NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The Newport News Education Association on Thursday night hosted a community conversation with Mayor Phillip Jones.
At least 80 people filled the Denbigh Community Center, reported News 3's Leondra Head.
It was a chance for people in the community to talk to the mayor and education leaders.
One resident spoke about the need for discipline in classrooms after the Jan. 6 shooting at Richneck Elementary School.
"When we allow kids to come in and dictate the pace, it drives away our teachers who want to do this job. And you also drive away the kids that want to learn. We are letting those that don’t care dictate the pace," one resident said in the town hall.
The resident says he would like to see change.
"I would like to see something addressed when it comes to a culture of discipline in our schools," he said. "My sister was a Newport News public teacher for 10 years. She recently left and went to Yorktown. Her first few days she described as being on cloud nine. Kids that cursed were sent to detention. Whereas kids that cussed at her at Newport news was a common occurrence."
A Christopher Newport University student who is studying to become a teacher said the Richneck shooting has her concerned.
"I want to keep doing this. I’ve changed my mind a hundred times since Richneck. Abigail Zwerner had several warnings to the administration about what happened. I never want to feel like my warnings as a future teacher are going to be ignored," the CNU student said.
Newport News Councilwoman Patricia Woodbury is a former educator who worked in Hampton and Newport News public schools. She says discipline needs to be addressed.
"You cannot ignore that there are problems in the schools with discipline that no one is addressing," Woodbury said.
Here are Woodbury's recommendations to school leaders:
"Everybody from the school board all the way down to every teacher and every principal ought to take a course in behavior management for the school system," he said. "That little boy is as much of a victim as anybody else because nobody gave him consequences for his behavior. In his earlier behaviors, he had been in trouble."
Mayor Jones paid close attention to the concerns and so did the school board members in attendance.
Newport News Public Schools has a program called positive behavioral interventions and supports in 20 public schools.
It helps teachers and administrators implement new techniques that reduce disruptive student behavior.
