Compton

This is an interesting and promising development. Instead of criminalizing students from rough parts of town (usually from less privileged races and classes), how about we acknowledge and accommodate their trauma and therefore give them a real chance to learn?

If we can keep the pathologizing and ableism down to a dull roar, that is.

“They argue that attaching the stigma of disability to kids because they come from poor, high crime neighborhoods would be devastating. “

Ok, people.  This “stigma of disability” line is a load of tripe. These kids are already actively being disabled.  Calling attention to this fact, acknowledging it for what it is, reminding people of and enforcing social responsibility is hardly going to be “devastating” to the students.  

These students are already being raped, shot, brutalized, starved, and left homeless- plus then they are activley penalized and even thrown out of school when their PTSD interferes with class.  

Let me reiterate:  1.  Adults responsible for these students know what is happening and neither attempt to help with the root trouble nor with the results:

“throughout his school career, Compton school district teachers and administrators knew of the issues that caused him to act out and do poorly in school, but offered no help, even last year when he was homeless. He lived openly on the roof of the [school] cafeteria”

And 2.  They actively penalize students known to be traumatized with suspension and expulsion, thereby denying the students even an education-  *even though* the students’ maladaptive behavior is caused by PTSD itself:

“acording to scientists, is that the brains of traumatized children are essentially re-wired so that the smallest upset can cause them to lash out in anger in a fight or flight state or to withdraw, removing themselves psychologically from a situation.”

but naming the (secondary) trouble as “disability” would be devastating?

I hope that having to acknowledge and address the secondary trouble might eventually erode the denial of social responsibility for the root causes of the trauma itself.  You know, some day.