Enough of that sex talk. A parent wrote a letter to the St. Pete Times.
School official's reaction upsets - St. Petersburg Times
"In print: Friday, October 17, 2008
Parents take beef with principal to the board Oct. 10
School official's reaction upsets
I was very intrigued by your story on Alafia Elementary School principal Ellyn Smith. Our family experienced similar issues with Mrs. Smith when our daughter attended Alafia two years ago.
We had an issue with a little boy speaking very inappropriately to our daughter. She was in third grade, and this little boy was telling her that she enjoyed doing very vulgar things with her mouth....."
According to the letter, when the parents finally moved up the chain of command to the Principal, this was the Principal's response:
She actually said, and I quote, "Mrs. Daniels, you cannot throw your morals around on everyone else."
The parent goes on to make the point about sexual harassment not being about morals.
Sounds like an interesting way to defend a behavior. Is this to say that throwing spitballs in class can be dealt with, but acts that challenge a moral tenet can't be addressed?
One must wonder what would happen to the little boy if he just told his teacher or the principal to "suck it".
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11 comments:
This is not an isolated incident. I have a friend whose daughter experienced an almost identical problem at Alafia, which was handled badly by the principal. However, many parents accept the principal's word as final, and do not escalate the matter up the chain of command.
When will the District put all these issues together and see the big picture. Alafia is crying for help...
Well written letters that are not acusatory but simply state the facts, the concern and the desired result have a lot of power.
Not e-mails. Not phone calls. Not verbal conversations.
Well written letters that are cc'd at least to your own file.
One more thing - If you write a letter, be prepared to have it read back to you in court.
The meaning here is, don't write something that you don't want everyone to hear and read in front of you, because that is usually what happens when one writes a threatening letter that makes the writer look like the source of the problem.
From what I have gathered, it seems as if maybe some parents are the problem! How are these children being raised if they actually are telling fellow students this. The Administration can only go so far! Start taking some responsibility for your children, because im pretty sure your child doesn't always do what they are told.
Parents affect their children more than anyone else. Start raising children that respect one another and their superiors. Care about each other and not always trying to be the wistle blower, when no wistle needs to be blown!
Your children learn from what you teach them in YOUR own house. Just face it, your children aren't perfect. There is nothing wrong with that, as they grow older they learn (or at least we hope) from their mistakes.
Are you sure your children are telling the whole story because as we all know, kids have a way of avoiding the parts that they are resposible for.
To anon 6:37:
I was very well indoctrinated into the "first you blame the kid and then you blame the parent" mantra of the HCPS system.
I always find it fascinating that when there are problems between the parent and the system, first parents are told that the education professionals are experts. When the problem persists, next we hear how bad the kid and the parent is.
Enough of the small talk. Is the "your kids" the Queen's version, or are you being specific about my kids?
I will tell you right up front that my middle kid doesn't hear a word I say. What are your thoughts on that one?
To the special Ed concierge,
Im not a parent im a student who went to Alafia. My parents were taught me how to behave. They would always listen to what both sides have to say but always gave the school the benefit of the doubt. At the time I felt like my parents being unfair to me, but now that I have grown up, I know what my parents did (taking the schools side) was the right thing.
As a former student at Alafia I am totally shocked how these parent act. That is the problem with parents today, they never let their kid take responsibility for their actions.
My parents always taught me to listen and respect authority.
I have one brother who is currently in Alafia and one who left last year. I have never heard anything bad about this principal. If someones life was in jepordy, i know this women would go to the ends of the earth to protect your child. Please grow up!
As a student who is currently going to school to be a teacher, im not looking forward to dealing with parents that don't allow their kids to take some responsibility for their actions
It's people like you that drive great teachers and administrators out of the profession. I cannot believe the lengths people are going to, to destroy this womens career.
The reason why I never acted out in school was because I knew my parents would never tolerate it!
To comment on your question,
I find that comment to be utterly ignorant and proves my point!
To anon 11:32
I appreciate your comments.
My middle child is totally deaf and visually impaired. He has what is called CHARGE Syndrone. He has a lot of challenging behaviors.
CHARGE Syndrome Foundation - Home
He "graduated" from the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf/Blind.
My oldest son graduated from the University of Florida.
My daughter is a sophomore at Hofstra University.
Have you read my profile?
Please read this post of mine also.
Public Education - Politics, Business and Education: Parents Critical Of Alafia Elementary Principal - Part Two On This Blog
I may know more about the system than you would think. But I also write with a sardonic attitude , so sometimes it is hard to figure out when I am serious and when I am mocking the system.
I wish you well and hope you continue to be taught not just what to learn, but how to learn.
Another response to Anon 11:32
I just realized the profile I wanted you to read is on my other blog.
I will provide a link to it about something you may find interesting. Perhaps you may become a special education teacher, and it would be important to understand how the system works.
Motel Special Ed: The Complaint filed by The Advocacy Center for Persons With Disabilities Against Hillsborough County Public Schools
PRO on HCPS: An Alafia Elementary Alum Speaks Out
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