students under his wing, work with them, and make them aware of what
is needed for success in the real world. Other such students are referred
to their guidance counselors who can often arrange for outside programs
funded by the state, local, or federal government. Some “incorrigibles”
are able to turn it around and graduate.
Some never do. In New York City, they join the roving group of stu-
dents who are moved from one school to another every semester or so.
The theory is that a change of venue may solve the problem. Most school
systems with multiple schools try this strategy; smaller systems try chang-
ing classes and teachers. On rare occasions, this works. But, most wind
up being moved to still another school or another teacher at the end of the
next semester or year. Many such students drop out.
Over 90 percent of a school’s security staff’s time is spent dealing with
2 percent of the school population. This is the cause of Dean’s Syndrome.
After spending most of your time with the incorrigibles, you can forget
that the other 98 percent are good if sometimes mischievous children.
When the security staff conducts a complete school sweep, they pick up
the problems, but there will always be a few others caught in the net: a
student who forgot to ask for the pass before leaving the room, the student
who was talking with a teacher after the bell and was now heading to class
late, the student returning from the health office where she was recovering
from an asthma attack.
Sometimes, the deans forget that each child is an individual and treat
all students alike, those with a history of issues and those who have never
before even seen the dean’s office. As a result, upset parents contact the
school leader to ask why they are being called to the school when their
children are never in trouble.
As previously described, the school leader will promise to investigate.
He will speak with the child and check the child’s records, her attendance,
her grades, and the dean’s file. In many such cases, he will find that parent
is right. The child happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time
and the parent doesn’t really need to come to the school. He will speak
with such children and remind them that they should always have a hall
pass while classes are in session.
The school leader will call the parents back and assure them that he has
resolved the matter. He will also be honest: The dean’s job is to make sure
that the few bad students do not prey on the many good students, such as
Don’t Exacerbate; Defuse 21