The Choice Channel

“Five Baltimore schools have been labeled “persistently dangerous” this year, meaning that they have had more than an acceptable number of suspensions and expulsions. But even a few members of the State Board of Education who voted to confer the label last week rightly expressed some reservations, particularly when no additional funds are provided to make the schools safer. The ‘persistently dangerous’ designation comes from the federal No Child Left Behind law. But states can set their own standards for danger, which has allowed some states to obfuscate the issue. In Maryland, a school is declared dangerous if, each year for three consecutive years, 2.5 percent or more of enrolled students are suspended for more than 10 days or expelled for serious offenses, such as arson, physical assaults or possession of drugs or weapons in school.” (07/30/07)