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Gibbs gets a new start

As the second semester begins at Gibbs High School, hopes are high that 2007 will bring better days for the historic campus. Recent articles in the St. Petersburg Times have recounted how Gibbs, the fifth-largest and most expensive high school in Pinellas County, has been roiled by problems that have no place in the public school environment.

The problems, including rampant vandalism, tardiness, serious levels of student insubordination and threatening behavior, were brought to light shortly before Christmas after a group of teachers sent an unsigned letter to superintendent Clayton Wilcox, stating they were frustrated and fearful.

To his credit, Wilcox, along with first-year principal Antelia Campbell, responded immediately and with vision. The two met with other officials during the winter break and established new get-tough policies that should help make Gibbs a more conducive environment for learning.

Beginning Monday, Campbell introduced a new disciplinary approach that includes more adults in hallways and courtyards; a tougher way to deal with tardiness; stricter enforcement of current rules on profanity, dress and personal electronics; and work details or suspensions for vandalism.

In addition to these measures, Wilcox and Campbell have taken the most important step of all: removing chronically disruptive students from the campus. These students will be sent to special programs where they can learn "life skills." Disruptive students, a small number by most reports, should not be permitted to undermine the education of hundreds of others who take school seriously.

The key now is for officials to follow through with the new effort and transform Gibbs into a place where concerned parents will still want to send their children, where effective teachers and administrators will still want to work. The new Gibbs campus is a huge investment for the taxpayers of Pinellas County, and students and teachers at the historically significant school deserve nothing less than an engaging, safe learning environment.

[Last modified January 11, 2007, 23:20:23]