Student bill merits grade of ‘incomplete’
We’re not surprised that a bill about classroom fighting has resulted in a clash between lawmakers and the governor. One of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s vetoes last week drew far more attention than the actual passage of the bill, which is designed to upgrade the process of removing students from the classroom after incidents involving injury.
There’s Malloy being Malloy again, his critics and rivals chirped, embracing liberal principles so cavalierly that he’s willing to put children and educators at risk.
In this case, the governor doesn’t even have many lawmakers on his side. The House supported “An act concerning classroom safety and disruptive behavior” by a 124-25 vote, while it received zero opposition from the Senate.
Malloy should not be accused of having a kneejerk response, however. His veto came with a showand-tell presentation, complete with graphics. True to his nature as a lawyer, Malloy offered evidence that black and Hispanic students are suspended at more than twice the rate of their white peers.
As we’ve (frequently) noted in the past, part of the challenge in Connecticut schools is the disproportionate imbalance of teachers. Malloy mined that data as well, pointing out that 92 percent of state teachers are white and 42 percent of our students are minorities.
The Connecticut Education Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union, immediately released a sharp rebuke to Malloy’s veto, claiming the bill provided services and counseling to the students who are excluded from the classroom following incidents.
On Friday morning, Senate Republican President Pro Tempore Len Fasano deemed Malloy’s veto “disturbing.”
Malloy would surely agree with Fasano that “physical violence and threats have no place in our classrooms and (that) teachers need to be able to take appropriate steps to keep their classrooms safe.”
The challenge is defining those “appropriate steps.” The nine-page bill doesn’t do that, and that’s why Malloy is onto something when he says its language is too vague.
It calls for the State Department of Education and local boards to craft updated policies, which can only result on a kaleidoscope of colliding philosophies.
Teachers, parents and children should not be confused by ill-defined policies. There needs to be a boilerplate to work from, better clarifying details such as the scope of injuries. That’s where former prosecutor Malloy also sees potential financial consequences as, “it also creates significant risks of litigation and federal penalties.”
Objection to the bill from the Black and Puerto Rican caucus that it reinforces “implicit racial basis” should not be dismissed. Nor should the issue that special needs students are potentially treated the same as those with behavioral issues. All problems, like all people, are not the same.
Everyone in Connecticut can, and should, rally behind the goal of safe classrooms. This is a noble measure, but won’t be complete without the support of the likes of the Black and Puerto Rican caucus.
As in any classroom, this issue requires more homework and less fighting.