In the Philadelphia school district, a culture of misbehavior is not limited to Dobbins High

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When staff members at Dobbins High sounded the alarm about major safety issues at the school, Philadelphia school district officials said they would act quickly to resolve the issues there, adding staff and programs to quell a hallway culture, aggression and few consequences for students who act. out.

But Dobbins’ challenges aren’t limited to just one school. Educators across the city say they are embarrassed by district policies and procedures, and that a well-intentioned move away from reactive and exclusive student discipline has not been replaced with meaningful alternatives nationwide. system.

The district is trying to have fewer suspensions and expulsions, so the numbers are down, but it’s not because the kids aren’t exhibiting this behavior, a staff member at Benjamin Franklin High School said. The teacher, like most of those who spoke about the school climate to The Inquirer, declined to be publicly identified for fear of reprisal.

READ MORE: At Dobbins High School, a chaotic and dangerous environment. What is the district doing to help?

For years, schools have often relied on excluding students from the classroom, either by suspension, arrest, or expulsion for misbehavior. But harsh consequences and zero-tolerance policies have disproportionately affected black and brown students, and generally haven’t made schools safer.

But now I think the pendulum has swung so far the other way, said a staff member from another district school. Children thrive on structure, and when you’re able to combine expectation with support, you can do a lot of great things. Where the district fails is that the supporting piece does not exist.

Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr., who recently announced a multi-pronged plan to focus on school safety, pledged to take action, including addressing specific school needs.

There are times when we say, certain behaviors are unacceptable and weren’t going to tolerate it, Watlington said. There are times when it is appropriate to take a suspension out of school. The flip side is that we can never remedy, suspend or discipline our way to the kind of excellence that we need and so deserve in this city.

There are times when we say, certain behaviors are unacceptable, and weren’t going to tolerate it.

Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr.

But staff at many Philadelphia schools say they’ve heard such promises before and are wary.

Mastbaum High School is similar to Dobbins in many ways: Both are vocational and technical high schools, offering multiple vocational programs, located in a sprawling building on a busy street Dobbins on Lehigh Avenue in North Philadelphia, Mastbaum on Frankford Avenue in Kensington.

But Mastbaum is located in an area particularly troubled by gun violence and the city’s opioid epidemics, and it doesn’t have enough staff to keep tabs on students.

READ MORE: Philly superintendent pledges resources to five areas to make schools safer inside and out

So far this year, there have been multiple closures due to neighborhood issues, building trespassers and threats from teachers, a Mastbaum staffer said. A tiny percentage of children cause trouble, but the effect is disproportionate, even if the school has a strong administration.

I don’t want suspensions; I know these children need support, said the Mastbaum employee. But ignoring it won’t solve the problem. Things that work take more energy than anyone can give it. It’s basically a nightmare.

The school tried a demerit system in the past, but there were so many demerits that the single dean couldn’t keep up with that. There was not enough manpower, the employee said. The same was true for the suspension at school. Although he kept the kids in the building and got to the heart of discipline teaching better behavior, Mastbaum had to drop it because there weren’t enough adults to run the program.

In a phone call to a parent of a student who was acting out, the parent said, OK, what consequences did you give them? I said, the only real consequence I can give them is to call you, the Mastbaum staff member said.

This year, the school is trying more proactive solutions, like a student ambassador program, conflict resolution and mentoring, but it has a tough freshman class.

There are still not many consequences, said the Mastbaum employee, who noted a snowball effect. Staff don’t come to work because they’re at their wit’s end. There is no system to help people when things go wrong; there is a lack of trauma support for staff and students. You cannot support traumatized students as a traumatized staff member.

Watlingtons’ Safety Support Plan includes eight free staff sessions per calendar year with Lyra Health, a mental health benefits provider that offers online therapy, coaching and self-care tools. Students are also offered mental health services from another provider.

A principal from another district high school described himself as having a heart for all children. But what do you do, the principal asked, when a student does something egregious by bringing weapons to school, making serious threats or assaulting staff?

The principal would like the student to be suspended, but the district staff says, No, it’s a conversation. It applies to threats, it applies to many things. If a kid smokes weed, they say, “You need to have a conversation, they need someone to talk to.” OK, if that’s your position, then when your hallways are filled with marijuana smoke, it creates an atmosphere that’s not academic.

Saving every student is a big goal, the principal said.

But if you want to be successful in this city, you have to consider the needs of the many versus those of the few. This is the part they are unwilling to accept or acknowledge. By trying to save every child, you get schools like Dobbins, the principal said.

The district has significantly reduced the number of student arrests over the years by sending students to a diversion program with social services rather than forcing them into the criminal justice system. But it doesn’t always work as expected, the principal said.

All these services are available to students and they are not required to participate, said the director. And what the police said is that a lot of students don’t use these services.

Despite Watlington’s recent public pivot to safety conversations, the principal remains frustrated.

The school’s climate and culture are not a priority for the district, the principal said. They’ll use all of our time to talk about a math program that’s half-baked. Until you master the climate and culture, you have no academic space to learn.

District security chief Kevin Bethel said Philadelphia students come from some of the most violent and challenging communities in America. They come into our schools, and that creates a significant challenge.

The issues arising in Dobbins are not isolated to any one school or town, post-pandemic, district officials said.

Across the country, we are seeing an increase in student misbehavior and violence, said Evelyn Nuez, the schools principal.

Although climate issues are on the rise now, Philadelphia has moved in the right direction over the past 10 years, said Abigail Gray, district deputy chief for school climate and culture.

The past two years have been a setback for us, as it has been for every district in the country, Gray said. But we pay attention to what we know has helped improve the climate over the past decade.

That means programs and policies that focus on relationships and rewarding positive behaviors, Gray said.

As educators, we need to look at restorative practices both disciplinaryly, but more importantly front-end, Gray said. When a student misbehaves in class, a teacher should, for example, dismiss the student and have a defusing conversation with him.

These are new skills for staff to learn, but we are working very hard with staff to help them learn them, Gray said.

After conditions at Dobbins deteriorated and The Inquirer detailed them, district officials sent more resources to the school.

But at least some of those resources were taken from other schools. An assistant principal was pulled from South Philadelphia High School to help Dobbins.

And while South Philadelphia’s climate is better than Dobbins, it couldn’t afford to lose this key staff member, another school educator said.

Our kids don’t bring guns, they don’t push teachers down stairs, the South Philadelphia staffer said. But does this have to happen before they fully employ us?

The South Philadelphia teacher is also concerned about the lack of consequences for students. A real-life example: On a recent day, a student refused to lock his cell phone as required by school policy. Instead, the student kept the phone turned off, playing loud music, which made it difficult for everyone to learn. The teacher had a conversation with the student, which only helped for a few minutes.

The teacher eventually called the school security officers for help, but the officers did not come. Administrators were not available. The teacher contacted the students’ parents, but never got a response; the student suffered no repercussions.

Restorative justice can only go so far, said the South Philadelphia educator. If the children bully and harass each other, you mediate, but if the bullying and harassment continue, you cannot continue to do so. What’s plan B? We don’t have a plan B.

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