The San Francisco Unified School District
has failed miserably in San Francisco - and it is not too late -
to fix the many problems - more action less talk.
Parents fighting, the children acting up, the teachers losing their cool, the children bringing knives and even guns to school - some where along the line - those in charge - have failed miserably.
The City and Count of San Francisco - has always lent a helping hand - we have the " rainy day fund ".
The rainy day fund - established by Tom Ammiano - that has come to the rescue of the SF Unified School District - to pay salaries for the many teachers - who in the past - were given pink slips. The Rainy Day fund - retaining the teachers jobs.
On an average the SF Unified School District has taken about $20,000 to train the teachers. The teachers and Principal cannot do all the very heavy lifting - without much needed help.
In the class rooms - there are NO counselors, psychiatrists, school management that are capable to make sound " need assessments " - a plethora of other much vetted models have been used in Elementary and Middle Schools - the SFUSD Board love to talk too much - pass Resolution, pat themselves on their backs - they have FAILED to represent the children - and all that and more must change.
Principals are not placed in any school - to referee - stoping fights, dealing with parents to come to the school to attack the principals and teachers.
The children behaving like " brats " using foul language, and this and more has been going on for years. Parent must be help responsible - and the situation at hand - foul language, creating fights - much be nabbed initially and not permitted to create chronic problems.
The SF Unified School District has allowed Elementary and Middle School children - who have NOT been taught manners, etiquette - by their parents to disrupt the education in the classroom - under the pretext that the children cannot be punished.
What is important to note - the parents are teaching the children to create confusion at school - and take a stance that their children are right and the teachers and Principal is wrong. This nonsense must STOP - right now.
Again and again when one intervenes one finds out the Principal has NO support.
No Principal can do the heavy lifting all by herself or himself.
I have met Principals and listen to them for hours - and most of them - have reached at their wits end - many need professional - therapy - and many are forced to take - " sick leave ".
Does the SFUSD Board feel they can go on in this manner - and that the public at large - the tax payers - will tolerate the on going - nonsense ?
The San Francisco Unified School District has NO clue - how to stem the violence in our Public Schools - wasting a lot of time - paying consultants for solutions.
Thousands of dollars wasted - looking at many of the hard working Principals - with disdain - instead of helping them.
One has just to watch the videos of the last 15 San Francisco Unified School District Board meetings.
Each and every SFUSD Board Meeting - attracts many parents - at time hundreds of them - pleading with the SFUSD Board for help. Painting a picture of utter confusion - while the children's education is adversely impacted.
Most of the Elementary and Middle School - are out of control - be it Willie L. Brown Jr. Middle School, E.R. Taylor, Dr Martin Luther King Middle School, Visitation Valley Elementary School - others too many to mention.
Children attacking the teachers - using foul language, creating pandemonium - the SFUSD Board is far removed from reality - and when the Deputy Superintendents and other experience first hand the problems - get worn out - they realize the plight of the Principals who have to deal with such problems daily.
Most of them impacting their health and mental wellness.
There are children - hundreds of them - that need serious Psychological help.
No one is paying attention to many parents working two and three jobs to survive.
No one is paying attention - the stress levels - endured by the teachers, the Principals - even those in charge of Security - at the many Elementary and Middle Schools.
We have 8000 truants - we have children who have no underwear, cannot afford meals at home -have to live with dysfunctional parents - some on drugs and other mental issues - and all this and more - cannot be left unattended - it has to be addressed.
The Street Violence Intervention Program (SVIP) - meant more to address the " Violence " on the Streets - is now being pressed to address - " violence and other disruptions at our schools ".
The paradox is that the Memoranda of Understanding - does not address Elementary Schools - and put emphasis on Middle and High Schools.
Those in Education know that the Formative Years - from conception to 5 years are important. However, those pressed to address the issues - are not trained - they are not given the tools.
Millions of dollars wasted on a workforce - that are pressed to address issues and situations - that are beyond their capability at our many elementary, middle and high schools.
I see this all the time - and took measures to turn my office some 3000 plus square feet - to stabilize SVIP - but there is more to the situation at hand.
The schools lack the information from the community and community leaders who can help. If the children come from the community at large - if those that run the school - have no clue about what is happening at ground zero, the other pertinent and important factors - the changing demographics, the prevailing stress and violence.
The lack of housing - two and three families lived in a one bed room unit. Many families lack money for food and proper nutrition - children going to bed hungry and then going to school hungry - the breakfast given at their school the only meal they have. What is wrong with this picture ?
Recently - many parents gathered to fight one another at Mission High School - such behavior is uncalled for.
Our Mayor London Breed, our Chief of Police William Scott, our City Attorney Dennis Herrera.
Our District Attorney George Gascon - SFUSD Superindent others that talk the talk - have all NOT met once - to discuss this epidemic of violence - parents fighting parents, parents fighting teachers, parents fighting the Principals.
Frankly speak the SF Police Department is NOT trained to handle the violence of the streets - they still shoot first and ask questions latter.
The SFPD officers take some mandatory classes on " explicit bias".
The SF Police Officers try to learn tactics and principles involved with " time and distance " and other principles that they must embrace - but their haughtiness - neutralizes all that and more.
The Law Enforcement - try to learn various methods to enable them to slow down - before quickly discharging their guns.
However - when the incidents take place - all the training melts and their own self preservation kicks in.
The SF Officers do as they please - often forget the lessons and instructions they are trained for - so much so - they forget to turn on their body cameras. This has happened again and again.
Anyone you look at the decisions and adjudications made by the Grand Jury, the Blue Panel, the Community Oriented Police Services (COPS) and their 272 recommendations - nothing much has happened.
The recommendations and that thick document by COPS - is gathering dust on the shelves. Much like the PERF document.
Mayor London Breed talks the talk but cannot walk the walk.
The Mayor herself was a trouble maker - when she was in school - some good samaritans mostly Blacks and her grandmother took steps to embrace her - and bring her around.
When I went to Visitation Valley Elementary School - I felt the pain of the children. No child has to be traumatized and shame on the parents - for brawling, screwing, and abusing in front of the young children.
Daily for months on end their have been tumultuous incidents in their classroom.
In one class twins - attacking a Black child - injuring him - so much so he had to be taken to the Emergency - and has been suffering from head injuries.
This is a serious crime - committed by children on another child - every child should be protected and helped.
What is it that the SFUSD - Superintendent - Vincent Mathews not understand?
What is it that Shamann Walton the District 10 Supervisor does not understand? When approached to help - he kicked the can down the street. Shamann Walton is all talk and NO walk - but more than that - he is NOT a leader.
Shamann Walton is NOT respected by the parents and children in District 10.
Shamann Walton an abject failure when he was on the SFUSD Board and worse now that he is on the SF Broad of Supervisors.
We do not have one single expert - that can do a " needs assessment " - even though some parents have taken on themselves - to police some elementary and middle schools - out of desperate necessity.
When I spoke at the SF Unified School District Board - some understood that situation at hand. At last 8 people were sent to the Visitation Valley Elementary School - to help and do a needs assessment - at the eleventh hour.
I met some of them - counselors, psychiatrists, management specialists - they have no clue about the demographics in and around Visitation Valley Elementary School.
For years Visitation Valley Elementary School - has been treated like a vagabond - that nonsense must STOP - now.
Jason and Ms Washington - former Principals now pressed to help - Visitation Valley Elementary School - after all the pandemonium.
The former Principal asking for help and getting none.
The former Principal is now on sick leave - a talented and experienced Principal - left to fend for herself - she spent over one and half year - to fix things.
Right now she must heal herself - so that we do not lose a good person - and when she come back - we must the community at large and the SFUSD must support the Principal - and move forward with a better plan that can be executed with funding.
Our heart must be in the right place - only then can we take the children and others - to a better place.
After the things were fixed - at SF Visitation Valley Elementary School by the former Principal now on sick leave - some parents chose to target the Principal.
These parents started confusion - for the sake of spreading confusion and pandemonium.
This nonsense must STOP - and the SFUSD needs investigators and qualified facilitators - one that have links to the community - stellar private institutions and organizations that are willing to help.
Our children's health, welfare, education come first - and Adults in some of the schools - instead of helping - are disrupting.
The SFUSD Superintendent has
dropped the ball so many times -
time he wakes up and attends to the
confusion prevailing in so many
of our Public School - elementary, middle,
and high schools
Where is the SFUSD Superintendent on this - Vincent Mathews.
AnnaCarita who is the Assistant Superintendent - and others - working at the SFUSD all heard me.
They are hard pressed to find solutions - with goals and time lines. There are NO recourses - anyone can talk the talk - but who will walk the walk ?
I am NOT going to permit our children to suffer - not after what I have seen. Aho.
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