Renee Whaley, 66, blazed a trail for disabled students - St. Petersburg Times

While I owe a lot to many that helped me advocate for my son, this lady was the first person I spoke to that showed me that there was a road that must be traveled.

Renee Whaley, 66, blazed a trail for disabled students - St. Petersburg Times: "Renee Whaley, 66, blazed a trail for disabled students"


After the IEP meeting in Dec. of 1996 at Mann Middle School where I realized what a scum-bucket entity I was up against, I started desperately looking for resources to deal with the insanity. I reached out to my network. I was given the name of an attorney, which I found out later was the Whiteheads's attorney. I was given the phone number to the OCR in Atlanta. These gifts were anonymous from those who worked within the system and knew the truth.

My sister from Seattle sent me some books. One book was written by Barbara Bateman:Special Needs Education Advocacy Books (not sure is this is her first book). Another book was a legal reference to IDEA.

I realized that the school system played by a different set of rules, not honesty. It took me a few years to realize that being honest with laws was not a strong suit of the system.

I digress.

Somewhere in the first quadrant of 1997, I was honing my advocacy skills. One of the necessary requirements in parental advocacy is to know how to access your child's records. Needless to say, it is not as easy as it sounds. Those of you who follow the local blogs should understand how the paperwork game is a vicious animal and will bite you if don't handle carefully.

Closer to the point.

As a practice run in accessing my child's records, one day I went to my eldest son's high school at East Bay. I simply walked in and asked to see my son's cumulative file. Since he was in "gifted", (save that topic for another crock of simmered stew), I knew that he was supposed to have a written plan to address his status.

The first reaction was something to the effect of "Please wait while I get someone to help you." I waited. While I waited, my thoughts were remembering what I had read about how the system makes it difficult for parents. After about a 20 minute wait, I was finally met by the Guidance Counselor of my son.
She asked what I wanted and I said I just wanted to see his file. She asked what for, and I, with my recently found knowledge, politely said I just wanted to look at it to see what was in it. I knew that I didn't have to have a reason, but instead of giving the system something to label me like being an asshole, I played the game.

The Guidance Counselor and I went into a room with the file in her possession. We sat, and she asked me what specifically did I want to look at. I knowingly, with a bit of assertiveness in my voice, replied that I wanted to hold the file. She hesitated and then handed it to me. I opened it and saw that on the left side was my son's identifying records. On the right side, right on top, was a piece of paper that immediately got my attention. True to my new training, I didn't flinch, and continued through the file. When I had made it to the last page, the counselor asked me if there was anything else. I calmly replied, "yes, I would like a copy of that first page."

I thought I perceived an anxious look on her face. My thoughts were that since I seemed so calm and assured, she was not willing to challenge me. She left the room.

Minutes passed.

My mind was racing. Would they destroy that paper while I just sit here? Should I have insisted that I go with her to copy the paper? Now that I know that it is true that "they" have marked me, what else is there that I don't know. Suffice it to say that this was just one more moment that created the person that I am today.

After another 20 to 25 minute wait, the counselor returned with the Principal. The Principal politely asked me what it was that I wanted. Maybe I had forgotten. No, I made the same request for a copy of that page, which I identified as to content and author. The principal acknowledged that I may have a reason to be interested in that particular page, but that I should be reassured that her administration was looking out for the best interests of my son, and that is how I should perceive this situation.

I continued to be polite and agreeable, and again asked for a copy to be given to me.

She asked me what was I going to do with the copy.

I replied that it was part of my son's file, and I simply wanted a copy of it.

The Principal instructed the counselor to go make a copy. Again I wondered, will it be destoyed? Within a few minutes, the copy appeared. I thanked them, and left.

That same night, I went to a meeting at Chamberlain High School to attend a meeting the District was having where they were providing propaganda to parents about special ed laws. This was the third or fourth meeting that I had attended in this series, and they were prepared for me. They isolated me with a woman District personnel to keep me occupied so I wouldn't challenge what they were spewing.

That night, I had had enough, again.

The aforementioned paper was written by the guidance counselor to all of my eldest son's teachers. It effectively told the teachers that Mr. Hancock would be asking them questions about his son's Educational Plan (EP), and that they, the teachers, should be knowlegeable about the plan and not to give Mr. Hancock any false information.

Thank God, at least one parent wasn't going to be given false information.

The next day, again in search of help in how to deal with this insanity, I drove to St. Pete and met Ms. Whaley.

She knew the truth, as she had lived it for years. I was just beginning to see the truth, and she helped put a framework to the truth.

The article says that Ms. Whaley knocked down doors. I will attest that knocking down doors is nothing to the bulldozers that public school systems use.

Ms. Whaley frequently told the story of a school person who said that they could not name one redeeming quality about Renee's son. An all to common attitude of too many school employees that undoes all of the hard work of the professionals, and parents, who understand the challenge.

Too many people think that Renee and her ilk are overbearing. What too many people don't realize is that Renee, and her ilk, are fighting for their most prized children. And this fight is against power with ignorance.

I personally know all of the people mentioned in this article. If more people knew what all of the kids that are involved in this article have accomplished because their parents "knocked down doors", maybe there wouldn't be so many damned doors.

Put Me In A Room With Your Experts, and Let's Have At It

Florida & Tampa Bay schools blog - The Gradebook

I am a parent that graduated from East Bay High School, Hillsborough.

I am a parent who was a seventh in my class.

I am a parent who was in NHS.

I am a parent who was I'st chair trumpet player.

I am a parent who was I'st chair, undefeated, chess team.

I am a parent who was a member of the student council.

I am a parent who was the Drum Major.

I am a parent who lettered 3 years in baseball.

I am a parent who was a senior notable, voted "Most Likely To Succeed."

I am a parent who graduated from college.

I am a parent who is a recognized business owner of 33 plus years in my community.

I am a parent who is the president of a corporation.

I am a parent who was taught not to trust the local school system because of the countless numbers of lies they told me over a span of 20 years.

I am the parent of a disabled kid.

What else do you have?

Posted by: Bring It On | October 24, 2009 at 06:06 PM

The Point Is About ESE and the 6/7 Plan

Someone made a post that supports the point that ESE teachers need a lot of time. If you follow Goader's link: Repeal 6 Of 7 Instructional Schedule : Goader, it appears we are all on the same page.

Can we at least agree on the point that in order to carry out the needed duties within an ESE classroom, the teachers need a 5/7 day?

Pro--
As an ESE escapee--there are many of us who left GE to enter ESE because the idea held so much potential, then returned to GE disillusioned because everyone EXCEPT teachers in the classes working every day with every student made it impossible to achieve that potential for most of the students, I MUST disagree with your position due to the above. There are many teachers that stay who somehow find enough reward in the unbelievably difficult situation they find themselves to do so. Those teachers have seen caseloads rise, have lost an extra planning period to enable them to conference with other teachers--ESE and GE, parents and students in their classes and caseloads, plan and collect data and then write those INDIVIDUAL Education Plans, update records, plan with co teachers,observe and test ESE and potentialstudents, attend meetings to refresh them on the "new" standards/practices and whatever changes are occurring that year--and there are more every year--AND--they still teach the same number of periods GE teachers teach and have the same other "teacher" responsibilities. Pro-- you have ONE child--they have many children/students. You have the time for that ONE child--they have children of their own, yet take untold hours away from them trying to keep up with all the extras for those many. No matter if your child is out of the system--support those teachers--work on changing the system that failed your child and continues to fail those teachers and other parents' children.

Now for my response to the post.

First of all, I will repeat what I have said before about the need to pay attention to the detail of words, especially when it comes to law. Law makers spend hours debating one word. If you ever go to court, you will understand the parsing of one word. I urge anyone who deals with ESE in any area to become as familiar as they can with the true wording of the law. Use an on-line source of the federal laws. Do not rely on your local education agency to explain the meaning and context of IDEA.

They are not INDIVIDUAL education plans. They are INDIVIDUALIZED education plans.

The commenter states they disagree with me. I ask, "about what?"

Don't I get points for what I said here:

PRO on HCPS: 25 Or 6 to 7 - Or is it a life time? - TIME takes Time: "I, as a parent of a kid with a disability, can empathize with the number of hours that a teacher needs to meet the individual needs of the disabled kids. I, as a parent of a deaf/blind kid, only have to deal with one. And furthermore, I don't have a 1' thick federal publication that outlines all of the federal requirements that school systems are supposed to meet. Not that they do, mainly because in order to meet the law, it would cost too much time."

Deformed Link

Maybe I am the only one that reads the minutes of the HASA organization.

I have tried, through six different locations, to get the link to work for the September minutes to no avail.

Maybe they are taking a page out of the Obama administration and are controlling their information that gets out to the public.

Just askin'.



Archived Minutes

Tampa's Hillsborough County Public Schools Makes The Drudge Report

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Stimulus: $2.3 million for Tampa comsmetology, massage schools...
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Stimulus: $2.3 million for Tampa comsmetology, massage schools...

Is there any way to track these funds? Are they really going to take all of that money and put it towards the intended outcome?

Does this have anything to do with the number of massage parlors in Tampa?

Does this give a whole new meaning the phrase "cover up?"

Will they 'make up' a line item or will there be a 'massaging' of the budget report?

Gotta' trust!

I Am Asking For A Lesson In Lesson Plans

Perhaps those who work within the teaching industry could help me out on this one.

How much time does a typical middle school or high school teacher need to develop a lesson plan?

Is there a sense of lessening demands over time, in other words, once you get the first one, be it day, week, month, or year, do the following time sets follow the template?

How much time does a typical middle school or high school teacher need to adjust, modify, or review and revise their lesson plans?

My last question for the day is, do the typical middle school or high school teachers write lesson plans for the class, or one for each student?

25 Or 6 to 7 - Or is it a life time? - TIME takes Time

Chicago:

"Waiting for the break of day
Searching for something to say
Flashing lights against the sky
Giving up I close my eyes
Sitting cross-legged on the floor
25 or 6 to ----------7!

Raising a kid with a disability is a challenge that a majority of people do not have a clue about.

My middle son had CHARGE Syndrome before CHARGE syndrome was a syndrome. At the time I learned about it, it was called an "association", because 26 years ago few knew what it was, although it was there. Similar to the recent rise in the identification of Autism, CHARGE kids are more identifiable now.

For those who don't have a clue, it takes more time in the day to raise a disabled kid than a typical kid. The sad, bad fact is that there is probably more people who are in power and control positions that have typical kids than there are power and control people with kids with disabilities. For those few who know, it is my understanding that my local school superintendent has a child with a disability, and it is also my understanding that he went to a private school. Correct me if I am wrong.

I have little empathy for the public school system, because in my opinion "they" get what they deserve. The reason "they" get what they deserve is because of the way "they" run their business of education.

The airplane industry is facing the fact that airplanes are crashing because they are stretching the number of hours that pilots work.

The trucking industry faced this same problem years ago, stretching the numbers of hours that truckers drove.

The medical industry faces this same problem today, stretching the number of hours that doctors and nurses work.

There are laws on the books that are supposed to stop the abuse.

The leaders of the business of the industries appear to have a "laws on the books be damned" approach.

Unless they are called into court.

The fact is, the odds against being called into court are in their favor.

And, the leaders know it, because their legal advisers tell them.

I, as a parent of a kid with a disability, can empathize with the number of hours that a teacher needs to meet the individual needs of the disabled kids. I, as a parent of a deaf/blind kid, only have to deal with one. And furthermore, I don't have a 1" thick federal publication that outlines all of the federal requirements that school systems are supposed to meet. Not that they do, mainly because in order to meet the law, it would cost too much time.

Time is money.

A typical disabled kid gets to school at the same time as the typical students....(wait for it)... well, they are supposed to.

A typical disabled kid leaves school at the same time as the typical students......(wait for it)....well, they are supposed to.

OK, let's hear it from the real people in the trenches. How many kids with disabilities, which have their own bus, get to school late or leave school early? What? It's only 5...10...15....20..(?)minutes difference- - for their safety..of course.

A typical disabled kid needs more resources than a typical kid to meet the same results.

I will repeat that statement.

A typical disabled kid needs more resources than a typical kid to meet the same results.

I only have one disabled kid.

You can not imagine how I felt, as a parent, when an administrator told me that my kid was not the only one "they" had to deal with. I could not easily process this concept after hours, and I do mean hours after I learned the game, of being in an INDIVIDUALIZED education plan (IEP) meeting.

Pass this on to your power and control people, the ones that say they know what "reasonably designed" means.
My bet is ............ THEY DON'T HAVE A CLUE.

Now, let's talk behavior. After all, isn't the only real concern that "the system" is concerned about is behavior? Teachers, who get it, know how to address disabilities. But, when behavior becomes the focus, relatively very few understand the need to interpret behavior as communication and then develop a means of communication, and, more importantly, the social-emotional development that must occur.

How much time does it take to address changing a students behavior?

I will repeat the question.

How much time does it take to address changing a students behavior?

21 days..... if it is done correctly.

A second..... if you use a bullet.

How many disabled kids who are angry have the verbal ability to say: "Excuse me, dear sir or madam. I am a bit put out by the apparent transgression that just occurred, and I beg of you to hear my argument."

The sad, bad fact is that thought-processed kids do not speak the Queen's English - they express emotions through physical action (acting out their emotions?) - a language most people do not know how to interpret. How many of those do you know are around kids who "act out." Think about it.

Teaching special education kids takes more resources.

Time

Money

Time

Expertise.

Time.

Education.

Time.

Experience.

For those who have read, and understand, the legal requirements to meet the federal law of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and not relied on some 10 minute in-service for their watered down bastardization of what is the real law, it takes time to meet the law.

Parents can teach teachers alot, if there is time.

Teachers can meet the requirement of the law, if there is time.

MO 12's? That is just the start.

Deal with behavior.

Evaluations? That is just the start.


Deal with behavior.

Updating current present levels of performance? That is just the start.


Deal with behavior.
Regular ed teachers develop a weekly class plan for their class.

Deal with behavior.

Special ed teachers develop a weekly, individualized, class plan for each of their students.

Deal with behavior.

Time.

How much time in a day does a special ed teacher need to be a professional representative of their employer?

It's more than simply exercise of power and control

All school board members, along with any other person involved in the power and control of public school students, should read this:

Policing In Schools

Because that is what is first and foremost when it comes to education. Keeping law and order to keep all kids safe.

This law and order along with power and control has always fascinated me. My favorite scene is to see 10 or 15 SWAT team members, armed with enough fire power to take out forty or fifty people within seconds, aiming their weapons at a person that is threatening to commit suicide. The cops even have a name for this weird sense of power and control. They call it "suicide by cop."

I fully understand that a person who is in a state of mind to kill themselves is also a threat to others. What I am isolating is the point that our government agency, be it SWAT team or school person, sees it as their responsibility to be in control of everything. The next point is how they secure this power and control, lawful or not.

This subject came to me this way:

School Cop Beats Student With Special Ed Needs Caught on Tape

Who Knew? Board Members And Parents Degrade Administrators!

A little Kenny Rogers and Dottie West music to set the mood:

"I can't remember when you weren't there
When I didn't care for anyone but you
I swear we've been through everything there is
Can't imagine anything we've missed
Can't imagine anything the two of us can't do"

It appears that through the years, the Board has been mean to administrators, right along with the parents. It says so right here in section F, paragraph 3:

"Dr. Miliziano told the group that throughout the years, HASA administrators have sometimes felt they were not treated well by parents and/or the School Board members when they were brought before them for expulsions, grievances, etc. Tom Gonzalez, John Miliziano, Buddy Raburn and School Board members met and Carol Kurdell agreed to inservice the School Board members on grievance procedures and previous policies governing these types of meetings. Mr. Gonzalez would not agree, however, to limiting parents from being slanderous during their three minutes. It was agreed that
School Board members should thank speakers and not ask additional questions, opening the door to further degradation. It was also suggested that a Level III hearing not be held behind closed doors but be held in front of the School Board to
limit unnecessary and/or slanderous discussion. Mrs. Tuggle suggested that if opportunities present, thank School Board members for listening to HASA’s concerns regarding these issues."

I get the idea that this HASA Board is missing a couple of things, one being thick skin and the other a basic understanding of the First amendment and how it is wielded in areas outside of a non-burning movie theatre.

I haven't kept count, but I think this is the third mention in the HASA minutes on how HASA can shut the public up. An added gem to these minutes is that apparently, they want to shut the Board up, too.

Administrators can pop toes in an isolated room with same-sex students and suspend disabled kids for telling the truth about their teacher having sex with another student, but we must all keep it quiet.

If my recollection is correct, the last Board Chair authored her own edict of censure, and brought in the Board police to enforce it. I think I have written before that what should be the most alarming to all is the ignorance that abounds. What may seem to some as a sand lot stuggle for power is so embedded in a pitiful ignorance of a more worldly view. It is not even laughable.

Perhaps the HASA board would benefit by an in-service about the first amendment so they can quit hounding Mr. Gonzalez. How many times do they have be told that they just can't shut the public up?

What would be interesting to find out is what is the comprehension rate HASA has on the context of the speakers who include those mean spirited and "slanderous statements." Another interesting study would be to ascertain the amount of effort that is put into defending a guilty administrator simply because the Board or the public were saying mean things. We only need to look as far as our Federal government to see how they protect their own in face of overwhelming wrong doing.

What roots my split hairs is how HASA has the audacity to suggest that the Board not incite the public speakers any further by asking questions. The public should be upset about this like a scarecrow is that had a bale of hay knocked out of him. Why doesn't HASA ask the public do not ask the Board any more questions, so the Board doesn't have more opportunities to be mean to the defenseless HASA members?

We Need More SUVs Quick Before We Freeze

Our children need to be taught that when you take away SUV's, we will freeze to death. In 10 years.


Morning temp sets new record | thetimesherald.com | The Times Herald: "The Port Huron waste water treatment plant recorded a temperature of 32 degrees at 8 a.m., one degree colder than the record low set Oct. 1, 1935, according to information from the National Weather Service in Oakland County’s White Lake Township"


Central Florida Enjoys Break From Heat - Orlando Weather News Story - WESH Orlando: "In fact, Daytona Beach International Airport reported a record-tying low of 58 degrees at 3:33 a.m. That tied the previous record set back in 2001, when we had another cool start to October.
Orlando officially dropped to 62 degrees, which is just one degree shy of the record, and Melbourne bottomed out at 65 degrees under some of those heat-trapping high clouds."


Quick cold snap fills up homeless shelters | [an error occurred while processing this directive]: "Boise & Garden City news & weather

Pets Jobs Cars Homes RVs Stuff MORE


List your item for sale


Quick cold snap fills up homeless shelters
10:55 AM MDT on Thursday, October 1, 2009
Nishi Gupta
Idaho's NewsChannel 7

No one will be turned away BOISE - With a quick flip from summer-like weather to freezing cold temperatures, homeless shelters we talked to have never been busier"

I Am The Problem

Over the last 20 years, I have attended more than a few Board meetings.

I spoke at two or three. Funny I can't remember.

Watching a Board meeting on TV or on-line does not do the meeting justice. When one goes in person, one gets to watch eye contacts, meetings in the back of the room, notice who leaves the room within a short time and then returns after a while within a short time, usually from different doors, and who sits where.

I think I have previously written about my very fist Board meeting attendance. I went to see what the arena was, in preparation for speaking to the Board. On that first dry run, the Director of Special Education came up to my wife and me and asked us what we were doing there. I said I had come to watch. She said to me that she could think of a lot better things that I could do than go to a school board meeting. She knew I had issues. I spoke at the next Board meeting, and I spoke at other Board meetings later.

They really don't care except for their image. If they can destroy the speaker, that is as good or better than addressing the speaker's issue.

The below comment on The Gradebook speaks volumes.

Florida & Tampa Bay schools blog - The Gradebook:

"What's amazing is, when you go to the board meetings there are NO TEACHERS, NO PARENTS, NO STUDENTS.
Until folks get their heads out of their doo-doo holes and start doing something about it expect the situation to continue to get worse."

What Happened To The Monkey And The Dart Board?

I keep being told that our public education system is being run by professionals.

Broad-brush-attack people like me just don't seem to understand how "they" take themselves seriously.

Maybe this is a joke:


AFT Online Survey: "2009-2010 Instructional Compensation Survey"

AFT Online Survey: "2009-2010 SRP Compensation Survey"


This is at the bottom of these two surveys:

American Federation of Teachers, 555 New Jersey Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20001, Phone: 202.879.4400
© American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO. All rights reserved. AFT LeaderNet Terms of Use

Maybe this is a joke.

Except it is found here:

Welcome to the United School Employees of Pasco

We represent all the teachers and school related personnel in the Pasco County Public School System.

We currently serve over 4300 teacher and SRP members and look forward to serving you!

USEP is the professional organization whose only interest is its members.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The USEP bargaining teams are asking Teachers and SRP to take a BRIEF compensation survey.


Up until this week, the District and USEP teams have been reviewing financial data and insurance renewal rates. Therefore, the economic negotiations are just beginning. Nothing has been settled yet. That’s why your input is needed. The teams will review the survey results to assist them in determining their bargaining positions.



Click here to start the Teacher survey Click here to start the SRP survey

Can anyone help me with this? I know there are a few insiders who see the truth. Help me out.

In the mean time, this is no joke:

Florida & Tampa Bay schools blog - The Gradebook

If you want to read some of the history to understand how the system works, do a search for Beverly Gallagher, or you can simply read this:

Broward/Palm Beach News - A Politician Weeps - page 2:

"To help calm her down, I told her it would be all right. I told her that Broward State Attorney Michael Satz doesn't prosecute corruption cases, that the worst that would happen was that his office would start an investigation and sit on it for two years before quietly deciding not to file any charges.
This is all true, and I've reported on this pattern numerous times. Satz is sitting on several such cases right now. In fact, his office famously investigated the construction department at the Broward County School Board during the mid-1990s. The grand jury probe cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and came up with reams of evidence of corruption — but Satz failed to prosecute any elected officials or high-ranking school board staffers."

Don't forget to follow the timeline of the reports, just to keep every thing in perspective.

Gotta' trust!

Numbers Are Way More Than Seeds And Stems

For almost 20 years, I have been trying to make sense of how the public school system functions. I would have never been drawn to this except for the countless numbers of isolated incidents that I experienced. It became clear to me that there was more to the problem than just the particular issue of the day, week, month, year, individual or site. In other words, I recognized that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, as seen here in this context:

Schools of Psychology "Unlike the behaviourists, the Gestaltists believed that behaviour should be studied as an organized pattern rather than as separate incidents of stimulus and response. The familiar saying "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts" expresses an important principle of the Gestalt movement."

In today's news, we see this:

I-Team: State Admits "Anomalies" in Violence Numbers - cbs4.com: "In Miami-Dade County schools three years ago, police found 152 weapons and filed reports in each case.

But if you go on Florida's Department of Education's violence tracking website you would think that in Miami-Dade County there were ZERO weapons were found on schools campuses in 2006-2007.

'This certainly does look like an anomaly when you see zero reported weapons,' said Florida's Department of Education's Press Secretary Thomas Butler. 'So we did talk to the district about it. And they mentioned there was an administration change quite possibly clerical error that occurred.'"

Just look at how many times I have written about "numbers":PRO on HCPS: numbers

How long can we trust?

Misty Eyes Or Icy Heart

To get the real picture, you should read the complete story on the link below.

Let me know if you have misty eyes when you get into the second page.


Rivals cooperate on touchdown for player with Down syndrome - Kansas City Star

"“I’ve got a special situation,” McCamy remembers telling Maryville freshman defensive coach David McEnaney. “I know you guys want to get a shutout. Most teams would want a shutout, but in this situation I want to know if maybe you can let one of my guys run in for a touchdown.”

Several days have passed since Ziesel chugged more than 60 yards down a sideline for his first high school touchdown — but the buzz hasn’t.

The YouTube clip McCamy posted Tuesday morning had received more than 1,500 hits as of Thursday night. The e-mails and messages of support also have been rolling in all week — to McCamy as well as the Ziesel family.

“It’s just amazing how one play can mean so much to one kid and then to a team and then to a community,” McCamy said Thursday after practice. “And now it’s spread not just to the community of St. Joseph, but now it’s spread across the region. How something so simple can impact so many — to me, that’s the amazing part about it.”"

As I was reading the complete article, I was thinking of altruism. I was thinking of a needed epidemic of ramdom acts of kindness. I was thinking of how great it would be if more people could see the forest at the same time they evaluate the conditions of the individual trees. I was thinking about how there wasn't any punishment for anyone involved in doing something for the good of the kid.

And then, I read this public comment:

jsered wrote on 9/20/2009 12:25:20 PM:
Hate to be the lone cynic but these stories while inspiring are becoming common place. The first ones were so unexpected and original they received national media coverage and a couple million hits on you tube. In some cases the "special" athlete and the coach became national celebrities, albeit for 15 minutes. Because of this history its not out of line to ask if the coach(es) are doing this for the special needs kid, or to put themselves in the national spotlight. Its a fair question to ask and the more often this happens the more I have to question if the people behind the stunt are genuinely doing this for the kid.

Genuinely doing this for the kid???????

It reminded me of this story: (follow the links and read the complete story for a different kind of misty eyes).

For their own good | Special Report: Tampabay.com St. Petersburg Times: "Fifty years later they are, by their own account, screwed-up men -- afraid of the dark, unable to love or be loved, twisted by anger, scarred by the whippings they endured in a cinder block hell called the White House."

Kids were put in this hell hole "for their own good."

I know which one of these scenarios I want to see more often.

Learning How To Respectfully Deal With Problems

Over on The Gradebook blog, JohnM made the following comment:


Florida & Tampa Bay schools blog - The Gradebook: "I don't remember, is it time to complain about the successes of these students in spite of the lousy teachers or is it time to complement the teachers on a super job working with these students. I KNOW it wasn't a cooperative effort on the part of both (actually all three if you include the parents) the hard work of the students as well as the diligent work on the part of the teachers involved. Kinda reminds me of the (you name the religion, atheists stop reading) guy who fell off a cliff and prayed for help. Just then, a tree reached out and grabbed his overalls, so, he said, never mind I got it. Some of these schools did not do very well on the state grading, some did OK, and others received an 'A.' It just goes to show you what can be done when everybody stops B#$ching and goes to work solving problems. The talent, work ethic and abilities are out there, just hidden by the enablers and rewritten rule books.
Job WELL DONE, students, teachers, parents and schools. Keep it up!
Posted by: JohnM | September 17, 2009 at 02:39 PM"


He started out mocking an often heard issue, and then ended up presenting some very good insight into how problems in our education system get in the way of progress.

I have found that a lot of people do not get it when they read or hear mockery. I write a lot of mockery, and I have seen how some people react to what I have written. A lot of people in our radio and TV media use mocking statements to try to make a point, and the very people that the point is aimed at misses the mockery, thinks the orator is going further loony, and the chasm enlarges.

The point that JohnM makes is that talent, work ethic and abilities of all partners (students, parents, teachers, administrators, etc) is undone by "enablers and rewritten rule books."

The metaphor fits. Wear it.

Teachers Think They Are Educators - Others See Teachers As The Means Of Production

A few dots I have seen lately.

Do they paint a picture?


Teachers unions have contributed over $1.3 million to ACORN | Washington Examiner: "Teachers unions have contributed over $1.3 million to ACORN
By: Kevin Mooney
Commentary Staff Writer
09/13/09 4:59 PM EDT
Teachers unions have contributed over $1.3 million to ACORN and its affiliates, since 2005, according to U.S. Labor Department financial disclosure forms.
But there is no guarantee that the $1,333,112 million in donations from the National Education Association (NEA) and Teachers AFL-CIO unions are actually being used for their stated purposes, according to present and former Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now (ACORN)officials"


Florida & Tampa Bay schools blog - The Gradebook: "Hillsborough teachers ratify contract agreement."



National Education Association (NEA) | Teachers Union Facts: "That the NEA would give money to ACORN -- and nearly $250,000 of its members’ money to a 2004 political campaign in Florida run by ACORN and beset by allegations of voter fraud....."

Is ACORN Intentionally Structured As a
Criminal Enterprise?
Staff Report
U.S. House of Representatives
111th Congress
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
July 23, 2009




Gotta trust!

It Is Never Too Late, Unless We Recruit (I Have Seen The Enemy, And It Is "Us")

Lee, I agree.

It is never too late.

Read my blog post and then read what Lee said:

PRO on HCPS: It Is Real - It is Powerful - It is Crippling For All Of Us:

"It is never too late to fight back. Never. lee
September 12, 2009 9:12 PM"

It is never too late unless we are complacent.

The foe we are up against is corruption.

The foe we are up against is the system that is about power, which brings money, which brings power, which brings money, which brings power, which brings money.

The foe we are up against is more than one individual.

The foe we are up against has already derived their power and strength because they are united.

The foe we are up against retains power because it understands the art of war.

The foe we are up against is blind trust by those who don't see truth, and through them, the foe gains strength.

The foe is camouflaged. It says one thing, and does another.

The foe is covert. It makes alliances in secret.

The foe is ignorant. They vote corrupt officials in, time after time, worshiping false idols.

My hundreds of blog posts are not without a framework. I mock the arrogance, the ignorance and the unbridled power of the system. I also mock myself, as far as I see myself in the process.

The foe withstands all attacks by isolating the attacker.

The foe understands that weakening education insures their power. The foe understands that knowledge is power, therefore limiting knowledge by their adversary insures the foe's power.

The foe understands how to put weak leaders in position to create diversions.

The foe understands that their enemy will not unite.

I have seen how many teachers and parents do not like what is.

The foe is us.

Maybe George Is Alive Within The HCPS

Doublethink - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

"According to the novel, doublethink is:
“The power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them....To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies — all this is indispensably necessary. Even in using the word doublethink it is necessary to exercise doublethink. For by using the word one admits that one is tampering with reality; by a fresh act of doublethink one erases this knowledge; and so on indefinitely, with the lie always one leap ahead of the truth.[1]"

"Tampering with reality" is an interesting concept.

One sheriff report, that is so far known to be real:

"The report was closed with some indicators of abuse."

Then

Two Professional Standards Office Reports - the original and the corrected copy.



The first PSO report states quite clearly:

"On 6/22/09, writer spoke with CPI Auza. He advised that he closed his case with Some Indicators for threatened harm.

Are we to assume that "some indicators of abuse" (HCSO) is the same as "some indicators for threatened harm?(PSO)" At least, the phrase "some indicators" is the same on the HCSO and the PSO reports.

The second PSO reports states quite clearly:

"On 6/22/09 writer spoke with CPI Auza. He advised that he closed his case with No Indicators for threatened harm; however Some Indicators for unusual behavior.

Are we to assume that the HCSO phrase "some indicators of abuse" now means "no indicators for threatened harm" and also means "Some indicators for unusual behavior?"

One HCSO report.

Two PSO reports.

Two PSO reports that interpret one HCSO. The interpretations happened on the same day of June 22, 2009.

No further information.

Doublethink?

Clearly there are some indicators for unusual behavior when one studies how two different outcomes can be generated from one single source.

Don't ya' think?

It Is Real - It is Powerful - It is Crippling For All Of Us

Over on Goader's blog, today we see this:

Soft Intimidation, Subtle Retaliation : Goader Incites#more-1267:

"The frightening part of all this is how softly and virtually unnoticeably some in the higher echelons of the district engage in intimidation and retaliation. One barely notices the gentle and shrewd manner in which the illegal activity of intimidation, harassment, and retaliation promulgated against an employee simply voicing genuine concern for injustices within an institution supported by taxpayer money"

On my PRO On HCPS blog, under "About Me", you can find this:

PRO on HCPS:

"Starting in 1990, I started to become aware of a different set of standards of communication than what I was accustom to in all other areas of my life. Where was Shakespeare when I needed him. Foul was fair and fair was foul. My words were twisted from the intent of what I was trying to communicate.When I tried to hold some people accountable for what they said, I was countlessly in the middle of a misunderstanding.
After years of trying to make sense of a process that should make sense, I have come to realize it was by design.,,,,"

Under "About Me", you can find this on this blog site:
Public Education - Politics, Business and Education:

"Through the course of his life, we had the inopportunity to be subjugated to a few people and a public system fraught with deceit, disingenuity and contempt. I am here because there are few who can or will stand up to them."

On my Motel Special Ed blog:
Motel Special Ed:

".....Through the course of his life, we had the benefit of numerous people and a public system that provided him his opportunity for success. For those I will be eternally indebted to. I am here because they were there for him, and he can not thank them. Through the course of his life, we had the inopportunity to be subjugated to a few people and a public system fraught with deceit, disingenuity and contempt. I am here because there are few who can or will stand up to them............"

What will have to happen before this abuse of power is dealt with?

Or, is it too late?

They Work Hard For Their Money

From The Tribune, we see:

Vouchers control special ed growth:

"The financial incentive to misdiagnose is particularly apparent when classifying students as having a specific learning disability (SLD). That's because SLD is the most common, the most ambiguous, and the least costly category of special education. In many cases, school officials might simply be trying to get extra resources to help struggling students. But the net effect is the misclassification of a huge number of students as having an SLD.
The McKay program reduces the financial incentive for Florida's schools to misdiagnose learning disabilities by placing revenue at risk whenever a student is placed into special education"

I keep hearing rumors that our public education system is filled with professional educators from top to bottom.

Check this out:

IDEA 2004 Close Up: Evaluation and Eligibility for Specific Learning Disabilities - Legal rights and advocacy | GreatSchools:

"Recognizing that the 'discrepancy' approach was resulting in both late identification and misidentification of SLD, Congress included a new provision in IDEA 2004 stating that school districts are not required to take into account a severe discrepancy between ability (IQ) and achievement when determining whether a student has a specific learning disability. In updating IDEA Congress clearly indicated a strong desire to see schools begin to use procedures to identify SLD that are more relevant to the instruction students receive in the classroom. To encourage such change, IDEA 2004 included an additional provision stating that school districts could use a process designed to determine if a student responds to scientific, research-based intervention as a part of the evaluation procedures."

So, just because a student has straight A's (achievement) does not mean that the student does not have a disability. Not that a school system would ever inflate a student's grades to keep the parent from having more evidence that the student has a disability that the school system refuses to accommodate.

Here is another concept that I just can't seem to fit into my rutabaga pie recipe. Is it possible for a "non-disabled student" to actually have a learning disability? Is it possible for a student that has a learning disability to be "misclassified" as a disabled student?

Vouchers control special ed growth:

"If a school determines that an academically struggling, non-disabled student has a learning disability, it might get the additional subsidy from the state, but it might also lose that subsidy, and all of the student's base-funding, if the student walks out the door with a voucher. McKay makes schools think twice before misclassifying a student"

This speaks to the arrogance of school systems. The student doesn't have a disability until the school system says it does. Or does it?

IDEA - Building The Legacy of IDEA 2004:

"(b) Basis of knowledge. A public agency must be deemed to have knowledge that a child is a child with a disability if before the behavior that precipitated the disciplinary action occurred--
(1) The parent of the child expressed concern in writing to supervisory or administrative personnel of the appropriate educational agency, or a teacher of the child, that the child is in need of special education and related services;
(2) The parent of the child requested an evaluation of the child pursuant to Sec. Sec. 300.300 through 300.311; or
(3) The teacher of the child, or other personnel of the LEA, expressed specific concerns about a pattern of behavior demonstrated by the child directly to the director of special education of the agency or to other supervisory personnel of the agency."

I Will Draw An Abstract Picture With Words

I have no reason to believe that a cognitively challenged person would understand these symbols I have presented below.

No matter how much I paddled them, suspended them, restrained them, or secluded them.

The resources are available. Research has and is being done. There are evidence based strategies that are available. Can we just get them into the classroom?

Maybe we could all have a dream for a positive behavioral support plan for every student. We will obtain it when we ascend the mountain of ignorance.

Florida & Tampa Bay schools blog - The Gradebook:

"Where is the discussion about the necessary resources to teach behavior?

Most educators, even those who believe control is through power, understand the need to match teaching strategies to the needs of the student.

8:28 speaks to this when they speak of a student who 'cannot be reasoned with in the same way that other students can.'


The question is about learning 'a way' to reason with 'these students.'


Ask this question out loud:
'If usual teaching methods do not work with these students, then why do we expect usual punishments to work with these students?'

In other words, where is the specialized instruction in special education?
Posted by: Trying To Overcome Ignorance By Crying Out For Professional Service | August 29, 2009 at 09:10 AM"

Rebuilding Trust After 30 Percent Observed Bullying

Over in the Tampa Tribune, we see that Donna Koehn has written about the Walker Middle School alleged rape case. I am holding out judgement on this debacle. I fully anticipate that we may eventually see a report from the HCPS that states that there were no indications of rape. Let's not forget the King High School debacle, where the Sheriff's office had a document that stated there were indicators of abuse when they said that an assistant principal was toe-popping students in a closed room where multiple students removed their clothing over an extended period of time. Let's not forget that the HCPS simply overrode those outside agency reports and, with three clicks of the heels of the ruby red shoes, there were no indicators of abuse.

A return to school, but not to innocence: "The school sent home a survey after the event asking students whether they had observed bullying. Almost 70 percent said no."

Which brings us to the word "trust."

Do a blog search on Poor Richard's Observations on HCPS for the word "trust."

Donna Koehn writes: "As principal, Brown is charged with creating an atmosphere of trust and candor among students."

Having that survey that shows 30% of the Walker Middle school students observed bullying could be a useful tool, depending on the definition of the word "useful." It could be useful to develop a professional educational setting or it could be useful to promote an image.

It could be useful if it were compared with same surveys conducted at all schools at the same time. A study of the indicators gained from a well written survey could provide valuable information to those administering a professional educational system.

On the other hand, another survey at Walker Middle school within a few years could be used to promote an image. Within a relatively short period of time, most of the people involved in the Walker Rape Case will be gone. The students will have moved on. Will anyone pay attention to the turn over rate of the faculty within the next year? A quiet transfusion over a year or two could occur, similar to what happened at Alafia Elementary, and no one would know that the next survey would be of people far removed from the current trauma.

Gotta' trust!

I Called It "Moving The Target"

For all of you neophyte socilogists who are trying to figure out just what happened at the last board meeting when the HCPS's attorney spoke about the King High School toe-popper and the public comments that were made, try this out:



Rules for Radicals:

"According to Alinsky, the main job of the organizer is to bait an opponent into reacting. “The enemy properly goaded and guided in his reaction will be your major strength.”"

We should all study Alinsky to understand what is happening to us.


This was my comment on how it happened:

PRO on HCPS: Moving The Target:

"So, while the target of trying to achieve fairness in how teachers and administrators are dealt with has now been moved, time will tell if it will ever be brought back to focus."

Swine Flu Makes Elite LIst

Over on The Gradebook, we can read Tom Marshall's article:



Swine flu could lead to 30 percent absentee rates in schools - St. Petersburg Times:

"The Hillsborough School Board created a flap last week when it suspended a popular incentive — fewer semester exams for students with good attendance records. Officials say the policy encouraged sick students to attend school.
Complaints about that change are still rolling in from residents who don't understand the threat posed by swine flu, said member Jennifer Faliero.
'It's not on the public's radar,' she said. 'Students are not taking it seriously.'"

Understanding the etiology of swine flu is one thing. Keeping up with the etiology of the HCPS Board policies is another thing.

Prior to the onset of swine flu, students who were legitimately ill and responsibly stayed home to take care of themselves were nothing but second rate when it came to exempting semester exams.

Now, there is no salt-in-the-wound rub that educators can use against those malingering ill kids and their enabling parents. No longer can we hear "that's what you get for missing so many classes because you were sick." No longer will there be any cathartic high for the teachers when those imps have to sit in their seats and agonize over the semester exam.

Because there are no more exam exemptions based on attendance.

In professional sports, performance is rewarded with incentives such as home-field advantage, preferred playing times, and the pole position. Exam exemptions, which tests performance of understanding and ability to express this understanding of a given subject, is tied to the behavior of physical attendance. The mind may be elsewhere, but if the body is there, exemptions are granted.

Keeping up with HCPS Board policies must be like a soap opera for psychologists and sociologists.

We are left to wonder on how they will address exam exemptions now.

Diligent Attention To Detail

True southern born and raised people have a saying that is old as dirt.

Instead of chastising someone, they will say something to the effect of "Bless your pea-picking heart." When I was a young lad out on the farm in Fort Lonesome, six miles east of Wimauma, I occasionally visited the Primitive Baptist Church, which was nigh close near to my farm. I can still hear the rhythmic rant of the preacher as he gave his message of how we were all going to hell for our sins, unless we repented, and that somehow if I put a quarter in the basket that was passed around, I would have some type of atonement for my sins.

It was worth a quarter to me to eat all of the food that came after church. They called it "dinner on the ground." Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn would have been envious to see the fixin's that were on the long wood table. Some woman of the church made the most perfect lemon meringue pie that was to die for. It had the perfect caramelized top. After I stuffed myself with ham, potato salad and baked beans with bacon in it, I always had room for the lemon pie.


I have written before about loose French cannons. A hit in the dark is still a hit.

I must admit that I can not keep up with Lee's soliloquies.

Frequently, I have to use an hydraulic system to chew through the message.

Bless her pea-picking heart.

But, a hit is a hit.


Over on Lee DeCeaser's blog, we see that Linda Cobbe has sent Lee an e-mail.

Lee Drury De Cesare's Casting-Room Couch: "-----Original Message-----
From: Linda Cobbe [mailto:lcobbe@sdhc.us]
Sent: Sunday, August 16, 2009 11:06 AM
To: lee
Subject: Re: Inquiry to Sheriff Gee
Lee, you got some facts wrong. I don't have the report-in-question with me, but no one made any changes to the CPI report. The original and 'corrected' documents both say at the top that they are professional standards documents. I believe there is a link to both on the Times Gradebook blog.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device"

From Linda's Blackberry.

At 11:06 AM.

On a Sunday.

A hit is a hit.

I don't understand the message from Linda Cobbe.

Bless her pea-picking heart.

Best I can do is keep it simple.

From what I see, there is:

One (1) report from CPI - Child Protective Investigations - Sheriff Gee's office

Two (2) reports from SDHC - Professional Standards Dept - Investigation Report

From my country boy logic, there was indeed no changes in the CPI report, because there is(?) only one. (Unless they cook another one.)

From my country boy attention to detail, there are two reports from Professional Standards Dept.

I have diligently looked at all of these documents.

Since there is only one CPI report, it is what it is.

However, since there are two Professional Standards Dept. reports, there does seem to be some changes. And more.

Time will tell.

How Will They Explain The Educational Relevance Of What Is Seen On Tape?

Lawsuit:

Footage shows school abuse: "'They grab him by his arms and drag him on his knees out of the classroom, down the open school hallway and literally throw him into a dark room.'"

Frequently, when parents try to obtain an appropriate educational setting for their children with disabilities, the kids are denied services and supports through the often used phrase "I am so sorry Mr. and Ms. Smith, we would love to provide those extra things you want, but unfortunately they are not educationally relevant."

This autistic kid's finger was broken the same day of this video, according to the story.

As usual, the school system will first blame the kid, then blame the parents.

Happens all of the time.

I wonder what type of professionally written and executed behavior plan they have in the kid's current IEP. You know, the one they professionally developed that met the unique needs of the student.

I sarcastically submit that the evidence will show that the kid tore his own clothes and broke his own finger just to get the adults in trouble. 'Cause that's how smart these disabled kids are.

I Will Take "Intimidation and Retaliation" for 400, Please, Jeff.

Jeff Solechek asks the rhetorical question in The Gradebook today:

Florida & Tampa Bay schools blog - The Gradebook

WHY SO QUIET? Hillsborough will examine the student culture that kept Walker Middle School students silent even after they witnessed a fellow student being raped on campus.

Look what happens to people who come forward about problems within the HCPS.

William Wieser. Doug Erwin. The federal Whitehead case. They all won. They all won against intimidation and retaliation. Erwin and Whiteheads both won the moral courage award in Hillsborough County. Except for Wieser, they all had the resources it took to carry the fight to the end. Wieser ran out of resources after the District kept appealing Wieser's wins.

What they do to teachers:

Equal Protection Campaign (Pt2) : Goader#more-1235#more-1235#more-1235:

"Watch Goader’s monologue from August 11, 2009.
Read the text of Goader’s monologue.
Watch the rebuttal of the school board attorney."

After you listen the rebuttal of the school board attorney, you will see that he missed the point of Goader concern about the double standards within Profession Standards and the attorney personalizes the issue towards Goader.



What they do to students:

Hillsborough: Suspension without rules: "By LETITIA STEIN, Times Staff Writer
Published November 1, 2007

TAMPA - The student kept spreading rumors about a teacher having sex with another student until Middleton High School administrators suspended her."

A girl came forward with the truthful actions about her teacher having sex with a classmate. She gets kicked out of school on some clever, obfuscated ruse that being kept out of school is not a suspension.



What school systems need most is trust. What they do best is destroy it.

It seems that clever parsing of words and meanings that are best left for courtrooms play out in the every day speak of school representatives. Board member Griffin appears to try to get past the defenses and deal with the issues.

Whatever the outcome, my bet is that the end result of this investigation will be scripted long before the process occurs.

That's the way they roll.

What School officials don't offer as school busing tips for parents

I am all for responsible parenting.

Frequently, we read or hear school people make it a point of how irresponsible parents are.

What parents need to know is that the most important strategy needed to be a responsible parent is to put their concerns in writing in a professional manner. No need to make embellished accusations, just state the facts. Make sure your letter goes to at least two different locations, and that this is noted on the letter.

School systems are very good at blaming parents, even those that have legitimate concerns and respectfully voice them. Ignoring these respectful parents has consequences. Consequences range from parents becoming broad brush attack experts to paying out millions of dollars.



School officials offer school busing tips for parents

School officials offer school busing tips for parents




By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 14, 2009

Related Links

School bus incidents
•Parents are responsible for getting their child to and from the bus stop safely.

•Bus stops are for bus-eligible students only. Eligibility is determined based on the child's home address on record at the school.

•Families that have moved should make sure to update the new address with the child's school immediately.

•Parents should select the walk routes to and from bus stops and home and they should help young children by escorting them to and from their bus stop until the child learns how to walk safely on their own.

•Parents should review safety rules and instruct students how to behave on the bus and while waiting for the bus. Parents are not allowed on the buses.

•Students should know their bus number and their stop locations.

•Bus drivers are not permitted to wait at bus stops for late arrivals. School officials suggest that students arrive at bus stops no more than 10 minutes and not less than five minutes prior to the scheduled pick-up time.

•In Hillsborough County, kindergarten students must be met at the stop by an adult or older sibling or the driver will not let them get off the bus. Rather, the students will be returned to school and the parents will be called.

Public Opinion Is Root Cause of Poor School Reputation

Here is the link to the Tampa Tribune Letter to the Editor:

Fire the toe-popper

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 5, 2009

Regarding "Many scratch heads about toe-popping punisher," Aug. 2:

King High School Assistant Principal Olayinka Alege's so-called toe-popping punishment reeks of fetish. He should be fired.

His size alone (approximately 6-foot-5) is intimidating. He is using his authority and size to take advantage of students. If he were a teacher, he would be fired immediately for his poor judgment. Alege is getting special treatment because of his position.

One writer, who identified herself as Melanie, said she had never met anyone who loved kids the way he does. I also have never met anyone who loved kids the way he does. Nor would I want to.

He deserves more than just a slap on the wrist. The school system should take immediate punitive action.

LYNNE AGROW

Tampa

Posted by ( noles2u ) on 08/05/2009 at 02:15 pm.

I would agre with my Ms. Agrow - in this day and age and the training the AP has received, I would consider this improper toughing. Even is blown off as "bad judgment" do you really want someone in a position of authority who thought this was an acceptable method of punishment? Minimum - demotion, but I doubt seriously if the School Board has the courage to act.


Posted by ( RangerBob ) on 08/08/2009 at 09:22 am.

I am sadden by our school system - to allow such behavior is to encourage such behavior. That fact that Mr. Alege said it was just a "playful" thing with the students is disturbing enough - but only with boys and only with boys who were not improving their grades? This man should not be in a position of power and should not be working with children.What is wrong with the School Board?



Posted by ( TOOPRETTYforprison ) on 08/13/2009 at 11:47 pm.

There is nothing wrong with a foot fetish per se. BUT, the intent with which this one is practiced is strange and yknow if it's sexual (and it probably is) disgusting and probably illegal. This is no different that Stephanie Ragusa. In fact, it's worse. He's doing it under the guise of 'friendly this and punishment that'. Stephanie's approach was more aboveboard. Let's say.There is a worse problem than he, however. That is ANYONE WHO LET THIS PASS UNMOLESTED. Nice play on words, huh? They should ALL GO. Like with clayton wilcox and the fantasy that starting over would ruin vendor relationships.How stupid does the school system think the public IS? Despite the fact that they try to dumb down the education we're smarter than ever.Stop looking the other way from these CROOKS.Good for you, Lynne Agrow. I'm off to find some folks to back you up here.

What is interesting is that representatives of the HCPS routinely complain that the poor reputation of the school system is because the media paints a bad picture.

From my perspective, the above author and the public commenters seem to have based their opinons on the actions of the AP.

How long can the house of cards last?

Ignorant Forms Of Communication

Breaking it down to as simple as it can be, behavior between people is communication. The question remains whether or not professional educators recognize when they are effectively communicating with their behavior (words would be included as a form of behavior).

A smile or the finger, there is communication behind the behavior. Praising words or condescending words, there is communication behind the behavior.

People with cognitive disabilities most always have a communication system that is messed up.

It is that simple.

But, since no one can "see" these types of cognitive disabilities, there are way too many people who just can't connect. Kids that are physically deformed or have "obvious" disabilities are treated with much more respect than those who have messed up wiring.

Typical looking autistic kids, SLD kids, low IQ kids and a host of others should be able to respond to typical communication is the common ignorant thinking.

The same kids that are called stupid, lazy, stubborn, malingering, irresponsible, products of bad parenting and a host of other labels, that can not progress a half year in three years of instruction, are the same kids that professional educators would not dare let see testing protocol or sample test questions because those same kids would learn the answers instantly, I say sarcastically.


The same kids who do not process typical social cues, can not effectively socialize with their peers, and thereby do not effectively communicate to or from other people like typical kids do are the same kids that ignorant educators think should be able to respond to corporal punishment like typical kids do.

These same kids, who, for what ever reason, do not respond to regular types of communication are expected to respond to another type of regular communication in the form of corporal punishment.

These same kids that can not process that 2 plus 2 equals four, or that continue to self stimulate themselves despite being told countless thousands of times to sit still are expected to process the professional educators communication form of corporal punishment.

If yelling at a deaf kid doesn't work, just spank them. I have the personal experience of a couple of educators telling me that my son "hears more than he lets on." The same kid who some so-called professional evaluators gave an IQ score in the 60's somehow has the brillance to "let on" that he does not hear as a way of life. The same kid, actually adult now, that right now is searching the internet for various video games is the same kid that some local professionals gave an IQ score in the 60's. From my perspective, it was these so-called professional educators that were letting on that they knew what they were talking about.

Why don't we just have an initiative that makes corporal punishment the basic form of worldwide communication. According to the public comments and anecdotal evidence within the below links, it appears that spanking kids (choosing the least form of corporal punishment cited) is an effective form of communication across all spectrums.





Impairing Education | Human Rights Watch


Read the report here: Impairing Education | Human Rights Watch

Page 9 has a lot of meaning to those who are educated.

Moving The Target

Teachers who are concerned that there sometimes appears to be a double standard in how reported, alleged or mentioned problems of a teacher vs an administrator are handled will have to wait a while longer since the target has been moved.

Trust is an important ingredient for positive based results.

After today's board meeting, it appears there is a discrepancy in what the facts are about the reported, alleged or mention toe-popping activities in HCPS. One thing that I think, at this time at least, that we can agree on is that the activity was considered "strange", according to today's HCPS board meeting.

What may be a surprise to many is that apparently the reported, alleged or mention that the "investigation" found evidence of "indicators of abuse" is now in dispute.

If you listen to today's comments of the HCPS's Board attorney, I think you will hear that the following reported, alleged and mentioned statement is not a fact.


Administrator at Tampa's King High 'popped' students' toes for poor grades - St. Petersburg Times:

"Though deputies and an assistant state attorney concluded the punishment didn't amount to battery, a child protective services investigator with the Sheriff's Office said he saw 'some indicators' of abuse."

The reported, alleged and mentioned story can also be found here on Detentionslip.org:

Florida & Tampa Bay schools blog - The Gradebook:

"Tampa's toe-popping AP makes blog fodder

So ... is this an appropriate form of discipline? Or is this a case of 'This little piggy crying wee wee wee all the way to children's services to report a case of a creepy pedophile with a foot fetish'?"

Ut ro!!

After the comments made from the dais of today's board meeting, some one may want to look at this statement again:

Administrator at Tampa's King High 'popped' students' toes for poor grades - St. Petersburg Times:

"'Since there was no dispute of the facts of the case, our professional standards office did not need to conduct another investigation,' said spokesman Stephen Hegarty."

Trust is such a fleeting entity.

So, while the target of trying to achieve fairness in how teachers and administrators are dealt with has now been moved, time will tell if it will ever be brought back to focus.

Ballots Galore

Since I am not a bargaining unit member, I was wondering if I could just print out the ballots on this website, fill them out, make sure I put a stamp on the envelope, and mail it in.


I am left to hope that there is some type of special envelope to keep all of us honest.

Then the next question would be, are the envelopes marked so that they are traceable?




HCTA: Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association


http://www.hillscta.org/bargaining/09-10%20Ratification%20Ballots/2009-2010%20Teacher%20Ratification%20Ballot.pdf


http://www.hillscta.org/bargaining/09-10%20Ratification%20Ballots/Pg%201%2009-10%20ESP%20Ratification%20Ballot.pdf

Delving In To School System Arrogance

Start with this perspective:


What's Wrong with Public Schools?:

"The inherent insulation of school boards (and other democratic bodies) from real accountability aggravates a phenomenon known as the Iron Law of Oligarchy. The law says that in almost any group endeavor, a small elite will emerge as the most active in determining the activities of the group."

For a short version, read this:

"..........Consequently, a small group is given the responsibility of
making decisions. Michels believed that the people in this group would become enthralled with their elite positions and more and more inclined to make decisions that protect their power rather than represent the will of the group they are supposed to serve. In effect Michels was saying that bureaucracy and democracy do not mix. Despite any protestations and promises that they would not become like all the rest, those placed in positions of responsibility and power often come to believe that they too are indispensable, and more knowledgeable than those they serve. As time goes on, they become further removed from the rank and file..."

Then read this:

Iron law of oligarchy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "According to the 'iron law,' democracy and large-scale organization are incompatible."

According to this excerpt, the iron law of oligarchy within public school boards was not an unintended accident. In fact, this article submits that it was the specific and manifest intent of the school board reform of the early 1900's.

I am into my nineteenth year of trying to understand the warped side of the public school system.

Major Seth Adams Would Have Been Envious of How The School Systems Circle Their Wagons

Wagon Train - Ward Bond - Robert Horton


For those who have ever been placed in the unfortunate position of trying to obtain accountability from a public school system, there appears to be a pattern in which the systems deny, delay and distract and then cry being victimized when found guilty.

Read this series on Joel Chandler's blog and note the similarities in which the school systems lost their cases.

Litigation Update

Local bloggers should recognize the defense that some school systems use. It is called the "no standing" defense, in which the accuser is told, by the accused, that they have no standing to accuse.

Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for All Students Act

Arrogance has a lot of power. And control.

Another Validation Of The PRO

I keep racking them up.

In the St. Pete Times we see this:

Barefoot penalty draws scrutiny | July 24

School official crossed

the line in toe touching

After reading Tom Marshall's article, I felt compelled to respond to this disturbing report. I am outraged that assistant principal Olayinka Alege was not disciplined for his actions and that the Hillsborough school district "considers the matter closed."

In the story, Alege is quoted as saying, "It was one of those playful things, just playing around with the kids so they felt more comfortable." At the same time, however, one student described the experience as "weird" and another reported feeling "uncomfortable," while yet another "asked Alege to stop."

As a pediatrician and advocate for children, I am sincerely concerned about the message the school district is sending our children by not disciplining Alege. This is not "playful." This is about a person in a position of authority who crossed boundaries with students by touching them in a way that made them feel uncomfortable. My pediatric colleagues and I work very hard to help our children understand that this kind of behavior is unacceptable, whether it is coming from a person in a position of authority or from their own peers. Children should be taught that it is not okay for another person to touch any part of their body in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable. It is a violation of personal boundaries.

Shame on the school district for sending a mixed message to our children. Shame on them for not disciplining Alege and helping our children understand that this kind of behavior is not acceptable and should not be tolerated.

Elizabeth Brennan, M.D., Treasure Island

Barefoot penalty draws scrutiny | July 24

Punishment is due

Shame on the Hillsborough County school system. Your story about Olayinka Alege, the assistant principal at King High School playing footsie with students shocked me. How can the school system just dismiss his behavior?

Charges may not have been filed, but such physical acts with students cannot be ignored. Alege should receive more than a reprimand. Had a classroom teacher engaged in such behavior he/she would likely lose their job and be labeled a pedophile.

Even if a student consents to touches, it is still unacceptable behavior on the part of an adult to engage in any type of physical contact. Alege should know better. Further investigation should be conducted by the school system, and additional punitive action should take place.

Lynne Agrow, Tampa

They said it better than I did in my sardnonic, mocking manner:

PRO on HCPS: Teachers Are Treated Like An Acute Appendicitis. Administrators Are Given Back Rubs And Toe Massages

Looks like I was right about the body partialism, too.

Digging Through The Bovine Excrement

As a native of the great south east region of Fort Lonesome in the greater Hillsborough County in the greater state of Floriduh, I did my share of shoveling animal feces back in the day. I was an ace pile-it. I could pile it in the corner of the stalls, I could pile it in the wheelbarrow or I could pile it next to the vegetable crops.

When segregated, piles of manure had their own characteristics. Chicken salad burned your eyes, while cow patties steamed and stunk. Slightly dried horse dung made nice little throwing instruments of attack, and would explode when hitting an unsuspecting peer. Duck slime was like oil on asphalt, assuring that one stepped straight down and no shuffling.

While we country boys were not known for our academic wizardry, we did have an uncanny sense of the obvious. For instance, while walking through hundreds of acres of pastures, we could tell which pastures had cows on it and which ones did not. Even tax appraisers, trying to ferret out false claims of green belt exemptions, knew to look for tell tale evidence of animal existence. The dried up cow chips were a good indication of length of tenure.

I can only imagine what it would have been like for a representative of the school system to have made a turd assessment. I can easily envision, while there were piles of bull shit a plenty, an administrator writing a report that there was no evidence of cow pies to be seen.

Maybe it is because some types of bovines are protected through their association. Sort of like school administrators that belong to HASA. Perhaps it cost more money for a school system to pursue wayward administrator dumping than it is to pursue lower-level teacher farts.

Recently, there was a report of a school administrator at King High school calling boys into his office for toe popping. A link to the story can be found here on Detention Slip.org:

DetentionSlip.org: Administrator at Tampa's King High 'popped' students' toes for poor grades

After several days of sole searching, I am a bit corn-founded, and am in search of some arching answers to a few questions.

If the students had been girls, would the results be different?

Were the boys involved gay?

Did the boys involved have similar personalities that were vulnerable to "grooming"?

Did the fact that one boy had 20 consensual acts mean that, since it was consensual, there was a "no harm, no foul" assessment, and would that same criteria be held to consensal behavior of any kind between an administrator and a student?

Did the system see the writing on the wall regarding their level of liability and therefore erected their first bulwark of future defense?

Was the content and intent of this brochure followed?:

The following behavior may be indicative of misconduct that should be reported:
• being alone with a student in dark or closed room or secluded area
• behaving in an overly friendly or familiar way or failing to maintain an appropriate professional boundary with a student
• using forceful or unnecessary physical contact with a student
• administering discipline not compliant with district policy

While it certainly seems to be a fresh jar of jam, I can only wait for the next shoe to drop. Others may just have to put a sock on it.

Teachers Are Treated Like An Acute Appendicitis. Administrators Are Given Back Rubs And Toe Massages

It appears that there are plenty of dots to connect to draw a pretty good picture.

While not all teachers get their undies cleaned at the first sign of trouble:

PRO on HCPS: The No-Blog Defense Means Good PR: "Ragusa Complained About School's Public Reprimands:


'There was a pattern of inappropriate behavior,' Cobbe said of Ragusa's teaching record before the investigation. 'It was never anything that rose to the level of sex, but it was clear she didn't know her boundaries.'"

Then there are these kind of actions from the Professional Standards Office:

Professional Standards is B-R-O-K-E-N : Goader:

" (Goader) just spent an entire year under investigation for a single incident, which in comparison to the repeated behavior of an administrator with a foot fetish amounted to nothing."

Then there are these nagging media reports that are the sole reason for the HCPS bad reputation. If they could only identify who writes these messages of anger and misinformation, every thing would be fine within the great Emerald City:


Administrator at Tampa's King High 'popped' students' toes for poor grades - St. Petersburg Times:

"Cody from TampaJul 25th, 2009 12:09 PM

There are more kids involved that were discovered AFTER the investigation and they are not included in this report! Ask the students!!

There must be some criteria the Professional Standards Office uses to decide when look and when to overlook. Is there a Plan T for teachers and a Plan A for administrators? According to this toe-tapping article and the one in the Tampa Tribune, it appears that Professional Standards only engages in Professional Standard action if there is a dispute about the facts:

King High assistant principal told to stop popping students' toes:

"School board officials did not investigate the matter because there was no dispute of the facts."

We are left to wonder what would have happened to King High students if they had said that the AP had not popped their toes even though he said he did.

I assume that there was no dispute about the definition of Partialism -

or

The Lance: Past the Pages: "Therefore, foot fetishism may be considered to be a taboo or dark fetish, however, modern evidence shows that it exists on a continuum and that it is much more common than people realize. Whether you love to buy shoes, or you think feet are sexy, foot fetishism has its place in modern sexuality and it seems to be much less atypical than originally thought. However, if foot fetishism is interrupting your daily life or sexual functioning, then you should talk to the doctor to get referred for a psychiatric assessment and future diagnosing to get the help you need."

What Else Does A Bully Have After The Image Fails?

I will do what the PRO on HCPS does - connect the dots for those who do not see the picture.

The dots are within mine and the local blogs. Just connect them.

Earlier, I posted some comments about the situation at Middleton High School.

According to the article from the media, the Hillsborough County Public School's Superintendent was apparently trying to bully the local media to write more positive reports.

What if the local media does not kowtow to the Superintendent's inference that Middleton's problems are due to the media.

In other words, what if the local media is not bullied?


What does a bully have once their obfuscation is called?

What does a bully have once their claim to professionalism is seen as simply charlatan behavior?


What does a bully have once their claim that they know best doesn't work?

Bullying comes at us everyday.


I personally have been bullied. The day after I wrote a letter of complaint to the HCPS, I was threatened with trespassing on a public school property where my child was enrolled. I did the same behavior that I had done before, but suddenly, I was threatened. I was advocating for my son. I have had the finger of authority in my face. I didn't like it then, and I don't like it now.

Arrogance with ignorance. What does a bully have other than an image?

The videos that Goader provides speaks loudly. I suggest you listen to them last to first.


Bullying Is Not Kidding Around : Goader

Once Again, Image Is Everything

If I lived in the Middleton area and had a kid in that school, I can only imagine how I would feel.

I have often written about how I think the school systems see image as a factor to be manipulated, not as a factor derived from reality or substance.

It is my understanding that Middleton has had several D ratings already, so they can't say this one is an isolated incident.

I was under the impression that several D ratings would sort of signify a poor reputation, independent of media reports. If fact, the negative media coverage would seem to be derived from the reality or substance of the several D ratings. Apparently, this year's D rating has a lot more positive with it.

If we can get the media to write a lot of good articles, we could submit them next year to the state. I never realized how much influence the local media has on the state grade.

Apparently, the Middleton community just needs to learn to trust. What else could it be?

Trust that the money is well spent.

Trust that there is some substance to the fact that the number of students enrolled in at least one AP class has tripled. Once again, I point out that the system deals with numbers, not people. Parents that care usually care about their child, not statistics. Spitting out numbers to parents concerned about their kid has a way of seeming to be dismissive. How callous would it seem if a hospital touted their low death rate to a family whose kid just died?


It appears a few people blame the students, the parents and even the culture of the community. Is this a fact, or are they guessing or hoping? There must be a slew of sociologists involved in this endeavor. A million dollars is a lot of money to just be throwing up against the wall of education just to hope it sticks.




Middleton group urges improvement:

"Middleton received another D rating from state officials this year, landing it on the list of schools at risk of state intervention. The only other school on that list this year is in Miami.


Elia spelled out the situation in two broad strokes: things are better at Middleton than many people know; the school's poor reputation is a result of negative media coverage.
'They don't want you to see the positive,' Elia said of the media."

SCHOOL POSITIVES

Hillsborough schools Superintendent MaryEllen Elia said Middleton High School is doing better than its portrayal in the media suggests. Among the positives she highlighted Saturday:

•The school district has spent more than $1 million at Middleton on new staff and training for current teachers aimed at improving students' performance.

•The number of students taking at least one Advanced Placement class has nearly tripled in the past three years.

•The number of students referred for disciplinary action has dropped 60 percent in the past three years. The school's population fell by 37 percent in the same period.

•Students have won recognition for activities from Japanese language classes to math to rocketry

Can Anyone Refute This?

What about Ziggy and Antigrammargrich?

You guys seem to have a more realistic view of the system. What do you think>



Florida & Tampa Bay schools blog - The Gradebook:

"

The problem with public education is most people in society are ignorant or don't care as apathy is rampant. This leads to poor quality politicians who just want to milk the system for their own benefit to easily win re-election.
Most Americans believe what they read or see on TV.
Unfortunately, most educators are lemmings and sheep which is the reason why we're in the shape we're in.
Face the facts, the districts lie to protect the hierarchy. If more teachers were in tune with what's going on or had a backbone they'd never get away with it.
Posted by: terminator | July 18, 2009 at 05:28 PM"