Discipline

A cabal of corrupt corrections officers and members of the Black Guerrilla Family gang enjoyed nearly free rein inside the Baltimore City Detention Center, federal authorities allege, smuggling drugs and cellphones into the jail and having sexual relationships that left four guards pregnant. An indictment unsealed Tuesday names 25 people - including 13 women working as corrections officers - who face racketeering and drug charges. Twenty of the accused also face money-laundering charges.

There were giants in those days. And some of them were only five feet tall. With her wide serge sleeves rolled brazenly beyond her elbows and a shiny baton in each hand, she stood at the edge of the St. Bernardine's School stage in West Baltimore in the spring of 1950, and - indifferent to our rehearsal fatigue - narrowed her eyes under the starched white headband and challenged us for the umpteenth time: "Again!" Once more we twirled our batons in sync three times, then threw them in the air and … up, up … down, down … thump, thump, thump, thump.

Throughout Super Bowl week, players have been asked to comment on the NFL's disciplinary system and the attempt by the commissioner's office to reduce the violent hits that most often lead to injuries. Most of them have been critical of the league's inability to separate intentional flagrant hits and those that happen inadvertently ... or even because of the actions of the offensive player. “This is something we have seen, an escalation in the discipline, because we are trying to take these techniques out of the game," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said at a news conference Friday night.

Amid the unfolding jail scandal in Baltimore right now, there are two things relevant to the gay community that I want to bring up. I'm not sure if there are any connections between the two, or if one affects the other. But viewed together, they do present some interesting questions. First: Non-heterosexual inmates in jails and prisons across the country reported a far greater degree of sexual victimization in the last two years than their straight counterparts, according to a study released by the U.S. Department of Justice last week.

Will kids learn and behave better if they're wearing neatly pressed slacks and a cardigan instead of baggy jeans and a t-shirt with some crude slogan? Five Anne Arundel County elementaries that want to experiment with school uniforms think it's a possibility worth exploring; so do we.The Anne Arundel Board of Education has nothing to lose by letting these schools try uniforms on a pilot basis. The program won't cost tax dollars, because parents would pay for the uniforms and a plan is being developed to assist those in financial need.

The county school board has voted to form a committee to study alternatives to suspension and expulsion of students.During yesterday's regular meeting, board members received a report on discipline in schools that showed that during the 1991-1992 academic year, 53,765 referrals were written on students for a range of offenses including fighting, insubordination, use of foul language, and truancy.More than 5,300 students also were suspended during the same period and 282 were expelled.

Anne Arundel County schools have not made sufficient progress in eliminating racial bias from its student disciplinary practices, according to a civil rights complaint filed by the NAACP. The complaint, filed with the civil rights office of the U.S. Department of Education on Friday, alleges that the numbers of African-American students referred for discipline and suspended have hardly changed since a similar complaint in 2004. That complaint led to an improvement plan agreed to in 2005 by the NAACP and the school system.

A recent article in The Sun by staff writer Lan Nguyen focused on the preponderance of school suspensions given to black students, particularly males. Nationally, black students were suspended in 1992 at three times the rate of white students. In Maryland, the gap was sometimes wider: In Howard and Harford counties, black students were suspended almost five times as often as non-blacks; in Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Carroll counties, blacks were punished at least twice as often.Educators have recognized a problem that needs to be addressed.

Why are African-American students being suspended more often than whites in Howard County elementary schools? School officials have been picking at that thorny question as they search for ways to curb this dilemma.The raw figures aren't immense: Only 46 out of about 19,000 elementary school students were suspended last year. But 52 percent were black, even though African-American children accounted for only 14 percent of the county's elementary school population.After two years of unsuccessful efforts -- during which the suspension rate for blacks in elementary schools actually increased -- administrators are turning their focus away from the children causing the problems and directing attention instead on how teachers may be provoking bad behavior.

With stiff competition for limited money in the education budget, from classroom supplies to new buildings, it might seem like a mistake for the Carroll County Board of Education to ask for funds to staff "timeout" discipline rooms in 10 schools.Suspend the troublemakers and let them and their parents deal with the consequences, rather than burdening the school budget, would be one hard-line response.That reasoning, however, misses the point that schools have always had to deal with problem pupils whose behavior does not justify the more drastic suspension-expulsion process.

Chris Davis' astonishing start to this season hasn't occurred by accident. Through 12 games, he's putting up numbers that are only fit for video games. But it's the result of the 27-year-old Orioles first baseman's realizing that he can truly get more with less. It's a result of countless discussions that Davis has had in the indoor batting cages with hitting coach Jim Presley, who told Davis to look at his 6-foot-3, 230-pound frame and realize he could hit homers without having to muscle a ball out. And it's the result of knowing he's going to be in the lineup every day - that's he's here in the big leagues to stay as a key piece of the Orioles and their success.

For an intense workout that requires strength, flexibility, technique and discipline, consider the Columbia Association's new mixed martial arts (MMA) classes. Classes in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai kickboxing began in February. Trainer Alvin Chan, who has a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is a former member of the World Kickboxing Association's U.S. Thai Boxing team, describes CA's foray into MMA as a “fun workout in a safe environment.” “It's the fastest growing sport in the world,” says Chan, a certified personal trainer who's worked for CA for 13 years and studied martial arts for 26 years.

Alex Anderson tried to slowly rotate her body into a warrior yoga pose, but her legs began to tremble, her arms started flailing and she landed with a splash in the pool at MAC Fitness in Harbor East. The 29-year-old has slid into the position easily many other times, but that was before she tried it on a paddle board floating on water. She was among a small group of women at MAC taking "paddlefusion," a new class at the athletic club that combines yoga and Pilates moves on a board similar to a surfboard.

Throughout Super Bowl week, players have been asked to comment on the NFL's disciplinary system and the attempt by the commissioner's office to reduce the violent hits that most often lead to injuries. Most of them have been critical of the league's inability to separate intentional flagrant hits and those that happen inadvertently ... or even because of the actions of the offensive player. “This is something we have seen, an escalation in the discipline, because we are trying to take these techniques out of the game," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said at a news conference Friday night.

Safety Ed Reed has been the Ravens' silent weapon during the postseason. He hasn't been involved in any big plays, but he hasn't given up any, either. One of the main reasons the Ravens have been successful against Peyton Manning and Tom Brady has been the discipline of Reed. He isn't cheating up any more. He isn't trying to jump routes. He is just playing back and teams are afraid to throw at him. Brady threw two passes Reed's way, and Manning wanted no part of Reed.

A Digital Harbor High School student is being disciplined and new safety checks have been implemented at the school after the student "threatened the safety and security" of the school community Monday, according to a letter sent home to parents Wednesday. The incident was "brought promptly under control" and no one was injured, but the student will face "disciplinary action" under the school system's code of conduct and under the law, Principal Brian K. Eyer wrote in the letter.

Even President Clinton concedes the massive deficit-restraint bill passed by the House last evening is a better piece of legislation than what he offered. It adds "some discipline," he says. It will "force us every year to make the budget cuts that we say we're making."Any celebrations, however, should be put on hold. While this appears to be the first serious attempt to make the president and Congress account for the kind of entitlement overspending that has helped quadruple the national debt in just over a decade, the proof will lie in how fiscal management plays out in the years ahead.

While many public school systems are gravitating toward the Web to reach audiences about programs, the Anne Arundel school system has turned to an older method to inform the public about its efforts to address purported educational disparities — prime-time television. The AACPS Educational Television channel is now airing two shows about the system's mediated agreement with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights (OCR) to address disparities for African-American students as well as eliminating the achievement gap. The agreement requires the school system to inform the public twice a year about its progress on academic achievement, safe school environments and community engagement.

Jimmy Smith's first start of 2012 did not end as well as he might have anticipated. Filling in for the injured Lardarius Webb (torn anterior cruciate ligament in left knee), Smith surrendered four catches on five attempts and 68 yards in the Ravens' 43-13 loss to the Houston Texans on Oct. 21, according to Pro Football Focus. Smith was especially confounded on a pair of double moves that wide receiver Kevin Walter ran at the second-year quarterback. The first attempt ended in an incompletion due to an overthrown ball by quarterback Matt Schaub.