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

Do you're own reading comprehension.


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

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

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

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


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

My Own Memory

My father is buried in the Arlington National Cemetery.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

Maybe A Judge Can Forgive Smoting

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



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

Sue Carlton writes:

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

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

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

And no one gets to smote."

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


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

Privileged Protection

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


Lee Drury De Cesare's Casting-Room Couch:

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

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

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



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

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

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

"$50,000 IN LEGAL FEES FOR TAXPAYERS"



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

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

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

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

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

The PRO Attempt At Emulsification

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

Immiscible: not miscible; incapable of being mixed.


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

Hills Board: Has The Beginning of the End Begun?


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

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

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

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

The PRO Is Validated Again

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

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

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

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



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

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

Upcoming Hillsborough School Board Recognition (?)

Trust.

Trust?

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


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

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

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

Attorney: Delayed penalties soften Florida bullying law#comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the mean time, trust!