CNY Vision Week of December 19 - 25, 2013

8/13/2019 CNY Vision Week of December 19 - 25, 2013

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2 www.cnyvision.com |DECEMBER 19 - 25| 2013CALENDAR

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3 www.cnyvision.com |DECEMBER 19 - 25| 2013LOCAL

LOCAL OFFICE:2331 South Salina StreetSyracuse, NY 13205

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EDITORIAL STAFFLisa DumasDelani WeaverGeorge KilpatrickRasheeda Alford

CONTRIBUTORSKof QuayeJames Haywood RollingEarl Ofari Hutchinson

Boyce Watkins

CNY Vision is a publication ofMinority Reporter, Inc. We are a family of

publications and other media formatscommitted to fostering self awareness,building community and empoweringpeople of color to reach their greatestpotential. Further, CNY Vision seeksto present a balanced view of relevantissues, utilizing its resources to buildbridges among diverse populations;taking them from information to under-standing.

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Delta adding flights between NYC and SyracuseSYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) Delta Airlinesis expanding its reach in upstate New

York.

New York Sen. Charles Schumer saysDelta will add several new ights fromSyracuse to major airline hubs in 2014,including two new daily ights to JFKInternaonal Airport in New York City.

Schumer says he secured commitmentsto add the Syracuse ights duringa meeng with Delta CEO Richard

Anderson.

Two new round-trip ights fromSyracuse to JFK will be added in April,and Schumer says Delta has agreed toadd an unspecied number of ightsto Minneapolis during 2014.

Schumer says Delta also will bolsterits service from Syracuse to Atlanta byying larger airplanes on the exisngights. The move will increase seangcapacity by 8 percent.

Mistaken Identity Exonerates Murder Suspect

Eric Walker, 24, was killed in a drive-by shoong on South Townsend St.,November 18, 2012. Monday, twenty-ve-year-old Dion Robertson, who wasarrested and put on trial for Walkersmurder, was found not guilty by anOnondaga County jury.

Authories said the ruling was due toa case of mistaken identy. A witness,who came forward to the police daysaer the fatal shoong, had beenthe anchor of the prosecutors case.

According to the witness, he had beenin the car with Robertson when theshoong occurred.

This tesmony might have won thecase against Robertson, except forthe fact that Robertsons lawyer,Michael Vavonese, called the witnesscredibility into queson.

The witness claimed Robertson hadbeen wearing a red hooded sweatshirt,but a witness who had been with the

vicm said the shooter had beenwearing a black hooded sweatshirt.In addion, the prosecuons witnessclaimed Robertson never used his cellphone; however, records showed hehad been on his cell phone around theme of the murder.

The witness also claimed he had beensleeping at the me; however cellphone records showed he had been onthe phone seven minutes earlier.

Ulmately, the inconsistenciesVavonese found failed to persuade thejury to convict Robertson. Vavonesealso stated that Robertson was in a car,in a dierent area when the shoonghappened.

Authories said they believed thatRobertson was trying to get revengefor a prior gang-related shoong,but that Robertson had targeted thewrong person.

With the number of teachers who havebeen laid o recently and the constantdebates about New York stateseducaonal and nancial status, it maybe hard to believe that some teachersare making close to $80,000 per year.

However, a report released by theWashington Post showed the averagesalary for a teacher in New York in2013 is $75,279, which is the highestin the country.

Jon Boeckenstedt, associate vicepresident of DePaul University inChicago, constructed the report fromthe Naonal Center for EducaonStascs, which gives the averageannual salary of teachers in publicelementary and secondary schools.

According to the ndings, with thecost of living in New York State on aconnuous rise, teacher salaries have

also been swayed.

The trend appears to be, the moreexperience, the more money, thereport stated.

Teachers in Syracuse with a mastersdegree, and who are consideredveterans in the teaching business, havebeen reported to earn approximately$77,530 and above.

In addion, last year, it was reportedthat even a rst-year teacher couldearn a salary of $42,052.

Massachuses came in second withteacher salaries averaging $73,129,just above Washington D.C., comingin third with a $70,906 average. SouthDakota had the lowest average in thenaon with $39,580.

New York Teachers Hold Highest Average Salary in Nation


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4 www.cnyvision.com |DECEMBER 19 - 25| 2013

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - A trial is neededto determine whether the statesystemically provides inadequate staand money for the constuonallyrequired defense of poor peoplecharged with crimes, a state SupremeCourt judge said.

Jusce Eugene Devine refused onMonday to throw out the class aconlawsuit brought by the New York CivilLiberes Union. He also rejected theNYCLUs request for a decision basedon evidence already presented thatclaimed indigent defense by the

state and several counes rounelyfails defendants and violates theirconstuonal rights to lawyers.

NYCLU Execuve Director DonnaLieberman on Tuesday called thedecision a tentave step towardjusce.

The lawsuit was led in 2007 on behalfof 20 defendants in Onondaga, Ontario,Schuyler, Suolk and Washingtoncounes.

In 2010, a divided New York Courtof Appeals reinstated the lawsuit,rejecng a lower courts conclusionthat the issue was simply poorperformance by individual lawyers.The higher court noted that thecomplaint claimed 10 defendants hadno lawyers at their arraignments andeight were sent straight to jail with bail

set beyond what they could aord.

The judge said the tesmony fromaorneys serving in the defendantcounes shows indigent criminaldefendants consistently are arraignedwithout being aorded their right tocounsel.

The prevailing senment amongthe criminal praconers that havetesed in this maer is that such anoccurrence does not necessarily resultin the violaon of a fundamentalconstuonal right, the judge wrote.

The state aorney generals oce,which sought to dismiss the lawsuit,declined to comment on Tuesday.A spokeswoman said the trial isscheduled for March 17.

NY judge sets trial

on legal aid for the poor

STATE

NEW YORK (AP) -- Financial servicesrm Cantor Fitzgerald, which lostnearly two-thirds of its employees inthe Sept. 11 aacks, revealed a $135million selement with AmericanAirlines and insurance carriersTuesday to a judge who said the dealwill end the nal airplane-focusedcase resulng from claims of wrongfuldeath and personal injuries.

The agreement averts a trial scheduledfor next month, which means there willbe no airing of such quesons as howterrorists got through security, the bestway to stop terrorists, whether therewas really wrongdoing and negligence

and how best to preserve liberesamid such threats, U.S. District JudgeAlvin K. Hellerstein said.

All this will remain a mystery, he said.

Calling the selement a signicantconclusion aer 12 years of ligaonthat resulted in scores of selementsand not a single trial involving airlines,the judge said, Hopefully what wasachieved was a measure of jusce, a

measure of reparaon and closure.

He added, But the lives that werelost were irreparable and beingirreparable, there now are no words todescribe that loss.

The deal was announced by CantorFitzgerald aorney John Stoviak, whosaid money from various insurers isalready in escrow and ready to be paidout pending formal approval by thecourt at or aer a Jan. 13 hearing.

Aerward, Cantor Fitzgerald Chairmanand Chief Execuve Ocer Howard W.Lutnick said in a statement that the

case for insurance companies was justanother case, just another selement,but not for us.

Lutnick, whose brother Gary was killedin the aacks, added: We could never,and will never, consider it ordinary.For us, there is no way to describethis compromise with inapt words likeordinary, fair or reasonable. All we cansay is that the legal formality of thismaer is over.

Cantor Fitzgerald lost 658 of its 1,000people in its New York workforce whenthe 101st through 105th oors of itsOne World Trade Center headquarterswere destroyed when terrorists struckthe tower. Howard Lutnick was not inthe oce.

American Airlines spokesman SeanCollins said in a statement Americanhad vigorously defended itself inligaon brought against it by propertyowners and their insurers who allegethat American should have done whatthe government could not do: preventthe terrorist aacks.

He also noted that the courageouscrew members and passengers onFlight 77 and Flight 11 were all vicmsof the terrorist aacks.

Hellerstein praised lawyers on bothsides, saying he once thought a dealwas impossible. He noted that someligaon from Sept. 11 remains,including claims involving the tradecenter, developer Larry Silverstein,rst responders and others.

Cantor Fitzgerald, meanwhile, hasrisen dramacally from a low of about

150 employees in the months aer theaacks. It now has 3,200 employees inNew York and about 8,000 worldwide,including the employees of a spino,BGC Partners, an achievement praisedby Hellerstein.

Aer the brief hearing, Hellersteinstepped o the bench and shookhands with lawyers on both sides.

American Airlines to pay $135M settlementover 9-11 terrorist attack to firm that had 658 workers killed


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5 www.cnyvision.com |DECEMBER 19 - 25| 2013PUZZLESSTATE

SUDOKUby Myles Mellor and Susan FlanaganEach Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9X9 grid that has

been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3X3 squares.

To solve the puzzle each row, column and box must

contain each of the numbers 1 to 9. Puzzles come in

three grades: easy, medium and difcult. Level: Medium

Check us out online!

www.cnyvision.com

NY Regents recommendschool aid increaseBUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - A Board ofRegents subcommiee has voted torecommend a $1.3 billion increase instate aid for New York schools nextyear, along with fairer funding for high-needs districts and bigger investmentsin universal pre-kindergarten programsand teacher training.

The recommendaons announcedMonday are expected to be approvedby the full board and sent to the stateLegislature.

Also Monday, Educaon CommissionerJohn King Jr. and Regents ChancellorMerryl Tisch said they are moving

forward on recommendaons toimprove implementaon of the newCommon Core learning standardsstatewide.

The recommendaons were madeby the Educaonal ConferenceBoard, a panel made up of parents,

school board members, teachersand others. The recommendaonsinclude increasing understanding ofthe Common Core, ensuring adequatefunding, and reducing tesng me.

Cuomo pushestax break for renters statewide

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) Gov. AndrewCuomo is supporng the minority

posion of his own tax commissionwhen it comes to providing a propertytax credit to renters across the state,with most of the break going to NewYork City tenants.

Including renters in his property tax-cung plan along with home ownerswould strike a polical balance thatcould get his proposal through theLegislature.

Cuomos commission supportedhis goal of reducing property taxesupstate and in the New York Citysuburbs, where residents pay some ofthe naons highest taxes. A Cuomospokesman said Monday that the

governor will also push a tax credit for

renters statewide.

Cuomo says its too early to say howmuch of a benet renters could see in

2014, an elecon year.

Governor Andrew Cuomo


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6 www.cnyvision.com |DECEMBER 19 - 25| 2013STATE

NY law expands oversight of preschool special edALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Gov. AndrewCuomo has signed a law to increasestate oversight of special educaon

programs for preschoolers withdisabilies.

The law authorizes the statecomptroller to audit all of theindependently run programs at leastonce in the next ve years.

It establishes new reporngrequirements for commiees thatplace children in programs and for

providers. It also authorizes theeducaon commissioner to examinealternave reimbursement methods.

Sponsors of the legislaon say limitedaudits have shown widespreadfraud and abuse, including absenteedirectors, redundant costs and

potenal conicts of interest whereevaluators direct children into theirown programs.

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli saysfraud in the $1.3 billion program hascost taxpayers millions of dollars whiledepriving children of needed help.

New York has more than 300 specialeducaon providers.

(StatePoint) The holidays may be lledwith joy, but for the ever-growingnumber of aging Americans and thosewho care for them this otherwisecelebratory season can become miredin challenges.

The stress of visitors, evenul meals,gi giving and social obligaons canbe overwhelming for anyone, butespecially for those juggling busyschedules with caring for an elderlyfamily member.

An esmated 15 million Americans aresandwiched between two generaonsand working to support both,according to the Pew Research Center.Known as the Sandwich Generaon,these adults struggle to balance caringfor their children and their elderlyparents.

Staying organized is especiallyimportant during this me of year toensure that loved ones arent ignoredin the hustle and bustle of the season,says Mark Armstrong, founder and CEOof ComForcare Senior Services and AtYour Side Home Care, an internaonalsenior care franchise that provides in-home, non-medical care to seniors andothers in need of assistance.

Armstrong is oering some juggling

ps for family caregivers: Map out doctors appointments,

prescripon pick-up dates, schoolholiday pageants and other plannedevents on a calendar or on your smartphone to avoid double booking andoverextending yourself.

Members of the sandwich generaonoen feel they dont spend enoughme with their children becausetheyre busy caring for their parentsand vice versa. Combat this issue withintergeneraonal acvies, such asdecorang the home, trimming thetree, planning the menu or wrappingpresents.

Caring for another human being foran extended period of me can takeits toll on even the most caring andnurturing of people. Dont be afraid toask for help. It may mean alternangdays with a relave or bringing in aprofessional caregiver.

Watch out for these red ags thatcould mean your aging relave isin need of addional assistance:mismatched, wrinkled or soiledclothing, weight loss or gain, troubleremembering names or an uncleanhome.

Discuss the possibility of hiring aprofessional caregiver to relieve somestrain on you, especially around the

holidays. In the long-term, a caregivercan help your loved one age safely andcomfortably in his or her own home, by

providing a wide range of non-medicalhome care services, including helpwith bathing, hairstyling and dressing,inconnence care, medicaonreminders, chores and light exerciseassistance.

Look for a company that oers awide range of services 24 hours aday, seven days a week, includingholidays. For example, ComForcareSenior Services and At Your SideHome Care develop a customized careplan based on an in-home evaluaonby a nurse and provides ongoingtraining and educaon to caregivers.More informaon can be found at

www.ComForcare.com or www.AtYourSideHomeCare.com.

Even you need some care somemes!Set aside me me every day to dosomething just for you and youll beable to return to your caregiving duesrefreshed and ready to help.

This holiday season, take the me toaddress the challenges facing you andyour aging loved one

SOURCE :Statepoint Media

Holidays can be Stressful for Seniors: Advice for Caregivers

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7 www.cnyvision.com |DECEMBER 19 - 25| 2013NATIONAL

Target: 40M card accounts may be breachedTarget says about 40 mil lion credit anddebit card accounts may be aectedby a data breach that occurred just asthe holiday shopping season shiedinto high gear.

The chain said customers who madepurchases by swiping their cards atterminals in its U.S. stores betweenNov. 27 and Dec. 15 may have had theiraccounts exposed. The stolen dataincludes customer names, credit anddebit card numbers, card expiraondates and the three-digit securitycodes located on the backs of cards.

The data breach did not aect onlinepurchases, the company said.

The stolen informaon included Targetstore brand cards and major cardbrands such as Visa and MasterCard.

Targets rst priority is preservingthe trust of our guests and we havemoved swily to address this issue,so guests can shop with condence.We regret any inconvenience this maycause, Chairman, President and CEOGregg Steinhafel said in a statementThursday.The Minneapolis company said it

immediately told authories andnancial instuons once it becameaware of the breach and that it isteaming with a third-party forensicsrm to invesgate and prevent futurebreaches. The company said it ispung all appropriate resourcestoward the issue.

Target Corp. advised customers tocheck their statements carefully. Thosewho see suspicious charges on thecards should report it to their creditcard companies and call Target at 866-852-8680. Cases of identy the canalso be reported to law enforcementor the Federal Trade Commission.

Target hasnt disclosed exactly howthe data breach occurred, but said ithas xed the problem and credit cardholders can connue shopping at itsstores.

The company has 1,797 U.S. storesand 124 in Canada.

Every if Target shoppers haventnoced suspicious acvity ontheir credit card accounts, a Targetspokeswoman said, we encourageeveryone to be vigilant.

In Wednesday mornings trading,Targets stock dipped $1.15, or 1.8percent, to $62.40.

Targets breach comes at the heightof the holiday shopping season andthreatens to scare away shoppersworried about the safety of theirpersonal data. The November andDecember period accounts for 20percent, on average, of total retailindustry sales.

The incident is parcularlytroublesome for Target because it hasused its branded credit and debit cardsas a markeng tool to lure shopperswith a 5 percent discount.

The company said during its earningscall in November that as of Octobersome 20 percent of store customershave the Target branded cards. Thisholiday season, Target added otherincenves to use its cards. Two daysbefore Thanksgiving, Target.com rana special review sale with 25 exclusiveoers, from electronics to housewaresfor those who used the branded card.

As a result of these incenves,households that acvate a Target-branded card have increased theirspending at the store by about 50percent on average, the company said.

This is how Target is geng morecustomers in the stores, said BrianSozzi, CEO and Chief Equies Strategist.Its telling people to use the card. Itsbeen a big win. If they lose that trust,that person goes to Wal-Mart.

Target is just the latest retailer to behit with a data breach. TJX Cos., whichruns stores such as T.J. Maxx andMarshalls, had a breach that beganin July 2005 that exposed at least45.7 million credit and debit cardsto possible fraud. The breach wasnt

detected unl December 2006. InJune 2009 TJX agreed to pay $9.75million in a selement with mulplestates related to the massive datathe but stressed at the me that itrmly believed it did not violate anyconsumer protecon or data securitylaws.

At TJX, for at least 17 months, one ormore intruders had free rein insideTJXs computers. Without anyonenocing, one or more intrudersinstalled code on the discountretailers systems to methodicallyunearth, collect and transmit accountdata from the millions of credit cardand debit cards.

An even larger hack hit Sony in 2011. Ithad to rebuild trust among PlayStaonNetwork gamers aer hackerscompromised personal informaonincluding credit card data on morethan 100 million user accounts.

Greg Melich, an analyst at ISIInternaonal Strategy & InvestmentGroup, wrote in a note publishedThursday that Targets most importantgoal should be to maintain customertrust and therefore longer-termloyalty.

Litan said she doubts the breach willhave much of an eect on Targetssales, nong that TJX launched salespromoons immediately following thenews of its breach. The promoonsincreased sales.

People care more about discountsthan security, Litan said.

___

AP Technology Writer Bree Fowlerreported from New York.


8/12


By Hazel Trice Edney

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - With a bi-parsanbudget agreement established with noconnuaon of unemployment benets,President Obama has appealed forAmericans to Help Our Less Fortunate atChristmas.

Every year, we mark the holiday seasonwith celebraons and good cheer. And Ishould remind my girls that I like gengChristmas presents as much as anybody.But this is also a me to rememberthe story of a child born to two faithfultravelers on a holy night, long ago, saidthe President in a rare moment of publicreecon from a Chrisan perspecve.The sacred birth of Jesus Christ was Gods

gi to man on Earth. And, through Hisexample, He taught us that we should lovethe Lord, love our neighbors, as we loveourselves. Its a teaching that has enduredfor generaons. And today, it lies at theheart of my faith and that of millions ofAmericans, and billions around the globe.

With a gradually improving economy, a bi-parsan budget agreement that will avoidanother government shutdown, Chaanda Congress about to recess for Christmas,Obama made note of the economicdisparies that remain.

No maer who we are, or where we comefrom, or how we worship, it s a message ofhope and devoon that can unite all of us

this holiday season, he said. It compelsall of us to reach out and help our lessfortunate cizens - our poor, our sick, ourneighbors in need - and to serve thosewho sacrice so much on our behalf.

The Presidents words of compassion werespoken between the music and fesviesof the 32nd Christmas in WashingtonBroadcast held at the Naonal BuildingMuseum in Washington Dec. 15. Thisyears event beneed the ChildrensNaonal Medical Center.

With what appears to be a repairedAordable Care Act website bringing adegree of jusce and parity to healthcare in America, the President must now

focus on his annual State of the UnionAddress before a joint session of CongressJan. 28. With three more years in oce,Obama is expected to speak strongly onstrengthening the economy specicallyhealing economic inequies.

Meanwhile, in establishing a bi-parsanbudget deal, Congress cut o extendedunemployment benets to 1.3 millionAmericans.Those benets will end justaer Christmas, causing great hardshipsto many.

While the budget agreement is a slightimprovement over current law becauseit provides temporary relief from across-the-board, automac spending cuts

known as sequestraon, it shortchangesfederal employees and turn its back onmillions of unemployed Americans, saidCongressional Black Caucus Chair MarciaFudge (D-Ohio) in a statement.

She refused to vote for the budgetbill, nong Unless reauthorized,unemployment benets to 1.3 millionAmericans will end on December 28th.This cuto will aect more than 3 millionAmericans over the next six months.

With 1.3 million fewer jobs than in 2008when the recession began, Fudge pointedout that Unemployment benets playa crical role in helping Americans getback on their feet and strengtheningour economy. In fact, the nonparsanCongressional Budget Oce has foundthat unemployment benets are one ofthe most eecve scal policies to increaseeconomic growth and employment.Nevertheless, Republican members of

Congress argued that connuing to extendthe benets hurts the decit. PresidentObama had also appealed for theextension of the unemployment benetsas well as a hike in minimum wage, but - sofar - to no avail.

Giving hope for 2014, the conversaonabout poverty in America appears tobe increasing despite lile talk of newpolicies to deal with it. Upon the 50thanniversary celebraon of the March onWashington, Marn Luther King III in thepresence of President Obama pointedout that the economic gap between Blacksand Whites had remained consistent forthe past ve decades. That included theunemployment rate which, in 1963, was

5 percent for Whites and 10.9 percent forBlacks. In August it was 6.6 percent forwhites and 12.6 percent for blacks, aboutthe same 6 percentage points apart.

Civil rights leaders have been consistent intheir outcries on behalf of the poor.

Many of those excluded are foundwaing in America. They wait while somein Congress would cut $8 billion from foodstamps, or cut o benets for more thana million long-term unemployed cizens,wrote Naonal Urban League President/CEO Marc Morial in a recent column.They wait while the Presidents proposaland the economic wisdom of a raise inthe minimum wage connue to languish

on Capitol Hill. They wait while workingjobs for wages too low to support thebasic needs of their families. They waitwhile some in Congress connue to resisttransportaon and infrastructure fundingand the good paying jobs that wouldresult.

Concluding his column, Morial quotedthe late Nelson Mandela who was laid torest on Sunday: Overcoming poverty isnot a task of charity, it is an act of jusce.Like Slavery and Apartheid, poverty isnot natural. It is manmade and it can beovercome and eradicated by the aconsof human beings. Somemes it falls on ageneraon to be great. You can be thatgreat generaon. Let your greatness

blossom.

NATIONALPresident Obama: Help Our LessFortunate at Christmas


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Communicaons Manager

Centro seeks a detail oriented professional with excellent wring andcommunicaon skills to ll the posion of Communicaons Manager. Thisposion is responsible for increasing public awareness and promong

authority services to the public, prepares wrien news releases andpress kits for disseminaon, designing and placing adversing, updangcompany informaon on website and execute social media plaormsto disseminate informaon, performing market research, and variousacvies to promote Centros programs and services. Bachelors Degreein markeng or communicaons and ve years experience in markeng,communicaons or a related eld preferred.

Centro is a subsidiary of the Central New York Regional TransportaonAuthority (CNYRTA) and oers a compeve salary and benetsprogram. Interested persons should submit a resume, salary history,and wring samples to:Chris MorrealeCentro HR DepartmentPO Box 820200 Cortland Ave.,Syracuse NY 13205or go to www.centro.org and apply electronically. All qualied applicantsare encouraged to apply. Centro reserves the right to select a candidatefrom within or outside the Company. Centro is an equal opportunityemployer.


10/12


www.cnyvision.comFacebook:search cnyvision

OPINION/EDITORIAL The views expressed on our opinion pages are those of the author and do notnecessarily represent the position or viewpoint of MRMG or CNY Vision

(TriceEdneyWire.com) Naonwide,African-Americangirls connue to bedisproportionatelyover-representedamong girls inconnement andc o u r t - o r d e r e dr e s i d e n t i a lp l a c e m e n t s .They are alsosignicantly over-r e p r e s e n t e d

among girls who experienceexclusionary discipline, such as out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, and

other punishment. Studies have shownthat Black female disengagement fromschool parally results from racialinjusces as well as their status asgirls, forming disciplinary paerns thatreect horrendously misinformed andstereotypical percepons.

While academic underperformanceand zero tolerance policies arecertainly crical components ofpathways to connement, a closerexaminaon reveals that Blackgirls may also be criminalized forqualies long associated with theirsurvival. For example, being loud ordeant are infracons potenallyleading to subjecve reprimanding or

exclusionary discipline. But historically,these characteriscs can exemplifytheir responses to the eects ofracism, sexism, and classism.

More than 42,000 youth were educatedin juvenile court schools located inCalifornia correconal and detenonfacilies in 2012, according to theCalifornia Department of Educaon,and a disproporonate number ofthem were Black girls. In the states 10largest districts by enrollment, Blackfemales experience school suspensionat rates that far surpass their femalecounterparts of other racial and ethnicgroups. Lile has been shared aboutthese girls educaonal histories and

experiences inside the states juvenilecorreconal facilies or out in thecommunity.

As a response, I conducted anexploratory, phenomenological, aconresearch study that examined the self-idened, educaonal experiencesof Northern Californias Black girls inconnement using in-depth interviewsand descripve data analysis, amongother research acvies. The studyrevealed the following about theeducaonal experiences of connedBlack girls in Northern California:

They value their educaon. Ninety-four percent of the girls in this studyreported their educaon to be eithervery important or important tothem, and nearly as many said theireducaon was equally as importantto their parents or guardians, whereapplicable. They have a history of exclusionarydiscipline in their district schools.Eighty-eight percent had a historyof suspension, and 65 percent had ahistory of expulsion from non-juvenilecourt schools; half cited elementaryschool as their earliest experiencewith suspension or expulsion.

They experience exclusionarydiscipline while in detenon, too.Almost all had been removed from ajuvenile court school classroom, andone-third of these girls believed it wasbecause they simply asked the teachera queson. Two-thirds reported itwas the result of talking back - butin each case, the student felt shewas responding to an unprompted,negave comment made by theteacher. One parcipant recalled,She called me retarded in front of theclass...I have a learning disability. They have missed a lot of school.The majority reported havingrecently missed at least 2 weeks

of instrucon. Among these girlswho missed signicant porons ofschool, 36 percent had removed theircourt-ordered electronic monitoringdevice and/or were on the run andavoiding a warrant for their arrest.Fourteen percent cited prostuon asa major deterrence from aending orparcipang in school. For 18 percent,mothering a child under the age of3 years old made aending schooldicult. Over half reported they hadbeen expelled from or had droppedout of school. They have drug use and/ordependency issues. Almost all of thegirls in this study admied to a historyof smoking marijuana, and 65 percent

reported doing so at or just beforegoing to school. Among these girls, 64percent reported their teachers knewthey were high in class - all said therewas no acon taken by the school. Many of them lack condence intheir teachers. Nearly 60 percentreported a lack of condence in theteaching ability and/or commitment ofat least one instructor in their school,and almost half perceived a teacherrounely refusing to answer specicquesons about the material theywere learning. They are not engaged. The majority

found the coursework to be too easyand perceived it as below their gradelevel. Their school credits do not transferseamlessly between juvenile courtschools and district schools. Mostreported a prior experience in thejuvenile court school where thisstudy took place. Among these girls,57 percent believed that the creditsthey earned while in detenon hadnot transferred appropriately to theirdistrict school; the majority wereunsure of their credit status. They have goals, but they dontknow how to reach them. Eighty-eightpercent had ideas of their occupaonal

goals, with one-third indicang theywould like to be a sta counselor atthe juvenile hall. However, 73 percentfelt their educaon was not preparingthem for their future.

This studys ndings show wherefuture research and advocacy eortsmight beer interrogate the eects ofinferior and hyper-punive nature ofthese schools.

Notwithstanding their status asjuvenile delinquents with signicanthistories of vicmizaon, thesegirls tended to nd a potenallyredempve quality in educaon.Though most of the girls in this

study did not consider their juvenilecourt school to be a model learningenvironment, they generally agreedthese schools occupy an importantspace along a learning connuum thathas underserved them. For many ofthese girls, the gurave laceraonsfrom bureaucrac and ethical failuresmay leave lasng marks.

While our ulmate goal is to preventmore girls from being educated incorreconal facilies, these schoolsshould be included in the conversaonabout equity, not only because arethey structurally inferior and failing tointerrupt student pathways to dropoutor push-out, but because there is a

moral and legal obligaon to improvethe quality of educaon for all youth- even those who are in trouble withthe law. We must connue to exploreways for access to quality educaon inthese facilies more equitable, whileimproving the rigor of the curricula,such that it is trauma-informedand culturally competent. We mustalso examine ways to facilitate aseamless reentry of these girls backinto their district schools and homecommunies.

Thurgood Marshall wrote in Procunier

v. Marnez (1974), When the prisongates slam behind an inmate, he doesnot lose his human quality; his minddoes not become closed to ideas; hisintellect does not cease to feed on afree and open interchange of opinions;his yearning for self-respect does notend; nor is his quest for self-realizaonconcluded.

It is a long-standing American valuethat educaon is a potenal tool torestructure social hierarchies andelevate the condions of historicallyoppressed peoples. However, currenttrends in the administraon andfuncon of the juvenile court school

may exacerbate many pre-exisngconicts between Black girls andteachers and/or the structure oflearning environments. The limitaonsand challenges of these condions maynullify the opportunies for improvedassociaons between Black girls,school, and academic performance -anthecal to the stated educaonalgoal of the juvenile court school.

If we can improve the accountabilityand performance of these schoolsalongside their district counterparts,we will inevitably move toward a morecomprehensive approach to reducingthe impact of policies and praccesthat criminalize and push girls out of

school. We will, in essence, begin theprocess of maintaining her humanquality - an essenal component ofher successful rehabilitaon and re-engagement as a producve memberof our communies.

A more detailed version of this arclewas published in the latest issueof Poverty & Race www.prrac.org.Monique W. Morris, Ed.D. ([email protected]) is the co-founder of the Naonal Black WomensJusce Instute (blackwomensjusce.org) and author of Black Stats: AfricanAmericans by the Numbers in theTwenty-First Century. (The NewPress, January 2014). Americas Wire

is an independent, nonprot newsservice run by the Maynard Instutefor Journalism Educaon. Our storiescan be republished free of chargeby newspapers, websites and othermedia sources. For more informaon,visit www.americaswire.org orcontact Michael K. Frisby at [email protected].

Black Girls Disproportionately Confined;Struggle for Dignity in Juvenile Court Schools

MONIQUE W.

MORRIS


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CNY Vision Week of December 19 - 25, 2013