The More Politically Correct The Longer The Report

Friday, January 11, 2008

School Board Report Meets Expectations on School Safety

Last summer a young prince of a kid named Jordan Manners was shot in the hallway of his school in the Jane Finch area. IN THE HALLWAY OF HIS SCHOOL. WHERE THE CHILDREN PLAY. WHERE THE TEACHERS WORK.

Of course, everyone clustered around the story like a pack of hyenas do a dead wildebeest. And we learned that poor little 14 year old Jordan was nicknamed Stakz, because he always had stacks of money, no doubt proceeds of his allowance from his low income mom.

And the government, weepers and wailers as they are, needing to prove their compassion and their action, fell all over each other taking turns showing how they, for once and for all, would solve the tragedy of young people dying young and violently. And we, of course, posted our opinions, one of which focused on the comments of a teacher who actually knew and liked "Stakz" And we expected them to talk a lot and do little. They have and they will.

"They want to have a few meetings over a few weeks and announce that a solution to school violence has been developed. And nothing will be accomplished."

So the report is out. And they have their solution. And, as a result, we will never see another kid shot. And, of course, it's not the TDSB's fault. It's Mike Harrises. Here's a few excerpts:

A combination of the TDSB's own cultural limitations and historically gross underfunding has rendered the Board unable to effectively address the needs of this growing population of disengaged and complex-needs youth who now represent an increasing safety concern.

The Tory Government of the late 1990's embarked on a deliberate course designed to net out "equity" from the equation. Education was no exception and, indeed, the original Safe Schools Act and the impact it had on marginalized youth, particularly African Canadian youth, is a stark example of the fall-out from this Government policy.

The Safe School Culture preaches a theory that complex-needs youth should be "treated the same" as all other youth. The Government of the day (Conservative Government under Premier Mike Harris) had been elected (twice) on a platform which had, as a major plank, the dismantling of key social supports. The impact was, in effect, to push youth out of the schools into a setting where essential supports had been removed. Consultees such as Dr. Akua Benjamin, refer to this resulting generation of youth as the "walking wounded" for whom hope and pride have been replaced by alienation and radicalization.

Years of Neglect of our marginalized communities have brought us to where we are today; reversing the trends will not be accomplished overnight.

Their solution: Send in the Hounds! But I'll let you read it yourself.

Here's another CBL post from the time: Just Another Dead Gangsta.