One More Argument For School Choice (Dallas Public School Edition)
The Dallas school system was rocked by allegations Thursday that staff members at an inner-city high school made students settle their differences by fighting bare-knuckle brawls inside a steel cage.
The principal and other employees at South Oak Cliff High knew about the cage fights and allowed the practice to continue, according to a 2008 report by school system investigators.
"More than anything, I'm in shock and disbelief—shocked that this could ever occur and shocked that it would be condoned by a professional administrator," said Jerome Garza, a member of the Dallas school board.
The report, first obtained by The Dallas Morning News, describes two instances of fighting in an equipment cage in a boys' locker room between 2003 and 2005. It was not clear from the report whether there were other fights….
"It was gladiator-style entertainment for the staff," Frank Hammond, a fired counselor who has filed a whistle-blower lawsuit against the district, told the newspaper. "They were taking these boys downstairs to fight. And it was sanctioned by the principal and security."
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400 quatloos on the freshman.
Give the kids bungee cords and chainsaws, and you could solve a lot of problems in one entertaining stroke.
What’s the problem here?
Thank goodness the union will be there to defend them.
P Brooks,
They would have been trampled to death without the union. Anyone against unions wants teenagers to be trampled to death.
Those rednecks in Texas do not deserve public schools.
For fucksake, Gillespie, did Radley win a bet or something?
Why is this not a criminal issue rather than a civil one? It is called child endangerment. If I had a teenage son and had him and his buddies cage fight while my buddies and I bet on the outcomes, I would be in jail for it. Why are the teachers and counselors responsible for it in jail?
John, you silly, responsible, independent man.
You must not be in a union.
No way. We’re being baited.
Nick,
The unions are the only protection left for the workers.
Oh, Tofu, you mean the wonderful government you love doesn’t protect the workers?
For the Children.
if these were private schools they wouldn’t be held accountable! thank goodness it was a public school so the matter will be properly investigated without bias
Oh, Tofu, you mean the wonderful government you love doesn’t protect the workers?
When the wrong people are running it the workers only have the unions to defend them.
I misstated earlier. Finally we have a government to protect the workers, until the other side steals it again.
Time for another entertaining Retard Wrangler story? Don’t mind if I do.
Back when I was a therapeutic behavioral consultant for juveniles with mental illness (retard wrangler), I escorted a young autistic kid to his summer camp in North Philly. He was the only special needs kid in the camp. When the elementary school age kids got into conflicts, the college-aged counselors would have them settle their differences in by having them fight in the bathroom. The only exception seemed to be when the physical mismatch would not make it a fair fight.
As a counselor, the law required me to report this, and so I did. People were disciplined, the thunderdome stopped and I drew ugly stares the rest of the summer for being a wet-blanket.
But deep in my heart, I always figured that if men were truly in charge of things, fist-fights would be considered a societally approved form of conflict resolution.
Whatever. Those fights were fucking awesome.
Abdul,
At least you are not always a monster. Thank you for reporting the Fascist thugs.
At least you are not always a monster.
You have insulted my honor. Pistols at dawn, sir!
Or, alternatively, a counselling session where we can use I-statements and reflect upon each other’s feelings.
Abdul, loud is not allowed.
More wranglin’ tales plz, Abdul.
Tofu – South Oak Cliff is a predominantly African-American neighborhood. Any “redneck” that went to that school wouldn’t even make it to the steel cage…or through the first day of school for that matter.
Moron.
Or, alternatively, a counselling session where we can use I-statements and reflect upon each other’s feelings.
That is acceptable as long as I can wear my kitten ears.
You know I am anti gun.
But deep in my heart, I always figured that if men were truly in charge of things, fist-fights would be considered a societally approved form of conflict resolution.
And in fact, they were. Back in my day, of you got in a fight and both parties were willing, the school would hand out boxing gloves and invite you to go at it.
Not to mention that when my brother and I would fight at home, my father would drag us out to the backyard and make us fight until we were both exhausted.
We rarely fought.
Tofu – South Oak Cliff is a predominantly African-American neighborhood. Any “redneck” that went to that school wouldn’t even make it to the steel cage…or through the first day of school for that matter.
Moron.
Minority abuse is no laughing matter. I hope Obama sends in Federal troops and creates some programs for these people to get the help they need.
Off-topic, anti-union sniping aside, school board member Garza’s reply eerily channels the denial of police prefect Renault in “Casablanca” who is “shocked, shocked do you hear” to find that gambling is going on, just before his winnings are handed to him.
Publik ejukashun wurx!
You think that’s bad … the kids that refuse to fight are sent out into the desert atop a horse, blindfolded.
lol Robc, that was the first thing that popped into my mind
re: R C Dean,
Yeah my dad talks about the boxing glove solution to fights at his school all the time. He’s from abingdon, VA and went to elem. school in the 50’s.
I think it’s a great idea, having (willing) kids the same size/weight fight it out.
It’s just like when stags/bison/every male animal fight to get to the harem of chicks. Once a dude gets beaten, he knows his place and the fight is over.
Women seem to use subtle subterfuge–fights don’t resolve themselves.
I”m as big a school choice advocate as there is, but I don’t see how this is an argument for school choice. It’s an odd little story that could just as well have happened at a private school.
You think that’s bad … the kids that refuse to fight are sent out into the desert atop a horse, blindfolded.
And the horse has no name. It does feel good to get out of the rain, though.
I”m as big a school choice advocate as there is, but I don’t see how this is an argument for school choice.
Duh, mike, you pick the school with the wussiest kids so that your son dominates the cage and eventually acquires a harem of nubile cheerleaders.
It’s an odd little story that could just as well have happened at a private school.
I really think something like this would be nigh-on impossible outside of a a very large, poorly run educational system. In principle, sure, a private school could foster the kind of culture among its teachers and administrators that would allow this, but I just don’t see it happening in practice.
R C Dean,
My story of pre-teen Thunderdome happened at a not-for-profit summer day camp.
In principle, sure, a private school could foster the kind of culture among its teachers and administrators that would allow this, but I just don’t see it happening in practice.
Perhaps. I can’t readily cite any real-life cases or statistics. I’ll just note that sadism in parochial schools, boarding schools, orphanage schools, summer camps, fraternities, etc. is a pretty common theme in movies, TV shows, books, Kinks albums, etc.
Did the top administrator of the day camp initiate the proceedings?
Put the fights on Pay-Per-View, and the school would never have any budget problems again, either…
What’s worse is if a child fails to dutifully attend DISD he/she will be arrested for “truancy.” (Funding is tied to attendance, ergo we arrest kids to maximize DISD revenue). It’s no defense that your school is a “fight club” run by incompetent/sadistic/criminal bureaucrats.
The Dallas truancy judge told one student to attend class or he would “meet his boyfriend in county.” DISD is a shining example of the failures and tyranny of socialized education.
http://www.dallascriminaldefenselawyerblog.com/2009/02/dallas_truancy_judge_douglas_d.html
Did the top administrator of the day camp initiate the proceedings?
He was the only one who didn’t know about it because he had an air conditioned office and the rest of the facility was not air conditioned. To give him his due, he clamped down as soon as I told him about it.
Why is this not a criminal issue rather than a civil one? It is called child endangerment. If I had a teenage son and had him and his buddies cage fight while my buddies and I bet on the outcomes, I would be in jail for it. Why are the teachers and counselors responsible for it in jail?
I think we’ve gotten to the point where we have so many laws that we can’t remember what the old ones are, so we have to make up new ones any time something bad happens.
I.e.: We have to do something to restructure this company and pay of it’s creditors! Bankruptcy? What the fuck is that?
I can’t readily cite any real-life cases or statistics. I’ll just note that sadism in parochial schools, boarding schools, orphanage schools, summer camps, fraternities, etc. is a pretty common theme in movies, TV shows, books, Kinks albums, etc.
Thats all or mostly kid-on-kid stuff. Not what we are talking about here.
2 men enter.
1 man leaves.
( spin the wheel rageddy man!)
Why should just the big time sports get publicly subsidized sports training? The UFC needs a junior league too.
I think we’ve gotten to the point where we have so many laws that we can’t remember what the old ones are, so we have to make up new ones any time something bad happens.
You’re so right. A commenter on another blog told me that our founding fathers couldn’t have possibly foreseen how to deal with a mess involving financial companies failing. Presumably these 18th Century primitives had never heard of money, publicly-owned companies, real estate, etc.
The first rule of the Dallas Public School System is, you do not talk about the Dallas Public School System.
The second rule of the Dallas Public School System is: YOU DO NOT FUCKING TALK ABOUT THE DALLAS PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM!!!!!