Washington County Parents

Girl Arrested for Doodling Sues New York City

2010-04-03T15:08:00.000-04:00

Girl Arrested for Doodling Sues New York City

AOL News (April 3) -- When 12-year-old Alexa Gonzalez was caught doodling on her desk at Junior High School 190 in Queens, New York, she expected detention and an afternoon on desk-cleaning duty. Instead, she was arrested, led out of her school in handcuffs and detained at a local police precinct for hours, she said.
Two months after the incident, Gonzalez and her mother, Maraima Comacho, are suing the New York City Education Department and the New York Police Department for $1 million in damages, claiming excessive use of force and violation of the girl's rights in the ordeal, which Comacho has called a "nightmare."
"We want to stop this from happening to other young children in the future," the family's lawyer, Joseph Rosenthal, told the New York Daily News.
Gonzalez describes the ordeal as traumatizing and excessive, saying that after her Spanish teacher caught her doodling on her desk with erasable green marker, she was "physically dragged by a teacher and an assistant principal" to the dean's office, where school safety officials searched her by placing "their hands inside the rear and front pockets of her jeans." Police were then summoned to arrest her.

Gonzalez told the Daily News she broke down as she was led out of her school in handcuffs.
"I started crying, like, a lot," said said. "I made two little doodles. ... It could be easily erased. To put handcuffs on me is unnecessary."
The legal papers filed by Rosenthal said Comacho was not permitted to accompany her daughter to the precinct and was instead told to go home and wait for a call. The documents also said that Gonzalez was detained in "an enclosed room" at the precinct and handcuffed to a pole for more than two hours.

In February, New York City officials acknowledged Gonzalez's arrest was a mistake, with a City Education spokesman saying, "Based on what we've seen so far, this shouldn't have happened."
Police spokesman Paul Browne told the Daily News that officers should have used better judgment after being called by the school.
"Even when we're asked to make an arrest, common sense should prevail, and discretion used in deciding whether an arrest or handcuffs are really necessary," said police spokesman Paul Browne.

Now Comacho wants the City to pay for their mistake, to the tune of $1 million for the ordeal that led to her daughter's suspension and a trip to family court, where Gonzalez was given eight hours of community service and ordered to write a book report and an essay about what she learned from the experience.
The suit says officers "knew, or should have known" that Gonzalez had simply doodled with a "soluable, erasable marker."

What were the doodled words that led to her arrest?
"I love my friends Abby and Faith," Gonzalez said she wrote, adding "Lex was here. 2/1/10" and a smiley face.

http://www.aolnews.com/crime/article/girl-arrested-for-doodling-on-school-desk-sues-new-york-city/19425428?icid=main

Student Suspended Over Camping Tool

2009-10-12T13:25:00.002-04:00

Oct. 12) -- Zachary Christie, 6, was happy about joining the Cub Scouts and was excited about a new camping utensil that functions as a spoon, fork and knife -- so excited that he took the tool to school to use it at lunch.
But the Newark, Del., boy's enthusiasm got him kicked out of school for violating a zero-tolerance policy on weapons, The New York Times reported.Skip over this content

Mustafah Abdulaziz, The New York Times / Redux
Zachary Christie, 6, unfolds the combination knife, fork and spoon that led to his suspension from school. He now faces 45 days in reform school. Standing with him are his mother, Debbie, and his father, Curtis.Skip over this content

The first-grader faces 45 days in reform school after officials determined the camping utensil violated the Christina School District's ban on knives. His mother is home-schooling him while his family appeals the punishment.
"It just seems unfair," Zachary told The Times. Debbie Christie has started a Web site, helpzachary.com, to draw attention to her son's situation.
Some people say school officials should be able to exercise discretion in such cases, but others argue that zero-tolerance policies are necessary to prevent discrimination. Delaware lawmakers gave school officials more flexibility on weapons last year after a third-grader was kicked out of school for a year because her grandmother sent her to class with a birthday cake and a knife to cut it. But the change dealt only with expulsions, not suspensions like Zachary's.
"We didn't want our son becoming the poster child for this, but this is out of control," Debbie Christie told The Times.
The Christina school board president defended Zachary's suspension but said the rules may need to be changed for younger children.
Read the full story in The Times.

Principal, new attitude help turn Atkinson Elementary around

2009-09-25T19:41:00.002-04:00

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090924/NEWS0105/909240376/1008/NEWS01/Principal++new+attitude+help+turn+Atkinson+Elementary+around

Principal, new attitude help turn Atkinson Elementary around
By Antoinette Konz • akonz@courier-journal.com • September 24, 2009
Larell Henderson could “identify a few sight words” when he arrived at Atkinson Elementary School three years ago, “but that was about it,” principal Dewey Hensley said.
But soon after the second-grader walked through the doors of the Portland neighborhood school, teachers and staff members crafted an academic improvement plan tailored specifically for Larell — giving him one-on-one instruction, visiting him at home and making sure he felt like he belonged.
Look up the latest test scores for your child's school
“In a relatively short period of time, he became a great reader,” Hensley said. “And he has made tremendous gains not only in reading, but in other subjects as well.”
It's a success story that can be found inside virtually every classroom at Atkinson, where more than 96 percent of students qualify for subsidized lunches. And it has helped make Atkinson a rising academic star among Jefferson County's public elementary schools.
When the Kentucky Department of Education released test data earlier this week, Atkinson was among a select few schools in Jefferson County that saw scores rise in every subject. And for the first time, Atkinson met all of its goals under the federal No Child Left Behind law.
Hensley said that when he shared the test results Tuesday with his staff members during a faculty meeting, some teachers One teacher stood up and said that she had been waiting 10 years for this faculty meeting,” Hensley said.
Theresa Jensen, the district's assistant superintendent of elementary schools, said Thursday that Atkinson's progress is “a great story” and proof that “hard work really does pay off.”
Changing attitudes
Atkinson's turnaround began three years ago, when Hensley arrived at the school in one of Louisville's most economically challenged areas.
Hensley, who grew up in a low-income household in Eastern Kentucky and was the first in his family to graduate from high school and college, was looking to make a difference in a low-income school. He had spent nine years as a teacher before going to work for the state Department of Education as a highly skilled educator, where he was sent to low-performing schools to help improve student achievement.
He arrived in Jefferson County in 2003 and was principal of Bates Elementary until he elected to go to Atkinson in 2006.
“I wanted to help boost student performance, but I also wanted to change the culture of the whole school,” he said.
He visits classrooms daily and provided immediate feedback to teachers to improve their instruction.
“We focus on each and every child,” he said. “We believe we have to be flexible enough to meet the needs of our kids, not that they have to be flexible to meet the requirements of our programs.”
Hensley and his staff members have also emphasized raising expectations — inspiring all students to think of college not as something they might do, but something they will do.
Ask any of Atkinson's 500 students which year they will be going to college, and they'll tell you instantly. It's as ingrained as learning to count or reciting their ABCs.
Jensen credits Hensley's leadership as a key reason for Atkinson's turnaround.
“We have a lot of schools that have great people. But what's different with Dewey is that he has developed a critical mass of people who are committed to the mission of educating the whole child,” she said. “The entire staff is dedicated to providing a solid foundation for every child that walks through the door, regardless of where they come from.”
Jensen said she has already implemented several programs that Hensley initiated at Atkinson in other elementary schools.
One of them is a “demonstration site,” she said. “It's where you hire a mentor teacher who teaches part of the day and spends the rest of the day working with other teachers to build their strategies with kids.
“It essentially puts the most struggling kids with the best teachers,” Jensen said.
Signs of success abound
There have been other signs of improvement. In the past three years, suspensions at Atkinson have dropped 60 percent, and student discipline referrals have fallen 70 percent.
Then there are the test scores.
The number of students who scored proficient or better in reading increased from 48 percent last year to 56 percent this year. In math, the number who scored proficient or better increased from 36 percent last year to 57 percent this year.
Atkinson also saw its science proficiency rate rise 4 percentage points, while its writing proficiency rate rose 9 percentage points and its social studies proficiency rate increased 25 percentage points.
Superintendent Sheldon Berman called the test scores “remarkable.”
For fifth-grade teacher Sarah Elliott, Atkinson's success is reflected in the collaboration she sees among her colleagues, coupled with the firm belief that every child is teachable — no matter their background.
“A lot of our kids come from poverty, but we don't allow that to be an excuse,” Elliott said.
“They may come from poverty, but I'm going to treat them like they are millionaires.”
Reporter Antoinette Konz can be reached at (502) 582-4232.

Zero Toleance - What do students think?

2009-09-22T19:05:00.002-04:00

What do students think of Zero Tolerance in our school systems? I think this video is a great example of what our children think. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YctPNa9ZqjQ

Mom Picks Up Daughter On Horse, School Balks

2009-09-08T23:22:00.002-04:00

Mom Picks Up Daughter On Horse, School Balks
by Amy Hatch (RSS feed) Sep 5th 2009 7:12PM
Categories: Health & safety, In the news, Weird but true
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A Florida mom rode her horse to school to pick up her daughter. Credit: News4Jax.comA Florida mom tried to rein in a new school-dismissal policy -- literally. A new parking policy at Crystal Springs Elementary School in Jacksonville, Fla., requires parents to wait in line, inside their cars, while the students are released one-by-one. Fed up, one mom showed up on horseback, citing fuel costs and time spent waiting as the reason for her four-legged mode of transportation."I don't have the funds in my budget to sit in lines for an hour to two and a half hours to wait for my daughter," said the woman, identified only as Deidre by news station WJXT.Deidre, who said she and her daughter often ride horses together, was prevented from taking the child home and was ushered off the property by police."Our first priority is the safety of our children, and during our arrival/dismissal, their safety is first and foremost a priority on campus," said Principal Jaime Johnson, according to WJXT.Deirdre said Johnson refused to release her daughter, and in fact, pulled the girl back from her mother. "(Johnson) would not turn loose of my daughter's hand," Deidre told WJXT.The principal stated that she did not think it was safe for the child to ride on horseback through the streets around the school, many of which are under construction.Instead, a police officer drove the girl home, where she waited alone until her mother arrived.Should the school have released the girl to her mother on horseback?

http://www.parentdish.com/2009/09/05/mom-picks-up-daughter-on-horse-school-balks/?icid=mainhtmlws-maindl7link3http%3A%2F%2Fwww.parentdish.com%2F2009%2F09%2F05%2Fmom-picks-up-daughter-on-horse-school-balks%2F

Student Denied Diploma After Blowing Kiss to Mom

2009-06-29T05:10:00.000-04:00

Student Denied Diploma After Blowing Kiss to Mom
Weird News
1292 Comments While we've all heard sad tales of high school students not being allowed to graduate at the last moment because of senior pranks gone wrong, a student losing his diploma for blowing a kiss to his mother as he walked the commencement stage has to be a first.But that's what happened to Justin Denney, a Bonny Eagle High senior from Standish, Maine. Apparently this show of long-distance affection violated a code of conduct that Denney and the other students had signed. The school district's superintendent, who was presiding over the ceremony, made the snap decision not to give Denney his diploma and send him back to his seat empty-handed.You can watch Justin Denney's "conduct violation" after the jump, and decide for yourself if the superintendent's harsh ruling had any merit.
http://www.asylum.com/2009/06/18/student-denied-diploma-after-blowing-kiss-to-mom/?icid=mainhtmlws-maindl4link4http%3A%2F%2Fwww.asylum.com%2F2009%2F06%2F18%2Fstudent-denied-diploma-after-blowing-kiss-to-mom%2F

New Laws on Student Expulsion - HOUSE BILL No. 1419

2009-06-05T10:02:00.003-04:00

http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2009/EH/EH1419.1.html
ENGROSSED
HOUSE BILL No. 1419
A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning education.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
SOURCE: IC 20-26-5-32; (09)EH1419.1.1. --> SECTION 1. IC 20-26-

Citations Affected: IC 20-26; IC 20-31; IC 20-33; noncode.

Synopsis: Student discipline. Requires the governing body of a school corporation to develop an evidence based plan for improving behavior and discipline in the school corporation, and a school within the school corporation to comply with the plan in developing the school's plan. Requires school corporation discipline rules to incorporate a graduated system of discipline, which includes actions that may be taken in lieu of suspension or expulsion. Requires the department of education to develop a master evidence based plan for improving student behavior and discipline upon which school corporations may base plans.
Effective: July 1, 2009.

5-32 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2009]: Sec. 32. The governing body of each school corporation shall work with parents to: (1) develop; and (2) review periodically;an evidence based plan for improving student behavior and discipline in the school corporation after receiving a model plan developed by the department.
SOURCE: IC 20-31-5-6; (09)EH1419.1.2. --> SECTION 2. IC 20-31-5-6, AS ADDED BY P.L.1-2005, SECTION 15, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2009]: Sec. 6. (a) A plan must contain the following components for the school: (1) A list of the statutes and rules that the school wishes to have suspended from operation for the school. (2) A description of the curriculum and information concerning the location of a copy of the curriculum that is available for
inspection by members of the public. (3) A description and name of the assessments that will be used in the school in addition to ISTEP program assessments. (4) A plan to be submitted to the governing body and made available to all interested members of the public in an easily understood format. (5) A provision to maximize parental participation in the school, which may include providing parents with: (A) access to learning aids to assist students with school work at home; (B) information on home study techniques; and (C) access to school resources. (6) For a secondary school, a provision to do the following: (A) Offer courses that allow all students to become eligible to receive an academic honors diploma. (B) Encourage all students to earn an academic honors diploma or complete the Core 40 curriculum. (7) A provision to maintain a safe and disciplined learning environment for students and teachers that complies with the governing body's plan for improving student behavior and discipline developed under IC 20-26-5-32. (8) A provision for the coordination of technology initiatives and ongoing professional development activities. (b) If, for a purpose other than a plan under this chapter, a school has developed materials that are substantially similar to a component listed in subsection (a), the school may substitute those materials for the component listed in subsection (a).
SOURCE: IC 20-33-8-12; (09)EH1419.1.3. --> SECTION 3. IC 20-33-8-12, AS ADDED BY P.L.242-2005, SECTION 22, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2009]: Sec. 12. (a) Except as provided under IC 20-33-8-16, the governing body of a school corporation must do the following: (1) Establish written discipline rules, which must include a graduated system of discipline and may include: (A) appropriate dress codes; and (B) if applicable, an agreement for court assisted resolution of school suspension and expulsion cases; for the school corporation. (2) Give general publicity to the discipline rules within a school where the discipline rules apply by actions such as: (A) making a copy of the discipline rules available to students and students' parents; or (B) delivering a copy of the discipline rules to students or the
parents of students. This publicity requirement may not be construed technically and is satisfied if the school corporation makes a good faith effort to disseminate to students or parents generally the text or substance of a discipline rule. (b) The: (1) superintendent of a school corporation; and (2) principals of each school in a school corporation;may adopt regulations establishing lines of responsibility and related guidelines in compliance with the discipline policies of the governing body. (c) The governing body of a school corporation may delegate: (1) rulemaking; (2) disciplinary; and (3) other authority;as reasonably necessary to carry out the school purposes of the school corporation. (d) Subsection (a) does not apply to rules or directions concerning the following: (1) Movement of students. (2) Movement or parking of vehicles. (3) Day to day instructions concerning the operation of a classroom or teaching station. (4) Time for commencement of school. (5) Other standards or regulations relating to the manner in which an educational function must be administered.However, this subsection does not prohibit the governing body from regulating the areas listed in this subsection.
SOURCE: IC 20-33-8-25; (09)EH1419.1.4. --> SECTION 4. IC 20-33-8-25, AS ADDED BY P.L.1-2005, SECTION 17, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2009]: Sec. 25. (a) This section applies to an individual who: (1) is a member of the administrative staff, a teacher, or other school staff member; and (2) has students under the individual's charge. (b) An individual may take disciplinary action instead of or in addition to suspension and expulsion that is necessary to ensure a safe, orderly, and effective educational environment. Disciplinary action under this section may include the following: (1) Counseling with a student or group of students. (2) Conferences with a parent or group of parents. (3) Assigning additional work. (4) Rearranging class schedules.
(5) Requiring a student to remain in school after regular school hours: (A) to do additional school work; or (B) for counseling. (6) Restricting extracurricular activities. (7) Removal of a student by a teacher from that teacher's class for a period not to exceed: (A) five (5) class periods for middle, junior high, or high school students; or (B) one (1) school day for elementary school students; if the student is assigned regular or additional school work to complete in another school setting. (8) Assignment by the principal of: (A) a special course of study; (B) an alternative educational program; or (C) an alternative school. (9) Assignment by the principal of the school where the recipient of the disciplinary action is enrolled of not more than one hundred twenty (120) hours of service with a nonprofit organization operating in or near the community where the school is located or where the student resides. The following apply to service assigned under this subdivision: (A) A principal may not assign a student under this subdivision unless the student's parent approves: (i) the nonprofit organization where the student is assigned; and (ii) the plan described in clause (B)(i). A student's parent may request or suggest that the principal assign the student under this subdivision. (B) The principal shall make arrangements for the student's service with the nonprofit organization. Arrangements must include the following: (i) A plan for the service that the student is expected to perform. (ii) A description of the obligations of the nonprofit organization to the student, the student's parents, and the school corporation where the student is enrolled. (iii) Monitoring of the student's performance of service by the principal or the principal's designee. (iv) Periodic reports from the nonprofit organization to the principal and the student's parent or guardian of the student's performance of the service.
(C) The nonprofit organization must obtain liability insurance in the amount and of the type specified by the school corporation where the student is enrolled that is sufficient to cover liabilities that may be incurred by a student who performs service under this subdivision. (D) Assignment of service under this subdivision suspends the implementation of a student's suspension or expulsion. A student's completion of service assigned under this subdivision to the satisfaction of the principal and the nonprofit organization terminates the student's suspension or expulsion. (10) Removal of a student from school sponsored transportation. (11) Referral to the juvenile court having jurisdiction over the student. (c) As used in this subsection, "physical assault" means the knowing or intentional touching of another person in a rude, insolent, or angry manner. When a student physically assaults a person having authority over the student, the principal of the school where the student is enrolled shall refer the student to the juvenile court having jurisdiction over the student. However, a student with disabilities (as defined in IC 20-35-7-7) who physically assaults a person having authority over the student is subject to procedural safeguards under 20 U.S.C. 1415.
SOURCE: ; (09)EH1419.1.5. --> SECTION 5. [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2009] (a) As used in this SECTION, "department" refers to the department of education established by IC 20-19-3-1. (b) Not later than June 1, 2010, the department shall develop and make available to school corporations a model evidence based plan for improving discipline and behavior within schools. The department shall consult with the division of child services, the division of mental health and addiction, parent organizations, and state educational institutions in developing a model plan. (c) A model plan developed under subsection (b) must include guidelines for accomplishing the following results: (1) Improving safe school planning and classroom management using positive behavioral supports, parental involvement, and other effective disciplinary tools. (2) Providing improved mental health services in or through schools. (3) Reviewing zero tolerance policies to ensure: (A) compliance with applicable laws; and (B) that students are not inappropriately referred to juvenile justice agencies. (4) Providing assistance to parents concerning access to
family strengthening programs. (5) Improving communication, coordination, and collaboration among schools, including special education programs, parents, and juvenile justice agencies. (6) Improving methods and procedures for school suspensions and referrals to alternative schools. (7) Providing for the collection, review, and reporting on an annual basis of school behavioral and disciplinary problems, arrests, and referrals to the juvenile justice system, disaggregated on the basis of race and ethnicity, under guidelines for determining the existence of disproportionality in discipline or inappropriately high rates of suspension or expulsion. (d) Not later than July 1, 2011, a governing body must work with parents to develop and submit to the department a plan for improving behavior and discipline in the school corporation after receiving a model plan developed by the department. (e) The department, in collaboration with the department of child services, the division of mental health and addiction, state educational institutions, and parent organizations, shall provide assistance to a school corporation in the implementation of the school corporation's plan developed under subsection (d) to ensure that teachers and administrators receive appropriate professional development to prepare them to carry out the plan for supporting student behavior and discipline. (f) Each school shall annually report the information under subsection (c)(7) to the department. (g) This SECTION expires June 30, 2011.

Segregated Prom

2009-06-03T10:25:00.004-04:00

This is an article from the New York Times about a segregated prom. I would love your opinions on this. I for one feel this is not right. I didn't even think this should be allowable in our school systems but then schools can do almost anything they want.

Gillian Laub for The New York Times
Students from Montgomery County High School in Mount Vernon, Ga., before the prom. Photographs by GILLIAN LAUB; Text by SARA CORBETT
Published: May 21, 2009
About now, high-school seniors everywhere slip into a glorious sort of limbo. Waiting out the final weeks of the school year, they begin rightfully to revel in the shared thrill of moving on. It is no different in south-central Georgia’s Montgomery County, made up of a few small towns set between fields of wire grass and sweet onion. The music is turned up. Homework languishes. The future looms large. But for the 54 students in the class of 2009 at Montgomery County High School, so, too, does the past. On May 1 — a balmy Friday evening — the white students held their senior prom. And the following night — a balmy Saturday — the black students had theirs.
The white students’ prom was held on May 1 at a community center in nearby Vidalia; the black students had theirs at the same place the following night.
Racially segregated proms have been held in Montgomery County — where about two-thirds of the population is white — almost every year since its schools were integrated in 1971. Such proms are, by many accounts, longstanding traditions in towns across the rural South, though in recent years a number of communities have successfully pushed for change. When the actor Morgan Freeman offered to pay for last year’s first-of-its-kind integrated prom at Charleston High School in Mississippi, his home state, the idea was quickly embraced by students — and rejected by a group of white parents, who held a competing “private” prom. (The effort is the subject of a documentary, “Prom Night in Mississippi,” which will be shown on HBO in July.) The senior proms held by Montgomery County High School students — referred to by many students as “the black-folks prom” and “the white-folks prom” — are organized outside school through student committees with the help of parents. All students are welcome at the black prom, though generally few if any white students show up. The white prom, students say, remains governed by a largely unspoken set of rules about who may come. Black members of the student council say they have asked school administrators about holding a single school-sponsored prom, but that, along with efforts to collaborate with white prom planners, has failed. According to Timothy Wiggs, the outgoing student council president and one of 21 black students graduating this year, “We just never get anywhere with it.” Principal Luke Smith says the school has no plans to sponsor a prom, noting that when it did so in 1995, attendance was poor.
Students of both races say that interracial friendships are common at Montgomery County High School. Black and white students also date one another, though often out of sight of judgmental parents. “Most of the students do want to have a prom together,” says Terra Fountain, a white 18-year-old who graduated from Montgomery County High School last year and is now living with her black boyfriend. “But it’s the white parents who say no. … They’re like, if you’re going with the black people, I’m not going to pay for it.”
“It’s awkward,” acknowledges JonPaul Edge, a senior who is white. “I have as many black friends as I do white friends. We do everything else together. We hang out. We play sports together. We go to class together. I don’t think anybody at our school is racist.” Trying to explain the continued existence of segregated proms, Edge falls back on the same reasoning offered by a number of white students and their parents. “It’s how it’s always been,” he says. “It’s just a tradition.”
Earlier this month, on the Friday night of the white prom, Kera Nobles, a senior who is black, and six of her black classmates drove over to the local community center where it was being held. Standing amid a crowd of about 80 parents, siblings and grandparents, they snapped pictures and whooped appreciatively as their white friends — blow-dried, boutonniered and glittering in a way that only high-school seniors can — did their “senior walk,” parading in elegant pairs into the prom. “We got stared at a little, being there,” said one black student, “but it wasn’t too bad.”
After the last couple were announced, after they watched the white people’s father-daughter dance and then, along with the other bystanders, were ushered by chaperons out the door, Kera and her friends piled into a nearby KFC to eat. Whatever elation they felt for their dressed-up classmates was quickly wearing off.
“My best friend is white,” said one senior girl, a little glumly. “She’s in there. She’s real cool, but I don’t understand. If they can be in there, why can’t everybody else?”
Niesha Bell, a senior, was voted queen of the black prom. Niesha’s mother, Angela Bell, graduated from Montgomery County High School in 1978 and also attended a racially segregated prom. "I don’t see how things will ever change around here," says Angela, a cashier. "It’s hard to see my girl in the same situation I was in 30 years ago."
The seven teenagers — a mix of girls and boys — slowly worked their way through two buckets of fried chicken. They cracked jokes about the white people’s prom (“I feel bad for them! Their prom is lame!”). They puzzled merrily over white girls’ devotion both to tanning beds (“You don’t like black people, but you’re working your hardest to get as brown as I am!”) and also to the very boys who were excluded from the dance (“Half of those girls, when they get home, they’re gonna text a black boy”). They mused about whether white parents really believed that by keeping black people out of the prom, it would keep them out of their children’s lives (“You think there aren’t going to be black boys at college?”). And finally, more somberly, they questioned their white friends’ professed helplessness in the face of their parents’ prejudice (“You’re 18 years old! You’re old enough to smoke, drive, do whatever else you want to. Why aren’t you able to step up and say, ‘I want to have my senior prom with the people I’m graduating with?’ ”).
It was getting late now. KFC was closing. Another black teenager was mopping the floor nearby. A couple of the boys mentioned they had to wash their cars in the morning. Kera had an early hair appointment. The next night, they would dress up and dance raucously for four hours before tumbling back outside, one step closer to graduating. In the meantime, a girl named Angel checked her cellphone to see if any of the white kids had texted from inside their prom. They hadn’t. Angel shrugged. “I really don’t understand,” she said. “Because I’m thinking that these people love me and I love them, but I don’t know. Tonight’s a different Story.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/magazine/24prom-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&ref=magazine

Let’s set record straight on drugs

2009-06-02T13:08:00.002-04:00

Great column to check out! I am glad Housing Authority in New Albany, Indiana is taking a stance on drug use in the community. I wonder if other communities are doing the same? Is this the same practice that Salem, Indiana has? If not, it should.

WHITLOW: Let’s set record straight on drugs

By THERESA WHITLOW
Local Guest Columnist

As chairperson for the New Albany Housing Authority, or NAHA, Board of Commissioners, I read the March 20, 2009, Tribune article regarding New Albany’s drug problem with dismay and disbelief. One of the reasons given for New Albany’s drug problem is the high ratio of public housing in proportion to the population. This article led readers to believe that public housing is consumed with drug trafficking. This is totally untrue.

The article stated that there have been 145 narcotics arrests since the New Albany Police Department’s Flex team’s formation in mid-October. According to NAPD’s statistics, as of March 23, only 13 of those arrests have occurred on NAHA property.

It is the policy of the board of commissioners and Bob Lane, executive director for NAHA, to immediately address any issues regarding drug activity in public housing. We realize that there is some drug activity in our public housing, and we have taken some of the following steps to eliminate it:

• Local law enforcement is immediately notified regarding any suspicions of drug activity. The board would like to see dialogue regarding this issue increase between the NAHA and NAPD.

• When the NAHA is notified by law enforcement of drug activity in any residence, the resident is directly processed for eviction. In most cases, the residents are evicted if law enforcement appears at the court proceedings with the arrest report.

• NAHA created a ban list that is updated monthly and distributed in the monthly newsletter that goes out to all residents. Anyone on the ban list that enters NAHA property will be arrested. Any resident allowing someone on the ban list to visit their resident will be evicted.

• All public housing applicants must have police and landlord background checks before they can rent public housing.

New Albany’s public housing serves a purpose. Every NAHA property is 99 percent or greater filled. Our mission is to provide quality, affordable homes; assist residents to achieve independence; revitalize the community; and provide a suitable environment to all families we serve. Currently, we have 2,246 residents, of which 47.3 percent are children, ages 0 to 17, and 21 percent senior citizens. NAHA also provides more than $107,000 monthly to local landlords for people who qualify for Section 8 housing.

NAHA’s Family Self-sufficiency is a comprehensive program that gives participating self-sufficiency family members the skills and experience to enable them to obtain employment that pays a living wage as a means of becoming independent. Our program coordinators assist families in transitioning to career-level jobs by career counseling, obtaining job training or higher education. They provide financial counseling and guide families toward the goal of home ownership. This involves assisting families with removing barriers that contribute to poverty.

Our Youth Positive Power program, developed and directed by coach Joe Witten, is currently very successful. He has implemented programs to encourage our children to have perfect school attendance and good grades by earning free shoes, a trip to Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, as well as other incentives. There is free tutoring for those struggling academically in school. According to the National Crime Prevention Council, one of the greatest resources to combat drug use among youths is healthy interaction with other youths in programs like the Youth Positive Power program.

We are all aware of the devastating effects of drugs in our community. These effects are not discriminatory as to age, race, gender or social class. Agencies that serve the community, as well as all citizens, must work together to combat and eliminate drug activity throughout the entire city.

http://www.news-tribune.net/opinion/local_story_097015647.html

Theresa Whitlow is the chairperson for the New Albany Housing Authority Board of Commissioners and resides in Greenville.

45 Lessons Life Taught Me

2009-06-01T08:50:00.002-04:00

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio
"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written."My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck..
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

The Lord Will Lead You

2009-05-29T05:59:00.000-04:00

The Lord Will Lead You
Now that you're celebrating Your graduation day,

Your whole life is ahead of you,And the Lord will lead the way.
Just trust in Him to guide you In His divine and perfect will.

If you'll pray and read His Holy Word,His plan you will fulfill.
Whatever happens in your life,On the Lord you can depend.

There's nothing you can't handle With Jesus as your best friend.
Congratulations, and may the Lord bless you always!
By Joanna Fuchs

Graduation Prayer

2009-05-28T00:38:00.002-04:00

Graduation Prayer
Dear Lord, Please bless these graduates as they go out into the world to make it a better place, while they pursue their dreams. Gently guide them, lead them, show them Your way to success and happiness through service to others, as they maximize their own potential. Fill them with joy when they reach their goals. Strengthen them, as they deal with life's obstacles, and show them that every challenge is a path to character development. Give them the intelligence to make a plan for their futures. Give them the patience and persistence to pursue their ambitions. Most of all, give them caring hearts to look for ways to help the people they meet on their life's journey. Encourage them and lift them up now, as they spread their wings into a clear sky of limitless opportunity. Let each and every graduate here be wrapped in the warmth of Your infinite love,and let Your wisdom show them the way to make the most of their lives. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Free graduation poems

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T07:39:00.002-04:00

We wish to thank the brave men and women of the Armed Forces, and remember those who have lost their lives defending liberty.
Happy Memorial Day and God Bless You

Senior Prank Leads to Arrests

2009-05-19T16:39:00.005-04:00

While ,I personally would not care to clean up the mess pigs would make, is the school going to far? As someone pointed out Richwoods seniors did this in 1979 and no one was arrested.

http://www.week.com/news/local/45357627.html

Senior Prank Leads to Arrests
By Eric Shangraw
Story Published: May 18, 2009 at 5:53 PM CDT
Story Updated: May 18, 2009 at 6:26 PM CDT
Six students at Normal Community West High School have been arrested and suspended after a senior prank late last week.
Police say the students coated six pigs in engine grease and let them into the school early Friday morning. A janitor who spotted the swine called police.
The five seniors and one junior were arrested fleeing the scene.
"(They) took some pigs from a local farm. They greased them up pretty good and turned them lose in the school. The animals caused significant damage to curtains and carpeting. Any material they came in contact with they pretty much destroyed," said Normal Police Chief Kent Crutcher.
The students have been arrested on charges of criminal damage to property, criminal trespassing, and disorderly conduct.
Police say the students are being cooperative.
Unit Five Superintendent Gary Niehaus says he has not determined if the students will be allowed to graduate or participate in graduation ceremonies in two weeks.

Fruita Monument seniors pull off quite the prank

2009-05-18T15:09:00.002-04:00

http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2009/05/01/050109_3A_senior_prank.html

Fruita Monument seniors pull off quite the prank
By RICHIE ANN ASHCRAFT/The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
Friday, May 01, 2009
Students and faculty gathered in front of Fruita Monument High School on Thursday morning, wondering how senior pranksters welded an old Eagle hatchback around the flagpole without damaging the pole.
“This is a good one. I’m a little jealous I didn’t think of it myself,” said senior Jonathon Bradley as he inspected the sight between classes.
“I’m pretty impressed they didn’t damage anything,” said his friend, senior Evan Bluk.
The students recalled last year’s prank, which left the school reeking of mustard for days.
Senior pranksters Alex Almy and Jesse Poe stand atop a car they welded around the flagpole in front of Fruita Monument High School Wednesday night. Photo by Richie Ann Ashcraft.
Because the prank this year was harmless, Principal Jody Mimmack said the perpetrators probably would not be in trouble as long as they came forward and offered to help clean it up.
“We traditionally have a senior prank,” Mimmack said. “This one entailed a lot of planning and execution. It shows a lot of Wildcat pride,” she said humorously.
Two seniors, Alex Almy and Jesse Poe, confessed to administration and classmates about their secret midnight deed.
Although nervous about what the consequences of their mischievous actions might be, the boys were proud of their late-night antics.
Here’s how they pulled it off:
Almy and Poe decorated the car, put it on a trailer hidden under a tarp, then drove it to the school via J and 19 roads.
They were worried the police could spoil the plan, so they had fellow seniors Shawn Hillman and Nick Hofius park nearby, armed with cell phones.
As for the car, the passenger side door was removed, allowing the boys to pick up the car and slide it around the flagpole. Then the boys welded the door and a pre-measured roof piece into place, encasing but not touching the pole. It took about an hour and 15 minutes to complete the mission.
Almy said they had discussed beforehand with their parents what they were planning to do. Their parents explained that they would have to face whatever punishment might be associated with the prank, even if it meant jail time or suspension.
“We thought a lot about if people would think we were disrespecting the flag,” Poe said. “I’d feel really bad if a veteran or someone took it that way. That’s why I wrote ‘God Bless America’ on the side of it.”
“I woke up with butterflies this morning, but I think it’s going to be OK,” Poe added.
Mimmack said as long as there weren’t any complaints from the community, the school would be willing to leave the car in place until the end of the school year.
“People are going to remember this one,” Bluk said, laughing.

Teen Suspended for Going to Prom

2009-05-15T03:51:00.002-04:00

http://news.aol.com/article/teen-suspended-prom/473779?icid=mainhtmlws-maindl1link3http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle%2Fteen-suspended-prom%2F473779
Teen Suspended for Going to Prom
AP
comments: 2150 filed under: National News Print Share Text SizeAA A
FINDLAY, Ohio (May 11) -- A northwest Ohio teenager has been suspended by his Christian school because he attended another high school's prom.Skip over this content
Go to Prom, Get Suspended: Tyler Frost, right, and girlfriend Rebecca Smoody are interviewed as they arrive for Smoody's prom at Findlay High School in Findlay, Ohio, May 9. Frost was suspended from Heritage Christian School, which he attends, because the private school forbids dancing and rock music. The school had warned him not to go.
Officials at Heritage Christian School in Findlay had warned 17-year-old Tyler Frost that he would be suspended and prohibited from attending graduation if he went to the public school dance over the weekend with his girlfriend.Skip over this content
Frost says he didn't think going to the dance was wrong even though his fundamentalist Baptist school Ohio forbids dancing, rock music and hand-holding.
Frost didn't go to school Monday. Instead, he and his girlfriend are heading to New York for a Tuesday morning TV interview.
The teen says he's now getting Facebook and e-mail messages from around the world.

LI educators monitor Arizona student strip-search case

2009-04-28T01:08:00.002-04:00

Should schools be allowed to strip search students? When I hear the decision of Supreme Court I'll post it. In the meantime, what do you think?

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/nassau/ny-listri2212678651apr21,0,5323437.story
LI educators monitor Arizona student strip-search case
BY JOIE TYRRELL joie.tyrrell@newsday.com
9:53 PM EDT, April 21, 2009
As the Supreme Court weighs arguments in the case of an Arizona girl strip-searched by school officials looking for drugs, some Long Island educators said that although the practice is unheard of here, they will be watching how the court balances students' privacy with districts' responsibility to protect students and staff."Both sides are meritorious - namely, districts have to have latitude in protecting the health and safety of students and staff, and therefore, students in a school setting do not have the same rights as the students may have outside the school or adults have," Valley Stream Central High School District Superintendent Marc Bernstein said Tuesday."On the other hand, students still have rights, and rights should not be abused."At issue is the case of Savana Redding, who was strip-searched when she was an eighth-grade honor student at a Safford, Ariz., middle school based on a classmate's accusation that she had ibuprofen. Jericho School District Superintendent Henry Grishman said that he had not heard of any cases in the region or state where a school district conducted a strip search in his 31 years in school administration. He said it would not happen in his district."We do not, and never would, ask a student to disrobe in any shape or form," Grishman said.If there is a suspicion of drugs or a weapon, school officials may search a locker, backpack, purse or car, Grishman said.The Mount Sinai School District had set aside funds in the 2009-2010 budget to have dogs patrol hallways to keep schools safe and drug-free, but had to cut the proposal because of funding.Superintendent Anthony Bonasera said the district does not strip-search students, but if there is a suspicion of drugs, parents, and likely police, would be called."We would never take it into our own hands. That is not something we would do," he said.The court's decision could curtail a district's authority to conduct many types of searches - including strip searches - except those of backpacks and purses and things that are obvious, like a gun sticking out of a jacket pocket, said Vanessa Sheehan, an attorney with Guercio & Guercio, which serves as counsel to more than 40 districts across Long Island.In New York, a strip search is legal if there is reasonable suspicion that the student is carrying contraband or a weapon, and the search is reasonable, she said. But she is unaware of any Long Island district that conducts strip searches."To raise the level of suspicion that is required for a school search is to hamstring the school administration by removing the flexibility they need to maintain the safety of all the students in the learning environment. In other words, judicial authorities should not second-guess a school administrator's judgment," Sheehan said."That being said, as a parent, I would be upset if my 13-year-old daughter was asked to strip down to her underwear and shake the front of her bra and the crotch portion of her underpants." The case at a glance.The Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday over whether school officials violated the constitutional rights of an Arizona girl.The October 2003 search happened after a schoolmate found with prescription-strength ibuprofen pills said Savana Redding, 13, gave them to her. The Safford Unified School District bans prescription and over-the-counter drugs, so Vice Principal Kerry Wilson took Savana, a middle-school honor student with a 4.0 grade point average, to his office to search her backpack.Then, he ordered her to go with a secretary to the nurse's office. They told her to move her bra to the side and to stretch her underwear waistband, exposing her breasts and pelvic area. She did not resist. No pills were found.Among the questions to be resolved are whether there were reasonable grounds to believe Redding was hiding pills and, even if there were, whether the pills posed a public health threat serious enough to justify a strip search.Even if the court finds the search unconstitutional, it will have to decide whether school officials can be held financially liable for the search.

Somerset student can keep long hair

2009-04-27T11:21:00.001-04:00

Somerset student can keep long hair

By Michelle De La Rosa - Express-News
Jesus Figueroa can return to class at Somerset High School without having to cut his shoulder-length hair — a symbol of his spiritual connection to his Native American roots.
On Monday night, trustees voted unanimously to grant the 17-year-old senior special dispensation from the district’s grooming policy, which bans males’ hair from touching the collar.
“We can make this a maelstrom or we can bring resolution,” said board President Omar Pachecano. “We are here as trustees to ameliorate the business of the district, not to cause any harm to anyone in any way, shape, or form.”
Figueroa’s parents, anxious to get their son out of on-campus suspension and back into a regular classroom, sued the district in federal court. In March, Figueroa argued that the district was violating his constitutional right to religious expression. He, like many indigenous peoples, believes his hair is a gift from the Great Spirit and should be cut only to mourn the death of a loved one.
The judge ordered school officials to let him back into the classroom and kicked the case back to the district level to be heard by trustees — a step Figueroa’s parents had skipped.
“I feel so good that the school board finally decided to grant me the religious accommodation,” Figueroa said. “I feel good that they’re going to respect me for who I am — a native person.”
Figueroa is from Michoacán, Mexico. His family says they are P’urhépecha Indians.
His long hair had been an issue since last school year, landing him in on-campus suspension a few times.
Superintendent Saul Hinojosa Jr. told trustees Monday that Figueroa initially cited freedom of expression as his reason for not cutting his hair. It wasn’t until January that he cited religious beliefs, and school officials asked for proof that he was Native American.
That’s when his parents took the case to court, where they submitted a statement that they were, indeed, Native American. Based on that court document, Hinojosa recommended the board grant the exception.
Figueroa’s lawyer, St. Mary’s Law School Professor Amy Kastely, said her work is not done, though. She plans to approach the district about revising its handbook to make clear that parents have a right to request religious exceptions.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/somerset_student_can_keep_long_hair.html

After darkness, I hope for light

2009-04-23T01:06:00.001-04:00

Job 17 "After darkness, I hope for light"

I have post some very personal thoughts and feeling on this blog over the last year. One blog in particular stands out it Personal Thoughts. I reposted it below. I think of this blog from time to time not only because it wasn't something I would normally post and it was very personal. But because it put so many memories of watching Cody grow into feelings. I will look at Cody from time to time and I wonder where did the time go? Wasn't it yesterday that he needed me to pour his milk? Now I need him to get things off the top shelf for me. He recently went to his first prom with his girlfriend and I couldn't help remembering when it was my husband and I at our prom. Has it really been that long ago? I know my age but I don't feel my age. I sometimes feel like I'm 18, shy, in love and able to take on the world. I've seen a lot of growth in Cody that last year. I look at the young man he's becoming and I am proud.

http://washingtoncountyparent.blogspot.com/2008/06/personal-thoughts.htm

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Personal Thoughts
Tonight as I am writing I think back to a teacher, I adored while I was in college. She taught me how to put my thoughts onto paper. I do not mean to write an article but to actually reach down inside of ones self and pull out inner feeling and thoughts. I am not an open person. I guess I would say I have a more reserve personality. Therefore, to learn this style of writing was difficult for me. Today's blog is on my feeling, thoughts and memories.I remember being a young mother watching my newborn son cradled in my arms and thanking God that he has given us such a wonderful gift. The precious baby so tender and small. The fresh scent of a newborn. As he grew, the memories take me to him as baby, toddler, child and now a young man. How precious those memories are of the first steps, the first time he walked and fell. Memories of the first tooth, the last baby tooth and braces. The first time I heard mama. The childhood joys of his first bike ride and first pony ride. The memories of mixed emotions of first day of school and pain of the last day of school. The teenager parents worry over the first girlfriend and the first heartache. His first time he talked to me about joining the ministry. The joy I felt when he decide to be baptized.In the parallel of him learning, I was learning too. I learned patience. I learned how to function on so little sleep when he cried at night. I learned the true meaning of unconditional love. I learned fear when he sick. I learned to let go some and watch from a distance. I learned how to pray. I learned I could carry a car seat, diaper bag, purse and stroller at the same time. I learned that being a mother was the hardest job but one I would not trade for anything.Then 10 and half years later God blessed us again with another little boy. Our oldest became a big brother. The day that we told him, he was going to be a big brother, is something that I hope will never leave my memory. His precious face was happy and surprised. The first time he held him. The first time he woke up in the middle of the night because his baby brother was crying and he wanted to sing to him. Yesterday watching as the two of them played. The compassion and love he has for his brother amazes me.I have always held a special bond with Cody. In many ways, I admire his strength and compassion. He has not been the perfect child. He has stumbled and fallen as we all have. I have not been the perfect mother. That pains me to say. Nevertheless, with God grace I am learning. I am always learning..When all of this started with his school and this expulsion, I felt led to read the book of Job. Job had everything taken from him, beaten, sick and in as much despair but not once did he forsaken God. He kept his faith. In the end, his fortune was returned to him. I want to share verse from Job 17 "After darkness I hope for light" We also know that after the darkness we will see light. Praise God for that. Another verse we have had on this blog from the beginning is Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." This verse has special meaning to my son. He is the one that brought it to my attention. I had not heard it before but now I see it everywhere.Watching our sons grow is an experience I would not trade for anything. With each experience has come the power to learn, feel and grow. We learn to crawl, walk and then run. If were lucky we learn to dance. We are learning to dance.

School Absences and Expulsion

2009-04-15T14:20:00.003-04:00

The following is from a forum but this has become a common practice to tell parents OK your child has missed to many days and we don't care if he was sick and you can prove it. So either withdraw him or we will expel him. Sounds good. If a parent withdraws him the school doesn't have to report an expulsion.

Absences and now voluntary withdraw
Any issue related to school services access or removal from school due to suspension or expulsion. Also includes child labor, due process, legal settlement, discipline, and Section 504 questions [disability]. This site is monitored by the State Attendance Officer.

Moderator: mfleck

Post a reply 5 posts • Page 1 of 1
absences and now voluntary withdraw
by meturner » March 7th, 2006, 9:19 pm

Hello, my name is Melissa and I am new here. My concern is that my 15 year old son has been absent from school for half the nine weeks, so the school says, even though he had doctor excuses.

The reason for his absents from school were either because of a dentist appointment or because his tonsils were swelled up like golf balls. Now the doctor won't do anything about taking them out cause there was no infection. And because he is on the Hoosier Health Wise program and they have changed the policy on stuff like that. My oldest son had to have his taken out when he was that age. I don't know if it is hereditary or not. But now my 15 year old son was facing expulsion from school. The school called me and told me that I could either voluntary withdraw him or they could expel him from school. And to top it all off they state what when he comes back in August he will have to take the 8th grade over again. I don't think that is right. I mean there is only 3 months left in the year. So what I was wandering was what the requirements were for the eight grade and if I were to teach him over the next 5 months if he would have to repeat the eight grade or can he go onto the 9th.

Sorry this is so long. But I am concerned about my son's education.

Sincerely,
Melissa Turnermeturner

Posts: 1
Joined: March 7th, 2006, 2:01 am Top
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Re: absences and now voluntary withdraw
by twayman » March 8th, 2006, 4:35 pm

It sounds like you are talking about home-schooling him and those credits do not usually transfer to a public school. He will more than likely have to repeat 8th grade unless you are able to enroll him in another school that will let him finish up these last 3 months.twayman

Posts: 20
Joined: February 2nd, 2005, 2:01 am Top
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Re: absences and now voluntary withdraw
by dmom2 » March 9th, 2006, 3:45 pm

Melissa

Call 800-332-4433 Immediately before withdrawing
him. THis can be taken care of in another manner.

OR email me at dmom3005@yahoo.com.

Donnadmom2

Posts: 166
Joined: February 27th, 2005, 2:01 am
Location: Oxford Top
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Re: absences and now voluntary withdraw
by the end » April 4th, 2006, 12:41 pm

i have the same problem with my child the school district has turned us in for educational neglect that is such a joke we have hed to get medical records and a lawyer to defend ourselves in court i cant beleive this we dont abuse or neglect our child it's all about the school district not getting paid they should look into some of the other children more closly its usally the ones that seem to have a normal life and scheadule that are being abused or neglected or the kids that are bullys at school instead they would rather try to go for an easy target or so they think .........wyoming schools arnt worried about kids its all about the money the end

Posts: 1
Joined: April 2nd, 2006, 2:01 am
Location: california Top
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Re: absences and now voluntary withdraw
by dmom2 » April 7th, 2006, 1:11 pm

In both cases if your child misses over 20 days
in a school year. They may qualify for homebound
services through the school. This would
take the help of special education dept.
but kids that are just chronically ill can
fall into this category too.

Call 800-332-4433 to find out more about your childs rights. We dont charge the parents.

Donna

What Do You Think?

2009-04-09T12:49:00.004-04:00

We hear of kids bringing illegal addicting drugs in to school and being expelled. Clearly they don't belong there. But what about a teenage girl taking her birth control pill at school. Should she be expelled? In a recent article from the Washington Post, that is what is happening. They made some really good points on when should the line be drawn. Should your child be receive the same punishment because they took a Tylenol for a headache as the child who is selling pot at school? Tell me what you think?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/04/AR2009040402591.html

Exceptional teenagers recognized in Southern Indiana

2009-04-08T15:06:00.000-04:00

Exceptional teenagers recognized in Southern Indiana

Gold Acorn ceremony highlights those who shine by helping others

AMANDA ARNOLD
newsroom@newsandtribune.com

For the Crockett family of Floyds Knobs, volunteering is a main thread in their lives.

Brenda Crockett credits her spirit of volunteering to her grandmother, who was active in church and always opened her home to anyone in need of a place to stay. Now, giving back to the community is a value that she shares with her children.

“I always wanted them to feel like they are a part of things and that they can make a difference in their community and church,” Brenda said.

While Brenda’s 18-year-old son, Paul Crockett, played some sports, volunteering became his passion.

“I like helping people and seeing people laugh and smile, and I love seeing the help I can give to people who are less fortunate or having a bad day,” said Paul, who after graduating from Floyd Central High School this spring will attend Vincennes University to study fire science and conservation law enforcement.

He volunteers for the Georgetown Fire Department, soccer at St. Mary of the Knobs Elementary School and several other activities that result in five or more volunteer hours a week.

On Sunday, Paul’s community efforts were recognized at the annual Gold Acorn Youth Volunteer Celebration, where he and 24 other teenagers from Clark, Floyd and Harrison counties were awarded a gold acorn lapel pin and a commemorative program with their photograph.

“It’s important for us to recognize that these people [teenagers who volunteer] are doing this in our community and if we don’t, there is no incentive for them to continue to,” said Melissa Harbeson, program officer for Community Foundation of Southern Indiana.

The foundation and its Youth Philanthropy Councils of Floyd, Clark and Harrison counties organized the elegant gala luncheon at The Grand in New Albany to honor exceptional teenagers who go above and beyond for a variety of nonprofit organizations, including interpretive museums, churches, soup kitchens and the YMCA.

New Albany High School senior Leyou Belayneh said that receiving the Gold Acorn Award made her feel as if her hard work has paid off. However, volunteering at the soup kitchen and with Students United Radically for Floyd County — or S.U.R.F. — Board is very important to her.

“It [volunteering] makes me feel better because it makes me feel like I’m giving back to my community, and it makes me feel good about myself,” said Belayneh, 17, who plans to embark on a career in finance.

She explained that S.U.R.F. Board guides youth toward positive decision making. Recently, Belayneh organized the Interfaith Community Council Inc.’s Rise to the Challenge retreat, which the Youth Philanthropy Council of Floyd County awarded a $600 grant.

In order to receive the award, nonprofit organizations complete the nomination form that is submitted to the Youth Philanthropy Council. The award is sponsored by the Horseshoe Foundation of Southern Indiana, which also gives scholarships to civic-minded leaders and has provided $31,000 in grant funding for the Floyd County Council since its inception in 2000.

According to Jerry Finn, executive director of the Horseshoe Foundation of Floyd County, the group is involved with the Youth Philanthropy Council because it is committed to Southern Indiana becoming a greater place to live, work and raise a family.

“We believe if you are going to change a community, you can’t focus on one program and or be guaranteed that any one thing will do it. Real change comes through a community movement,” he said.

Paul’s 17-year-old brother, Kevin, aspires for the Gold Acorn award and hopes to receive it next year for his efforts at his church, tutoring and serving on the Youth Philanthropy Council.

“You see things that have changed in people since you helped them, and sometimes you changed their life,” Kevin said.

http://www.news-tribune.net/schools/local_story_097133353.html

Waiting

2009-03-31T16:18:00.005-04:00

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Jer 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Both of these verses are posted permanently on my blog. They help to remind me that wait is part of God's plan. We have waited for expulsion hearing, results court dates and more court dates. We have waited for right to be done. Tomorrow, April 1st we were scheduled another court date but that to has been postponed due to our lawyer and the school's lawyer trying to talk things out. We are now waiting for those results.

Appeal or not to Appeal

2009-03-27T00:10:00.005-04:00

I have taken a short hiatus for the past week. I have enjoyed my time off.
It takes time and energy to do this blog. Sometimes I have to step back and have some personal reflection; this was one of those times.
We have met with our lawyer and an appeals lawyer (just in case) during my time off from blogging. We have a court date coming up April 1st. It will be at the Salem courthouse unless it changes yet again. The appeals lawyer was very interesting. I enjoyed hearing two lawyers converse amongst themselves over law and due process. Law is not defined in right or wrong as I have come to find out.
So where does that leave us? We are currently head to court to finally try to resolve this expulsion. There are so many questions to ponder. Will we win here in Salem? What is the outcome of all of this? Where do we go if we lose? Do we have a chance in appeals? Has his school learned anything from this?
I have fought and dealt with this for over a year. My family has been hurt by this. We have cried over this. We have as a whole struggled. I pray that his school has learned that they need to investigate the truth of a matter before placing blame and hurting a child. Expulsion is rough, hard, and painful. It sets a child up for failure. Why would they want that?
Where do we go from here? I honestly believe it is out of our hands. God has always provided for us and shown us the light to which way to travel so I will leave it up to Him to guide us again. We have prayed and talked about this. What would you do if this was your child?

ISTEP changes may have students stressed in Southern Indiana

2009-03-17T12:36:00.000-04:00

ISTEP changes may have students stressed in Southern Indiana

Round two starts in April, equals about 75 percent of entire test

By TARA HETTINGER
Tara.Hettinger@newsandtribune.com

Though ISTEP testing just ended, it’s not time to rest just yet.

Students throughout the state will start again in April on part two of the test, which accounts for 75 percent of the ISTEP, according to Cam Savage, communications director with the Indiana Department of Education.

Giving the test in two sections is part of the changes started by the department, once the decision was made to move the test to the spring semester this year.

With change comes something else — pilot questions. Those are questions that are used to see what children really know to help develop future tests, but getting those wrong will not count against a student’s score, according to Savage.

Karen Spencer, supervisor of assessment at Greater Clark County Schools, said pilot questions are nothing new. Spencer said those show up every time the test is moved from spring to fall and vice versa.

Though what was different was not knowing which are pilot questions and which aren’t, said Sally Jensen, coordinator of student data services for New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp. She said that before this test, pilot items were given out as a separate booklet. Those were only given out at schools selected by the state, she added.

“With the spring test, there is no separate pilot-item book,” Jensen said. “The pilot items are embedded in each student’s test book. The student does not know which items are pilot and which are not.”

Jensen said those pilot questions were not harder than any other given question. Spencer agreed, saying the pilot questions seemed in line with the learning standards.

Spencer said she feels that it wasn’t the pilot questions that may have been hard on kids, rather the multi-step questions, which required students to show their work in various stages before reaching an answer.

“I think what hurt the kids are the multi-step questions,” she said. “It took a higher level of thinking and application of the skill which probably ... stressed the kids out. I think a lot of them ran out of time.”

Savage said there were fewer questions on part one of the test, which caused there to be fewer easy questions. He said he won’t know if that caused the test to be harder until he sees how the students scored.

Savage, so far, has only heard feedback about the math and open-ended portions on the test.

“It appears students are not having trouble with the other portions of the test, and we do not anticipate them having trouble with the multiple-choice portion — which is about 75 percent of the test — which will be taken in April/May,” Savage said.

Spencer said taking the ISTEP test in the fall and now two sessions in the spring because of the exam being moved from the beginning of the year to the end is causing stress on everyone involved.

“It has been a hard year for not only the students, but also the teachers,” she said. “Next year, they’ll just have the one spring test ... it’ll be better.”

What if students don’t pass?

• Students who do not pass ISTEP are entitled to extra help and instructional time to address any areas of need.

• Ask your teacher and guidance counselors about extra help in areas that students didn’t pass.

What if I have more questions?

• Talk to teachers and counselors at your school.

• Visit www.doe.in.gov/istep or call 1-888-54-ISTEP.

• Visit www.learnmoreindiana.org or call 1-800-992-2076.

— Indiana Department of Education

http://www.news-tribune.net/local/local_story_073215828.html

Bennett plans to take over low-performing schools

2009-03-13T05:00:00.000-04:00

Bennett plans to take over low-performing schools
Struggling ones would get help
By Andy Gammill • The Indianapolis Star • March 5, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana's new schools chief plans to funnel help to struggling schools like never before, but he also expects to be aggressive in taking over those that fail and running them himself.
That new aggressiveness to force low-performing schools to improve will be a hallmark of his administration, Tony Bennett said in an interview, and a defining characteristic of his reorganization of the Indiana Department of Education.
The state has had the authority to take over chronically low-performing schools but never has done so, unlike education departments in several other states.

"At the end of the day, we cannot walk away from our responsibility," Bennett said. "And we cannot allow a generation of students to go through schools that are not serving their needs."

In the biggest shakeup the Department of Education has seen in decades, he has realigned the state's education bureaucracy to provide more help to schools. But it's his posturing on school accountability that has raised eyebrows among educators.

His talk about taking over schools has caused concern among education groups and the affected districts, including objections that state intervention undermines the wishes of voters who elect school boards. Some also worry the state would succeed only by exempting itself from rules the districts still have to follow.

Such measures have been taken in other states, though more often to run entire districts. The two most prominent examples are Pennsylvania's takeover of the Philadelphia school system and Louisiana's expanded authority in post-Katrina New Orleans.

About 40 Indiana schools, most of them urban, have been on academic probation for three years. The probation puts them at risk of state intervention within a few years. When schools repeatedly fail, the state has a range of options, including taking over operations or closing the schools.

Since taking office in January, Bennett -- who previously was superintendent of the Greater Clark County Schools -- has dissolved many of the Indiana Department of Education's centers and programs so he could move staff into two divisions, one for administrative operations and one to push resources to schools to improve student learning.

He also has created an office of school reform and is taking steps to run individual schools from the Statehouse.

Bennett hopes a bill that narrowly passed the Republican-controlled Indiana Senate would give him the authority to force changes on schools as early as next year. The bill is now in the Democrat-controlled House.

Current law would force him to wait several years and would grant authority over fewer schools.

Under Indiana law, school boards still would have control over schools; Bennett would have broad authority to appoint a team to manage the school or require the district to implement specific recommendations.

That worries school board members, said Frank Bush, director of the Indiana School Boards Association.

"The local community has a right to decide whether the school board has followed the laws or not," he said. "One thing people in Indiana are getting fed up with is the federal government and the state thinking they know better than they do."

If the state proceeds to take over schools as the law allows, Bush said, it must view school districts as partners and keep open lines of communication.

Principal forbids tuxedo; teen sues school district

2009-03-12T14:11:00.000-04:00

Principal forbids tuxedo; teen sues school district
Indianapolis Star and AP Dispatches • March 12, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS -- A 17-year-old Boone County girl has sued the Lebanon school system after her principal told her she could not wear a tuxedo to the school's April 25 prom but would have to wear a dress.

The Lebanon High School senior, whose name was not disclosed in the lawsuit, is a lesbian and does not wear dresses because she sees them as expressing a sexual identity that she does not embrace, court filings said.

Her attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana has asked a federal court to issue an injunction that would require the school to let her wear the same formal attire to the prom as male students at the school.

In the filing, Ken Falk, ACLU of Indiana legal director, argued that the district's policy violates stipulations in the Constitution that the government treat a female student the same as male students and not limit students' freedom to express beliefs.

Kent Frandsen, attorney for the Lebanon schools, said yesterday that the final decision on the tuxedo wasn't up to the principal and that system officials haven't made a decision. He said there's still time to resolve the issue during the six weeks before the prom

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090312/NEWS02/903120433/1025

Resources for Results committee to hear public opinions in New Albany in April

2009-03-11T17:18:00.000-04:00

Resources for Results committee to hear public opinions in New Albany in April

Dates set!

By TARA HETTINGER
Tara.Hettinger@newsandtribune.com

Though later than the initial timeline, the Resources for Results committee will soon be hosting public meetings for the community to hear the group’s findings after nearly three years of research.

The meetings have been set for April 2 at Hazelwood Middle School, April 8 at Scribner Middle School and April 14 at Highland Hills Middle School, according to two committee members. Those members said the times are expected to be from 7 to 9 p.m.

The committee — which was started by New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated Schools Corp. Superintendent Dennis Brooks — was given the task to better allocate the corporation’s resources and come up with a recommendation for changes.

Last summer, notes from the committee were leaked to The Tribune, showing that some of the ideas included closing either Silver Street Elementary or Pine View Elementary.

However, committee member Lee Ann Wiseheart said that though she can’t speak for the group, she feels that many ideas beyond just school closures were explored. She added that no final decisions have been made.

“We have no idea what we’re going to recommend,” Wiseheart said. “How are we going to recommend something when we don’t know what the public has had to say?”

She said all the facts will be presented to the public via a PowerPoint presentation. She said then people will have a chance to voice their concerns and ideas to the committee. She added that she pictures it being similar to a school board meeting, where people can walk up to the microphone to talk to the board.

Wiseheart did say in order for the meeting to be structured and not last all night, comments will likely be limited to a few minutes.

Once the committee has heard from the public, the group will work on making a recommendation to Brooks. Wiseheart has said previously that no timeline has been set as to when that will happen, since the group might have to do more research on the public’s ideas. Once that is complete, Brooks would then make a recommendation to the school board.

Dave Rarick — director of communications and safe school specialist for New Albany-Floyd County — said the school corporation is looking forward to hearing the group’s research findings and comments.

“This committee has worked many hours, and we are proud of their commitment to our students and parents,” he said.

IF YOU GO

• WHAT: Resources for Results public hearings

• WHO: Everyone is invited. People may come to multiple meetings.

• WHEN/WHERE: From 7 to 9 p.m. April 2 at Hazelwood Middle School; April 8 at Scribner Middle School; and April 14 at Highland Hills Middle School

School can expel lesbian students, court rules

2009-03-10T23:50:00.001-04:00

School can expel lesbian students, court rules
An appeals panel finds California Lutheran High School in Riverside County is not a business and therefore doesn't have to comply with a state law barring discrimination based on sexual orientation.
By Maura Dolan
January 28, 2009
Reporting from San Francisco -- After a Lutheran school expelled two 16-year-old girls for having "a bond of intimacy" that was "characteristic of a lesbian relationship," the girls sued, contending the school had violated a state anti-discrimination law.

In response to that suit, an appeals court decided this week that the private religious school was not a business and therefore did not have to comply with a state law that prohibits businesses from discriminating. A lawyer for the girls said Tuesday that he would ask the California Supreme Court to overturn the unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal.

The appeals court called its decision "narrow," but lawyers on both sides of the case said it would protect private religious schools across California from such discrimination suits.

Kirk D. Hanson, who represented the girls, said the "very troubling" ruling would permit private schools to discriminate against anyone, as long as the schools used their religious beliefs as justification.

"It is almost like it could roll back 20 to 30 years of progress we have made in this area," said the San Diego attorney. "Basically, this decision gives private schools the license to discriminate."

John McKay, who represented the Riverside County-based California Lutheran High School, said the ruling correctly acknowledged that the school's purpose was to "teach Christian values in a Christian setting pursuant to a Christian code of conduct."

The girls were expelled in their junior year for "conducting themselves in a manner consistent with being lesbians," said McKay, who added that the girls never disclosed their sexual orientation during the litigation. Hanson said the girls had been "best friends" and, citing their privacy, declined to discuss their sexual orientation. They are now in college, he said.

The dispute started when a student at the school told a teacher in 2005 that one of the girls had said she loved the other. The student advised the teacher to look at the girls' MySpace pages. One of the girls was identified as bisexual on her MySpace page, the other's page said she was "not sure" of her sexual orientation.

McKay said the website also contained a photograph of the girls hugging.

According to the principal, who called each girl out of class separately, both admitted they had hugged and kissed each other and told other students they were lesbians. The girls said they admitted only that they loved each other as friends.

The principal "just looked at me like I was a disease and I was so wrong," one of the girls later said. They were identified in the legal proceedings only as Jane Doe and Mary Roe.

In ruling in favor of the school, the appeals court cited a 1998 California Supreme Court decision that said the Boy Scouts of America was a social organization, not a business establishment, and therefore did not have to comply with the Unruh Civil Rights Act. That case also involved a discrimination complaint based on sexual orientation.

"The school's religious message is inextricably intertwined with its secular functions," wrote Justice Betty A. Richli for the appeals court. "The whole purpose of sending one's child to a religious school is to ensure that he or she learns even secular subjects within a religious framework."

The school is affiliated with synods that believe homosexuality is a sin, the court said. The school's "Christian conduct" code said students could be expelled for engaging in immoral or scandalous contact, on or off campus.

In addition to their discrimination claim, the girls complained that the school invaded their privacy and detained them unlawfully. The girls complained the principal sat "very close" to them and asked them if they were bisexual, if they had kissed each other, and whether they had done anything "inappropriate," the court said.

Mary Roe said, "He got very close to me and he said, 'Have you ever touched [Jane Doe] in . . . any inappropriate ways? And he looked me up and down when he asked that."

But the court said there was no evidence that the principal had a prurient interest in the girls.

"It is hard to imagine how he could have determined whether they had a homosexual relationship without asking the questions that he in fact asked," wrote Richli, appointed to the court by former Gov. Pete Wilson.

The school also did not break the law when it disclosed the girls' "suspected sexual orientation" to their parents, the court said. The parents, "in light of their right to control their children's upbringing and education, had a right to know why" they were being expelled, the court said.

Hanson said the entire episode was "very traumatic" and "humiliating" for the girls.

Shannon Price Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said the ruling was based on "the particular circumstances of this school."

"Labeling a young person or telling her she is 'sinful' can be psychologically devastating," Minter said. "Regardless of one's religious beliefs, all adults have a responsibility to treat young people with compassion and respect."

School officials could not be reached for comment.

Timothy J. Tracey, litigation counsel for the Center for Law & Religious Freedom, said the ruling "preserves the right of Christian schools in California to make admission and discipline decisions consistent with their religious beliefs

http://www.latimes.com/news/la-me-school28-2009jan28,0,3503114.story?track=rss

Father sues over son's expulsion

2009-03-06T11:21:00.000-05:00

Father sues over son's expulsion for dropping his pants
Serra School 8th-grader accused of exposing himself in class – but was 'horsing around' when pants fell, lawyer says.
By RACHANEE SRISAVASDI
The Orange County Register
Comments 61| Recommend 11

The father of an expelled Serra Catholic School student is suing the school, claiming his son was slandered and unfairly punished after he was accused of dropping his pants and exposing his buttocks.

Joseph Anthony Sanchez Jr. was never given the chance by school administrators to defend himself regarding the Nov. 27, 2007, incident before being expelled from eighth grade, according to an Orange County Superior Court lawsuit filed recently.

Joseph Sanchez – the boy's father – filed the claim, and said his son has been denied entry to other Catholic schools "all or in part because of the false negative endorsement" by the school. Sanchez is seeking unspecified damages.

"He was horsing around … his pants slipped down,'' said the boy's lawyer, Eric P. Lampel, of the incident.

"His parents are devout Catholics. Did (the Diocese of Orange) want to correct the situation and let this kid get a Catholic education?" he added. "No. Instead, they blackballed the kid."

Lampel added the student has no prior record of discipline.

The incident happened during the boy's English class. School officials in Rancho Santa Margarita called police, who conducted an investigation, according to the filing. The student was never charged with a crime.

The school's principal, Angeline Trudell, sent a letter home to all students' parents about the occurrence, informing them a student had been disciplined because of "behavior issues of a sexual nature,'' according to the lawsuit.

Ryan Lilyengren, a diocese spokesman, said today that he could not comment since the issue involves a student who is a minor.

The case has been assigned to Judge James J. Di Cesare.

The dilemma of expulsions: They increase as more schools go to zero tolerance

2009-03-05T07:19:00.000-05:00

The dilemma of expulsions: They increase as more schools go to zero tolerance
Posted by David Jesse | The Ann Arbor News August 02, 2008 22:51PM
Categories: Education, Top Stories
Karrie Rhodes didn't see the first punch that was thrown.

She didn't see the second, either.

What she did see was one of her students being shoved to the ground.

Then, as she raced toward the pair in the back of Kettering Elementary School in the Willow Run district, the fourth-grade teacher saw a kick to the face that left one student with a cut under his right eye and a knot on his forehead.

The cause of the fight? Depending on your point of view, either mean-spirited teasing of the new boy or an aggressive troublemaker looking for a fight.

Rhodes' account of what happened during the fight and in the hours leading up to it - even the parts she didn't see - was enough for the Willow Run school board to expel the new student for almost two months.

When the board took that action, the 10-year-old became one of the youngest area students expelled in the past five years.

He also became part of an ongoing debate about how to discipline students.

It's a debate being won more and more by those who favor zero-tolerance policies in schools in the state, some experts say.

"We're in a climate today in which zero tolerance is influencing the ways in which things once considered minor infractions are considered major infractions, or the sign that a major infraction is about to occur," said Robert Jagers, University of Michigan associate professor of education. "That's complicated by schools and teachers that are under pressure to perform academically. In some ways, it's easier for a teacher or school to get rid of you than to deal with you."

However, Peter Bakeman, who has a daughter attending Ypsilanti High School, said some students need to be expelled.

"When there are rules in place, they need to be followed," he said. "Schools should offer help to struggling students, and lots of it, but if someone keeps breaking the rules, I think it's best for them to be removed from school. There are other students there who deserve the chance to learn."

Expulsions, classified by the state as any exclusion from school that lasts longer than 10 days, have shot up since the 2002-03 school year, an Ann Arbor News analysis of data collected by the state Department of Education shows.

Growing the fastest are expulsions related to weapons and physical assault.

There's also growth in the number of students who are expelled for at least one school year, state data shows. That number has climbed from 391 students expelled for a year in the 2002-03 school year to 851 in the 2006-07 school year. That's an increase of 117.6 percent.

The result of all these expulsions - almost 1,900 across the state in the 2006-07 school year - is a growing group of students with no real good choices for life, many say.

"What kind of future do they have for them?" Ypsilanti Superintendent Jim Hawkins said. "What does life hold for you if you've been expelled?"

Hawkins tries to get this message across to students.

"I tell them that if they get kicked out of school or drop out, they have two likely destinations - incarceration or the cemetery."

A new beginning?

April 22 was supposed to be a new start for the 10-year-old with a long list of violations.

At Holmes Elementary School in the Willow Run district, he had been in all sorts of trouble that had resulted in five suspensions and 23 missed days of school. The suspensions were for offenses that included threatening a staff member, insubordination and endangering others. He was being transferred to Kettering in the hope that a new environment would help him change his ways.

He showed up for school that day shortly after 8:50 a.m., after all the other students were in class.

Accompanied by his mother, he was introduced to Rhodes, who told him he had a clean slate with her.

The teacher introduced him to the class and sat him at a table with three other students. What happened after that is not clear-cut.

Here's the official version, culled from reports submitted to the school board:
About an hour and a half after arriving in class, the 10-year-old began swearing and flipping his middle finger up at Rhodes.

She called him up to her desk and talked to him about his behavior. He sat tensely, with distraught facial expressions while breathing heavily.

About 2:30, the class went out to recess. On the way out, the boy began shadowboxing and then attacked the other fourth-grader, who fought back.

Kettering Principal Delores Jenkins took written statements after the fight from several students and Rhodes, but not from the 10-year-old himself.

She passed on her report to Superintendent Doris Hope-Jackson, who forwarded it to the school board for an expulsion hearing.

While school boards are the ultimate decision makers on expulsion matters, experts say board members rarely vote against the administration's recommendations, making the superintendent a key pivot point in whether a student is dismissed from school.

Superintendents face a tough balancing act - weighing the safety of the entire school against their desire to give a kid another chance.

Hope-Jackson, who declined to comment on this specific case, said expulsion is a last resort, but sometimes it's the only way to protect other students.

"We bring (an expulsion) to the school board when we cannot address the behavior issues of the kid and have no alternative but to remove them from the school."

She added a student's age doesn't factor into her decision to seek expulsion.

"A five-year-old can do something heinous, just as a 12-year-old or a 17-year-old can," she said. "Would they understand right or wrong? I think so."

One man's approach

A student in the Ypsilanti school district who has done something serious enough for administrators to consider expulsion or long-term suspension will find himself sitting at a long conference table with Hawkins.

Next to the superintendent will be a copy of the student's permanent record.

Hawkins and the student will go over every issue filed there.

"I try to read the riot act to them," Hawkins said. "I try to 'beat' them up a bit and make sure they understand the reality of the situation.

"We normally spend about an hour there. Lots of times, kids leave in tears. I always leave with 'I love you.' "

The students leave with Hawkins' home phone number, cell phone number and a signed contract outlining changes they'll make.

It works about 60 to 70 percent of the time, Hawkins said.

"My main philosophy has been to do everything humanely possible to save as many kids as possible," he said. "I know I can't save them all."

If students don't change their behavior after that meeting, most of the time they end up going before the school board for an expulsion hearing.

Those hearings can be emotional, confrontational and sometimes chaotic. They are often held behind closed doors at the parents' request and place often untrained school board members in the uncomfortable position of serving as judge and jury.

The expulsion hearing

As Willow Run school board members heard an account of the incident, the 10-year-old facing expulsion sat quietly next to his mother, who was already sniffling a bit.

Rhodes told the board what she knew about the event, reading from the statement she wrote the day after the fight.

At times, she noted she didn't see what happened, didn't hear what the 10-year-old was saying and didn't see the rude gestures. Instead, students in her class told her what had happened.

Then, it was time for the 10-year-old and his family to state their case.

According to their version, the 10-year-old wasn't cursing and wasn't making rude gestures. After being called to the front of the classroom, he returned to his table where he sat crying, mostly because of anger.

The other boy involved in the fight came over and started picking on him. Then, while he went to recess, he was shadowboxing when the other boy began picking on him again.

That's when the fight began. The 10-year-old said he hit first, then was pushed onto his back.

As for the kick? The 10-year-old said he was just trying to do a flip to get himself back on his feet.

His family also pointed out that the other boy received no punishment, despite admitting that he was in a fight.

The hearing then fell into a series of charges and countercharges between administrators on one side and the family and Student Advocacy Center representatives on the other side.

There were no closing statements and no chance for either side to question the other, despite repeated attempts, especially by the center's advocates to do so.

At many points, several people, including representatives of both sides and school board members, were talking at once.

As the evening progressed, the boy's mother, Felecia Hancock, became emotional, saying the district hadn't tried to help her son. The school's academic reports place him several grades behind his peers in every subject, especially in writing and reading.

"Why won't you help my son?" she sobbed. "Just help my son. Please help my son."

After more than an hour-and a half, the board told the family it would decide the case later and moved on to other matters.

At 9:25 p.m., after a 25-minute closed session to debate the the case, Willow Run's school board emerged and voted unanimously to ban the fourth-grader from school for the rest of the year.

The family got the news in a letter a few days later.

In many ways, the 10-year-old fits the stereotype of students who get expelled.

"They are mostly of color, poor and come from a single-parent home," said Margaret Harner, an advocate with the Student Advocacy Center of Michigan. "They tend to get labeled as troublemakers, and then they get pushed out of the school."

The 10-year-old is all of that.

Superintendent Hawkins said many students who get expelled are 15 or 16 years old and frequently violate the school code of conduct.

"They need some sort of attention and for many of them, some attention is better than none," he said.

The aftermath

After the expulsion, there was nowhere for the 10-year-old to go.

He and his mother live with his grandmother. His mother works. They can't afford a private school. There's no alternative elementary school.

The school promised to send a tutor once a week, but no one showed up for several weeks, the family said.

The grandmother, who is a substitute teacher and a paraprofessional, copied down assignments and details from classrooms she works in so she could bring them home.

"He needed help," Hancock said. "We're trying to home-school him, but we ain't no teachers.

"He has an anger problem. I know that. I wanted him to be tested (for special-education help), but they told me I didn't want him to have that label, that it would follow him for 50 years."

Hancock doesn't believe her son was blameless, but said the district overreacted.

"He should have been punished for being in the fight. That wasn't right. He could have been suspended for one day, for two days. But for the rest of the school year?"

For many students, troubles multiply after they get expelled.

"A kid with that much more free time is more vulnerable to influences leading them into trouble," Mark Fancher, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, said.

Jagers of U-M agreed.

"They find other kids who have been put out of school and they become delinquent together. They feed off each other.

"It's a school-to-prison pipeline."

So what's the solution? That's unclear.

While there are those would like to see expulsions eliminated altogether, Hawkins sees a need for them. But he would like to make sure they are used as a last resort.

"What I need in our district is more new tutoring, mentoring and other intervention programs. What we clearly need is other kinds of intervention strategies.

"We can't afford to lose another generation."

David Jesse can be reached at djesse@annarbornews.com or at 734-994-6937. Join the discussion at blog.mlive.com/study_hall.

Read the story http://blog.mlive.com/annarbornews/2008/08/the_dilemma_of_expulsions_they.html

Stimulating education in Southern Indiana?

2009-03-02T11:31:00.001-05:00

http://www.news-tribune.net/schools/local_story_050134225.html

Stimulating education in Southern Indiana?
Local leader says extra money may not avoid cuts
By TARA HETTINGER Tara.Hettinger@newsandtribune.com

$882,952,057.That’s how much the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank based out of Washington, D.C., has estimated will go toward education in Indiana after President Barack Obama signed the approximately $787 billion stimulus bill into law.Though that may still not help prevent local school corporations from layoffs.“I’m not sure if it can help avoid cuts [in staffing],” said Superintendent Steve Fisher, with Clarksville Community School Corp., who notified employees of potential layoffs late last year. “I’m sure the federal government is going to put some requirements on it.”Monty Schneider, superintendent of West Clark Community Schools, said he has received an estimated rundown of where that money will go from the Wilson Center, a regional education center, a few days before the bill’s passage.Schneider said the rundown shows $1 million going to WCCS; $510,000 to CCSC; $4.02 million to Greater Clark Community Schools; and $4.45 million to New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp. He said all that money is earmarked for two things: Title 1 and IDEA, or special education, grants.Schneider said the earmarks provide a tricky situation.“My concern with all of this is most of the money we spend in those two programs is for personnel,” Schneider said. “I’m concerned about hiring additional personnel ... because you can’t maintain those personnel in one to two years because you won’t be getting additional money to pay for it.”Other school officials reiterated his concerns.“It would not be fiscally responsible to take on an initiative with reoccurring expenses,” said Erin Bojorquez, public relations specialist for GCCS. “Since this is a one-time stimulus, Greater Clark is unsure how it will be used.”“You have got to be fiscally responsible with it, so you don’t have reoccurring expenses with it,” Fisher added.Officials from the four school corporations say they have yet to receive official figures on what they will get and what stipulations will be placed on spending those funds.Though they said they are happy to get anything extra.“Anytime we get more money we can use on kids, I’m excited about that,” Schneider said. “We’re just going to have to think a lot harder about what we are going to do when that money and those programs stop.”“I am excited about this information, and we look forward to utilizing these funds,” said Dennis Brooks, superintendent of NA-FC. “Clearly, this money will help children. We look forward to more specific information about the implementation of the stimulus plan and how it will directly impact our students.”WHAT IS TITLE 1?• Title 1 is the largest federal-aid program in K-12 education. Serving more than 150 million children nationwide, the program helps provide additional support in reading, writing and mathematics. Since 1996, the Title 1 Distinguished Schools program has honored Title 1 schools that demonstrated exceptional progress in either sustained student achievement or closing the achievement gap.— Indiana Department of Education

Blog Changes

2009-02-26T02:56:00.006-05:00

I have made a few changes to the Blog Layout. It is all still here just been moved around some. I am also trying to find a way list labels at the side so one can look at a certain subject if they choose. Any advice? So while I'm looking for ways to perfect what I want beware of changes. Same info. Same posts. Just a few changes. Let me know if it's better or worse.

Case of School Boundaries in Indiana

2009-02-25T06:40:00.002-05:00

http://www.judgedreyer.com/jd/docs/School%20P.I.%20-%20DeWeese.pdf

STATE OF INDIANA ) MARION SUPERIOR COURT
)ss: CIVIL DIVISION 10
COUNTY OF MARION ) CAUSE NO. 49D10-0301-PL-0097
SHANE DeWEESE, by next friend )
STACEY DeWEESE, )
Plaintiff,
vs.
METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT )
OF WARREN TOWNSHIP, )
Defendant. )
PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION
I. STATEMENT OF CASE
Plaintiff Shane DeWeese (“Shane”) by his mother Stacey DeWeese (“Mother”) seeks preliminary injunction compelling Defendant Metropolitan School District of Warren Township (“Warren”) to immediately re-enroll Shane and determine Mother’s “legal settlement,” according to an order of the Indiana State Board of Education (“State”).
Shane and Mother claim they reside in Warren’s school district boundaries, the State’s order should be enforced, and Shane should be re-enrolled. Warren claims Mother lives outside its boundaries, the State’s order is defective, and Shane should be enrolled elsewhere.
The Court issues a preliminary injunction enrolling Shane at Warren pending final determination of Shane’s declaratory, injunctive, and constitutional claims.
II. ISSUE
Does Shane meet all legal requirements for a preliminary injunction?
III. FINDINGS OF FACT AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
During 1999-2002, Shane attended Warren’s high school and qualifies as a senior for the current 2002-03 school year. He is a good student, and has no disciplinary problems. He earned a special curriculum at Warren in culinary arts. His friends are enrolled at Warren, and he wants to graduate on time with his class.
On August 9, 2002, Warren expelled Shane for one (1) year because Mother allegedly lived outside its boundaries. Warren cited Shane for student “misconduct” under its code of behavior. Warren did not immediately inform Shane or Mother that the expulsion was in effect for one (1) year, nor provide any notice of right of appeal under Indiana law, nor provide any other review of the expulsion to date. Warren instructed Shane and Mother to enroll in the Indianapolis Pubic Schools (“IPS”) district where it believes they reside. They applied to IPS and were rejected. Since that time, Shane has been “home-schooled.”
On November 12, 2002, after Shane’s appeal, the State upheld part of Warren’s determination that Mother had no legal settlement in Warren during the 2001-02 year, and found Mother owed tuition to Warren. But the State further found lack of legal settlement is neither “misconduct,” nor a basis for a set term of expulsion. It ordered Warren to determine Mother’s current legal settlement and enroll Shane if Mother resides in Warren’s school district now.
On January 9, 2003, the State’s order was made final. But Warren may seek judicial review of the order at any time up to February 10, 2003.
On January 17, 2003, Shane and Mother sued Warren here, and claim Warren violates Indiana law and Shane’s constitutional rights. Ultimately, they seek a declaratory order and a permanent injunction. Their present motion for a preliminary injunction wants Warren to immediately re-enroll Shane and determine Mother’s current legal settlement, as ordered by the State.
On January 24, 2003, the Court held its hearing on the Motion for Preliminary Injunction. The only evidence submitted were allegations and statements in Shane’s verified complaint, and some facts agreed by counsel during oral argument.
2
IV. LAW
To obtain a preliminary injunction, the movant has the burden to show:
1. Whether there is a reasonable likelihood of success at trial by establishing a prima facie case;
2. Whether remedies at law are inadequate and irreparable harm will thus result pending final result, if injunction does not issue;
3. Whether harm to party seeking injunction outweighs any harm to the other party; and
4. Whether granting the injunction will harm the public interest.
Indiana Family and Soc. Serv. Admin v Walgreen (2002), Ind., 769 N.E.2d 158.
A likelihood of success exists if there is a “better than negligible” chance of succeeding on the merits. Indiana High School Athletic Assoc v. Martin (2002), Ind.App., 731 N.E.2d 1.
Under Article 8, §1 of the Constitution of Indiana:
Knowledge and learning, generally diffused throughout a
community, being essential to the preservation of a free
government; it shall be the duty of the General Assembly
to encourage, by all suitable means, moral, intellectual,
scientific, and agricultural improvement, and to provide,
by law, for a general and uniform system of Common
Schools, wherein tuition shall be without charge, and
equally open to all.
Indiana law intends to provide an efficient and speedy means of insuring that children receive a proper education whenever it is reasonably possible. I.C. 20-8.1-3-1.
Indiana public school students have a property interest in a free pubic education and must be afforded due process under the United States Constitution and Fourteenth Amendment. Goss v. Lopez, 419 U.S. 565 (1975); I.C. 20-8.1-5.1 et. seq. seq.
Indiana students may be expelled for “misconduct” or “disobedience” with certain time limitations. I.C. 20-8.1-5.1-8; I.C.20-8.1-5.1-12 and 14. An expulsion more than 3 weeks before the second semester of the school year must be reviewed before the beginning of the second semester. I.C. 20-8.1-5.1-14 (b).
3
In Indiana, school districts are required to enroll students in their attendance area. I.C. 20-8.1-3 et. seq. The “legal settlement” of a student is “where the student’s parents reside.” I.C. 20-8.1-6.1-1 (a) (1). A student may be “expelled” if legal settlement is not in the attendance area of the school where the student is enrolled. I.C. 20-8.1-5.1-11. A school may also accept a student without legal settlement, but the student must pay tuition. I.C. 20-8.1-6.1-3.
Under I.C. 20-8.1-6.1-10 and 11, the State has authority to determine legal settlement and enforce transfer tuition for public schools.
Under I.C. 20-8.1-5.1-15, only an expulsion upheld by the State can continue during judicial review.
V. ANALYSIS
The State’s order against these parties is not effective until at least February 10, 2003. If Warren seeks judicial review, then the order may be stayed indefinitely. On the other hand, Warren may elect to follow the State’s order now, determine Mother’s legal settlement, and further proceedings could challenge that determination. Regardless, our strong public policy to provide public education allows the Court to now consider whether to re-enroll Shane pending final resolution of all claims.
Shane and Mother have a Reasonable Likelihood of Succeeding on the Merits
Ultimately, Shane and Mother will ask the Court for an order: a) declaring Warren violates Indiana law by not obeying the State’s order, determining Mother’s legal settlement, and failing to enroll Shane; and b) declaring Warren violates Shane’s constitutional rights by denying him due process during the expulsion procedures, and a free education.
The parties agree the central issue is whether Warren can now expel Shane for one year because his Mother lived outside its boundaries in the past, regardless of whether or not they live inside its boundaries now.
4
The limited evidentiary record at this time shows a better than negligible chance that Shane may prevail on these claims, and thus a prima facie case.
First of all, one Indiana statute allows Warren to expel Shane if Mother’s legal settlement is outside its boundaries. I.C. 20-8.1-5.1-11. But Warren expelled Shane for his “misconduct,” under a completely different statute, I.C. 20-8.1-5.1-8, although Shane is undisputedly a good student. There is no argument or evidence that Shane committed any “misconduct” allowing expulsion under I.C. 20-8.1-5.1-8, and the State found likewise. Shane’s expulsion is authorized, or not, only by Mother’s residency. While the language and authority under I.C. 20-8.1 et. seq. allows Warren to expel Shane if and when his Mother is not a resident, by the same token it must logically be construed to require Warren to enroll Shane if and when Mother is a resident. Otherwise, pubic education is eliminated for any student whose parents move into a new district for any reason.
In addition, Warren is required to provide Shane and Mother with notice of rights to appeal the expulsion, and to review it before the start of the Spring 2003 semester. The record shows, so far, that these due process procedures never took place.
Finally, Warren claims Shane can be expelled this year, regardless of whether Mother now lives in its boundaries, because she lived outside the boundaries last year. Again, there is no authority to support such a position, and it appears to directly conflict with longstanding public policy to keep students in school whenever and wherever possible during disputes over eligibility or residency.
Shane and Mother Have No Adequate Remedy At Law
And Irreparable Harm Will Result
Shane seeks to get back into his senior class and graduate this year. On one hand, he could lose this case – so if he is not re-enrolled now, there is no harm. On the other hand, he may win this case, as noted above – if he is not re-enrolled now, there is harm that can never be repaired, that is, losing his senior year with his class and his special curriculum. He simply cannot get what he seeks, even if he wins the case, unless he is re-enrolled pending its outcome.
5
The Harm to Shane Outweighs Any Harm to Warren
As shown above, Shane’s harm, that is, losing his senior year, cannot be replaced without a preliminary injunction pending the final outcome. But Warren, and its taxpayers, will never be without a remedy, even if Shane is re-enrolled and ultimately loses the case. They can collect transfer tuition, as the State already ordered for the 2001-02 school year. So, if Warren is successful, its harm - the expense of educating Shane - will be remedied by transfer tuition. The loss of a whole school year for Shane is a harm that clearly outweighs the temporary expense for Warren to re-enroll and educate him until this case is finally resolved.
The Public Interest Is Not Harmed By Re-Enrolling Shane
Indiana law has always spoken loudly and clearly about the great value and necessity of public education. As the framers of our Constitution wrote:
Knowledge and learning, generally diffused throughout a
community, being essential to the preservation of a free
government; it shall be the duty of the General Assembly
to encourage, by all suitable means, moral, intellectual,
scientific, and agricultural improvement, and to provide,
by law, for a general and uniform system of Common
Schools, wherein tuition shall be without charge, and
equally open to all.
Art. 8, § 1, Constitution of Indiana
The public interest is never harmed when a child goes to school.
VI. CONCLUSION
Shane and Mother have met all legal requirements for a preliminary injunction pending final determination of their claims.
VII. ORDER
6
Warren shall immediately re-enroll Shane, and is enjoined from taking any action affecting his enrollment without further order from this Court.
No bond ordered.
Dated this 27th day of January, 2003. ___________________________________
David J. Dreyer, Judge
Marion Superior Court
7

His Future

2009-02-23T22:04:00.004-05:00

Jer 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

I am positive I have posted about this verse before in this blog. This verse has meant a lot to me and my family. I truly find it amazing that the Lord plans for us. I find it amazing that all we need to do it follow his plans. He is not evil he does not want to harm us. He wants to see us prosper and fly like eagles. When I have been in despair over what the future will be for Cody with everything that has happened this past year with school I hold this verse dear to my heart and remember that even though I do not know what the future may bring the Lord does and He will provide.

In Indiana Misconduct By Teachers May Not Be Reported

2009-02-19T13:04:00.001-05:00

Some misconduct by teachers may not be reported
State doesn't require sharing information
By Andy Gammill • The Indianapolis Star • January 27, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS -- Trina Moore lost her Greenfield teaching job in 2007 after she became such close friends with a middle-schooler that they talked on the telephone for 11 hours one day in June, even though the girl's mother had asked them to stop.

By all accounts, the relationship wasn't sexual, but e-mails and instant messages showed that the 39-year-old and the seventh-grader had a cozy relationship. The girl's mother told school officials that they talked about being drunk and gossiped about students' sex lives, according to the principal's report.

And it wasn't the first red flag. The relationship followed other complaints about Moore's inappropriate friendships with students over many years -- the kinds of complaints that in many other states would have been forwarded to state investigators.

But not in Indiana, where school districts frequently handle such complaints internally, never notifying state authorities.

Several legislators have proposed new laws to examine the criminal backgrounds of educators. But none would help in cases where school districts discover cases of noncriminal misconduct, such as in Greenfield, and handle them on their own.

If Indiana's laws were similar to those elsewhere, the state would have known that the district warned Moore in 1992 and again in 2002 against close friendships with students outside school. Her principal wrote that Moore lied to him about one relationship. Two parents sought restraining orders against Moore.

Even after Moore was fired, no one was required to tell the Indiana Department of Education about her case, and no one did. No action has been taken on her license, and she remains free to seek teaching jobs. The state does not have a current teaching assignment on record for her.

In Indiana, school districts are required to report such information to the state only if a teacher is convicted of a serious crime. Some districts fear they could be sued by sharing any other information about problem teachers, and others simply wish to keep embarrassing cases quiet.

But numerous other states, such as Ohio and Georgia, require notification. And the state teachers union and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett back stronger systems like those in other states.

Bennett said that districts with cases like Greenfield's should have to warn the state to ensure that the problem teachers don't get new jobs in unsuspecting districts.

"I believe that we have a moral and a legal obligation to do all we can to protect children," he said. "It not only involves a comprehensive background check but the ability to track individuals who have committed wrongdoings through a reporting mechanism."

Districts' reporting of misconduct would not automatically lead to action on a teacher's license, Bennett said. But it would at least give the state a chance to consider action and establish patterns of conduct over time, even if a teacher changes employers.

Indiana's public records laws make it difficult to determine how many school districts have handled discipline in-house and how serious those cases have been. But Moore's case and others illustrate ways that teachers have been disciplined by their districts that, in other states, would have been flagged for review.

In Moore's case, Greenfield-Central Schools discussed trying to fire her in 2002 but was dissuaded when an outside attorney said the district would be vulnerable if she sued.

When the district moved to fire her in 2007, her attorney had a parade of former students tell the school board about the positive impact she had made on their lives, and a psychologist reported that she was not a danger to children.

Moore said she was just trying to make connections with students and help them through difficult times, but admitted she had been "naive."

Other districts have handled cases that alleged physical abuse.

Prosecutors charged Thomas Cripe, 64, a Perry Township Schools teacher, with felony battery after aides told investigators that they saw the teacher strike a 20-year-old mentally disabled student on the face twice in August, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Because of the felony charges and media attention, state investigators are watching the case, but Cripe's personnel file shows at least one earlier incident of which the state was not informed.

In February 2007, he was suspended for five days after administrators determined he had inappropriately grabbed a student by his collar and pushed him against a wall. Cripe worked with severely disabled students.

His attorney, John Kautzman, said that his client did nothing criminal and noted that Cripe never got to tell his side of the story in 2007. He will not discuss that matter as the current case approaches trial, Kautzman said.

At the time, then-Perry Township Schools Superintendent Dennis Nichols wrote in a letter suspending Cripe that the teacher had not denied the allegations.

Had that suspension occurred in Utah, the district would have had to report it to the state. In Florida, the teacher would have had to report it.

Perry Township Superintendent Thomas Little said that no law requires the district to report Cripe's suspension and that the district would have opened itself to a defamation lawsuit if it had decided to do so when it wasn't required.

The district, Little said, would support a new law requiring it to report discipline against educators. Such a rule, he said, would eliminate the risk of lawsuits.

The Indiana State Teachers Association -- which has objected to some portions of proposals to notify the state about teacher misconduct -- supports requiring school districts to alert the state when school boards reprimand, suspend or fire teachers for misbehavior.

As long as teachers have had a fair chance to present their side of the story in hearings, such a process would be fair, said Dan Clark, the association's deputy director.

"In that case, there's been a fair investigation and a fair hearing, verification and due process, opportunity to present another side of the story," he said.

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090127/NEWS02/901270455/1025/NEWS02

What is Zero Tolerance About

2009-02-18T13:45:00.000-05:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_tolerance_(schools)

A zero-tolerance policy is a policy of not having a tolerance for transgressions: any infraction of existing laws and regulations, regardless of mistakes, ignorance, or even extenuating circumstances, will be met with full punishment. The term may be used in general or with reference to a particular category of transgressions, e.g. a zero-tolerance policy towards alcohol use.

It is typically enacted by an organization (usually a school) against a particular action, or possession of something on organization-controlled property. Many schools have a zero-tolerance policy concerning drugs or weapons. For example, a student possessing or caught using drugs on school property governed by a zero-tolerance policy could immediately suffer the highest possible consequence for their actions. Many organizations avoid these policies because it binds those in authority to an action, regardless of circumstances. The policy must be written extremely explicitly or it may have negative consequences.

As of 2004 many publicized cases have sparked slight controversy with regards to (at least what some perceive as) irrationality of the policies. These cases include students being suspended or expelled for transgressions such as carrying Advil (a legal, non-prescription drug) in backpacks, keeping pocketknives (small utility knife) in cars, and carrying sharp tools outside of a "woodshop" classroom (where they are often required materials). In some jurisdictions, zero-tolerance policies have come into conflict with freedom of religion rules already in place allowing students to carry, for example, kirpans.

Most policies were enacted after the shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. One well documented case took place in the Ashland, Oregon School district.

Controversy
Supporters of zero tolerance policies claim that such policies are required to create an appropriate environment (Scaringi, 2008; Noguera, 1995). They also point to examples of persons in authority providing lax discipline in the past, with a resulting breakdown in order (for example, in a school environment) (Scaringi, 2001).

Some supporters also argue that the mass publicizing of examples of unfairness serves the schools' purpose by frightening students into conformity. They point to the millions of student acts and omissions each and every school day, only a small percentage of which prove to be unfairly penalized. (Noguera, 2007)

The policy assumption is that inflexibility is a deterrent because, no matter how or why the rule was broken, the fact that the rule was broken is the basis for the imposition of the penalty. This is intended as a behavior modification strategy, i.e. because those at risk know that it may operate unfairly, they may be induced to take even unreasonable steps to avoid breaking the rule. This is a standard policy in rule- and law-based systems around the world on "offenses" as minor as traffic violations to major health and safety legislation for the protection of employees, those living nearby and the environment. (Ghezzi, 2006)

Critics of zero tolerance policies frequently refer to cases where minor offenses have resulted in severe punishments (see above and, for example, Zero Tolerance Nightmares[dead link]) and instead make schools more like a jail or a prison. Typical examples include the honor-roll student being expelled from school under a "no weapons" policy while in possession of nail clippers; or a distinguished longtime employee at a company who, despite an impeccable work record and compiling many honors, losing his job because he made a seemingly innocent remark to a female co-worker (e.g., "You look nice today").[1]

However, some view zero tolerance policies as a tool to fight corruption (Takyi-Boadu, 2006). Under this argument, if subjective judgment is not allowed, most attempts by the authority person to encourage bribes and/or other favors in exchange for leniency are clearly visible.

Furthermore Zero Tolerance policies have been struck down by the courts as documented in the "Pensacola honor students win zero tolerance drug ruling" article of the AP/Bradenton Herald, Sept. 8, 1964[2] and by Departments of Education.[3]

Some might argue that having a set of rigid rules serves as a way to limit the powers of the person doing enforcement, ensuring equal treatment for everyone. However, the evidence is that minority children are the most likely to suffer the negative consequences of zero tolerance (American Bar Association, 2006).

Such policies could conceivably be established to allow unchecked freedom for officers; in such cases the rules could be intentionally self-contradicting, unclear and/or otherwise impossible or implausible to obey.

A particularly dismaying hypothesis about zero tolerance policies is that they may actually discourage some people from reporting criminal and illegal behavior, for fear of losing relationships, and for many other reasons. That is, ironically, zero tolerance policies may be ineffective in the very purpose for which they were originally designed. See Rowe, Mary and Bendersky, Corinne, "Workplace Justice, Zero Tolerance and Zero Barriers: Getting People to Come Forward in Conflict Management Systems," in Negotiations and Change, From the Workplace to Society, Thomas Kochan and Richard Locke (editors), Cornell University Press, 2002

Dropout vs Expulsion

2009-02-17T08:41:00.003-05:00

Glancing at the future
Why when we know that expulsion increases the risk of dropping out, does our schools continue to use this path without offering any alternatives? Dropout statistics:

-Adults with advanced degrees earn four times more than those with less than a high school diploma.

-Workers with less than a high school diploma in 2006 earned $20,873, while workers with a high school diploma earned $31,071. Meanwhile, those 18 and older with a bachelor's degree earned an average of $56,788 in 2006.

-Dropouts are more likely to be unemployed, to live in poverty and to receive government assistance -- and stay on public assistance longer -- than those with at least a high school degree.

-A high school dropout has a life span nine years shorter than those of people who graduate.

-About 80 percent of prison inmates across the nation are high school dropouts.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Career Connections, National Education Association

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller Endorses Proposed School Discipline Bill before the Legislature

2009-02-16T07:35:00.001-05:00

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller Endorses Proposed School Discipline Bill before the Legislature

(INDIANAPOLIS, IN)—Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller spoke in favor of a Senate bill designed to provide partial legal protection to school employees who are sued for disciplining disruptive students to the Indiana Senate Committee on Education and Career Development.
“Senate Bill 335 provides teachers and other school employees with ‘qualified immunity’ or protection against lawsuits when they apply disciplinary action in good-faith, and in accordance with disciplinary policies of their school corporations,” said Zoeller.
“The Office of the Indiana Attorney General currently has the responsibility to defend state government officials, employees and teachers in certain circumstances,” Zoeller noted. SB 335 strengthens the legal defense of school administrators and educators who act appropriately when dealing with students who are disrupting the learning environment of Indiana’s classrooms.
Zoeller joined Governor Mitch Daniels and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett as a proponent for the proposed legislation during his campaign for Indiana Attorney General.
The Senate Committee on Education and Career Development passed the school discipline bill today with a unanimous vote.

The History of 'APRONS'

2009-02-12T02:54:00.003-05:00

Sometimes we go a little off topic on this blog. Today is one of those times. I hope you like it.

The History of 'APRONS'

I don't think our kids know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will
replace that "old-time apron" that served so many purposes.

Student faces expulsion for fake drill team guns

2009-02-11T14:34:00.002-05:00

Student faces expulsion for fake drill team guns
posted by: Jeffrey Wolf written by: Kyle Clark 3 days ago Toolbox: Read Comments Print Article Email Article Smaller Larger

AURORA - A local school district has suspended a member of the Young Marines youth leadership group after students saw drill props in her vehicle.

Marie Morrow, a 17-year-old senior at Cherokee Trail High School in Aurora, is serving a 10-day suspension. Her punishment could be extended at an expulsion hearing later this month.

Morrow is a student leader in the Douglas County Young Marines, a group dedicated to teaching leadership and life skills.

Cherry Creek Schools suspended Morrow after other students reported seeing guns inside her SUV, which was parked outside school while she was in class.

The school also called police, who seized the three drill team guns made of wood, plastic and duct tape. Police told Morrow to claim them in time for her after-school drill practice off-campus.

School administrators, however, were less understanding. The guns were declared "authentic representations of genuine weapons," triggering a mandatory expulsion statute in state law.

"I have never been in trouble at all," said Morrow, who is planning to attend the United States Merchant Marine Academy. "I hadn't imagined in a million years that anything like this would have happened."

Chris Proctor, commanding officer of the Douglas County Young Marines, was rebuffed in his attempt to explain the props to school leaders.

"There's no mistaking that these are not real rifles," said Proctor. "I think somewhere along the line, logic has to take over and they have to be able to make exceptions to the rules."

"Marie is one of the best kids that you could ever imagine," he said.

"I could see where the school could be freaked out about it," said Morrow. "But I think there should be some leeway with the law based on situations and realize this is just an honest mistake."

"The law doesn't make any distinction between a genuine weapon and a facsimile," said Cherry Creek Schools spokeswoman Tustin Amole.

Amole says federal and state laws mandate expulsion, and that school districts only have discretion to determine the length of that expulsion.

Asked who had the discretion to deem the props "dangerous weapons," Amole said school administrators and police made the decision based on state law that defines a "dangerous weapon" as "a firearm, whether loaded or unloaded, or a firearm facsimile that could reasonably be mistaken for an actual firearm."

Amole said the props in Morrow's vehicle caused concern among students and administrators who made an "assumption" that the weapons appeared "genuine."

Morrow's mother grew emotional while saying she hoped her daughter would continue her volunteer and service work despite the incident.

"I just don't want it to affect her view on the world, (make her believe) that people who do the right thing don't come out on top," said her mother, Jennifer McGrew. "I've always kind of really looked up to my daughter for having a mind of her own and going places that I never even dreamed."

A hearing officer could recommend Morrow be allowed back in school after her 10-day suspension or could expel her for as much as the rest of her senior year. The final decision belongs to the Cherry Creek Schools superintendent.

Morrow, who has already secured the necessary recommendation from a member of Congress to attend the Merchant Marine Academy, has been told an expulsion would not derail her eventual acceptance to the Academy.

"As long as I can get my diploma, I guess everything else will work itself out," said Morrow, who explained she's trying to focus on her planned career of service. "It's not going to be the end of the world."

http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=109380

Teen student left in the cold after being suspended

2009-02-10T15:39:00.001-05:00

http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2009/02/06/news/doc498c9cb36254b288055761.txt

LINCOLN PARK: Teen student left in the cold after being suspended
Friday, February 6, 2009 3:25 PM EST
By Jason Alley

LINCOLN PARK — The mother of a 16-year-old said her son was forced to stand outside in the cold Wednesday after being suspended from Lincoln Park High School.

School officials confirm the student was kicked out of the building, but said he was first given several opportunities to wait for his ride inside the school.

“He could have stayed inside the school by the doors and everything would have been fine,” said Diane Szalka, the district’s human resources director. “But after he was caught roaming around upstairs and interrupting classrooms, he was finally told to leave the building. … At that point, he was trespassing.”

The day started when Susan O’Rourke dropped her 10th grader off at school late. When he checked into the office, he was told he was suspended for the day because he had been tardy too many times.

O’Rourke said neither she nor her son knew he was set to be suspended that day, or he wouldn’t have shown up for school. As O’Rourke had already left the area, her son had to call her to come pick him up. They live on the other side of town from the school.

“As soon as they told him he was suspended, they told him he needed to leave the building,” O’Rourke said. “The principal saw him on his cellphone trying to call me and told him he needed to take his business outside. …

“Some schools were closed for the bad weather that day. It was 0-15 below wind chill and the principal made him wait outside. It was very cold and all he had on was a hoodie. …

“I expect the school to care for my child in a reasonable manner. Regardless of what he did, would you stick your pet outside in 0-15 weather to wait for any reason? That’s abuse.”

O’Rourke said her son, who had to wait in the cold for about 20 minutes before she arrived to pick him up, is bipolar and has been suspended before for his disruptive behavior.

“He’s not the worst child and he’s not the best child,” she said. “But he wasn’t putting anybody in danger. I would hope they wouldn’t do this to anyone’s child, especially not knowing how long it would take for me to get there and how long he would have to be waiting outside.”

Szalka said the teen was given several chances to call his mother from the office as well as on his cellphone and would never have been removed from the building had he remained calm while waiting for a ride.

And, she said, the school has records of calls made to O’Rourke telling her that her son was going to be suspended that day.

“Everything was handled appropriately,” Szalka said. “This has nothing to do with him having to go outside or not knowing he was suspended. … Had he not kept sneaking into the building and roaming around, everything would have been fine.”

Originally set to be suspended on Wednesday only, the school upped the punishment to a three-day reprimand following this latest incident.

“He was being insubordinate with the principal and also not following protocol and was trespassing,” Szalka. “That’s why they extended it. …

“He’s failing all of his classes and he failed all of last semester, too. He’s not coming in, and is playing games when he is here.”

O’Rourke said it’s the school’s responsibility to treat every student humanely; something she doesn’t feel was done with her child last week.

“Regardless of anything else, a school should be a safe place for learning and they should treat the students there with some common decency,” she said.

Contact Staff Writer Jason Alley at jalley@heritage.com or at 1-734-246-0867.

Landmark victory for student speech

2009-02-09T14:48:00.000-05:00

http://www.splc.org/report_detail.asp?id=1469&edition=48

Then and Now: 40 years ago, Tinker and Eckhardt families solidified First Amendment rights for all students on school grounds In 1969, three Iowa students' silent protest for peace with black armbands led to a landmark victory for student speech© 2009 Student Press Law Center
By Alberto D. Morales
It was November 1965 when teenagers John Tinker and Chris Eckhardt were on a bus to Des Moines, Iowa, after participating in a protest against the Vietnam War in Washington, D.C. A discussion began about wearing black armbands to show disapproval of the conflict.
The death toll had not reached its peak, and the war was in its infant stages of public discourse. But to John, 15 at the time, and Eckhardt, 16, the lives being sacrificed in Vietnam were too many.
John described his parents as activists against discrimination and the Vietnam War. John said they raised him and his siblings to be aware of the world around them at a young age.
"We have two active wars going on right now. Back then, war and the killing was a horrible thought," he said. "Now it just seems everyday reality. For us it was just a human reaction to a horrible thing."
On Dec. 9, 1965, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy urged the United States to extend a 12-hour Christmas Eve truce the Vietcong in Vietnam suggested.
The Tinker and the Eckhardt families felt they had a mission after hearing Kennedy's plea. They felt the armbands had to be worn to protest the war and support Kennedy's urgency for a truce.
Mary Beth Tinker, John's then-13-year-old sister, said she learned her viewpoints on moral and political issues while watching television reports from the war.
"The images from the Vietnam War on TV that we would see everyday after school ... " she said. "Like families fleeing from their homes, soldiers injured on the ground and being put in body bags."
The armband protest became public when student Ross Peterson wrote an article about it for Roosevelt High School's newspaper that the adviser turned over to the principal. Principals around the Des Moines Independent Community School District were also informed of the student protest, and on Dec. 14, 1965 — two days before the protest — in a secretly held meeting, they adopted a policy to ban armbands.
Tinker said he remembered being worried and felt that he and his fellow students should appeal to the principals to change the policy. When the day of the protest came around, Eckhardt and Mary Beth wore the armbands to their schools. Mary Beth was the only one at Harding Junior High School wearing a black armband.
"I was nervous and scared, and I went to my morning classes and not too much happened," she said. "But I knew after lunch I was going to go to Mr. Moberly's class, my math teacher. And I knew I was going to get in trouble there because the whole day before in class he talked about how kids were going to get in trouble if they wore armbands to school."
And she did get reprimanded when the math teacher told her to go to the principal's office where she was ordered to remove the black armband. She did. After the students were suspended, they met at the Eckhardt's home to call the school board president. But he refused to speak to them.
John and some other students decided to wear the armbands the next day. He was told he could not return to school wearing an armband, and John complied after the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa felt they would lose a case if the students were labeled disobedient. John said he was praised by some teachers, including one teacher who asked him to talk about the Vietnam War in front of the class.
But Eckhardt's recollection of that day is not so pleasant. Eckhardt said his father dropped him off at school that cold, snow-filled morning. His plan was to go into school, reveal the armband and immediately walk to the principal's office to turn himself in.
"I had butterflies in my stomach, and I was scared," Eckhardt said.
His mother, Margaret, was scared for his safety. The day before the protest, pro-war students verbally threatened any fellow students they thought were going to protest.
The principals' ban on armbands largely succeeded. The seniors who initially were to protest feared it would hurt their chances at getting into college. But Eckhardt, a sophomore at the time, said he felt he was doing the right thing.
"When the vice principal threatened me with a busted nose, a tear fell from my eye," Eckhardt said.
The vice principal called in an adviser who tried to convince Eckhardt to take the armband off because protesters were not accepted in college and that he was too young to have an opinion. They questioned Eckhardt about why his parents had put him up to it. Eventually, Eckhardt was suspended until he came back to school not wearing an armband.
According to the evening paper, the Des Moines Tribune, John, Mary Beth, and Eckhardt returned to school after Christmas break on Jan. 4, 1966 without armbands, but with another form of protest.
They decided to wear black clothes for the remainder of the school year. There was no opposition from school administrators or students, "and, everyone knew what it stood for," John said.
It was during this time in 1966 that the students and their families set in motion what would become a First Amendment landmark, the case of Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, which failed at both the district and circuit court levels.
Dan Johnston, the cooperating attorney who took on the case for the ACLU of Iowa, was a few years out of law school at the time. He said he never thought the case would go past the district court level.
"I thought we should have won at the trial court, and I thought we should have won at the Court of Appeals," Johnston said. "And, I was surprised both times we didn't win."
Johnston said he took the case because he felt a strong empathy for the rights of the students because he felt they were a minority.
"They were certainly a minority in their views," Johnston said. "They were a religious minority first of all because they were Quakers and Unitarians. And out of those religious traditions came this political view, which was a minority political view at the time, which was opposed to the Vietnam War."
The case was argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on Nov. 12, 1968, and the decision was handed down in favor of the students on Feb. 24, 1969. The final ruling was 7-to-2.Eckhardt said watching Johnston argue the case in front of the Supreme Court justices was a moment he will never forget.
"Dan, as far as I was concerned, was a rooster cocked with his feathers full blown and he knew in his heart we'd won also. I felt grand, and Dan was walking on clouds."
Justice Abe Fortas wrote one of the best-known opinions in Supreme Court history that continues to defend students' free speech rights around the country.
"It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate," Fortas wrote.
Fortas addressed the U.S. district court's ruling that concluded the actions of the school district to punish the students who wore armbands was reasonable because they feared it would cause a disturbance.
"In order for the State in the person of school officials to justify prohibition of a particular expression of opinion, it must be able to show that its action was caused by something more than a mere desire to avoid discomfort and unpleasantness that always accompany an unpopular viewpoint," Fortas wrote. "Certainly where there is no finding and no showing that engaging in the forbidden conduct would 'materially and substantially interfere with the requirements of appropriate discipline in the operation of the school,' the prohibition cannot be sustained."
In the dissenting opinion, Justice Hugo L. Black, who had been an ardent supporter of the First Amendment, stunned the Tinker family and Johnston with his views.
"It may be that the Nation has outworn the old-fashioned slogan that 'children are to be seen not heard,' but one may, I hope, be permitted to harbor the thought that taxpayers send children to school on the premise that at their age they need to learn, not teach."
Johnston said he remembered reading Black's dissent and being disappointed because he was one of his favorite justices since his undergraduate studies.
"He was really good on free speech stuff, and he just seemed to have a blind side on this case that I'll never understand," Johnston said. "He was just mean."
While John and Johnston say they do not feel the case molded their lives or careers in any direction, Mary Beth said the case defined her life, leading her to be a nurse who largely works with kids and teenagers. Today, Mary Beth travels around the country to speak at First Amendment events to encourage young children to think differently.
"I realized that kids need not only First Amendment rights, but kids have a right to clean air, clean water, a safe place to live, a place to live and a world that is safe and is not filled with so much violence," Mary Beth said. "So, I thought if I could encourage kids to speak up for themselves and make things better for themselves in these areas, then I should do that, and I should tell them my story about the armband case and how speaking up for what you believe in can make a big difference."
Mary Beth recalls seeing her math teacher in 1992 when the Des Moines School District invited her, John and Eckhardt back to speak.
"Mr. Moberly was there, and he gave me a big hug," she said. "And I asked him would he do the same thing now and he said the administration made the ruling and he had to comply."
John lives in Missouri and runs an informational Web site where he hopes more social activists will go to get educated about the world around them.
Johnston, who is semi-retired and living in New York, takes on a few cases. He said he does a lot of sailing and jokingly commented, "I answer a lot of questions about Tinker."
As an adult, Eckhardt had a scrape with the law and served time in prison on a charge of misappropriating money. He said Tinker molded his life.
"Two out of my top five peak experience moments were, one, walking out of the Supreme Court knowing we'd won and, two, when I was officially told we won," he said.
Eckhardt currently lives in Florida and is an advocate of human, prisoner and gay rights as expressed through his writings on his personal Web site. He said he would never take back any events that occurred in response to the lawsuit — bad and good.
"It shaped my life, it affected my life, and I loved it all," Eckhardt said.

School Board Meeting

2009-02-05T19:17:00.004-05:00

East Washington School's school board meeting is next Tuesday, February, 10th at 7pm. School board meeting are held the second Tuesday of every month. This is a great way to keep informed of what is going on in our school system. If you are not able to attend you can follow up with the meeting on the school's web site or read about it in the local paper, The Salem Democrat or The Salem Leader. Keep informed.

School bathrooms

2009-02-04T16:31:00.000-05:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/mid_/7851282.stm

Bathroom Cameras a Good Thing, Says School
by Roger Sinasohn Feb 3rd 2009 2:00PM
Categories: Weird but true, Education
Someone installs cameras in the school bathrooms, hoping to catch teenage girls involved in some "horseplay." Sounds like it's time to call the police, yes? Or Joe Francis. But wait, not only is the school well aware of the situation, it put them there.
Some students had "expressed concern that the wash basin areas were not being respected by a small minority" -- and so the cameras were installed, claimed Aeron Rhys, head of Ysgol Dyffryn Teifi, a school in Wales. "The CCTV was installed to monitor these areas and it's done the trick. There's been a significant improvement." Improvement in what, you ask? Misuse of paper and soap, according to one school governor. One parent, whose 14-year-old daughter was a student at the school, is having none of it. The cameras are an "outrageous invasion of privacy," he said. "The whole place is like they're on Big Brother. There are cameras all around the school, outside and in the corridors." "Toilets can be areas where misbehavior occurs," deadpanned the school and local councils, who are behind the cameras. Literally and figuratively.What do you think? Are cameras a solution or an invasion of students' privacy?
Source

More on Logansport School Corporation v. P.F

2009-02-03T13:50:00.002-05:00

« Ind. Law - "Dispute raises concern about new state law" Main Law - Last Week in Review at the Indiana General Assembly »

http://indianalawblog.com/archives/2007/02/ind_decisions_s_183.html

Sunday, February 04, 2007
Ind. Decisions - Still more on school expulsion decision and its implications
In early July of 2006, the Indiana Court of Appeals issued an opinion, Logansport School Corporation v. P.F., dealing with school expulsion. As an Indianapolis Star story summarized on Agust 17th:

• Ruling: The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that school boards must hear all appeals on behalf of expelled students or none.
• Impact on schools: Many boards consider appeals on a case-by-case basis, granting them rarely. They must change their policies.
• Impact on students: Administrators' decisions would stand if a board votes to end appeals, with a court challenge the only recourse.
A number of ILB entries since have followed up on how schools are addressing the opinion, including: 9/7/06 and 9/13/06.

Today the Marion Chronicle-Tribune has a story by Katie Pence that reports:

All public school districts in the area said they have either always heard expulsion hearings or already had created a policy dismissing the boards' involvement in the expulsion process.

Administrators said the court of appeals ruled for an "all-or-nothing" approach to prevent favoritism during expulsion hearings and to create a more formalized way of dealing with the expulsion process.

Marion Superintendent Andrew Nixon said the board adopted a resolution several years ago stating members would not hear any expulsion cases.

Nixon said he and the board believe Indiana has an elaborate method for handling expulsions and there is no need for the board to handle the issue.

"There are at least two significant steps before it would get to the board anyway," he said, noting hearings are done at the building level and the district level. "There is a fine line between a board that makes policies and a board that gets involved in day-to-day decision making."

My opinion if the expulsions are handled by one person who is under the employment of the superintendent who wants a student expelled, can they be impartial? Should the one expulsion hearer be judge and jury? While there may be an elaborate method for handling expulsions it is not fool proof. Are larger districts fairer than small rural communities?

Judge rules expulsion violated teen's rights

2009-01-29T17:17:00.000-05:00

http://indianalawblog.com/archives/2004/07/indiana_decisio_269.htmlMonday, July 26, 2004
Indiana Decisions - Judge rules expulsion violated teen's rights
An AP story today, titled "Judge rules expulsion violated teen's rights," reports
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Two school administrators violated a student's due process rights when they expelled him after he was photographed by another student while showering in the boys locker room, a federal magistrate ruled.
Wayne High School wrestler Brandon Tun could not have violated a school rule against public indecency because a locker room shower is not a public place, U.S. Magistrate Judge Roger B. Cosbey ruled. * * *
The 34-page order was issued Thursday in U.S. District Court in Fort Wayne.I checked the Northern District of Indiana site in an attempt to locate the opinion. However, although the capability is there, it appears that few, if any, opinions have been posted for any of the judges.

Ind. Decisions - 7th Circuit posts two today
Tun, Brandon v. Whitticker, Joselyn (ND Ind., Roger B. Cosbey, Magistrate Judge) [10 pp.]
Before CUDAHY, KANNE, and EVANS, Circuit Judges.EVANS, Circuit Judge.
* No person shall . . . be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law . . . . (U.S. Constitution, amendment V)
* [N]or shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law . . . . (U.S. Constitution, amendment XIV, § 1).As one commentator astutely observed,
A reader of the Supreme Court’s substantive due process cases can come to feel like a moviegoer who arrived late and missed a crucial bit of exposition.
Where is the part that explains the connection between this doctrine and the text of the constitutional provisions from which it takes its name?1This case requires that we once again wade into the murky waters of that most amorphous of constitutional doctrines, substantive due process. We start with the facts, which are undisputed insofar as they are material to the case.
Brandon Tun, a high school student and member of the wrestling team, was taking a shower in the boys’ locker room of Wayne High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, when a fellow student took pictures of him and three other wrestlers. * * * From there on, events took several unfortunate turns, resulting in Tun’s being expelled from school for 6 weeks. * * *
Ripping up the pictures and telling the boys that they used bad judgment would have been more than enough medicine to cure this little ill. The overreaction by the defendants, including an overly broad reading of the district’s behavior code, was regrettable. But we can’t say that what the defendants did, considering the limitations set out in McCluskey, violated the due process clauses of the United States Constitution. But the situation does demonstrate the importance of providing procedural due process, which ultimately allowed Tun (and we assume the other boys) to prevail at the end of the day: his expulsion was set aside, his school records were cleared, and he returned to school.
Because there was no constitutional violation, we need not proceed to the second step of the qualified immunity analysis. However, even had we somehow found this incident to rise to the level of a constitutional violation, we could not find that the law was so clearly established that reasonable people would know they could not do what Whitticker and Platz did. If anything, the case law would probably reassure them that they could. They are entitled to qualified immunity.

Standing for a Change

2009-01-28T17:20:00.006-05:00

On May 23, 2008 we wrote a personal post on making a difference. We have wondered if this post has made a difference? Has our personal battle with our son's school made a difference? Has talking and posting about it made a difference? There are so many questions. Looking back at this post I do not question that taking a stand and saying this is wrong is the right thing to do. We have continued to hold our faith in God and continue to pray that he leads us. What do we want the outcome of this to be? Ideally, I have a dream list; an apology to both Cody and us, his record of this expulsion erased, a change in policy to investigate accusations, to base an expulsion hearing on fairness, and yes, I would like our lawyerand court fees paid. We are not asking for a million dollars. Cody lost a lot last year when this happened. That is a time he can never recover. A time he will never forget. A time that we as parents, grandparents and friends suffered along with him. What can compensate him for that loss? How do you compensate for that? How do you price on what he has loss? In our previous post, we said we did not want another child to go through what he went through. How do we that? A quote a the end of the previous post said "One person can make a difference and every person should try" JFK We are trying, the three of us.

The previous post- One person can make a difference:

http://washingtoncountyparent.blogspot.com/2008/05/one-person-can-make-difference.html

When
we started this blog, we wondered could one person make a difference. Will one person stand up and say this is not right? Yes, people have said to us this is not right and what are you doing about it. Well, we have filed in court to appeal this expulsion. We will continue to fight legally for what is right. Sometimes, we are asked why. His expulsion ends next week. Yes, he cannot obtain what was taken away from him. However, we can retain what he will miss in the future. Colleges and military both look at discipline records. In addition, we are taking a stand for what is right. He did not place this bomb threat and there are people who know that. So yes, we will stand for what is right. Not only for our sons but for your children as well. I personally do not want another family to go through what we have been through much less an innocent child. Therefore, with our faith in God we are taking a stand for what is right. I want to leave you with a few quotes from John F Kennedy and Dr. Haim Ginott. One person can make a difference
John Fitzgerald Kennedy quotes (American 35th US President (1961-63), 1917-1963) "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." “One person can make a difference and every person should try.” "Children are the world's most valuable resources and its best hope for the future." "We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes." "Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names." "Things do no happen. Things are made to happen."
Dr. Haim Ginott: I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It's my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or de-humanized

Remember the Teddy Bears

2009-01-27T05:00:00.000-05:00

KNIGHTSTOWN – Two students expelled for making a movie in which evil teddy bears attack a teacher must be allowed to return to school, a federal judge has ruled.
U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker in Indianapolis granted a preliminary injunction Friday ordering Charles A. Beard Memorial School Corp. to let Cody Overbay and Isaac Imel return to Knightstown High School for the second semester.
She also ordered the school to allow the students to make up any work they had missed since their expulsions began in October. * * *
The boys, who are sophomores, worked on the movie, “The Teddy Bear Master,” from fall 2005 through summer 2006.
In the movie, the “teddy bear master” orders stuffed animals to kill a teacher who had embarrassed him, but students battle the toy beasts, according to documents filed in court.
School officials expelled them and two other students for their work on the movie, and the Charles A. Beard Memorial School Board upheld the expulsions. School officials argued that the film was disruptive and that a teacher whose name was used in the movie found it threatening.
The Henry County prosecutor’s office reviewed the movie but declined to press charges.
Indiana law allows expulsion for activity unconnected with school if the activity is unlawful and interferes with school operations.
In her ruling, Barker said the movie was “vulgar,” “tasteless,” “humiliating” and “obscene,” but officials had not proved it disrupted school.
Principal James Diagostino, during testimony Friday, characterized the “disruption” as a group of students talking about the DVD at lunch. But later testimony showed that the students included some of the movie makers and it was after Diagostino had found out about the movie.
Barker, however, did not believe it was a coincidence that the teacher in the movie had the same name as a math teacher at Knightstown Intermediate School. She encouraged the teens to apologize to teacher Daniel Clevenger and the school administration. Here is a copy of Judge Barker's brief ruling.
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF INDIANA INDIANAPOLIS DIVISION ISAAC IMEL AND C.O.,Plaintiffs,vs.CHARLES A. BEARD MEMORIAL SCHOOL CORPORATION,Defendant.))))1:06-cv-1669- SEB-VSS))))ORDER GRANTING PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION Plaintiffs, Isaac Imel and Cody Overbay, having sought a preliminary injunction alleging that their free speech rights under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution were violated by the Defendant school corporation when they were expelled after participating in the creation of a video which surfaced at school appeared in person and by counsel for an evidentiary hearing held this date, December 22, 2006. At the conclusion of the hearing, findings of fact and conclusions of law were issued orally by the Court from the bench. Based on these oral rulings, the Charles A. Beard Memorial School Corporation is hereby enjoined from prohibiting Plaintiffs from returning to classes at Knightstown High School and being enrolled in the second semester of the current 2006-2007 school year. Defendant is also required to allow Plaintiffs to make up any missed school work during their period of expulsion. They are to be permitted to continue in accordance with this order until such time as this Court may amend it and/orCase 1:06-cv-01669-SEB-VSS Document 30 Filed 12/22/2006 Page 1 of 22enter final judgment in this action. IT IS SO ORDERED.

Indiana School Board Eyes Expulsion Appeal Process

2009-01-26T23:39:00.000-05:00

http://indianalawblog.com/archives/2006/08/ind_decisions_f_22.html

The Indiana Law Blog
Focus is on Indiana law, and on interesting developments in law, government, and more (not just in Indiana).
« Ind. Courts - Marion County Superior Court judges ask for $7 million more Main Ind. Decisions - Oral arguments scheduled by 7th Circuit in voter ID case »
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Ind. Decisions - Franklin school board eyes expulsion appeal process
The Indianapolis Star, in a story by Jon Murray, reports on a 2-1 Court of Appeals decision in early July, Logansport School Corporation v. P.F., and its implications.
Here is the Star's analysis of the opinion, as set out in a side-bar:
• Ruling: The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that school boards must hear all appeals on behalf of expelled students or none.• Impact on schools: Many boards consider appeals on a case-by-case basis, granting them rarely. They must change their policies.• Impact on students: Administrators' decisions would stand if a board votes to end appeals, with a court challenge the only recourse.Here are some quotes from today's story:
The Franklin School Board shortened two high school students' expulsions in March.
The next month, it voted against hearing appeals in two other cases, letting administrators' decisions stand.Board members have long decided whether to review expulsions on a case-by-case basis.
Now, many Indiana school boards are debating how much recourse expelled students should have after a court recently ruled that such policies violate the law.
The Indiana Court of Appeals' message last month in a case involving Logansport Schools was simple: Boards must hear all appeals requested by expelled students -- or vote not to hear any.This Court of Appeals opinion and its implications completely slipped under the ILB's radar until now. Here is another Star story, from August 11th, written by longtime Star education reporter Howard Smulevitz. Some quotes:
Students facing expulsion from Washington Township Schools no longer will be able to appeal to the School Board.The board voted 5-0 Wednesday to hear appeals only from the recommendations of school hearing officers -- leaving students the court system as their only recourse.
School hearing officers consider expulsion cases referred to them by school administrators.
Superintendent James Mervilde said the School Board needed to decide whether it would hear all appeals or none. He said that was the fallout of a court case in Logansport. "They really were supposed to be doing that all this time," Mervilde said of school boards in general. And if they voted to hear an appeal, they were supposed to consider whether the process was proper, and not determine it on the content of the case. But in reality, they did whatever they wanted to."
School Board President Lori Schlabach confirmed past practice: "I've listened to the tapes (of expulsion hearings) for hours, and so have other board members."
Schlabach, starting her third year on the board, said it has not granted an appeal during her term.
A previous board member said that in the past 12 years, only one or two appeals were granted in a process in which members reviewed the records of every appeal in private, then voted in public.
Although appeals no longer will be a board responsibility, Schlabach proposed the board begin a system of monitoring suspension and expulsion data and programs, and possibly adopt a policy to set out new guidelines.
Mervilde said he intends to bring updated disciplinary data to the board soon and would like the board to discuss what the district should provide to give students more alternatives to suspension or expulsion.And here is a brief item from the Monticello Herald Journal, reported by Kevin Howell:
In the past, the board heard appeals on a case by case basis, but according to a recent court ruling cited by Superintendent Patrick McTaggart that was no longer able.
According to McTaggart, he was informed by Indiana School Board Association legal counsel Julie Slavens that the board could either choose to hear all appeals or no appeals.
McTaggart said he felt North White administrators provided for student rights and due process and recommended the board not hear appeals, of which only one has come before the board in the past four years.
North White expulsion officer Bob Carter determines if the step is necessary. With the board's decision not to hear appeals, in the future students will take that step in the process to the court system.[More] Ted Waggoner has sent this note to the ILB:
Interesting line-up. Our school - Rochester Community School Corp.- decided to hear all appeals, in order to provide full due process to students and administration. Vote was 7-0 as I recall (serving as school board attorney).

No Pink Hair in School

2009-01-23T23:41:00.005-05:00

Sawyer student can't go to school because of hair.By Jerry HumeThursday, January 22, 2009 at 7:17 p.m.
SAWYER -- An 11 year old Marquette County girl is wondering why she was kicked out of school for having pink hair. The Gwinn District, Sawyer Elementary Student, was told by school administrators not to come back until her hair is a normal color again.
Fifth Grader Natasha Rzanca says she always wanted pink hair. Her mother didn't mind, but her school did.
"When everyone else went out for recess, I had to go to homework lab,” said Natasha, “and I was doing my work and they called me down and they said I had to get my belongings and come down to the office because I was leaving for the day."
That was over a week and a half ago, and she still hasn't been allowed back.
Now Natasha does her schoolwork at home. She's been told she hasn't been suspended. Natasha's mom says her case is being treated like head lice, and that once her hair is back to a normal color, Natasha has been told she can go back to school.
"They say that it's interrupting the educational process, but she's gotten several compliments from teachers, other school personnel, students,” said Natasha’s Mother Hiedi Rzanca. “And the only disruption in the educational process is them removing her from school."
But school administrators say the district's policy is that unusual hair colors, at elementary age, are a distraction. So Natasha can't go back to Sawyer Elementary until the pink is out.
Gwinn Area Community School's Superintendent Michael Maino refused to comment about this individual case. But he says the district's guidelines are clear for elementary school.
"At the 5th grade level everyone knows it's difficult enough to maintain order and discipline without having outside sources come in and cause disruptions in a classroom," said Maino.
As for Natasha and her mother, they may take legal action. And although she doesn't want to, if nothing else works, Natasha says she'll dye her hair back to brown if it means she can go back to school.

How does the14th Amendment affect students?

2009-01-22T16:31:00.003-05:00

Although many students have been suspended at one time or another, few understand what the negative repercussions of that may be. Despite what your friends may tell you, being suspended is not the same as going on vacation. Sure, you’ll have some schoolwork to make up, but that is inconsequential compared to the tarnish left on your school record. As seniors know all too well, when time comes to apply to colleges, all your classes, grades, and disciplinary problems are revealed. A suspension can ruin your chances of getting into the college of your choice. Because of its damaging nature, suspensions should not be taken lightly. The Supreme Court has even ruled that students who are suspended have property and liberty interests which are protected by the 14th amendment to the Constitution. This brings us to the biggest concern: when a school suspends you, it may also be violating your civil rights!

Look at the 14th Amendment. Adopted in 1968, it states that the government may not confiscate anyone’s property or throw anyone in prison with out the “due process of law”. This means that the government cannot punish you without a good reason and must allow you to present your side of the case before an objective judge.

In the 1975 case of GOSS v. LOPEZ, the Supreme Court ruled that a student’s “legitimate entitlement to a public education . . . is protected by the Due Process Clause”. Therefore, a school cannot not suspend, much less expel you, unless granted due process.

The GOSS ruling stated that before a student can be suspended for 10 days or less, the school must provide the student with:
Notice of the charges against him
An explanation of the evidence they have against the students, and
Provide the student with an opportunity to present his side of the story.
In addition, the school must schedule a hearing with the student’s parents before the suspension.

www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.amendmentxiv.html

www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/goss.html

Minnesota student beats expulsion... sort of

2009-01-21T17:05:00.001-05:00

Minnesota student beats expulsion... sort of

Following up on Tony Richard, the kid from Blaine, Minnesota who works as a stockboy at the local grocery (in which capacity he uses a box cutter) and who was suspended from school and threatened with expulsion under the school's "zero tolerance" weapons policy when said box cutter was observed, in plain sight, in the car he uses to drive to school and work:

Terry Collins reports in today's Minneapolis Star-Tribune that the Anoka-Hennepin school board voted 5-1 not to accept the administration's recommendation that young Mr. Richard be expelled.

Collins writes, "The case illustrates the dilemma school administrators nationwide face in enforcing zero-tolerance weapons policies, many of which were instituted in the aftermath of widely publicized school shootings across the country. If school officials choose not to punish a student who has brought a weapon to school after ruling that there was no ill intent, they may open the door to others to do the same, but with more malevolent intent."

With respect to Mr. Collins, this case illustrates no such thing. The demons that animate a school shooter do not spring into existence because some other kid got away with having a box cutter or a pen knife in his car in the school parking lot. (Young Mr. Richard was never accused of trying to bring the box cutter into the school building.)

The kid from Minnesota, had a disciplinary record that consisted of a few tardies.

And while a local resident was quoted in Collins' article today as calling the Minnesota school board's vote a victory for "common sense," that point is debatable. Rather than admit to a gross overreaction, the school authorities have instead placed Richard on "probation" until November 10. Moreover, writes Collins, in a neat bit of bureaucratic fudging, school officials said that "technically, the punishment will be considered an expulsion for the purposes of record-keeping."

So the Blaine High School administrators don't care what the school board says: As far as they're concerned, even if young Mr. Richard is in the building, he's still expelled. Maybe they won't talk to the kid if they see him in the hall.

Quotes

2009-01-19T15:51:00.000-05:00

“When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.”
– Thomas Jefferson

”Our challenge is not to educate the children we used to have or want to have, but to educate the children who come to the schoolhouse door."
-- H. G. Wells

"No man in the wrong can stand up against a fellow that’s in the right and keeps on a-comin’ ”
--was the motto of Texas Ranger Bill McDonald (1852-1918). It later became a motto for the Texas Rangers themselves

"There is no more powerful advocate than a parent armed with information and options."

-- Rod Paige, Secretary of Education

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute."

-- Proverbs 31:8

There can be no equal justice where the kind of trial a man gets depends on the amount of money he has.”

-- U.S. Supreme Court

Parents Sue After Kids Allegedly Strip Searched

2009-01-14T08:38:00.002-05:00

Do you think a school should allow your child to be strip searched? Without your notification?

http://chicagoist.com/2009/01/09/parents_sue_after_kids_allegedly_st.php

Parents Sue After Kids Allegedly Strip Searched

An alleged case of some extremely bad judgment has resulted in a lawsuit, as the parents of two high school girls are claiming that a security guard at the Aspira Early College High School on Chicago's northwest side strip searched their daughters (along with another girl who is not a part of the lawsuit) looking for a wayward lighter. The female guard, an off duty Chicago police officer, is accused of searching under the girls' shirts with her hands, then forcing the girls to remove their pants and underwear and "squat and cough" in trying to find the contraband, which she suspected the girls of using to start a fire in the boys' bathroom.

Not only is this kind of search a highly inappropriate thing to do to minors -- especially since the parents say they were not notified -- but it's something the Illinois Code of Criminal Procedure doesn't even allow for adults arrested for a misdemeanor offense unless highly warranted, and even then there are a bunch of hoops to jump through. Even a school official was unable to even remotely condone the allegation:

"The [alleged] strip-search -- that can never, ever be justified,'' said Sonia Sanchez, chairwoman of ASPIRA of Illinois, which operates Early College High and three other Chicago charter schools.

"What compels [the officer] to go and do something like that? For a lighter?'' said Sanchez, adding that she was reacting as a mother rather than an ASPIRA official. "What impression does she have that a young girl would actually hide a lighter that way? I am appalled.''

As if it couldn't get any worse, the officer/guard was wearing her Chicago police uniform along with her holstered service revolver, which the girls' attorney told the Sun-Times that she "put her hand on the handle of the gun to intimidate the girls." While the officer no longer works at the school, she does still work for the police department, who is conducting their own investigation.

What happens to expelled or suspended students?

2009-01-13T07:29:00.001-05:00

What happens to expelled or suspended students? Suspension or expulsion essentially bars the student from school property and public education for a designated period of time. While some school districts have a limited number of alternative placements for disruptive youth, in most districts, suspension or expulsion leaves the student without benefit of an alternative educational placement. Students who have a supportive family or teacher may be fortunate enough to transfer to another public or private school. Unfortunately about 57% of the expelled students are left without access to public education or productive structured alternatives that would help keep them “off the streets” and out of any further trouble.
Most educators, community members, and parents agree that leaving troubled youth to their own devices for a large part of the day is not a good idea, but this is essentially the impact of zero-tolerance policies.

College Applicants, Beware: Your Facebook Page Is Showing

2009-01-09T10:17:00.001-05:00

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122170459104151023.html

College Applicants, Beware: Your Facebook Page Is Showing Article
Comments
more in Tech »By JOHN HECHINGER
High-school seniors already fretting about grades and test scores now have another worry: Will their Facebook or MySpace pages count against them in college admissions?

A new survey of 500 top colleges found that 10% of admissions officers acknowledged looking at social-networking sites to evaluate applicants. Of those colleges making use of the online information, 38% said that what they saw "negatively affected" their views of the applicant. Only a quarter of the schools checking the sites said their views were improved, according to the survey by education company Kaplan, a unit of Washington Post Co.

Some admissions officers said they had rejected students because of material on the sites. Jeff Olson, who heads research for Kaplan's test-preparation division, says one university did so after the student gushed about the school while visiting the campus, then trashed it online. Kaplan promised anonymity to the colleges, of which 320 responded. The company surveyed schools with the most selective admissions.
Admissions officers have acknowledged looking at social-networking sites like Facebook to evaluate applicants.
The vast majority of the colleges surveyed had no policy about when it was appropriate for school officials to look at prospective students' social-networking sites. "We're in the early stage of a new technology," Mr. Olson says. "It's the Wild, Wild West. There are no clear boundaries or limits."

The lack of rules is already provoking debate among admissions officers. Some maintain that applicants' online data are public information that schools should vet to help protect the integrity of the institutions. Others say they are uncomfortable flipping through teenage Facebook pages.

Colleges' recent interest in social-networking sites is leading many aspiring students to take a hard look at their online habits and in some cases to remove or change postings. With a high-school graduating class nationwide of 3.3 million students, colleges are expected to be sifting through a record number of applications this year.

Nicholas Santangelo, a senior at Seton Hall Prep, a private school in West Orange, N.J., says he expects colleges might look at his Facebook site but hopes admissions officers realize the postings reflect only a partial view of any student. "There are some things I might think about getting rid of," says Nicholas, 17, who is considering such competitive schools as Amherst College and Wesleyan University.

Sites like Facebook and MySpace let users set up online profiles -- including pictures, videos and other personal information -- then solicit others to join their network of online "friends." Users can exchange messages, often publicly, and sometimes offer detailed descriptions of their activities, dreams and fears.

The sites have inspired many a national conversation over privacy and exhibitionism. Some job applicants have already discovered the hard way that employers often examine the sites to weed out candidates. Representatives of the sites say users can establish online privacy settings that let their pages be viewed only by invited "friends." MySpace is part of News Corp., which owns The Wall Street Journal. Facebook is closely held.

But Kaplan and many high-school guidance counselors say students often don't restrict public access on social-networking sites and, in any case, damaging information can find a way to leak out. David Hawkins, director of public policy and research for the National Association for College Admission Counseling, a professional organization, says schools don't have time to scour the Internet systematically to check out thousands of applicants. But he says admissions officers at times receive anonymous tips, which may be from rival applicants, about embarrassing Facebook or MySpace material, such as a picture of a student drunk at an underage party.

In another recent study, Nora Ganim Barnes, director of the Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, found that 21% of colleges used social-networking sites for recruiting prospects and gathering information about applicants. It's especially common when universities are awarding scholarships because it isn't hard to go online for a handful of finalists. "No one wants to be on the front page of the newspaper for giving a scholarship to a murderer," she says. "Everybody is trying to protect their brands."

Thomas Griffin, director of undergraduate admissions at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, says the school will do an Internet search, including Facebook and other sites, if an application raises "red flags," such as a suspension from school. Mr. Griffin says several applicants a year have been rejected in part because of information on social-networking sites. In a recent case, the university researched a student who disclosed on his application that he had been disciplined for fighting. The school found a Facebook page with a picture of the applicant holding a gun. "We have to use this information to make the best decision for the university," Mr. Griffin says.

Janet Lavin Rapelye, dean of admission at Princeton University, says the school hasn't rejected any applicant because of information posted on the Internet. Princeton doesn't have time to look at all applicants' online information, but if an offensive Facebook post came to the college's attention, the school would examine it, Ms. Rapelye says. "All of us would consider anything that would cause us to doubt a student's character," she says.

Greg Roberts, senior associate dean of admission at the University of Virginia, says his staff is free to check out anonymous tips about social-networking sites or make use of the information if the admissions committee is evaluating a "tight" decision.

Sandra Starke, vice provost for enrollment management at the State University of New York at Binghamton, says she instructs her staff to ignore Facebook and other sites because she considers postings to be casual conversations, the online equivalent of street-corner banter. "At this age, the students are still experimenting," she says. "It's a time for them to learn. It's important for them to grow. We need to be careful how we might use Facebook."

Marc Prablek, a senior at Ladue Horton Watkins High School in suburban St. Louis, considers Facebook information "out in the public" and fair game for colleges. The 17-year-old, with some 550 "friends," says, "I don't have anything bad on Facebook," but he may tweak his profile to be "more sophisticated."

Marc, who plans to apply early to Stanford University, says he won't mention that he loves to read X-Men comic books. His Facebook literary picks currently include "Crime and Punishment" and "Pride and Prejudice."

High-school guidance counselors advise applicants, even if they restrict public access on their sites, to refrain from including anything that could hurt them in college admissions. They especially caution against foul or offensive language, nudity, or photos of drinking and drug use.

"Students need to be accountable for their actions," says Scott Anderson, director of college guidance at St. George's Independent School, a private school near Memphis, Tenn. When writing on Facebook or MySpace, he says, they should be thinking, "Is this something you want your grandmother to see?"

Abbotsford teen expelled for a Facebook threat

2009-01-07T16:50:00.002-05:00

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=3dd47e30-a00c-4b27-9ec3-6b73973231b1

Abbotsford teen expelled for online threat to kick teacher
Her creation of Facebook group 'was a joke,' says her father
Glenda Luymes, The ProvincePublished: Sunday, June 24, 2007

An Abbotsford student has been expelled from school over a Facebook posting that threatened a high-school teacher.
Several weeks ago, Amanda Bunn, a Grade 11 student at W.J. Mouat, created a group on the popular social networking Facebook website that she titled "If 200 people sign this, I'll kick . . . in the box."
The Province has chosen not to repeat the name of the teacher.
When school authorities found out about the group at the end of May, Amanda was suspended for three weeks and then expelled.
"It was wrong and it was a stupid thing to do -- but it was a joke," Amanda's father, Wally Bunn, said yesterday.
Although more than 200 people signed on to the group, Bunn said Amanda "would never in a million years have actually done anything."
Bunn said his daughter apologized to the teacher and he expected everything to return to normal.
Instead, Amanda was expelled at a review board meeting on June 13.
"It was the complete opposite of what we thought," said Bunn, who said that Amanda is upset she will not be graduating with friends she has known since elementary school.
Bunn said he was told the school may press charges against his daughter, but Abbotsford police could not confirm that.
"This has gone way beyond where it should have gone," he said. "This is how teens communicate today
. . . Once it's written down, it's very hard to take back. We've learned that lesson the hard way."
Alfred Hermida, new-media expert and professor at the University of B.C. School of Journalism, said teens often don't realize that what they're posting on their personal pages can easily become public information.
"They feel it's their personal space and that what they put there is essentially private. But in reality, anybody can access the information," he said.
Hermida compared Facebook to a teen's bedroom, where she can post photos of her friends and links to her favourite bands and movies.
"There's a real cacophony of design," he said. "Teens need to understand that anyone can see it. It's like handing their private journal to the world."
Hermida said part of Facebook's popularity may stem from the teenage desire to escape limits imposed by parents and to establish their own identities.
Because some parents don't understand the Internet, they don't supervise its use or simply ban it completely, he said. Neither is advisable.
"I think education is the answer," said Hermida. "[Teens] shouldn't be posting anything they wouldn't want the whole world to see."
Chris Rempel, president of the Abbotsford parent advisory council, said kids become "brave" when they're on the Internet, and they sometimes don't realize a permanent posting is very different than a conversation between friends.
No one at the school district could be reached for comment yesterday.
Meanwhile, Bunn said he has punished Amanda and she is hoping to make a "fresh start" at a new school in September.
Unknown to the Bunn family, a Mouat graduate has now started a Facebook group called "Let Amanda Bunn Back Into School." The group has more than 250 members.
gluymes@png.canwest.com

State Laws for Expulsions

2009-01-06T16:29:00.002-05:00

Each state has a different set of laws or codes they abide by regarding expulsion. Most states allow lawyers in an expulsion hearing while some others like Indiana, do not. It is important to know your state law if you are going through something like this. Hold the school accountable to follow the law. There are also variances in the law for children with special needs. So do your research and be armed with that information. I will try to do a follow up on how different states vary.

What rights to process to students in public schools have before they are punished or dismissed for disciplinary or academic reasons?

2009-01-05T12:11:00.002-05:00

What rights to process to students in public schools have before they are punished or dismissed for disciplinary or academic reasons?

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/dueprocesstudents.htm

Aspects of Due Process ("Fundamental Fairness")
1. The government must provide notice of the charges against you.
2. The government must be able to show that there is an articulated (non-vague) standard of conduct which you are accused of violating.
3. The government must provide you with an opportunity to rebut their charges against you in a meaningful way and at a meaningful time (the "hearing requirement").
4. In order to sustain its position (i.e., its deprivation of your liberty or property), the government must establish--at a minimum--that there is substantial and credible evidence supporting its charges.
5. The government must provide some explanation to the individual for the basis of any adverse finding.

Some examples of procedural protections that may be required for certain types of deprivations:
1. Elevated burdens of proof that the government must satisfy, such as "beyond a reasonable doubt" (criminal cases) or "clear and convincing evidence" (termination of parental rights).
2. The right to counsel.
3. The right to a pre-deprivation hearing.
4. The right to cross-examine witnesses.
5. The right to have a neutral person review an adverse decision.
6. The right to recover compensation for a wrongful deprivation.
7. The right to be present when adverse evidence is presented to the fact-finder.

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T04:41:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

mustang.doe.state.in.us

2008-12-31T08:31:00.001-05:00

http://mustang.doe.state.in.us/SAS/sas1.cfm?query=SU99SOUT&separator=%2C&already=&Operation=Select+More+Items

How does your Indiana School rate on expulsions and suspensions? What is their IStep scores? SAT and ACT scores? This is a great link to look up information on Indiana schools.

Should due process apply to student discipline cases?

2008-12-30T03:32:00.001-05:00

Should due process apply to student discipline cases?

View: Should due process apply to student discipline cases?
Creator(s): Stalker, Sandra
Related works:•Minnesota IssueWatch (Web site) Report details•N.C. Court to mull right to a lawyer in discipline cases (www.edweek.com) Cite details

A lawsuit that will determine whether the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives students the option of being represented by a lawyer at disciplinary hearings has reached the North Carolina Supreme Court. To date no state has found a state or federal right to full due process for students in disciplinary hearings.
The case has reinvigorated the debate between those who want greater legal protections for students and those who fear that involving lawyers will drive up the cost and complexity of school discipline. A decision handed down in 2001 by an Indiana appeals court concluded, "The fiscal burden on the school administration outweighs the benefit of allowing counsel at the expulsion hearings."
Student rights groups and some lawyers dismiss the financial arguments as a red herring used by schools to shield potentially unfair discipline practices from scrutiny. Of particular concern is today's climate of zero tolerance, when schools are using suspension and expulsion more than ever before. They claim that school officials often abuse the policies to get rid of troublesome students and that young people facing long suspensions are denied their right to a public education under the law. Some legal experts, however, argue that students who are accused under school disciplinary policies simply don't need the same safeguards as a person facing criminal prosecution.
In the 1970s, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that schools must offer a fair hearing before suspending a student, but did not give students the right to be represented by lawyers, or to cross-examine witnesses and produce evidence. However, many states have laws that allow lawyers to participate in student discipline hearings. Even in states that do not, including North Carolina, many districts do so anyway.
According to Jamin B. Raskin, law professor at American University in Washington, the Supreme Court might want to wait for the federal circuit or other state courts to percolate on this issue: "It is a critical question, and there will be no dodging the bullet in the long term."Minnesota note: Minnesota Statute 121A.47 Subd.2(f)(1) requires school districts to notify a pupil subject to expulsion and the pupil's parents or guardians that they have a right to a representative of their choosing, including legal counsel, at an expulsion hearing. The cost of an attorney is borne exclusively by the parents. The statute also requires districts to inform parents that free or low-cost legal assistance may be available and that a legal resource list may be obtained from the Department of Children, Families & Learning.

http://www.gda.state.mn.us/resource.html?Id=3422

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T21:52:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas !!! See you after the holidays!

9-year-old-accused-of-dealing-cough-drop-drugs

2008-12-19T12:31:00.004-05:00

http://www.parentdish.com/2008/12/18/9-year-old-accused-of-dealing-cough-drop-drugs/?icid=200100397x1215610661x1200949712

9-Year-Old Accused of Dealing Cough Drop Drugs
by Sandy Maple Dec 18th 2008 5:00PM
Categories: Kids 8-11, In the news, Alcohol & drugs, Education

Ask a nine-year-old what drugs are and you are likely to hear things like cigarettes, marijuana, even alcohol. But I think you would be hard-pressed to find a kid - or an adult - who would categorize Vitamin C as a drug. Unless you were Khalin Rivenbark's fourth-grade teacher. The Clay County, Florida teacher has accused the Khalin of not only possessing the Vitamin C drug, but selling it as well.Khalin had been fighting a cold, so her father put a bag of Halls Defense Vitamin C cough drops in her backpack. When two of Khalin's classmates asked for one of those cough drops at school, she says she handed them over. But her friend insisted on paying her for the drops. "She felt guilty taking the cough drop or whatever, so she gave me a dollar. I didn't want to accept it, but she had me take it," Khalin said.
That's when things turned ugly. Khalin says her teacher witnessed the transaction and came down hard. "She saw me with the cough drops out and I guess she saw me give it to one of my friends, and then like, 'Oh, I see this good business going on around you,'" Khalin said. "She said, 'You're selling drugs.' (I said) 'No I'm not.'" Khalin and her classmates are now facing possible punishment over the incident.The Clay County Schools handbook addresses the issue of kids taking of prescription and over-the-counter medications at school: "If a student must take a prescription or over-the-counter medication during school hours, it must be received and stored in the original container, and be labeled with the student's name, current date, prescription dosage, frequency of administration and physician's name."So, the question here is whether or not Halls Defense Vitamin C cough drops are considered an over-the-counter drug. According to a local news reporter, the ingredients in the cough drops are almost identical to those in a Lifesaver candy and do not include menthol. This would seem to indicate, at least to me, that Khalin did nothing wrong and is being unfairly accused of being a drug dealer.I appreciate the fact that school teachers must make judgment calls on a regular basis. But in this case, it sounds like the teacher rushed in making her judgment.

Indiana Decisions on Expulsion Process

2008-12-18T08:33:00.003-05:00

What is the cause and effect of decisions made by appeal courts? Look at Logansport School Corporation v. P.F. Do administrators now go on checked? There is no sounding board in most school system anymore. No lawyers can be present during an expulsion meeting. What are parents and children to do?

http://indianalawblog.com/archives/2006/08/ind_decisions_f_22.html

Ind. Decisions - Franklin school board eyes expulsion appeal process
The Indianapolis Star, in a story by Jon Murray, reports on a 2-1 Court of Appeals decision in early July, Logansport School Corporation v. P.F., and its implications.
Here is the Star's analysis of the opinion, as set out in a side-bar:
• Ruling: The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that school boards must hear all appeals on behalf of expelled students or none.• Impact on schools: Many boards consider appeals on a case-by-case basis, granting them rarely. They must change their policies.• Impact on students: Administrators' decisions would stand if a board votes to end appeals, with a court challenge the only recourse.Here are some quotes from today's story:
The Franklin School Board shortened two high school students' expulsions in March.
The next month, it voted against hearing appeals in two other cases, letting administrators' decisions stand.Board members have long decided whether to review expulsions on a case-by-case basis.
Now, many Indiana school boards are debating how much recourse expelled students should have after a court recently ruled that such policies violate the law.
The Indiana Court of Appeals' message last month in a case involving Logansport Schools was simple: Boards must hear all appeals requested by expelled students -- or vote not to hear any.This Court of Appeals opinion and its implications completely slipped under the ILB's radar until now. Here is another Star story, from August 11th, written by longtime Star education reporter Howard Smulevitz. Some quotes:
Students facing expulsion from Washington Township Schools no longer will be able to appeal to the School Board.The board voted 5-0 Wednesday to hear appeals only from the recommendations of school hearing officers -- leaving students the court system as their only recourse.
School hearing officers consider expulsion cases referred to them by school administrators.
Superintendent James Mervilde said the School Board needed to decide whether it would hear all appeals or none. He said that was the fallout of a court case in Logansport. "They really were supposed to be doing that all this time," Mervilde said of school boards in general. And if they voted to hear an appeal, they were supposed to consider whether the process was proper, and not determine it on the content of the case. But in reality, they did whatever they wanted to."
School Board President Lori Schlabach confirmed past practice: "I've listened to the tapes (of expulsion hearings) for hours, and so have other board members."
Schlabach, starting her third year on the board, said it has not granted an appeal during her term.
A previous board member said that in the past 12 years, only one or two appeals were granted in a process in which members reviewed the records of every appeal in private, then voted in public.
Although appeals no longer will be a board responsibility, Schlabach proposed the board begin a system of monitoring suspension and expulsion data and programs, and possibly adopt a policy to set out new guidelines.
Mervilde said he intends to bring updated disciplinary data to the board soon and would like the board to discuss what the district should provide to give students more alternatives to suspension or expulsion.And here is a brief item from the Monticello Herald Journal, reported by Kevin Howell:
In the past, the board heard appeals on a case by case basis, but according to a recent court ruling cited by Superintendent Patrick McTaggart that was no longer able.
According to McTaggart, he was informed by Indiana School Board Association legal counsel Julie Slavens that the board could either choose to hear all appeals or no appeals.
McTaggart said he felt North White administrators provided for student rights and due process and recommended the board not hear appeals, of which only one has come before the board in the past four years.
North White expulsion officer Bob Carter determines if the step is necessary. With the board's decision not to hear appeals, in the future students will take that step in the process to the court system.[More] Ted Waggoner has sent this note to the ILB:
Interesting line-up. - Rochester Community School Corp.- decided to hear all appeals, in order to provide full due process to students and administration. Vote was 7-0 as I recall (serving as school board attorney).

Celebrating the Christmas Holiday in Public Schools

2008-12-17T17:39:00.003-05:00

This is a brief from The Rutherford Institute. Doy you agree or disagree? Comments?

http://www.rutherford.org/articles_db/legal_features.asp?article_id=28

Celebrating the Christmas Holiday in Public Schools

Ref. # B-1611/25/02BRIEFS
Celebrating the Christmas Holiday in Public Schools
While it would be inappropriate for The Rutherford Institute to provide you with legal advice under these circumstances, the Institute is pleased to provide you with the following information regarding your area of concern.Christmas is celebrated by millions of Americans as one of the most sacred and joyful holidays of the year. Unfortunately, Christmas has also become a time of controversy in public schools as teachers, school administrators, parents and students struggle to determine their legal rights and responsibilities concerning the celebration of the holiday in the schools. The most common disputes surrounding the celebration of Christmas in public schools can generally be grouped into three areas: Christmas in the curriculum, students? rights, and teachers? rights.Christmas in the Public School Curriculum:The First Amendment of the United States Constitution states:?Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.? Thus, the First Amendment explicitly prohibits Congress making any law establishing religion or prohibiting the free exercise of religion. These prohibitions have been extended to action taken by state governments and state institutions such as public schools. In order to avoid violating the Establishment Clause, a public school activity: (1) must have a secular purpose; and (2) must have a principal or primary effect that neither advances nor inhibits religion. Observing Christmas in the School:The Constitution does not prohibit government institutions, including public schools, from recognizing and celebrating the Christmas holiday. Courts have recognized that Christmas has an important cultural significance, in addition to its obvious religious meaning. Although many celebrate Christmas as the birthday of Jesus Christ, Christmas has also taken on more secular meanings to many people. Therefore, public schools have a legitimate secular purpose in observing the Christmas holiday. Thus, the Establishment Clause does not forbid public schools from observing the holiday by closing schools, holding class Christmas parties or recognizing the holiday on school calendars. As one federal court has stated, ?Christmas and Chanukah are celebrated as cultural and national holidays as well as religious ones, and there is simply no constitutional doctrine which would forbid school children from sharing in that celebration, provided that these celebrations do not constitute an unconstitutional endorsement of religion and are consistent with a school?s secular educational mission.? Teaching About Christmas:Moreover, public schools also do not violate the Establishment Clause by teaching students about the religious origins of the Christmas holiday, or by teaching students that it is currently celebrated by Christians around the world as the birthday of Jesus. The Supreme Court has repeatedly stated that although public schools may not encourage students to practice any religion, they may teach students about religion if they do so objectively. In Abington School Dist. v. Schempp, the Supreme Court said:?[I]t might well be said that one?s education is not complete without a study of comparative religion or the history of religion and its relationship to the advancement of civilization. It certainly may be said that the Bible is worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities. Nothing we have said here indicates that the study of the Bible or of religion, when presented objectively as part of a secular program of education may not be effected consistently with the First Amendment.? Thus, the Establishment Clause would not forbid public schools from assigning the Biblical story of the birth of Jesus or stories about the religious significance of Christmas and its celebration by people around the world for the purpose of teaching students about the historical background of the holiday and its cultural importance. Displaying Symbols of Christmas:Similarly, courts have held that schools may have a valid secular educational purpose in displaying symbols of Christmas, such as Christmas trees or creches, as an example of the cultural and religious heritage of the holiday. In Clever v. Cherry Hill Township Bd. of Ed., a federal district court held that a school?s seasonal display of a creche and a Christmas tree along with symbols of Chanukah and Kwanzaa on a school bulletin board and classroom calendars did not violate the Establishment clause. Moreover, in Florey v. Sioux Falls Sch. Dist., a federal appeals court held that a school district policy permitting the use of religious symbols of Christmas as ?a teaching aid or resource? did not violate the Establishment Clause. The court noted that the policy provided that ?such symbols are displayed as an example of the cultural and religious heritage of the holiday and are temporary in nature.? Christmas Dramatic and Musical Presentations:Courts have also held that public schools do not violate the Establishment Clause by hosting dramatic and musical productions, including Christmas music with religious themes, if the music is chosen for a secular purpose such as its musical quality or cultural value. In fact, no court has ever held that Christmas music or drama programs at public schools violate the Establishment Clause. In Florey, a federal appeals court held that a public school district did not violate the Establishment Clause by teaching students Christmas carols, including some with religious themes, and including those carols in a school Christmas program. In Bauchman v. West High School, another federal appeals court held that a public school chorus teacher?s selection of music with explicitly Christian themes did not violate the Establishment Clause. Thus, in Christmas choral presentations, the Establishment Clause does not prevent public schools from teaching students Christmas carols with religious themes (i.e. ?Silent Night?) or even Handel?s Messiah if those songs are included for their musicality or cultural importance and not merely for the purpose of advocating the religious message of those songs. However, at least one federal appeals court has suggested that public schools would be required to permit students who have a religious objection to singing a particular song to opt-out of singing that song. Teachers? Free Speech Rights: Individual public school teachers also may encounter questions about their First Amendment rights in the context of the Christmas season. The Constitution protects all persons, no matter what their calling, including public school teachers. Thus, ?[a]ny inhibition of freedom of thought, and of action upon thought in the case of teachers brings the safeguards of [the First Amendment] vividly into operation.? However, because teachers are not only private citizens, but also agents of the state, courts have held that ?the rights of teachers in public schools are not automatically coextensive with the rights of adults in other settings.? Nevertheless, teachers? rights of free speech and expression may only be abridged in very narrow circumstances. Teachers? Speech and Expression Outside the School:Teachers do not forfeit their rights as private citizens when they accept public school employment. When they are off school grounds and not on their ?contract time? (which includes both classroom instruction time and other times when teachers are required to be present) with the school, teachers are private citizens and may fully practice their rights as such. In Pickering v. Bd. of Ed., the Supreme Court held that ?a teacher?s exercise of his right to speak on issues of public importance may not furnish the basis for his dismissal from public employment.? The Court reasoned that where the teacher?s outside speech (1) concerned a matter of public concern, and (2) did not interfere with his ability to perform classroom duties, or (3) the regular operation of the school, the teacher?s free speech rights were no different than those of any other member of the general public. Moreover, courts have broadly interpreted the ?public concern? prong of the test to include a teacher?s speech on virtually any topic other than internal bureaucratic disputes. Therefore, for example, teachers, acting in their capacity as private citizens, may include students? families on their Christmas card lists and may participate in church Christmas performances despite the fact that students and parents may see the performances. Teachers? Speech and Expression at School:Aside from questions that arise in the context of teachers? discharge of their duties to teach the proscribed curriculum (discussed above), disputes about teachers? personal speech at school also may arise in the context of the Christmas holiday. While teachers, like students, do not ?shed their constitutional rights to speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate,? teachers? rights to freely express their religious beliefs at school, including those pertaining to Christmas, are often much more limited than those of their students. Unlike their students, teachers, at least when acting in their capacity as classroom instructors, are state actors charged with the responsibility not to promote religion. Thus, some courts have held that teachers may not wear clothing with explicitly religious messages. For instance, in Downing v. West Haven Bd. of Ed., a federal district court held that school officials did not violate a teacher?s free speech rights by forbidding her from wearing a t-shirt bearing the words, ?Jesus 2000 ? J2K.? Thus, teachers would not likely be constitutionally entitled to wear Christmas-related clothing that promotes their religious beliefs (i.e. sweatshirts with the phrase ?Jesus is the Reason for the Season.?). However, just as public schools do not violate the Establishment Clause by using the word, ?Christmas? on school calendars or bulletin boards, individual teachers need not avoid the word ?Christmas? or similar common seasonal expressions (i.e. ?Joy to the World?) on their apparel. Furthermore, just as the public schools themselves may constitutionally recognize the Christmas holiday, individual teachers do not violate the Establishment Clause when they merely wish their students a ?Merry Christmas.? Students? Free Speech Rights: Finally, unlike teachers and school officials, students are not state actors under the Establishment Clause. Thus, the First Amendment more fully protects students? speech on religious topics than that of teachers or school administrators. As the Supreme Court has recognized, ?[t]here is a crucial difference between government speech endorsing religion, which the Establishment Clause forbids, and private speech endorsing religion, which the Free Speech and Free Exercise clauses protect.? In fact, students? religious speech is as fully protected by the Constitution as students? speech on any other topic or from any other viewpoint. The mere fact that a student engages in religious speech or expression at school does not implicate the Establishment Clause. Thus, public schools cannot excuse their censorship of students? expression concerning Christmas and its significance to them out of a fear that other students will interpret the expression as school endorsement of religion. As the Court wrote in Bd. of Ed. v. Mergens, ?the proposition that schools do not endorse everything they fail to censor is not complicated.? In Tinker v. Des Moines Ind. Sch. Dist., the Supreme Court held that students do not ?shed their constitutional rights to free speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.? Nevertheless, students? free speech rights at school are not coextensive with the rights of adults in other settings. Thus, public schools may censor student speech or expression which (1) materially and substantially interferes with the requirements of appropriate discipline in the operation of the school, or (2) invades the rights of others. Thus, school officials may not censor student speech or expression merely out of a desire to avoid any possible discomfort accompanying a particular viewpoint. A mere undifferentiated fear that a student?s expression might offend other students or cause a disturbance will not justify school officials in censoring student speech and expression. Therefore, absent evidence that such speech would cause a substantial disruption, the free speech clause protects a student?s right to speak or wear clothing or distribute literature bearing religious messages about the Christmas holiday (i.e. ?Jesus is the Reason for the Season.?). School officials may not prevent students from expressing such messages merely because they fear that other students will be offended. As one federal court has noted, if evidence that other students objected to a student?s expression were sufficient to permit its censorship ?absent any further justification, the officials would have a license to prohibit virtually every type of expression.? Students? free speech rights, including the right of religious expression, also extend into the classroom itself. According to the U.S. Department of Education Guidelines on Religion and Public Schools, first distributed to public schools in 1995 at the direction of President Clinton, ?Students may express their beliefs about religion in the form of homework, artwork, and other written and oral assignments free of discrimination based on the religious content of their submissions.? Thus, students should be free to express in their schoolwork and artwork, the personal religious significance to them of the Christmas holiday as well as their personal religious beliefs about the significance of the birth of Jesus Christ. Conclusion:Despite common misconceptions to the contrary, public schools may recognize and observe the Christmas holiday and teach students about Christmas so long as they do so prudently and in a manner which does not endorse or promote Christianity. Public school teachers are also entitled to express their religious beliefs about Christmas when they are acting as private citizens and not in their role as public school teachers. Even when they are acting in their role as public school teachers, the Constitution does not require that they ignore the Christmas holiday, but merely that they not express themselves in a manner that promotes or endorses their religious beliefs about the holiday. Furthermore, public school students are entitled to freely express their religious beliefs about Christmas and its meaning to them in their personal speech and clothing or in their schoolwork without discrimination based on the religious content of their message
d

School Board

2008-12-16T08:45:00.002-05:00

East Washington School has a new system in place that post the minutes for the school board meetings. I have been to some of the school board meeting and often there are very few parents there. I would encourage all parents to attend. The regular meetings are on the second Tues of the month. This web site does give you some oversight on what happens during the meetings.
http://www.ewsc.k12.in.us/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=64&&Itemid=77

Update on court date

2008-12-15T14:01:00.001-05:00

Update on court date. Our court date was suppose to be today but due to one of our witnesses not being able to attend we decide to postpone. We are awaiting a new date. I'll keep everyone posted as to when it will be. In the mean time, we are walking in faith. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Cell Phones at School: Should They Be Allowed

2008-12-11T09:02:00.000-05:00

http://life.familyeducation.com/cellular-telephones/school/51264.html

Cell Phones at School: Should They Be Allowed?by Maya Cohen
The question of whether cell phones should be allowed in schools has been hotly debated over the years. Most school administrations regard cell phone use as disruptive and distracting, and have implemented policies that prohibit using them on school grounds. There are benefits to giving your kids cell phones for use outside of school, but before you add them to your family plan, read the pros and cons:
The Pros
You can be in touch with your children, and know their whereabouts.
Your kids can reach you in the event of an emergency, and vice versa.
If in danger, your children can reach the authorities or a medical provider.
Phones can be silenced during class or study periods, and active only in appropriate places.
Cell phones create a convenience that was previously unavailable. With cell phones, you can easily reach your kids for any reason: to ask them questions, change plans, or to simply say hello.
The Cons
Students often forget to turn off their phones in class, and ringing noises or text-message alerts disrupt learning.
Even if set to silent, cell phones can still cause distraction, since text messaging has become a high-tech method of passing notes in school.
Students have been known to use cell phones to call in bomb threats to schools, to avoid or condense class time.
In the event of a widespread crisis, rampant cell phone use can overload communication systems and render them inoperable.
Student cell phone networks add to the spread of rumors and misinformation, which can be harmful during a widespread crisis.
Phones can be used as cheating devices during exams.
The long-term physical effects of cell phone use are still undetermined.
There are compelling arguments on both sides of the debate, and both enthusiasts and critics make convincing points. What do you think?

Kindergarten Student Arrested

2008-12-09T17:27:00.001-05:00

Kindergarten student arrested

Having an arrest on your record can be tough to deal with-especially if you're six years old. Desre'e Watson of Avon Park, Florida was arrested and jailed on felony charges on Thursday, March 29. The girl was said to be acting out in the classroom."I was scared," she recalls.Desre'e, who attends Avon Elementary, could not be controlled. She had an incident with a teacher and got angry, leading her to kick, scratch, throw chairs, and wail uncontrollably. Watson also hit another teacher who tried to get involved. When Desre'e was too difficult to get under control, school officials were forced to contact the local police. Officers say that Watson refused to calm down or stop her tantrum so they had to handcuff her and put her into a cruiser. She responded by kicking the vehicle's door. Watson's mother Lateshia Wilson is astounded by the claims. "She never falls out. She is very respectful. I tell her to do anything, she do it."Watson was taken to Highlands County Jail and booked with one felony and two misdemeanors. The girl was charged with disruption of a school function, battery on school employees and resisting a law enforcement officer without violence. The State Attorney's Office is currently deciding whether they will proceed with the prosecution or drop the case. Watson has also been suspended from school.Avon Elementary's principal said that she could not comment on the case, but added that the actions the school took were by the book. When a child is acting up and a parent cannot be reached, as in Watson's case, the school's procedure is to call law enforcement officials. Watson's mother says that she is worried about the future effects this incident may have on her young daughter. "I was very upset and felt like they violated my baby's rights. I am very upset about it," said Wilson, adding that she wants to find out "what really went on."In an attempt to do so, Wilson has contacted the NAACP for further investigation and is considering legal action.Police stand by the arrest, stating that the girl was acting out and committed a crime. "When there's an outburst of violence we have a duty to protect and make that school a safe environment for the students, the staff, the faculty, and that's why at this point the person was arrested," explained Police Chief Frank Mercurio. This is not the first time a youngster has been arrested in the area. Police in St. Petersburg showed up in national headlines last year for arresting a five-year-old boy. Now they can only arrest children with a supervisor's consent. More than 4,500 kids aged 11 and under were charged with crimes in the state of Florida in the year 2000. Many were arrested more than once. Kids as young as seven spend the night in detention centers and kids as young as 10 can be sent away for a year or more. In certain cases, children have entered the justice system at the age of three, such as the preschool arson suspect who went through a pretrial diversion in Florida at this age.

Florida Boy Arrested For Gas Attack

2008-12-08T11:50:00.002-05:00

Florida Boy Arrested For Gas Attack

12-year-old charged after deliberately "breaking wind" in class
NOVEMBER 21--A 12-year-old Florida student was arrested earlier this month after he "deliberately passed gas to disrupt the class," according to police. The child, who was also accused of shutting off the computers of classmates at Stuart's Spectrum Jr./Sr. High School, was busted November 4 for disruption of a school function. A Martin County Sheriff's Office report, a copy of which you'll find below, notes that the 4' 11" offender admitted that he "continually disrupted his classroom environment by breaking wind and shutting off several computers." The boy, whose name was redacted from the police report released today, was turned over to his mother following the arrest. The young perp turned 13 on November 15

Glitch

2008-12-05T15:16:00.004-05:00

My computer had decided to take a try into driving me insane this past week. I had a few glitches to work out and then some. Now that I have it up and running post will resume on Monday.

Smile Life is Good

2008-12-05T15:16:00.002-05:00

My computer had decided to take a break this past week. Now that I have it up and running, posting will resume on Monday. I hope everyone has had a great week!

Zero Tolerance: Is This Fair?

2008-11-28T09:59:00.001-05:00

Disciplinary actions under zero tolerance weapons policies since the 1994 Gun Free Schools Act:

Columbus, Ohio: Nine-year-old found 1-inch plastic knife in manicure kit on way to school; suspended one day.
Chicago: Seventeen-year-old shot paper clip with rubber band at classmate, missed, broke skin of cafeteria worker; expelled, spent seven hours in county jail, faced misdemeanor charge, advised to drop out of school.
Phoenix: Sixteen-year-old lent skeet shooting gun to classmate after school; both expelled and charged with misconduct with a firearm.
Woonsocket, R.I.: Twelve-year-old flashed toy gun in class; suspended.
Alexandria, La.: Second-grader brought grandfather's pocket watch for show-and-tell; watch had 1-inch pocket knife attached; student suspended and sent for one month to alternative school.
Columbia, S.C.: Sixth-grader brought steak knife in lunch box to cut chicken; asked teacher if she could use it; police notified; girl suspended despite never taking knife out of lunchbox.
Centralia, Calif.: Five-year-old found razor blade at bus stop; showed blade to teacher; boy expelled and transferred to another school.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T08:15:00.005-05:00

May your stuffing be tasty,
May your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes have nearly a lump,
May your yams be delicious,
May your pies take the prize,
May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off your thighs,
Gobble till you wobble.........
And above all, give thanks to God for all He has done.

New Indiana budget could be tough on schools

2008-11-26T11:00:00.001-05:00

New Indiana budget could be tough on schools

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Sunday, November 23, 2008
INDIANAPOLIS Lawmakers often say schools are the top priority when it comes to creating the state's budget.But in the legislative session beginning in January, legislators have a challenge on their hands as they attempt to come up with an education-friendly, balanced two-year budget despite the slumping economy. Schools worry that flat or declining state tax revenues could lead to consequences such as teacher layoffs and larger class sizes.School districts across Indiana are facing increased costs for salaries, and many are also paying more for health insurance. With increasing costs, even a budget equal to last year could mean some tough choices."When we get the same amount of money, that's like a cut for schools," said Dennis Costerison, executive director of the Indiana Association of School Business Officials. "And if that happens, we're talking about much higher class sizes."The state's revenue growth in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, which began July 1, has been flat. Some fear that a Dec. 11 revenue forecast will predict declines in state sales and income tax revenues.Lawmakers can cut spending in other areas to funnel more money into schools, or could tap into state reserve funds in hopes that the economy will rebound. Or lawmakers can keep education funding flat and let schools figure out how to deal with the problem."Boy, I just don't have good answers," said state Sen. Luke Kenley, the Noblesville Republican who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee.Rep. Jeff Espich, a Republican from Uniondale who has worked on state budgets since 1995, said it will be difficult to come up with a balanced budget."I think it has to be the toughest (budget) that we have faced in decades," Espich said.Gov. Mitch Daniels says the state should not raise taxes, use accounting gimmicks or dip into reserves. The state has cash reserves of $1.4 billion, but Daniels says that money might be needed in the future if the economy gets even worse.But House Speaker Pat Bauer, D-South Bend, said using part of the Rainy Day Fund might be necessary to get through without severe cuts."This is a rainy day," he said.Many educators are worried. Mark Eastridge, superintendent of Crawford County Schools, said the district has many fixed costs like health insurance, salaries and utilities."If we're going to cut, we unfortunately have to look at staffing," he said.Tony Bennett, who will become the state's new superintendent of public instruction in January, said schools should prepare for bad news. But he said tighter budgets will force districts to find new ways to save money."I think the current economic conditions will serve as a catalyst for creativity in all areas," Bennett said. "We are going to have to look at how we can help schools become creative and we are going to see schools take and seek innovative measures to deal the financial situation."

http://www.nwitimes.com/articles/2008/11/23/updates/breaking_news/doc4929e4518ecd4402324453.txt

A New Type of Zero Tolerance

2008-11-25T07:58:00.000-05:00

Principal: Failure ‘not an option’
New policy introduced at Jemison High
By Scott Mims Canton (OH) Advertiser August 12, 2008 JEMISON —

Jemison High School Principal Allen Thompson has initiated a “zero tolerance policy” for the school in hope of improving academic performance. The policy requires students who receive a grade of “zero” on an assignment to attend an after-school detention the following Monday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. until each assignment is completed. The program will allow students to receive up to half credit (50 percent) of each assignment that they make up for. “From reviewing past failure patterns, incomplete assignments where students received zeros is a major factor,” Thompson wrote in a letter to parents. “A score of 50 on an assignment is better than a zero that is very hard to overcome.” The policy is the latest in a string of efforts to improve the school’s graduation rate. Other efforts have included the recruitment of a graduation coach to work with students on a one-on-one basis, through the help of a grant. In a school assembly Monday, Thompson introduced the policy with the theme, “Failure Is Not an Option.” Posters have been placed around campus encouraging faculty and students to embrace the motto. Thus far, Thompson says students and parents have responded positively to the idea. “This is not punishment or discipline for the students,” he said. “This is an opportunity for the students to make up their assignments.” Zero tolerance will be implemented immediately with the intention of preventing every student from accepting a zero grade for his or her assignments. The academic detention will be mandatory for any student with an incomplete assignment. Thompson said he had witnessed a similar program in the Shelby County School system, which he indicated was successful. “My daughter has been in this program at Calera High the past two years,” he said. Another area of improvement Thompson is stressing is attendance. Per a policy set by the Board of Education, students with unexcused absences cannot make up any work for the day(s) they are absent. Thompson said he understands the need for occasional absences but asks for a written excuse for all absences listed in the Student/Parent Information Guide. “The failure rate at Jemison High School is twofold: attendance and incomplete assignments,” he said. “If we attend school everyday and complete our assignments, failure will not be an option. The students will achieve great success.”

Blue hair in school

2008-11-24T15:18:00.000-05:00

http://www.bakersfield.com/102/story/360810.html
Blue hair causes trouble for teen
BY TARA MCLAUGHLIN, Californian staff writere-mail: tmclaughlin@bakersfield.com Monday, Feb 11 2008 10:20 PM
Last Updated: Tuesday, Feb 12 2008 9:08 AM
For a handful of days, 14-year-old Demetre Ortiz had blue highlights in his black hair -- and it got him in hot water.
Demetre Ortiz was sent home from school for having blue highlights in his hair. He has since gotten rid of the blue and has returned to school.
The eighth-grader at Walter Stiern Middle School came home last Tuesday with a letter saying his hair had to be a natural color, his mom, Cara Smith, said. She kept her son home from school Wednesday under the impression he couldn't go back to class until the blue came out.
"I think it's ludicrous," Smith said. "We live in America, you have freedom of the press and freedom of speech and you can't dye your hair?"
Ortiz dyed his hair to match his wrestling team colors about a week before he was called into the office, he said.
"They said I couldn't have blue hair because it's gang-related," Ortiz said. "I was pretty mad."
Principal Julie Short didn't handle the blue-hair case but said district rules must be followed.
"Schools will not allow any clothing, hair cuts, hair coloring, jewelry, etc., that is likely to lead to disciplinary problems at school or a school-related activity ... ," Bakersfield City School District rules say. It goes on to list a few reasons, including disruptions to learning.
Every year, every parent is supposed to receive and review those rules and return to the school a signed form acknowledging they were read, spokesman Steve Gabbitas said.
"If we were to allow every child to (dye his or her hair) it would become a distraction," Short said.
She said she allows for some leniency if, for example, a student has expensive braids that weaved some color into the hair.
Smith said she probably did sign the guidelines but doesn't remember the exact language. But she's a bit of a trend-bucker mom when it comes to dress codes.
Stiern is one of 33 schools in the district with a mandatory dress code. Smith said she doesn't make either of her kids wear the uniform, adding parents can sign waivers for that.
"My kid's not disrespectful, he's not rude, he doesn't get in trouble," she said. "Is blue hair really a disruption?"
Ortiz will soon be out from under BCSD's policy. He'll be at Bakersfield High next year and the Kern High School District doesn't care what color students dye their hair.
"That would be (encroaching) on individual expression," said spokesman John Teves.
High schools tend to leave those decisions to students, said Curt Dubost, superintendent of Taft Union High School District. As someone who once led a K-12 district, Dubost said age matters.
"The older the student is, the more latitude you give them in terms of outrageous style," he said.
For now, Ortiz is back in his seat at Stiern -- hair dyed black.
The dish on other districts
Officials at other local K-8 districts said they generally restrict hair-dyeing because of its potential to distract kids.
“Kids start engaging, then it can turn into, ‘So what’s your problem, you don’t like my pink hair?’ It just creates a distraction.” — Gerrie Kincaid, Panama-Buena Vista Union School District assistant superintendent of education services
“We want to show them we’re serious about what happens in the classroom. If we have a school carnival and kids want to go wild, that’s the appropriate setting. The classroom is not a carnival.” — Jamie Henderson, Rosedale Union School District superintendent
Public high school districts tend to allow it as a means of self-expression, though there are limits.
“I consider it a free speech issue. A year or so ago we had a girl who was very, very bright, very nice, but she had really outlandish taste when it came to hair. She had really spiked hair and it got to the point where students couldn’t see around it. ... We had to talk to her.” — Curt Dubost, Taft Union High School District superintendent
Bakersfield Christian High doesn’t condone it, although it allows mohawks during spirit week.
“There’s not some biblical mandate that says if you have your hair dyed blue you’re going to hell. But it’s a distraction. We don’t believe we need to be drawing attention to ourselves.” — Dan Cole, Bakersfield Christian High School president

School Attempts to Expel Student for Hand Singnals

2008-11-21T08:01:00.002-05:00

Student expelled for hand signals Dirksen Junior High:
School officials accuse 15-year-old girl of gang-related activity
By Stewart Warren / Suburban Chicago News Apr. 5, 2005 JOLIET —

An eighth-grade honor student was expelled last month after school officials decided she was making gang-related hand signals in a photo found in a classroom.

A court ordered the district to take the student back. The judge "asked the school district why it wanted to 'squash her like a bug.'" The student "will be allowed to make up the work in class that she missed. [She] also will be required to attend classes to educate her on the risks posed by street gangs." Trayla Lindsey, 15, of Joliet, says she was just goofing around and doesn't belong to any gang. Her family and other supporters insist she is a good kid with an excellent attendance record and never has been in any trouble in school. * * *

It all began in February when a teacher perused a photo album featuring pictures of Trayla and some of her friends, according to court documents. The book, found in a classroom at Dirksen, did not cause a disturbance in class, according to court documents. Four days later, school officials showed the pictures to Trayla. "Trayla told the teacher that she did not bring the pictures to school, that they did not belong to her and that she was not in a gang," according to court documents. Trayla immediately was suspended for 10 days for gang-related activity, and the process to expel her began. Then a school official called Traci Travis-Lindsey, Trayla's mother, and asked her to come and pick up her daughter from Dirksen. Travis-Lindsey couldn't believe the news. "I'm like, 'Suspended? She's never had a detention,'" Travis-Lindsey remembered. A copy of the photograph was included in the court file. It shows Trayla and five other students standing in front of a row of lockers. At least three of the children are smiling and making different claw-like gestures with their hands. On the day Trayla was suspended, Travis-Lindsey talked alone with a school official and then was reunited with her daughter. "She was crying. She was just balling. She didn't say anything. I guess she had never been in trouble, so it was more or less a shock to her. She was like, '10 days?'" Travis-Lindsey said. Because she was not allowed to speak to the principal, Travis-Lindsey went to the superintendent's office to get some answers. They immediately scheduled a hearing on the suspension, but district officials decided Trayla had to stay home for 10 days. On Feb. 25, the school held an expulsion hearing in the matter. Trayla, her mother, father, grandfather and the family's pastor attended. "My father got a little emotional," Travis-Lindsey said. "He told them, 'So you are saying that my granddaughter is a gang member. Did you meet with any other students and ask if they were trying to recruit them? When you are trying to label someone, you have to have compiled evidence.'" Ultimately the district decided she should be expelled unless she wanted to attend Premier Academy Middle School. Travis-Lindsey doesn't want her daughter to go to the alternative school. "It is not challenging enough," she said. So she hired local lawyer Carl Buck of Rathbun, Cservenyak and Kozol to take the case to court. He thinks the district's decision is unfair. "You have got a girl who has a 3.88 grade point average, she got admitted to the Beta Club (a society for honors students at Dirksen) and she has no discipline record at all. You have a really, really good kid here," Buck said. Like Buck, Travis-Lindsey believes her daughter should not be expelled because it was her first offense, and a very minor one at that. "There is no leeway here," she said. Chris Ward, of the McKeown Law Firm, represents the Joliet Grade School District. He would not talk about the case specifically because it involves a particular student. But in general, the school has a policy that prohibits gang-related activity, he said. "It has always consistently applied that policy to ensure that school District 86 offers a safe learning environment," Ward said.

How has school expulsion affected you?

2008-11-19T08:13:00.003-05:00

How has expulsion affected you?If you have been through something like this I would love to hear your thought. I have talked some about this before and most of the feelings are still there.
I'm not sure if I can explain how 10 months after this happened that I can put this into words.

Our son did what he knew to be the right thing and in turn was accused and prosecuted by his school. One cannot fathom what it is like till you have been through it. I know it has changed each of us. I have a mother who is a principal and a father who is a law enforcement detective. I have always before had the utmost unquestionable respect and trust in both schools and law enforcement. That is no longer true. I have developed weariness of both.

Fighting for the right thing comes with a cost. Lawyer bills cost. The extra school bills to make up what he missed cost.

Spiritually it has challenged my faith in God in ways that it has never been challenged but this has made it stronger than it ever was. Our son who has want to go into the seminary after high school tells me to just keep praying and everything will work out in the end. His faith has grown strong over this.

Emotionally I would say disappointment, anger, frustration, depression, and tiredness. Going through something like this is emotionally draining. It stays on your mind 24-7. It is always there. Even 10 months later it is there. It is a part of our son's life that he can never have back. He wanted to return to the same school and we allowed that. He has received support from not only his friends but teachers alike.

Do we continue to fight for what we know is true and for what is right? On December 15th we have another court date. We pray it will end there but if not I believe we are ready for what ever God puts in front of us.

Our Life Our Blog

2008-11-17T17:50:00.003-05:00

On Saturday, November 15 th I started thinking in one month we head back to court. So far it has not be changed to another date. I made we think about how hard this last year has been for our family. When something likes this happens it doesn't just change you for a short time. It changes you from deep inside. I think this week I am going to focus on that. Today post is short because I'm still turning things over in my mind. But I want to ask if you have been through this how has it affected your life?

First-Grader Suspended Over Plastic Squirt Gun

2008-11-14T07:11:00.002-05:00

A Missouri mother is angry that her first-grader was suspended from school over a plastic toy gun.
“I asked her, ‘You’re going to suspend my son for 10 days for this? He cannot harm a soul with this,’” said Danielle Womack, whose son, Tawann Caskey, was suspended from Milton Moore Elementary School in Kansas City.
Tawann was suspended over a 2-inch plastic squirt gun.
“She told me it’s a weapon, a little girl saw it and reported to a teacher that he had a weapon,” Womack said.
According to Kansas City, Mo., School District policy, the squirt gun is a simulated weapon and a class IV, which is the most serious school offense. Principals claim to have no discretion in cases like Tawaan’s. It is an automatic 10-day suspension.
“We ask our principals for safety of students and staff, and we do follow the code of conduct and do not give exceptions to Class IV offenses. We take it very seriously,” the school district’s Phyllis Budesheim said.
The incident will stay on Tawann’s permanent school record. But Womack said her son does not understand why he’s not in school.
And if you’re wondering what this dangerous Class IV weapon looks like it's the little orange squirt gun.

Suspension of Pledge of Allegiance

2008-11-13T08:26:00.004-05:00

Tennessee law states that “no student shall be compelled to recite the Pledge of Allegiance” if the student or a guardian objects on religious, philosophical or other grounds. The code allows such students to “remain quietly standing or sitting at their desks” while others recite the pledge. So how can a school suspended a child for 10 days because they refuse to say the Pledge of Allegiance? Are schools allowed to do as they please and go unchecked?

http://timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/22/chattanooga-girl-suspended-tyner-academy-refusing-/

A Tyner Academy senior will return to school Wednesday after she was suspended Monday for refusing to stand during the pledge of allegiance. The 10-day suspension of Quinesha Garrett, 18, was a “clear violation of her constitutional rights,” said attorney Jesse Dalton. Ms. Garrett did not stand nor recite the pledge for religious reasons. She believes she should not pledge her allegiance to anyone but God.
The students said school officials were wrong to discipline her.
“I knew I had the choice not to stand as long as I wasn’t being disruptive,” Ms. Garrett said.
School officials have not yet returned calls for this report.
Under the suspension, Ms. Garrett would have been compelled to go to night school, missing out on work that could have affected her May 17 graduation date. She also would not have been allowed to go on the senior trip to Florida Thursday, for which she has already paid $400.
“The practical matter is, (the suspension was) punishment for exercising her constitutional rights,” Mr. Dalton said. “And I don’t think Tyner will make this mistake again.”
Tennessee law states that “no student shall be compelled to recite the Pledge of Allegiance” if the student or a guardian objects on religious, philosophical or other grounds. The code allows such students to “remain quietly standing or sitting at their desks” while others recite the pledge.
In a meeting with Tyner Academy officials this afternoon, Mr. Dalton said he advised them of the law and threatened to take them to court if they did not follow it.

Halloween drawing scares teacher, gets student in hot water

2008-11-11T08:44:00.005-05:00

Halloween drawing scares teacher, gets student in hot water. You give a child an assignment, help him complete the assignment and then you scare the teacher. You be the judge. Does he deserve to be suspended and have a psychological evaluation done?

Click here: Halloween drawing scares teacher, gets student in hot water SavannahNow.com

Halloween drawing scares teacher, gets student in hot water
Jenel Few Friday, October 31, 2008 at 12:30 am

Fifth-grader Jordan Hood thought the bloody vampire he drew in art class was scary, but he had no idea it would elicit a horrifying response from one of his teachers.
Tuesday morning, Jordan was assigned to draw a scary Halloween mask in art class.
By the end of the day, Jordan was being told he could not return to Pooler Elementary School until he passed a psychological evaluation.
"We live in an age where there is some hypersensitivity," Bucky Burnsed, Savannah-Chatham school system spokesman, said Thursday. "But the child is back in school where he belongs."
During art class Tuesday, Jordan drew a scarred vampire with bloodshot eyes and with blood dripping from its nose, mouth and down its cheeks. Art teacher Lloyd Harold helped the boy shade the sketched eyes to give the drawing an even creepier look.
"The assignment was to draw a scary mask or picture - basically a Halloween activity," Harold said.
As a final gory touch, Jordan used a red marker to write "I Kill For Blood" under his drawing.
The picture was not destined for the cover of Fangoria magazine, but it fulfilled the requirement for fifth-grade Halloween art.
However, when Jordan's homeroom teacher, Melissa Pevey, saw the drawing, she found it disturbing. Pevey was concerned enough to contact assistant principal Valerie Johnson and Campus Police.
But it wasn't blood and gore that bothered Pevey. She believed the blood looked a lot like gang-related teardrop tattoos, and she thought the words "I Kill For Blood" could be tied to an infamous Los Angeles street gang known as The Bloods.
Jordan's mother, LaKisha Hood, was shocked to find that her son's art lesson had evolved into a gang investigation.
"They told me the droplets could actually be a gang symbol for the number of people he killed," she said.
Burnsed said the district has asked teachers to be wary of anything that might be harmful to students. He also said the district has provided gang-identification training.
He did not know whether classroom teachers were trained in gang symbolism.
"The teacher was concerned and referred it to the Campus Police," Burnsed said. "(Campus Police Capt. Joan) Sasser wasn't sure that it meant anything."
So they resolved the issue by requiring Jordan to undergo psychological testing with Gateway Mental Health.
Jordan's family didn't want him to miss school, so he went in for testing first thing Wednesday morning - getting him back to school in time for the fall dance that afternoon.
Although he only lost about two hours of instruction, his mother fears the incident also might cost him a bit of innocence and trust.
"He didn't know anything about gang symbols until the teacher accused him," she said. "We moved to Pooler thinking he'd be in a more diverse school with better opportunities.
"And so far, it hasn't been a pleasant experience."

School expulsions in the UK

2008-11-07T07:32:00.000-05:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/743585.stm

School exclusions fall

The government says it does not want excluded pupils "dumped on the streets"
The number of pupils expelled from schools in England has dropped by nearly 2,000, government figures reveal.
In 1998/99, 10,400 pupils were permanently excluded - 15% fewer than the 12,300 expelled in 1997/8.
The figures compiled by the Department for Education show that the previous year, there was a much smaller drop of 3%, from 12,700 expulsions in 1996/7.
Schools Minister Jacqui Smith said the welcome fall in the number of permanent exclusions was being accompanied by "decisive action both to get disruptive pupils out of the classroom and to ensure that excluded pupils get a full-time education".
The government said at the end of 1998 that it wanted to cut the number of permanent exclusions by a third by 2002
Jacqui Smith: "I hope parents will play their role"
The Education Secretary, David Blunkett, recently announced another 420 "sin bins", or learning support units, for disruptive pupils in schools in England.
These on-site units, which the government credits with helping to bring about the latest drop in exclusions, are designed to provide specialist teaching and reduce the disruption in mainstream classes - without formally excluding the pupils involved.
Mr Blunkett also announced cash incentives of up to £3,000 per pupil for schools which take in the most difficult pupils - such as those with criminal records or a history of truancy - who have been excluded from other schools.
Black pupils
And he said it was up to parents and other adults to help to encourage politeness and decency in the next generation.
Ms Smith pointed out that the recent falls in exclusions followed "substantial rises" through the last decade to the 1996/7 peak of 12,700.
In the early 90s, only about 3,000 pupils a year were permanently excluded from England's schools.
She said: "During the early 90s there was very little in-school help for schools, and too many excluded pupils were left to their own devices. That has now changed."
The government was spending a total of £527m up to 2002 on tackling truancy and exclusions, and learning support units were "already proving their value in getting disruptive pupils out of the classroom while keeping them in education".
The latest exclusion figures, published on Wednesday, also revealed that in 1998/9, the gap between the exclusions of black pupils and other pupils had narrowed - although black pupils continued to be "over-represented" among those expelled.
Ms Smith said this was why the government had doubled its budget for supporting mentoring schemes for pupils from ethnic minorities.
'Targets are detrimental'
She added: "I hope parents will also play their role in helping the government to tackle bad behaviour - they have the primary responsibility for dealing with badly behaved pupils and must work with schools to improve discipline and attendance."
Ms Smith said the government had made it "very clear" to head teachers that "we know there are times when exclusion will be necessary, not least where pupils are violent or where heads are trying to turn round a school in special measures".
But responding to the latest exclusion figures, the Shadow Education Secretary, Theresa May, said that the government's exclusion targets had put schools under "increasing pressure to keep disruptive children in the classroom or in the school".
This was detrimental to the education of both the disruptive pupils and their classmates, she said.
John Dunford, general secretary of the Secondary Heads Association, also criticised the targets.
He said: "There has been a price to pay for the reduction in exclusion figures. This has been paid by the heads and teachers who have had to cope with disruptive pupils who would have been excluded in previous years."

Peronal Update

2008-11-06T13:19:00.002-05:00

Just a quick personal update. Our son has been back in school for 15 weeks. The first few weeks were good for him then seeing friends and being involved with marching band. It has taken him a while to get back into the swing of things. He has felt kind of lost after being out of school for 8 months. I think he finally adjusted to the school routine again. As far as for me, both boys are now in school and it hasn't been easy. I worry about both of them there. I fear of this happening again. We are still awaiting to resolve this in court. Court date set for Dec. 15. It will be a year after this has happened. We are hoping that this date will not be reschedule like the other two dates. We will keep everyone posted on what is happening with this.

Suspended for a pen with a logo

2008-11-05T07:44:00.003-05:00

A student has been threatened with a 3-day suspension from school for bringing to campus, and using, a pen with the corporate logo of the Glock company, a large stylized "G" with the letters "lock" inside. Yes, you read that right a pen with a logo. Not a gun. Not a picture of a gun. A pen with a logo. Thankfully common sense prevailed and the student suspension halted and the discipline record removed from his file.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59976

Election Day

2008-11-04T07:25:00.002-05:00

Please vote. This is your day to have say in what happens to your country!

T-shirt suspension update

2008-11-03T17:55:00.003-05:00

This comment is from a blog I posted on 150 students being suspended over t-shirts.

HI THIS IS VIVIAN LAZARUS MOTHER,I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS BLOG.

I just want to say thank you for reading and that is why we created this blog. Please update us on how things are going for you and your son. In my thought and prayers.

http://washingtoncountyparent.blogspot.com/2008/09/150-students-suspended-over-t-shirts.html

Strip Searching Students

2008-10-31T05:35:00.002-04:00

Should school have the right to strip search students? In this story three girls where stripped down to the undergarments so the school could see if they took 40 dollars. Is this really a good idea?

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/17636835/detail.html

Indiana Politics

2008-10-30T07:19:00.003-04:00

Indiana Politics
Who is running? What do they stand for? Do I vote for the person or party? How do they feel on taxes, education, or whatever your topic of concern? Election is coming up very soon. Keep informed. This is a rather good site to link Indiana's political candidates. And please remember to vote.

http://www.politics1.com/in.htm

McCain vs Obama on Education

2008-10-28T07:30:00.005-04:00

Election day is one week away. I think most of us have made our decision on who we are going to vote for. I have previously posted the difference on McCain and Obama's views on education.
Today, I am providing each candidates web site so you may look a the difference.

http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/issues/19ce50b5-daa8-4795-b92d-92bd0d985bca.htm

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/education/

Should Schools be Involved

2008-10-27T05:59:00.001-04:00

Do you think it is within a schools right to be able to suspend or expel a student who has been arrested but not convicted for something that happened outside of school grounds and school hours? This article may change your mind.
http://forums.ctrecord.com/showthread.php?t=1445

Hair Control

2008-10-24T07:23:00.002-04:00

http://www.whas11.com/news/local/stories/whas_topstories_080206_distractinghair.97b00981.html

Student kicked out of school for 'distracting hair'
02:52 PM EST on Thursday, February 7, 2008
Tell Us: What do you think?
(WHAS11) - A Louisville mother is making claims of discrimination after she says her daughter's hair color got her kicked out of a school.
Fatimah Osborne got her hair braided and colored over winter break. The hairstyle cost her $300.
Her mother showed WHAS11 a photo of her daughter’s hairstyle and color and she says its nothing out of the ordinary.
However, the principal at Carrithers Middle School said the student had a non-traditional color and that's against their rules.
Administrators from Carrithers middle school told Fatimah to change her hair or she'd have to leave the school, permanently.
The principal says red hair is okay but they say this hair color violates their dress code.
Fatimah's mother says that's crazy.
Fatimah, who has now changed her hair, has been at the school since the 6th grade. Now in her 8th grade year, she wanted to finish with her friends.
The dress code says no distracting hairstyles and no non-traditional hair colors.
Fatimah was a transfer student at Carrithers, she is now at Moore Middle School.
The principal says Fatimah’s mother took her out of the school because she didn't want to change her daughter hair color.
However, Fatimah's mother has a signed letter from the district saying Fatimah has to leave the school, it says it’s at the principals request, and lists behavior as the reason.
The principal said "behavior" is because Fatimah didn't follow the hair code.
Fatimah's mother calls this discrimination.
Her mother doesn't have any plans to appeal the principal’s decision, she just says it doesn't make sense to her.

Judge Overturns Students’ Expulsions from High School in Antioch

2008-10-23T03:43:00.002-04:00

http://www.aclunc.org/news/press_releases/judge_overturns_students_expulsions_from_high_school_in_antioch.shtml

Judge Overturns Students’ Expulsions from High School in Antioch

For Immediate Release: May 23, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO – A Contra Costa County Superior Court has ruled that the Antioch Unified School District violated the rights of two students when it improperly expelled them from school following an off-campus incident in which police officers pepper sprayed the students and forcefully arrested them. The judge overturned the expulsions.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (ACLU-NC) and Berkeley attorney Jivaka Candappa sued the Antioch Unified School District on behalf of the students, arguing that the school district lacked the authority to expel the students based on the incident, and that the students’ due process rights were violated during the expulsion hearings.

“No student deserves to be treated in the manner that these students were treated by the school district and by the police,” said Greta Hansen of the ACLU-NC. “The court’s ruling sends a message to school districts about the limits of district authority to punish students for conduct with no legitimate connection to school.”

The two teens were expelled for their alleged involvement in a March 2007 incident at a local shopping center and gas station in which several students from Deer Valley High School were arrested by police officers.

In his ruling, Judge Thomas Maddock of the Contra Costa County Superior Court stated that the District had no authority to expel the two students based on an incident that occurred off campus and after school. Judge Maddock concluded that because the school resource officer was working with the Antioch Police Department, he was acting as a regular police officer, not as a school official. (The school resource officer is an employee of the Antioch Police Department.)

School authorities argued that the students’ involvement in the incident could be viewed as a violation of the Education Code because one of the police officers involved in the incident was the school resource officer assigned to Deer Valley High School. After an administrative hearing, the School District expelled the students, and the Contra County Board of Education upheld the expulsions on appeal. Judge Maddock overturned the expulsions on May 7, 2008.

Background

On March 7, 2007 a student and two friends were walking through the parking lot of Deer Valley Plaza on their way to a fast food restaurant. They were stopped by an officer of the Antioch Police Department, who accused them of blocking traffic by walking through the parking lot rather than on the sidewalk. Shortly thereafter Officer Vincent approached them again, threatened to write one of the three students a citation for blocking traffic, and got out of his vehicle. One student ran away from the officer and the officer gave chase, holding a canister of pepper spray in his hand.

The officer and others who joined him apprehended the student at a nearby gas station, where they pepper sprayed him, threw him to the ground, and forcefully arrested him. They also pepper sprayed and forcefully arrested several other students, many of whom were mere bystanders. Some of the incident was caught on video by another student using a digital camera. Among the officers involved in the incident was the school resource officer assigned to Deer Valley High School. After a brief investigation by the vice principal, the students were suspended.

In May and June of 2007, the School District held expulsion hearings for each student. The police officers involved in the incident submitted police reports with a detailed accounting of the incidents, but attorneys for the students were not afforded the opportunity to cross-examine the officers in order to test the veracity of their account.

Drop Out

2008-10-21T08:40:00.003-04:00

Should we allow our children to dropout of high school? Oprah had a great show on how lives were affect by drop outs. http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/oprahshow1_ss_20060411/6

THE TEACHER APPLICANT

2008-10-20T07:44:00.001-04:00

THE TEACHER APPLICANT

After being interviewed by the school administration, the teaching prospect said, 'Let me see if I've got this right! You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning. You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride! You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job. You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the state exams. You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English and Spanish by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card. You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps!? You want me to do all this and then you tell me........ I CAN'T PRAY???????!

McCain vs Obama in Education

2008-10-17T10:01:00.003-04:00

Presidential elections are coming up. We have seen the ads and debates but how do they stand on education? Here is one site I found that helps to show the difference http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2008/09/21/schools-obama-stresses-investment-mccain-parental-choice/

A sample of McCain’s policy proposals:
K-12
Expand online learning.• $500 million of current education funds would go toward building virtual schools.• $250 million would support states to expand online offerings.• $250 million would create “digital passport scholarships” to help low-income students do online courses or tutoring.• Encourage alternative teacher certification and give states incentives to recruit teachers from the top 25 percent of their college class.• Bonuses to teachers who locate in challenging settings and raise student achievement.• In schools failing to meet federal standards, allow students to access tutoring more quickly. Tutoring providers certified by the federal government would be able to market directly to parents and be paid directly, rather than through the child’s school.

Early education
• Create Centers of Excellence in Head Start. One Head Start Center in each state would be chosen as a model and receive a grant to expand its reach and share best practices.

Higher education
• Simplify higher education tax benefits and federal financial aid so that more families understand their eligibility.

A sample of Obama’s policy proposals:
K-12
Double funding for quality charter schools.• Invest in and improve teaching• Require professional accreditation of teacher preparation programs.• Expand mentoring for beginner teachers and give them a stipend during training in exchange for service in a high-needs district.• Support districts that work with teachers to create compensation systems that recognize accomplishment in the classroom and leadership in hard-to-staff locations.• $200 million in grants for longer school days or school years to assist students in need.• Double funding for after-school 21st Century Learning Centers.• Help create appropriate tests for students learning English and hold schools accountable for making sure they reach graduation.

Early education
• Expand tax credits so low-income families can receive up to 50 percent credit for child-care expenses.• Grants to promote “zero to five” efforts focused on young children and parents, and to help states move toward voluntary universal preschool.• Increase Head Start funding, quadruple the size of Early Head Start, and improve the quality of both.

Higher education
• Create an American Opportunity Tax Credit – a $4,000 tax credit per year for low- and moderate-income students to attend college for up to four years, in exchange for community service (those not earning enough to pay taxes would also qualify).• Simplify the application for financial aid by allowing people to check a box on their tax return to determine aid eligibility.• Community College Partnership Program to reward schools where more students graduate or transfer to four-year colleges.

Are Boys and Girls Wired to Learn Differently?

2008-10-16T08:25:00.003-04:00

Are Boys and Girls Wired to Learn Differently?

Of course they are wired differently. How does that affect them learning differently. A really good article is linked below please check it out.

http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/3613