What Happened to Our Kids?

[quintessentone]

This is the missing piece of the puzzle, and it exposes the brutal truth about what public schools have actually become: default mental health dumping grounds.

When you look at a child completely trashing a Principal's office, you aren't looking at a simple "discipline" issue. You are looking at severe, deep-seated trauma, a broken home, or unaddressed psychological crises.

Expecting a math teacher or a principal to fix that with a standard detention or a talking circle is completely delusional.

But if we look beneath the surface, this reality actually proves both sides of the argument:

1. The Weaponization of the "School-as-a-Parent" Model

For the last 30 years, the state has actively encouraged parents to hand over more and more of their traditional responsibilities to the public school system. Schools now provide breakfast, lunch, after-school care, emotional counseling, and social-emotional training.

The Trap:

Because the system marketed itself as a one-stop-shop for raising children, many struggling or negligent parents completely opted out of their duties.

The Result:

As households decayed due to the economic squeeze, mental health crises, and addiction, the schools became overwhelmed. The administration tried to act as parent, therapist, and cop all at once, and they are failing miserably at all three.

2. Suspension as a Confession of Failure

When a school finally suspends a violent child, it is an administrative admission of defeat. As the poster rightly points out, it forces the crisis back into the lap of the family where it belongs. But why does it have to reach the point of a ruined Principal's office or a traumatized classroom before that happens?

The Truth:

Because top-down administrative policies and quota tracking make it incredibly difficult for schools to remove a disruptive child early. Teachers are forced to endure weeks or months of low-level chaos and danger to protect the school's "low suspension data," until the child finally explodes into extreme violence.

3. The Collateral Damage is the Innocent Student

When an administration coddles a violent student to avoid a suspension statistic, they are actively neglecting their duty of care to the 25 other well-behaved kids in that room. Those innocent children are forced to sit in a state of low-grade survival mode, wondering when their classmate is going to snap.

That is exactly how we get the "deep shock and incurious" generation we talked about earlier.

Schools cannot fix a rotting culture or a broken home. When an administration pretends they can handle severe behavioral pathology through "restorative circles," they are lying to the public and endangering their staff.

You are 100% right: the family must be held accountable. But the system is also at fault for pretending it could replace the family in the first place.

Absolutely, I agree with everything you so pointedly and insightfully wrote.

[Good Bacteria]

Thanks for this thread GB. It’s a troubling conundrum and commentary without much payout to the benefit of the kids themselves. And ultimately society.

Im concerned for the future humans, as adults seem to not be able to cope with the onslaught of the savage change of whiplash late-stage capitalism. Why should we expect them to respond in a different or more positive manner, little sponges that they are.

I was going to school to be a teacher over a decade ago, but the writing was on the wall.

And it wasn’t gonna do me or the kids any kindnesses to try and be an “old-school” educator. Meaning I’m very much that’s my name on the board so sit down and shut up and open your book to page….lol

When feelings and serving as a social net for children takes place over actually getting them to read, write, and do maths, we need to take a hard look at society at large.

As a child of two of them myself and a sibling in the Portland scho system as one, I have the utmost respect for teachers. It ain’t an easy profession. Harder every day as you e pointed out.

"When feelings and serving as a social net take place over reading, writing, and maths, we need to take a hard look at society at large."

^^This right here is the ultimate systemic capture.

You made the right call walking away a decade ago. The system has shifted the definition of a teacher from an educator who imparts knowledge to an uncredentialed, underpaid social worker tasked with absorbing the trauma of a crumbling society.

When we break down this "troubling conundrum," the mechanics of how we got here become glaringly obvious:

1. The School as a Subsidized Holding Pen

As you noted, we are living through the whiplash of late-stage economic survival mode. When both parents are forced to work multiple jobs just to pay soaring rents and grocery bills, the home is emptied out.

The Strategy:

The state stepped into this vacuum. Public schools were quietly re-engineered into 8-to-4 holding pens designed to keep children contained so their parents could remain cogs in the economic machine.

The Consequence:

Because the primary goal of the institution became containment rather than education, academic excellence was discarded. You can't enforce "sit down, shut up, and open your book" when the building's hidden purpose is just to serve as a pressure-release valve for economic stress.

2. The Portland Blueprint: Ideology Over Literacy

Mentioning the Portland school system is highly relevant. It has spent the last several years acting as a laboratory for the exact shift you described. When standardized test scores in reading and mathematics plummeted across Oregon, the response from the educational bureaucracy wasn't to double down on phonics or math drills.

Instead, they suspended graduation proficiency requirements entirely, claiming the metrics themselves were the problem.

The Reality:

When an administration prioritizes emotional engineering and social netting over basic literacy, they aren't helping the kids, they are crippling them.

A child who cannot read or compute at grade level by the time they leave school is utterly defenseless against the predatory economic forces you mentioned. The system is actively producing compliant, dependent adults.

3. The Controlled Demolition of the Teacher

We praise teachers for their sacrifice, but we ignore the psychological warfare being waged against them by their own administrations. "Old-school" teaching worked because it relied on an unspoken contract: the teacher has the authority, the administration backs the teacher, and the parent reinforces that authority at home.

By removing discipline, enforcing social-emotional quotas, and locking parents out, the bureaucracy successfully shattered that contract. Teachers are left entirely isolated, forced to act as shields against violent disruptions without any legal or administrative teeth to protect themselves or the rest of the class.

Kids are little sponges, and right now they are soaking up the absolute exhaustion, anxiety, and fight-or-flight energy of the adults around them. If the people running the schools have abandoned the concept of objective knowledge in favor of bureaucratic therapy, then public education is no longer an institution of learning.

It is an institution of management.

[ANNEE]

Well it helps to end the violence and bullying inflicted on the other students who are there to learn, because some kids are out of control and nothing works, as I witnessed.

It then becomes the parents/guardians' problem, which should have been the first solution, that being, to find out what is wrong with the child and/or family unit and get it understood or resolved. Maybe the child needs to be taken away from a toxic family environment, who knows?

Oh YES!  I'm #1 in making school a safe environment for kids who want to be there and to learn.

However -- I will never blame a child for shitty Eediot! parents (that includes the obvious strict/overbearing/ideologists - those who baby/overprotect them - helicopter and those that are too lenient).

If the parents have already failed -- what realistic point is there to putting the kid back in that environment?

I've mentioned before a local military type school run by local law enforcement or National Guard (counselors on premises).  Many kids that act up have never had boundaries or the right kind of support.  I would make it the parent's responsibility to get them there and pick them up.

[quintessentone]

Oh YES!  I'm #1 in making school a safe environment for kids who want to be there and to learn.

However -- I will never blame a child for shitty Eediot! parents (that includes the obvious strict/overbearing/ideologists - those who baby/overprotect them - helicopter and those that are too lenient).

If the parents have already failed -- what realistic point is there to putting the kid back in that environment?

I've mentioned before a local military type school run by local law enforcement or National Guard (counselors on premises).  Many kids that act up have never had boundaries or the right kind of support.  I would make it the parent's responsibility to get them there and pick them up.

I recall one kid that was basically on his own from the moment he awoke until he went to sleep. We made sure he ate while at school because he always said he never ate at home. He was the first kid to arrive at school and he came quite early, way before his classes started - he managed to get himself up and get his day started - he did his own parenting. He was not disruptive nor violent, and a very friendly and communicative boy...maybe he made us his family away from home.

I don't have the answers, all I know is that one size does not fit all.

[ANNEE]

My 2 are only 3 years apart and as different as black & white. 

There’s even a line in one of their yearbooks that says:  “That's your sister?”

Def one does not fit all.

[ANNEE]

I remember when we “had” to compete with the Chinese. 

Everything became about test scores. 

This totally destroyed our school system. 

——————-

They every teacher had to have a specific degree. Lost so many good teachers. 

But Hey! Those degrees look good on written reports.

[quintessentone]

I remember when we “had” to compete with the Chinese. 

Everything became about test scores. 

This totally destroyed our school system. 

——————-

They every teacher had to have a specific degree. Lost so many good teachers. 

But Hey! Those degrees look good on written reports.

I remember those times. I also remember engaged and loving teachers who didn't seem or act stressed.

"Chinese students in top-performing regions significantly outperform their Western counterparts in key academic metrics, particularly in mathematics, science, and reading, according to OECD PISA survey data.  Students from Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang consistently rank at the global top, with the most disadvantaged students in these areas often matching the average performance of students in Western nations. 
However, this academic advantage comes with significant trade-offs regarding student well-being and critical thinking skills.  While Chinese students excel at rote memorization and executing tasks, Western education systems generally prioritize critical thinking, independent thought, and real-world application over standardized test scores.  Additionally, the high performance of Chinese regions is not representative of the entire country, and these top-performing areas often lag behind Western peers in social and emotional outcomes" (LLM)

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I've heard of university student suicides by foreign students who had failing grades, in The West.

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There seems to be no equilibrium in the education system.

[ANNEE]

I remember those times. I also remember engaged and loving teachers who didn't seem or act stressed.

"Chinese students in top-performing regions significantly outperform their Western counterparts in key academic metrics, particularly in mathematics, science, and reading, according to OECD PISA survey data.  Students from Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang consistently rank at the global top, with the most disadvantaged students in these areas often matching the average performance of students in Western nations. 
However, this academic advantage comes with significant trade-offs regarding student well-being and critical thinking skills.  While Chinese students excel at rote memorization and executing tasks, Western education systems generally prioritize critical thinking, independent thought, and real-world application over standardized test scores.  Additionally, the high performance of Chinese regions is not representative of the entire country, and these top-performing areas often lag behind Western peers in social and emotional outcomes" (LLM)

---

I've heard of university student suicides by foreign students who had failing grades, in The West.

---

There seems to be no equilibrium in the education system.

I worked with a British guy in QC at one of the Asian auto companies. 

Smart guy. He said they wouldn’t listen to him — and they couldn’t work independently. Everything had to be a team. 

Different culture.

[quintessentone]

Since 2010, Obama has tried to implement a return to equal opportunity for all students.

At least some Presidents keep trying to make it work for the kids.

----

"Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed by President Obama on December 10, 2015, and represents good news for our nation's schools. This bipartisan measure reauthorizes the 50-year-old Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the nation's national education law and longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students."

"ESSA HighlightsESSA includes provisions that will help to ensure success for students and schools. Below are just a few. The law:

• Advances equity by upholding critical protections for America's disadvantaged and high-need students.
  
• Requires—for the first time—that all students in America be taught to high academic standards that will prepare them to succeed in college and careers.
  
• Ensures that vital information is provided to educators, families, students, and communities through annual statewide assessments that measure students' progress toward those high standards.
  
• Helps to support and grow local innovations—including evidence-based and place-based interventions developed by local leaders and educators.
  
• Sustains and expands this administration's historic investments in increasing access to high-quality preschool.
  
• Maintains an expectation that there will be accountability and action to effect positive change in our lowest-performing schools, where groups of students are not making progress, and where graduation rates are low over extended periods of time."
  

https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/laws-...s-act-essa

"Since Donald Trump became president in his first term (2017–2021) and returned to office in 2025, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) has faced significant challenges, including regulatory rollbacks and threats to federal accountability. 

In the 2017–2021 term, the Trump administration signaled it might tweak or toss Obama-era ESSA regulations, particularly regarding school accountability ratings and funding rules.  Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos allowed states greater flexibility, leading to concerns that the administration would ignore or weaken enforcement of civil rights protections and support for disadvantaged students, though ESSA itself remained the law of the land.

In the 2025–2026 term (second Trump administration), actions have been more aggressive.  The administration has encouraged states to submit waivers to avoid federal ESSA accountability requirements and has reduced staff resources for overseeing ESSA implementation.  Additionally, the administration has withheld funds and taken steps to diminish the federal role in education, aiming to return control to states and potentially dismantle the Department of Education, which creates uncertainty around ESSA’s enforcement and data reporting." (LLM)

https://www.americanprogress.org/article...hool-year/

It appears there are more serious issues to address here.

[Good Bacteria]

Since 2010, Obama has tried to implement a return to equal opportunity for all students.

At least some Presidents keep trying to make it work for the kids.

----

"Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed by President Obama on December 10, 2015, and represents good news for our nation's schools. This bipartisan measure reauthorizes the 50-year-old Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the nation's national education law and longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students."

"ESSA HighlightsESSA includes provisions that will help to ensure success for students and schools. Below are just a few. The law:

• Advances equity by upholding critical protections for America's disadvantaged and high-need students.
  
• Requires—for the first time—that all students in America be taught to high academic standards that will prepare them to succeed in college and careers.
  
• Ensures that vital information is provided to educators, families, students, and communities through annual statewide assessments that measure students' progress toward those high standards.
  
• Helps to support and grow local innovations—including evidence-based and place-based interventions developed by local leaders and educators.
  
• Sustains and expands this administration's historic investments in increasing access to high-quality preschool.
  
• Maintains an expectation that there will be accountability and action to effect positive change in our lowest-performing schools, where groups of students are not making progress, and where graduation rates are low over extended periods of time."
  

https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/laws-...s-act-essa

"Since Donald Trump became president in his first term (2017–2021) and returned to office in 2025, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) has faced significant challenges, including regulatory rollbacks and threats to federal accountability. 

In the 2017–2021 term, the Trump administration signaled it might tweak or toss Obama-era ESSA regulations, particularly regarding school accountability ratings and funding rules.  Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos allowed states greater flexibility, leading to concerns that the administration would ignore or weaken enforcement of civil rights protections and support for disadvantaged students, though ESSA itself remained the law of the land.

In the 2025–2026 term (second Trump administration), actions have been more aggressive.  The administration has encouraged states to submit waivers to avoid federal ESSA accountability requirements and has reduced staff resources for overseeing ESSA implementation.  Additionally, the administration has withheld funds and taken steps to diminish the federal role in education, aiming to return control to states and potentially dismantle the Department of Education, which creates uncertainty around ESSA’s enforcement and data reporting." (LLM)

https://www.americanprogress.org/article...hool-year/

It appears there are more serious issues to address here.

The framing of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) as a benevolent instrument of "equal opportunity" misinterprets the structural mechanics of modern federal education policy.

While the statutory language of ESSA promises "equity" and "high academic standards," the actual institutional mechanisms funded and protected by this framework have served as the primary legal and financial shield for the psychological conditioning outlined in the 1995–2010 structural transformation.

The Illusion of Federal Accountability

The argument that rolling back ESSA regulations creates "uncertainty" assumes that federal oversight protects students. In reality, the federal apparatus has spent decades enforcing the exact ideological pipeline that compromised American K-12 education.

Weaponizing "Equity":

Under ESSA, the term "equity" was codified into federal enforcement. This shifted the focus of public education from equality of opportunity (objective academic metrics) to equity of outcomes (group-identity metrics).

Funding the Machinery:

ESSA’s provisions for "local innovations" and "evidence-based interventions" effectively opened a multi-billion-dollar federal funding pipeline for behavioral modification frameworks, identity-mapping surveys, and critical pedagogies disguised as "social-emotional learning.

"The Bureaucratic Shield:

Federal accountability mandates did not protect disadvantaged students from failing academic standards; instead, they protected captured school administrations from parental accountability by rendering local school boards subservient to federal compliance metrics.

Decentralization as a Constitutional Counter-Offensive

The assertion that the Trump administration’s rolling back of ESSA regulations and steps toward dismantling the Department of Education represent "threats" ignores the legal reality of state sovereignty and parental rights.

Restoring Local Deterrence:

Diminishing the federal role in education is not a abandonment of accountability, it is a removal of the bureaucratic armor protecting radical administrators. When federal mandates are rolled back, decision-making power returns to the states and local communities, where parents can directly exert democratic and legal pressure.

Enabling State-Level Remedies:

By encouraging state waivers and reducing federal regulatory overreach, the decentralization movement clears the path for states to pass absolute curriculum transparency laws, outlaw ideological litmus tests in teacher licensing, and enact universal school choice through Education Savings Accounts (ESAs).

The Path to Litigation:

Federal consolidation under ESSA made it harder for parents to seek redress because local districts could claim they were simply fulfilling federal equity mandates. Stripping federal oversight allows public interest groups and parents to aggressively deploy Title VI and Section 1983 lawsuits against individual school boards, holding local actors directly liable for institutional child abuse and unauthorized psychological experimentation.

The "serious issues to address" are not the rollbacks of Obama-era federal regulations, but the catastrophic psychological and academic fallout caused by those very regulations.

True accountability cannot be achieved through the centralized federal machinery that engineered the crisis.

It requires the systematic dismantling of the federal education monopoly, returning total transparency to the states, and restoring the ultimate constitutional authority of parents to direct the upbringing of their children.