The May 10 teacher walkout at Grant Middle School over student discipline issues, and the May 11 prayer walk at Southeast High School in the aftermath of a student killed by gun violence, raise big issues for next school year. Clearly the school administration and the teachers union need to double down on planning for what to do about fights, about verbal threats and students who “aren’t ready to learn.” (See “Not ready to learn,” p. 5.) The solution must include where to send disruptive students so they don’t interfere with schooling. The problem-solving must also take seriously issues of racism and antiracism. Gone are the days when smart people could get away with saying race doesn’t have anything to do with it. Race has a lot to do with it. The last day of school is May 24, the day this hard work begins in earnest.– Fletcher Farrar, editor
This article appears in Growing old gay.
