To hear one teacher tell it, it sounds as if they are remaking the movie Blackboard Jungle at Southeast High School.
Mike Fisher took the public comment microphone Monday to say teachers have been injured in fights at the school.
“A couple of weeks ago a colleague of mine right after lunch looked down the hall; all the kids were running down the hall. I see him (get) picked up. He gets picked up from behind and thrown down to the ground. He ended up w a concussion.” Fisher said that teacher is still feeling its effects.
To add insult to injury, Fisher said, district administrators attempted to ask after another teacher’s welfare – a teacher whom Fisher said was repeatedly beaten – but the central office not only sent an e-mail to the wrong person, but also visited Southeast only to console the wrong teacher.
“The administration … you get the feeling that they don’t care,” said Fisher.
After the meeting, District 186 superintendent Jennifer Gill said she wanted to hear from the other teachers Fisher referenced. She added it’s too bad this is what we’re talking about … when there are good things happening at Southeast and all over the district.
As for security, Gill said it’s actually increased this year.
Gill, trying to discourage people from singling out Southeast, mentioned the school has a building trades program and a health science academy.
The whole situation, including the negative attention to Southeast – when, she said, fighting occurs at other schools in Springfield and across the nation – frustrates and angers Gill.
“Students coming to school and (fighting) rather than coming to school to take us up on the great things that we have to offer; anger at all the time we spent with students, getting them to where they are, and to have things go away for them personally in one minute based on a bad decision they made.
“It’s saddening as well as maddening.”.