Statistics don't necessarily tell the whole story. If one kid is disciplined for chewing gum in class and another is fighting, the kid who is fighting should get the stronger discipline. Are the school administrators supposed to turn a blind eye to unruly kids just because the ratios are wrong? The NAACP and other activist groups only seem to see one side issues and then they play the race card. Regarding grades, early learning takes place in the home for most people. Those early experiences and subsequent ones play a big part in how prepared a child is to learn and how much he/she will continue to learn. Just because there are discrepencies between the races doesn't prove racism. I'm sure there are many black students who excel in school. The fact that they can do it should prove it's not a problem with the schools, but with the individual students. The parents and activists need to look to themselves before blaming someone else for a student's failure to learn or to be suspended for acts that warrant suspension.

They should also investigate how Arundel Middle School has an African American Boy ONLY group. This group has been in place for two years and will not allow boys of other races entry. The only requirement for entry is African American Boy ONLY. How does that happen??

Make no mistake this group is created, supported and sanctioned by the school administration. They are violating the Civil Rights Act as well as Maryland COMAR laws. It is not needs based or grades based it is completely race based. I agree with your remarks about our nation becoming color blind however that is not the case at Arundel Middle School. It has, in fact, started a rift within the student body.

Wait...the same group that is getting suspended more is also doing worse academically??? That is a shocking revelation!

I wonder if the NAACP has been in contact with the kids that are getting suspended more to see if they can teach them how to behave in school...which might just have a secondary effect of improving their academic performance too.

I spoke to the Principal herself, Dr. Ashworth, & asked her who was in charge of setting up this African American Only boys only group & she said she was. I asked her who was the sole person in charge of disbanning the group and she said she was. I asked her to disban the group due to the fact that she was causing racial divides in the school that my children go to & that it is causing mental anguish to the children. She said she didn't think that it was harming the kids in any way. I told her of the stories where the boys in Man up flash their "Man up badges" in the hallways to make the other kids feel badly. I told her about the boy on the bus that said that he was learning in the group "how to not be held down by the white man". I told her of the white boy who wanted to join because he was missing out when this white boy asked why he couldn't join...he was told by the Africian American boy...because of the color of your skin! I told Dr. Ashworth this and she still said she didn't think the group was "wrong" or hurting anyone. She said the boys in this group are feeling more confident and strong...and I told her the reason why they feel confident and strong is because you created and Exclusive group for them to be in to repress others...with this power ...they feel strength. This is wrong and this principal should be removed from the entire school system. She should not be able to practice her racist believes on any children. So far no one has listened. Who can help?

Well said Tom - Maybe we can get the Patch to do an article on this group or even a poll/

Jen go to www.aacps.org and email everyone at the Board of Education and the PTA. Let them know something needs to be done and if nothing gets done you are going to lawyer up. Start there then if nothing is done then I would get lawyers involved because she should not be having such a group like that going on. She's definitely being racist in this matter and make sure you strongly stay that in your emails.

The REAL problem here seems to be that, when valid racial-based issues in which African-Americans seem to be given the shorter end of the stick, then people start claiming that the 'race card' is being played. To jump to such a prejudiced conclusion without knowing all the facts is, in fact, playing your own 'discrimination' card - except that it looks "valid" when it is not, because it is masked by claims of 'unfairnesss' and 'injustice'. The article said that "African-American students were subject to disparate treatment and disproportionately suspended or expelled by AACPS". This denotes that the types of infractions and situations have already been assessed as similar between races of students, but that the Black students have been disproportionately disciplined. Also, plans to close the achievement gap between African-American and white children in the county doesn't mean arbitrarily raising the grades of African-American students, it simply means to find and implement the proper interventionary measures to educate these children more effectively. If we truly are to progress as a nation and, more importantly as a species, we need to be honest about our own biases, and more socially and emotionally inclusive of others - REGARDLESS of their skin color/race.

Administration at the both schools, AMS and AHS need an overhaul. Mr. Brown should be the first out the door.

If you check out the AACPS student discipline report, you'll find that virtually all the suspensions or expulsions were the result of a serious issue. Most concerned physical attacks on teachers or other students, some were verbal threats, bullying, using/distributing drugs, including marijuana (not just bayer aspirin), carrying a knife or firearm. We're not talking about some petty infractions. I don't care what your skin color is, I doubt if you want your children endangered by such behavior by other students. I certainly hope that any white students involved in such activity are dealt with as severely as the black students. Not punishing students of one race or another simply because the ratio isn't politically correct, endangers all students and teachers.

AHS is just as bad if not worse than AMS.I attended both and I will tell you right now the racial "groups" set up by those who consider themselves to be administration have been there for 10-15 years now, and yes there have been "whites only" groups as well.The only reason they are being heard of now is because the internet spreads stories like wildfire.However, if we are to remove a black principal from AMS for this racial group, how about we kick officer hamilton out of AHS for humiliating and beating a black male student ruthlessly, giving him a concussion, knocking teeth out of his mouth and giving him numerous other injuries?Was Officer Hamilton placed on admin leave for what he did to this child?No.Was it widely in the news?No.Was the child reprimanded?Hell yes.He was not only beaten by an authoritive figure while he was both in and out of consciousness, in front of his peers, he was then expelled from the school (while Ms. Stratton refused to release the tape of the officers actions, so no one could even fight his expulsion), and then put in jail where the officer made sure he was given a high enough bond to stay in there for awhile.The officer has yet to have any actions taken up against him, no charges, nothing.The NAACP DOES need to get involved on this.And many other organizations do too.Don't fault the NAACP for noticing something they would like to see improved.If only all organizations were this involved in TRYING to make our childrens futures better.

I would suggest (as I have done many times) if the NAACP or ANYONE for that matter wants to know what behaviors in the classroom range from they should simply install video cameras into the classroom. A video camera is not going to lie - let's give it a try - and put this discussion to rest once and for all. It is either the teachers or the students - do you really want to know the answer? Are you tired of being accused? This would settle it - and allow teachers to teach and students to learn.

I am not going to comment on what I don't know, however, I will comment on what I do know: I know that having a race based only group of any race is illegal. It teaches groups to be separate, divisive and not to work together. Inclusive is always better than exclusion. Any race based groups in our public schools need to stop immediately.

This whole issue of playing the 'race card' has moved to the forefront of discussions. Back in the 90's, Anne Arundel County had a black woman who was superintendent of schools - Carol Parham….remember her? The Board of Education building on Riva Road is named after her. The chair of the Board of Education during that same period was also a black woman, Carlissa Finney. One would think that after all the years these two powerful women spent leading the charge on equal educational opportunities that we would not be facing a federal investigation of discrimination charges.

Instead, after both of them finished their tenure with the BOE, they filed a lawsuit against the county for discrimination which the BOE settled out of court by agreeing to fund and create an Office of Equity Assurance with Ms Finney in charge. It just seems like we keep paying through the nose to fund jobs for people who aren't really accomplishing anything but the furthering of their own agenda.

To Citizen: You keep referring to the incident you mention as the officer attacking the student. If you expect me to belive an officer just walked up to a student who was innocently minding his own business, think again. Arundel mom's admittedly second or third hand description of the event sounds far more plausible. If the kid's peers were all standing around, I'm sure they could provide as much information as a tape or film and apparently they haven't come forth. As for humiliation, do you think we should just let thugs get away with bullying their way through life, so that we don't humiliate them in front of their peers?

If you read correwctly you would see I said that I do not believe the officer targeted him and that I do believe some discipline may have been needed. What I think is wrong is the fact that the officer beat him, especially while he was unconscious. Force like that I do not see necessary whether it is in a school or on the streets. And students have come forward. They have had to due to anadministration that feels no need to comprehend that someones rights may have been violated on their grounds. Just a question though, why is this child all of a sudden a thug? Was trayvon martin a thug? And honestly regardless of a thug or non thug status no one deserves to be beaten when unconscious. If bullying was taking place, disciplinary measures should have been taken. That to me, does not include beating someone who is knocked out. I will rest my case with this. I am caucasian, my son is caucasian. I disagree with the officers actions because I would not want that done to my own child. Color shouldn't matter to any of you. We are all still humans. A black male, does not deserve to be beaten while unconscious just as a white male does not.

Wow, nothing gets West County folk more upset than suggesting that they are racist. From reading the threads here methinks thou doth protest too much!!

Sorry. I meant 'female' student...that darn spelling mistake would've NEVER happened had I been a PhD...

@Brian Cardwell: I certainly agree that if the officer continued to beat the student after he was unconscious that he used excessive force. Unless it was absolutely necessary, I think that probably beating him to the point of unconsciousness was excessive force, but we really have no first or even second hand evidence that this was the case. I find it difficult to accept that this actually happened the way it has been described here and that nothing was done about it.

@citizen

Again, I have researched further, and found NOTHING for white kids only sanctioned by the school. Obviously, neither have you. I'll end it there.

Bad parenting leads to more school problems. It however isn't the only thing. Some kids are just bad in school, make bad choices, do things they shouldn't. NAACP will find that black kids get in trouble more. They will also find that many of those kids from single family homes where mom/dad is working full time plus. They will find that those kids who cause the most disruption to class are sent to alternative school where the class sizes are smaller and the students get a better education. Its too bad this conversation is about race and not about class size. In a class of 35 that child who wants to be noticed get sent out. Most teachers work hard to not send kids out, more so now that the information about discipline is public. You can't have a student who isn't eating at home, dad/brother/mother just got arrested again, may be pregnant, family can't afford medication and food or all the other things that happen to real people everyday taking way from the instruction of other 34 children. Can we solve any problems or just complain about how its not fair for our children/race/school?

Having a group to "Man up" the black boys is a comment on the poor parenting of black men. Sadly Whites and Latinos are on their way down as Blacks on coming up.

To LegalMom1: My comment doesn't assume anything. It suggests that the statistics quoted do not prove bias. If black students are disciplined more severely or more often than white students for the same or similar offense, that is evidence of bias. We don't know that this is the case and the article doesn't indicate that the NAACP knows that either. The impression given is that the NAACP would prefer discipline was more related to percentages rather than the offense.

Here is the issue, if one does NOTHING and there is a problem then it's a very sad situation. If one does SOMETHING and there is not problem then you just wasted a bunch of public money. Personally the NAACP has a history of making something out of nothing. When they do get it right, they do make a difference. When they don't get it right, the waste tons of other peoples money that need to defend themselves including funds from the public.

Radarradar- your research obviously cannot reach the students that went to the school. Especially if it was 15 years ago when we didn't have internet like we do now. Smh.

Arundel mom- I believe the situation I talked about does in fact have to do with the naacps involvement. And to be honest I hope there is a lot I don't know about the situation, although I intend to homeschooling, I am the only one in my family that does, so it horrifies me to think something like this may happen in the future to familys children or friends children.

Homeschool- whoops phone error

My name is Pastor Ian Edwards and I am one of the main volunteers in Arundel Middle School where the Man Up program is held. I will just say briefly, that many of you have not seen the statistics associated with why there is a MUST for this program. Furthermore, if you are not African American you really have no grounds to say when the NAACP is making something out of nothing as you have never and will never deal with the issues associated with being African American. Lastly, if you have never sat in one of the meetings to try to understand what is said and done (not some distorted perverted truth from a kid) then again there is nothing much you can say. You should be happy that something is in place to ensure that all kids are getting fair treatment, and the attention needed to succeed academically, socially and financially. I can be reached at ian@win-souls.org and 410-814-8171. More from me as this continues................................

Its not a copout in my statement to say that if you're not African American than you don't understand. It's only because I referred to race that it is seen that way. I could substitute that comment with being poor or incarcerated, and again if u have never been in those 2 categories than you really don't know what it's like. There are multiple programs at AMS to ensure that kids are getting what they need and the are contextual to the various issues that kids face. Man Up is just one program. It's funny to me that the kids aren't the ones with the issue. I would know as I am there frequently to include this morning, and I converse, counsel and dialogue with both genders and all races about moral and ethical issues and how to be successful. Dr. Ashworth and her staff are doing the right thing with this program as they have the others. The only thing I see lacking in all of these programs is parental support. It's nice to hear everyone's mouths over these discussions on the internet, but it would be better to see parents in action partnering with what the school is trying to do for your kids. Kids spend more time at school than at home. People should thank God that someone else cares enough about your kids to see that they have whatever support and programs that are needed to be successful. Hope to see some of everyone at school sometime :)))

This program like many others was started to address a need. This is no half hazard, racist renegade attempt to turn children and society against one another. There are specific issues surrounding African American males that have historically and statistically been noted that have affected their ability to perform in school. With that said, it is the education department that leans on administrator's and principals and says that something must be done for a particular group I.e. Impoverished children, abused, single family etc...to increase their performance in various areas. This was the case with Man Up. We could invite all the kids to the meeting, but they would quickly leave one by one as they would realize that this does not speak to them. We can ensure from this point that every race and gender are represented at the meeting, but the meeting is targeted to the individuals that society, statistics and the department of education see as needing some sort of program or strategy to get them to where they need to be. Because of the increased results we have seen, the best is yet to come for this program and the many African American young men that will be successful leaders I our society. If there is another group that needs to be addressed, you better believe that Dr. Ashworth and her staff will without hesitation form it and invest their time and energy into ensuring that your kids succeed. If she was Caucasian doing the same program we would not be having this discussion

For clarity...a Caucasian principal doing this program for African American Males. She is being scrutinized because she is African American. The kids are not her pawn for some racial overhaul. She is a respectable principal that has the love and admiration of her students..all of them..she's doing something right.

Can a non African-American be a speaker/role model for the Man-Up group?
Pastor Ian, we would still have the same concerns if it were a caucasian principal. I would be concerned if it was a group for caucasions only or for any other race only.

The Man Up groups presenters are race and gender appropriate for that group. If we are trying to give African American males a picture of what they can achieve when they get older, we have to place African American men in front of them to brief them. These kids have so many excuses why they can't. I know personally that identify with them addressing my poverty, single parent home, lack of food and clothing and not having the support of my teachers, but yet I was an honor student in school and college and stand here successful. It's not that they can't get that from another race. In AA meetings, a person not addicted to alcohol can't address them, only another former alcoholic that has overcome it. Instead of focusing on the race we need to focus on the fact that this particular group is not succeeding well in society for a miriad of reasons. This is just good ole intervention. I would be an advocate and do this for any race or class of people.

Again, Dr. Ashworth could choose not to have this group or any of the other groups that they have in which anyone is free to get a list from her. But it is done because these people care. Her attitude could be that I have my PhD, so if they get it they get it, and if they don't they don't. Which might I add seems to be the attitude of some teachers from what I observe in the classroom. However, she is willing to accept scrutiny and demeaning comments if the programs are working and the kids are doing better. After 3 years of being there, I am a witness that things have gotten much better. Our only issue now is parental reinforcement! God Bless everyone

Btw, I have asked my children if they know who Pastor Ian is-neither do.

Great comments I see this morning..Some are good, some funny and some ignorant. I'll just say in short, if you want to be eeducated as to what's going on, GO TO THE SCHOOL.I'll reply to some specific posts Monday. Enjoy the weekend. God Bless You and God Bless America.

Pastor Ian writes: "The Man Up groups presenters are race and gender appropriate for that group. If we are trying to give African American males a picture of what they can achieve when they get older, we have to place African American men in front of them to brief them."
This seems like admitting that the man up group IS exclusively for African Americans. Why wouldn't you be happy to have any positive role model, no matter what race?
I can also attest that there is atleast one black boy who is in the group that does not have any problems getting in trouble or having bad grades. He is a friend of my child and he is a wonderful kid.

@radarradar or whatever it is. When you use my statements keep them where they are without inflaming them to say what you want to believe I am saying. I am saying what I am saying (period). I am an approved volunteer at that school just like my daughters, got the t-shirt, watched the video fill out the paperwork etc.. I can talk to
whoever I want as many of the kids no me and come around to talk. Kids of all races
and if they want to be enlightened I will do just that. I am there for support as many
of the kids regardless of race don't get the support they need at home and express it
at school through their behavior. I am glad they come around and don't mind me
asking how they're doing in school etc...you are welcome to join me. Also I think I've
taken enough courses in counseling in seminary above and beyond the average teacher to intelligently handle what I need to. Look forward to seeing you and the other parents out to get a hands on up and personal look as to what's up at AMS. My contact info is on an above post, so call, email, meet whatever..It's all good.
.

Lastly, no kid is forced to attend the meetings, so the ones that are perfectly fine as you say don't have to go. Also what kids hear and what they say or how they express it is 2 different things. They are kids so don't always believe what you hear. Instead for the 100th time, many parents should just come out. It's hard to talk about what you don't know about. No one is saying that this is the perfect solution, and that there are not more kinks to work out and things to consider. We started somewhere and some of the feedback is actually helpful, so we can pull from that trash the other comments and see where we go from here

Great conversations everyone..We'll keep pressing on and see what the future brings. Blessings

Dr. Ashworth has denied that it is based on race, but you stated that "There is no hidden agenda that group is for and addresses African Amercan (your spelling) males. This was the group of children that is having the most trouble statistically." and "However, this addresses them only." Some of us wonder why she continues to try to deny this group's attendance if everything is being done "above board" and she is proud of the results. It clearly fits her slogan, "Fair is not always egual"

Pastor Ian, you also stated, "We 'could' invite all the kids to the meeting, but they would leave one by one as they would realize that this does not speak to them." Does that 'WE' imply that you were part of the decision making on who was invited to attend ? Does the "could invite" mean that you didn't invite other races in the past?Does the statement "We can ensure' from this point' that every race and gender are represented at this meeting", reinforce the fact that they were not included in the past and that what the parents and students are reporting is true ????

When a person enters a bank during the summer time with a hoodie pulled up over their head and sunglasses on is it ok for the bank tellers to get suspicious ?

Who here knows exactly how this Man Up works? I have heard that all black boys get invited to join (reguardless of how they are doing in school). I have heard that the invite goes home and the parent(s) decide whether or not to allow their child to join. I have not heard that ANY child who is doing bad in school (behavior and/or grades) is invited. I know of plenty of non black children in AMS that could benefit from a group for help, but have not been invited to this particular group or any other group. I just want this to be fair to all kids. I want the black kids to have the help they need, but not if they are being helped into more racism (as that is what it seems they are being taught).

Pastor Ian : what problems do you see currently facing young African American males ?

@Pastor Ian: I sincerely believe that your statement is true, that you would support a program for whites or any other group that needed it. My assertion is not that you would be against it, but that the NAACP, ACLU, Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, etc. would bring lawsuits to halt such a program, particularly if it was for whites only. Aside from the legal aspects of the whole thing, I find it disturbing that these students can only find inspiration from black male mentors. This simply perpetuates the practice of emphasizing our differences rather than our similarities. Considering we now have an African American President, it's obvious that many non-black people found qualities in him that they admire and race was not an issue. There are numerous black men and women whom I admire and I certainly admire your dedication and your worthwhile goals. I happen to believe that regardless of the good intentions, the basis of the program is flawed and probably illegal. Aside from that possibility, don't you think it's important for these young men to learn to function in the real world? In one way or another we are all members of some minority group, but to function as a society we need to work together. Separation and isolation simply encourages distrust and animosity. Helping these youngsters become successful fathers, husbands, businessmen, etc. is praisworthy, but this seems like a bad approach.

This is slightly off the subject, but I find it rather encouraging that while there has been a lot of disagreement in these comments, both sides have shown respect for each other. We might not solve the world's problems here, but at least it has been demonstrated that people can disagree and still be civil. Hopefully it's not just a case of our moderator Mr. Moynahan filtering out the nasty comments.

I'm happy to report that as this article's moderator, I have not had to delete a single comment that was submitted to me. The discourse on this thread has been insightful, interesting and respectful despite the varying opinions. Thanks to everyone for this conversation as well as your civility.

Pastor Ian, I don't think anyone is questioning your sincerity and your support of the program. What makes me (and I think) some others uncomfortable is that Dr. Ashworth, for what ever reason , felt the need to lie about the true nature of the program and not be straight forward when asked about it directly. She could have taken the high road and said I understand the parent's concerns and we will work to be more inclusive. I made a mistake. If anybody is being a bully in this situation I think it is Dr. Ashworth.

Lawrence, you aren't getting it. We aren't complaining because white kids are being forced to "watch this program", we are complaining because they don't have that option.

The truth about how and why we all came to this Continent is one of the greatest stories ever told. To hide the truth, the whole truth is what is wrong. I have never set in a classroom with people of your color and learned about how my people came to this continent. So I'm not racist to want to know that? Is it wrong for me to what to know that? Is it wrong for you to know how your people came here? When people prevent that knowledge from being spread that is racism. No one is preventing your people from knowing how they came to this continent is there? We all learn about it in school, from elem to High school and be on. But when we study how we came here it is called by some people reverse racism.

Lawrence: I don't think anyone here wants to deny your right to learn your history. It's tragic that most of the early history that is written is about slavery. If I understand correctly, there was not a written language among most African tribes, so tracing beyond the time when the slaves arrived in America would be somewhat fruitless. Most of my ancestors arrived from Ireland and, while not enslaved, were certainly subject to discrimination and persecution because of their nationality and Catholic religion. In school we didn't specifically study Irish history. While I take pride in my Irish heritage, I don't consider myself an Irish-American. I identify as an American and if someone asks about my ancestry I tell them it's Irish. If our civilization is to prosper, we need to emphasize our similarities and build on common goals. No matter how much we might wish, the evils of slavery cannot be erased from our history. We cannot restore the dignity that was denied to those who were enslaved. What we must do is strive today for a better tomorrow, grateful for our common heritage and respectful of our differences.

The only problem I see with this program is the exclusionary nature of this group. With this exclusion the school is helping to perpetuate ignorance and misunderstanding. Because this group excludes persons based on race it will be shut down because it is illegal. When this happens the school will loose a good program. IMO if the invites were sent out to all student and in that invite it was explained what was going to be addressed in this program, you may find that this program might have a chance to succeed. As it sits now, it will get pulled.
The bottom line is, that this program includes based on race. The foundation is bad and the group will get canceled no matter how much good it is doing as soon as someone challenges it. To avoid getting cancelled, invite all and those that dont get anything from it will drop out. One may be surprised that more than just young black men can learn something from this group.

Brian you say when this program is shut down, the school will loose a good program. I disagree, from what I hear from my kids and from their friends (both in and out of the program) this is a terrible group. The boys are shouting "black power" thru the hallways and saying they are learning "how to not let the white man hold us down". That is disgusting and makes me sick to my stomach. There is enough crap like that on tv, we don't need to teach it in schools. I thought out children's generation would be even better than ours at racial acceptance and equality, but BOY WAS I WRONG! Thanks to Dr. Ashworth and her cronies!

@ Elizabeth, What the boys are shouting is not what they are being taught. Remember these are children and they take something and run with it in their excitement and sometimes inappropriately. When you say the boys are shouting, you aren't talking about 100%. There is always a few that will respond immaturely, but again they are kids. The group does not teach racial segregation, or inequality (however the way it is formed implies it which I clearly understand) and last I looked no one on the staff was named "cronie"..lol..So sad!!

@Brian, we are definately rethinking our approach likened to what you spke of above. As I said before, I am not saying its the best program and that it's being done totally right but I support it and only want to see it better.

Pastor Ian Can you explain to me what issues only affect black children? I am unaware of any issue that that affects only black children.

Tracy, I appreciate your words and suggestions. I am actually printing it along with some other responses to make this better. I personally don't see color and have no agenda other than seeing everyone succede and I do want to do my best to ensure what we are doing is not a hinderance. Thank You :)

I agree with Tracy. I would like to know what is being discussed and only want the option to join or not. The only problem has been the exclusivness of it all. Surely anyone can see how bad it looks that only one race and one sex was allowed in the group combined with the racist remarks some of those kids made.

A few of the things I discussed in a meeting: I talked to them about the reality that based on a black males 3rd grade performance, the decision is made on how many prisons they will build and coupled that with the amount of black males incarcerated which is the highest percentage. I used that stat to tell them that their performance is not consistent with their abilities. However, if they are intelligent and decide they don't want to perform well then the statistics will reflect that. I went on to talk furher about them using their abilities and learning to apply themselves regardless of their circumstances. I also went on to tell them that black hound males are over represented in special Ed classes and they are not truly special Ed students. And again I reiterate to them that these numbers are high nt because they don't have the cognitive ability, but because they fail to perform the way they know they can. All that I am mentioning is true and can be looked up. Studies have been run over and over again for years. I don't know about anyone else, but these are the types of things I mention and try to encourage them. They are over represented in these 2 areas an others more Han any other race and gender which makes it a crisis. This is why the program got started. I don't mind ever sending something to ALL parents to include what I will discuss and why. There are no secrets, but there is blindness and ignorance at times among people about what's really going on.

Tracy-you have good ideas. I know the kids are allowed to stay after school on certain days to get extra help from their teachers and that there are buses that run to get them home after. I would think the boys in man-up would benefit from extra help in their classes too (well, the ones that help make up the poor numbers chart anyway).

Pastor Ian ,you may not have an issuse with sending information home to all parents, but someone at AMS does, because it was not done in the past. There were (and still are) secrets about the program. There is blindness because Dr Ashworth tried to shield what was going on within the school from the majority of parents (AA students make up about 28% of the population at AMS). She got caught and instead of telling the truth she started spinning a cover story. Maybe since she is so unhappy being a principal ( she has stated this herself on many occasions)she could get a job working on someone's political campaign or in their PR departments or maybe she could take a deep breath ,apologize , and just tell the Truth. Then she could concentrate on her job as principal.

@Pastor Ian What was really going on was being kept from the majority of the parents at AMS (Only about 28% of the students at AMS are African American). Isn't that the definition of a secret ? There is a difference between being blind and being blindfolded.

Why are my comments being blocked ?

delete

I have in this discussion freely opened up and shed light on what has been done and the reality that its not at all perfect and we are working on changes. This program will most likely not go away but will get better over time. Any name bashing and inappropriate comments during this discussion are not needed. Since we are not the kids, I think we can have a conversation with opposing views and still be respectful in all areas. I look forward to what the future brings and seeing our next generation of children grow up to be outstanding citizens in our society. Blessings, Ian

Why does pastor Ian need to speak for this program and defend Dr. Ashworth ? He is not part of the administration at AMS. Why is he the one taking on the responsibility of explaining Dr. Ashworth's actions ? She is an adult with a PhD., surely she can explain it herself so that we can all understand.

I've not seen Dr. Ashworth post comments on this article nor have I asked her if she would respond. I chose to speak because I am an adult and have been part of it since it started. I was not asked to take on the responsibilty of speaking for her, I saw the article and did what everyone else did - commented. We're all here exercising our wonderful freedom of speech...

Written by Latrice on August 28th.
" It is baffling to me when we have black groups it is wrong, white people have the KKK and the skin heads!! "

PLEASE - That is the most racist remark I have ever heard. Look in the mirror Latrice.

I am a mother of a former student in AA County who was in the " Club" they had for black males and I personally was offended! Yeah, he wore his shirt as a badge of pride while I looked at it as a badge of shame! Making it obvious to everyone that he was 'lesser' and needed this clique to feel like a valued young man!?! This club and situation sparked him being approached by others books knocked out his had and a whole lot of whispers! But not to the tune of 'it's not fair' it was more like 'poor little black kid must have problems so he needs special attention'. Those comments sparked action on my husband his DAD who lives with him part! We pulled his tail out and homeschooled him! I know what the statistics are and we will not let our child be one or hide behind one!
Also, the fight that sparked from other race children didnt start with him as the agressor but lead to his suspension because it was involving him and he did defend himself!
I'm also sadden that once again it is a stigma here that all the 'African-American' children are not "disciplined properly at youth so they are problems in school". I'm sadden by the fact that blacks have to have special programs and such to create unity. I also find it disturbing that after all these years we are still pigeon holed as the 'daddy less, anger issues, ignorant and the like!' I'm tired of that foolishness. We are not the minority anymore but our mindset as well as others towards us has not changed.
Sigh

A few items of significant concer:
1-About the African American boys club only. If there were a muslims only group would the school allow it or investigate it for terrorist ties? And if there can be a group like this that blatantly discriminates against all but african americans why aren't the boy scouts allowed on school properties because when they do not believe in the homosexual agenda?
2-Having been involved in a situation where the Justice Department was investigating Cheltenham Youth Facility for Civil Rights Violations it amaxed me that even after being found culpable (guilty for those not versed in legalize) on literally hundresd of violations the Department of Juvenile Services (Dept. of uv. Justice at the time) was allowed to enter into a consent decree where they simply promised not to get caught again. there is little doubt in my mind that the same will happen here. These investigations are public eyewash and go nowhere. What is wrong with the principal at this school that they would allow this type of discrimination and why isn't anyone shooting about it to the school board? Racism is racism whether it be by whites or blacks.
And to Carol Nida - 'whites have the KKK' - you need to get some help concerning race relations. I'm white and I would never support the KKK's agenda.

Dear Mumof7….you can thank the government for promoting this situation…and because of entitlement programs since the 1960's (some were necessary and good but like anything else where the government is concerned…gone to the extreme) we have seen a decline in the black homes, and black families failing. Your family is an enigma and the system doesn't know how to deal with you. You did the right thing taking your son out of public school because like ALL parents of public school kids, we are their advocates….not the teachers, administrators, school board members or the bureaucracy on Riva Road. God bless you and your family.

Dear Patrick H. - my comment was quoting what was written by Latrice!!!!!! This is not my quote. Read my message again. Why do you think I told Latrice to look in the mirror? I am also European American and was offended by Latrice's remark that implied "white people" have their own groups such as the KKK and skin heads! I think you owe me an apology. I was defending you white butt against this racist remark.