Netlets for Sunday, May 25

The metro schools suspension rate ("Sent Home," May 18-19) plagues many people for many reasons. Every year school districts in the state have to try to balance budgets which in turn leads to increased class sizes in most cases.

Put a teacher in an overcrowded classroom with students at the mercy of their hormones and if a disruption occurs, even an overly loud student, teaching stops because the teacher must focus on preventing chaos. Unfortunately, suspension may be the only viable way to get the disruption out of that classroom.

Parents of all students should be concerned about a conducive educational environment. If there isn't a safe, clean and calm atmosphere learning doesn't happen. This isn't a racial issue, it is a social issue that crosses all classes and colors. Somewhere, many of our children are failing to receive acceptable social modeling from adults.

Parents and teachers are struggling to make ends meet with stagnant or receding wages due to the economic downturn. How does that affect everyone's attitude? As a society, we can't continue to ask our educational system to be all things to all people without the proper resources.

We can't change our society en mass, but as a parent and former educator, what I do know is that if the majority of children can't learn because of disruptions, then the disruption should be removed until it can get under control.

DEBORAH J. BLOOM, HERMANTOWN, MINN.

The Star Tribune's May 18 front-page article on school suspensions was race baiting and detrimental to the social welfare of the community. The author implies, if not states, that the black community is being treated differently. Could it possibly be that, regardless of race, some children choose to violate the rules and must face the consequences? Is it realistic to accept that some children have not been taught respect for authority, proper values and accountability?

TOM MADER, JR., CIRCLE PINES

"Sent Home: The Suspension Gap" was predictable in that it seemed to lay blame at the foot of schools. What was entirely missing from the conversation was the family.

As a former teacher in Brooklyn Center I saw that a child who had an engaged father in his or her life was significantly less likely to be at the bottom of the class both academically or behaviorally. Whether black, white, Hmong or newly arrived from Africa, kids from supportive, intact families were more likely to be on task in school.

Gov. Jesse Ventura was asked what he would do to ensure that all children are ready for kindergarten. His response: "That's the parents' job!" Odds are, if dad comes to conferences, his child is more likely to be succeeding in school.

SCOTT BASSETT, PLYMOUTH

Second, beside supporting teachers by suspending students, what is the principal's office doing to instill in students the values and goals necessary for successful school achievement? Benjamin Bloom at the University of Chicago found that in poor black families if the parents' home expectations and values were similar to the school's, their children did well academically despite the poverty of the parents. As you described in your article, what Champlin Park High School is doing to instill school appropriate values, attitudes and behaviors by having a schoolwide assembly for black students is what the principal's office at all schools should be doing as part of freshman orientation. However, it would be naïve to expect that one assembly by itself, though an important step in the right direction, would be enough to bring about the necessary changes.

In addition, what is needed is for each teacher to continue the work of the school in shaping the values, goals and attitudes of the students. If our schools are to succeed in their educational mission, our students have to believe that getting a good education is important if they want to achieve their life's ambitions and goals.

PROF. JAY SAMUELS, PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, MINNEAPOLIS

I'm not the least bit surprised that students black and white are suspended by our intolerant school systems. When my son was in junior high in the '90s he was suspended more often than he was in school. I begged the staff to find someway to keep him in school (in school suspension) but was told that there were no options.

It didn't matter that my son was ADHD; it seemed that they simply didn't want to deal with a child with any type of problem and certainly not one who could be disruptive. My son eventually dropped out of school at 17. The good news is that he took it upon himself to get his GED and went on to community college.

KATHY WATSON, MINNEAPOLIS

As a teacher at an inner-city school, I feel compelled to respond not just for myself, but also on behalf of all my colleagues who work every day with students of color.

The teachers in my building discipline based on behavior, not on color. We can't favor white students because there are very few in the building. We are keenly aware that students who are not in the classroom are not learning, and we work to diffuse difficult situations and see almost every challenge as a teachable moment. There are few teachers who would ask for a student to be suspended for not bringing a pencil; the most effective teachers work continually to deescalate situations and only the most egregious behavior will be referred for suspension.

Teachers in my school are respectful to students, even in cases where students may be disrespectful to us; however, respect is a two-way street. What do students say in class, how do they say it and how often do they speak out inappropriately before a teacher is forced to take action outside of the classroom? Our job is to provide a safe learning environment for the majority of our students (95 percent of whom are not white) who want to learn. Sometimes removing a student from the classroom is the only alternative, but it is a last alternative.

Another important and unaddressed point is that a majority of suspensions are the same students being referred for suspension over and over again. They are the students who are referred by multiple teachers and no parent can possibly believe that all the teachers have it in for one kid, especially in our large and fast-paced building. No teachers have the time or inclination to brand any one kid or group of kids as trouble. The reference to gangs is not relevant. Some of my best-behaved and most respectful students have been gang members.