ST. PAUL, Minn. – Administrators and teachers at St. Paul Public Schools have their own ideas about what to do regarding the lack of student discipline, which has led to an alarming spike in violence and unruly behavior, and culminated in the assault of two teachers in the last week.

The teachers union wants the district to provide millions of dollars for teacher/parent committees in each building, to spend as they wish on potential remedies to the problem.

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Administrators want an overall district committee that will not have to spend millions of dollars.

Only one source, Joe Soucheray, a columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, seems to have his finger on what a lot of people are thinking – that the lax disciplinary policies in the district, particularly toward black students, is the result of the district’s consulting relationship with the Pacific Educational Group (PEG).

PEG, a radial California non-profit, believes American schools are plagued with “white privilege” and black students should be compensated with free passes for bad behavior.

“The St. Paul Public Schools are adhering to some ridiculous nonsense that have St. Paul taxpayers on the hook for millions of dollars paid to a consultant, The Pacific Educational Group,” Soucheray wrote.

“In a nutshell, it is a policy that attempts to convince school administrators to be, well, extra lenient on disruptive students on the grounds that the students are themselves the victims of some sort of systemic deprivation. Often, disruptive kids are simply hauled off to the gym and allowed to play basketball until they cool off.”

Earlier this week the St. Paul Federation of Teachers, which is currently negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement with the district, reacted with anger following the serious assault of a teacher last Friday. Union officials accused the administration of dragging its feet on student discipline and suggested there could be a strike.

Meanwhile, Superintendent Valeria Silva told the media that she was “surprised” by the union threat, despite the fact that, in a survey taken last year, “St. Paul teachers rated school climate and safety their No. 1 concern,” according to TwinCities.com.

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“The union has asked for a dedicated staff member and $100,000 for each campus’ ‘school climate improvement team’ to implement whatever restorative practices they see fit,” the news story said.

“Silva said that plan would cost $11 million. She said she would rather set up a committee of teachers and administrators to come up with solutions for the entire district.”

Incredibly, both sides seem to agree “that the district’s schools must implement more restorative practices, which seek to get at the root of students’ behavior problems.

“It’s a move away from harsh punishments such as suspensions and expulsions, although both sides agree there’s a place for that, too, ” the news story said.

Do they really? Many observers have noted that the rate of student violence has gone through the roof since suspensions have been dramatically reduced, reportedly based on advice from the Pacific Educational Group.

As TwinCities.com points out, “Policies spearheaded by Superintendent Valeria Silva have reduced the number of suspensions in the district since her tenure began.”

“We must make sure we’re not coming down too hard on kids for the wrong reasons,” St. Paul school board member John Brodrick was quoted as saying in 2013.

Meanwhile the madness continues.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi told the media that there has been a 50 percent spike in student attacks on teachers in the last year, with about half of the increase coming in the St. Paul district, TwinCities.org reported.

The incident last Friday resulted in the hospitalization of a Central High School science teacher who tried to intervene in a lunchroom fight between two students.

As one Soucheray described it in his column, “Police say a 16-year-old student at St. Paul Central High School slammed a science teacher against a wall in the lunchroom. The teacher’s face was injured and his glasses were broken.

“That wasn’t enough. Prosecutors said the kid, Fon’Tae Shamar O’Bannon, then lifted the teacher off the ground in a stranglehold, slammed him into a table, a chair and finally the floor. The teacher passed out.

“Meanwhile, police said, the teen’s 15-year-old brother yelled profanities and punched an assistant principal who was trying to intervene.”

Now St. Paul police are saying another student, a 13-year-old, assaulted a teacher Wednesday at Journeys Secondary School, according to TwinCities.com.

In his column, Soucheray wrote that he tried to find out if the brothers allegedly involved in last week’s assault had any prior history of violence, but was stonewalled by school officials.

“Maybe the two brothers at Central were first-time offenders,” he wrote. “But I bet not. And maybe (Central High School Principal) Mary Mackbee, who runs a generally tight ship, is handcuffed by the policy that comes down from the almighty DISTRICT.

“For all we know, they are back in school or will be soon, and how will that help them develop character and a sense of responsibility?”