By Kenneth C. Rossignol

ST. MARY’S TODAY

RIDGE    UPDATE (Oct. 30, 2008) --- St. Mary's Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Martirano relayed through his secretary that school system officials had met with some of the parents of the children who were assaulted three weeks ago at Ridge Elementary School and that actions being taken by the public schools were met with satisfaction on the part of those parents.  Other parents of children who were attacked were not at the meeting and aren't the least bit happy.  

The school system could not confirm whether the teacher who was repeatedly punched had pressed charges but St. Mary's Sheriff Tim Cameron told ST. MARY'S TODAY that detectives working on the case would be bringing charges for the assaults which took place.

RIDGE (Oct 29, 2008) --- What are the choices for parents who fear a bully being returned to a local school after having caused the school to go into lockdown when he assaulted other students and a teacher? 

Moving their own children to St. Michael’s parochial school isn’t an option if they can’t afford the $5,000 tuition. 

Appealing to the school system to yank the disruptive student out of the school won’t work were the student a special education student.  Federal law dictates to local school systems that special ed kids be mainstreamed in schools where once there were special facilities to deal with disruptive students who have trouble controlling themselves.

But, it has now been revealed by school officials that this troubled kid is not a special education student and should be eligible for removal due to this behavior. 

It is costly to send disruptive students to schools that deal with behavior problems and with budget on the minds of school officials, any way to save money must be on the table.

Thus, on Thursday, a 12-year-old boy who wrote obscenities on a classroom blackboard, which the teacher told the other students to ignore, setting off a violent episode where the boy attacked other students and repeatedly punched the teacher, will be returned to the classroom.

How do the parents of other students like this bully coming back to school for any reason?

They don’t like it much.

“We are scared to death,” said one parent.  “We asked the school system to put this kid in a special facility, Cheltenham or some place where he won’t be a danger to our children and they said no, he is coming back to Ridge Elementary, we told the schools we would look elsewhere for assistance but they said while they didn’t want the newspaper contacted that this kid will be back in the school.”

School Board Member Dr. Sal Raspa explained that the choices for school systems were taken away by the federal government which mandated that special education students be blended in with all other public school students.

“We have no power to take out disruptive students who are in special education,” said Dr. Raspa. “We used to have very detailed programs and facilities for special education students but that was ended and now this is the federal law.”

But after making further inquiries with the school system headquarters Raspa said that this case is  not one of a special ed student but a student from a homeless family.

The public school system has an alternative education center located in the old Great Mills Elementary School in Great Mills where disruptive high school students are sent as part of an effort to provide an alternative to expulsion. 

St. Mary's County has shelters, section 8 housing and social services funds for putting up families who live in cars but the rules for behavior may require officials to not allow the bully to be back at Ridge.

Surely Obama workers will be out to find this family and make sure they vote.