In the past few weeks and months I’ve had several discussions with those in and around Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools, informed concerned folks with no particular agenda other than good, safe schools, and the theme is the same: There will soon be a murder at a CMS school.
The levels of violence and weapons are just too high for there not to be. I refrained from dwelling on this stark assessment lest it be seen as some attempt to electioneer the bond campaign. With that out of the way — and with yet more confirmation that discipline is broken at CMS — we need to face this problem now.
A student who brings live ammo to school — and has been previously suspended — should be expelled. No questions asked. I do not know that the 14-year-old who brought ammo to school in September and was sent to Derita Alternative School had previous suspensions, but I would be shocked to find out otherwise.
It was this student who was caught with a loaded .50 caliber pistol in his waistband at Martin Middle School on Wednesday. No one seems to know what his intentions might have been.
“The question is what more can CMS do?” Peter Gorman said.
Get the repeat troublemakers out of the classrooms — for good. If all the kids in a classroom are failing to perform, shut down the classroom and drop them down a grade. If entire schools are failing, shut down the schools and re-open them as strict academies with no extracurricular activities until the kids are back on grade level. Let the high-achieving kids transfer out to any school they want to in the system. Just a couple quick ideas — I got more Pete but first sign me to a six-figure consulting contract.
Here’s what you don’t do: More of what you’ve been doing. Which is saying there is nothing more you can do.
It should not take a body count to see that. But evidently it will.
Update: Two more loaded guns found! Today. At Harding High and Northridge Middle. Unreal. Is some kid really going to have to die at school?
