All gadflies are not created equal

Once upon a time, some 25 plus years ago, a man named General Parker did time for a felony crime. A youthful indiscretion, if you will. General Parker, worked hard to get himself to the place where he hoped to run for the mayor and then the school board in a little berg called Peoria, Il.

Alas, it was not meant to be, as the local state's attorney made it a point to stop General Parker, (who is considered a local gadfly) not once, but twice, because of a little enforced law that said that a convicted felon is ineligible to hold office. The law also called for a citizen to bring forth the complaint, but a very diligent State's Attorney brought forth the issue himself, in the best interest of citizens (of course).

In that very same berg, a man named Gary Sandberg has held a seat on the local city council for 22 years. The problem is, Mr. Sandberg, (who is considered the council gadfly) currently owes the berg $13,367.40 for unpaid demolition costs for a property he owned, previous code violations, a parking ticket and rental registration.

State law states that "a person is not eligible for an elective municipal office if that person is in arrears in the payment of a tax or other indebtedness due to the municipality." However, Mr. Sandberg has been allowed to hold office, run for office and be re-elected. The City attorney did not seek to enforce the law, the State's Attorney did not seek to enforce the law.

A review of the choices made in the handling of the Parker case vs. the Sandberg case would lead one to believe that all gadflies are not created equal.

Trump... on the objectification of "the black" 2011

ob·jec·ti·fy
ob·jec·ti·fied, ob·jec·ti·fy·ing, ob·jec·ti·fies
To present or regard as an object: "Because we have objectified animals, we are able to treat them impersonally" (Barry Lopez).

So District 150’s old suspension policy didn't follow the law?

If it's more difficult to suspend a student with an IEP, perhaps District 150 will think twice before issuing them. Good news for black males, as this could possibly present a chance for a more “mainstream” education.

In my opinion, the news story below illustrates another example of the violation of children’s rights that have been happening in District 150 for very long time. ACLU stuff, right? And people in Peoria wonder how we got to where we are.

It's interesting that this story would run in the Journal Star and not mention that for years Martha Ross has been standing up for the children who were being expelled and suspended.

Here's to the people who made light of that...

District 150 addressing discipline for disabled students
School Board puts new policy on display after warnings from state

District 150 on Monday said it is taking steps to correct a years-old problem of how it disciplines students with disabilities after warnings by the state.

Maureen Langholf, who earlier this year was named director of special education at District 150, said it has put in place more intervention procedures, provided additional social training to special education teachers, and even began placing some students in half-day programs at the Moss Avenue building that houses Peoria Alternative High School and the Adult Education Center.

"It's stopped the high number of days per child" who have been suspended, Langholf said Monday prior to the School Board putting on public display a new policy. She also acknowledged the decreased numbers are not necessarily indicative of less bad behavior.

Langholf said the goal is to help get at the root problem of why students are misbehaving and addressing it, rather than simply applying punitive measures, not to mention addressing federal law. Students also are receiving more educational services, with more than three hours in a school setting versus one hour by a tutor at home.

Under the revised discipline guidelines for students with disabilities, students may be suspended for no more than 10 days each year. After 10 days out, the district must provide educational services in accordance with that student's Individual Education Plan. Behavior intervention plans also must be established.

A special education student who carries or possesses a weapon to or at school, possesses or uses illegal drugs or inflicts serious bodily injury upon another person at school shall be placed in an alternative educational setting for no more than 45 school days, the revised policy states.

Superintendent Grenita Lathan said Monday the rules cannot prevent expulsion of a special education student.

At issue with the state has been the school district's past practice of suspending students with disabilities in increments of up to three days after they already had been suspended for 10 days, which violates federal law. It's unclear how many students were included in the citation from the state, which ranges from 2007 to 2010.

No additional staff members were hired for the changes put in place this year, though more work from teachers, administrators and special education staff is required, officials said.

"It's more work for schools, but it's part of our responsibility," said Bill Salzman, the district's director of student affairs.

The new policy, which district officials say follows the law, is expected to go before the board next month for formal adoption.

Put a stop to dancing lemons

You hear teachers commenting on blogs about how certain children and their parents think they are "entitled" to "free babysitting", "free lunch", the list goes on and on. But as a parent who has been active in local the schools for the last ten years, I have observed principals and teachers who seem oblivious to parent's pleas to please teach their children. On more than one occasion, I have felt like some local teachers and administrators feel it is They who are entitled.

As a matter of fact, how's this for entitlements: job security for life (i.e. tenure), paid holidays, comprehensive medical plans. It gets old hearing teachers speak as if they are owed a job, above and beyond any standards of competency that are set for any other group of workers. As a matter of fact, all the rest of us need to fall back and worship the ground on which they walk, because it is They who are charged with dealing with our little heathens.

Other union employees have quality standards that they have to meet - why not teachers and other public school administrators? As it currently stands, the field of education is a one track gravy train. Enough already - put a stop to the lemon dance.

When did Jessie Jackson, Jr. become a crotchety old man?

Did you hear about video killing the radio star?

Cell phone hacking just got easier

The ACLU of Michigan is concerned that the police are disproportionately targeting people of color with their twenty-first century, high-tech handhelds. Studies suggest that blacks and Latinos could bear the brunt of police abuse of these extraction devices. For one, African-Americans, who are less likely to own a landline, talk and text more on cell phones than any other group.

According to a study conducted last year by Nielsen, blacks talk an average of 1331 minutes a month, over twice as much as whites (647 minutes). Latinos talk 826 minutes, and Asians 692 minutes a month. Meanwhile, blacks lead the field in texting, with 780 text messages per month. Latinos are not far behind with 767 texts, followed by 566 for whites and 384 for Asians.

Then there is the issue of racial profiling. Data provided by the state of Michigan show that the state police have a history of disproportionately conducting searches, issuing citations and giving verbal warnings to black and Latino men. Further, advocacy groups claim that racial profiling is on the rise in Southeast Michigan, arguing that since 9/11, law enforcement has increasingly targeted immigrant groups such as Arabs, Muslims and South Asians.

Similarly, racial profiling is a nationwide issue. According to Amnesty International, 32 million people in the U.S. -- the equivalent of the population of Canada--have been victims of racial profiling, and 87 million are at risk of being subjected to the practice in their lifetime. Typically, while white officers target black and Latino drivers for potential drug courier activity, drugs are more often found when police officers search whites. In Los Angeles in recent years, African-Americans and Latinos faced more police stops, frisks, searches and arrests than whites, although people of color were less likely to have a weapon.

Cell phone hacking, for cops only

Called UFED for Universal Forensic Extraction Device, this device lets police officers and other law-enforcement personnel snoop into a cellphone to very quickly (in minutes) extract key information like messages, contacts, photos, call history etc… It also gets deleted files or hidden files that could contain interesting information.

The manufacturer even says that the next version will bypass the simple password of Android and iOS as if it wasn’t there. That’s not it: the UFED can also extract information from personal navigation devices which might contain logs and other information that could be contextually relevant in an investigation.

Now, we wonder in which conditions the UFED can be used, and if it requires a warrant, and you can guess that this is fairly unclear from the manufacturer’s website. After all, they’re not really the ones using it on the streets, and they ship the product to international markets where laws are different.

As it is the case with most technology, the UFED can be a formidable tool to fight criminals as they become ever more “high-tech”. Obviously, it could also lead to quick and easy abuse, but in the end, this is not a new situation and it will probably take some time and a few scandals before the dust settles. How do you think this should be used? Source

District 150 Parent Forums set

On Saturday, April 16, 2011, District 150 had a Gearing Up for Kindergarten (Transition Fair) at the Hult Health Education Center. Kudos to the District, it was a good event, a chance to get parents and students excited.

The event offered families the chance to set appointments for screenings and immunizations, participate in lead screenings, participate in parent and student health education activities, register for school, and win door prizes. They had vans picking folks up at Glen Oak, Harrison, Taft and Valeska Hinton and delivered them to the Hult Health Education Center (whose moto is "Lessons for Healthy Lives"). Unfortunately, they missed an opportunity to give a very important lesson in healty eating, by serving chips and some other food stuff from a local rib joint.

April 19 Parent Forum
Richwoods High School 6:30 p.m.

April 21 Parent Forum
Columbia Middle School 6:30 p.m.

April 26 Parent Forum
Garfield Primary School 6:30 p.m.

April 28 Parent Forum
Trewyn Middle School 6:30 p.m

Parents must learn to advocate for their child's education

This letter is on the pjstar opinion page. It is my opinion that District 150 is too quick to track certain students (i.e. black boys) into special education classes. I would personally tell this mother to fight every attempt that the school is making to sideline her son. I would also encourage her or her husband to take some time off work, if at all possible and go to the school and observe what is happening in the classroom - that is the only way you will get any real answers. I know some teachers read this blog, what advice would you offer this parent:

"I have a 6-year-old boy who is in kindergarten this year. He was getting in trouble daily for talking, not following directions, silly stuff like being out of his seat. Then we got the questionnaire sent home to evaluate for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Really, six years old, first year of school and they think he has a learning disability already?

Our pediatrician feels that he doesn't have ADHD, just a little active and possibly a little immature. The conduct calendar was pretty much red after that. But then he started getting sent to the principal's office, three times a week for the most part.

But the latest trip really has me irritated with District 150. My son got into trouble - for what, who really knows because I don't - and was sent to the principal's office for two hours, which he spent sleeping. What kind of punishment is that? I feel like I'm getting the message that if your child is not behaving, we will just put them in the principal's office and forget about them. When did the teachers stop trying to do positive things with our children?

I have to work every day. I cannot be in school with my son. He does get disciplined every night and his toys do get taken away. My husband and I are really at our wit's end with this issue. Where do we go for help?"

Angela and Tyrone Johnson

I probably shouldn't post this...

because you know how quick Peoria is to adopt an ordinance from other cities.

... and yes, I think it's racist, even though I detest the rims.

The East Bluff is hot tonight!

Do you know where your kids are? From what I'm hearing on the scanner somebody’s kids are running wild in the streets. Would you PULEEASE come get your young black male and have him to sit his a** down some where.

Wordless Wednesday, but a few thoughts on "voter apathy" reposted from some random blog...

If by apathy one means not caring, what is going on out here is not apathy. People are watching, they care, and they’re getting angrier and more desperate. However, there is a broad consensus among the bottom percentage of the income distribution that “politics doesn’t work. Who we elect doesn’t matter. Once they’re elected they can’t keep their promises, they can’t deliver anyway, and then they get sucked into the system and lose touch with us.”

Our life experience supports the view that when “well-to-do people” strongly support a position it is likely to become law, but what “middle-income people” overwhelmingly want makes no difference at all in what laws get passed.

For many “middle income” voters, not voting is a matter of principle, a kind of protest that they - and sometimes their parents and their parents’ parents - have been engaging in nearly every year for the past 10, 20, sometimes 30 or 40 years. Source

President Obama announces re-election campaign

Check out Obama's re-election website here.

... and the rabble rousing continues...

In February I posted about what I consider the rabble rousing of District 150. Today, I am sorry to post that the rabble rousing continues.

What I don't understand is, if the District Watch Group wants the District to be sued so badly, why don't they sue on behalf of all of the inner city children who have been subjected to the inequality in education that has been rampant here in Peoria for the last three decades? The District audit clearly shows the long standing discrepancies. There is a class action lawsuit sitting right there - don't they know people who head the local ACLU? By the way, where has the local ACLU been on the on going violations of childrens rights?

The recent reassignment of District 150 principals and administrators prompted Sharon Crews to repost the following quote from a local blog:

“Insiders say the March 29 move to reshuffle Peoria School District 150 principals and administrators is unprecedented, and may have violated the Illinois school code and other laws and rules.” “The openings were not posted, so others had no portunity to apply for them, which flies in the face of affirmative action rules. Those who lose pay or have other working conditions affected by these changes may have lawsuits against the District.”

Again, what concerns me is what appears to be an ongoing effort on the part of the District Watch Group to find people to sue District 150. I have a problem with people constantly seeking ways to take taxpayers money through lawsuits. These frivolous lawsuits don't do anything to better the environment in our schools - they actually hurt teachers morale, the children and the community as a whole.

From what I understand, some principals who proved to be uniquely qualified, had more than one option to choose from (some of which may have been considered promotions). Principals have known since January about the pink slips and the changes that were to be made. The claim that the positions were not posted appears to be FALSE...

From a January 14, 2011 pjstararticle:

Superintendent Grenita Lathan, who spoke Thursday about building administrators having to reapply for their jobs, could not be reached Friday.

Lathan said principals already should have shared word with their seconds-in-command and others, including deans and academy leaders, but said she plans to meet with the nearly two dozen affected employees personally next week.

"I don't want there to be any misunderstanding," Lathan said.

The superintendent said plans may involve reducing the number of assistant principals across the district but she also will assess each building to determine which schools need assistants.

She said some schools have assistant principals, though there is nothing substantiating why other than "they always have." Part of what will determine which schools have assistant principals will be enrollment.

To that effect, the district's 12 assistant principals, four deans and Manual High School's four "academy leaders" essentially will be pink-slipped.

Lathan said all those affected may reapply for the jobs, but any employee in the district holding a Type 75 administrative endorsement, the credentials needed to hold the post - the same as principal - may also apply. The openings will be available to applicants outside the district as well, "but preference will be given to those already in the district."