This is the real deal here. I’ve received a ton of comments on my article from Sunday about Charter School of Wilmington, but the one I received today scared me. Not because of who it was, but what they wrote about. It sounds to me like Dr. Paoli has some major issues. I don’t care what anyone says, there is a way to treat students, and this is not it. Here’s the comment from CSW Student. I do know his real name, but I will not reveal it.
CSW Student
I am another student from the Charter School of Wilmington. I like ‘Bill’ am white and do not, in my own opinion, fit the mold of a typical Charter student. Another thing me and ‘Bill’ have in common is we both have a history of discipline. I was involved in a few minor disciplinary issues both my sophomore and junior years. During my senior year I was involved in another incident that had been a much more serious offense than my previous ones. I, like ‘Bill’, was brought into the conference room in the office and was given the whole “good cop, bad cop” routine with Mr. Eddy as the good cop and Dr. Paoli as the bad cop. Similar to what happened in ‘Bill’s’ case, they said they had video evidence of me committing the offense and they told me that if I tried to lie I that they would call the police and have them take me away in handcuffs. They basically in doing this forced me into making a statement without having someone that would be in my best interest to speak on my behalf. After they basically brought me to tears, I was convinced to make a statement. They then called my mother and told her I needed to be picked up from school and they said they would explain more when she got there, just like they told ‘Bill’s’ mother. After a lot of discussion among Mr. Eddy and Dr. Paoli, they decided to suspend me for 5 days and told me on my first day back I would have to meet with the Review Board (same teachers) and they would suggest to Dr. Paoli how he should determine what my future at CSW entailed. The only further discipline I received was that I was banned from extracurricular activities such as athletic events, playing a spring sport, prom, etc.
All of this being said, 100% believe and support ‘Bill’ and his mother. I strongly believe that, not only does the Head of the School target certain students, but he also illegally forces them into making a statement when they are not in the right state of mind. I hope ‘Bill’ is allowed to walk at graduation and I would love to see the administrators faces as he walks across the stage and they hand him his well earned diploma. When President Baldwin stepped down, Dr. Paoli was just next in line and I think he has failed to do even half as good as President Baldwin did. I do not think Dr. Paoli is a good person for the job in any way, shape or form.
The Season Of Myths 
And here it is again. Another student who has had discipline issues who was “forced” to tell the truth about something bad enough to get him suspended for 5 days, plus the bans. Maybe you’ll be in prison one day with the other trouble makers at your school. This is really pathetic. If you do the crime, you should have to do the time. Get over your manipulative self.
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Exceptional Mom, no matter what these students, under the age of 18, may or may not have done is irrelevant to the fact that due process exists in our country for a reason. I’m not sure if you have children, but would you want your child being treated like this with a discipline issue? Would you be okay with a school presuming guilt before innocence? I know I wouldn’t.
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I have to say that if my child did something bad enough while at school to where the administration could have brought the police in, then accountability needs to happen. The boy would have had due process then for sure–with the police and AC’s office. He is saying he is a discipline problem, yet he continued on that path. I don’t get it. He isn’t spec ed, so what is his problem with accountability? Nobody wants to accept responsibility anymore. They want to blame someone else or reflect the action back to the person in front of them.
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We don’t know if either of them were spec. ed. That has not been disclosed. As well, he indicated he had discipline issues before. He didn’t clarify what they were. It could have been being late for class or not wearing his uniform. To automatically assume he was an ongoing discipline problem of the same severity of whatever he ultimately was accused of doing is presumptuous. Find me a teenager who is 100% accountable and I will gladly give you my pet unicorn! 🙂
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I’m not really into the blog debate game. I will say that I think there are plenty of parents like me who have dealt with or have had too much exposure to these types of kids, and NO thank you please. They create conflict and issues and take away valuable resources that could be used elsewhere. They need to stop whining and grow up and be men, or they’ll end up going down some very long and scary paths in life. Take the consequences, learn form them and fix their attitudes and lives.
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And yet you keep commenting! 😉 But seriously, without knowing all the details of every single discipline incident these students had (I certainly don’t), I don’t think they should be crucified for making mistakes at 17. I’m NOT saying they shouldn’t be held accountable for their actions. What I am saying is there are certain due process procedures involved in schools and in our justice system. They are there for a reason. Take away their guilt or innocence for what they may or may not have done. Do you agree with everything the school did 100%? Would you want your child to be screamed at until he cried, at 16 or 17, and broken down to the point where he confessed to something he may or may not have done? I can tell you, my son has been accused of things in the past, and whether he did them or not, if the adult handled it in such a way as to be extremely offensive in their methods, I had no qualms letting them know that. And if there was student targeting going on, then that is certainly an issue. These are teenagers, but if they are made to feel worthless or less than what they are by school leaders, that can have a serious impact on self-esteem and self-confidence. So when those events come along that could cause them to get into a lot of trouble, do they have the same self-confidence to make the right decision as non-targeted peers? I can’t answer that, but I can guess they probably would not.
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