The state of Bogalusa schools

There've been a number of articles published recently in The Daily News detailing the trials and tribulations of our supposedly rotten school system. There are discipline problems, attendance problems, and low achievement.

Parents blame the teachers and the school board. Teachers blame the parents.

I've got to side more with the teachers here, folks. I'm old enough to remember the "good ol' days." Thirty years ago, there were not these huge problems in the schools that I went to, which I admit were more upper middle class than the ones in Bogalusa. So that may have skewed things.

One thing that has changed radically in the past few decades is the number of single-parent families. When one person is trying to do too many things, something is gonna suffer. We've seen the news items about how more juvenile thugs come from single-parent homes. We know that intuitively, eh?

Single-parent homes are also more likely to be poorer homes economically. Poor kids don't do as well in school as better-off kids, generally.

A recent article in The Daily News says the school board and city are going to try and place a "resource officer" at Bogalusa Middle - basically, a uniformed cop. Will that help? Does that help? Or does it simply mean quicker arrests?

If there are gangs, as school board member Raymond Mims claims, Know Gangs is one site with info. Gangs or Us is another. And here is a list of links courtesy of Michigan State University.

I suspect what Bogalusa Middle needs - more than a cop stationed at the school - is a couple more full-time counselors and after school programs with room for any child who wishes to participate.

Addendum: From the MSU site, and thanks to the internet archive - Developing a Gang Prevention Program.