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Post by timholycross on Feb 19, 2024 7:31:55 GMT -5
What youngster with talent wouldn't take an offer from a Catholic/private/prep school versus going to this place? I do doubt the National Guard will ever be deployed there, however. Seems ludicrous it's even being discussed.
A number of Brockton School Committee members say they want the National Guard deployed to Brockton High School to address a “disturbing increase in incidents related to violence, security concerns, and substance abuse,” but the mayor is against the measure.
Though Mayor Robert Sullivan said in a statement to the Brockton Enterprise that he opposes the use of the National Guard at Massachusetts’ largest high school, he forwarded the committee members’ request to Gov. Maura Healey.
Only the governor has authority to deploy the National Guard in times of emergency, whether they be natural or human-made disasters.
The Brockton Enterprise brought the request to light on Saturday.
Four committee members sent a letter to Sullivan last Thursday “formally requesting that he ask Healey to deploy Massachusetts National Guard soldiers to the school ‘to assist in restoring order, ensuring the safety of all individuals on the school premises, and implementing measures to address the root causes of the issues we are facing,” the Enterprise reported.
Sullivan did not provide the Enterprise specific reasons why he’d oppose the deployment of the National Guard during a time when Brockton High School, which enrolls 3,586 students, is experiencing what teachers describe as “shocking levels of chaos and violence.”
The city did not immediately respond Sunday to a Herald request for access to Sullivan’s statement.
“Recent events at Brockton High School have prompted us to seek immediate assistance to prevent a potential tragedy,” committee members Joyce Asack, Tony Rodrigues, Claudio Gomes and Ana Oliver wrote in their letter to Sullivan.
Three committee members did not sign the letter.
The escalating turmoil at the school “reached a critical point” when 35 teachers were absent recently, “underscoring the severity of the challenges we are facing,” the letter states.
Students are often seen wandering the halls, engaging in fights and disrupting class, with instances of the behavior becoming “alarmingly frequent,” committee members wrote. More and more students are also walking out of school unauthorized, while the number of trespassing incidents into the building are also on the rise, they wrote.
“There are many instances where trespassers are found on school grounds, raising serious questions about the security and safety measures in place,” the letter states. “These situations not only put the students and staff at risk but also undermines the overall safety of our community.”
Former Gov. Charlie Baker activated the National Guard in September 2021 to help bus students to school as districts across the Bay State struggled to hire enough drivers, including Chelsea, Lawrence, Lowell and Lynn, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Healey activated up to 250 National Guard members last August to provide basic services at hotels providing emergency shelter for migrants that did not have a contracted service provider.
Karissa Hand, spokesperson for the governor, told the Herald that the Healey administration is “aware of concerns raised about Brockton High School and are in touch with local officials.”
“Our administration is committed to ensuring that schools are safe and supportive environments for students, educators and staff,” Hand said in a statement Sunday.
Brockton City Councilor At-Large Winthrop Farwell Jr., in a Saturday Facebook post, also expressed opposition to the deployment of the National Guard to the school. He’s calling for the creation of a committee composed of classroom teachers that would form recommendations on how to deal with the “escalating problems.”
“Classroom teachers are closest to the students,” Farwell wrote. “Select the independent minded educators, not anyone who wants to “curry favor” with the school administration. We have the talent to create a positive learning atmosphere if we listen to our teaching staff. They know, they care, they can guide us to success.”
In the closing of their letter, the four committee members calling for the National Guard wrote they “understand the gravity of this request and the importance of collaboration between local and state authorities.”
“The National Guard’s expertise in crisis management and community support can offer a vital temporary intervention, allowing for a comprehensive, long-term solution to be developed in consultation with all relevant stakeholders,” the letter states.
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Post by alum on Feb 19, 2024 8:33:38 GMT -5
This sounds like a horrible situation. I have no idea exactly what the National Guard is expected to do, but I won't blame board members who are trying to solve problems. A quck bit of Googling reveals that the district's finances are in shambles as well Already reeling, Brockton School Committee finds new $14 million deficit, as superintendent goes on extended medical leave By Deanna Pan Globe Staff,Updated August 31, 2023, 11:43 p.m.
Brockton schools were already grappling with an $18 million shortfall that’s prompted painful cuts across the district, including more than 100 teachers and staffers being laid off.
But late Thursday, Mayor Robert Sullivan announced the Brockton School Committee recently uncovered an additional $14 million deficit in the fiscal year 2023 budget, an extraordinary revelation just days before the school year begins.
Sullivan also said Superintendent Mike Thomas informed the committee he would be out on extended medical leave.
“Collectively, we are all dismayed by the situation and we are committed to ensuring that we will rectify this situation, appoint new leadership, and move forward with our strategy . . . to deliver the best schools for our teachers, our staff, our students, our parents, and of course our guardians,” said Sullivan, who also chairs the School Committee, in a prepared statement to the press.
According to Sullivan, Thomas did not attend Thursday’s meeting.
“The Committee is acutely focused on formulating and implementing a leadership plan that provides the support and services and the levels our students and families deserve,” he said.
Sullivan did not take questions from the press, and did not say what the budget gap might mean for students and teachers, or how it came about.
The School Committee met behind closed doors in executive session at Brockton High School for four hours in a special meeting while dozens of members of the public waited outside. The Committee will meet again Friday at 3:30 p.m. for an emergency meeting at the high school.
Brockton is among the districts across the country facing tough financial constraints as student populations decline and pandemic-era federal aid comes to an end. In Brockton, more than 80 percent of the district’s 14,900 students are children of color and three in four come from low-income families.
The district was forced to lay off at least 130 teachers and staff this summer as result of the previously known deficit, triggering protests from teachers, parents and students. And this fall, in a highly unusual move, Thomas, the superintendent, was set to assume the role of interim principal of Brockton High School, the state’s largest with 3,700 students, in addition to his duties running the wider school system.
Gamaliel Lauture, co-executive director of the nonprofit Brockton Interfaith Community, waited for hours alongside dozens of others in the parking lot of Brockton High School to learn why a special School Committee meeting had been called.
The public agenda said members were meeting in executive session to “discuss the reputation, character, physical condition or mental health, rather than professional competence, of an individual, or to discuss the discipline or dismissal of, or complaints or charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member or individual.”
Lauture said he was disappointed but not surprised by Sullivan’s lack of clarity about the $14 million deficit.
“We advocated for transparency and accountability on all facets of government and it’s something we are still waiting for,” Lauture said. “That’s money that’s unaccounted for.”
Deanna Pan can be reached at deanna.pan@globe.com. Follow her @ddpan.www.bostonglobe.com/2023/08/31/metro/already-reeling-brockton-school-committee-finds-new-14-million-deficit-superintendent-goes-extended-med-leave/
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Feb 19, 2024 8:37:58 GMT -5
This is really sad and unfortunate.
What does one do if they’re a serious student? This article makes it seem like they wouldn’t stand a chance.
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Post by Tom on Feb 19, 2024 8:46:08 GMT -5
How many resource officers (aka police officers) are assigned to the high school on any given day? Seems like a logical step before national guard.
-------------------- The article does not sound like a great atmosphere for learning. A student would have to be a superstar to excel academically in that environment. I don't know about the school in general, but a quick peek at HC's football roster shows no one from Brockton MA
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Post by mm67 on Feb 19, 2024 9:35:59 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure there are serious students getting a quality education in some classrooms at this high school.
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Post by td128 on Feb 19, 2024 10:40:05 GMT -5
Is this really a surprise? You reap what you sow.
Take a look around. The breakdown of civil society on so many fronts.
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Post by gks on Feb 19, 2024 11:23:04 GMT -5
Think it's about time we return to the policy of tough love.
We've coddled enough.
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Post by hcpride on Feb 19, 2024 12:29:11 GMT -5
We can all relax, there may be a committee:
Brockton City Councilor At-Large Winthrop Farwell Jr., in a Saturday Facebook post, also expressed opposition to the deployment of the National Guard to the school. He’s calling for the creation of a committee composed of classroom teachers that would form recommendations on how to deal with the “escalating problems.”
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Feb 19, 2024 12:32:00 GMT -5
We can all relax, there may be a committee: Brockton City Councilor At-Large Winthrop Farwell Jr., in a Saturday Facebook post, also expressed opposition to the deployment of the National Guard to the school. He’s calling for the creation of a committee composed of classroom teachers that would form recommendations on how to deal with the “escalating problems.”I'm getting shades of The Wire in thinking about these challenges at Brockton HS --
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Post by mm67 on Feb 19, 2024 13:29:35 GMT -5
Enjoyed the wire immensely. The clip perfectly shows a weak inexperienced, teacher in a middle school homeroom class. Brilliant. Those of us who successfully navigated inner city schools(or any schools) could easily pick up the teacher's errors from the opening entry & seating of the youngsters. Loved the "Up The Down Staircase"(Belle Kaufman) reference/
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Post by hcpride on Feb 19, 2024 14:43:45 GMT -5
Think it's about time we return to the policy of tough love. We've coddled enough. There’s a wacky disciplinary model that has swept through the NYC public schools accompanied by great faux fanfare and brought to you by the usual educrats and staff developers. It’s called ‘Restorative Justice’. Sat though a workshop on it and thought it was a boffo goof. Nope, it’s real and questioning the lunacy (at the workshop) was (of course) ganz verboten. Not sure it’s the failed disciplinary theory at Brockton but that wouldn’t shock me. Nothing spreads like a bad idea in the progressive educrat universe.
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Post by Wormtown Railers Fan on Feb 19, 2024 15:25:10 GMT -5
The problem with a lot of these schools is not the teachers, the school building, the disciplinary model or the school in general. The problem is bad parents.
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Post by rgs318 on Feb 19, 2024 15:40:24 GMT -5
Perhaps it is complicated by undocumented immigrants in a sanctuary state? If you start by ignoring the law and you are rewarded, or nothing happens, no one should be shocked if that seeps into other areas as well.
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Feb 19, 2024 15:52:04 GMT -5
The problem with a lot of these schools is not the teachers, the school building, the disciplinary model or the school in general. The problem is bad parents. Sometimes, just parent.
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Post by hcpride on Feb 19, 2024 19:33:05 GMT -5
The problem with a lot of these schools is not the teachers, the school building, the disciplinary model or the school in general. The problem is bad parents. Sometimes it is bad kids. And it has become very very difficult to expel the most disruptive and the most violent of the kids. And that sort of misbehavior is contagious within a building. Once you have a critical mass of violent and disruptive kids in a school there’s no telling how bad it can get. And throwing money and theories at the basic problem (a critical mass of violent and disruptive kids in a school) doesn’t help. A very clever school district might try establishing an alternative school (easier than expulsion), sliding the violent and disruptive kids into it, and allowing the non-violent and non-disruptive students to learn. Not easy, of course.
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Post by timholycross on Feb 20, 2024 8:37:51 GMT -5
If you weren't aware, Peter Colombo, who succeeded his father; retired after the 2022 season.
He was replaced by Jermaine Wiggins, former Patriot; left after the 2023 season (apparently due to political infighting involving the superintendent mentioned above). Cannot find where they named a replacement yet (it's been 2 months now at least).
So in addition to the chaotic school, you have a chaotic coaching situation; one which is not the fault of the kids.
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Post by alum on Feb 20, 2024 10:29:48 GMT -5
Perhaps it is complicated by undocumented immigrants in a sanctuary state? If you start by ignoring the law and you are rewarded, or nothing happens, no one should be shocked if that seeps into other areas as well. Let's not forget that a very large percentage of the undocumented immigrants are here legally. They have crossed the border and turned themselves in to Border Patrol officials. They are not ignoring the law. Rather, they are following it. The problem is that the system is underfunded and not responsive to how this problem has evolved. You may recall that we came close to a legislative fix to this problem during the GWB presidency but it collapsed at the last minute and nothing has happened since. We need an overhaul of the process and we need hundreds if not thousands of court rooms, judges, staff, etc to quickly handle these cases. Here is an article from late last year in the Times with a quick explanation about how this works. www.nytimes.com/2023/11/21/us/politics/migrant-crisis-border-asylum.htmlI am sure that there are children of undocumented immigrants at Brockton High, but I don't think they represent a very large percentage of the student body.
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Post by Tom on Feb 20, 2024 12:10:57 GMT -5
Perhaps it is complicated by undocumented immigrants in a sanctuary state? If you start by ignoring the law and you are rewarded, or nothing happens, no one should be shocked if that seeps into other areas as well. Let's not forget that a very large percentage of the undocumented immigrants are here legally. They have crossed the border and turned themselves in to Border Patrol officials. They are not ignoring the law. Rather, they are following it. The problem is that the system is underfunded and not responsive to how this problem has evolved. You may recall that we came close to a legislative fix to this problem during the GWB presidency but it collapsed at the last minute and nothing has happened since. We need an overhaul of the process and we need hundreds if not thousands of court rooms, judges, staff, etc to quickly handle these cases. Here is an article from late last year in the Times with a quick explanation about how this works. www.nytimes.com/2023/11/21/us/politics/migrant-crisis-border-asylum.htmlI am sure that there are children of undocumented immigrants at Brockton High, but I don't think they represent a very large percentage of the student body. Can't read article without signing up for something. Is cut and paste an option?
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Post by alum on Feb 20, 2024 12:20:08 GMT -5
Eileen Sullivan By Eileen Sullivan Reporting from Washington Nov. 21, 2023 Under President Biden, the Border Patrol has arrested more people for illegally crossing the southern border into the country than in any other period since the government started keeping count in 1960.
His time in office coincides with a global migration movement driven by tens of millions of people displaced because of war, persecution, climate change, violence and human rights abuses, according to the United Nations.
More Americans far from the border are witnessing the trend as migrants make their way to cities around the country. Most of these migrants have been told to appear in immigration court, often years from now. Some seek asylum with the goal of staying in the country permanently.
Republicans have long used immigration as a cudgel against Democrats. Now Democratic officials in parts of the country are asking the Biden administration to do more to help support the hundreds of thousands of migrants who arrive in their cities with nothing.
It is drawing attention to an immigration system that has been under strain for decades. Congress has failed to update laws designed to address the American economy and migration trends of 30 years ago. And the asylum system, chronically understaffed and underfunded, has a backlog of two million cases that some say is insurmountable.
Here is a by-the-numbers look at the current system based on data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Customs and Border Protection and the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University.
Border Patrol agents made that many arrests from February 2021 through the end of this September. During that time, border officials quickly released more than 1.7 million people to stay in the country temporarily. Thousands more were transferred to an immigration detention center and released to do the same.
People have one year from the day they enter the United States to file an asylum application. There is no public data about the percentage of people who cross into the country without authorization and end up applying for asylum.
More than 800,000 applications
That is the number of people who applied for asylum in the past year, a 63 percent jump over the number of applications filed in the previous year.
Because people have a year to apply for asylum, the number of applications each month often correlates with the number of crossings the previous year. In the 2022 fiscal year, border officials made 2.3 million apprehensions, the highest number of illegal crossings recorded since at least 1960, when the government first began tracking such entries.
More than two million in backlog
That is the number of people in the United States who are waiting for an answer from the federal government about whether they will be granted asylum.
Some of the migrants face persecution or torture in their home countries and could qualify for asylum in the United States. But most do not fit within the qualifications set in a 1980 law that Congress has not updated.
During periods of increased crossings in the past couple of years, at least half of the migrants who have been apprehended have been given permission to stay in the country and fight deportation orders in immigration court.
Although the numbers vary by month, U.S. government data shows that more than half of the people who crossed the southern border illegally in July and August were released from custody after a few days with permission to stay temporarily.
Fewer than 1,500 judges and asylum officers
There are 659 immigration judges and about 800 asylum officers who make decisions about asylum claims. In July, the government received about nine applications for every case it closed.
Asylum applications are filed to two separate government agencies: immigration court, which is part of the Justice Department, and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, an agency within the Homeland Security Department.
Immigration court is typically the route used by people who have crossed into the country illegally at the southern border. They line up to turn themselves in to Border Patrol agents and are placed in deportation proceedings. While their cases are being decided, they can apply for asylum in immigration court.
It would cost more than $2 billion to eliminate the immigration court backlog over the next five years, according to analyses and data in recent funding requests.
People who apply for asylum through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services often are those who came to the country legally, such as through a humanitarian parole program or on a visitor’s visa.
The agency would not provide an estimated cost for what it would take to get rid of its asylum backlog. But officials say it is too deeply underfunded to catch up any time soon. The agency’s asylum backlog just exceeded one million for the first time.
Ten years in limbo
That is how long some people wait for the government to issue a decision on their asylum claim. Recent estimates show the wait times average three years in immigration court and 10 years if an application is filed with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Even as additional resources are added to help manage the overwhelming workload, far more asylum applications are filed each year than the government is able to resolve.
For many, the yearslong wait for a decision is benefit enough. Asylum seekers can work legally and often live in much safer environments than the ones they fled. Policymakers say this waiting period, which tends to grow as the backlog grows, has been one of the biggest drivers of illegal immigration.
1.3 million with deportation orders
That is the number of people who have been told they must leave the country but are still living in the United States, according to an official familiar with the internal government data. This includes people whose asylum claims have been denied. Once migrants are told by an immigration judge that they must leave the country, they have 90 days to do so. But many never do.
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Post by Tom on Feb 20, 2024 13:46:37 GMT -5
Perhaps it is complicated by undocumented immigrants in a sanctuary state? If you start by ignoring the law and you are rewarded, or nothing happens, no one should be shocked if that seeps into other areas as well. Let's not forget that a very large percentage of the undocumented immigrants are here legally. They have crossed the border and turned themselves in to Border Patrol officials. They are not ignoring the law. Rather, they are following it. I am sure that there are children of undocumented immigrants at Brockton High, but I don't think they represent a very large percentage of the student body. While these people have permission to stay temporarily - and thus are here legally during that window, I'm not sure I would say that these people are exactly following the law. I would agree that however many undocumented immigrants are attending Brockton High, there are probably too few and there too short a time to drastically change the culture at Brockton High into a war zone that requires the National Guard
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Post by rgs318 on Feb 20, 2024 14:56:47 GMT -5
Are you saying that thjeir choice to cross illegally into the US is OK if they are allowed to stay? In any case, they are here only. because of their illegal entry...how is that being herre "legally?"
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Post by mm67 on Feb 20, 2024 15:17:33 GMT -5
They are here legally because the law says so. Cross the border illegally, present themselves, make an asylum claim and they can remain legally awaiting a hearing in front of an immigration judge for disposition. Most claims are rejected and people are deported. But they are here legally while awaiting disposition. It's called catch & release. I don't like it either. Makes no sense but in a way it does for those who are truly running for their lives , eg fleeing communist China or Maduro's communist inspired dictatorship in Venezuela. All major players agree the law needs to change. Asylum claims language narrowed among other changes. However asylum seekers are not illegals. Go figure.
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Post by hcpride on Feb 20, 2024 16:06:08 GMT -5
Are you saying that thjeir choice to cross illegally into the US is OK if they are allowed to stay? In any case, they are here only. because of their illegal entry...how is that being herre "legally?" You’d think greatly improved border security, well within the purview of the commander in chief, would go a (very) long way towards preventing many illegal border crossings. If you wanted to prevent many illegal border crossings, that is.
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Post by Tom on Feb 20, 2024 16:11:58 GMT -5
Are you saying that thjeir choice to cross illegally into the US is OK if they are allowed to stay? In any case, they are here only. because of their illegal entry...how is that being herre "legally?" I was responding to Alum's comment which I did not fully understand so I read the article he posted. I quoted a sentence in the article I interpret the phrase "permission to stay temporarily" as being legal while waiting for your hearing. That does not mean it is OK to cross illegally any more than it's OK to rob a bank if you make bail. My opinion on this "catch and release" policy would probably be crossing a political line as opposed to simply discussing the practical workings of the law
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Post by alum on Feb 20, 2024 17:26:52 GMT -5
Are you saying that thjeir choice to cross illegally into the US is OK if they are allowed to stay? In any case, they are here only. because of their illegal entry...how is that being herre "legally?" You’d think greatly improved border security, well within the purview of the commander in chief, would go a (very) long way towards preventing many illegal border crossings. If you wanted to prevent many illegal border crossings, that is. I know you were in the military, but I have to quibble with the assertion that border security is “well within” the President’s commander in chief authority. Legislation places this responsibility in executive branch agencies other than the armed forces. Those entering are, for the most part, are seeking better lives here, not seeking to wage war or harm us. What are these soldiers at the border going to do? Shoot people with their hands up seeking to apply for asylum?
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