Article on Order in the Classroom Forum

Richmond students' behavior is discussed

Friday, Oct 12, 2007 - 12:08 AM Updated: 08:58 AM

By MELODIE N. MARTIN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Social workers, educators, parents, volunteers and those who work in court, prison and mental-health systems gathered last night to address a shared concern -- student behavior in Richmond's schools.

About 25 people attended a community forum, sponsored by the Richmond chapter of the National Association of Black Social Workers, to discuss solutions to challenging conditions in city schools. The event was held at Club 533 in downtown Richmond.

"When parents aren't taking care of their children, it's up to the community to do so," said Mabel Gilbert Wells, who co-chairs the Richmond social worker association's education committee with Sandra T. Mitchell.

Stephanie Garrison, court services unit director for the Richmond Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, was one of five panelists. She said there are mechanisms to address truancy, criminal activity and other issues through the courts and criminal justice system, but they are a last resort.

"Parents are the key," she said, adding that community resources need to support strengthening parenting skills.

Fellow panelist Arlene Belfield, child and family mental health services director for the Richmond Behavioral Health Authority, described tragic situations of children facing challenges both at home and at school.

"They will not be prepared to be productive citizens in the community, and they don't understand what it means to be parents or to be parented," she said. "When they step out into the larger world, they will have some deficits."

Belfield said her agency strives to help families function better through counseling, outreach and education. One program focuses on empowering parents to assume responsibility for their children and promotes a philosophy that case managers maximize usage of their skills to engage families before dismissing them as resistant to help.

"At times we label them as noncompliant or resistant, when we haven't used every tool," she said. "With some families, there are different personalities and they may not click."

Tichi Pinkney-Epps, president of the Richmond City Council of PTAs, said teachers are responsible for educating children and spoke of the need to resist blaming parents.

"We need to change our attitude toward parents. Some of our parents don't have a grasp of what a good quality of life is about," she said. "You can't continue to go to them in judgment. Offer some help. Be an example of what help looks like."

Contact Melodie N. Martin at (804) 649-6290 or mmartin@timesdispatch.com.