I read this article entitled : " He wants kids in class - not in court " this morning written by Donna St George in today's Style front page of the Washington Post newspaper about judge Steve Deske. The preface reads : " Judge says juveniles with minor problems should face school discipline, not arrest ". I agree with this, too.
The article starts : " GREENVILLE , N.C. Steve Deske doesn't hold back. He's a Southern judge, with the boom and flair of a preacher, who has risen to national prominence arguing that too many students get arrested or kicked out of school for minor trouble ".
I agree again. Everyone should read this article : it's essential reading I believe for everyone and should not be missed. Go and buy a copy of the Washington Post newspaper. I will write more shortly. Cheers and bravo to both judge Steve Teske and to Donna St Clair for writing this. Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
Finally a moment to finish this. It's now Wednesday one day later at 10:21AM. Here is more of the article :
" Zero tolerance is zero intelligence, " he likes to say. That's Steve Teske.
His plea for common sense follows two decades of increased police presence at schools across the country, including in the Washington region, and coincides with a growing concern nationally about campus arrests and suspensions.
Teske wants people to know that students regularly show up in courtroom who shouldn't be there. That a schoolyard fight or a moment of mouthing off at a teacher is no reason to pull out handcuffs. That African American and Hispanic students are sent to court in disproportionate numbers.
" Kids are wired to do stupid things , " he tells a North Carolina crowd here one fall day.
ANYWAY, Donna St. George continues to write and I believe that everyone should take time out of their busy days to read this. It's important to address this once and for all. Let the schools deal with a lot of this in school. Has it really gotten that bad that they cannot? Have kids gotten that much worse than when we were in school? Are people so afraid of being sued today that we can no longer individually or collectively do the right thing and keep things in perspective and always attempt to see the bigger picture?
SO I say BRAVO, bravo, bravo. It's time to rise above fear and law suits, being sued and see kids in the right light that need our help and for us to do the right thing and not just hall them all off in handcuffs to jail and to court and to prison as if they are all worse than hardened criminals.
1 comment:
Ms. St. George,
Your article in the style section of the Washington Post on October 16, 2011 was very good but I think you should have given some credit to the Superintendent and the school system. Something tells me that Clayton County, Georgia has something going on other than Judge Teske.
Thanks for letting the world know about Judge Teske's good work.
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