City Kids Facing Forever Expulsion for Setting Fires

I just read an article written by the Baltimore Sun:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.expulsions19may19,0,2683888.story

Students who have been expelled for setting fires in Baltimore City Schools "may appeal to the city school board and after that the state board of education, but if the expulsions are upheld, they are never to return to a Baltimore public school."

"The school system will cut off home tutoring and alternative school placements for those students in June, and then parents' options will be limited to home-schooling their children or sending them to private schools."

These stricter rules seem to be making a difference, and the article states that "the number of arsons in city schools has dropped sharply, from 80 last academic year to 47 so far in the school year about to end."

"Before this year in Baltimore and typically in surrounding school systems, students who engage in violent behavior such as arson are expelled, but they can attend an alternative school or complete work at home, and eventually they are permitted to return."

I think permanently expelling students for setting fires in schools is an excellent idea. By enforcing severe consequences, students will get the message. Otherwise, they won't. Shifting a student from one school to another doesn't get the message across. Students (and parents) need to be dealt serious, permanent consequences when seriously dangerous acts are committed. If a student sets a fire at school, he or she has no business being in school. Maybe the punishment will be a wake-up call for the student; maybe it will be a wake-up call for the parents.

If staff sends a clear, concrete message that violent acts will not be tolerated, the students and parents will get the message. If a student doesn't have to go to school anymore and is assigned a private tutor to come to the house, and then is able to get his or her HS diploma, then what have they learned? Who cares if I make brazenly stupid mistakes...the school system will cater to me anyway.

If the school system has to permanently black list certain students, then so be it. Baltimore City Schools are in dire need of change; and I'm all for drastic change.

I guess those kids that have set fires in school will have to take their own initiative if they wish to be educated. I think that is fair. We can't always feel sorry for the people who are jeopardizing the safety of others. Kids know the difference between right and wrong, and they definitely know that setting a fire in school is a terrible thing to do. Education should be seen as a privilege; not as a joke.