State: We invite your feedback

We invite your feedback on our special report Ninth or Never. As a student, could you identify with Ronnie, Marquetta, Alex or John? If you are a parent, teacher or school administrator, what were your impressions?

We ask that your comments relate to today's report and adhere to our guidelines. Story comments are reviewed by an editor before publication. We don't edit posts, but we do reserve the right to delete comments that violate our guidelines.

Comments on this article

by Lisa	05/03/07 10:49 AM
I read this because I have a ninth grader who is struggling - but I am there for him 200%. It all starts at home. I raised 3 boys on my own, working 3 jobs at times, 2 are in college. These parents are deplorable. Nothing but quitters.

by Katie	04/13/07 02:02 PM
John has a lot of problems and now the babies out he needs to be more like a father then a jerk... I know john and i was one of his best friends and he needs a realtiy check...

by Jennifer	04/03/07 06:15 PM
When will an article like this be published with high school teachers as the focus?

by Matt	01/23/07 12:46 PM
This was a good story because it was real and people can relate to it. I learned that I need to stay in school and pass the ninth grade!!

by The Mom	01/17/07 12:55 PM
I have read the article, the comments, the editorials and perspectives on this piece. I am both fascinated and shocked, that NO ONE has picked up on the actual fault of the matter. OUR SOCIETY, OUR COMMUNITY, US! We need to take/show responsibility

by dsg	01/08/07 09:22 PM
Jiande Idea Chemical Co., Ltd. Guided by domestic and oversea pharmaceutical market demands, the company focused on the developmentand sale of pharmaceutical intermediates and pharmaceutical raw materials-APIs..e.g Zoledronic Acid,Pamidronate Disodiu

by MARIE	01/05/07 11:25 AM
YOU REALLY DOBNT KNOW THAT KID JOHN DAVID, THE WAY 28TH STREET DOES

by Dawn	12/23/06 12:11 PM
Very well informed piece. I went to Northeast and want my children to go there one day, but after reading this, private high school sounds like the route to go.

by A.J.	12/23/06 10:24 AM
This was very well written. Thank you for helping to explain to the public what I see every day as a teacher. I want everyone I know to read this so they can get a small glimpse of the struggles I face each day. Thanks.

by student at NEHI	12/22/06 02:10 PM
Northeast isn't the only school with problems,many other schools that go through the same thing.I go to NEHI & since freshman year I've had a 4.0 gpa. It isn't the teachers job to raise the students because parents chose not to be in their kids life.

by Joann	12/20/06 10:07 AM
I teach ninth grade algebra and it seems the whole area is experiencing discipline problems with this group of kids. Your article has given great insight into why some of these problems are occurring. It is shameful the way parents treat their kids.

by Sherry	12/19/06 07:11 PM
It's50% nurture/50% nature, and if the nurture (parenting) fails, then the kid has about a 50% chance of failing too. Public schools mirror society. As a dedicated teacher, I have been able to catch a few falling students, and I keep trying...

by class	12/18/06 01:23 PM
I have to disagree that ninth grade is that bad; the whole of high school is a challenge for students. I do believe the parents are at fault for their childrens failure, however, children play a big role in their own lives.

by Sharon	12/17/06 08:18 PM
I found this special feature shocking and informational! I have encourage everyone to read it! Furthermore, I am including this as a "Must read" in my literacy newsletter! Great job! (Teacher for 33 years in Pinellas Co)

by Will	12/16/06 10:01 AM
It's a pity - I teach 9th grade in S. St Pete. We spend time dealing with discipline because we have to. Try teaching with the misbehaviors described here. It's no surprise that those who can afford it are abandoning public schools.

by tim	12/15/06 11:44 PM
Im so glad john had the church it would be scary to see what he would end up like without the church thats always been there for him. and thank god for the grandma and john if you read this you can do it!

by SadKids	12/14/06 01:31 PM
Two words - Parental Licensing. It's tragic that kids have to grow up without parents who care about them. And the kids in the story who are now HAVING kids? Where will they be in 14 years? Excellent story, but extremely sad and troubling.

by Bill	12/14/06 10:05 AM
Research that examined the lifestyle and learning habits of successful Asian children in American schools showed that it is a family endeavor. Fathers, Mothers, Grandparents, brothers, sisters, all sat together at the kitchen table to study.

by Another Proud NEHI Parent	12/14/06 09:38 AM
NE Parent, Relying on your child�019s friend seems to say that you don�019t attend these events either. When was the last PTSA meeting you attended? These situations occur at EVERY high school. NEHI can only do so much, the rest is up to the parents!!

by proud NEHS parent	12/13/06 09:12 PM
To Northeast parent...good luck if you think any other Highschool will be differnt.Take a REALITY check! Only Osceola Fundamental will be different and you have a 0 % chance of getting in there.We turned it DOWN in favor of NE..and WE ARE GLAD!

by Donna	12/13/06 08:07 AM
Most of the school struggles are the outcome of parental failure. No fathers,low levels of education, addictions - these are the models! And now a new generation (John and Mandie's baby) will likely continue the cycle. Everyone deserves better.

by Gypsygrrl	12/13/06 01:01 AM
Recently moved to Tennessee and the difference in public schools is like night and day. Florida teachers are underpaid and underappreciated and this series shows just how much. Excellent read, riveting...and convinces me I made the right decision!

by Northeast Parent	12/12/06 05:09 PM
When's the last time you saw the Northeast principal at a chorus concert, an art show, a band concert, or a play? According to my child's friends, the answer is rarely if ever. I have some advice.... get involved in the lives of all the kids.

by Northeast Parent	12/12/06 05:01 PM
If children feel a school is like a prison, they are going to start acting like inmates. My child will be leaving Northeast after this year. This school spends all its time and energy dealing with rules and rule breakers. What a shame.

by Dave	12/12/06 04:09 PM
Hey NEHI c/o 99 - you are an alumna, not an alumni.

by Helen	12/12/06 02:39 PM
As an alumni of Northeast ('99), I can fully relate to nearly every aspect of this beautifully written article. Clearly the school as well as judicial systems are in need of serious reformations. Schools such as Oak Park are a great start.

by Chris	12/12/06 10:38 AM
I feel sorry for the three kids who don't have a positive adult influence in their lives. Despite the fact that Alex's mother seems to be smothering her, it goes to show if you have that support, you can do anything.

by rch	12/12/06 09:32 AM
I called my mom last night and thanked her for sending me to private school. I may have despised the overbearing arrogance of many students and teachers alike, but there I was well-educated and didn't have to deal with these atrocities.

by Jude	12/12/06 08:07 AM
And people become teachers why? Sadly, those teachers who work so hard to help are the problem. If people refused to do these jobs, refused to put up with the bureaucratic indifference, and refused to work in oversized schools, change would happen.

by Sandy	12/12/06 07:50 AM
This was a well-done, but extremely sad story. And people wonder why we put our child into a private, Christian school.

by Vickie	12/12/06 06:37 AM
Where are the police and social workers to bust/help these drug taking,pot smoking,cigarette puffing,beer drinking underage minors? Their parents should be UNDER the jail for child abuse.I am terrified for the toddler in this story.She is in danger!!

by teacher	12/11/06 11:08 PM
Its sad that the many success stories of Northeast have not been told, it is my understanding that the lone student who is successful was going to be cut out of the story. Great things are happening at Northeast and other schools in Pinellas!

by RM	12/11/06 10:51 PM
Certainly not glorified. Three of those kids & their families should be ashamed. At least Alex has a chance of success thanks to her talent & a loving, if overbearing Mother. As a parent I am ashamed of the other three kids mothers. Education is all!

by George	12/11/06 09:08 PM
Thank heavens for parents like Alex's mother who cares enough to always be there for her daughter. Even though Alex may not appreciate it now, she certainly has benefitted from it and will definitely appreciate her mother when she is older.

by Anne	12/11/06 08:46 PM
All of the comments seem to be about the lack of parenting of the students. One student has a wonderful parent and that is one reason she is successful where the others have failed. She got less attention than the others and deserves a lot more.

Ninth or never

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