As the 2014-2015 school season gets off to a start, we must be mindful that last year’s school season left several students with mixed feelings toward returning to the Natchez-Adams School District.

Just to refresh your memory, 15 students’ worlds were turned upside down when a mishap occurred at the end of the year when two students decided to settle their differences with words that turned into using their hands.

With that, a domino effect occurred with surrounding students who, through the excitement, got involved when they were trying to help a friend by playing supervisor/adult as they tried to help break up what was occurring. Why were the students playing supervisor in the first place — there were not enough supervision at hand to help alleviate the issue.

As the fight subsided and fingers were pointed, only 15 of the 30 to 60 students involved were arrested, handcuffed and taken to jail over a misunderstanding that occurred between two students brooding with each other’s puppy love toward the opposite sex. Only in the public school system would something like this be blown out of proportion. As the parents gathered at the jail, it was later discovered that each child was treated as first-class criminals when they were booked (informally), questioned and placed in the juvenile system with a record.

After that scary ordeal for the students, they were faced with another one as their principal labeled the incident as a “gang fight,” recommending they be expelled from school a whole school year.

So as the parents pleaded for their child’s school life, attending hearings after hearings, listening to themselves and their child plead their cases to the NASD boards of what part they were involved, and while they deserved a second chance, nobody really listened.

Nobody, as they sit in their two-piece suits and business attire, listened or heard the true concerns of the students, parents and others who saw fit to rally for the problem at hand. The boards didn’t hear as two of the students told them that they had advised school official days (seven school days or 11 calendar days), and even hours before “the so called gang fight” had ever occurred with two verbal reports and a written complaint/report. To this day, the hard copy of that written report could not be found to verify that it ever existed. Students, always get your copy.

So am I saying everyone should have been let go unpunished? No. Punishment was due, but all of the true facts should have been considered.

All punishments don’t carry the same weight and all who are pointed out as guilty, really aren’t guilty.  Even the NASD’s student-teacher’s handbook categorizes offenses, and this one was misjudged.

So looking back, all of us can say that hindsight is 20/20, but I believe that prevention is the best solution.  All of this could have nipped in the bud; but no one — school officials, supervisors or adults — took the warnings — verbal and written reports — seriously. A little attention to the matter could have saved 15 children from going to jail and being scared out of their wits. Then, these students wouldn’t have had to go through such an ordeal that not only afforded them to miss out on their “needed summer vacation” as they reported to juvenile counselors, performed community service and attended positive action classes, but instead, given a better type of relief from the people — NASD officials, superintendent, board members, principal and counselors — they “trusted” in and were let down by.

And those students went through a long, long, long summer of depression, heartache, uncertainty and confusion of their next year’s school term, and whether they would be able to cope with the fact of being looked on as “trouble makers.”  But regardless of the matter, these students returned to the NASD because they weren’t politically, economically or financially able to go anywhere else with smiles on their faces and determination saying “a lesson learned and this too shall pass.”

I still believe that “no student should be left behind,” so let’s embrace their future and be responsible for “our children.”

It still takes a village to raise a child. And lastly, let’s keep in mind that although internal scars have been left on the students, no parent had to go to the hospital or cemetery that day of the “so called gang fight of 2014” at Natchez High School.

 

Beverly Gibson is a 1974 graduate, parent and grandparent of the Natchez-Adams School District.