Aug 04 2006
Persistently Dangerous: Cy-Ridge High School
In the latest round of the insanity that is the No Child Left Untested (sorry) No Child Left Behind Act, a suburban high school in northwest Houston has been deemed Persistently Dangerous by the state.
The suburban, middle-class Cypress Ridge High School is the first Houston-area campus to be deemed “persistently dangerous,” an emotionally charged label that it earned, in part, for reporting a high number of drug violations.
The state of Texas is actually saying (with a straight-face) that a suburban middle-class high school is more dangerous than schools in the much rougher areas of Houston.
What does the school district have to say?
Cypress-Fairbanks leaders said their school is being unfairly targeted for aggressively tracking every on-campus violation and for encouraging students to report crime. Other schools with far more notable instances didn’t appear on the latest list, which tracks crimes from 2002 to 2005.
A typical suburban follow-the-rules school gets in trouble for doing what they are supposed to do while others who don’t follow the rules appear to be superior schools. What about the student perspective?
Sophomore Kouazou Njowo said she’s shocked that her seemingly well-regarded school made the list, while others, such as Westbury High School in Houston, where there was a rape and riot this year, didn’t.
That sums it up nicely. Clearly, having Prozac in your locker is much worse than a riot. Way to go TEA!
Others blogging:
- these are the things we go through
- 5 Texas Schools labeled ‘persistently dangerous’
- Winthrop Harbor schools in money trouble
