At a recent meeting of the parent advisory council of Howard County schools' Black Student Achievement Program, the discussion turned to the proportionally higher suspension rate among African-American students in county schools.
This gnawing problem -- blacks make up 16.6 percent of the high school population and 36 percent of the suspensions -- is understandably cause for great concern.
In addressing Superintendent Michael E. Hickey, parents wanted know what the school system was going to do to turn things around. Keep in mind that superintendents nationwide are being asked the same question and pondering the same seemingly intractable problem.
Fully one-third of the African-American high school students in Baltimore County secondary schools were suspended at some point last school year. The pattern is similar throughout the region, even nationally, and cuts across socio-economic lines.
Unfortunately, some of the parents at last week's BSAP meeting were less concerned with solutions and more concerned with pointing fingers.
Teachers -- particularly white teachers -- were said to be the villains because they either misunderstand, disrespect or are intolerant of black students, and even of their parents.
Even the more moderate voices at the meeting indicated a suspicion that racism plays the larger role in black suspensions.
"We do not condone misbehavior," said Natalie Wilson, vice president of the group. "But we want to get to the bottom of what is causing the suspensions and then to be able to offer some ways to help."
The "but" in that sentence implies that there may be occasions in which we do condone misbehavior.
And though I'm sure Ms. Wilson didn't mean to suggest it, there are those -- particularly youths out to test their boundaries -- who feel they can justify bad behavior if they feel they've been slighted in any way.
These days, being "dissed" is tantamount to a capital crime. Children -- and not just blacks -- are encouraged to be ever vigilant in defense of honor and self. This is fine if the attacker is a sex abuser or a bully, but it is very likely inappropriate if the person is an authority figure imposing simple discipline.
And yet children do not always understand the difference.
Parents should, although that is not always guaranteed either.
Too often these days, parents seem to defend their children regardless of their actions. They look for other people to blame when it is really their own parenting -- or lack thereof -- that is at the root of the problem.
And while there is an element of blaming in the comments of BSAP parents, be assured that many white parents do the same thing.
L I'm not saying all this to try to get teachers off the hook.
There are teachers out there who, for whatever reason, provoke misbehavior in some students. Some of those teachers, in fact, are black.
The reason I think it's so important to bring parents and students into the equation is to make it clear that there is plenty of blame to go around. Singling out teachers is just another way of putting our heads in the sand and avoiding the hard work that is necessary. It definitely won't solve the problem.
Solutions will come when all the parties stop blaming and accept their own responsibility in bringing about a change. Right now that's difficult because we know so little that is definitive about the problem.
Dr. Hickey says a detailed analysis of suspensions should be completed by January and will look at such factors as the relationship between discipline and academic success, the race teachers involved in disciplinary referrals, how alternatives to suspension are used and their outcomes.
That's exhaustive work but it should be eye-opening.
But the real work will come after that, when parents students and teachers sit down and grapple for answers. If one or two groups is successful in putting all the blame on the other, nothing will come of this effort.
A better approach would be for each person to ask what they can do to improve the situation.
Kevin Thomas is The Baltimore Sun's editorial writer in Howard County.