School leaders have more than discipline at stake

Parents and school employees spoke loud, clear and long at a long school board meeting Monday about a lack of discipline in Grand Coulee Dam School District schools, an issue that involves much more than the schools alone.

This community is not alone in wrestling with the consequences of society’s wrong turns. Although school personnel complain that they should not feel unsafe at work, and neither should their students, similar complaints can be found in school districts across the state. If you imagine, as an adult, that the norms you were raised with are the same sensibilities students head to first grade with today, think again. It is not uncommon for extremely foul language or even violence to become a problem in the classroom, even for small children.

And while most children don’t behave that way, modern public schools are left struggling to find a way to fulfill their mandate to educate all our children, even those very few who disrupt learning for everyone else.

That’s no easy task, and there is no quick solution for the whole problem. The local district has set about trying to train employees in constructive ways to administer discipline, and that’s likely a good start.

But employees are saying that’s not enough, that in some cases immediate relief is needed, and that if it’s not found in the near future an “exodus” could occur of both employees and students.

That may be extreme, but even if the metaphorical dam doesn’t break, the district is already experiencing a steady leak that, left unchecked, would be catastrophic for the district and the entire community.

If better training is necessary, fine. But if students or staff suffer danger or an unhealthy environment because of a student, it’s time to remove that student. Not doing so imperils everyone else, and that student.

And the entire community. Our major employers have trouble keeping skilled employees in the community, and one of the frequently heard criticisms is of the school and its discipline. We all know good community members who have sent their children to other schools because a bullying problem wasn’t dealt with at their own school.

That’s not right, and it’s likely a reason that two good, long-time school board members faced stiffer competition in the recent election than they might have expected.

The school board needs to reflect on what it can do to change the situation, and it should start with implementing policies that empower their employees to provide a safe learning environment, and backing them up when they make related decisions about disruptive students.

It’s time to fix this, now.

Scott Hunter

editor and publisher