Is "Power" Obtained By Keeping Outside Influences Illegitimate?

One way to not have to defend your self is to not acknowledge the entity that is trying to "gain power" over you. Depending on the circumstances and the relationship between you and the "power", simply ignoring it may work. Or, it may make matters worse.

I got to this place because the local public education system used different tactics to render me illegitimate when I wanted to "exert power" to change the course of events that I objected to. I have used the words "cavalier", "obfuscation" and "arrogance with ignorance" to describe my perception of how the District dodged the real issues.

While ignoring "the law" assuredly saves the District's money, being caught at ignoring "the law" can be costly:

Wrightslaw - Special Education Law - Whitehead v Hillsborough:

"Florida Jury Awards $600,000.00 to Parents of Handicapped Child
School District Failed to Provide FAPE; Retaliated Against Parents and Child"

NAPTA: TEACHER STORY, Doug Erwin, Florida:

"After nearly three days of deliberations, the jury awarded Erwin at least $175,000 in damages for emotional pain and mental anguish. He could get an additional $196,000 in salary for being pressured to retire 18 months before his scheduled retirement date of July 31, 2003, his attorney said."

I have said all of that to bring attention to what can happen when a school District ignores a public records request.

Polk Schools To Pay $25,000 in Legal Dispute | The Ledger | Lakeland, FL

"The $50,000 in legal fees spent during my fight with the Polk County School Board was the result of their having “acted contrary to law.” Certainly, taxpayer funds were wasted - by the PCSB (subsequently, the Duval County School Board wasted taxpayer funds doing the same thing). I find it curious that some folks think I’ve wasted the money when all I have done is to seek access to records that EVERY citizen is entitled to. Using the same logic marchers on Selma wasted taxpayer funds when the State Police beat them and used tear gas."

(Blond Moments from the Blogosphere...):



The lawsuit...:

"...Obviously, Mr. Conner [PCSB attorney*]acknowledges on the record that the PCSB knew that there was no basis in law for denying my request. Further, he admitted, on the record, that the only reason the PCSB did not produce the records was that they did not want me to have them."

"I believe this is the “smoking gun” regarding the criminality of the actions of the PCSB and Gail McKinzie. They knowingly refused to comply with a legal request for non-exempt public records. They knowingly frustrated my efforts to see these records even though they knew I was entitled to them. Their actions were conscious and deliberate. It seems clear that with the benefit of counsel and months of planning they orchestrated a series of hurtles and roadblocks to my obtaining these non-exempt records." -Joel Chandler

***************
What intrigues me with this information is that it bolsters my opinion that public exposure is the Achilles heel of the public school system. If legitimate concerns that are brought to them are obfuscated or kept illegitimate, what other recourse does anyone have? I am also curious as to who makes these decisions to obfuscate the issues.

* (my edit)

Freedom Of Speech Must Be Fought For

Public Education - Politics, Business and Education: Media Blitz - Truth or Propaganda


At the end of the above link to my previous post, I had written this:

"I am a bit surprised "they" haven't tried to silence the freedom of the press, yet."

Some may paint me as a malcontent, broad brush attack, isolated incident of a parent who was told "no" by the system, but it is interesting what happened today at this link:

Seeking Order Is Not Bullying


This is an interesting sequence in the public comments:

First, there was a comment by bkg4211 that was removed:

Posted by ( bkg4211 ) on 11/10/2008 at 03:23 pm.

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

Then there was this comment by beerwulf who had a chance to read the removed comment:

Posted by ( beerwulf ) on 11/10/2008 at 10:18 pm.

The poster who had his comment removed by the site staff was essentially correct. According to Robert's Rules, there are only a few ways to take the floor back from a member who has it and Ms Faliero didn't do any of these. She is the one who was out of order and should consult Robert's Rules, not the rest of us. Judging from her public pronouncements and her behavior as chair, doing her homework is not something that Ms Faliero is good at. For a School Board member, that irony is obvious.According to Robert's Rules, any motion that shuts off debate requires a two-thirds vote of the assembled membership. In practice, this means that a motion has to be made to take the floor away from the speaker and that motion cannot be made by the chair.

This is where we get a chance to see how critical a point it was when the above comment was removed:

Posted by ( bkg4211 ) on 11/11/2008 at 07:37 am.

It is a sad day when a newspaper removes my post that was a FACT BASED exercise of my first amendment rights. There was no vulgarity, cursing, or any other inappropriate content. My posting was clinical and would have been acceptable in any courtroom.Proof of Jennifers affair with Mark Hart is readily available from the Clerk of Circuit Court. I have a copy. Jens move from her district and her subsequent wild eyed claims and her impromptu scurry back to her district are well documented on this very website as well as the St. Pete Times. So no false claims there.The information on Roberts Rules was straight out of the book, so no inaccuracies there.You should re-instate my posting or provide playing the injured party?Again court documents substantiate her affair and I suspect that this is why you removed the post. If Jen wants to live in the public eye on the public dime then she should exercise a bit more discretion. If she gets caught its fair game.I'm reposting the original so you can see what Trib has decided to suppress. I will continue to repost so long as they remove it.

And finally, with persistance by someone who sees the big picture, we finally get to see the original post.

Posted by ( bkg4211 ) on 11/11/2008 at 07:39 am.

Nice try Jen. The problem is that you cannot rewrite Roberts Rules of Order. As chair you are merely a facilitator. Once the floor is given to a member, there are very specific rules regarding how the floor may be reclaimed from the person holding the floor. You followed none of those rules.A member other than the chair could have called for the Agenda of the Day (Provided Griffin was off agenda, which she was not).Another board member could have called the question... which none did. But only provided the board as a whole agreed that sufficient debate had occured.The floor could be temporarily seized by a point of information, but after the information request is fulfilled the floor is returned to the person who held the floor prior to the point of information.You're a joke Jen.You have violated Florida statute by moving out of your district. You caused a public calamity while residing outside of your district.As attested by Mark Hart in his divorce deposition, while Mark was employed by HCPS you engaged in an affair with him that resulted in the dissolution of his marriage.Finally let us not forget that this is not the first time that you have attacked Griffin.You don't get it. You were elected to oversee Elia and the administration. You were not elected to make friends. You routinely do the ROSSAC bunches bidding from your compromised perch. Every time you fight their battles you are battered and beaten. Why do you continue to blindly follow that which you should be leading? What else does Elia have on you?The only person out of order is/was you. Griffin had the floor. You didn't like her questioning your vaunted authority or attacking your bossom buddies so you did the only thing you know how to do: abused your power. That is out of order. You did not follow Roberts Rules... that is out of order. You threatened to have Griffin removed which you don't have the authority to do to another elected board member... that is out of order. You called on a fellow elected official to resign if she did not execute her job YOUR way... that is out of order. And YOU madame are out of order.You may be proud as an elected official, but this community is embarassed and ashamed by you. You are a bully and worse: a go along to get along rubber stamper. You don't deserve to hold any office.Kiss that seat goodbye Jen. Forces are already aligning against you.

**********

I don't have time to find all of the links to all of my posts on all of my blogs regarding my opinions about the abuse of power, the arrogance with ignorance and how image is more important than substance when it comes to the HCPS. However, we are seeing it played out continuously. The public and the media need to understand the importance of what we are seeing.

This Is It - Arrogance With Ignorance

I have been writing about it for almost 17 months : "Arrogance with ignorance". Check out the labels on my blogs.

The arrogance of the HCPS School Board chair was to threaten a board member to be removed from the board meeting. The ignorance was that the Chair did not have authority to do so.

School Board talk on travel takes harsh turn - St. Petersburg Times:

"In fact, she had no authority to do so, board attorney Tom Gonzalez said."

To add insult to what should have been a professional at work, the Times reports this in the same above article:

"Faliero later said she never intended to have Griffin removed,..."

Ms. Griffin had what it took to withstand this threat. She even stated that the Chair was a peer, not an employer. Look at what happened to Doug Erwin. Look at what happens to school employees, parents and students who cannot overcome the arrogance with ignorance when it happens.

For those who are concerned that people do not respect the school system, look no further. It was on full display yesterday at the ROSSAC.

When The System is Defended By Blaming The Method Of The Complainers

Parents Critical Of Alafia Elementary Principal#comments#comments#comments#comments


The above link has the comments up until 9:40 pm. I am not sure if new comments will be linked to as they are already up to 5 pages.


Today's comments have both "defenders" of the principal along with "supporters" of the "fab 5" as one commenter named the speakers that appeared before the school board.

One of the defenders had this to say:

"In my opinion, you've taken a giant step backwards by using a public forum as a whipping post."

I have no other knowledge about the specifics than what I have read in the newspaper. However, I have plenty of personal experience about how the scenario is being played out. I was once part of a group of parents that spoke at a school board meeting. My speaking at that meeting came about after years and years of being lied to and deceived in many different settings by a few people. Longtime readers of my blogs would know that right after I wrote a letter of complaint in the fall of 1996 to one of my son's principals, I was threatened with trespassing. My wife and my son and I experienced first hand the retaliatory actions of the system. They were not isolated incidents. I don't need a broad brush to make my attacks.

Frequent readers of my blogs would also know that I, and others, firmly believe that the public forum is the Achilles heal of the system. When defenders of the system blame the parents for "foul play", it fits the mindset of a system that doesn't play by the rules but when the message finally gets out to the public, the system calls out "unfair".

I went up the chain of command only to be dropped back to the bottom of the rung again. For six years I treated those who I thought were professionals with respect. I spent years trying to make sense of the lies and the destruction or fabrication of documents that they needed to support their lies. What defenders of the system don't realize that once the system loses the trust of those they are not being honest and straightforward with, the system can not simply demand or command respect based on a false image. The system is so arrogantly full of itself that it thinks it can get away with stepping on people with no consequence.

That dog don't hunt in my neck of the woods because I know, and I know others that know, including many that work in the system, what the truth is about the system. Arf!

There Is That Word "Arrogance" Again

In today's Tribune, we find this:

Parents Get Crash Course In Hubris 101

At the very end of the editorial, there is the word that I use a lot when I talk about the HCPS:

"They say it takes a village to raise a child. Apparently in Hillsborough, a few arrogant administrators will suffice."

I wonder if the editors will get a visit like Mr. Otto did here:
"Administrators Need Love, Too, I Suppose"

One More Isolated Incident

I was in attendance in my son's IEP meeting on December 16th, 1996. I assumed it was going to a contentious meeting, as it had all of the earmarks of those types I had attended before.

Prior to this meeting, I had written a letter to the principal outlining some of my concerns. After six years of learning the ways of the District, I had become better at covering all of the bases, even though I knew there would be some angle I was not prepared for.

While there were a lot of interesting things that happened in this meeting, I will address one connected to the link below. The principal recorded the meeting. There were a lot of "damaging" things said by some of the District people and also there was a lot of "evidence" of how my "procedural safeguards" were compromised, some being outright violated. Keep in mind this was prior to me learning the rules of the game. In fact, that day started my official quest for knowledge regarding IDEA and how it is supposed to work.

It was the proverbial straw. Some of the people who were in that meeting are still around. I think one or two of them understood the injustice that was done. I think the others were more entrenched in how to spin the events so they were defensible.

The fallout of this meeting was immediate and widespread. It may not surprise some of you that despite the fact that I had an MO-12 inviting me to an IEP meeting on that day and a time specific and room specific, along with the fact that nine or ten other people showed up at the same time and place, upon my request for copies of the records of that IEP meeting, I was told by a District Person that there had been no IEP meeting. I guess it depends on what the definition of "was" was.

The principal had tape recorded the meeting. She had prepared for taping. I did not. Try getting a definitive "yes" or "no" answer today whether a parent can tape an IEP meeting.

Back to my point that speaks to the below. After I insisted on getting a copy of that tape, I was finally given a tape.

The tape I received was blank.


This post jogged my memory:

Saturday, April 05, 2008

I can't remember exactly how this poor mangled teacher came to my attention. I think she emailed me. I asked for a copy of her court case to put on our blog, and she said OK.

Maybe It's Just Me

While my local school system is in the public throes of who is really running the show, I get stuck on the meaning of words.

Now that freedom of speech issues have finally reached the point that the HCDS police are called to action, I wonder where has everyone been all of these years.

I will always vividly recall the day at Mann Middle School when I was told by the principal that if I came on campus without checking in to her office first, I would be charged with trespassing.

The fact that I was making a big squawk about my repeated attempts to address issues with my son’s education and the fact that this threat came the day after I wrote a complaint letter gave me reason to believe that the 3 months of previous same actions on my part were now under a different line of scrutiny.

At least I didn’t have the security called on me. Instead, I called the Director of ESE while sitting in the office. I had the number saved because I used it a lot over the years. This may have saved my immediate arrest. It was a gutsy move on my part, because Directors have as much say over what a principal does or does not do as I did. But there is something to say about safety in numbers, and how many people know.

I was not accustom to this type of treatment, or rather, the treatment was getting worse. I did not think the setting was safe for my son. So when I said I was keeping him home until we could have another of those countless meanings, the veiled threat of truancy was thrown out. Knowing the absolute power of the school District, I made sure I obtained a Dr's excuse to protect me.

As the days and weeks played out, since I had become learned in the ways of paper warfare, my documentation along with proof that “they” had changed theirs, probably saved me from the usual bulldozed flattening that most parents end up with.

Taking on the system means that you must have documentation and make sure some one else has a copy of it too.

Yesterday I posted the link to some probable cause affidavits.

One of the sentences struck me as odd, so I revisited it today. On page two, it says that the teacher’s strikes (to the kid who was an “equivalent 11 to 14 month old reference motor skills”) “were often prompted by an incorrect answer to a question, not any disciplinary problem or wrong doing. In that sense, there was no legal justification for her to strike the child.”

And then on page 3, we find: the teacher’s statement of “you gonna kick me, I’m gonna kick you (pg 2),” “implies revenge as a motive and a desire to hurt of cause pain to … rather than any educational purpose.”

I am thankful that the writer was able to determine that there was no educational purpose for the actions the teacher took upon the kid. It must have been a tough legal decision to write that out.

Hey Mister Editor, May I Have A Job?

That's what I'm talking about.

Today in the Tampa Tribune, we have this: All Students, Athletes Included, Are Entitled To School Choice.

It restates what I said here: Footballs, Business Cards, Gavels and Scientific Method and bolsters the need for the District to pay attention to appropriate numbers that I mentioned here: Numbers and Coke Leave One Out of Touch with Reality.

This paragraph drew my attention: "It's interesting to note, however, that while Hillsborough coaches claim to know other coaches who have broken the transfer rules, none has the courage to report the details to the district for investigation. It's hard to have sympathy for coaches and schools unwilling to police themselves."

I was a founding member of the Superintendents ESE Advisory Council. While acting in the capacity as President of same, I was told straight forwardly by a District representative that the District did not need policing. I assume that those who are keenly aware of the difficulties facing all of those involved in ESE issues silently plead for some accountability.

It may be a complete surprise to some that I possess a degree in Sociology. The only time I used it for gainful employment was during my stint with the University of Miami. While I have retired a few times already, it would be fun to be an investigative reporter delving into the networking of the HCDS. Ferreting out how the District runs their business of education would be intriguing. Instead of me being a keyboard mocking critic, I could be a professional gumshoe.

So maybe I should put in a formal job application. I would of course have to become educated in writing. My participles not only dangle, most outright hang themselves. Commas and llamas all seem the same to me. The only ‘grammer’ I have ever known spent a lot of time in the kitchen baking pies.

And I could just imagine the look on the faces of all of those that I used to spend a lot of time with and know that I have seen the truth and don’t buy into their scripted rationalizations, such as “the District is too big for everyone to get the correct information.” I could provide the information for them, but no one is going to tell them what to do, much less how to do it.

Bless the Blind for They Can Not See

"Baby close that suitcase you've been packin'
Just sit down and talk to me a while
I know you tried to tell me what was lackin'
But I guess I must have missed it by a mile" - Travis Tritt




Finally, some one who wants to connect public school education with the real world. and here.

We malcontents and non-experts-because-we-don't-have-a-teaching-degree need a banner carrier like this person. Instead of sitting in the bleachers and booing the team, now we can move closer to the band section and at least cheer for a 3rd-and-long pass completion.

Parents who really do have an educated point of view in a given area or subject that have more than a few times (note: not isolated incidents) been discounted or summarily dismissed by "expert educators" know what I am talking about.

A frequent reader of this blog would know my feelings about the arrogance of some public educators when they exploit their position to bulldoze over reasoned challenges to their actions.

Now I have someone I can identify with and say "that's what I'm talkin' 'bout!"

Examine this statement by Sen. Don Gaetz:

"In business, we listen to the customer or we go out of business," he said. "In education, we're uncomfortable with that notion. We think we don't need to listen to parents and taxpayers and business leaders because we in education have the answer book."

Then examine this response by Kim Black, president of the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association:

"I'm thrilled at the idea of embracing career education opportunities," Black said. "But you don't see teachers going to the private sector and saying, 'Here, let us tell you how to run your business."


I respectfully submit that Mr. Black's response may be the crux of why the public education system continues to find itself becoming more and more disconnected. In fact, it makes Mr. Gaetz's statement as profound as any statement could be. Reread both of them for effect.

This is the type of arrogance that I speak of. A business in the private sector recognizes when they need help because of their bottom line. If a business needs help, they either get it or they go out of business. Arrogance alone will not support them.

The argument that public education is not a business misses the point of the need for reciprocity. The fact that public funds are continuously pumped into a system thereby maintaining the system’s existence does not speak to “productivity” or effectiveness of the system. There have been and continue to be many efforts to embrace the public education system within the real world. For the public education system to continue to reject these offers of assistance reminds me of a story.

Some of you may have heard it. The story is about a person who, in times of a natural disaster, rejects offers of help from the community service people because the person believes that God will take care of them. To make a long story monotonous, let’s say it was a hurricane with flood waters. The person rejects radio warnings and advice and person to person warnings and advice. Eventually, as the waters rise, the rescue trucks come and are rejected. The rescue boats come and are rejected. The rescue helicopters come and are rejected. In the natural order of sequence, the person dies and goes to heaven. Upon meeting God, the person says: “You were supposed to save me. What happened?”

The God said: “Well, I sent the radio messages, I sent the……”

Even God can’t overcome arrogance.

Bad Behaving Students Bring Out Bad Behaving Decision Makers

I write often about "behavioral issues" in school settings.

I have written about how almost impossible it is to change or overturn a school administrators' decision despite how wrong it may have been.

I have written about how administrators can use a student's behavior as an easy strategy to change the placement of the student and it is almost impossible to challenge even when this "administrative convenience" is ill founded.

I have written about how children with disabilities face these difficulties, despite the responsibility of the school system to positively address behaviors that are a manifestation of the disability.

Here is an article that speaks to these issues.

Before everyone jumps in to tell all of the stories about behavioral issues, this discussion is not about whether behavior is an issue. An interesting question to ask is how much money does our local school system allocate to real, professional behavioral specialists? I say "real, professional" because I don't count the check-mark smoke-and-mirror posturing of counting someone who sits through a three hour presentation and then be designated as a school site's "behavioral specialist". This looks good on paper, but it falls short of real function.


Try getting a police report when school based issue arises that is disputable.
Try getting a school generated incident report when the police are involved.



You can discount the message if you want, but somewhere lies the truth.


- "Florida police frequently skirt state and federal laws, or violate them outright, when questioning children at school"

- "Principals, the last line of defense for kids jeopardized by police misconduct, rarely challenge resource officers or other police who enter school to interrogate students."

-"And children are saddled with criminal records that can follow them for a lifetime."

-"But courts rarely scrutinize school interrogations."

-"In both Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, an unusually high number of kids were arrested at school and referred to court, according to the Department of Juvenile Justice. Hillsborough sent students at a rate of 21 per 1,000, while Pinellas sent 24, compared to a state average of 17"

-"In a recent study, the National Juvenile Defender Center described Florida's juvenile system as dangerously dysfunctional, with courts overloaded by low-bore school referrals"

-""We saw, in courtroom after courtroom, hundreds of school-based cases that had no business being there," said Patricia Puritz, the center's executive director. "There was no place where these kids were not being dumped into the juvenile court setting.""

-"But Florida police and principals frequently exploit loopholes in the law, said Gerard Glynn, associate professor of law and director of the juvenile law clinic at Barry University in Orlando. "




Compare and contrast these two statements:

1- -"Do principals have the right to monitor student interrogations?

Absolutely, said Tom Gonzalez, general counsel for the Hillsborough County School Board.

"If they ever get uncomfortable (with an interrogation), they should speak up and say, 'You know what, I think we should wait for that person's parent,'" he said.

Hillsborough, Pasco and Hernando policies require principals to always be present in loco parentis -- legally "in the place of the parent" -- when police question students as suspects."

2 - -"In some Florida districts, principals are "completely abdicating to the police" and turning over discipline to untrained SROs, said Evans, former chairman of an advisory committee to the Department of Juvenile Justice.

**** So, if the principal abdicates to the police, what happen to the "legally in place of the parent?"

If the media accounts were correct, recently a student was suspended because the school's efforts to get the parent to contact them failed. Perhaps they should have gone to the principal if the principal is legally in the place of the parent.


Click here: When students are suspects, lines blur

Image More Important Than Substance?

This article may hold information that is common to our public school education systems. For those who believe that the main goal of the system is to maintain an image of competence at the cost of achieving competence, this article fits the template.

Two teachers with apparent laudable backgrounds appear to be trying to improve their system. It appears they have the necessary experience to comprehend what changes were needed that would be beneficial.

For their efforts, they are banned.

"Traube said the district isn’t interested in public constructive criticism.

“I think its obvious what they want is a very cooperative relationship between anyone representing teachers,” he said. “They don’t want anyone to be adversarial in this district”.


"Chester, who is retired from a career in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has taught for seven years. Last year, children at one of the schools she was banned from nominated her for teacher of the year, she said. She also volunteered to start a penmanship club at one of the schools."

"Teaching is what she loves, Chester said. But, she said, “I would like the cloud of fear that people who work for this district are under to go away.”"

This is not the first time I have heard of a "cloud of fear" within a public school system.


Banned substitutes still speaking out against school district : Lee County : Naples Daily News

This Dot may be Huge if it is truly connected

While reading a story that appeared to be about the misstep of a Band Director, Texting Puts Teacher In Bind , I also read the comments.

If one reads this and follows the connections, it says a lot. First there is an allegation about a band director's ex-wife had an affair with the husband of a school board member who was having an affair with an administrator.

A more direct comment about the story is that apparently the "complaining parent" against the Band Director is also a "teacher". And the teacher/parent wants something.

This is just too much if it is true. Education just has to take a back seat to this story. And to think that decisions are made in the best interest of our children and our teachers.

This one stands out like a Dot of a solar ray:

Posted by ( cshultz110 ) on November 22, 2007 at 1:06 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

luvpercussion

You are completely correct! God forbid the truth come out. It is all politics, just ask Jenifer Felairo and Mark Hart (Opps, I forgot that affair was covered up . . . I am sooo sorry!) he, he Amazing how he just "left".

Folks, I have been in this district for 11 years and know for a fact that it IS a good ole' boys system. Lots of corruption and politics. To give you an idea (and yes, this is first hand knowledge), I was a band director and took a leave of absence last year after my now ex-wife had an affair with a promonent school board members now ex-husband. (Yes, they were both cheating on each other. See previously mentioned) After getting my act back together and returning from my leave, I was shocked to find that no principal would hire me. Not because of my performance, but because nobody wanted to touch the situation since it delt directly with a school board member and the politics it would involve. That is our school board folks!!! I can't wait for Mr. S to be obsolved of this accusations. Shame on the parent who is a teacher trying to play the system to get what they want. That should be the real headline: "How a teacher uses politics to ruin anothers career and how the school board helps them to do it."

A new threat to Public School Authority

This is the second one of these cases I have seen.

School Sues Woman For Criticism On Blog

This was the first, where the school board eventually dropped their threat.

However, having read the reports on what happened since the above threat drop, enough attention has been brought to rise to this level.

My interest in this is more than just blogger's being a pain. I am curious to see if bloggers may be able to accomplish something that disgruntled teachers, disgruntled school administrators (yes, they may be few, but they exist), disgruntled parents and disgruntled unions (not sure about that one) have never been able to accomplish.

About 18 years ago, someone "took me aside" and told me that "the School system is very powerful". I was told I should be careful. I was told that "they" don't lose.

The HCDS is just one of many School systems. However, I have since analyzed events and actions that I hear or read about taken by all school boards from a "power and authority" perspective. I don't understand how they get it. I don't understand how it can be so broad. I don't understand how it is so difficult to contest it.

They can take command of so many behaviors for students, teachers and parents. They can take command of behaviors that are on school property and off school property. They can take command of behaviors on school time or off school time. They have the power to have students, teachers and parents arrested in any of the above settings. Or they can absolve themselves of responsibilities with an apparent fearless stance.

And this power is almost absolute.

The media is full of stories of how school systems have demonstrated this power and authority.

Technology is affording information to more people much faster. I am curious to how bloggers have an effect on school system's power and authority.


Update:

I was perusing the local blogs and this seemed either fortuitous, serendipitous or coincidental
If you read all of it, one can make this connection which compliments my thoughts on school systems power and authority. Is it abused?

What got my attention was the comment or question about how the School Board appeals are handled. I would be interested to know if the School Board has to vote to authorize appeals. If so, did they vote to appeal both of the Erwin and the Whitehead cases? Was there testimony by Board members in both of these cases that indicated they knew of the appeal?

Just askin'

Threats and Promises or abuse of Power by the School Boards?

I really hate it when kids are manipulated by authority figures (parents or any one else) with what I call "The Empty Threats and Promises Regimen". It is a path to having a messed up kid. The authority figure should teach that their words mean something. When authority figures threaten a consequence or promise a consequence (negative or positive) and do not follow through, they are teaching kids to disrespect authority.

It happens all the time, everyday. Kids never know when the authority figure "really means it" because the threat or promise is seldom honored.

Then we have authority figures who expect kids to simply respect authority "because I said so". For kids who have been taught correctly that "because I said so" means something, it works. For kids who have been taught that "because I said so" usually doesn't mean anything, it doesn't work.

To be clear, we should all practice to say what we mean and mean what we say, especially with our kids. The more we practice, the less chance we will make empty threats or promises. And, when it comes to our kids, if and when we write a check we can't cash, we should acknowledge to the kid we made a wrong decision and restate it. Doesn't mean the kid gets away with it. It's not like in court where the kid gets off on a technicality. But to just throw parental power around abusively does not teach respect for authority.

Having said all of that, I wonder what the intent of the below School Board's action of threatening to file suit on the blogger was. An Empty Threat or a Promise.


One can follow the links on this blog that provides the original charge by the District for the blogger to remove certain items.

The blogger decided to retain legal council and fight.

The Supt. dropped the cause, not because of the blogger's response, but for the children of the District.

www.gisdwatch.com

My read-everyday blogger is emphatic about "EDUCATING YOUNG STUDENTS IS NOT A BUSINESS!"

We share an angst about our public education system. We view it from different perspectives.

I am particularly impressed by this post: Courage Needs Fear by Definition

There are two points that, when put together, I have a question about.

"It is appropriate to describe what goes on at an individual school if it is relevant to the public (taxpayers). It should not concern the taxpayer which school one is describing in particular, but only that a problem exists that needs to be addressed. Those involved know what school is having which problem."

"We must have reasonable faith that those in administration we disagree with are acting according to their best beliefs of how things should be."

I have watched many Board meetings and had years of experience in both describing individual issues and grappling with trying to have reasonable faith in administrators.


Through blogging and other on-line media, I now see evidence of teachers who are trying to expose problems that effect their ability to perform their job as educators. I see teachers using research based articles and references to support their positions.

We are Playing Those Mind Games Together

Hillsborough: Suspension without rules


I have written before about obfuscation.

I have a question. The administration (some)say that these suspensions are not a punishment.

How does a student process this information? From an educational point of view? From a behavior modification point of view?

In this case, we are talking a student with a processing difficulty.

Does anyone know what concrete thinking is?

Does anyone know what abstract thinking is?

Does anyone know how to ascertain when these different cognitive skills are needed to process information?

I keep hearing echos in my mind "But I didn't do anything wrong". (inside voice - I didn't get punished, so must not have done anything wrong.)

But other kids, when they get suspended, they are being punished. Why am I different? They are just playing mind games with me.

Training kids that suspension is not a consequence for "their" behavior, but the suspension is for the "parents" behavior is somewhat confusing.

Do they have different colored suspension forms so one can tell if it is the student behavior that gets the student suspended or the parents behavior that gets the student suspended?

Must be hell to have a parent that won't contact the school. In more ways than one.

What can one say on a blog

This is a sign of the times.

GISD moves ahead with threat to sue parent

By Rhiannon Meyers
The Daily News

Published October 31, 2007

GALVESTON — The public school district has officially demanded that
parent Sandra Tetley remove what it says is libelous material from her Web
site or face a lawsuit for defamation.



I have not read the blog to make my own opinion.


The fact that the School Board is suing was enough to get my attention.

What I am curious to see is if this is an abuse of power of the School Board.

How many teachers do you know that have been told not to bite the hand that feeds them?

How many parents that you know have been retaliated against by indirect or direct threats? I've been there, and I know others that have been there. And one landmark Federal case. Right here in my county.

This is the blog: here

Abuse of Power under the premise of sexual pleasure -wink wink

"Students in America’s schools are groped. They’re raped. They’re pursued, seduced, and think they’re in love."


And they think they're in love.


This is an example of abuse of power. It is more than about sex.

But we won't pay attention to this. We will promote our A Rated Schools, our 5 Star Schools and brag about our National Recognition.

From my experiences, I understand full well the difference between "paper" compliance and real compliance.

The proof is in what really goes on in the schools, not just the classrooms.

As the system complains more and more about "bad parents", what is being done to address this real phenomenon?

As the system does not address the unlawful actions of teachers, what is being done to address this real phenomenon?

A Cool Smoke after Hot Sex

There is an update about the King Middle School in Maine.

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=142408&ac=PHnws

Having read a lot of the comments, there seems to be other issues with the Board.

Of interest to note is that the "health clinic" is "housed "in the school. One comment seemed to indicate that the actions of the health clinic were separate from the school. If so, then why is the School Board making a decision about how the health clinic will operate.

Frequently, so I have heard, some people like to smoke a cigarette after the physical exertion of passionate love making.

When I was a kid, well a "mature high school'er", I always heard that girls that smoked put out.

Both sex and smoking are illegal at some age. I think 11, 12 and 13 year olds are still illegal, but I am not sure about that.

Why doesn't the School Board provide "the nicotine patch" to those youngsters who ask for it along with the "the pill". Seems logical to me. Don't want the kids to get lung cancer. Those kids are going to smoke anyway. They won't tell their parents. Hit the "Mighty Mouse" cue: "Here he comes to save the day!!!".

The school board could easily put nicotine patches in the non-disclosed health services they provide. The unknowing parent, who trusts the school's authority, will never know.

I was under the impression that if a parent is found negligent to the point that the welfare of the child was endangered, the State had a legal process to deal with this negligence.

But if a parent is negligent when it comes to the child's sexual behavior, the State somehow decides to "take care of the welfare of the child" without notifying the parent. And the School Board holds up their hands since it is out of their control.
After they exerted their control to start the process.

Am I misssing something?

Milwaukee Public Schools loses special ed lawsuit - Coming to a District near you soon?

Milwaukee Public Schools loses special ed lawsuit.


http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=660882

See below how the judge answered this one: "lawyers hired by the school district had argued that much of the testimony from the parents was not reliable"


Systemic delay in HCDS was addressed a few years ago. The District has, to the last of my knowledge, a written policy that requires initial evaluations to be initiated within 30 days of parent's signed consent and completed within 60 days of same consent.


Unless the parent knows that the signed consent is the only thing that triggers this timeline (possibly a false premise under Section 504), verbal assurances that the issues will be adressed only delay the timeline. Suspending kids whose behavior is dramatically different from his/her peers (usually a sign that it may be a manifestation of their disability) without the District acknowledging or evaluating the kid for a suspected disability certainly saves money.

Suspending kids sets the stage of "First we blame the kid, then we blame the parent". It absolves the District from providing resources needed to address the manifested behaviors. While the parent is repeatedly assured that the District personnel are trained professionals, the District personnel's ignorance of understanding the concept of "special education" is on full display. This is prevalent with site administrators who have no concept of special ed.

What is the cost to saving money?


<<<<<<<<<"The inability of MPS to reach full compliance with the law in the area of Child Find is not the result of numerous isolated and unrelated cases, but stems from systemic inadequacies," Goodstein wrote. MPS said two years ago that it had spent $1.8 million on its defense, some of which it could possibly recoup through insurance. That was before the three-week-long trial in 2006. Spitzer-Resnick said his group has spent more than $1 million, money it hopes MPS and DPI will now be forced to pay. During the 2006 trial in front of Goodstein, lawyers hired by the school district had argued that much of the testimony from the parents was not reliable. But Goodstein cited specific cases presented at the trial where he judged the district had not addressed students' needs appropriately. Spitzer-Resnick said that throughout the legal proceedings: "We've heard 'It's poverty, it's mobility, it's homelessness.' Guess what? Those excuses are not given any credence by the court or by the law." One of the mothers involved in the lawsuit, whose son's story was chronicled in a December 2005 Journal Sentinel article, said she made repeated requests that her son be tested for learning disabilities. Eventually, the boy was 12 years old but still in the third grade at MPS. He was suspended so often that his mother and teachers sometimes lost track of where he was supposed to be. In another case, one girl cut herself at school and once wrote on her desk: "Kill all people. Solve the problem." While she did well on standardized tests, she couldn't seem to pass the sixth grade. The judge noted that school officials suspended the girl and referred her to a new school - but did not evaluate her for special education until prodded to. "The issue of suspension has an effect on the timely identification of children in need of special education," the judge wrote. "It also had an effect on the timeliness of providing services.">>>>>>>>