East High School situation requires careful approach

Until the Youngstown Police Department completes its investigation of last Tuesday’s melee at East High School, and the acting superintendent issues his report, school board members and others should refrain from speculating about causes of the uprising.

The community already is on tenterhooks because of how easily one fight at East High escalated into several brawls. More than two dozen police officers responded, and chemical spray had to be used to separate the students fighting and to disperse the crowd.

At least five students were taken to the Martin P. Joyce Juvenile Justice Center on charges of disorderly conduct. By the ende of the week, two students, one, 17, and the other, 15, faced misdemeanor charges in Mahoning County Juvenile Court.

Given the gravity of the situation, leaders in Youngstown should err on the side of caution when it comes to commenting on what occurred.

We were taken aback when the president of the Youngstown Board of Education, Brenda Kimble, said Tuesday – before the dust had even settled – that the initial fight was over a pair of scuffed shoes.

Kimble, while voicing her concern about what took place on the East High campus, did not reveal the source of her information.

But even if it turns out that the school board president was right, she should have refrained from making any public statements other than to urge calm and express her support for the students who were innocent bystanders and the teachers.

Kimble is currently embroiled in a battle with three board members over her pursuit of a lawsuit regarding the newly created Youngstown School District Academic Distress Commission. Under a law that creates the Youngstown Plan for the district’s academic future, the board president has the authority to appoint a teacher to the five-member panel. The mayor of Youngstown gets one pick, while the state superintendent of public instruction appoints three members.

Kimble selected a relative, Carol Staten, a retired city educator who now serves as principal of Discovery at Volney school. Her choice triggered a lawsuit by the teachers union, which contends that Staten is not a teacher and, therefore, cannot serve on the commission.

Kimble, however, has dug in her heels and has appealed a Common Pleas Court ruling on behalf of the teachers union.

The legal fees the school board is paying have become a point of contention for some members, who recently attempted to censure her. They failed, but the tension is so thick, it can be cut with a knife.

MORE BLACK EYES ON DISTRICT

Against that backdrop, the melee at East High and the arrest of students are black eyes the district can do without.

Comments from individuals in the community about the causes are also not helpful, considering that all the facts have yet to be made public.

The chairman of the NAACP’s education committee, Jimma McWilson, sought to blame the lack of textbooks, a shortage of teachers and student frustration for what occurred at East.

That’s too easy, given the academic history of the district. The absence of parental involvement in the lives of a goodly number of students has been a long-standing problem.

Indeed, former Superintendent Dr. Connie Hathorn suffered the wrath of some school board members and others in the community when he publicly berated parents and guardians for not attending parent-teacher conferences.

Hathorn, who resigned in the midst of putting together an academic recovery plan that showed great promise, also criticized the school board for its tendency to micromanage, especially with regard to hiring of teachers and staff.

Successful school districts have clearly defined roles for the superintendent and the school board. The superintendent is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the district, while the board sets policy.

Problems arise when the lines are blurred.

Regarding the East melee, Acting Superintendent Stephen Stohla should be the only person commenting publicly about the root causes of the trouble.

Stohla did say that East students seem to be unable to get along with one another.

“The kids are respectful to me,” he said. “They just don’t like each other.”

If that turns out to be a main cause of the unrest on campus, the school board would have to decide what actions need to be taken to address the problem.