So, most of you know I teach at LD3C, a community college in a formerly large urban center somewhere in the Great Lakes region. The economy has been horrific in this region for ages. When the rest of the country felt the pinch of this latest Great Recession, it was just catching up with those of us who reside in the former manufacturing cities in Great Lakes states who were ahead of that trend years ago.
I wonder if the shitty economy is the reason for the high number of parolees in my classes. Economic downturn and increases in crime go hand-in-hand, so maybe that's why I can count so many of the formerly incarcerated among my student ranks.
Disclaimer: I am all for giving someone who is trying to change his or her life a second chance. I also understand that not everyone who has served time is violent, has done so because of violent crime, or has violent tendencies.
However...I have seen an increasing number of formerly violent felons in my classes (and they do self-identify -- you can't get them to shut up about the various systems that have worked against them their whole lives, including their new nemesis, academia), some of whom are in college as conditions of their parole agreements.
Then there's the guy in one of my classes who was convicted of a sexual offense involving someone under the age of 13. How do I know this? Because I looked him up in a public database after he made an offhand comment last week about how difficult his parole office makes his life. Until that moment, I had no idea this one had been incarcerated.
In addition to the very long list of other conditions of his parole, this student is not allowed within 1,000 feet of K-12 schools. When this semester began, I had four students in my class who were just 17, technically minors.
I understand FERPA and other privacy issues, but at what point does a student's right to privacy supersede the rights of other people in his or her class (students, instructors, interpreters, all others) to security?
P.S. Please forgive the two quick, empty previous posts. A feline walked across my keyboard twice.
I guess we're neighbors, Greta. I've got my share of felons too. One of my felons this semester wears sparkly blue eyeshadow and smells really good.
ReplyDeleteI doubt that a student's status as a felon is protected by FERPA (that protects academic information; felon status is public information). But there is not much you can do if the person is not currently breaking the law. If you see ANY behavior that makes you nervous, call your campus cops faster than Sarah Palin whips out her retarded kid.
I second Hellish Harpy (except for the use of the word "retarded." You really shouldn't use that word, Harpy. The child has Down Syndrome.)
ReplyDeleteMathsquatch out.
Mathsquatch, you're so quick to correct people. Clearly, he's talking about Bristol.
ReplyDeleteHarpy: mean
ReplyDeleteMathsquatch: right
WotC: funny
Whoa. WHOA. I taught in a women's correctional facility for a term (composition) but most of my students were there for drugs and theft, with an exception of one who "shot her man."
ReplyDeleteMay I suggest that you contact...hmm. I think that I'd go to my Equal Opportunity Officer and explain the problem of the sex offender + possibly underage persons in the class. Ask what s/he thinks. Alternatively, perhaps a dean? It strikes me that expressing your concern to a higher authority might yield some helpful guidance.
On the other hand, I do not believe that every system in the world including academia is out to get me...so I assume offices like EEOP actually HELP. I may be wrong about that.
I do not understand where privacy comes in here. Criminal records are public information as is the sex offender registry list.
ReplyDeleteDo you really want to know every student's criminal history?
Are you asking someone else to look it up for you?
Neither of these are privacy issues.
Harpy didn't mean to be mean. Harpy was quoting an actress with Down's who commented on ol' Sarah's fondness for impressing people with her parenting skills.
ReplyDeleteBlack Dog, you are quite the optimist!
I get a fair number of felons in my classes, and buttloads of students who have committed misdemeanors.
ReplyDeleteI even had an ex-student from a long time ago email me last semester looking for a character reference to get him out of his marijuana possession charge. I was thinking about giving him a nice letter, but I got really busy and it slipped my mind. Maybe he's incarcerated now or otherwise is huge trouble, but I frankly don't care.
Lots of my student felons love to talk about their experiences, though I'm SURE that there are many felons I've never spotted. Yes, they should be in school if they can improve their lives, and no, I don't usually worry about them.
It's the PRE-FELONS I worry about...
We have access to a lot of student records including things like transcripts. However, I don't look at every student's transcript ahead of time. I only look when a red flag comes up like a student says, "I've never had problems in a class like this before," or" This class is going to ruin my perfect GPA." Then, I LOOK. Otherwise, I really don't factor previous history in.
ReplyDeleteYour situation is more scary and serious, but I really don't believe we ought to be informed ahead of time what a student's criminal record is. The sex offender gave you a "tell" which you acted upon appropriately. But, unless he is making inappropriate comments or harassing the "minor" students in your class or presence, I'm not sure you need to do anything other than remain conscious and vigilant of his interactions and perhaps use it to make wiser decisions about student contact. Protect ALL your students from inappropriate and dangerous behavior by reporting it to the proper authorities, but it's wrong to think you can be their ultimate shield.
The fact that he is talking about his criminal history is actually better than if he were going stealth. That helps you be more aware and vigilant. But you can drive yourself to be paranoid and live in fear if you worry about every person with a criminal record that goes to college. We live amongst them all the time.
Now that you have this knowledge, you have to decide whether you will use it in decisions for the class. For example, I don't believe it would be inapprpriate if they have to do projects together or group work for you to choose or manipulate the choosing of the partners or groups to maximize safety and minimize abusive situations. You can't pretend that you don't know what you know nor could you in good conscience put certain vulnerable people at risk.
On the other hand, the nice-looking, quiet chick in the back could be a prostitite, serial killer and you'd never be the wiser if she doesn't say anything or give you reason to suspect. It's impossible to control every situation to protect everyone all the time. You can't, even if you knew everyone's background from the get go.
Just monitor for red flags and deal with the information as it becomes available.