Dangerous labels

The Baltimore Sun

Five Baltimore schools have been labeled "persistently dangerous" this year, meaning that they have had more than an acceptable number of suspensions and expulsions. But even a few members of the State Board of Education who voted to confer the label last week rightly expressed some reservations, particularly when no additional funds are provided to make the schools safer.

The "persistently dangerous" designation comes from the federal No Child Left Behind law. But states can set their own standards for danger, which has allowed some states to obfuscate the issue. In Maryland, a school is declared dangerous if, each year for three consecutive years, 2.5 percent or more of enrolled students are suspended for more than 10 days or expelled for serious offenses, such as arson, physical assaults or possession of drugs or weapons in school.

The whole process can have perverse consequences. Removing more troublemaking students from a school could make it safer, but if more suspensions result in a "dangerous" label, a school's administrators might be tempted not to suspend or expel kids when it's necessary. On the other hand, a principal who suspends a disruptive student to send a strong message that certain behavior will not be tolerated puts the school at risk of being labeled dangerous.

When a school is declared dangerous, parents can transfer their children to a presumably safer school, but in many neighborhoods, that may not be a realistic option. The dangerous schools must also take steps to alleviate problems.

One of the Baltimore schools has been closed, and schools CEO Andres Alonso is meeting with the other principals and will try to ensure that their corrective plans are well-designed and properly implemented. Mentoring, more after-school activities and programs such as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports are among the strategies that have been effective in turning schools around throughout the state.

But there are no specific funds coming from NCLB or the state to implement these strategies. Baltimore will likely have to use Thornton money, which is thinly stretched. If federal and state officials are so worried about dangerous schools, they should put more money where their concerns are.

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