they show up to take a report. -
March 26, 2014 at 11:44 PM
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Anonymous said...
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Seven post back, yes that sure does sound like the Assistant Chief. I agree with the post saying that the 2 Chiefs, one Commander and Officers should all have an office inside the schools. Everyone is entitled to express how they feel on this page of concerns and discussions.
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March 31, 2014 at 10:07 PM
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Anonymous said...
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I have a question. Why are not the 2 chiefs, 1 commander and police officers in the buildings? I do agree with the above post that the Assistant Chief has become arrogant. Everyone knows that Gary Paul or Mark Williams deserved the commander position and we all agree. We all put our pants on the same way. No one is better than another person in this world!
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May 11, 2014 at 9:50 PM
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Lp said...
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If they were involved then you couldn't sweep everything under the carpet
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June 17, 2015 at 9:27 AM
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The assault mentioned by March 18 at 8:48 AM deserves its own post.
That was not two students just horsing around. One student went up and began punching the other student. When the victim fell to the floor, he was kicked.
According to the video, no charges have been filed yet. But what I find really appalling is that the district plans to hold a meeting with the students involved and their parents.
A student is brutually attacked and the district's response is some sort of mediation! The kid who was assaulted must be terrified at the thought of going to such a meeting. Is the district so afraid of bad PR that they won't call a criminal act a criminal act?
Please Questioner, don't let this assault get swept under the rug like so many others have been.
One reason Pittsburgh is in such a mess is that people don't know what's going on inside the schools. So nothing changes.
from P-G on Perry incident
Both classroom fights were when a substitute teacher was in charge.
Here's a thought-- Mark Brentley has done a super job of engaging fathers on their day. Let's take names this year and ask them to come into schools and...hang out. Maybe some grown men will settle things.
Reality is-- kids fight in school case its "safe"-- they and their parents assume that someone will break it up. If they were really tough-- they'd be fightin' out at the flagpole like their Dads generation did.
So bring in some of the wonderful men I met through Mr. Brentley's initiatiove and see how tough these bullies are.
We are now at the point where - with some exceptions - it doesn't make sense to send your child to the Pittsburgh Public Schools.
The curriculum is garbage, teachers aren't allowed to innovate, and there is always that chance of violence, sometimes extreme violence.
Sad.
But you are wrong about one thing. Kids don't fight in class because it's "safe". They fight in class because they know there's no penalty for doing so.
A student who beats up another student will - maybe - get three days suspension. That's time off to sleep in, then stay home and watch TV.
So why should a bully wait until after school to attack someone? The bully is free to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. The only "penalty" is a three-day vacation.