An article written by Fox News’s Chris Papst about the rate of absence in Baltimore City Public Schools was brought to my attention when it was posted and discussed by my neighbors on a website called NextDoor. The article discussed the findings of PROJECT BALTIMORE which, according to their website, is “an investigative reporting initiative” that “examines the unique challenges that confront the Baltimore area’s public school systems” with “significant emphasis [...] placed on investigating the Baltimore City Public School System which spends large sums of money on education, but yields sub-standard test score and low graduation rates.”
The article is a not-so-subtle attempt at fear mongering, feeding into its readers fears about the perceived inherent dangers that come with the overwhelming black and brown students in Baltimore City Public Schools by immediately drawing a correlation between poor attendance rates and increased violent juvenile crime in the city. In an attempt to further demonstrate his point about the low attendance rates in BCPSS, Papst shared the attendance rates of surrounding counties Baltimore County, Howard County, and Anne Arundel. While these districts do have attendance rates between 15 and 19 percent higher than Baltimore City’s, the article does not mention that these “surrounding districts” are considerably whiter and more affluent (MD Report Card), two advantages that make it significantly easier to be a student who’s at school every day.
Literature about the connection between poverty and absence seems prevalent enough to be assumed as public knowledge, especially by those who work in, care about, and write about public education. This makes it all the more confusing that the suggestion for improvement that the article seems to be suggesting is that BCPSS and its school police enforce the state truancy law which “hold[s] parents accountable with up to $500 in fines or jail time.” In a city whose residents are daily fighting battles against institutionalized racism, extreme poverty, and purposeful and persistent segregation, how can fining the parents of students who are obviously already struggling be the answer?
http://foxbaltimore.com/news/project-baltimore/project-baltimore-faqs-and-how-to-submit-a-story-idea
1 comment:
It does seem as though fear mongering is the agenda of this report, especially with phrases like “Baltimore City is under siege by criminals that…are teenagers.” Saying that Baltimore is “under siege” by children is both ridiculous and disgusting, and it sounds more like a fairytale than reality. If there was a correlation between the rise in criminal activity and school absences, then instead of pointing fingers and doling out fines, the question should be “Why is a life of crime on the streets of Baltimore more desirable than a life of learning in our classrooms?” or “Where have we fallen short in providing inspiration to our next generation?”
So often, it seems as though children are responsible for their upbringing and success, and their parents not held accountable. I appreciate that the article holds the parent accountable for supporting their children and getting them to school. However, I completely agree with Rachel’s statement that penalizing parents, who are already under tremendous strain and have scarce resources, is not the answer. If we are truly interested in reducing truancy in Baltimore city schools, then our systems must start supporting children and their families, rather than working against them.
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