to be walking the halls of any type of school. I lived through the "hellacious" period of school riots in the late 60's and early 70's and we didn't have cops in the halls, even then. Bad teachers, yes. But no cops. School was a time for learning, and for some that meant learning where the boundaries were. Parents were called when the boundaries got pushed too far. Parents took care of the kids who pushed them. What happened that parents gave up that responsibility to cops? Were they informed or was it just taken for granted? I ask, because even my daughter didn't have cops... or school "resource" officers" in her schools that I knew of, anyway. And I sure as heck didn't sign any paperwork giving away any responsibility for punishment or discipline.

It's just my opinion... and that's not worth a heck of a lot, I know... but my sister who's a teacher has a school resource officer and more than a handful of kids who push the boundaries for all they're worth. These kids have stolen equipment, done arson, battery, etc., in their former schools while being more than welcomed into their new parochial school and into her classroom now. Their behavior hasn't changed; only her style of teaching has had to change, and her new found desire for her retirement date. It seems like the more cops have entered the school, the worse the kids' behavior has become. But I (and my daughter) have been out of the school system for so many years, I admit I may be seeing this with a jaundiced eye. But does anyone else see all these extraordinary measures having an inverse effect?