It’s been said for years that the presence of both parents in the home, particularly a positive male role model, can be the difference between a child growing up to make something of themselves and not reaching their full potential.
CBS News reported that 23 students at Southwood High School in Shreveport had been arrested in a matter of days for fighting in school.
That’s when the dads sprang into action.
A rotating group of 40 fathers have been taking turns showing up to the high school everyday to try and mitigate the fighting, while also being positive influences on the students — Lord knows public school indoctrinators can’t be relied on to do it anymore.
“We’re dads,” group founder Michael LaFitte told CBS News. “We decided the best people who can take care of our kids are who? Are us.”
This is not to say that there are absolutely no teachers that are capable of being positive influences on kids, but public schools seem to just let the cops deal with unruly situations than take any personal responsibility to steer them in the right direction.
The result of the dads showing up to the school every single day? There reportedly hasn’t been a single altercation since.
“I immediately felt a form of safety," one student told the outler. "We stopped fighting; people started going to class.”
And why is it that this has been working so far? These dads know that having a strong, male presence in a child’s life can be what they need to stay in line and become positive people themselves.
“Because not everybody has a father figure at home – or a male, period, in their life,” one of the dads said. “So just to be here makes a big difference.”
Good on these dads for taking the initiative to do what the school apparently couldn’t — protect students.
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