Homeland Insecurity

From the Baltimore Sun:

City schools chief Andrés Alonso is urging underclassmen at a struggling West Baltimore high school to transfer to other schools midyear - a highly unusual step in keeping with his pledge to hold all schools to high standards. The system is legally prohibited from closing the 575-student school, Homeland Security Academy, in the middle of the academic year, but Alonso is strongly encouraging students to choose to leave and asking the school board to close it this summer. Students will be able to select from 21 other city high schools that have extra space and are deemed stable. "I feel this is not a school that is working for kids," Alonso said. "I don't feel any need to be patient when it comes to the future of children." Problems at Homeland Security run the gamut, from high staff turnover to low student performance. Amid low morale, seven of 28 teachers have been absent more than 10 days this school year. After a slew of fights and bathroom fires, several central office administrators were called in to restore order.

Now, please understand that I am not trying to crack wise about this. I think I speak for most of us when I say that of all the things we had to worry about in high school - getting dates, talking dates out of walking out of the restaurant RIGHT NOW! because of something said or thrown, losing ballgames, losing homework, losing resolve... all of these were ephemeral... a real big deal one day, forgotten the next. I believe I can confidently say that none of us have had the ignominious experience of having the head cheese of the school system tell us that our school is a rotten failure and we ought to get our diplomas out of there.

Think of immigrants in the early 20th century, arriving on these shores to make a better life for their children. You can bet against there being a lot of lavatory fights in those schools, back in the day when there was respect all around for education - from parents, teachers, students and the community as a whole.

Some years ago Peggy and I dropped a friend off at Baltimore-Washington Airport, and, it being early and I being foolish, we decided to scoot on over to DC to see some sights. Of course, we got lost in some blighted, burned out neighborhood that really looked like those pictures of the South Bronx in the late 70's...a wisp of smoke here, a scent of hopelessness and despair everywhere. I pulled up to a firehouse and asked the FF on the watch desk how to get to the Smithsonian. Sizing me up as an out-of-towner, he stood up, pointed to the street, and said, "First thing you gotta do, get out of this neighborhood, like right now!"

We're all in a bad neighborhood as long as any of us are. I cannot get over how sad it must make Dr. Alonso to have to tell pupils to bail out of a sinking school. The irony of the name of the school only sharpens the barb. Teachers aren't teaching, students aren't studying, and another piece of society clatters to the ground.