Right idea. Right forum?
Monday, July 21st, 2008
Students whose behavior is so poor as to embroil them in the Mahoning County juvenile justice system, including truants, will find themselves at a new school, Vindy.com reports.
It’s a charter school. Happens to be sponsored by the Mahoning County Educational Service Center, which already sponsors two others.
Too bad it’s only for the kids who are so poorly behaved that they are actually charged with crimes. What’s really needed is for a teacher to be able to put a student in an alternative school easily, for mere misbehavior. This is the single biggest issue behind problems in our large public schools. Change the equation so that it’s hard to stay in and easy to wash out, rather than a prison that you can’t escape from no matter how disruptive your behavior, and it will be remarkable how student attitudes will change.
The only tin note is the idea that they’re creating “education courts,” just as they have drug courts (and mental health courts). It’s not at all clear that we want this sort of judicial proliferation. What’s next? Debt courts? Eating bad food courts? Why don’t they start with Bad Judge Courts and see how they do there.
