Paid For By Mike Barbieri 2008
LEGISLATION NOT LITIGATION
This week the House is due to vote on anti-bullying and Gang activity legislation. It is refreshing to see that our
legislature has recently identified that schools have a problem with gangs and bullying. It is a problem that has
been around longer than any of us, and one that will take some serious efforts to eradicate. Their answer,
however, is typically short-sighted and simplistic.
What they have not recognized is that the schools also have had a problem with dropout rates, drug use,
inadequate supplies and textbooks, lack of backing for extracurricular activities, and diminishing support for
students with special needs for a number of years.
It is in this environment that bullying and gang activity develop because youth are frustrated and feel that school
does not provide them opportunity for success. The educational arena should motivate our youth to learn,
discover, and develop their abilities.
Our attention needs to be turned away from success on standardized testing and focused more on developing
ways to motivate youth to learn and identify their individual talents. Those youth who consider themselves a
failure at school often turn to more aggressive behaviors to gain status. When school touts you as a failure it’s
easy to take on thug behavior: “Get recognition for whatever you can.”
Requiring schools to develop policies to address bullying is a weak effort at best to address such a problem.
Criminalizing certain gang activity also does not bring any relief. It appears that certain legislators haven’t
noticed our “get tough on crime” legislation has not really reduced the behaviors but has increased our prison
population – both adult and juvenile.
These actions may play well with the media but are fiscally irresponsible. To solve these problems we don’t
need to develop more policies and establish committees to oversee efforts nor to build more prisons and clog
our judicial system, we need to provide opportunities in our communities for success and prevention programs
in the schools.
This requires:
• Strengthening our school systems to provide both traditional and alternative education programs for
young people. The focus must be on keeping kids in school, not kicking them out in an effort to improve school
performance on standardized tests.
• Developing solid employment opportunities and vocational training for students so they can see there is a
future outside of employment at a fast food establishment.
• Developing positive school-based programs to address issues of bullying, drug use and other related
issues.
• Support after school and community activities – such as programs and clubs – that help to better invest
youth in both the school and themselves.
Our children are our most valuable resource. We must look to develop them, not find more ways to get them out
of school and/or placed in the criminal justice system. The Educational programs like East Side Charter, Nativity,
and Sarah Pyle School are examples of schools that have done a good job in providing innovative and
individualized approaches to assist students who would normally be considered “problem students.”
Again some of our legislators have proven to be reactionary forces that deal with something after it has become
critical. They take draconian steps that sound good but show little understanding of the issues. Simple answers
for complex problems play well in the paper but don’t get us much further. These House bills dealing with
bullying and gang activity will, at best, be a band-aid on a gaping hole in the educational services we provide.
This week the House is due to vote on anti-bullying and Gang activity legislation. It is refreshing to see that our
legislature has recently identified that schools have a problem with gangs and bullying. It is a problem that has
been around longer than any of us, and one that will take some serious efforts to eradicate. Their answer,
however, is typically short-sighted and simplistic.
What they have not recognized is that the schools also have had a problem with dropout rates, drug use,
inadequate supplies and textbooks, lack of backing for extracurricular activities, and diminishing support for
students with special needs for a number of years.
It is in this environment that bullying and gang activity develop because youth are frustrated and feel that school
does not provide them opportunity for success. The educational arena should motivate our youth to learn,
discover, and develop their abilities.
Our attention needs to be turned away from success on standardized testing and focused more on developing
ways to motivate youth to learn and identify their individual talents. Those youth who consider themselves a
failure at school often turn to more aggressive behaviors to gain status. When school touts you as a failure it’s
easy to take on thug behavior: “Get recognition for whatever you can.”
Requiring schools to develop policies to address bullying is a weak effort at best to address such a problem.
Criminalizing certain gang activity also does not bring any relief. It appears that certain legislators haven’t
noticed our “get tough on crime” legislation has not really reduced the behaviors but has increased our prison
population – both adult and juvenile.
These actions may play well with the media but are fiscally irresponsible. To solve these problems we don’t
need to develop more policies and establish committees to oversee efforts nor to build more prisons and clog
our judicial system, we need to provide opportunities in our communities for success and prevention programs
in the schools.
This requires:
• Strengthening our school systems to provide both traditional and alternative education programs for
young people. The focus must be on keeping kids in school, not kicking them out in an effort to improve school
performance on standardized tests.
• Developing solid employment opportunities and vocational training for students so they can see there is a
future outside of employment at a fast food establishment.
• Developing positive school-based programs to address issues of bullying, drug use and other related
issues.
• Support after school and community activities – such as programs and clubs – that help to better invest
youth in both the school and themselves.
Our children are our most valuable resource. We must look to develop them, not find more ways to get them out
of school and/or placed in the criminal justice system. The Educational programs like East Side Charter, Nativity,
and Sarah Pyle School are examples of schools that have done a good job in providing innovative and
individualized approaches to assist students who would normally be considered “problem students.”
Again some of our legislators have proven to be reactionary forces that deal with something after it has become
critical. They take draconian steps that sound good but show little understanding of the issues. Simple answers
for complex problems play well in the paper but don’t get us much further. These House bills dealing with
bullying and gang activity will, at best, be a band-aid on a gaping hole in the educational services we provide.
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