Police in schools a campaign issue 22-year-old candidate, one of 4 seeking seats, discusses his motivation By Lauren Stanforth Published 08:55 p.m., Thursday, May 10, 2012
SCHENECTADY — Every day, Dan Garrow watches how society has failed the city's youth.
As a correction officer at the Schenectady County Jail, he sees it in the orange-clothed inmates sitting behind bars who complain with each other about how they dropped out of Schenectady High School, their parents are on drugs or they have no parents at all.
Garrow knows a little about that life, too. He dropped out of Schenectady High in 11th grade.
That is why, the 22-year-old man said, he is running for the city school board on Tuesday,
"I wish something could be done," said Garrow. "It's unfortunate they're in that situation."
He is one of four candidates running for two seats on the board. It's common for young people to run for school board, Two years ago, Schenectady High graduate and Schenectady County Community College culinary student Matthew Brockbank was 22 when he unsuccessfully campaigned for a seat in 2010. In the Mohonasen district, Joe Salamone was elected to serve on the board in 2008 — three years after he graduated from his hometown high school. Salamone served as he was earning a degree from the University at Albany.
Such candidates typically represent a formerly successful high school student — not someone like Garrow, who quit school around 2006 and went on to get a GED.
The Bellevue resident said he didn't complete high school largely because he had a hard time dealing with his mother's cancer diagnosis. He believes the district should provide students with more support for their personal issues — only then will the low graduation rate improve, Garrow said. He also wants Schenectady cops to once again roam the high school's halls. The police positions were cut years ago due to budget restraints.
Garrow, who is working on an associate degree at the community college, is facing school board incumbent and social worker Andrew Chestnut; retired postal worker John Foley, whose three daughters graduated from Schenectady High, and Barbara Metcalfe, a district parent who unsuccessfully ran in 2010. Attorney Diane Herrmann is not running for re-election......................>>>>........................>>>>...................Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Police-in-schools-a-campaign-issue-3550276.php#ixzz1uYdIIGO3
Oh give me a break. School is a place for ACADEMICS, not for dealing with personal issues. That is the parents' responsibility. When the child has issues, you talk to your kid. You take the kid to a medical provider or psych provider. That is NOT the job of the school.
Ok OK, the parents aren't doing it. That means that the parents are not taking responsibility for their children. If parents are not being parents, then charge them with neglect and take the kid out of the home. Put them with a family who will take responsibility---not only for appropriate medical and/or psych services, but also will take the responsibility for making sure the kid actually goes to school, for doing homework instead of hanging out/playing games, etc, who will take the responsibility for feeding the child breakfast a home and sending the kid to school with a nutritious lunch (like a salad) instead of the junk foods in the schools --- it is NOT the responsibility of the taxpayers to be feeding the kids and providing their medical care.
And his suggestion about more police in school -- of course, more high paid government employees which puts more money into the union coffers too --- equally assinine.
He has absolutely no clue what the homeowner taxpayers are up against
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Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
There is no need for schools to have to employ 'safety folks' to keep the 'troubled/disturbed' kids in check. There are state accredited schools all over the capital district that are specific for 'troubled' kids. Have they even looked into this option?
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
School Resource Officers are first responders when a school safety issue arises.
Over 78% of all SROs confiscate weapons every year.
By 2003 an estimated 43 percent of local police departments and 47 percent of sheriffs’ departments in the United States employed full-time SROs. That number grows every year.
Research has shown that principals believe SRO programs are effective in reducing crime and delinquency within the confines of schools, and that the presence of SROs within schools can improve students’ attitudes and perceptions of police, increase students’ willingness to report incidents of crime/delinquency to police, and enhance students’ feelings of safety while at school.
People accept security personnel in banks and businesses, but are hesitant to have them in schools.
I guess the safety of your money and merchandise is more important than the safety of your kids in schools.
I am all for having a school resource officer, at least in the high school.
They can add the officer now, or just wait for a stabbing or shooting, and the public outcry of "how come this wasn't foreseen?"
Safety of our kids is not the place to complain about costs.
As far as shipping kids to special troubled kids schools, keep in mind that transportation costs alone to these schools costs $75 - $175 per day, per student. Every effort should be made to mainstream these kids, not spend tons of money sending them out to special schools.
Many Schenectady High students see guns, drugs and violence all the time outside of school. Every effort should be made to not allow those types of behavior to make their way into the schools.
Homicides in schools have decreased since 1994 despite periods of copycat shootings during the late 1990s and 2007 to 2008.2 However, simple and aggravated assaults, as well as drug/narcotic and weapon violations, increased between 2000 and 2004.3 Bullying remains one of the largest problems in schools, with the percentage of students reportedly bullied at least once per week steadily increasing since 1999.4 According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, school offenders typically are Caucasian males between the ages of 13 and 18. However, the number of girls involved in school crime has increased from over 12,000 incidents in 2000 to approximately 25,000 occurrences in 2005.5 This included crimes ranging from those against property and society (e.g., criminal mischief, burglary, and drug/narcotic violations) to offenses against persons (e.g., assault, manslaughter, and murder)."
the whole thing is a sad sad epic failure.....that we even want/desire to have police in our PUBLIC schools with doors locked is very sad....it's kind of creepy to pick one's child up from a LOCKED GOVERNMENT/PUBLIC building.....a whole generation has failed their future and here we are......
1. kids are locked in with 'professionals' 2. kids are taught that it's OK to be locked up to be 'conditioned'
some nurses/doctors become such because there is access some police become such because there is access some teachers become such because there is access
can anyone explain to me how that keeps kids safe? from whom? from what?
is it a dangerous world? YUP!!! and the kids need to know it, live it, learn it. It was a lie taught from hippies to "stay young, it sucks to get old" or "never grow up"...
we are reaping the seed sown....I'm waiting breathlessly to see what the 9/11 generation will become in the future....
will it be 'the state' or will it be the 'individual'?
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
We MUST do everything in our power to PROTECT children and the presence of First Responders and Law Enforcement personnel IS essential.. obviously the imbecile RepubliCAN'TS don't CARE about families and children AT ALL!
"We have to talk about liberating minds as well as liberating society." ---Angela Davis
"When you put a tiny and despised minority up for a popular vote, the minority usually loses." ---Andrew Sullivan
We MUST do everything in our power to PROTECT children and the presence of First Responders and Law Enforcement personnel IS essential.. obviously the imbecile RepubliCAN'TS don't CARE about families and children AT ALL!
PIZZA TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
ON A STICK
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
We MUST do everything in our power to PROTECT children and the presence of First Responders and Law Enforcement personnel IS essential.. obviously the imbecile RepubliCAN'TS don't CARE about families and children AT ALL!
every time you use the phrase "our children" it creeps me out.........................stay away from our children pervert
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
As far as shipping kids to special troubled kids schools, keep in mind that transportation costs alone to these schools costs $75 - $175 per day, per student. Every effort should be made to mainstream these kids, not spend tons of money sending them out to special schools.
It is no extra cost to the taxpayers. The school transfers the money allotted for the 'troubled kid' to the schools that are equipped to handle these kids. The school districts just don't want to give up the money even if it is in the best interest of the 'troubled kids' or the 'un-troubled kids'..........or for the ENTIRE school system!!!
Every effort should be made to send these kids, who can't be rehabilitated and are a constant disruption to an entire school district, to schools that are equipped and trained to handle them on every level. The tax payers are paying big bucks for a sub-standard school system. Time for change!!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
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