Charter schools facing increased gang violence as school year escalates... Gang shooting at the 'Baker' campus of Noble charter schools comes weeks after the Noble administration tried to cover up the finding of a gun in a student's locker at the pretentious charter school...
The gang-related shooting outside the campus of Bowen High School actually involved a student from "Baker College Prep", a charter high school that has occupied the east building of the Bowen complex at 2710 E. 89th St. for three years. "Baker College Prep" is one of the "campuses" of the "Noble Network of Charter Schools." The charter school, co-located inside Bowen despite widespread local opposition, claims to be "better" than Bowen, but follows the Noble pattern of kicking out "bad" students, dumping them back into the "failing" public schools. But the recent gang problems at Baker, which include a gun found in a Baker student's locker that the Noble administration tried to cover up, indicates that the charter school is in denial about its major security problems. Substance photo by David Vance.The first TV news reports on November 5, 2015, claimed that a "Bowen High School student" was shot and wounded outside the school, in Bessemer Park. But, reporter Stacey Baca later got the story correct -- a charter school student, from Noble Baker College Prep was shot. The confusion, as well as the violence, stems from the fact that the Bowen High School building, at 2710 E. 89th St. in Chicago, is now "co-locating" with the charter school. And this was not the only afternoon during early November that a shooting took place outside a Chicago charter school (see below).
Residents and school activists learned on November 6, from sources that asked to remain anonymous, that the 14-year-old was "not the intended target." But the shooting was gang motivated, according to anonymous security sources. Five shots were fired and the young boy was badly wounded, shot in the chest.
Anger at the misinformed news sources was very strong among the Bowen staff and students who had stayed at school Thursday November 5th, for planned after school activities. (Noble-Baker is a charter school that was given half of the building space at Bowen High School in Sept of 2013. Bowen has a 100 year history in South Chicago.)
But, why is Bowen angry and worried about the charter school Baker? The charter school inside Bowen is facing significant security problems. A gun was found in a Baker student locker on October 7, 2015, and according to security sources, Baker administrators kept the weapon a secret for two days. Student rumors broke the truth out to the Bowen staff who demanded to know why Bowen was not informed. (see parent letter to charter Baker.)
This concerns everyone at Bowen because charter Baker students and Bowen students cross paths on the sidewalk and in the park across the street every day. Even more directly, Baker students are permitted to walk through the Bowen main hallway to reach the gym.
A photograph of the historic Bowen High School main building in the snow last winter, before the walks were cleared. Bowen's sprawling campus includes three buildings, the main one of which (above) is at 2710 E. 89th St. The "annex" building to the east was occupied in a "co-location" deal with the "Noble Network of Charter Schools," passed by the Chicago Board of Education in 2012 and has been considered an invasion by most people in the community. Lax security in the "Baker' Noble charter school has led to recent violence that threatens the whole community. Substance photo by David Vance.Why is Bowen security and administration worried about this co-sharing CPS plan? Charter Baker students do not have to pass through a metal detector at their separate entrance. Charter Baker administrators want the parents and public to believe that they are the �good school� (while the public school, Bowen, is the "bad school").
Baker administrators will claim their educational methods are better than the public school. But then the Charter Baker administrators tell parents that they do not keep a summary of �Days of Peace� like Bowen does.
Not keeping a record of school peace days and problem days is a way of hiding what is going on in Charter Baker.
Where is the truth? Charters and their "campuses" in Chicago manipulate both their numbers and public perceptions. For example, the Noble charter schools have the highest "kick-out rate" -- 12 times higher than public schools. They establish rules that the city's real public schools are not allowed to do, and then they "counsel out" students who don't follow the strict rules. While this looks good on paper, it deprives many obstreperous teenagers of their right to an eduction -- all under the name of "choice."
The strict Noble rules mean they can remove students that have social emotional problems. Unofficial reports also include a method of counseling out students who have low grades and low test scores. It is well known that Noble Charter schools use a demerit system to keep their teenage students in line.
A similar problem has begun since Baker charter began its "co-location" at Bowen. Transferring Baker students into Bowen is happening quietly, but unfortunately true. It must be a hard emotional way to think -- "not good enough for Charter Baker, losers to Bowen."
Bowen activists know the student who brought a gun into Baker was expelled, but do not know what school he will enter. It could be Bowen.
By having two schools and one school claiming it is better than the other; it sets up a conflicting situation. And with the lax security measures in the charter school, Bowen public school security feels worried. "We need one school at Bowen, not two," is the refrain of Bowen parents, teachers and students.
If CPS really wants a safe school environment then we need one school and one school security force. When half the students walking on the sidewalk are from another school there could be problems.
Because we know the neighborhood has gangs and this affects both public school Bowen and charter school Baker, security groups from the two schools have a daunting task. Bowen security does not know Baker students (and the potential gang problems) and charter Baker security does not know our Bowen students.
To keep the peace at Bowen and in the neighborhood, security has to be on the same page with the same procedures. Playing in the park will be safer if all the students are from one school. They will know the same rules from school training.
Immediate steps:
One immediate step is for CPS to step in and stop the high expulsion/counseling out rate Noble uses. They have to follow the CPS student code of conduct. Noble Baker in South Chicago needs to use metal detectors at their front door. If they refuse, then they will not be permitted to walk through Bowen to use the gym.
A recent message from Bowen parents:
Hello Baker Administration, Noble Charter School Network,
Will you officially confirm that a gun was found in a student locker Wednesday, October 7th?
On Friday October 9 numerous student sources told Bowen parents and staff that indeed a gun was removed from a student�s locker on your side of the building. A deadly weapon cannot be a secret. Parents at Baker and Bowen want to know that their children are safe, and you are doing everything you can to make it safe.
I know that we agree that school is a learning environment, but we cannot hide the dangers that deadly weapons pose to our students.
We want to suggest three steps of protocol when a serious threat occurs in your school.
1) Notify the police and conduct a temporary lock down of classrooms as student lockers are searched
2) Immediately prepare a letter to parents of your school
3) A phone call or official note to the Bowen administration so they can inform their security and staff. Co-sharing in the same building should include respecting the parents and staff of the other school.
We think school safety is a two way street in cosharing at Bowen. We are asking the charter Noble Baker College Prep administration not to hide what happened.
We hope you will treat this gun incident with the safety of your students and our students as your first priority.
Comments:
By: Eileen Doherty
Bowen and Charter Schools
It's sad to see that maintaining positive PR for a charter school can trump the safety of students. The co-location of these two schools is just a horrible idea. Nothing positive could possibly happen as a result of sorting students into the "good" school and "bad" school. We have seen time and time again how corrupt and mismanaged these charter schools are. This article speaks the truth.
In response to the comment by Bob Busch, my father, John Norris, taught at Bowen for most of his career through the 60's, 70's, and 80's.
By: Bob Busch
Bowen
Thank you for the photos.I can see the windows of my US History classroom in the Building You call the East Building.I called it the New Building in 1969 when i taught there.It was only a couple of years old then, but the rooms were nice.i only taught one class in that building in 69.the other 4 classes were in the old building,built in 1889,
I believe and in Willis Wagons in the parking lot.A teacher never forgets their first year,or their first school thanks for the memories.