Pushing Kids out of High School

Just as Bloomy and Freddy are arguing over New York City's high school graduation rate and what the rate, if anyone could actually figure out what it is, means (NY Times article here), a high school in Brooklyn has been accused of forcing students out of school. It's pretty disturbing to hear how these kids were forced out and how their parents were kept in the dark the entire time by school officials, but it's almost worse to see the response of DOE officials.

Michael Best, the Education Department's top lawyer, issued a statement that did not address the allegations in the suit but said the parents should have asked school officials for help.

Can he possibly be serious that parents were expected to get help from the same school officials that were illegally pushing their kids out of school?

And how about the response of the school's former principal? He basically blamed the kids.

In an interview yesterday, Mr. Mickens complained that large schools were being forced to take all of the city's special education students and students with behavior problems while the small schools being created by the mayor were not admitting these children. "I am not going to sit there as principal and welcome a student who threatens me or my staff," he said. "I stand by my record."

So there you have it - this high school wasn't pushing students out of school despite all the evidence compiled by Advocates for Children, but even if it was, it is the students' and parents' fault anyway.