PRO on HCPS

Found Under "Retaliation" Label

2010-04-11T16:17:00.004-04:00

I see Lee is wanting to look at the Whitehead case that went to Federal court.

Here is the Final Order.

See how many times you can find how the District obfuscated, flat out lied and basically retaliated against the parents for advocating for their son. See how they dug themselves in deeper protecting one bad move after another.

The jury award was substantially reduced by the judge. Imagine that.

What is more interesting is to read the depositions given by the Board members, who repeated stated they knew nothing of the case, yet kept voting for it to be continued.

Wrightslaw - The Division of Administrative Hearings: "State of Florida
The Division of Administrative Hearings
Special Education Hearing
Andrew K. Whitehead, et.al, Petitioner,
v.
Hillsborough County Sch. Bd. Respondent.
No. 93-4021E"

Spare The Responsible Entities And Spoil The Child

2010-04-04T10:00:00.003-04:00

Goader writes:

We-The-People Know Best for Florida - Evanescent Commentary - Goader: "It’s as though the people representing us are deciding how they want to run Florida with little or no regard to what their constituents want."

I have attempted three or four comments on Goader's blog, but they aren't showing up, so I will comment here.

It seems like I read the Communist goals for America a long time ago, but a recent Tribune post brought my attention to them. Read them all, and see how many of them you think have already been accomplished, and how many are getting near.

The other day, I commented on Goader's blog how I thought that our government agencies, which includes schools, take over parenting instead of channeling parental responsibility.

Bad parent? The government makes it easy for them to shun their parental responsibility. Free food and free school lunch along with minimal housing payments go hand in hand with the latest electronic gadget for the whole family, and don't forget the latest shoes, rims, TV and lawn ornanment, be it urban or rural.

Bad parent? The system deals with the kid, not the parent. The system spends money on all types of resources chasing the kid, but doesn't have the money to get past no-returned phone calls and messages to the parent. The system spends huge amounts of money to provide food, clothing if needed, a full continuum of reproductive safeguards from prevention to elimination without parental notice. The system spends huge amounts of money on juvenile justice from pick-any-name suspension to serious threats of if-you-do-this-one-more-time you are going to really be in trouble.

I frequently use the caveat that when a problem rests with the proper person, the problem will be dealt with properly. Otherwise, the buck is passed more than a forest full of out-of-heat does and everybody can blame somebody as long as nobody makes anybody responsible.

Not surprisingly, the Communist goals cover it:

Communist Goals (1963): "40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.
41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents."

Perhaps an answer to Goaders question du jour can be found here:

Communist Goals (1963):

"32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc."

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

Public School Systems Live By The Numbers

2010-04-03T13:07:00.001-04:00

It has been a while since I have mocked the numbers that school systems use to justify their existence and importance. Just check out the label "numbers."

Ms. Sherri Akerman from The Tribune dutifully reports a number provided by our local education agency as the headline of her report. As I was reading the public comments, I started to wonder what type of number all involved were really smoking.

42% absentee rate reported in Hillsborough schools today:

My averaged number crunch based on reported absentee rate by others: 72.5%

Roll your own:

Beth Hamaker , Steinbrenner - her son told her no more than 250 of 1,100 students reported for class - 77.27%

Posted by (jmk22) on 04/02/2010 at 03:32 pm. - 55%

Posted by (silver_springs77) on 04/02/2010 at 04:21 pm.: "I only had a total of about 3-5 students in any one of my classes" ?%

Posted by (mrtdm1) on 04/02/2010 at 04:50 pm. "My Grand daughter is in the IB program at Hillsborough. She said she had at the most 5 to 10 kids in her classes. One homeroom had 1 child show." ?%

Posted by (wanna) on 04/02/2010 at 07:38 pm. :"I know at the high school today where I subbed - it had 235 out of 1610 students" 85.40%

(historyteacher) on 04/02/2010 at 07:42 pm.: "To those comments who suggest that it should have been a normal day for students in the classroom I would like to add that I wish it could have been too, but when you have three students in a class normally of 24 you are really left with no option. " 87.5%

(historyteacher) on 04/02/2010 at 07:42 pm.: "My school had over 50% of students stay home." 50%+

Posted by (Gigi1182) on 04/02/2010 at 07:43 pm.: "Freedom High school's enrollment is 1900. 400 of them showed up today." 78.95%

Posted by (unvme) on 04/02/2010 at 07:46 pm.: "I am a teacher in Hillsborough county and while my attendance was between 4 and 9 students per class,.." ?%

Making the PRO looking like he understands the game: "Posted by (pvmichaels) on 04/02/2010 at 08:31 pm.

The 42% is totally wrong! We, at my school, didn't take attendance the normal way (which is by the computer). I think some students weren't counted as being absent to make the number of students at school look better!"

Posted by (hiphugger67) on 04/02/2010 at 08:42 pm. "I went into school for 1st period... where there were 3 other kids in my class. I had 2 teachers come into my classroom, one of which had 1 student present, and the other who had no students present. That's not 42%!" ?% and 100% (absent)

Posted by (historyteacher) on 04/02/2010 at 09:01 pm.: "To janeyouignorantslot - I believe you assumed that I did not teach today - In fact I along with my students (35/121).. " 71.07%

Posted by (reptaddict) on 04/02/2010 at 10:10 pm.: "One last comment. I visited my son's high school today. The absentee rate had to be at least 75%, and that's being generous. It may very well have been worse."

Leave It To An ESE Teacher To Conceptualize The Nuts (Poker Reference, for you sex-first thinkers)

2010-04-01T21:54:00.001-04:00

I try to connect the dots.

Goader has this post:Reprint: Bonus (Performance) Pay – Shmonus Pay « Goader: "Basing a teacher’s bonus pay on a group of students’ standardized test scores, makes as much sense as basing the bonus pay of a basketball shoe salesman on how many points are scored by players wearing his shoes in a particular game."

Someone who claims to be an ESE teacher named Jenny Myers has this comment over on The Gradebook: Florida & Tampa Bay schools blog - The Gradebook#comments: "I know a better plan....tell the parents that they can not get food stamps, government subsidizes housing, or free lunch for their children unless they master FCAT THEN you might have the support of us teachers!!!
Posted by: Jenny Myers- ESE Teacher | April 01, 2010 at 04:37 PM"

I can see the dots. Just trying to connect them.

To see the dots, one must remove themselves from "the forest" in order to see "the trees." Goader and I first "met" over a Tribune article in which he staunchly defended "teachers" over a comment that I had made that "attacked" "'teachers as part of the system'". It took a couple of years before we met face to face, which has only been once. We have verbally jousted throughout the years of blogging. I have said before that Goader was the impetus for me to learn blogging, as I wanted to "get into the ring of ideas."

This post from Goader got my attention: Bad-Mouthing Teachers and Unintended Consequences « Goader: "Rather than include teachers in a larger group of administrators, parents, and students, the rallying cry of our time is, “it’s the teachers’ fault.”"

What I find noteworthy, after several readings, is that Goader, in defending teachers, did not target another entity. He simply makes the point of why not include everyone. How many of us can say that we defend our position by not attacking or blaming "someone else?" Think about it.

How many of us "represent!!!!" at all costs, which includes no introspection?

What I find noteworthy is that Jenny ties responsibility and accountability together between parents, teachers and students.

When push comes to shove between "teachers and parents", I will push and shove like hell to represent parents. Just as teachers know how "bad" (generalization)parents can be (towards the system), I know how "bad" (generalization) teachers can be (as part of the system). However, to address the real problems within our education system, we must recognize what is real "throughout the forest."

In my response to Goader's post, I spoke to how many government agencies take over the responsibility of parenting, as opposed to teaching or training for accountability of parenting.

School systems, either by choice or coercion, take on many responsibilities of parenting. I think I can provide links to where the Hillsborough County School Board members have promoted providing food, clothes, transportation and sex behavior training. Apparently, if parents don't do their job, then the government agency takes it over. What kind of message is that to our students?

I submit that what is wrong with our public education system is a reflection on how responsibility and accountability is treated by the whole group of people who vote, or don't vote, in America.

The Hair Of The Dog

2010-03-28T11:38:00.002-04:00

Joel Chandler has started a new blog named FOGWatch. Florida Open Government Watch.

What has intrigued me about the stories that Joel has shared regarding public records requests is how similar his experience has been to that of those who try to advocate for children with disabilities. You would have to read all of his posts on IAmTroublemaker and read all of the links that give first hand information how some public school officials disregard some of the laws that they are supposed to enforce to see what I am talking about.

Today, Joel has a blog post titled "Hair Trigger". Apparently, he has been accused of "filing law suits" at the drop of a dime, or maybe it it is at the drop of $23.50.

This accusation resonates with me because, in the past, I also have been accused of "always filing lawsuits" and belonging to an organization that "all they do is file lawsuits." Those people make false accusations because they are ignorant of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)and the procedural safeguards that are written into the regulations. "State Complaints" are not "lawsuits."

Similar to what Joel speaks directly to below, IDEA also has a provision that attorney fees can be awarded to a parent that brings a due process suit against a local education agency and "wins." Similar to what Joel speaks directly to below, in order to "win" your attorney fees, you must "file a lawsuit." If a parent goes to an attorney because there is a problem with the Individualized Education Plan (IEP), the parent is going to have to pay this lawyer. Up until the point that the parent actually wins the due process, they are paying on their own. Despite how "wrong" a school district is, they, the school systems, are not faced with having this additional cost of keeping their position. Most parents are pretty vocal about their anger towards school systems, and will inadvertently let the District know that they have finally had enough and are "going to sue", at which point the District can concede some point, which starts the process over again. In the mean time, the parent is paying out of pocket attempting to obtain what should be a "free and appropriate public education."

Parents and attorneys that have years of experience see that school systems treat parents and attorneys as suckers because no one likes to "file a lawsuit" at the drop of the dime, or is it the split of a hair?

The reason I choose to say that school systems treat parents and attorneys as suckers is found in Joel's very last sentence below: "the requester foots the bill for making the custodian do what they should have done in the first place."

Hair Trigger: "It may seem to the uninitiated that we have a bit of a hair trigger when it comes to public records litigation. After all, over the past couple of years we’ve filed an average of one public records lawsuit every other month.

Here’s the logic for our willingness to file lawsuits:

•Under Florida law, requesters who have been denied access to non-exempt records have no real recourse except to ask the courts to intervene.

•Under Florida law, requesters that take legal action against the custodian of a public record that violates FS 119, are entitled to legal fees and expenses if the case is settled in favor of public access.

•Under Florida law, financial liability does not attach to the custodian until a lawsuit has been filed.

•Under Florida law, if a requester hires an attorney to try and cajole the custodian of a public record to obey the law and the custodian complies before a suit is filed, the requester is left holding the bag for the legal expenses. This happens far too often. A private citizen seeks access to non-exempt records; the custodian of the records denies access; the requester hires an attorney to compel access; just before a lawsuit is filed the custodian complies with the law; the requester foots the bill for making the custodian do what they should have done in the first place."

Citizens Have To Be Brave To Be Free - Public Agencies Just Have To Be Brazen And Not Follow Their Own Laws

2010-03-27T11:13:00.004-04:00

The law says we, the citizens, have the burden:

The Rationale: "•According to the Governor’s Commission On Open Government Reform “In practice, the burden of enforcing violations of Florida’s open meetings and public records laws generally falls to citizens who have few alternatives other than seeking an injunction or filing suit in civil court to compel compliance.”"

Who watches us, the citizens, when we follow the law?

Joel Chandler writes:

Email to Gerald Bailey, Commissioner of the FDLE Regarding Suspected Abuse of FCIC/NCIC: ......."During our conversation I explained to Mr. Taveras that the ZPD inquiries of me in response to a public records request were not isolated events. Over the past eighteen months or so FCIC/NCIC has been accessed at least forty-three times by multiple agencies in order to run queries of my name. When the date and time stamps of those queries are compared to news reports about my public records advocacy and the public records requests a disturbing nexus becomes obvious. Of course, during this period of time I have not been the subject of a traffic stop or any other actual criminal investigation."

And then, there are those who watch from afar:

Everyone Is Welcome to Visit www.FOGWatch.org: "Here are some of our governmental visitors:

United States Senate, US Department of Homeland Security, US Department of Energy, the National Security Agency (NSA), US Army Intelligence, US Naval Intelligence, Florida Department of Children and Families, City of New Port Richey, City of Zephyrhills, Broward County Public Schools, Florida Department of Health, City of Lakeland, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, and of course one of our most frequent visitors, the Zephyrhills Police Department."

Public Schools Are Part Of The System

2010-03-27T10:51:00.000-04:00

Transparency is a word that seems to have fallen into the world of political obfuscation.

It is coming more and more obvious to me that the only entity that can, or will, create transparency and accountability of our public agencies.

Public agencies fight being transparent and accountable. Shutting up the public is one way they do it. They use some ingenious and strong acts to insure that the public shuts up.

The scary part is, our leaders of our public agencies abuse their power and authority when they don't like what citizens do, even when the citizens are doing exactly what our leaders of our public agencies should be knowledgeable of and supportive of.

Read this link, and make sure you read the link at the bottom where the Police Captain makes a report because the citizen received information that the Police Captain's agency freely gave the citizen after the agency refused to respond the a public records request.

For those who have ever had to deal with a public school system, this story seems all so real.

Captain Robert McKinney

Learn This: "Does It Matter?"

2010-03-02T19:37:00.003-05:00

I don't know Joel Chandler, but I have written about him before. I haven't checked his website for a while, but for some reason I decided to check it yesterday. He hasn't posted anything for months, but he is back at it again.

One aspect of what Joel writes about resonates with me because of how some people within the Hillsborough County District Schools treated me over the years. If you read the recent set of Joel's blog entries, you will note that he tries to bring to light the issue of how at a least a few of those in power positions such as those who work in law enforcement and school systems seem to disrepect the laws and the citizens that they are supposed to be serving.

My understanding of what he writes is that he does not make a blanket condemnation of all of those who work within the system. However, the fact that the system seems to tolerate by rationalized reasons and lack of action those within the system that appear to be repeat offenders should give us cause to think that it matters.

What brought me to spend thousands of dollars and hours over a span of fifteen or more years of my life trying to advocate for my disabled child was being lied to and intimidated by those within the school system that had a cavalier attitude about the special education laws that they were supposed to be in compliance with.

I like the phrase that Joel uses when someone uses their position of assumed authority to ask questions that are aimed at intimidation more than fact finding. The question is, "Does it matter?".

Polk County Sheriff's Office Asks Odd Questions....:

"Within a couple of hours Public Information Officer Wood called to ask if I was a member of the media. I asked “Does it matter?” She replied “Yes, it does.” She went on to explain that many law enforcement records are exempt and that she needed to know if I was member of the press.

It is true that some LE records are exempt. The list is not as all encompassing as Ms. Wood was trying to make it sound.

I told her that I was making the request as a private citizen as provided by the Florida Constitution and FS 119. She again asked “Are you a member of the press? Are you a member of the print media or a news station in Tampa Bay?”

What possible difference would any of that make? The “Press” is not afforded some special set of public records privileges that the rest of us are not. To even ask seems inappropriate. I’m making a PRR because I can. That’s it. I’m not asking because I’m part of a group or because I make living in a certain way.

Public officials should not ask questions about the requester of a public record. They should do their job and produce the records. If that is too demanding then they should seek to change the law or find another line of work."

To see first hand how Joel asks this question, watch the video found here:"...free enough....": "'...free enough....'"

After reading the other recent blog post's by Joel, it does give one reason to question the very ones that are sworn to uphold the law, and their own policies.

We should all be asking "Does It Matter?"!!!

How School Systems Can Spy On Bloggers

2010-02-20T13:22:00.001-05:00

Maybe there are other ways to motivate school systems to get a computer to every desk.

Just think of the power and control that paranoid school administrators could maintain if they could track every word, and, which is what would be more important, be able to "verify" or "validate" the source of these words. Maintaining a strict learning environment without the distractions of negative ideas from students, parents, teachers and disenchanted administrators is paramount for those who see their world under attack.

Here is how one school system did it:

FBI Investigating School District Accused Of Secretly Activating Webcams Inside Students' Homes - cbs3.com: "Days after a student filed suit over the practice, Lower Merion officials acknowledged Friday that they remotely activated webcams 42 times in the past 14 months, but only to find missing student laptops. They insist they never did so to spy on students, as the student's family claimed in the federal lawsuit."

"The Pennsylvania case shows how even well-intentioned plans can go awry if officials fail to understand the technology and its potential consequences, privacy experts said. Compromising images from inside a student's bedroom could fall into the hands of rogue school staff or otherwise be spread across the Internet, they said.

"What about the (potential) abuse of power from higher ups, trying to find out more information about the head of the PTA?" wondered Ari Schwartz, vice president at the Center for Democracy and Technology. "If you don't think about the privacy and security consequences of using this kind of technology, you run into problems."

"Blake Robbins told CBS3 on Friday that a school official described him in his room and mistook a piece of candy for a pill.

"She described what I was doing," he said. "She said she thought I had pills and said she thought that I was selling drugs."

Robbins said he was holding a Mike and Ike candy, not pills.

Holly Robbins said a school official told her that she had a picture of Blake holding up what she thought were pills."

Thinking Of Exploiting My Disabled Kid

2010-02-20T11:55:00.004-05:00

The state fair will be gone soon, so it is too late for this year. But it will be back.

My 26 year old CHARGE son has taught me more than any one else has. At least, he has caused me to be taught by many more people than anyone else has.

So, he owes me.

I may have figured out how he can pay me.

Today, he and his mom were talking (sign language) and somehow the topic of birthdays came up. She came and asked me if my birthday, which is in June, is on a Saturday. I had to open up the little link on the bottom right hand of the computer screen, and after a minute or so of clicks, sure enough, I confirmed that my birthday is on a Saturday. So, we then proceeded to verify the weekdays of some more birthdays. Mom. Brother. Sister. Grandmother. Uncles. Aunts.

Not last year week days. The coming year birthdays.

He became interested in something else, so we quit asking, but there may be a gold mine in this.

We have always known that he has a Rainman kind of memory when it comes to dates. Now we see he seems to have an uncanny insight into future dates and the day of the date. Is it only for dates that he knows? Or, if given any date, can he tell us what the day of the week is, or was?

If this pans out, I can't wait to get one of those booths at the next Fair.

I am thinking of a script right now. "Step right up folks. See if you can stump the Wizard. A chance for you to win $100 by getting a ticket. Yes, folks, for this one time chance to win $100 for free, simply donate $5 to see this young man display his skills. Seeing is believing. If he misses the day, you win $100."

In the mean time, I will think about the school psychologist who told us my son had a 74 IQ. Something about standardized test scores protocol. Something about the psychologist being trained in assessing children and something about him being apologetic for the state of denial that my wife and I were in.

Maybe I could make money on pitting that school psychologist with another psychologist that said my son had "peaks" of intelligence in the 130's. I will be the first to admit that those must be some mighty sharp peaks, but I hear the view of the world is spectacular from those vantage points.

Defining the Meaning Of The Word "Cutting" When You are On The "Cutting" Edge

2010-02-20T10:28:00.007-05:00

I don't know what is going on, but it sure makes the buds on my red bud trees blossom when I am asked to comment on issues within the HCDS. Two requests in two weeks is quite interesting.

Someone asked me to comment on the statistical interpretations of numbers regarding the use of money that our beloved local district EFFECTIVELY puts into teaching behavior. For those who are in the know, there is a huge difference between what is put on District checklists and what really happens on a school site. For those who are in the know, bean counters and courts usually go by what the paperwork says, not what the people who live and work in the trenches report as the truth.

How many of you have heard that behavior problems keeps students and teachers from being effective?

For those who are in the know, there is a push towards teaching behavior.

For K-12, we have this:FLPBS Home

For Early Intervention, we have this: TACSEI

And it is right smack dab in the middle of Hillsborough County.

One would think that there would be more participation within the County, as opposed to counties that are further away. Yet, when one clicks on the link and looks at the data, Hillsborough as one school that is committed to learning how to teach behavior, compared to other districts which some have several.

It looks like Hugo Schmidt Elementary has been learning to teach behavior since 2004.

FLPBS Model Schools: "HillsboroughHugo Schmidt Elementary - Gold"

It looks like Egypt Lake gave up on learning how to teach behavior. They made the list in 2004-2005. If you click on the link "implementation comments", it looks like it was too much work. In other words, they must have cut out.

FLPBS Site Redesign: "Egypt Lake Elementary (Hillsborough)"

So, we are left with one elementary school in HCDS that is on the chart by the entity that is providing the service. A statistical significance to most honest people. Let's see, one out of x number of elementary schools. Then there is one of y number of total elementary, middle and high schools. Then there is one out of the 3rd(?) largest school district with the state of Florida.

I am willing to bet that a school spokesperson will say that every school in Hillsborough County is trained in teaching behavior.

District Check mark.

Learning to teach behavior effectively takes more than a six hour workshop.

Reality Check mark.

With all of the complaints that I hear about ESE student's behavior impeding access to everyone's curriculum, you would at least think that all of our schools with special ed "centers" (not that Hillsborough segregates students by ESE Labels) would have total buy in to learning how to teach behavior.

Hillsborough spokespeople will say that Hillsborough fully supports inclusion.

District Check mark.

There are countless numbers of classrooms across the School District of Hillsborough County that solely contain students that have a specific ESE label, and you cannot find a typical student in that classroom.

Reality Check mark.

The school system seems to believe that "including the ESE students" means that the ESE students get to eat in their own little area within the lunch room at the same time that the typical students roam around the lunch room, or the ESE students get their own little area next to the typical students during P.E. time. Furthermore, this wrong-minded concept is perpetuated by - wait for it- paperwork. Well, everyone knows that, right there on the LRE form (Least Restrictive Environment) is the little check boxes that say that the inclusion needs of the student with disabilities needs will be met through their 20-30 minutes of lunch plus another 20-30 minutes of P.E..

The wrong-minded paperwork is destructive to the intent of inclusion under IDEA. Try this out. A child labeled with Downs syndrome has this disability more than 30 minutes day. According to the paperwork, if a child has a need for specialized instruction due to their disability for more than 30 minutes (or is it 15?), then they are taken out to the resource room. If a child has a need for specialized instruction due to their disability for more than 60 minutes (or is it 45?), then they are placed in a class that is designed to meet the unique needs of the student.

Many years ago, I learned to say in IEP meetings that my son was and deaf and legally blind all at the same time, all day long. I learned to say that so the really smart school people would quit (hopefully) telling me that my son received his hearing services during one class period and his vision services during another class period. One teacher told us that she was a hearing impaired teacher and that "Vision takes care of his other problems." Those endearing people made me who I am today.

Here is one for you, and if you can't do it, just pass it forward. See if you can get an honest answer on how many Down's Syndrome children are fully included within the Hillsborough County District Schools?

Not District check mark included.

Really included.

Then answer this question. If a student is labeled Down's syndrome within Hillsborough County, are they automatically segregated out of typical classrooms for more than 30 minutes, or is it 15, a day?

Classrooms - not lunch rooms.

Classrooms. Not P.E..

This means one has to go out and look to see where the student really is. It does not mean ask your ESE department to tell you how many of your Down's sydrome students are "included."

Remember, bean counters and courts rely on paperwork, not the truth.

I know. I know. Cut that out.

Bus Drivers Can Compute The Stress Level Going Down

2010-02-20T08:54:00.004-05:00

Wi-Fi Turns Arizona Bus Ride Into a Rolling Study Hall - NYTimes.com: "Wi-Fi Turns Rowdy Bus Into Rolling Study Hall By SAM DILLON Published: February 11, 2010"

This school system seems to be matching their money with conventional wisdom as opposed to "we still do it the way we always did it" way. This school system appears to be willing to teach students vicariously by smartly manipulating the environment. This school system seems not to employ the "shut up and sit down" approach to dealing with student behavior problems.

School systems bitch and complain about student behavior problems. "Good Teachers" get accolades for "good classroom management", but when the classroom is at a loss for behavior that is conducive to learning, suddenly "behavior" is the sole responsibility of the student and their parent.

How many times have we heard that teachers/bus drivers are not "baby sitters?"

There is an interesting concept. Calling a adolescent or a teenager a "baby" tells a lot about the person doing the calling. And maybe there lies the problem. My experience tells me that calling a child a baby seldom advances the child. It may be a cathartic expression of my frustration of not knowing what else to do, but it doesn't help the child learn for tomorrow how not to repeat what went wrong today.

Hey, there is another interesting concept: "a cathartic expression of my frustration of not knowing what else to do."

I bet the bus drivers in the above school system, the one where they placed the Wi-Fi system, had said "I don't know what else to do", regarding the student behaviors.

"I don't know what else to do" is a red flare signal complete with an auditory alarm that tells me I had better bring in resources to figure out "what to do" or else I am failing my job.

Computers are where kids are at today.

Meeting the students where they are at is a hell of lot cheaper on the system than calling them babies, no matter how much authority and power you think you have.

Computing The Obvious

2010-02-14T16:22:00.002-05:00

My uncle was a sage. He had wisdom nurtured by attention and respect for reality of what he experienced.

Over thirty years ago, one of the many insightful concepts he told me was to do something that I enjoyed if I wanted to be successful.

I have heard that many times from successful people. My wife doesn't go to work. She goes to do what she loves to do. For those who are interested, ask around about what child care center in Hillsborough county is known for inclusion. With a track record of success.

Which brings me to a question du jour. What do kids enjoy today? Computers. Everyday.

What? Some kids don't have computers at home? You mean the same kids that don't have football uniforms at home? You mean the same kids that don't have text books at home? You mean the same kids that don't have hall passes at home? You mean the same kids that don't have cars at home? The same kids that don't have culinary tools at home? The same kids that don't have condoms at home?

Educational institutions bitch and complain about the competition they have to engage students. Educational institutions bitch and complain about the lack of buy-in that students, and parents, have with what the educational system offers. Educational institutions bitch and complain that kids spend too much time on computers. ???!!!!!!

Facebook. Computer. Twitter. Computer. You Tube. Computer. Direct link to kids. Computer.

Yet, the United States educational system continues to tell the public what is best for the public. The US educational system is as arrogant as the the US government. The arrogance has even made it to the point that the educational system and the government controls the climate. Or weather. WTF.

What do think would be the outcome if educational systems hooked up with what computers hook up with students with.

Nike supports quadratic formulas. Abercrombie supports sentence structure. Hollister supports geometry.

What did you say? Students have to learn the way we did to maintain the integrity of the education institution?

Here I am, an old man close to 60 years old who learned computer programming using punch cards. I learned BASIC and wrote a payroll program for my company back when I had a Radio Shack computer with a cassette tape storage system. And yet today, I operate a blog and have no clue how it is done. I don't have to prime the pump to get water. I don't have to walk up hill both ways to school, carry a hot potato to school and eat it cold for lunch. But I am engaged with a computer.

Education systems have plenty of money to engage students. Do they spend the money wisely? Compute that.

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

2009-11-15T18:29:00.002-05:00

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

2009-10-24T18:14:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-19T21:17:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-19T18:41:00.000-04:00

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

2009-10-18T12:21:00.003-04:00

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

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

2009-10-17T08:58:00.004-04:00

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

2009-10-14T20:44:00.007-04:00

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

2009-10-09T12:04:00.004-04:00

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!

2009-10-08T19:16:00.004-04:00

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

2009-10-02T22:59:00.002-04:00

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

2009-09-26T20:34:00.001-04:00

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?

2009-09-23T18:55:00.001-04:00

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

2009-09-22T10:28:00.000-04:00

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

2009-09-20T16:31:00.001-04:00

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

2009-09-20T09:28:00.000-04:00

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

2009-09-19T14:01:00.004-04:00

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")

2009-09-13T21:23:00.006-04:00

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

2009-09-07T12:14:00.002-04:00

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

2009-09-06T16:05:00.000-04:00

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

2009-09-05T08:49:00.001-04:00

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

2009-08-29T09:15:00.001-04:00

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

2009-08-23T07:49:00.002-04:00

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"

2009-08-19T16:01:00.001-04:00

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

2009-08-19T15:09:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-16T19:23:00.001-04:00

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?

2009-08-15T17:10:00.001-04:00

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.

2009-08-14T14:39:00.003-04:00

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

2009-08-14T07:47:00.003-04:00

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

2009-08-14T06:35:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-13T14:15:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-11T19:26:00.005-04:00

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

2009-08-09T15:37:00.000-04:00

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

2009-08-09T09:51:00.001-04:00

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

2009-08-09T08:47:00.001-04:00

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

2009-07-28T14:54:00.003-04:00

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

2009-07-26T13:01:00.002-04:00

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

2009-07-25T12:59:00.007-04:00

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?

2009-07-19T20:11:00.001-04:00

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

2009-07-19T12:06:00.000-04:00

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?

2009-07-18T22:17:00.000-04:00

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"

Looking Through Another Glass

2009-07-18T16:33:00.000-04:00

The links below sound inviting to me.

I don't know enough about any hidden agendas that may be behind this plan, so I am not saying I endorse it.

I am planning another IBEA post that deals with the word "trust".

How many of us trust the system after it wasn't "friendly or inviting?"

What about a whole community that finds the system not friendly or inviting, except in the terms of the linked-to author:

"The usual way schools try to get parents involved is by saying, “Come to us and we’ll teach you what to do.” That’s an educator’s natural response, but it can come off as lecturing or preaching. It can sound condescending."

My words for condescending are cavalier or arrogance with ignorance.

Think school systems will have this as a check-mark for parental engagement?

Florida & Tampa Bay schools blog - The Gradebook:

"Another group was just very intimidated. Maybe school hadn’t been a friendly or inviting environment for them."

IBEA - Part 5 - Behavior

2009-07-15T18:54:00.010-04:00

To paraphrase Don Henly, this is the one that started it all.

In my 5th series of exploring the need for a new federal funding program named the Individuals with Blackness Education Act (IBEA) which would be modeled after the Individuals with Disabilities Education ACT (IDEA), it was the subject of behavior that spawned the concept.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Do highly qualified or better yet, highly effective teachers avoid schools with a large populations of minority students?

Then, there were these statements:

Euclid said...
The more interesting question which the study did not seem to ask is:
Were the effective teachers in Charlotte/Mecklinburg compensated based on the performance of their students? If so then their departure may have been to avoid losing bonus money because of the expected poor performance of the minority students. Which clearly indicates that the promise of additional teacher compensation tied to student performance probably does not promote effective teaching. Even here in Florida we reward A schools with additional compensation which is usually distributed to the staff. However, the schools with large minority populations struggle to earn A's. The "top teacher flight" might be something that SDHC wants to look hard at as we proceed toward rewarding "effective teachers" with additional compensation a la the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Goader said...
I don’t think teachers leave or avoid schools because of race or school grades. They do so because of persistent incorrigible behavior problems.

Anonymous said...
Behavioral problems are a huge reason for most teachers! Those "bonuses" aren't a possibility for effective teachers whose students are constantly suspended or worse- those students that are allowed to continually disrupt classrooms. Administration is overwhelmed at these schools. Parents do NOT care in many instances!

Anonymous said...
Let me see if I have this correct? As an effective teacher I can work at a school with a positive environment and students that are more likely to meet the benchmarks that determine my bonuses, including AP, with fewer behavior problems, and get paid on the same scale as my counterpart that is banging their head against the wall everyday at an at-risk school. Did I mention the overabundance of meetings and trainings required at these "problem" schools? hhhmmm...NO THANKS!!

July 8, 2009 8:12 PM
Anonymous said...
Until students of all ethnicities and backgrounds come to school with appropriate attitudes and behavior, it will be so.

July 10, 2009 9:33 AM
Anonymous said...
OK-- I read the piece on D/schools that have heavy minority populations. Until the powers that be get it--that they can workshop/mentor teachers to insanity, change admin time and time again, build fabulous new building equipped with the newest tech, yet not work with parents and students in those schools--NOTHING will change.

*******************

Substitute the word "minority" for "students with disabilities".

Look at how behavior is addressed in the IDEA: Regulations: Part 300 / E / 300.530

Sec. 300.530 Authority of school personnel.

e) Manifestation determination.

(1) Within 10 school days of any decision to change the placement of a child with a disability because of a violation of a code of student conduct, the LEA, the parent, and relevant members of the child's IEP Team (as determined by the parent and the LEA) must review all relevant information in the student's file, including the child's IEP, any teacher observations, and any relevant information provided by the parents to determine--

(i) If the conduct in question was caused by, or had a direct and substantial relationship to, the child's disability; or

(ii) If the conduct in question was the direct result of the LEA's failure to implement the IEP.

Working backwards, we can throw out .530 e (ii) because no conduct in question is ever, I repeat ever, the direct result of the LEA's failure to implement the IEP.

That leaves us with with .530 e (i). We have all heard that there are double standards of behavior when it comes to students with disabilities. If you haven't heard any of these anecdotal stories, I can provide you with some. One concrete example that most should comprehend would be where two kids are running down the hall and a figure of authority, say an SRO, yells "Stop!". Both kids keep running. Now, not only can they be charged with disorderly conduct, they can be charged with non-compliance or disobeying an order, attempt to escape arrest or whatever. However, after the handcuffed kids have been hauled off to the local detention center, someone finally states that one of the two kids is deaf.

Oh, shit. Try overturning an administrative decision.

I actually witnessed a scene that had a lot of similarities to this tale. Since I was there, the results were a little tamer.

In my example, everything past the charge of running would and should be considered a manisfestation of the deaf kid's disability. Despite how pissed off the authority figure is that both kids openly and outrightly challenged their authority, it doesn't change the fact that the deaf kid could not hear the command. Consequences for running, assuming the deaf kid had the cognitive ability to understand that there is no running in the halls, would be appropriate as it would not be considered a manisfestation of his disabilty.

From the comments I have been reading (see previous series on IBEA) it appears that schools with high minorities have a high incidence of violations of code of conduct. From what I am gathering, the kids and the parents don't know how to behave or don't care, and the administration is afraid to back up the teacher's request for intervention of repeated and repeated and repeated violations of the code of student conduct.

Within IDEA, if the parent doesn't know how to deal with their kid, and how many do, guess what?

Regulations:
Part 300 / A / 300.34
(8)

(iii) Helping parents to acquire the necessary skills that will allow them to support the implementation of their child's IEP or IFSP.

Double Oh shit. According to 300.34 8 (iii), it's not PC to bash parents of kids with disabilities openly, and it looks like the school system has an affirmative action to help parents, even the parents who are told they are in denial, and they should leave the education to the professionals and especially those that are told that the professionals know more about the kid's disability than the parent.

Therefore, it seems reasonable me that the federal government needs to step in and develop the IBEA.

If it worked for overcoming the obstacles for families that had kids born with disabilities, it should work for families that had kids born with blackness.

IBEA - Part 4 - School Systems Have Been There - Done That

2009-07-14T17:35:00.003-04:00

My idea for the Individuals With Blackness Education Act (IBEA) follows the same thinking that public schools systems have toward the Individuals With Disabilities ACT (IDEA).

Check out the public comments on these two links.

Breakthrough-in-legal-dispute-over-black-students-in-pinellas

New Gibbs High principal vows to take the Pinellas school from an "F" to a "B" - St. Petersburg Times

Then, put on your comprehension hat and check out this link:
Over-Identification of Students of Color in Special Education:
A Critical Overview

Chew through the statistics and implications of same. Don't stop in the middle after assuming you get the gist of the opening pages. Since 1975, when our professional public school systems were forced to try to educate students with disabilities, some 20 years after they were forced to try to educate black students, school systems have over-identified students with blackness as special-ed students and under-identified students with blackness as gifted.

Think about the numbers of students who have been mislabled and "taught" on a false premise. How does one develop a specialized set of instructions designed to meet the individualized needs of a student with a disability when the disability does not exist. Yet, I dare say that the number of appropriate individualized education programs designed every year are deemed 100% appropriate.

What may be missing in the discussion about why the black population is not measuring up to current public education and standards may be based on the fact that the public education system does not know how to accurately evaluate, and therefore teach, black students.

What may be of more importance is that the prejudice of the system actually creates or fosters low expectations and creates or fosters low outcomes for black students. Thousands of parents yearly are told, by professional educators of exceptional ed students, that, when confronted with evaluation results that indicate the student's need for special education services, that the parents are "in denial" if they disagree with the findings. Few should doubt the arrogance of the public school system.

If the school system has been wrong for so long regarding special education and black students, what leaves us to believe that they are right regarding regular education for black students?

IBEA - Part 3 - Pinellas County May Be The Pilot Program

2009-07-14T14:26:00.003-04:00

In my third missive regarding my proposed Individuals with Blackness Education act, I may have found a pilot program.

Florida & Tampa Bay schools blog - The Gradebook:

"Breakthrough in legal dispute over black students in Pinellas"

If you read the memorandum, I think you will find that it mimics the IDEA fairly well. Similar to the development of PL 94-142 for kids with disabilities, the memorandum claims that the school system did not adequately meet the needs of kids with blackness.

Similar to IDEA, the memorandum covers funding issues and the need for specific educational goals and, of course, increased tracking systems. Special Education teachers are familiar with the increased paperwork that comes along with the federal money.

This squabble between the Pinellas County Schools and the students with blackness has been going on for a very long time. Perhaps Pinellas could lead the way to another set of laws that mandates how school systems should meet the needs of a specific set of kids.

IBEA - Building The Legacy of IBEA 2009 -Part 2 - Manisfestations of Blackness

2009-07-13T23:01:00.003-04:00

I keep reading in the local blogs that blackness is the reason that a lot of students' behavior interferes with their, or their peer's, access to their curriculum.

This is my second post on the the need for the development of The Individuals With Blackness Eduation Act" (IBEA).

As all professional teachers and administrators know, under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, students who are "covered" under IDEA are supposed to be afforded what is widely and well understood as procedural safeguards. The Procedural Safeguards notice, which all professional teachers and administrators are trained in, contains information in the following areas:

IDEA - Building The Legacy of IDEA 2004

After reading the comments on the local blogs, it only seems reasonable, in order for the public education system to carry out it's function, that we, as a concerned nation, develop similar procedural safeguards for students with blackness.

Note: Anyone reading this comment must read the other posts to put this concept in the proper perspective related to the pervasive opinion that blackness is the root problem of our education system.

IBEA - Building The Legacy of IBEA 2009 -Part 1

2009-07-10T18:25:00.005-04:00

I've been thinking.

Be it based on race or be it based on disabilities, try this out.

Recently, I have been reading the local blogs regarding the issues related to schools where a minority (black students) is a majority. One postulation is that where the minority is a majority, education sucks.

Along with that postulation, there appears to be an exodus of 'effective teachers from these sites of majority minorities. There is an insinuation that the exodus of 'effective teachers' is composed of a majority of white teachers, a white-teacher-flight, so to speak. The assumption is that this exodus is based on race.

Another postulation is that the exodus of these 'effective teachers' is not based on race, but rather the exodus is based on a flight from dealing with the disruptive behaviors of the majority minority.

This exodus of teachers and reaction to disruptive behavior of minorities (black students) is all too familiar to families with children with disabilities.

This will be the first of a proposed series to explore this issue.

While waiting for the next post, I ask that the readers contemplate the need for developing the following federal law:

"The Individuals With Blackness Education Act".

For the purposes of this segment, school systems could adopt the language of the current IDEA regarding "highly qualified teachers" and apply it to the proposed IBEA.

More About Isolated Incidents

2009-07-08T21:05:00.003-04:00

I have written before about how the public school system is blinded by numbers. I submit that that is why "they" like the phrase "isolated incident", because, in their mind, it minimizes the conflict.

Isolated incidents and insignificant percentages sound great, until it happens to you.

Here are the numbers provided by The Gradebook:

Hillsborough: Of 12,887 classroom teachers, 6,709 were rated Outstanding (52.1 percent), 6,088 were rated Satisfactory (47.2 percent), 62 were rated Needs Improvement (0.5 percent) and 28 were rated Unsatisfactory (0.2 percent).

Redisni sounds like they are an "insider" - wonder what will happen to him/her when they are traced down.

"The improbable numbers reinforce the old say "there are lies, big lies and then there are statistics. Administrators like to use statistical results to support their progress and planning, but this time the numbers came back to bite them.

By the way, those 28 low performing teachers from Hillsborough probably came from my school. Since those teachers were purged from the school, can Hillsborough now boast a 100% satisfactory+ rate?

Posted by: redisni | July 08, 2009 at 04:28 PM "

The public, and school employees simply have to trust the numbers.

How many thousands of students and parents are effected by those 28 teachers for the years that those teachers are there? How many of these students and parents will eventually turn against the system after their complaints are ignored? How many borderline students that may have been helped with their communication skills will instead end up being identified as what is wrong with the education system. We know the school system can't make a good salad with wilted lettuce and rotten tomatoes. Throw in some Po Boys and some Mexican jumping beans, and the system's production suffers.

But the numbers look good. Damn near 100% is something that damn near 100% of the people will believe.

No Hint of Bringing In A Professional Coach Here

2009-07-08T20:43:00.004-04:00

Maybe the below statements are true, maybe they are not. Doesn't sound like there will be another dust up like there was at Alafia Elementary.

"I'm sorry to say that Ms. Hoffman had to go--and she should have been released. She did not "lead" this school. In fact, it is clear that she was not competent to lead anything if what is alleged to have occurred is true. She failed the victim and she failed the entire community. Others should also be gone. The school board should have fired them due to incompetence and placing students at risk immediately. This is a whitewash.

Posted by: Steve | July 08, 2009 at 01:22 PM"

My understanding is that a letter of petition signed by a large portion of the faculty was submitted to the district asking her to resign. I believe it included prominent parent signatures as well. The district basically passed the request on to her, and I don't think she would have had very good prospects had she chose to stay. Apparently, she wasn't very well liked by the teachers and was perceived as a bit of a bully herself. Even though this would seem more of an excuse to get rid of her than placing responsibility for what happened, the two were possibly linked. Everyone knows in the system that if a majority of a faculty lacks respect for their administration, a school-wide decline in effort occurs. Apathy, bitterness, and a general lack of investment become the norm. Put in a quality principal, one who inspires, leads, motivates and encouirages the teachers and faculty to be the best they can be. Things will turn around quick.

Posted by: Jennifer | July 08, 2009 at 03:54 PM

I am not sure what this statement means:

There are so many criminals going to public schools that it isn't funny. Juvenile criminals are running rampart. I am sure the school board hinted to her to retire. I guess someone these days has to face the bullet. Everything will be fine now.

Posted by: Agnes | July 08, 2009 at 02:11 PM

Has there ever been a situation where a school was held responsible for similar alleged events over a similar alleged time span when the kids were under the supervision of a parent and there were no school employees around?

A Salvo From A Student

2009-07-05T12:22:00.000-04:00

Brennan Cannivet Declares his Independence from Florida Public Schools!

"Broadbrush Attack Parent" or "Alienated Parent" - Whatever

2009-07-03T19:43:00.001-04:00

Here is another perspective on the "war between the teacher and the public".

Maybe I should claim to be an alienated parent. My first rebuttal would be that I only asked for an appropriate program, and never asked for the most effective. After all, I was not a professional teacher, I was simply a parent of a disabled kid. How could a simple parent, especially one with a disabled kid, even come close to knowing what is the most effective program? Why would I argue with a professional who told me that they knew what was right for my child, at the same time those professionals kept pointing out that what was happening, in their own classroom, was wrong for my child.

Maybe it was because my son entered the classroom without a funding mandate. Deaf/blind is one of those high cost mandates. Little did I know that the regular kids were privy to programs that did not force the school system to seek less costly ways to meet whatever mandate that regular kids come under.

Or, are regular ed kids not seen as "an extra burden"? Regular ed kids get to walk through the front door of the school without the big red "UM" (unfunded mandate) emblazoned on their shirt.

Maybe the school system can put a little logo right next to the handicap emblems on the short buses: "Unfunded Mandate Kids Ride This Bus".

Top Ten: Issues Impacting School Administrators:

"Unfunded Mandates The U.S. school system is designed as a collection of locally controlled districts. But inevitably, state and federal regulations and programs influence how a local district must operate.
Laws such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act call upon schools to provide services or accommodations, but the mandates often do not include funding to carry out the provisions of the law.
When state and federal governments require schools to adopt certain policies or establish specific programs without providing the money needed to do so, schools often are between a rock and a hard place: Ignore a federal or state mandate and risk punitive action, or slash other programs to free funds and meet the unfunded mandates.
Without the money to carry out a program, a district often is put in the position of seeking less costly ways of meeting a mandate, which can alienate parents who believe their children are entitled to the most effective program, regardless of cost."

Another View of "The War"

2009-07-03T07:24:00.001-04:00

I have a notion that had I not had a child with disabilities, I probably would have never been aware of the difficulties that teachers have working within the present public education system.

Here are a couple of viewpoints offered by others:

Teacher Magazine: Upending the Negative Teacher Stereotype:

Cyndi writes:

"Fix poverty, fix crumbling schools, fix neighborhoods, fix health care, fix the job situation, fix child care and over time, you will find that America's teachers will be producing top scholars from all areas of the country. To blame teachers for the poor results in some schools only shows the ignorance of the speaker, no matter how loudly he/she shouts."

Drturner writes:

"We not only teach, but make sure kids are healthy, keep an eye on the home environement looking for abuse (mandated reporting), have to raise parents who think that they are still kids also, deal with administrators who have no clue what is going on in the classroom because they live in a fantasy world of politics and self promotion, live with archaic testing methods, out of date text books, teach in ways that are not proper or appropriate for the children (i.e. lecture when we know that oral teaching only reaches about 20% of students) and are evaluated on that method only, deal with local politics and the oldboy system of hiring and moving to leadership positions (i.e. not what you can do but how many years have you been in the district which gives us hide bound administrators with no skills), in other words we need to rethink the whole system......."

Is There A Myth Among Us?

2009-07-01T07:47:00.000-04:00

Back in the day, I became familiar with "myths" and unwritten policies. On more than one occasion, I discovered that the practices of the HCPS did not follow the state statutes. It took me a while to overcome the status quo.

National group and local mom seek to end restraint of special education students | Extra Credit:

"By Sylvia W. Smith, J.D.
January 16, 2009 9:14 PM | Link to this
Dear Laura,
Thank you for reporting on the release of this important study by our nation’s disability rights network. And thank you for interviewing Ms. Musumeci.
Unfortunately, there is a statement in your article that needs prompt correction.
There is no such thing as a “Florida law [that] allows school officials to restrain special education students who are deemed a danger to themselves or others.” In fact, there are no Florida rules or laws governing restraint and seclusion use in schools whatsoever with the exception of one fire safety rule on the books about how seclusion rooms must be constructed."

Read The Public Comments - Are You A "Healthy School Employee" Effected By "The Cancer"?

2009-06-30T21:03:00.008-04:00

And of course, within the public comments, is the reminder that it is the lying students and parents that create the problem.

It is a war, I tell you.

Copy and paste is free.

Sarcasm and mockery is priceless.

The process: Firing a teacher takes many steps (PDF)
Featured

By the spring of 2007, Roy Sachse's boss had had it.

In a span of 18 months, a co-worker accused Sachse of cussing her out. A confiscated note suggested he wanted to meet a 14-year-old girl behind a Dumpster. A parent said he threatened to pull another girl's pants down. Away from work, police arrested Sachse (pronounced SAX-see) on a charge of stealing a $5.95 sandwich — an arrest he was supposed to tell his boss about within 48 hours, but investigators said he did not.

Even for a guy whose personnel file was thick with warnings and reprimands, this was a lot of drama.

Sachse's boss e-mailed his own bosses: "Mr. Sachse has a long history of incidents involving very poor judgment. I believe it is in his best interest to get a fresh start at a new facility."

In many workplaces, Sachse, now 49 and making $50,120 a year, would have been fired. But Sachse isn't just any worker.

He's a teacher.

Teachers are rarely fired.

In Florida, most teachers have tenure, a status written into state law that gives them special legal protections. Most also have a union willing to wage a legal fight for them. The combination yields a firing process so tedious and time-consuming, districts rarely bother.

When teachers earned workplace protections in the early 20th century, tenure was intended as a shield against overbearing parents and heavy-handed school boards.

Supporters say the need remains. Just imagine, they say, what could happen to tenure-less science teachers in stretches of Florida where evolution is ridiculed.

But critics say tenure's shield is too often extended to teachers who don't deserve it.

The Pinellas school district, with about 7,300 classroom teachers, has fired six tenured teachers in the past four years. Hillsborough, with about 13,000 teachers, has fired 10.

It's true some teachers are forced to resign in lieu of firing. It's true some are rooted out during their first three years on the job, before they get tenure. It goes without saying that bad teachers are the exception.

But they are there. By one national expert's estimates, based on surveys of more than 20,000 administrators, 3 to 5 percent of teachers are poor and 13 to 20 percent are marginal. Personnel records reviewed by the St. Petersburg Times show some of those Pinellas and Hillsborough teachers remain in classrooms year after year, despite persistent complaints.

It's not just their students who suffer. Bad teachers sully the reputation of hard-working teachers and lower their morale. And the inability of public schools to purge them feeds perceptions that schools are resistant to change and tolerant of mediocrity.

"It is what it is," said William Corbett, the principal at Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School in Largo who successfully lobbied for Sachse's transfer. "If (a teacher) does something bad, the first response isn't to fire them," continued Corbett, who once owned a construction company. "It's not an option."

Bad teachers drag a mess of other issues into plain view.

How do you tell the good from the bad? How do you fix a teacher evaluation process many call useless? How do you stop a musical-chairs transfer system that shuffles bad teachers from school to school? All those issues are being scrutinized like never before. And from all points on the political spectrum.

Tallahassee lawmakers are debating a bill backed by former Gov. Jeb Bush, a Republican, that would end tenure for new teachers hired after July 2009. In Washington, D.C., chancellor Michelle Rhee, a Democrat, made the cover of Time magazine in December because of her no-holds-barred campaign to boot bad teachers.

Even President Barack Obama is talking about it.

"It is time to start rewarding good teachers," he said in a speech this month, "and stop making excuses for bad ones."

• • •

In 22 years in Pinellas schools, Sachse has been in hot water at least 20 times.

At two schools. Under several principals.

Again and again, the PE teacher has been written up for the same issues: Poor judgment. Unprofessional behavior. Failure to follow rules.

There's no single incident in Sachse's file so outrageous, it invites universal condemnation. There is no Debra Lafave moment. Instead, the picture that emerges is of an employee who skirts the edge.

There is gray here, too.

On seven occasions, administrators deemed complaints against Sachse unsubstantiated, including in 2006 when a student created an edgy MySpace page about Sachse without his knowledge.

But on two occasions, the claims were partially substantiated. On 11 others, Sachse was sanctioned.

At Plumb Elementary in Clearwater, he was reprimanded for calling in sick when the principal determined he was at a Chicago Bulls game. Less than a year later, he was written up for tying up a student with her own sweatshirt.

A similar story unfolded at Morgan Fitzgerald: Among other things, Sachse was reprimanded for trying to discipline unruly students by making them drag themselves across the floor with their hands. The "seal walk" one student called it.

Over and over, school officials expressed frustration with Sachse. In 1997, after a particularly harsh evaluation, former superintendent Howard Hinesley threatened to fire him. But the toughest punishment the district has imposed is a one-day suspension — in 2007.

"When do we say enough is enough? That's a difficult call," said Valerie Brimm, an administrator in Pinellas's Office of Professional Standards, which investigates teacher misconduct.

Has Sachse done enough? "Not for termination," Brimm said.

Sachse hails from the Chicago area and earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from Eastern Illinois University. He was a concrete finisher when he applied to be a Pinellas teacher. On a 1985 job application he wrote: "As I have always enjoyed athletics and children, the teaching profession offers me the opportunity to enjoy both."

Pinellas records show Sachse married in 1995 and divorced three years later. They also show he pled guilty and paid a $30 fine in 1999 for urinating in public.

After 10 years at Morgan Fitzgerald, the district put Sachse at John Hopkins Middle in St. Petersburg in 2007. He transferred to Oak Grove Middle in 2008, where he remains today.

Sachse declined to comment for this story and did not respond to phone calls and emails.

In a December interview before his death, Jade Moore, the late Pinellas union chief, said Sachse visited union headquarters often in early 2008, seeking help to leave John Hopkins.

"The principal there hated him," Moore said.

• • •

The note said, "Can you meet me by the dumpster tonight? From: Coach."

According to district records, Sachse, then at Morgan Fitzgerald, wrote it in December 2006 and gave it to two female students to give to a third female student. Another teacher saw it and told administrators.

The note was an inside joke gone bad, Sachse said. Rumor had it that two students, a girl and a boy, were kissing behind a Dumpster at school. Sachse knew them, so he came up with the idea of sending the note to the girl.

A Pinellas sheriff's detective concluded Sachse had no intention of meeting the student and nothing criminal was going on.

"I was just trying to be funny," Sachse told the detective.

But district officials weren't laughing. It wasn't the first time Sachse had been tied to inappropriate language and behavior around students.

• In October 2003, the school resource officer at Morgan Fitzgerald investigated a parent complaint that Sachse watched a girl while she was undressing in the locker room. Sasche told the officer he went into the girl's locker room, but only to get equipment. He said he wouldn't go in there again.

• In September 2005, another parent complained Sachse had threatened to pull her daughter's pants down while the girl was climbing on the bleachers. The teacher told investigators he did not make such a comment, but other girls backed their classmate.

Sachse's personnel file is checkered with similar complaints, including a girl who told investigators that when she asked Sachse what he got her for Valentine's Day, he said "13 inches."

In some cases, the allegations were deemed unsubstantiated. In some, the records don't say. In still others, officials suspected kids were lying.

Still, a district investigator referred to Sachse's reputation in a stern warning letter that followed the bleacher incident.

"I explained that the comment you made over a year ago (13 inches) has become an 'urban legend,' " wrote James T. Lott, in the district's Office of Professional Standards. "Students are talking about it and spinning it as a sexual connotation. Also girls at the school are referring to you as the 'perv.' "

Lott warned, "Never say anything to a student that is sarcastic or could be misconstrued."

In a letter, Sachse said the sanction was unwarranted.

"These types of accusations and rumors can quickly lead to the termination of a teacher's career," he wrote. "It is disappointing to me that allegations with no supporting evidence are given this much weight."

Like many districts, Pinellas follows a "progressive discipline" policy that gives teachers multiple chances, except in the most egregious cases, to fix problems,

After the Dumpster note, the district reprimanded Sachse. His discipline tally up to that point: three reprimands, three warning letters and at least four other write-ups.

• • •

There is no easy way to find out which teachers get in trouble a lot.

Their personnel files are public record, but they're not posted on the Web, and it can easily cost more than $100 to redact and copy a few files.

Inevitably, the ones that do surface raise a bigger question: If it's so hard to fire a teacher whose file is spilling over with reprimands, just throw in the thorny question of measuring teacher quality and think how tough it is to fire one who is quietly incompetent.

Pinellas found out this month.

In a rare decision, a state administrative law judge ruled that Curtis Brown, a former math teacher at John Hopkins Middle, was incompetent and insubordinate and should be fired. Among other things, district officials said he didn't prepare adequate lesson plans or teach assigned subject matter. He also reportedly fell asleep in class.

For months, administrators met with Brown frequently, offered him remedies and kept meticulous notes. For months, district legal staff gathered evidence, deposed witnesses and prepared legal documents.

On March 10 — nearly three years after a scathing evaluation — the Pinellas School Board finally fired him.

Moore, the late Pinellas union chief, defended the firing process. "Yeah it takes a long time to get rid of (a teacher). And it should," he said. "Don't think of teachers as factory line workers. It's a profession."

• • •

Two months after the Dumpster note, Sachse was in trouble again. This time, for reportedly hurling "f------ b----" at a co-worker.

That, and his failure to report the sandwich arrest from May 2006, led the School Board to punish him with a one-day suspension without pay. (The theft charges were dropped after Sachse completed a pretrial intervention program.)

It's unclear if Sachse has had any problems since. It's also unclear if his past two principals knew of his misconduct history.

Neither Maureen Thornton, the former John Hopkins principal, nor Dawn Coffin, the Oak Grove principal, returned calls for comment. Pinellas district spokeswoman Andrea Zahn said Thornton did not object to Sachse's placement. She said Coffin hired him because she needed a PE teacher with training to work with special education students — and Sachse has it.

Sachse talked to the Times last June after he entered an agreement with the state Education Practices Commission to be placed on two years' probation. The state recommended the penalty after investigating the Dumpster note, the alleged bleacher comment and the sandwich incident.

He said he was on medication and "just spaced out" with the sandwich.

He said the uproar over the Dumpster note was "baloney."

He said the girl who accused him of threatening to pull her pants down misheard him.

"I'm a goofball. I play with the kids a lot. That's the way I am," he said then.

Sachse told the Times he agreed to the state sanction so he could just move on.

"I only have seven years left (before retirement)," he said. "Then I'm done."

Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report. Ron Matus can be reached at matus@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8873.

Other teachers with histories of misconduct

Thomas R. Schultz

Job: Former high school PE teacher

Years teaching: 1984-2006

School: Hillsborough High, Tampa

District: Hillsborough

Age: 47

Salary: $53,427

Discipline history:

• Authorities reprimanded him in 1987 for allegedly striking a student; in 1996 for an angry confrontation with an assistant principal; in 1997 for reportedly lying about his criminal history; and in 1998 for allegedly telling a student, "I will have your ass put in handcuffs."

• He also got into hot water in March 1995 for allegedly calling a student a "piece of s---"; in October 1995 for his "attitude, temper and interaction with students."

• The district suspended him without pay in 2002 after police arrested him on charges of solicitation of prostitution, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. (The charges were not filed or dropped after he entered a misdemeanor intervention program.)

Final straw: In May 2006, Schultz tested positive for cocaine, district records show. He had signed an agreement in January 2003 that said he would immediately resign if he tested positive for any controlled or illegal substance. He resigned in July 2006.

State sanctions: In June 2004, the state Education Practices Commission put Schultz on two years' probation. In September 2006, the commission suspended him for a year, fined him $1,000 and put him on probation for another three years.

Schultz's explanation: He said in a brief phone interview: "You have paperwork in front of you and know zero about what really happened and what the real story is." He then hung up.

The rest of the story: He is still eligible to teach.

Shirley P. Johnson

Job: Former kindergarten teacher

Years teaching: 1987-2006

School: Walsingham Elementary, Largo

District: Pinellas

Age: 68

Salary: $54,400 at retirement

Discipline history:

• District records show Johnson was written up at least 13 times, seven of them for "excessive force" or battery on a student (in 1989, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2002 and twice in 2005).

• In the February 1994 incident, students said she slammed a bathroom door on the hand of a student — an incident that reportedly severed a tendon in the student's hand. Johnson said another student shut the door. District records don't show any finding of fault.

The final straw: In August 2005, Johnson reportedly became angry when her students had to wait in line behind fifth-graders in the cafeteria. She reportedly pushed students into each other and shoved their lunch trays down the line. The school board suspended her for three days without pay, mandated an anger management class and required her to retire at the end of the school year.

State sanction: The Education Practices Commission, in October 2007, suspended Johnson's teaching certificate for one year.

Johnson's explanation: She said in a phone interview that the cafeteria allegations are "a bunch of crap" and that she merely tapped some shoulders and told the fifth-graders to hurry. She said kids often lie and administrators often take the parents' side, whether it's justified or not. "This happens more often than you know," she said. "And this is why teachers leave teaching."

The rest of the story: Johnson receives a $1,337 monthly pension.

Sharion Thurman

Job: High school English teacher

Years teaching: 1986-present

School: Gibbs High

District: Pinellas

Age: 58

Salary: $61,050

Discipline history:

• Authorities reprimanded her in 1993 and 1997 for poor judgment; in 1998 and 1999 for issues with her lesson plans; again in 1999 for not following school policy regarding grades; and in 2005 for not following board policy regarding controversial material.

• The School Board suspended her for three days without pay in 1987 for inappropriate class management.

• It suspended her for 25 days without pay in 2006 for reportedly stuffing a ballot box so her niece could be elected home?coming queen. State records say she admitted her misconduct to school officials.

State sanction: In January, the Education Practices Commission put Thurman on two years' probation for the ballot-box allegation and ordered her to take a college-level course in ethics.

Thurman's explanation: "I'm a little controversial," she said in a phone interview, with a laugh. "I don't always see eye to eye with those who have authority." She would not address specific allegations but said of her teaching skill, "I am qualified. I am experienced."

The rest of the story, Part 1: In a February 1999 letter to an administrator in the Office of Professional Standards, Thurman wrote, in response to the possibility of disciplinary action against her, "Who do you white people think you are, that, because other people — parents, administrators, and so on — tell you such and such is, you go on their word without talking to the principal character — me, or others like me? … Because I am African-American, and because in no uncertain way I am not your pliable, amenable, acceptable Negro, then you look for ways to, in the words of the teacher masses, 'get me.' "

The rest of the story, Part 2: Gibbs principal Antelia Campbell told state investigators Thurman should have been recommended for firing after the ballot-box incident: "If she would do this with homecoming votes, I can't even begin to imagine the creative grading that is taking place in her classroom … It is difficult for students to learn from someone who is so untrustworthy and dishonest."

[Last modified: Apr 03, 2009 03:03 PM]

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Tina from Tarpon SpringsApr 3rd, 2009 10:40 PM

Where are the parents whose children are affected by these teachers? Too many aprents are concerned with the grades kids earn. This situation ought to wake a few parents up, or at least those who know what truly matters.
insider from clwApr 1st, 2009 5:38 PM

I've seen teachers get in trouble for a variety of reasons. A few cases the infractions were minor yet the consequences were nasty. Other teachers who did profoundly bad things were protected. It depends on the adminstrator in charge. No Consistency.
teacher from temple terraceApr 1st, 2009 11:07 AM

I'm a hills county teacher - i have known some horrible teachers who have done very inappropriate things and did not get fired. It is so frustrating to the rest of us who work hard every day - and it gives us a bad rep as well. Tenure needs change.
Question from St. PeteApr 1st, 2009 8:37 AM

How many non-tenured, non-union teachers have been fired in the past four years?
Inkslinger from PinellasMar 31st, 2009 9:08 PM

Now the other half of the story!How about if we read the horror stories about administrators & other school board employees.Hmmm? Seems only equitable.Or stories about other governmental employees.One rotten apple does not spoil the whole bunch.
Billy G from ClearwaterMar 31st, 2009 8:33 PM

Nothing is going to change because the teachers union defends the lousy teachers. Teachers union is just like the UAW or the Teamsters corrupt and protects the terrible US worker. Teachers=Overpaid Union Babysitters. My 3 Kids go to private school
Concerned from PinellasMar 31st, 2009 6:04 PM

For all you teachers out there who have been lucky, any teacher can be let go on June 30th by administration just saying their services are no longer needed. All that has to be done is the paperwork. As a tenured teacher where a school is closing.
Susan from St. PeteMar 31st, 2009 3:42 PM

I am a teacher and tenure has never been important to me. I am a strong, hard working teacher and well respected by colleagues. In practice, tenure seems to protect bad teachers more than anything else. Just what I've seen form inside the classroom.
Marie from Tarpon SpringsMar 31st, 2009 3:09 PM

Can we fire the bad parents who raise hellians who come to school with a chip on their should looking to lie about the teacher who gives them any discipline that they're lacking from home? That's their new weapon.. lying and playing the victim.
Honor from CountrysideMar 31st, 2009 2:27 PM

Artelia did right in firing this Thurman. There are no "byes" in setting standards. This woman was the end.
Looking for a job from Saint PetersburgMar 31st, 2009 12:42 PM

Hard to think that what I just read was true and I have a degree with no completed certification nor job. PCSB teachers are just like the students....They get too many chances!
get a clue from pinellasMar 31st, 2009 11:40 AM

It has been shown that teachers can be fired for incompetence. It takes an admin to do the paper work, but federal,state,& district expectations stop the best admin from doing whats right. The admin who got the teacher fired needs to show others how.
Phil from TampaMar 31st, 2009 9:15 AM

Tenure?...Please...thats is a problem not only with teachers, but at the University level, and most Gov. agencies, Local, State, and federal. End the practice NOW!!
Still Frustrated from TampaMar 31st, 2009 9:04 AM

Administrators can make anyone sound bad on paper. Admin can get rid of good teachers whenever they want if we aren't protected. Don't like the fact that the teacher makes waves by standing up for a kid or calls the union when contract is broken.
Frustrated from TampaMar 31st, 2009 9:01 AM

When you don't show up at work on time, take multiple days off, and don't do anything but text and play games at work what happens? You get fired! How do you fire a 12 yr old with the same behaviors? Yet somehow it's the teachers fault!
Scott from HolidayMar 31st, 2009 8:14 AM

Lazy administrators lead to this problem. These people can be weeded out in the first three years of their careers if principals will get off their butts.
veteran teacher from FloridaMar 31st, 2009 6:23 AM

Why aren't administrators held more accountable? They are on annual contract and have no protection at all. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for having incompetent administrators. They are more expensive than we are.
Public Ed from FLMar 30th, 2009 10:03 PM

How about a bil firing the "Bad Administrators" that hire the "Bad Teachers". School Districts already have what they need to get rid of "Bad Teachers". This bill is brought to you by Jeb Bush and Patricia Levesque to dismantle Public Schools!
Christy from ClearwaterMar 30th, 2009 9:39 PM

omg. He was my coach, and he would always call my friend keyanna all these names and ask her questions. Everyone always says he's a perv and stuff, but i would never have thought hes done all this stuff =/
Thom from OregonMar 30th, 2009 5:15 PM

Tenure was put in place beginning in the early 1900s to protect teachers from teaching unpopular subjects, like science and labor rights. It is abused by some, just like all good things are, but teachers still need protecting, now as much as ever.
Tina from Tarpon SpringsApr 3rd, 2009 10:40 PM

Where are the parents whose children are affected by these teachers? Too many aprents are concerned with the grades kids earn. This situation ought to wake a few parents up, or at least those who know what truly matters.
insider from clwApr 1st, 2009 5:38 PM

I've seen teachers get in trouble for a variety of reasons. A few cases the infractions were minor yet the consequences were nasty. Other teachers who did profoundly bad things were protected. It depends on the adminstrator in charge. No Consistency.
teacher from temple terraceApr 1st, 2009 11:07 AM

I'm a hills county teacher - i have known some horrible teachers who have done very inappropriate things and did not get fired. It is so frustrating to the rest of us who work hard every day - and it gives us a bad rep as well. Tenure needs change.
Question from St. PeteApr 1st, 2009 8:37 AM

How many non-tenured, non-union teachers have been fired in the past four years?
Inkslinger from PinellasMar 31st, 2009 9:08 PM

Now the other half of the story!How about if we read the horror stories about administrators & other school board employees.Hmmm? Seems only equitable.Or stories about other governmental employees.One rotten apple does not spoil the whole bunch.
Billy G from ClearwaterMar 31st, 2009 8:33 PM

Nothing is going to change because the teachers union defends the lousy teachers. Teachers union is just like the UAW or the Teamsters corrupt and protects the terrible US worker. Teachers=Overpaid Union Babysitters. My 3 Kids go to private school
Concerned from PinellasMar 31st, 2009 6:04 PM

For all you teachers out there who have been lucky, any teacher can be let go on June 30th by administration just saying their services are no longer needed. All that has to be done is the paperwork. As a tenured teacher where a school is closing.
Susan from St. PeteMar 31st, 2009 3:42 PM

I am a teacher and tenure has never been important to me. I am a strong, hard working teacher and well respected by colleagues. In practice, tenure seems to protect bad teachers more than anything else. Just what I've seen form inside the classroom.
Marie from Tarpon SpringsMar 31st, 2009 3:09 PM

Can we fire the bad parents who raise hellians who come to school with a chip on their should looking to lie about the teacher who gives them any discipline that they're lacking from home? That's their new weapon.. lying and playing the victim.
Honor from CountrysideMar 31st, 2009 2:27 PM

Artelia did right in firing this Thurman. There are no "byes" in setting standards. This woman was the end.
Looking for a job from Saint PetersburgMar 31st, 2009 12:42 PM

Hard to think that what I just read was true and I have a degree with no completed certification nor job. PCSB teachers are just like the students....They get too many chances!
get a clue from pinellasMar 31st, 2009 11:40 AM

It has been shown that teachers can be fired for incompetence. It takes an admin to do the paper work, but federal,state,& district expectations stop the best admin from doing whats right. The admin who got the teacher fired needs to show others how.
Phil from TampaMar 31st, 2009 9:15 AM

Tenure?...Please...thats is a problem not only with teachers, but at the University level, and most Gov. agencies, Local, State, and federal. End the practice NOW!!
Still Frustrated from TampaMar 31st, 2009 9:04 AM

Administrators can make anyone sound bad on paper. Admin can get rid of good teachers whenever they want if we aren't protected. Don't like the fact that the teacher makes waves by standing up for a kid or calls the union when contract is broken.
Frustrated from TampaMar 31st, 2009 9:01 AM

When you don't show up at work on time, take multiple days off, and don't do anything but text and play games at work what happens? You get fired! How do you fire a 12 yr old with the same behaviors? Yet somehow it's the teachers fault!
Scott from HolidayMar 31st, 2009 8:14 AM

Lazy administrators lead to this problem. These people can be weeded out in the first three years of their careers if principals will get off their butts.
veteran teacher from FloridaMar 31st, 2009 6:23 AM

Why aren't administrators held more accountable? They are on annual contract and have no protection at all. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for having incompetent administrators. They are more expensive than we are.
Public Ed from FLMar 30th, 2009 10:03 PM

How about a bil firing the "Bad Administrators" that hire the "Bad Teachers". School Districts already have what they need to get rid of "Bad Teachers". This bill is brought to you by Jeb Bush and Patricia Levesque to dismantle Public Schools!
Christy from ClearwaterMar 30th, 2009 9:39 PM

omg. He was my coach, and he would always call my friend keyanna all these names and ask her questions. Everyone always says he's a perv and stuff, but i would never have thought hes done all this stuff =/
Thom from OregonMar 30th, 2009 5:15 PM

Tenure was put in place beginning in the early 1900s to protect teachers from teaching unpopular subjects, like science and labor rights. It is abused by some, just like all good things are, but teachers still need protecting, now as much as ever.
pinellas teacher from st peteMar 30th, 2009 5:07 PM

Kids Lie! I'm not backing this man, but I have been a victim of students' lies. Kids might not be book smart these days, but they know how things can work in their favor (right or wrong, legally or illegally.)
Exhausted from from far far awayMar 30th, 2009 4:46 PM

Performance pay and tougher standards are definitely the way to go. We definetly shouldn't empower our highly qualified educators or make parents and students accountable for their FREE education! Since when did free mean equal or fair?
Terminator Too from St. PeteMar 30th, 2009 4:25 PM

"American in Dade" and other clueless posters need to "wake up and smell the coffee!" Good teachers have everything to fear, because they are more concerned with acutally teaching, rather than trying to impress the miscreants at "The Taj!"
tyler from clearwaterMar 30th, 2009 3:47 PM

he was my choach and i allways thought something was up but never knew it was this! i think he should really be fired now i feel very uncomftorable going to gym now :(
Cookie from hereMar 30th, 2009 1:02 PM

Imagine the principals who do the evaluations. Sometimes making a teacher a scapegoat is the easiest thing.
Jasper from CountrysideMar 30th, 2009 12:23 PM

It is embarrassing for him and the others. Does Valerie Brimm earn that humongous salary? Open the books. Before any other steps are taken.
ss from ClearwaterMar 30th, 2009 12:02 PM

As the parent of a female student in his class, how can I feel comfortable sending my daughter into his PE class everyday? He should not be allowed to continue to teach. Our children deserve better roll models than this.
Derrick from TampaMar 30th, 2009 11:47 AM

With today's future scum(also known as our children), I can see why some of these teachers go off. Looking at today's youth, I have little hope for a bright future.
about burned out from PinellasMar 30th, 2009 11:23 AM

In Penniless aka Pinellas Cnty., it's been bad for years. Check out our new Superintendent's background. There are MANY more good teachers than bad ones. Bad ones get the publicity! I work 14-16 hr. days for my class.I'm tired! And now a 10% pay cut!
college prof from st. peteMar 30th, 2009 11:22 AM

The neocons want to de-professionalize teaching and turn it into corporate training. This article has that agenda. If you want to see waste and incompetancy - look at public school administrators and their layers of staff that do nothing to educate.
Molly from former KissimmeeMar 30th, 2009 10:34 AM

They are getting rid of good teachers because they make a certain amount of money - actually lots of money to recruit out of state. So you pick up and move there with a job and after a year, Sorry. You are stuck. Unions need more power.
Why? from Tampabay,FLMar 30th, 2009 10:32 AM

They are some GREAT teachers in Fla. Sachshe resembles a predator. Maybe, They should transfer him to Taj Mahal. He does not need to be around kids. Sadly,there are several teachers like him in PCS.
James from TampaMar 30th, 2009 10:03 AM

The real problem in Hillsborough County starts at the board level. Look at how many school admins are somehow related to board members. Those admins only taught for three years and bought their Nova degree. They were never really teachers themselves.
The American from Dade CityMar 30th, 2009 9:01 AM

First. There are a lot of outstanding teachers in Florida. Second. Unions and tenure need to go so that teachers like Sachse will get kicked out of the system. Third. Good and hardworking teachers have nothing to fear if they are doing their jobs.
gg from hereMar 30th, 2009 8:58 AM

Obviously, he needs to have BEEN gone! If all of this has come out, how much hasn't??? A teacher needs to be professional with the students, not be their buddies. What more does he have to do? Ruin a child's life? Get him out!
Cowbert from CowtownMar 30th, 2009 8:37 AM

removing Tenure is not the answer. removing bad teachers is.
A mom from HudsonMar 30th, 2009 1:45 AM

So, when my kid said there teacher cursed or pushed them or did not act like they should I believed them all the time. My kids are adults now, I never put a teacher b4 my child. School board always took teachers side, so a parent can't complain
Fred from MissouriMar 30th, 2009 1:00 AM

Bill O'Lielly "journalism" at it's finest. You should change the paper's name to to Wingnut News".
eric from south bend, inMar 29th, 2009 11:15 PM

Wow....could you imagine if every company had a tenured program?
RAN from downtownMar 29th, 2009 10:59 PM

It is sad that these teachers have to be exposed this way in the media. Some of the things they allegedly did are trival and not worth printing. What does urinating in public have to do with teaching school? A note by the dumspter? That's nitpicking
mel from illinoisMar 29th, 2009 10:23 PM

Responsible administrators are the key; in thirty-four years of teaching, I had one principal who came into my classroom two or three times a week - guess what: he knew what was happening.
Anon I Mouse from Tampa BayMar 29th, 2009 10:18 PM

I want to thank the Times for finally telling the truth about this situation.As a teacher in this area,I will tell you that it frustrates me to see how poor teachers are retained year after year.I have to make up for their mistakes with the kids.
Don't judge unless you know from HolidayMar 29th, 2009 10:12 PM

Teachers don't give low grades for 2 reasons: Parent complaints when their perfect wasn't the cause of the low grade, they shouldn't have to study at home. Teachers are told that they should not give below a 50 because it's too hard to come back from
Mel from GibsontonMar 29th, 2009 10:11 PM

People are moving away from here. Time to can the freeloaders and losers.
jonh from clearwater, floridaMar 29th, 2009 10:00 PM

the bad apert is that i go to oak grove and he was one of my teachers!
Rachel from Land O LakesMar 29th, 2009 9:58 PM

Tenure must stay. I'm a parent and know how cruel other parents can be to good teachers. They don't deserve it. The bad ones need to go.
pops from 33709Mar 29th, 2009 9:42 PM

over paid and under worked or they would have no time for this CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR. FIRE THEM ON THE SPOT. WHO ELSE IN THIS COUNTRY GETS TENURE IN 3 YEARS. NO-ONE
Jen from MichiganMar 29th, 2009 9:24 PM

Hwo to judge a bad teacher: How about when they "grade on a curve"? Sorry, 17% is NOT an "A". Or when the teacher spends 10 minutes "teaching" and the rest of the time reading the comics, talking sports (the class is "History:). I wanted an education
Felix from Albion, MIMar 29th, 2009 9:23 PM

Teachers are underpaid, never respected and do a thankless job. They deal with lies and crap all the time from everyone. The job has become very stressful in recent years. 50 years old should be manditory retirement for teachers. Too many lies.
Mrs. Apple from New Port RicheyMar 29th, 2009 9:18 PM

Fed up: When can we fire the parents who do not support the kids? The parents who scream when we grade accurately? The parent who does the homework? The parent who wants an 'A' because he 'worked so hard' not because it's good? We can only do so much
Disgusted reader from St. PetersburgMar 29th, 2009 9:14 PM

Why on earth would you write such an article? What do you gain from it? Trashing these people in public? There is a process schools follow, don't like it? Change it. Some of this is unsubstantiated. Print what's proven. Can we look into YOUR record?
concerned citizen from TampaMar 29th, 2009 9:09 PM

such a shame with teachers these days, unimaginable to most but there are certain groups or societies if you will, that are forming up and are putting bullet's in the problems of sexual predators more specifically focused on the school system, crazy!
fed up from pascoMar 29th, 2009 9:00 PM

There needs to be more accountability at all levels. Failing kids...fire the teacher. Failing school...fire the principal.
Hardworking honest Hernando teacher from brooksvilleMar 29th, 2009 8:54 PM

I think we've had enough publicity showing the bad side of a FEW teachers. Can we PLEASE show the correct and good side of the MAJORITY of teachers? We work very hard, money aside, I would just like to see the disrespect & distain decrease a little.
Tired of being trashed from spring hillMar 29th, 2009 8:32 PM

And how do you judge a bad teacher? Complaints from parents because you are too hard on Suzi? The admin when you are not part of the clique? Test scores when students don't try? We can't give zeros anymore if they do nothing. How do you judge this?
katie from clearwaterMar 29th, 2009 8:15 PM

coach sachse was one of my teachers and he is always kidding around he did creep me out sometimes but im a student at oak grove and was apart of the gym class that he taught but im a 8th grader this is so shocking! aahhhhhh :D
Hard to believe, but true! from St. PetersburgMar 29th, 2009 6:36 PM

As sad and unbelieveable as the story is, all that has been said is true. I once taught with Mr. Sache at Fitzgerald Middle School and his behavior was unacceptable and downright disturbing.
carissa from clearwaterMar 29th, 2009 6:06 PM

well coach sachse is my gym coach and he is always like talking to girls and its kinda creepy i think they should fire him.
John from Port RicheyMar 29th, 2009 6:02 PM

And it should be much easier to take kids away from lousy parents or fire school board members who don't show up to meetings
JH from ClearwaterMar 29th, 2009 5:03 PM

If schools were a going concern and were losing money based on these bad employees then maybe the admin's would find a way to let them go. OTOH if a parent had a voucher they could select where to spend that money. Accountability scares the unions.
CTA Member from Hillsborough CountyMar 29th, 2009 4:55 PM

Unfortunately, the evaluation process can be very subjective for many. Rock the boat, speak out, and a teacher can be "punished" via their evaluation. If the administrator doesn't like you, there is a chance it will speak volumes in their evaluation.
JJ from DunedinMar 29th, 2009 4:46 PM

Did anyone else find this article about 1000 words too long? Talk about redundent-
Bobbie from ClearwaterMar 29th, 2009 4:46 PM

We have very FEW bad teachers!We are human & use poor judgement every so often.I was "accused" by a 'known' unstable parent.I am thankful for tenure.I wasn't a union member,but now am.My attny was great.Teachers,not incl.myself,endorsed Obama! Shame!
Only one side from St PeteMar 29th, 2009 4:34 PM

Has Sachse done anything right? If I had the file in front of me Mr. Sachse has had some good reviews. Matus-did you ever think he hasn't been fired because he is a good teacher with poor judgement? Or did the good not fit your hatchet job. Weak!
No Name from ClearwaterMar 29th, 2009 3:44 PM

Why doesn't the principal fire him. I am very concerned! Why would you hire a previous jail bird!
No name from ClearwaterMar 29th, 2009 3:41 PM

I've had him for a gym coach this year! And he is very different lets just say that! i've had more and more people say that he has said or done something to them! lets get rid of him now!!!!
Mark from St. PeteMar 29th, 2009 3:37 PM

I'm not sure why anyone is surprised. In a company with this many employees, there are plenty of crappy slackers. And after 50 years of marginalizing teaching (in opinions, salaries, etc.), why shouldn't the profession collect such deadbeats?
Teacher from ClearwaterMar 29th, 2009 3:02 PM

Teachers get used a climate where administrators are honored - teachers are to simply do what they are told. Look at management to find A problem - Does this reporter believe these reports by administrators who do not invite diverse opinions?
Sally from Palm HarborMar 29th, 2009 2:54 PM

Who cares? You all voted for the referendum...
WJ from TampaMar 29th, 2009 2:09 PM

Ray's correct in his statement. The chain of command documents the teachers behavior or inability to perform. The administration and department heads are at fault. Thats why its hard to fire a teacher. The inability of higher powers to do their job
Rachel from Land O LakesMar 29th, 2009 2:08 PM

I had a high school named Pat Connolly. Although brilliant, he was very arrogant. If memory serves me right, his tenure status saved his job, more than once, for his words and behavior towards students.
WJ from TampaMar 29th, 2009 1:34 PM

Schultz was a great teacher, despite his record. Every teacher has a personality (senceofhumor) that may not be the protocol but does that make them incapable. The demeanors are what we all remember from educators, does that suggest all were usurped.
Terminator too from St. PetersburgMar 29th, 2009 1:32 PM

Teach, what are you talking about "low salaries until the last few years?" I'm a teacher with a Master's Degree and five years experience; and I could probably qualify for food stamps!
Terminator too from St. PetersburgMar 29th, 2009 1:28 PM

Surprise, surprise! Another flawless article from the St. Pete Times designed to create furor against the overpaid, lazy teachers; while, simultaneously, enhancing the reputations of the poor, over-worked Administrators. Sweet!
Bill from OrlandoMar 29th, 2009 12:55 PM

There are also just as many incompetent Principals out there , worked for several, they are not fired or in the paper, they are given jobs downtown.
Rob from Overland ParkMar 29th, 2009 12:55 PM

"3 to 5 percent of teachers are poor and 13 to 20 percent are marginal." After all those studies, the teachers fall directly onto the Bell curve. I'll wager that, despite all the administration's efforts, 50% of their students are below average.
Teacher from HernandoMar 29th, 2009 12:50 PM

Oh yea, great idea Jeb. "Calling all teachers come to florida and teach we have the lowest wages an no tenure, and nice weather." Pay for performance is a joke its Jebs way of keeping his beloved fcat the holy grail of florida education.
Carl from seminoleMar 29th, 2009 12:43 PM

Tenure and unions are bad combinations. Not being able to fire an incompetent teacher is disgusing. Unions don't care, they re jusst interesst in money. This should also go for colleges.
Karl from madeira beachMar 29th, 2009 12:43 PM

This is what happens when big government and big labor from far, far away determines the rules and regulations for local issues. Without these mobsters watching his back, this guy would have been fired years ago.
redisni from new tampaMar 29th, 2009 12:21 PM

Who monitors lousy school administrators? Where is the dept head feedback? Improve tenure; schools should move recurrent problem teachers to the pool @ entry level pay replace them with a sub & reassign them to admin tasks while investigation goes on
Susan from St. PeteMar 29th, 2009 11:48 AM

Actually teachers are held to a much higher standard than most people and can be fired immediately for what others would not even be spoken to about (ie DUI) Non job related behavior can result in dire consequences. In what other job does that happen
Cid from OrlandoMar 29th, 2009 11:36 AM

Wonder what a "GumShoe" , would say about you , Mr. Matus ?
Debi White from SarasotaMar 29th, 2009 11:34 AM

Good & bad exist in every profession. As Pat said,"we want the bad apples gone". Administration needs to stop moving the problems, stay on top of them, and aid in their removal.
Ken from PascoMar 29th, 2009 11:30 AM

Ok , Ron do an article on the "Cherry Tree" that you chopped down ! Fessup !
Sam from TampaMar 29th, 2009 11:22 AM

Ok , now do a piece on incompentent publishers , reporters ,etc .. They need some exposure also !
Fran from TampaMar 29th, 2009 11:17 AM

Guess you did not have any excellent teachers while in school ? Where did you acquire your skills , from ? Guess you were homeschooled ? Every professional is the result of teachers , backup !
Amp from St. Pete.Mar 29th, 2009 11:11 AM

Agree with Bob ; what is the standard at the Poyter Institute ? The print media is full of incompetents , why do you suspose you are in such dire straits and about to go out of business ? Do an article on newspapers in landfills and there impact !
Cielia from LargoMar 29th, 2009 10:47 AM

What angers me is the way poor teachers reflect on those of us that are excellent teacchers and consistently go above & beyond. Articles like this are demoralizing at best. Get read of these sub-par teachers so the rest of us can do our jobs.
Teacher from BrooksvilleMar 29th, 2009 10:46 AM

The behavior of these teachers, if true, is outrageous. All teachers with a poor work ethic are a burden for dedicated teachers. We have to pick up the slack! Changing their placement is how other professions in this country resolve problems...
Jeff from St. PetersburgMar 29th, 2009 10:45 AM

This is further proof that the unions ARE the problem! They've already destroyed the American Auto Industry, when will you ppl learn? The only good thing about a union is the grievance process, otherwise they are a tool for the lazy, bad worker!
Someone from Around hereMar 29th, 2009 10:32 AM

It's even harder to get rid of a principal-if they screw up enough, they just get yanked out of their school and promoted to a district level position, sometimes with a raise.
Jen from TampaMar 29th, 2009 10:31 AM

Pat- it sounds like no one can get rid of the "Bad apples" regardless of wether teachers police them or not. I would hate this man teaching my daughter. But as a parent apparently i have no choice. I support Jebs ideas.
Dave from TampaMar 29th, 2009 10:23 AM

How about the lousy administrators and principals? Lets not forget them!!
Richard from GainesvilleMar 29th, 2009 10:20 AM

The headline writer needed a better English teacher. Do newspapers still have editors? Do writers get the same negative treatment as teachers?
john from Palm HarborMar 29th, 2009 10:10 AM

Hey Pat, welcome to the real world. In Florida, everyone else can be let go for any legal reason at any time. What makes you so special?
Jen from MichiganMar 29th, 2009 9:48 AM

Get rid of Teacher Tenure so people who are not doing good at their "profession" can easily be replaced.
Tuttle from PinellasMar 29th, 2009 9:33 AM

The bigger issue is over 35 years of a politically correct curriculum being shoved down our children's throats. It is the dumbing down of America, with the result a public so stupid they elect the same clowns over and over. End result=Obamamessiah
teacher from tampaMar 29th, 2009 9:32 AM

Do your jobs admins, and get rid of the bad ones! This is a no-brainer! Don't punish others for the actions of a few.
V from Pinellas ParkMar 29th, 2009 9:29 AM

That is insane, he's been in trouble 20 times out of his 22 years as a teacher. I'm a teacher, and I think this is ridiculous!
Hillary from Spring HillMar 29th, 2009 9:27 AM

Pat, I agree with you. The problem is that administration is worried about their own butts and the majority of these "bad" teachers are their pets. Hernando County has loads of them. The Good 'Ol Boy system is alive and strong there. Pathetic!!!!
Hernando Educator from Hernando CountyMar 29th, 2009 9:25 AM

There is no excuse that those teachers are not gone. What about the teachers that just undermine authority and try to be the kids friends? These teachers' test scores are not good because they are focusing on being the "fun" teacher. Whatever.
Marine from TampaMar 29th, 2009 9:21 AM

Is it hard to fire a copy editor (singular) even if they (plural) are bad at grammar?
Citizen from PHMar 29th, 2009 9:15 AM

Florida especially Pinellas has a low reputation for education and here is one of the big reasons why!
Eva from TampaMar 29th, 2009 8:54 AM

There are also rotten administrators who just one can ruin a potential new teacher from teaching in a county for three years because they do not like them. Even if the teacher does his or her best and tries to improve, they can still be sabotaged.
Jason r from st. petersburgMar 29th, 2009 8:50 AM

Thurman and Sachse are off their chains and should have been let go yrs ago. Considering the belligerent parents, obnoxious/violent students and spineless/racist adminsistrators, it amazes me that anyone matriculates.
John from Moon LakeMar 29th, 2009 8:47 AM

Teacher Unions are required by law to provide defense for all teachers, to not do so would open them to lawsuits. Teachers don't want these people either, they need the help of administrators to have an indefensible trail of paperwork on these people
Macy from JacksonvilleMar 29th, 2009 8:33 AM

There are also many unethical and dishonest administrators (at least in Duval County)Many will lie to fire or discipline a teacher they just don't like. Teacher evaluations are usually based on how well a teacher kissess administration butt. Corrupt
Walter C. from LargoMar 29th, 2009 8:32 AM

Clearly, it takes a lot to get rid of bad writers as well. This teacher's unacceptable behavior notwithstanding, the writer intentionally changes the facts from "by" to "behind" the dumpster to imply nefarious intent. Fire the teacher and the writer.
P.C. from St.PeteMar 29th, 2009 8:27 AM

Is this guy in denial or what? Find a way to get rid of teachers that are not fit. This guy has to go.
Jen from HernandoMar 29th, 2009 8:27 AM

The problem is principals who don't visit the classrooms more than once a year to monitor what is going on. If they stopped giving good evaluations to teachers who aren't following the rules and giving little instruction, it would be better for all.
wayne from brooksvilleMar 29th, 2009 8:18 AM

Nice article, but wrong group. Who hired these people? Are all poor teachers in the Union, not. Tenure exist because of poor managers who will play the power game and then teaching would be on par to slavery. Fix management and then it fixes this!
Mike from St. PeteMar 29th, 2009 8:14 AM

Teachers work hard and one kid can hate a teacher and make a complaint. That complaint goes into the teachers file not matter if it is true or untrue. If the teacher is really bad, than it is up to administration to prove he/she is bad teacher.
Teacher from TampaMar 29th, 2009 8:12 AM

Teachers need tenure to protect us from crazed parents who think their children are perfect angels who are entitled to everything and from administrators who try to placate parents for political and personal career advancement.
Teacher from TampaMar 29th, 2009 8:09 AM

I had a parent complain that I manipulated his son's grades for the worse and called for an "audit". My admin. tried to stay neutral instead of telling this parent to go to hell (which is what I wanted to say). His son was a lazy, do-nothing "jock"
Bland Old Isaac's Brother from New Port RicheyMar 29th, 2009 8:06 AM

Tenure protects teachers from administrations that should have been removed years ago, or want a friend in your job. There is little recourse against them, while district circles their wagons to protect. Do a story on where inept principals end up!
Jon from TampaMar 29th, 2009 7:53 AM

Even 100 firings a year (in Hillsborough) would be less than .8%. Does anyone, other than those particularly poor-performing teachers, think that sytem can't be improved to make things a little easier to get rid of the "bad apples"?
LonePalm from ClearwaterMar 29th, 2009 7:19 AM

As a Pinellas County parent (with a teacher wife), I take umbrage with Brimm's assertion that Sachse's behavior is "not a firing offense". It's frightening this man is still here. Fire him now & weed out the other bad apples to protect our kids.
Leon from LargoMar 29th, 2009 7:13 AM

What does Jeb (Bush) have to do with this goofball teacher? Pat you are so lost...this teacher should never be in a classroom-----PERIOD !
Jouelle from St. PetersburgMar 29th, 2009 5:46 AM

This is why my child goes to private school. Teachers teach on a year by year contract. Those who are unprofessional or incompetent are discharged. Teachers like Sachse would not last because the welfare of the child is the school's first priority.
Robert from New Port RicheyMar 29th, 2009 5:20 AM

BE AWARE the law and tenure is NOT a reason you are stuck with bad teachers. Allow firing on a whim and job security etc is totally gone. which is exactly what some ppl want and they use tenure etc as teh scapegoat for it

It's hard to fire teachers, even if they are bad - St. Petersburg Times

The Public Is Subject To Public School Officials' "Reasoning".

2009-06-28T09:07:00.001-04:00

I don't know about you, but the thought of relying on "reasonable actions" of public school officials, when they (the public school officials) are at more than an arms length away from being accountable for poor judgement, is not very comforting.

How well do you trust your AP, P, the teacher down the hall, or someone who just "drops by"?

And remember, public school officials must rely on "reasonable actions of public school officials" also.

Schoolhouse strip-search ruling a logical balancing act:

"The Supreme Court agreed that the strip search violated the Constitution but wisely refused to embrace the 9th Circuit's logic. Instead, the justices reaffirmed their earlier analysis that a search 'will be permissible in its scope when the measures adopted are reasonably related to the objectives of the search and not excessively intrusive in light of the age and sex of the student and the nature of the infraction.' The invasiveness of a strip search, wrote Justice David Souter for the majority, requires that school officials have 'specific suspicions' that the student is hiding contraband in undergarments.
The court - with Justices John Paul Stevens and Ruth Bader Ginsburg dissenting on this point - also rightly refused to allow lawsuits against the Arizona school officials, ruling that they should be immune from being sued unless they blatantly violated 'clearly established law.'
That charge, the majority concluded, could not be sustained in light of the fact that several federal courts had come to conflicting conclusions on the matter.
In short, they ruled that students must be protected against searches that clearly violate the Constitution, but school officials should not live in fear of being hit with personal lawsuits for exercising arguably reasonable actions taken to ensure safety in the school."

Hence, we have this:

Civil Citation :: Hillsborough: "A civil citation separates common misbehaviors and mistakes at school from more serious offenses, such as violent misdemeanors, all felonies and all illegal drug and sex offenses."

War! What Is It Good For?

2009-06-28T08:21:00.000-04:00

Absolutely nothing.

Say it again, Edwin Starr.

In today's local Tribune, Mr. Carl Zimmerman suggests that the present education system needs to be "reinvented".

Not so fast.

No self respecting teacher is going to take that. Doesn't everyone know it's a war out there (I say sarcastically)?

While "reinventing" the current education system might include strategies to increase the buy-in of students and parents, something that Mr. Zimmerman was suggesting, let's not forget the war. As I wrote a couple of posts ago, we need to support the teachers, but not the war.

Posted by ( Teeg ) on 06/28/2009 at 07:23 am.

"....... We are not failing the children. The children and their parents are failing the children....."

Reinvent education

FYI

2009-06-25T08:20:00.001-04:00

JUSTICE FOR CHILDREN 6/27/2009 - Wake up Call Show on Blog Talk Radio

Call-in Number: (646) 716-8675
Upcoming Show: 6/26/2009 8:00 PM

Description:

JOIN THERESA EDWARDS. TONIGHTS GUEST IS A SHOCKER. A TEACHER. LETS FIND OUT HOW TEACHERS RETALIATE AGAINST TEACHERS. THIS TEACHER HAS BEEN FIGHTING TO PROTECT HER CHILD AND IS BEING RETALIATED AGAINST

"I support the troops, but not the war."

2009-06-23T20:04:00.005-04:00

This started me thinking:

Lee Drury De Cesare's Casting-Room Couch:
The Riots Go on in Iran; the Teachers Get Punished by the School Board

It took me a few days, but I came to realize how difficult it is for teachers to be "in the trenches"

Defense of Public Education Home Page - By Dennis Fermoyle:

"In The Trenches:
Our public education system is under attack. University professors say it doesn’t have high enough standards, economists blame it for dragging down the American economy, politicians say it is not giving children the education that the American people demand, religious leaders say it refuses to allow God in schools, the news media portrays it as an overall failure, and one journalist even complains that public school teachers are fat!"

Blaming teachers is similar to blaming soldiers:

Support the Warrior Not the War: Give Them Their Benefits!:

"And today we are told that we must 'Support Our Troops.' 'Wear a yellow ribbon, wave your flag, support the Bush Administration's War on Terror and War on Iraq.' Questioning the war is equated with deserting our troops or treason. And yet how are the warmongers supporting our troops? By eliminating their healthcare and slashing their pensions. Let us support the warrior without supporting the war."

Support the Troops, Oppose Their Actions - by Joshua Frank:
"The antiwar movement must try to understand these inconsistencies and contradictions. When natural human agency and behaviors are thrown into situations like that of U.S. soldiers fighting in Iraq – things get complicated. But as those situations worsen, and the antiwar movement gains strength, the inner feelings that so many U.S. soldiers have will be more prone to come out.
If and when they do, we must be here for them. That's what 'supporting the troops' is all about."

"I support the troops, but not the war.":

"From Dissident Voice:
Our military is engaged in war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes against peace in both Afghanistan and Iraq, not to mention the more than 100 other countries where we maintain a military presence. We instigated wars of aggression against two nations whose governments did not attack us, nor did they pose any threat to us. Our forces have destroyed untold billions of dollars worth of civilian infrastructure and killed hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children. As American citizens our jingoistic support of the military in such endeavors has enabled this abusive behavior."

One answer is to simply get rid of the enemy:

Florida & Tampa Bay schools blog - The Gradebook#comments:

"A very simple fix to this problem...Get rid of the kids that hinder the learning process. Make those parents responsible for those heathens supervise them feed them and educate them. Once they are ready to come back to the educational system they should go before the school board prior to returning to the classroom. The next problem that occurs.....Expulsion. Dump the garbage and let's move on.
Posted by: Reality Check | June 18, 2009 at 10:42 PM"

Framing how we can support our teachers but not the war should come from the bully pulpit, so to speak.

Hillsborough County Public Schools' Fiddle Faddle

2009-06-21T08:58:00.006-04:00

Is Nero alive and well in Hillsborough County Public Schools' FDLRS (affectionately known as "fiddlers")?

There is much discussion on the local blogs regarding the situation at one of many ESE classrooms within the HCPS. Currently there is rather intense discussion that grapples with the word "abuse". Most discussion can be found here, here, here, and here.

For a while, I found myself forgetting my role as a broad brush attack machine towards the local public education agency and purveyor of many isolated incidents. Maybe it is because I had an early Father's Day breakfast, but I believe I have found my way back to my role.

I frankly find it quite astonishing that the discussion of "abuse" has merit. I believe that HCPS has a pretty intensive Exceptional Student Education training and resource group. In fact, did not the HCPS school board recently have a pomp and circumstance recognizing it's existence and exemplary work? I think it celebrated the 10 year anniversary of the Liaison project. I think that the start of that timeline coincides with the high level of activity of a few special education advocates, when parents, and even teachers, were turning to outside sources for assistance with special education issues.

Although HCPS is currently under investigation for allegedly sending a high number of it's ESE kids off to the local police , I doubt that there is any correlation to that investigation and the current issue, and I also feel quite confident that the fact that the HCPS has such a highly effective training program already in existence, at least on paper, this training program will exonerate the District.

For instance, here is a list of Professional Development Topics Offered by FDLRS, a schedule of which can be found each month:

Behavior Management
Bringing Words to Life Book Study
Compliance Issues
Corrective Reading
Data Team Dealing With Differences
ESE Para-educator Modules
ESE Specialist Roles and Responsibilities
Functional Behavior Assessment/ Behavior Intervention Plans
IEP - Make It Measurable!
The "I Hate Data!" Data Workshop
IEP Update
Introduction to Talking PowerPoint Books
Just Read! Overview
KTEA-II
Literacy Centers
Meaningful Participation
Mentoring (Communication Skills for Successful ESE)
NCI - Non-Violent Crisis Intervention
PDA-ESE
PowerPoint Books and Early Literacy Builders
The Principles of Exceptional Education
Quality IEP Training/ Matrix
REWARDS
SMART Board Basics
SRA Reading Mastery Plus K-2
T.E.A.M.
The Wonders of "Word"

Each month, according to this site, the schedule for these intensive training programs can be found in the Exceptional Communicator. The link to that on-line site can be found here. Please note that this publication can also be found in the teacher's school mail.

I am going to make a huge assumption and assume that this program is still in existence, even though the last on-line publication is dated "January/February 2008". An oversight in web maintenance, no doubt. I am aware that the District is short on resources, so surely they maintained professional development, but not the website.

What may be the source of all of this "misunderstanding" is that this training, according to the website, is intended for the audience of teachers. Apparently, administrators are above the need for this type of training, or perhaps they have their own, higher level, training.

While local bloggers parse the word "abuse", I will position myself on the nearest roof while I fiddle around with broad brush attacks.

The Cube Of The Root Is Equal To The Square Of The Hair

2009-06-20T08:52:00.002-04:00

Simple equation, right?

Simply split hairs to define same, then solve for the root of the problem.

Behavior is as simple as that.

The root of the behavior is an attempt to split hairs, so to speak.

Too many people wrongly define the root, therefore never solve the problem.

The basic element of a behavior is to obtain or escape. Plants do it. Animals do it.

The lower the form of plant or animal life, the less difficult it is to correctly define the function of the behavior. The higher degree of dysfuntional communication, the more difficult it is to correctly define the function of the behavior

A functional behavioral assessment is to define the function of a behavior.

Does a kid kick off their shoes in an apparent "fit" because: they don't have the ability to say what they want to say through verbalization; they tried verbalization, but it didn't work; they saw someone else do it and are trying it out for themselves; the shoes have been hurting and now is as good as time as any to get rid of them; or because they know this is the best way to piss off the authority figure because the authority figure has let the kid know that the best way to piss off the authority figure is to kick off the shoes.

When it comes to adults, it is always fun to try to figure out what their motivation is. What are they trying to get, or what are they trying to escape?

Splitting hairs just to do so may be similar to kicking off shoes just to do so.

But there is still a function, whatever the hell it is.

On A Hot Summer Night, A Meatloaf Dinner Sans The Kiss

2009-06-16T13:11:00.002-04:00

My first reaction to Goader being thrown under the bus was that he took the words right out of my mouth.

While I have long appreciated Meat Loaf and Meatloaf lovers should know the refrain, the only part of this song that is germane to my point is simply "you took the words right out of my mouth".

The origin of what Goader is responding to can be found here: The Abyss: The Kemp case.

Unlike other bored bloggers, perhaps even those of Cherokee heritage that are "Unto the Hills", I have seen so many points of interest lately that I am in another analysis paralysis.

I also don't understand how some use the Pee Wee Herman "I know your are, but what am I" attempt at trying to point out hypocrisy as the only defense for criticism or debate regarding the actions of the HCPS. There are many differing forces that can differentiate how one person can or can not do the same behavior as another. For instance, I can talk publicly about my son's IEP, but a school employee can not. I can distribute copies of an IEP to anyone I choose, yet it would not be hypocritical of me to call out a school employee who did the same action. Depending on circumstances, we are each held to a set of standards that may not be the same across all settings.

I am still working on formulating my ideas about the abuse of power and authority.

Hillsborough County Public Schools and Special Ed Teachers Misusing Funds to "Adjust (students) Attitude" ?

2009-06-13T18:02:00.010-04:00

Bullying seems to be the topic du jour. Recent media reports repeatedly quoted District personnel making the point that the kids and parents involved in the alleged recent ongoing rape sequence at Walker Middle school never told any of the district employees what was going on.

Now there is an apparent display of concern by the Board and the administrators that there will be increased training and awareness and focus on bullying. What puts my bull in the wool about behavior is that there are, and have been, standard policies and procedures that are supposed to be in effect and acted on when it comes to behavior.

Here is a public comment found on The Gradebook, a local education blog. I don't care who the individual teacher is; it is the mindset and display of ignorance by the system, and therefore the teachers, that is what should be a concern for all.

If the system can't respect current Federal laws that have been in effect, why should the public trust that the system will respect any other laws or policies.

Florida & Tampa Bay schools blog - The Gradebook:

"getsmart, my wife is a special ed teacher in Hillsborough. Her trick for this was to track the disruptive students through all of their classes and get all of their teachers to start writing referrals on them (documenting said students' bad behaviors and estimating how much time was wasted dealing with those behaviors and regaining control of the classroom). It's awfully hard for even the most spineless or clueless administrator to ignore five or more teachers writing referrals on the same students. When confronted with that much documentation, even the most defensive parent will get a wakeup call. As for the students, once their running buddies see that there actually *are* consequences then they may get a severe attitude adjustment.
Posted by: MenckenJr | June 12, 2009 at 04:06 PM"

Compare that statement to what is found in the Federal law:

IDEA - Building The Legacy of IDEA 2004: "Statute: TITLE I / D / 654

Sec. 654 USE OF FUNDS."

(a) Professional Development Activities.--A State educational agency that receives a grant under this subpart shall use the grant funds to support activities in accordance with the State's plan described in section 653, including 1 or more of the following:

(B) improve the knowledge of special education and regular education teachers and principals and, in appropriate cases, paraprofessionals, concerning effective instructional practices, and that--

(iii) provide training in methods of--

(I) positive behavioral interventions and supports to improve student behavior in the classroom;

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I posted all of that to now address specifically how the above public comment displays blatant disregard for federal law:

IDEA - Building The Legacy of IDEA 2004:

"(3) Development of iep.--
(A) In general.--In developing each child's IEP, the IEP Team, subject to subparagraph (C), shall consider--

(B) Consideration of special factors.--The IEP Team shall--

(i) in the case of a child whose behavior impedes the child's learning or that of others, consider the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports, and other strategies, to address that behavior;"

In other words, a special education student, whose behavior impedes their learning, or impedes the learning of others, is supposed to receive specialized instruction for their behavior from professional education systems and their professional employees. What is not supposed to happen is an orchestrated attempt, by a professional education system, to punish the kid instead of teaching the kid.

The parsing of the word "consider" in "B"(1) is used by clever thinking District personnel to obfuscate their acting on carrying out positive efforts to address behaviors.

As we can see by the comment, these teachers have time to "(documenting said students' bad behaviors and estimating how much time was wasted dealing with those behaviors and regaining control of the classroom)", but we can assume they do not have time, and more importantly, nor the training, to document "said students' bad behavior" to conduct a functional behavioral assessment and the resulting positive behavioral support plan.

Richard L. Hancock

Loose Cannons And Friendly Fire

2009-06-07T18:08:00.003-04:00

I am certainly not a scholar, nor do I play one on TV. In fact, I'm one of those guys that thinks it's braggin' when someone mentions a dangling modifier. Watching the acts play out on the local blogs reminds me of a character named Bildgewater, found in Twain's writings.

I think it was Shakespeare that tussled with the question about being and nobility. If I were to be a victim of a French loose cannon or usurpation by my own faction, which would be more noble?

There is an adage that all is fair in love and war. If a rotund fellow chooses a duel of pistols with a slim fellow, the fat guy cannot discount hits on his body that would have missed if he was as slim as his opponent.

We are left to wonder if Pat Tillman would have been more concerned about a loose cannon or friendly fire. From my perspective, either one is effective if it makes a direct hit. Noble or not.

Some New Dots - Are They Connected?

2009-06-06T13:33:00.003-04:00

Have you ever painted yourself into the corner?

Have you ever, while sitting on the tree limb, sawed the limb closer to the trunk?

I have said before, when things don't make sense, the real decision maker is not sitting at the table.

These dots don't make sense:

Lee Drury De Cesare's Casting-Room Couch:

"An email from you with allegations about employees would not generate a Professional Standards investigation. Certainly, the superintendent had no involvement and undoubtedly had no idea who Steve Kemp was, let alone that he has a blog."

In the District’s Own Words : Goader#comments#comments#comments:

"This following was also a part of the email to Mrs. De Cesare:
District: People who work in schools are obligated by law to report possible abuse. Child Protective Investigations is obligated to investigate and they call in law enforcement. When CPI and law enforcement investigate an employee, Professional Standards gets involved. They would be negligent if they allowed someone to remain in a position involving children while CPI and police investigate abuse allegations."

Another dot:

Rape case shines light on oversight:

"TAMPA - When news surfaced that a boy at Walker Middle School was sexually attacked multiple times over multiple months - in his own school - parents and school board members had the same reaction.
How could this happen?"

Hills Board: Has The Beginning of the End Begun?:

"This past week, the result of an official request, I met with Linda Kipley, General Manager of Professional Standards. Not to be too redundant, but Mrs. Kipley is among the most professional managers within the district: professional in dress, professional in manner, and amazing professional in conversation.

An agenda for this meeting, as she explained, was that the district has become aware that this internet site may have criticized unnamed upper-managers or unnamed school board members (her words). Mrs. Kipley also said that district legal and HR staff have been tasked to research the legality of an employee, like myself, away from work and on my own time, criticizing “my” employers."

After you have jumped to a conclusion, I submit that it may be those within the higher ups that are painting themselves into a corner and sawing on the wrong side of the limb.

Someone posted this on Lee's blog:

Lee Drury De Cesare's Casting-Room Couch: A Grain a Day Makes the Rock Go Away:

"If Cobbe is ever chosen she'll see how wrong she was to side with administration."

Are we to believe that Professional Standards is allocating time and resources independent of direction? Apparently not. So who is calling the shots? Who are "district legal and HR staff?" Are we to believe that an allegation of wrongdoing is given the thumbs up or thumbs down based on the identity of the complainant?

Things are not making sense.

Once someone is caught up in this type of stuff, things never do make sense.

Just sayin'.

A Look At Another County

2009-06-05T15:51:00.000-04:00

For Teachers:

"For the Teachers of Collier County
Our public schools are dysfunctional. Years of carefully constructed lies and propaganda from school boards all over the nation have paralyzed terrified teachers and parents for years. Teacher Abuse to silence the truth assures school administrators that they - rather than parents and teachers - continue to control our schools in order to reflect boards' political agendas, not children's educational needs. School board elections are controlled by narcissistic administrations and self serving political interests. Few people are aware since terrorized teachers march in line fearing the loss of their incomes and careers, and overt retaliation and retribution against them and their families.
We are providing this page of resources to the countless CCSD teachers who have felt powerless and live in fear of losing their jobs if they speak out.
US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
National Association for Prevention of Teacher Abuse
White Chalk Crime: The Real Reason Schools Fail
White Chalk Crime - Buy the book"

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

2009-05-28T20:30:00.004-04:00

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

2009-05-25T14:05:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-23T08:17:00.001-04:00

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

2009-05-22T08:27:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-17T09:51:00.001-04:00

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

2009-05-17T08:26:00.001-04:00

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 (?)

2009-05-15T08:34:00.004-04:00

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

2009-05-14T13:40:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-11T15:52:00.005-04:00

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.

2009-05-09T08:41:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-03T14:12:00.004-04:00

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

2009-05-03T11:09:00.001-04:00

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?

2009-05-03T09:42:00.001-04:00

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?

2009-05-02T08:14:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-01T19:39:00.001-04:00

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.

More Of The Same Begets More Of The Same

2009-04-29T15:56:00.004-04:00

Someone needs to get a clue to all of the administrators within the Hillsborough County Public Schools. When there is a problem brewing, relegating and isolating the problem to one person or one department is like gluing the lid on a pressure cooker. Eventually, the whole mess is going to explode like hell. They may get away with it for years, but the fallout from this practice is costly for human resources.

In the HASA April 09 minutes, there is a recommendation that if a person speaks to the Board with a complaint, the speaker should be "referred to the appropriate level supervisor".

Someone set me straight on this, but it has been my experience that, for the most part, when someone brings a complaint to the Board, it is after they have exhausted all other avenues to address their concerns to no avail. By the time they have worked up the emotional energy to go speak to the board, they are usually at their wit's end. Why send them back to the very people that they have been dealing with already?

Since the Erwin case has been well exposed as an example of this type of narrow-minded thinking, take another look at what happened at the latest Alafia Elementary debacle. According to the information I have, both Ken Otero and Sherrie Sikes had been involved with that issue for quite some time. Both of those people, by all accounts that I know of, are fairly well respected for their administrative abilities. Why send people back to them if they can't solve the problem?

Look at what happened when "town meetings" were held. If sending this problem back to the proper supervisors was such a good idea, why did the Superintendent show up to answer questions?

What may be the elephant, or the 600 pound gorilla, in the room that no one is willing to expose, is that there are hidden agendas and covert exertions that work against common sense solutions. As an example, suppose there is an ongoing legal battle that the District is engaged in, unknown to most people. Along comes another incident that is similar to the one under litigation. To expose this new incident would be jeopardizing the liability of the ongoing case, especially if the ongoing case is dealing with alleged systemically repeated problems. Under this type of situation, the District's reaction may seem drastic to what, to all involved, is perceived as a real "isolated incident".

I have seen this several times in my limited experience. I will repeat what I have said before: When decisions at the table do not make sense, the real decision makers are not sitting at the table.

Anyone else see it that way?

I Wished I Could Say It Like This

2009-04-29T12:27:00.002-04:00

Long time readers know that I, and others, are a creation of the dysfunctional part of the Exceptional Student Education system of Hillsborough County Public Schools.

The conceptualized comment you find on the below link was exactly why the Whiteheads requested, within the remedies of their federal court case in which retaliation against the parents (not the student, their son) was proved, that a Superintendent's Advisory Board on Special Education be formed to address systemic issues. A good question to ask is "how many recommendations to the superintendent" have ever been submitted by that council.

Hopefully the right people will pay attention to this below issue before it costs the District a lot of money to say they didn't know anything about it.

Professional Standards is Broken : Goader Online

Entrenched In Keeping The Public Out Of The Public School System

2009-04-26T11:13:00.003-04:00

Joel Chandler has taken on the school district of Pasco county. From my perspective, this all started because the Superintendent said the District's actions were an "aberration", another word for "isolated incident". This turned out to not be the case, and, as they say, the rest is history.

In the beginning....

Joel has updated his list of media articles.

The Press....<

This link is interesting for those who think that school systems abuse their power and are cavalier in their dealings with the public.

Florida's Public Records Law: An Unmistakable Message The Ledger | Lakeland, FL:

"So now it's the School Board lawyer's turn in the barrel, and deservedly so. Hill needed a two-by-four to get Bridges' attention - and the attention of Bridges' bosses."

"A better tactic would have been to comply with the law and then seek a change to exempt information Bridges was uncomfortable releasing, which is now under discussion by the Legislature. Instead, taxpayers' dollars were squandered on legal fees for a cause that was clearly a loser. That's no way to build public trust in institutions now struggling more than ever for tax dollars in a shrinking economy."

There is that word "trust". Joel also provides a link on his post "hanging by a thread" which provides the names of many other entities, both individuals and companies, that exercised their public records request without such a fuss. However, the process may have had a kink in it, for apparently the District's practice of asking entities to sign a third party non-disclosure agreement is not appropriate.

It sure smacks of power and control running wild and bulldozing over anyone in the way. They have an image to protect. Laws be damned.

It's Known As "Paper Compliance" vs. Real Compliance

2009-04-25T11:56:00.003-04:00

I have written about this phenomenon on my PRO blog and my Motel Special Ed blog.

I learned about it years ago, when I was in the trenches as a parent of a special ed kid that was in the local public school system. Paperwork was the trump card against truth and reality. Over the years, I learned the importance of fabrication, alteration, obfuscation and simply "lost" paperwork.

Someone who purports to be a remedial teacher restates what I bitch and moan about. What really sucks is that there are plenty of naive parents who still deal with the system from a trusting position. And there are still plenty of school employees that don't blow the whistle or ring the bell.

Florida & Tampa Bay schools blog - The Gradebook:

"If it looks good on paper, then all is well. Doesn't matter that children are never given direct services that actually meet their needs. Heck, just make it look good on paper so we don't get sanctioned and lose funding."

Even an elephant knows this.

Clothes Make The Student - Er, Uh, Government Control Makes The Student

2009-04-23T17:44:00.007-04:00

Some Indian River County schools will require uniform next school year

Oslo Principal Deborah Long -
""But you don't come to school for self-expression," she added. "Let the students stand out with academics, not what they're wearing."

"Shawn O'Keefe, principal of the new middle school said the term "unified dress policy" if [sic] preferred to uniforms."

Outside of the government property of the public education system, there was this:

Saggy pants ban: Riviera Beach's ban on saggy pants ruled unconstitutional -- OrlandoSentinel.com

Here is an article that may explain what is happening to "education" within the public education system:

This is the new reality of public education for children in kindergarten through grade 12 in America. Schools are becoming the social safety net for students and their families.

US public schools routinely provide before-school programs, breakfasts, lunches, after-school care, and evening programs. They offer programs to teach children about sex and how to drive. In structured and formal ways, they try to keep children away from drugs, make sure they don’t carry weapons, instill ethical behavior, prevent sexually transmitted diseases, fight alcohol abuse, prevent student suicides, prevent gang violence, teach conflict mediation, shelter homeless children, ensure students are vaccinated, combat obesity, and provide assistance to teenage mothers and their children, among many other social services.

Student sex education and student meals have been around for more than a century. But the widespread provision of other social services by public schools is a much more recent phenomenon.

I know, I know. The parents are too lazy and uneducated enough to be parents. Not to worry. The educators can fix that. The educators will take over parenting responsibilities. Nutritional foods (check out any school lunch program), condoms, and birth control pills for 14 year olds. Money out the wasooh for social programs, but no money for pencils, papers, books, teachers and other educational items.

What I never see in these articles about school uniforms is how the site administration has adopted a uniform policy for all of the staff. Does that ever happen? Lead by example. A picture is worth a thousand words. Do as I Do.

I ain't smart, but I am a television watcher. These school administrators should share their insight and knowledge with prison administrators. The prisoners all wear uniforms, but the prison administrators just can't get a handle on those damn gangs, nor can they figure out how to make everyone equal. Gang violence in a uniformed environment? Never heard of it.

I was watching a uniformed group of kids the other day. It didn't take me very long to see that some were leaders, some were followers, some were polite, some were mouthy, and some altered their uniform just enough to be different.

This parent may also wonder how much is it going to cost in time and resources to enforce the code of the uniform; "I send my kids to school for an education," said Becky Polge. "I wonder how much instructional time (enforcement) is going to take up."

Understanding the true root of a problem goes a long way to solving it. I am not sure if uniform thinking is going to get to the root of the problem.

Laptop Blackmarket

2009-04-21T06:32:00.001-04:00

Schools' laptops are hot items:

"In the past three years, 490 laptops at public schools and district offices went missing, either stolen or lost, according to figures the district compiled through March."

This is old news to me. Ten or more years ago, I heard this was going on, and had been going on. How have they been dealing with this problem all of this time? Do they know where any of their inventory is? Someone finally got caught stealing lawn tractors only after a whistle blower jumped up and down.

At least it sounds like they can provide "up to date" reports of theft. At least they can't say they don't know that it is happening.

Our Education System Rocks - Part Two

2009-04-19T12:11:00.002-04:00

Somewhere on one of my many rants and raves, I wrote about my opinion that, when dealing with "the system", when things "don't make sense", the real decision maker is not "sitting at the table". I often wonder who is really "in charge" of the system and "information".

If one has watched the news on political scandals for the last twenty years, you should know that the "cover up is worse than the original offense". However, it takes a heck of a lot of work and perseverence to get to the truth. It appears we now have an issue that has been brewing within the state education system.

Joel Chandler has a lot of information on his blog, and it is imperative, for one to understand the significance of any of the "isolated incidents", to see how the issue is not limited to one county.

The short story is that Mr. Chandler made a public records request to a school system. The fact that he was rebuked and the manner in which he was rebuked has led to much more than anyone could have ever imagined.

There is something to be said about the arrogance, ignorance and abuse of power and authority within public education systems.

School Board Lawyer Faces Charges | theledger.com | The Ledger | Lakeland, FL:

"BARTOW | Prosecutors charged Wes Bridges, the Polk County School District's lawyer, Friday with violating the state's public records law."

"A State Attorney's Office investigation concluded Bridges failed to release records to the Lakeland man within a proper amount of time. Chandler, who sells copy machines, filed his request Feb. 5, 2008.

A complaint affidavit explains that a "pattern of delays" and taking months to comply with records requests "can constitute an unlawful refusal to provide access."

Bridges faces a first-degree misdemeanor charge, which carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. He received a summons to appear in court at 8:30 a.m. on May 13 in Bartow."

For a complete source:

I am....

This one is a must read:

Answer the question....

Our Education System Rocks - Part One

2009-04-19T09:36:00.004-04:00

A Few Odds And Ends

Trying to make sense of "tenure vs. performance" is like trying to nail jello to a wall. The assumption that tenure in itself means better performance defies reality.

I can just hear James Carville's rant on the 'Teacher of the Year' award: "It don't mean nothin', it don't mean nothin'!"

A travesty unfolds at her school | Jacksonville.com:

"This year she was named her school's 'Teacher of the Year.' She also was selected as one of five finalists for Clay County's 'Teacher of the Year' award.
She also is about to lose her job."

Although I am quite aware that this is an isolated incident, imagine the amount of respect that is lost for the public school system by those that are effected by this action. It would have been one thing if the teacher had moved to Arkansas. But I am left with the image of a School Board sitting on a tree limb, sawing the limb at a point that is closer to the trunk of the tree than where they are sitting.

Frequent readers of mine may grow weary of my hackneyed use of the phrase "isolated incident". I mock that phrase because I heard it so many times. Logically, one would think that I would have only heard it in an isolated setting. For me, it provides insight into how the system leaders define issues. Policy and decision makers, who base their decisions by looking at numbers, understand that one bit of data is insignificant. What they fail to realize is that bit of data is usually something that has very significant influence on the entity that is the source of that data. A fatal car wreck may be an isolated incident in one's life, but it certainly is significant.

I have a difficult time making sense of the purpose of our public education system. I am reminded of John Saxe's Blind Men And The Elephant:

Blind Men & An Elephant:

".......And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!
Moral:
So oft in theologic wars,
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!"

Yesterday there was a post on the The Gradebook that got my attention. It had to do with corporal punishment within our education system. I am always intrigued with the issue of behavioral management. My intrigue is based on my belief that policy and decision makers on behavioral issues are like the men and the elephant.

Our public education system can teach car driving, which is a "new" behavior. Parents don't teach that at home.
Our public education system can teach football, which is a "new" behavior. Parents don't teach that at home.
Our public education system can teach FCAT taking, which is a "new" behavior. Parents don't teach that at home.
Our public education system can teach nursing skills, which is a "new" behavior. Parents don't teach that at home.

Yet, for some reason, when kids display inappropriate behavior, there is no class for teaching "new" behavior. When it comes to behavior that interrupts a kid's, or their peer's, access to their curriculum, the mindset of "education" takes a different slant. Apparently, the system does not have the money to teach "new" social behavior.

What I find interesting is that the same parents that don't have the professional knowledge that professional educators have are expected to have the professional knowledge necessary to teach appropriate social behavior. How well trained in behavioral teaching are the teachers and administrators and "the system"?

Another isolated incident of how parents can be dealt with:

Witch Hunt:

"On the night John Stoll was roused from his bed and carted off to jail, his attitude bordered on the cavalier.
'Aren't you worried?' His lawyer wondered.
'Hell no, I ain't worried,' John answered. 'I didn't do this. You can't convict me of something I didn't do.'

It was more than two decades before John Stoll was free again.
Executive Producer Sean Penn proudly presents 'Witch Hunt,' a gripping indictment of the United States justice system told through the lens of one small town. It's John Stoll's story, but it's also the story of dozens of other men and women who found themselves ensnared in a spiral of fear, ignorance and hysteria. These people are Americans, working class moms and dads, who were rounded up with little or no evidence, charged and convicted of almost unimaginable crimes. All sexual. All crimes against children. Years, sometimes decades later, they would find freedom again, but their lives and the lives of their children would be changed forever. This film shows viewers what the real crime in this case is, not molestation, but the crime of coercion. Viewers hear from the child witnesses who were forced to lie on the witness stand as they describe scary sessions with sheriff's deputies in which they were told -- not asked -- about sexual experiences that happened to them. Their coerced testimony led to dozens of convictions. Many times their own parents were the ones they put behind bars.
Soon after the trials, the children started to crack. They told adults of the lies they'd been forced to tell on the stand and hoped it would make a difference. It didn't and the convicted continued to sit in prison. As the allegations grew more outlandish, California's Attorney General wrote a scathing report on the court misconduct, but instead of being buried by criticism, Kern County District Attorney Ed Jagels thrived, doing what he did best-- putting people away. He boasted one of the highest conviction rates in the country. This strategy served him well. Jagels is still in office today. Through new interviews, archival footage, and unflinching narration by Mr. Penn, the filmmakers construct an intimate film that illustrates a universal point; when power is allowed to exist without oversight from the press, the community or law enforcement, the rights of everyday citizens can be lost for decades."

And then there is one more isolated incident, this one closer to home. 31 graves next to the school. Ex-students tell of how they were asked to dig holes four feet deep and the length of a boy.

Corporal punishment at it's best at a "school".

For their own good: Florida School for Boys