Hear Ye, Hear Ye! School Officials Do Not Have To Act Wisely!!!!!!

Do you're own reading comprehension.


Sotomayor Ruled in "D-Bag Case" | NBC Connecticut:

"However, the judges decided they were not called upon to determine if school officials acted wisely."

There are a few of us who try to understand the "culture of ignorance with arrogance" of public school systems.

There may be a reason for it, and it may very well be more entrenched, soon.


Anytime a school official tells you that their hands were tied by policy, re-read the above link.

My Own Memory

My father is buried in the Arlington National Cemetery.

I am getting to the age where the vicissitudes of life have mitigated my feelings towards him as a father and have changed into my respect of what he was to himself.

He was a "Full Bird Colonel" and "a mean son-of-a-bitch" by his own description. His favorite introduction quip was "I'm Colonel Hancock, who the hell are you?"

I understood the character of Colonel Jessup in A Few Good Men.

As a son, it is difficult to measure up. I could list the number of accolades I have in my life, but it never mattered to him.

Men like him have protected the rest of us from our own passivity and nuances.

Men like him have provided a moral compass from which we can deviate from.

Men like him are willing to carry the banner up front, and damn the torpedoes.

Men like him are arrogant, cavalier and really don't give a shit if you disagree.

At a high school baseball game in the late 60's, I saw him knock the hat off of a man who did not remove it for the Pledge of Allegiance.

I heard him call the President's office after something happened during the Cuba missile crisis and gave his advice on what to do.

Life for him was a mental and physical war with anyone and everyone. I understand full well the song by Garth Brooks, The Night I Called The Old Man Out.


It has taken me 55 years to get to this point to admit that I have a memory.

Maybe A Judge Can Forgive Smoting

I created this post the other day regarding a judge who praised a school board attorney for breaking the law. The facts of the case were not disputed.
Today, (hat tip to The Gradebook), we find this under "Rules Are Rules":



Hillsborough schools must stop employees from undermining secular calendar - St. Petersburg Times:

Sue Carlton writes:

"Not to mention the whole separation of church and state thing."

"This time around, however, school officials need to affirmatively take those aforementioned steps to keep their decision from being undermined from within.

They need to have zero tolerance for the wink-and-nod and outright sabotage, with a clear message from the top that this will be an orderly, ordinary school day like any other.

And no one gets to smote."

In the case of the school board attorney not following the rules, the attorney had undermined the Florida laws regarding public records request. The judge appears to have given a "wink and a nod" while handing out a wrist slap.


From Ms. Carlton's perspective, I will assume that "undermining" comes under that "seperation of church and state thing", also.

Privileged Protection

Trusting people may end up finding little comfort in that Florida's Attorney General is a strong supporter of the open government laws of Florida, as seen below.


Lee Drury De Cesare's Casting-Room Couch:

....."I would note, however, that the Attorney General's Office is a strong supporter of the open government laws of this state and has urged greater transparency by governmental entities.".........

",,,,,,,you may be able to obtain the information regarding the superintendent's recommendations prior to that time under the Public Records Law, Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. ........."

One reason that this comfort may be an illusion is seen here:



Polk Schools Lawyer Broke Law On Records | theledger.com | The Ledger | Lakeland, FL:

"Polk Schools Lawyer Broke Law On Records
Wes Bridges pleads no-contest in failure to release information."

Polk Public Records: Ignoring Law Is 'Admirable'? | theledger.com | The Ledger | Lakeland, FL:

"$50,000 IN LEGAL FEES FOR TAXPAYERS"



"But in an astonishing comment during the sentencing hearing, Judge Kirkland characterized Bridges' defying the law as 'admirable' because Bridges disagreed with it. What kind of comment is that by a judge sworn to uphold the law?"

"Or maybe it's no big deal - especially if he's fortunate enough to land before a misguided judge who decrees that it is "admirable" to disobey a law because someone disagrees with it."

It is my understanding that Mr. Bridges worked for the Pinellas County school system in the past. For a complete history of these events, go here.

For those of you who have never been caught up in having to deal with a public school system, it is difficult to fathom how difficult it can be. So, while many professionals within the system are doing their job well, the public trust is being undone by actions outside of the classroom.

Wouldn't it be odd to hear a judge say that it is admirable for students and parents to disobey a law because they didn't like it? I won't hold my breath waiting for it.

The PRO Attempt At Emulsification

Emulsify: to convert two or more immiscible liquids into an emulsion.

Immiscible: not miscible; incapable of being mixed.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How long will it be before my blog links on the right will say "Gone - Hills Board?"

Hills Board: Has The Beginning of the End Begun?


One way to ensure that incidents remain isolated is to stop communication. Back in the day, when I became involved in many different venues within the special education system within the Hillsborough County Public Schools, I learned that "incidents" were repeated everyday. I learned then that the only reason the public bought into the spin that District-defended "incidents" were isolated was because no one could connect the dots. I learned not to except the premise simply because "they" were the ones that defined the premise. A story is a story.

I have heard that politics makes strange bedfellows. It appears that the Hills Board and Goader Online have found themselves in the same bed, metaphorically speaking of course. They are at least blanketed by the same covers.

I would urge all of those involved to convert the immiscible parts of politics, and even grammar, into an emulsion of understanding of a greater concern. All of the individual concerns of education, including tenure, test scores, pay scales, teacher retention and recruitment, etc, are effected by the amount of isolationism by our public education system.

When Goader, Hills Board, and Lee, see here, are on the same team, you have to wonder about who is naming the team.

The PRO Is Validated Again

Frequent readers would know that I hackney the point that school systems have a well rehearsed response to problems: "First you blame the kid, then you blame the parent".

Thanks to The Gradebook, here is a link that shows I didn't just make this stuff up.

In fact, this article even adds a poignant sentence: "The pointed fingers rarely become helping hands."

I wonder why the author didn't mention that every time there is a problem, it is an "isolated incident."



Program helps struggling parents find a better way - St. Petersburg Times:

"You hear it every time, after every story about struggling students or struggling schools.
It's the parents' fault.
The pointed fingers rarely become helping hands. But some social workers and educators think there is a way to help parents."

Upcoming Hillsborough School Board Recognition (?)

Trust.

Trust?

I have a dream. Visualize that dream with me. The Hillsborough County Public Schools' Board will have a recognition night for the Coach and the Assistant Principal that acted professionally in outing the recent rape at Walker Middle School. This pomp and circumstance will encourage others to come forward when situations necessitate pro-active actions.


The local print media is once again fanning the fires of anger and ugliness, and perhaps misinformation. Click on any of the Tampa Tribune or St. Pete Times articles and read the public comments.

So far, it is clear that all of the students and parents involved in this Walker Middle School rape are to blame because they did not tell any one of what was going on, for over two months.

One thing we can be certain of is that parents just never get it right:

Attorney: Delayed penalties soften Florida bullying law#comments

Posted by ( samarmymom ) on 05/14/2009 at 02:08 pm.

"My son was bullied for years. I went to school and did everything a parent should do. But when that didn't work, I gave him permission to fight back. When he finally did, HE (my son) got kicked out of school and the parent of the bully threatened me. I am not a stand by parent, I am at school, as a volunteer and to support my kids activities."

In this Walker rape case, somehow we don't see the term "helicopter parent" being used. Middle school is where the system makes it clear that doting parents are not welcome and that coddled kids are no longer in elementary school. Middle school is time for tough love. Give an inch and students and parents will take a mile. Valid, reasonable concerns, if voiced, are lumped in with all of the invalid, unreasonable actions of the hoard of miscreants.

One article states that one reason the victim didn't tell of the ongoing abuse was because the victim knew that he would no longer get to play flag football. Can you appreciate the social-emotional toughness of a kid who is willing to endure social, emotional, and physical abuse so that he can simply belong and identify with a group? There he was, an island of independence, not depending on any adult around him, giving a clear message that he could handle it all.

This kid probably had the appearance of a pretty flower, probably quite similar to a columbine.

We can assume that there will be a learning curve from these recent events. What are the chances that what will be learned is to never, ever, ask students to write down what happened?

Unfortunately, we may have to wait a few years for the paralysis of the legal ramifications to end before we can benefit from the coach and assistant principal coming forward.

In the mean time, trust!

Real Paper- E-Mail - Verbal Only - Shoot

I see that Lee has run into a familar problem.


I hope Lee has a well organized filing system that is cross indexed. Return-receipts will be filed and cross indexed with diligence. She will need it to keep up with the system. Obfuscation will be an obstacle to overcome.

I wrote about this a long time ago.



PRO on HCPS: Elephants Have Good Memories:

"I know full well about the importance of a paper trail. Of equal importance is whether the trail is present or not present. Somewhere I wrote about how much power the entity has that controls the paper trail. Fabrication, fraudulent change and missing documentation is all part of the game. Somewhere I wrote about how important it is to make copies and make sure someone else has a copy, and everyone knows that someone else has that copy. It is called insurance."

[For those who mislabel my use of the word "shoot", here is where it came from:

"A variation on this version (played in the United States) involves a fourth count—"SHOOT"—before players throw their gesture.

Rock, represented by a clenched fist.
Paper, represented by an open hand, with the fingers connected.
Scissors, represented by the index and middle fingers extended and separated."

The Sound Of Silence May Be Cultivated

Dag nab it, I got it wrong one more time.


Saturday, I made a SWAG and got it wrong. Maybe. My experience told me that one way the District gets out of these types of messes is to simply have the problem-maker recant their story. So far from the media reports, that won't be necessary.

I get partial credit in the "first you blame the kid, then you blame the parent" subject area. The District spokesperson suggested on the first day that the kid didn't tell anyone of the two-month-old problem, and then the next day the second part was covered when the Superintendent made it clear that not even the parent knew.

That clears up any needed effort to defend and diffuse a "what did they know and when did they know it' defense scheme.

I still have a little wriggle room left to carry out a broad brush attack, weak that it may be, based on this:

Boy's silence disturbs Elia:

"Of the alleged victim's silence, Elia said: 'That is a problem. We have to figure out a way that our kids know that they have people that care about them. There is always somebody at the school that the kids will relate to. A particular teacher. A guidance counselor, it might be the custodian. The big issue is that the student didn't do this."

How many of us can recall what happens to a student, a parent or an employee who comes forward with a problem?

I am sure we all remember this one about a student, with a disability, which means questionable thought processes, who came forward with a truthful problem:

How many of you have witnessed the perseveration of an SLD kid? Try getting them to be quiet. It's called "manifestation of a disability!"

PRO on HCPS: Middleton Teacher Pleads Guilty:

"'Another Middleton student, a 15-year-old girl, was suspended as a gossip-monger after refusing to stop talking about rumors of an affair after telling a school official.'"

I am sure we all remember this about parents who came forward with a truthful problem:

Parents Critical Of Alafia Elementary Principal:

"Five parents told the School Board on Tuesday that the A-graded school in Valrico is 'a school in crisis' with poor morale and high teacher turnover....".

Or, was someone telling an untruth:

"Later, both Faliero and board member Candy Olson said "there is some validity" to the complaints."

And then there was this from teachers and last, but not least, an administrator, all who came forward.

This administrator who tried to come forward even had a surprising impact:
Hillsborough: Schools search may use wide net:

"Faliero said the lawsuit brought by former schools administrator Doug Erwin, which ended recently with a jury saying the school district had violated Erwin's right to free speech and whistle-blower protection, convinced her change is needed."

Word gets around in a small, small town, as Martina McBride would sing. Perhaps there is a culture of silence, because it is being cultivated.

Wagons HO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! . No Doubt.

Another isolated incident blown way out of perspective by the local media. Across the pond, how long will it be before Richard Danielson, Tom Marshall, John Martin and Dong-Phuong Nguyen, each of them Times' Staff Writers, will be called in and reprimanded for writing negative information about a government agency.

Deputies: Four teens raped another in Walker Middle School locker room - St. Petersburg Times

On the banks of the Hillsborough River, it is almost unconscionable that a local reporter by the name of Josh Poltilove has put his career on the line. There may be a reason that an unknown reporter gets this assignment over the reporters that usually cover the local government agency. Josh must be expendable. Marilyn knows better.

Students arrested in rape of boy: "TAMPA - For almost two months, four middle school students continually picked on a 13-year-old schoolmate."

How long will it be before the St. Pete Times and the Tampa Tribune will get a call for allowing the public to post misinformation, anger and ugliness? This type of uncontrolled, uncensored information does not promote the good will of the local government agency.

The wagons, no doubt, have circled. The records, no doubt, are being scrubbed. The real story, no doubt, is being scripted over the week-end. The fall person, if there needs to be one, no doubt, is being targeted. Public trust, no doubt, will be won at all cost.

"stephanie from tampaMay 8th, 2009 6:17 PM

I am a teacher in a Hillsborough public school and honestly, this news did not surprise me. Parents have no idea what goes on and when they do, they always try to cover for their child. I bet you admin. saw something like this was going to happen!"

claire from st. peteMay 8th, 2009 4:53 PM

if a civil suit is filed, due to sovereign immunity, the school bd. may only have to pay $100k on this one. i would recommend settling that lawsuit sooner rather than later, since you know it's coming...(and with good reason)

Reading "district speak" takes some training. Understanding that first, the student will be blamed and then, second, the parent, gives insight into interpreting the following statement:

Students arrested in rape of boy: "Hegarty said he didn't know whether the boy had reached out to teachers for help before this week."

If, indeed, the opening line is correct that the bullying went on for two months, then the student is certainly negligent for not having come forward in an assertive manner, as bullied victims are known to do. This bullied victim is probably well known as a frequent complainer. Perhaps the victim suffers from the "crying wolf" syndrome, so no one listened to him as he told people that he was being picked on. The parents, if involved, and if they had notified the school that there was a problem, would also know not to go speak to the school board and make negative statements about any administrator. Good parents understand the grievance procedure. Good parents know to trust the system.

I can also see why this politician has a target on her, even within the wagon train:

Students arrested in rape of boy:

"School board member April Griffin wants a thorough investigation.
'I'd like to know more about the bullying situation and find out how long that was taking place,' she said.
'I was absolutely sickened when I first heard about it. I have two teenage boys myself and, as a parent more than anything else, I can't even imagine.'"

Statements like that are but a mis-step in the lock-step of the system. A loose wagon, so to speak, that needs more indoctrination training.

Who wants to bet that this victim just made the whole story up? It was just a dream. Doesn't Kansas still have wagon trains?

Just Follow The Money

Problem 1: Us Against Them : Goader Online#respond: "It takes both teachers and administrators to propagate an us against them attitude."


Maybe the reason Administrator's don't like teachers is because the teacher's get more money (as a unit).

Just follow the links, and you will see how money is an important issue between administrators and teachers. Is it reciprocated?

"A comment was also made that teacher salaries seem to be catching up to those of administrators, and it was agreed that with all additional supplements teachers can earn, this is becoming a reality. It will be brought up to the salary study committee."


Roundtable topics were discussed. Included were: (1) The truth about rumors regarding administrators returning after retirement and receiving credit for years of service. Administrators want to be treated at least as well at teachers on this issue;


(2) Problems with recruitment for high school level administrators because of narrow salary differentiation. What happened to the cross training that was begun years ago?

· 1% teacher raises costs $6 million. $900,000 for 1% for administrators. $8.5 million for 1% for everyone.
· Administrators are traditionally last to receive raises, depending on what is left.

Question: What would be the cost of eliminating bottom level and adding a level at the top, widening the gap
between teachers and administrators? When teachers receive a higher percentage than administrators, it narrows the salary gap. However, pretty much the increases over the past 6-7 years has been fairly equal until last year. Salary steps for administrators were 2.25% when everyone else’s were 2%. In 2001, salary schedule
was collapsed from the bottom, with varying numbers of levels being cut from various position categories. This elevated starting salaries for employees in those positions. Always will have the circumstance that someone will be promoted over someone else (overlapping or jumping). Committee that studied determined
that experience has to count for something, and it became a basis of placement on the salary schedule.
Question: The gap between administrators and teachers: Is it determined by differentiated salaries or base salaries? Highest paid teachers and newest administrators will have a small gap. Not a great deal of profit to go from teacher to AP. Only a 3% increase. But you also get additional time (hours per day), extra days and some summer time. Future promotions to principal is where the gap widens."

Maybe the chasm between administrators and teachers is because the administrators have to overcome "public perception".

Question: Public perception regarding administrator raises has been a concern. If we go to differentiated pay, with raises based on ESE, critical shortage areas, etc., can additional dollars go to administrators? When we negotiate salaries, they are BASE salaries. Anything else has to be negotiated separately.

Donating Advanced Placement Bonus Money Seems To Be A Statewide Trend

In 2007, we read about this noble act:

(Superintendent Joseph Wise)

" He responded to criticism of the AP initiative recently by promising to donate his incentive pay to the Alliance for World Class Education.

The superintendent has come under fire for his close ties with the College Board, which included company-paid travel to sponsored events. The superintendent says his affiliation with the company is in keeping with his philosophy of preparing students for success in college. Wise said recently he will discontinue the practice.

But he isn't the only superintendent pushing for higher AP enrollment. Broward and Miami-Dade schools in Florida have also experienced similar increases.

Obviously, not a comprehensive report.

Did he donate all of his AP bonuses, even though he is being sent on his way out?:
Jacksonville.com: Metro: Duval County Superintendent Special Meeting Blog:

"This is money Wise has been due since this summer, when it became clear he met two of nine performance goals in his contract. He is owed $4,000 for drastically increasing Advanced Placement enrollment"

Who would have thought that there is money tied to having more students in Advanced Placement classes?

Guidelines - Myths? Unwritten Policies? Veiled Coercion?

I have read the "School Board Meeting Guidelines" as currently posted on the HCPS website.


Guidelines


What I don't read is that a speaker to the Board may not use a proper name if they are complaining about an administrator. Perhaps these guidelines have changed over the years.


In the Hillsborough Association of School Administrator's minutes of May, 2006, it clearly states:

"Speakers at Board meetings are not allowed to use proper names if they have complaints against administrators."

Untouchable?

Along with the word "complaint", also in the minutes are the words "slander",
"grievance" and "derogatory". One must wonder if these words are seen as synonymous, or are they considered "disorderly behavior, personal attacks or disruptive conduct" as defined in the Board meeting guidelines.


How are these beliefs cultured? We have publicly seen how they were enforced under the previous Board chair. Apparently the ethnocentrism of the system is so entrenched in those that have been "properly" trained that any type of public display of discontent is intolerable. Against administrators.

Ignorant speakers to the Board may not be able to discern that it is okay to complain about teachers, but not administrators. Following this mindset, derogatory comments from the Board can be directed to teachers and parents, but not administrators.

There is evidence that efforts are being made to address this problem with increased dexterity. The group that represents the administrators have correctly identified a conscious effort of speakers to the board to "circumvent" the grievance procedure. The most recent concern broadens the scope of the issue to include the word "malign". There may be some increasing angst amongst these gatekeepers because the anticipated full scale stoppage of these acts has been put on hold while the Board's attorney, the Superintendent and the Board Chair pursue this issue. For the present, the Board's legal advice appears to be that a speaker to the Board can use their allotted three minutes "however the speaker wishes, according to Federal law".

Drat.

April Came And Went - How Is Alafia Elementary?

Within the hundreds of public comments associated with the Alafia Elementary debacle, I am 99% certain that one public commenter predicted that by April, the parents at Alafia would be chewing up the new principal just like they did the previous one. The implication seemed to be that parents are unreasonable in their expectations of their local education agency. The implication seemed to be that parents are simply a pain in the ass, by definition. The implication seemed to be that the public does not understand that the professionals within HCPS are infallible. If my recollection is correct, the HCPS Superintendent, in December, brought public attention to her premise that there was a lot of misinformation, anger and ugliness coming from the complainers. What the public never got a clear picture of is what went wrong over the many months prior.

In performing an autopsy of the Alafia Debacle, there are a few observations to be made. First, the timeline of the problems at Alafia seemed to have started at least a year or two before the complaints were aired at the Board meeting for all of the world to see. Second, the names of the key administrative players involved over this long period of time were well connected within HASA, at least as far back as December 2003.


As Goader has conceptualized in Acknowledging Problems Exist : Goader Online, the apparent emphasis from the administration during the Alafia debacle was not how to solve the problem, rather it was on how to silence the uproar. The focus was on killing the messengers, so to speak, instead of dealing with the message.

In November of 2004, the HASA’s "top three priorities for the year" were:

(1) the 1.6% multiplier be increased to 2.0%, (2) DROP more equitable
for administrators, and (3) increase the supplement for retiree’s health plan.

I am sure somewhere within the focus of HASA, there is some concern for what goes on in a classroom. However, the focus in December of 2008 was how to stop parents from speaking to the board about their concerns about their principal. The fact that there seemed to be several disgruntled employees involved that had also been complaining for a long time did not help the attempt to isolate and discount those "insubordinate" parents.

Joe South may have captured what goes on within the different factions that make up the bureaucracy of the Hillsborough County Public School system when South sang this phrase: "and they while away their hours, in their ivory towers". The implication of that prose is the occurrence of social isolation. To maintain that isolation, the gates must be kept, and they must be kept closed. The fact that the tower was built on the backs of the public and the butts in the classroom seats has long been forgotten.

Ethnocentrism - Hillsborough Association of School Administrators

Duh! As soon as I read Goader's recent post, ideas started hitting the fan. I have a degree in Sociology, but also have a background in Psychology and Anthropology. Keep in mind that my dedication to these doctrines is not of a professional manner.

However, as I read Acknowledging Problems Exist : Goader Online, this thought came to mind:

ethnocentrism - : ": characterized by or based on the attitude that one's own group is superior".


I have spent almost 20 years trying to figure out what I have described as a "cancer" within the Hillsborough County Public Schools. I reject and rebuke that I make "broad brush attacks", rather, I contend that I have tried to draw attention to a phenomenon of how parents are, by pre-conceived strategies, discounted and left irrelevant in their desire to advocate for their child.

Frequent readers would also note that I reject and rebuke that I, as a parent that challenged the HCPS system, am an isolated incident.

Frequent readers would also note that I challenge the District's use of the accusation that one is an "isolated incident", and that this "statistic" is actually an incrimination of the system because they are the only one's that are keeping score.

My previous use of the words "arrogance with ignorance" is now to be replaced with the scientific use of the word "ethocentrism".

You read, you decide: "arrogance with ignorance" = "one's own group is superior".

Prove me wrong.