Is #plankin what happens when we lose touch with our history, or is it just fun?

I saw this trending the other day and thought it was just stupid. But I have seen more and more people uploading @plankin photos. Why is that ownership of this is being laid at the feet of black youth? As I think about it more (I tried not to), why can't it just be considered stupid, harmless, fun? It started in England, let's lay some kind of heavy historical chip on them.
Is 'planking' harmless fun or fundamentally offensive?

Have you ever felt the urge to "plank" something? While it started out as an Internet stunt -- "planking" has become this year's craze -- inspiring intrepid, amateur stunt men and women lying with their face down, usually in a public place and then posting the photos to the web (preferably Twitter). And it's not just something white kids are doing. It's been a worldwide meme that's been a viral phenomenon since at least this spring, with the widely publicized death of a 20-year-old who fell off a balcony trying to take a picture of himself planking.

But now, the concept of planking is becoming more and more visible in references made on Twitter by members of the hip-hop community.

Within the black community, some of the photos are arguably horrendous. One shows a woman with her head in a toilet bowl, hands to the side, feet against the wall. Others show people in sexual positions. Body outstretched on a stool.

The rules of planking require you to keep your body in a straight position with your hands to the side, face down. A humiliating pose to say the least. The term that black folks have been using is #plankin or #planking.

CBS Sports has showcased several photos by Orlando Magic's Gilbert Arenas and center Dwight Howard whom they called "two of the most prolific plankers". Photos showed the two planking at a hotel and throughout Orlando's Amway center.

As the wave of planking photos built to a wave and then crested yesterday at least one person made people think. Comedian Katt Williams posted a picture on Twitter showing a man being arrested, face down on the ground, hands cuffed behind his back. The caption on the photo: PLANKING, You're Doing It Wrong. Williams added the message "Black people been #Plankin for years."

And that's what's gotten so many in the black community shocked by this Internet craze which trended heavily on Tuesday. There were multitudes of mentions and even people who said the word "planking" was derived from a slavery era term. It allegedly described the prostrate position slaves had to take when traveling over the Atlantic.

From the Wikipedia page on "slave ship":
Often the ships, also known as Guineamen, transported hundreds of slaves, who were chained tightly to plank beds. For example, the slave ship Henrietta Marie carried about 200 slaves on the long Middle Passage. They were confined to cargo holds with each slave chained with little room to move

Another mention of the word, describes the "bed" for slaves who were chained onto ships. From the book, Upon these Shores: Themes in the African-American Experience, 1600 to the Present:
Some ships had tiny bunks, really nothing more than shelves, on which slaves could recline; in others, the slaves lay side by side on the planking, rolling with the ship, bodies virtually touching, for weeks on end.

The term "slave plank" also brings up mention of political platforms or "planks" that were used during political conventions in the 19th Century. Frederick Douglass would argued the "anti-slavery plank".

Still, given the similarity with the visual references of slave ships and stacking bodies in chains during the slave trade, evidence also points to the planking position as being one of humiliation and confinement for African people during the Middle Passage.

What we know about planking is that it's derived from the Laying Down Game (a.k.a Playing Dead) meme that spread throughout England and Australia sometime around 2009 and seemed to reach its peak in 2010.

It became known as "planking" sometime later because participants try to get their bodies to resemble wooden boards or planks.

However, any intended allusion to slavery has yet to be proven. As some would suggest, African-Americans have been taking to "planking" for the competitive factor, the same reason that people stuffed into phonebooths and Volkwagons back in the 1950s.

Mass fads such as those were all about oneupmanship, recorded in a still photo -- but without the potential viral audience that the modern era can deliver. With athletes and celebrities talking about planking and showing themselves in the act, it's only natural that the massive young black Twitter and Facebook community will follow, even without realizing that it recalls the slave trade that ended several hundred years ago.

Source
Photos: Gilbert Arenas in a grand piano
Dwight Howard on top of a garbage can at the Am
Gilbert Arenas planking in the median at an expressway toll booth
Dwight and Gilbert together on a double-decker luggage cart at the Grand Bohemian
Dwight Howard on top of a riding lawnmower

What are we going do for those kids looking for fun?

When you were a kid growing up in Peoria what were some of the things you did for fun?

We used to be able to go to the YWCA (girls) or the YMCA (boys) downtown and play sports, when there was nothing else to do. We used to walk (in groups) to Peoria High School to go swimming. In the evening we would go to Proctor Center or Averyville to play/watch baseball. When we wanted to party we would go to Stenson Hall or Teen Disco and yes we went to PLENTY of house parties.

The activies above were what most of the kids in Central Peoria, the Valley and East Bluff did on the regular. The kids on the South end of town had even more opportunities to "play" and be kids - they had more access to programs.

I personally remember a huge void being created in our community when somebody made the decision to close the YMCA and the YWCA. YMCAs throughout the country are known for enabling people and communities to learn, grow and thrive - they belong in the inner city.

Now we have the Riverplex - sitting right in the backyard of the children who need it the most - but they can't afford to go there. It costs $7-$10 to play basketball and it costs $5 or more to swim. They took the YMCA and moved it so far North that it does not serve any inner city children.

We hear talk about programs out there for kids to join. Programs have requirements parents have to meet and they have limits on how many kids they can take. What happens with all of the other kids who don't fit the requirements, or those shut out because there is no more room? You see them in the street - doing the best they can to find something to do.

bookgirl June 25, 2011 at 11:54 pm
We recently attended a Peoria Muni band concert in Glen Oak Park, on a Sunday evening, and were stunned at the number of young black men who were in what we felt like were menacing, threatening groups, roaming around the park. If this kind of behavior is not stopped, Peoria stands to lose a lot of business from those who live out of town but come to Peoria for shopping and cultural events. -Peoria Chronicle-

I was at Glen Oak Park the other evening. There were A LOT of kids in the park. They were minding their own business - standing in groups talking; walking around the park talking. Just in the park. There is nothing wrong with that, it's their park too and if there is nothing to do but hang out - they have a right to hang out.

Thanks to Kim Behrens from Central Illinois Proud for getting out of the office and talking to some people about what actually happened the other night. What did she find out - kids in Peoria are bored out of their minds and desperate for something to do:

Brooklynn Smith-Brown says some of her friends were there. "I guess people were supposed to fight at the party, so they kicked everybody out. So they went outside and were going to fight and met other people," Smith-Brown explains.

She says unruly behavior isn't uncommon. "Some people get aggravated. Like, if you're at a party and it's packed, somebody bumps into you, you get mad...I do," says Smith-Brown.

"I think it's just because they want popularity, or they want someone to notice them, or they do it just to fit in, or just to seem cool," says Kiyana Brown.

Kyle Washington says problems arise because nothing else is going on. "Just to do something...just have something to do," says Washington. "They haven't had anything to do for so long," adds Brown. "So they act up."

While the students say there's not much to do in the community, their involvement in school sports helps keep them off the streets and keeps their head in the game.

"I'm with the basketball team. We all just hang together. Kick it," said Washington. "I put myself around people that are cool, calm, collected," adds Smith-Brown. "Not all with the drama and all that."

Teens say teamwork and friendly competition create the right kind of pressure. The kind that keeps them out of trouble. "It just keeps you active, and you don't really have to go to those types of things," said Washington.

These kids are not looking for people to hurt or damage to do. These kids are looking for a life - for fun. We know that on most occasions when kids are in large groups unchaperoned or without a planned activity - it's gonna get stupid. It can quickly go from kids being kids to kids being a nuisance.

Our youngsters here in Peoria have had clear indicators that they are not considered "good company". They know that for the most part, most people in the city don't want them around. Most of the community calls it a great day when we have a local event and there are no black children around.

Just one more way in which Peoria's chickens have come home to roost.

Black bloggers continue to chronicle Drudge's "race war"

One of my most fav bloggers, Danielle Belton of the Black Snob blog was very interested in How Peoria, Ill. Got Caught In Matt Drudge's "Race War" ...

About Danielle...

With two million readers in less than two years, Belton is best known as the editor/writer of her pop culture-meets-politics blog The Black Snob. The site has a readership spanning political junkies, journalists, fellow bloggers, political pundits, authors, academics, legislators and political strategists. The Black Snob has earned both critical acclaim, appearing on CNN and in Time Magazine, The New York Times, The Observer (UK), The Daily Beast, NPR and on ABC’s Nightline, as well garnering the attention of academia as a featured panelist discussing black media as part of Harvard University’s Black Policy Conference in 2009.

Belton was most recently a speaker at Essence Magazine's Women's Conference 2010 in New York City and was named one of Black Enterprise's "Leaders of the New School," for movers and shakers under 35. Belton was acknowledged for her blogging work.

The Black Snob received accolades from the Black Weblog Awards for Best Political Blog (2010), Best Writing in a Blog (2008 and 2009) and Best Blog Series (2008). The site was also won recognition from BlackPoliticsOnTheWeb.com’s “Shining Star Awards” in 2008 for Best Overall Political Blog and Best New Political Blog.

As a freelance journalist, Belton has contributed to: Essence Magazine, Mediaite.com, The American Prospect, The Root, Jezebel.com, The Bakersfield Californian, NPR, The New School on POTUS, Sirius/XM Satellite Radio, DailyKos, The Huffington Post, Seven Magazine, PubDef.net, Cintra Wilson’s Dregublog, AroundHarlem.com and FreshXpress.com

Belton most recently appeared as a part of Def Poetry Jam performer Bassey Ikpi's tour Basseyworld Live where Belton was a panelist in Washington, D.C., New York City and Philadelphia. She has also appeared on a panel during Howard University's School of Communications Job Fair in 2009.

Belton is the former blogger and online campaign manager for non-profits New Security Action/Win Without War and was a reporter and newspaper columnist for The Bakersfield Californian.

She is currently working on a satirical book about African American culture entitled, "The Non-Black Person's Guide to Black People," as well as a collection of short story fiction and essays entitled "The Pursuit of More."

Belton currently lives in Washington, D.C. where she manages The Black Snob while working as a freelance journalist and social media consultant.

You can access The Black Snob anytime, her blog is on EmergePeoria's "On The Verge" blog roll (to the right).

Have Peoria's chickens come home to roost?

We Must Educate All Our Young Men
America can't reclaim its standing as a global leader unless young men of color also get a shot at academic success.

There's no doubt that our country has come a long way. But few would argue that our progress is complete, and it continues to mask a deeper dysfunction of the status quo.

There is an education crisis facing young men of color. It's not on the front page of the newspaper. People aren't organizing on Facebook or Twitter. But it's out there, and if we fail to address this crisis together, the education level of the entire American work force will decline for the first time in our history.

President Obama has challenged our nation to reclaim its position as the world leader in college degrees, and young men of color are the key to achieving this goal. In the past, when a president called on us to act for the sake of our shared future, we responded. We built warplanes and rocket ships. We invested in science and the arts. We achieved prosperity unparalleled in human history.

Today, young men of color face a challenge that lends itself much more toward apathy than activism. Many young men of color are not pushed to their limits by rigorous coursework in high school. Many find themselves adrift at large universities without organized support systems. And some are forced to choose between personal obligations and academic responsibilities.

Education is America's future, and we need to ensure that all of our students -- men and women, of color and not -- have the skills and support to succeed in college and beyond.
Unfortunately, too many young men of color never get their shot at success. Just 26 percent of African Americans, 18 percent of Hispanic Americans and 24 percent of Native Americans and Pacific Islanders have at least an associate degree. In fact, a recent report commissioned by the College Board found that one out of every two young men of color ages 15-24 who graduate from high school will end up unemployed, incarcerated or dead.

These aren't just sobering statistics. These are the stories of our friends and our neighbors, real people with devastating problems -- problems that cannot be solved through rugged individualism or unyielding hope alone.

Booker T. Washington, differed with W.E.B. Du Bois on many things, but Du Bois and Washington understood an essential truth about America: that as long as educational opportunities are limited for some of us, we all suffer. We rise as one nation and we fall as one nation. But if we keep working hard -- if we keep listening to one another and to our students -- we can soften our landings and reach historic new heights. Source

Or in other words... what you gonna do when your chickens come home to roost?

Boys will be boys; kids being kids and other misnomers about last Friday night - the Press Conference

Today's press conference in Council Chambers to address the "race riots" that happened on Friday was sparsely attended. I guess you can't expect much else when it's held during the work day.

It was a feel good press conference. In short, what we were told is that entire incident was "blown out of proportion". City Manager Ulrich provided police reports showing that Police arrived in a timely manner and only left after the crowd dispersed.

The City Manager informed those in attendance that the PPD canvassed 20 homes in the area and only one person mentioned hearing anything of a racial nature and nobody felt that the group was too unruly.

The City Manager stated that he was holding the press conference because it's a community issue, not a police issue as there were no crimes committed. Additionally, he wanted to make it clear that they do not want citizens to stay in their homes and lock their doors. They want people actively involved in their neighborhoods, to help deter crime.

Speculation is that a party was letting out and the youngsters were moving from point A to point B in a large group. When the PPD came they scattered. Detective Scally discussed how he and his friends behaved when they were young, when the police showed up - they too would scatter.

City Manager Ulrich talked about this incident not being isolated to this neighborhood. He discussed that we have had problems before at Steam Boat Days, etc... If I didn't know better, I would have sworn he read those exact comments on the blog, before forming his statement. He invoked the name of Carl Cannon and talked about the Armadillo being brought in to assuage previous situations.

As for right now they will increase patrols, but it is up to the Neighborhood Associations to work within their neighborhoods to find solutions. They will have the use of City Commissions (which commissions are yet to be determined).

To bottom line the message today - this is just a case of kids being kids.

Don't expect to much more info from the news media - they were more concerned with how the blogs got the story and how it was picked up nationally.

Who was not there

Just for the record, the only "black leader" in attendance was Fifth District County Board Representative, Rachael Parker. The only Council member in attendance - At Large Councilman, Gary Sandberg.

Not so fast Mr. City Manager
This press conference was clearly about moving the racial aspect out of the equation...

I would love for this to go away with a little "those kids better behave". But unfortunately, I believe this is a little more than kids just being kids. I have personally had large groups of youngsters, out after curfew, walking down my street, talking loud, setting off car alarms and harassing anybody who dared to be in the way. You are correct when you say it is not a black and white issue it is a community issue.

There is a problem in Peoria - please address it. The Carl Cannon bandaid is not a cure all. The City of Peoria has to do more. It's a fact, citizens of Peoria black AND white are afraid of young black males. Crime is rampant. Our children can't go outside and play. Our children can't learn at school. Many young men in the black community seem to have completely lost their way. Ignorning them or hating them is not going to make it any better - it can only get worse.

Statement from C.J. Summers

I contacted C.J. Summers this morning to get a comment from him on all the action surrounding his blog - The Peoria Chronicle.

He is presently indisposed and didn't know about the national attention until this morning.

"I... just found out this morning about the national attention. I use a shared hosting service (meaning that one server hosts my blog and a thousand or so other blogs), and they shut down my account because I was taking up all of their Apache (server) connections. I may need to move to a virtual private server. I'm trying to take other actions to mitigate the hits on their servers before moving the site.

I could tell something was up when I started getting comments from people in Texas and elsewhere in the country; also I've gotten a lot of people signing up for my Twitter feed.

I'm really surprised this was picked up nationally. I haven't had time to reflect on it as I'm trying to do what I can to get my site back up quickly."

He followed shortly thereafter to say:

"Just checked my stats. I usually get around 600-800 hits per day.Yesterday, according to SiteMeter: 306,730 hits."

Black bloggers have been discussing Matt Drudge's attempts to start a race war for weeks, now Peoria plays into his hands...

I tried to go to Peoria Chronicle and couldn't get on. I went to Peoria Anti-Pundit and I noticed that more Fox News types are signing on. As a matter of fact, they have referenced a link to a Fox News report about a white man allegedly attacked by a person with "cornrows".

A commenter named "Shay" left a comment here that Peoria Chronicle has been linked via Drudge report for the article about black folks in Peoria wanting to "kill all the white people".

Shay said...
Hi Em! Peoria Chronicle website has been shutdown for last few hours probably due to amount of hits. You see it is now linked via Drudge report.com front and center under the headline: PANDEMONIUM IN PEORIA: MOB YELLS 'KILL ALL THE WHITE PEOPLE.' Perhaps we'll see the national press descend on Paul's neighborhood.

Okay - now I find this all quite LAUGHABLE! For weeks now, black blogs have been discussing Matt Drudge and his attempts to start a race war. As I read the comments on Peoria Chronicle and Peoria Anti-Pundit, I had begun to see BUZZ WORDS that Drudge started. The talk about it happening all across America, comes from day after day of the Drudge report putting up headlines like the ones shown in the photo above (click on photo to enlarge).

Here are just a few of the articles from black blogs discussing Drudge:

Matt Drudge's disgusting race war awareness campaign...
The Drudge Report, Flash Mobs, and Race...
Matt Drudge Using Urban Beach Weekend to Stoke Racial Flames...
Matt Drudge Targets African-American Youth on Drudge Report
Stewart mocks Drudge's "race baiting" story on school bus fight ...

I'm beginning to wonder what the real story is here. The Drudge connection is nothing to be proud of, all it does is cloud our local issue.

NAACP statement speaking out against inequity in education

The NAACP has a long history of standing up and speaking out against inequity, particularly where education is at issue. Here, we are trying to raise the profile of an issue whose constituents are too young to fight alone. Rather than pitting parent against parent or student against student, we need to get to the heart of these issue and correct the unfairness and comply with the law.
- Kim Keenan is the General Counsel of the NAACP -

NAACP on charter schools: Separate and unequal is still wrong

Since 1909, the NAACP has worked with parents, educators, and administrators to ensure a better education for all children. Whether it is suing New Jersey to force them to provide quality, equitable education to its students or supporting the firing of teachers at a consistently failing school in Rhode Island, we have always fought, and will always fight, for the rights of children.

The lawsuit we filed against the New York City Department of Education a direct response to the New York City Department of Education's failure to comply with state law or the court orders issued from our successful lawsuit from last year.

Our goal, consistent with New York law, is to require the city to:
(1) notify and involve parents before shutting down their neighborhood public schools;
(2) create, fund, and implement plans to improve low performing schools; and
(3) ensure that where charter and public schools share the same space, it is done so equitably.

The NAACP is not faulting charter schools or their operators, but rather, a system that has failed to serve all of the children.

The NAACP supports parent choice and all efforts to improve educational opportunity for children. We are not trying to close charter schools. Our goal is that every child will have the opportunity to attend the school of their choice this fall in a manner that is fair and equitable to all students.More

Related article: Backlash: Are These End Times for Charter Schools?

All available cars, respond immediately - white lady down - isle three...

Earlier today, The Peoria Chronicle posted this "Peorians living in fear on the East Bluff". It's an eye witness account of racially tinged mob activity near the home of Paul Wilkinson, who is the President of the Altamont Park Neighborhood Association.

Shortly thereafter, The Peoria Anti-Pundit 2.0 posted this "War Zone?". This post pushes the racial aspect a step further and calls on City Leaders and the NAACP to step up and do something. Reading those two blogs and subsequent comments, brings me to this...

Not to take away from the seriousness of what happened in Paul Wilkinson's neighborhood or the frustration that the Anti-Pundit and others are feeling...

I agree that the problems come off the streets and into the schools. Societal ills are definitely permeating our classrooms.

Schools are limited in how they can deal with students. They can only discipline so much and discipline can get to be expensive.

These people shooting, killing and robbing are the same people who have children in our primary and middle and high schools. Some of them attend our middle and high schools right along with students who want an education.

A call to City leaders to deal with these trouble makers is fair. They certainly have more leeway to intervene.

Black on black crime is rampant (and that’s an understatement). Although, a break down along racial lines would be unfortunate, perhaps it’s good that white folks are getting completely fed up—maybe now some body will pay attention.

Parents must take a leadership role in a school turnaround program

What do you think is the appropriate way to structure parental and community involvement in a school turnaround program? Is it a meaningful role if parents just choose from the administration's preferred turnaround models?

Parents in low-income communities have seen “reform” after “reform” imposed on our schools, with little success. But it is wrong to assume that we—our students, our teachers, our communities—are the problem. Instead, we should be viewed as partners in reform. What is Peoria’s/District 150's plan to bring us to the table?
Recently Empowering Parents held the first annual dinner at Glen Oak School to honor parent volunteers. The District 150 website teases that "this year-end event to celebrate parental involvement, ...will also serve as the launch for the Empowering Parents organization’s “Million Parent Wake-up Challenge.”

While this organization (who I am assuming was hired by District 150) certainly gives good information to empower parents to take back their homes, it falls short of giving parents the information needed to take back their schools and to advocate for their children when the programming is not sufficient for their child, or when schools fail to do their jobs.

One way that the District is allowing parents to get involved, is the Peoria Council for Continuous Improvement ("PCCI"). Throughout the summer, parents will be selected to add up to six more members to the Council. According to the District 150 website:

"the PCCI will focus on changes that impact the individual school (Peoria High School) as well as systemic issues that impact the entire district. It will identify areas where learning from the School Improvement Grant schools can be shared across the school system. PCCI will also help identify ways for the district to sustain changes beyond the term of the intervention. The Consortium for Educational Change will facilitate efforts to link the work of the PCCI with school Universal Leadership Teams to expand the learning across the system beyond schools targeted for intensive interventions."

Parents run the risk of being disenfranchised, when they don't seek ways to be involved proactively.

The Elements of Sustainable School Transformation:Families, students, communities and school staff, must play a meaningful role in designing and implementing a school transformation plan. The process of planning and implementing a school transformation is a key element in its success. The process of designing and guiding reform:

A school-based team of parents, educators, students (in high schools) and community representatives—the School Transformation Team—should be selected to undertake the development of a transformation plan. This team should be allowed a full school year to assess the school’s needs and challenges, and to develop a plan to meet them; The team’s assessment of school strengths and weaknesses should look specifically, for example, at such factors as:

o teacher-student ratio;
o teaching quality, the presence of experienced and effective teachers and conditions for quality teaching;
o feeder school programs and shortcomings that impact performance at the target school;
o how data is used to identify instructional strengths and weaknesses as well as student support needs;
o measures of school climate and discipline issues;
o the availability of wrap-around supports for students;
o measures of parent engagement.

A review of external obstacles that create barriers to school success should also be conducted. These might include district human resources or other structures that don’t work effectively to support schools; contractual agreements; inequitable state or district funding formulas; community characteristics, and more; A team of outside experts—like the State’s School Quality Review Team—should conduct a separate assessment of the school, and meet with the School Transformation Team to share and compare findings; Together, the school-based and state or district team should identify partnerships, agreements and structures that are needed in order to support a reform plan; The state and/or district should facilitate this process, and support it, making sure that the plan is accountable and fully resourced.

Most of the time, parents, teachers and even students know what the problems are in a school, and may have ideas for how to overcome them. And, when improvement plans are imposed on a school, rather than developed with the school community at the table, even the most dedicated teachers and parents may resist change—because they haven’t been involved or respected enough to help create the plan.Source

When being a loyal manservant for thirty years pays off

He spent 30 years sleeping on the floor by his master’s bed, and now he’s a multimillionaire. But the widow of deceased Lord Glenconner wants Kent Adonai to give back the generous inheritance that Glenconner left him in his will.

According to London tabloid The Daily Mail, distressed Lady Anne Glenconner said she hoped that Kent Adonai, 48, ‘would do the right thing’.

“Kent was beloved by my husband but so were we all,” said Lady Anne. “I was married to him for 55 years.”

But even though she was married to Lord Glenconner, it was Kent who waited on Glenconner hand and foot, and even slept on the floor by his bed for 30 years.

Lord Glenconner, who was dying of cancer, changed his will seven months before his death. Instead of leaving his fortune to his 17-year-old grandson, Cody — as was originally intended — he left the bulk of his entire estate to his loyal manservant.


Lady Anne, who was a close friend of Princess Margaret, said it came as a “surprise” to her that her husband left the multi-million pound estate on the Caribbean island of St Lucia to Mr Adonai.

The property bequeathed to Kent includes his beachside house between the Pitons in St Lucia, all its contents and a valley overlooking the Caribbean. Kent already cleared out the main house and now plans to auction off all the antique furniture.

Lady Anne told the Mail columnist Richard Kay that she looked at challenging the will, which would be possible in the United States. But under St Lucian law there is no possibility of that.

Read entire story here...

Children must have shelter and nourishment to thrive

My children and I have been living in the desert. Although we are desperate to find shelter, nourishment and piece of mind, we don’t want to settle on just any shelter. We seek a shelter that has shade that will nourish and allow us to continue to grow.

Life is difficult on the desert, we are constantly on the outlook for a better shelter. We are on a journey that will last over a decade and we found out the hard way, that nothing is perfect on the desert.

We will travel far to find the needed shelter; always looking out on the horizon for “it".

We sought shelter one year nearby it was empty, an oasis. The next year another shelter a little further away, again, the shade was not sufficient - the nourishment was not there. The children suffered from failure to thrive.

The next year shelter and nourishment was brought from the far side of the desert, specifically for the children and parents who were in the desert searching.

It was slow at first and the days were long, but then we saw "it", the desert children were beginning to grow and learn. There was nourishment on this oasis and the children found they wanted to put down roots. They began to seek nourishment - they wanted "it" - they were thriving!

The children didn’t care that the shade came from the far side of the desert and neither did the parents. Actually, they didn’t know if they should care, because all they could see was that the children had sufficient shelter and they were being nourished - they were thriving.

What more is there?

Just take all of the failing schools and put them in their own district - over there

Worst of Detroit schools to be moved to new system

The worst of Detroit's schools will be pulled out of the district — which the nation's top education official calls the "bottom of the barrel" — and placed in a new system that gives principals and staff more control over spending, hiring and improvement efforts, state officials announced Monday.

The overhaul is meant to help address problems in a debt-plagued district where nearly one in five students drops out. While the Detroit Public Schools has had a state-appointed emergency financial manager for two years, the current one said there's only so much that can be done without more radical change.

"The system is broke and I can't fix it, and you can't fix it," Roy Roberts said at a news conference where he and the governor announced the plan.

As many as 45 schools could be moved to the new system in the fall of 2012. Principals will be in charge of hiring teachers, and they and their staffs will handle day-to-day operations.

The new system won't have a central administration, and after the Detroit school board gave Roberts' predecessor problems, it won't have one of those either. Instead, oversight will come from a public-private authority with an executive committee chaired by Roberts. With layers of management cut out, Republican Gov. Rick Snyder said he expects more money to flow directly into the schools.

Eastern Michigan University is partnering with Detroit on the plan and will train teachers hired at the new system's schools.

If the plan works, it could be expanded to other troubled districts in Michigan.

Detroit students consistently score well below state averages on standardized tests, and thousands have fled to suburban schools and charters inside and outside the city. The district's enrollment has dropped from 104,000 in 2007 to 74,000 this year and is projected to bottom out at 56,000. And, with a $327 million budget deficit, improvement has been slow.

Keith Johnson, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, said he spoke with Roberts about the new plan Sunday, and it appears Roberts and Snyder are willing to work with the union to get this done.

"The concept we can't argue with," he said. "We have to accept the fact that we have to narrow the achievement gap."

Schools in the new system will have longer school days and longer academic years. The plan's promise of stepped up academics and stronger teachers should appeal to parents, said Sharlonda Buckman, executive director of the Detroit Parent Network, which works with Detroit schools to improve parent involvement.

"We've seen many plans before," Buckman said. "What makes the school is not necessarily the system. It is the high-quality teachers. It is the high-quality leaders, and it is highly involved parents across the city to take ownership of their children — and maybe even a few more — that makes great schools."

Meanwhile, more than 20 of Detroit's 141 public schools are slated to close in the next two years to save money as enrollment drops. Roberts said he hopes to sell bonds to reduce much of the district's current debt and then pay those off over time.

Snyder also announced Monday the creation of a program to raise money to help Detroit students attend college. It would be modeled after the anonymously funded Kalamazoo Promise program, which provides scholarships for that city's residents to attend state universities and community colleges.

Confirmed - PHS receives $6 million federal grant

Rumors popped up last week on the blogs and today it is confirmed - District 150 has obtained a $6 million dollar federal grant ($2 million each year for three years). The District has already begun preparations to receive the grant, by moving forward with the replacement of Principal Randy Simmons and reforming the school through curriculum changes, professional development and extended learning time for students.

District 150 did not apply for the 1003 School Improvement Grant in 2010 for Peoria High School, the same grant that Manual High School was awarded in the fall. After they opted to keep Randy Simmons in place, many dubbed him the "Six Million Dollar Man" and questioned if he was worth the sacrifice of federal dollars.

The grant will pay for many changes, including providing a central office "turnaround manager" to oversee the grant's use and impact and a "formative assessment specialist," which means more student data and assessments.

Illinois (Quinn) passes sweeping education reforms

TODAY Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed into law a sweeping measure that has the potential to significantly reshape the teaching profession by linking educators' tenure, hiring, and job security to performance, rather than to seniority.

These reforms represent unprecedented statewide agreement on issues that have gone unresolved across the nation. The reforms are expected to improve education in Illinois through enhanced accountability and training for teachers, administrators and school board members.

Teachers would be required to receive strong performance reviews through the evaluation system. Teachers who achieve the highest marks can receive accelerated tenure; the law will also make it easier for teachers to transfer their tenure status to a new district, if they move.

It establishes clear standards for teacher evaluations and prioritizes performance evaluations above tenure for decisions on teacher hiring and dismissal (i.e., the law makes it easier to remove an educator from the classroom for continuously poor performance).

The law also gives local school boards much greater authority in dismissing teachers for poor conduct, and for performance. It also requires newly elected school board members to undergo "professional development leadership training" in areas including education, labor law, financial oversight (i.e. more travel requests for school board members)

The law requires regularly administered surveys of classroom conditions (i.e, solidifies the creation of the niche market for school climate control surveys and climate control officers).

In addition, the law seeks to make the collective bargaining process more transparent, by requiring that both sides' last, best offers be published. Source

Do you have good memories of your school years?

It concerns me that the all the talk around the blogs about school climate officers is that of negativity. It's surprising, because many of these same people who speak negatively about it, are educators who should be touting the benefits of Climate Officers.

In these days of school reform, the climate of the school is looked at as one of the major factors in the success of students and subsequently the school. A good school climate is one that has a culture of engaging students, teachers and parents alike. Studies show that the control of the school climate is too important and belongs in the hands of the turn around agent to set the standards that schools will be run in the best interest of ALL students, teachers and parents that particular school serves. From the National School Climate Center...

What is School Climate and Why is it Important?
We can all remember childhood moments when we felt particularly safe (or unsafe) in school, when we felt particularly connected to a caring adult (or frighteningly alone), when we felt particularly engaged in meaningful learning (or not). These are the school memories that we all tend to vividly remember: good and/or bad. It is not surprising that these kinds of experiences shape learning and development.

However, school climate is larger than any one person's experience. When people work together, a group process emerges that is bigger that any one person's actions. A comprehensive assessment of school climate includes major spheres of school life such as safety, relationships, teaching and learning, and the environment as well as larger organizational patterns (e.g. from fragmented to shared; healthy or unhealthy). How we feel about being in school and these larger group trends shape learning and student development. Peer-reviewed educational research has consistently demonstrated that a positive school climate is associated with academic achievement, effective risk prevention efforts and positive youth development.

How do we define School Climate?
School climate refers to the quality and character of school life. School climate is based on patterns of students', parents' and school personnel's experience of school life and reflects norms, goals, values, interpersonal relationships, teaching and learning practices, and organizational structures.

A sustainable, positive school climate fosters youth development and learning necessary for a productive, contributing and satisfying life in a democratic society.

This climate includes: Norms, values and expectations that support people feeling socially, emotionally and physically safe;

People are engaged and respected;

Students, families and educators work together to develop, live and contribute to a shared school vision;

Educators model and nurture attitudes that emphasize the benefits and satisfaction gained from learning; and

Each person contributes to the operations of the school and the care of the physical environment.

Key School Climate Dimensions:
There is not a national consensus about what school climate dimensions are essential to assess. Synthesizing past school climate research as well as NSCC’s research efforts, the National School Climate Council and NSCC suggest that there are four major areas that school climate assessment needs to include: Safety, Relationships, Teaching and Learning and the external environment. Each of these areas includes a series of sub scales of indicators. To learn about these sub scales and indicators, click here.

School Board reviewing travel request violations

In April School Board members Martha Ross and Lynn Costic attended the National School Board Association annual conference, which was held at the Hilton San Fransisco, Union Square.

Controversy abounds, since the money came from the Education Fund before being approved by the full Board. Now the question is should Costic and Ross have to pay the $5,000 in travel expenses back to the District (i.e. taxpayer)?

Would the public be wrong in assuming that Ross should have known better, given that she has been on the Board continuously for what the pjstar terms "nearly a decade"? Shouldn't she be a wonderful mentor for the recently appointed Costic to learn from?

I must admit, it is somewhat surprising that after being on the Board for so long, that this makes Ross appear that she does not know the ins and outs of School Board Policy. Surely, they go over these type of things in School Board Training - right?

Does this decision mean that they will also review the recent approval by the Board to allow Butler and Wolfmeyer to travel to DC? Most believe they should have not been able to vote for their own travel request and should have abstained. I believe the vote should be revisited.

District 150 board will review travel policy after violation.
The Peoria District 150 School Board will review procedures this summer after technically violating its own travel policy earlier this year.

In April, board members Martha Ross and M. Lynne Costic went to the National School Board Association's annual conference in San Francisco without the travel request going to the board for approval.

The district made the travel arrangements, but other board members did not learn about the travel until about a week prior.

Ross, who has been on the School Board nearly a decade, maintained she believed the board did not need to vote on board travel that was specifically for School Board training, saying Tuesday that "normally, board travel never had to before."

Costic, who joined the board in January, said she was not aware of the policy.

School Board policy notes "board members should seek pre-approval of expenses, except in situations when the expense is diminutive."

Also, when nearly all the School Board traveled to Chicago in November for annual conference of the Illinois Association of School Boards, the board voted on the travel request.

The cost of the trip to California for Ross and Costic was about $5,000.

The technicality resurfaced last month with a travel request. Board President Debbie Wolfmeyer and board Vice President Linda Butler brought to the board a request that they and Superintendent Grenita Lathan go to Washington, D.C., at the invitation of U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria.

That travel request, at a cost of about $7,500 for all three, barely passed, by a 4-3 vote. Ross, Jim Stowell and Laura Petelle voted no.

Ross said she voted against the Washington, D.C., travel because she didn't see it as an instructional benefit for a School Board member. "I didn't necessarily see it as board training," Ross said, but added, "I'm sure it is educational to some degree."

Stowell said he didn't believe the money should come from the Education Fund and that another funding source should have been sought.

"rare to find a whistleblower that is above reproach"

Julie McArdle case against District 150 thrown out.

Julie McArdle has GOT to be exhausted. It is not easy bringing a case like hers and there is no doubt that emotionally she and her family must be drained (plus they got those darn legal fees to pay). I had heard consistently that Julie did not "blow the whistle" until they made the decision to terminate her. After hearing all the evidence, Judge Mihm confirms that fact.

The Ken Hinton and Thomas Broderick allegations fell flat, but Mary Davis is still on the hook for the activity fund improprieties. Rumor on the blog is that Mary Davis is allegedly suing District 150 for racial discrimination. I can't see what the basis for that suit would be, sounds frivolous considering Davis seemed to have had a fairly progressive career at the District.

Do taxpayers have the right to want the District to try and recoup all the money they lost on this case from McArdle? What do you think? From pjstar...

Former Lindbergh principal's lawsuit thrown out
Julie McCardle can't sue over firing on whistle-blower basis, federal judge rules
A federal judge this week has thrown out a two-year-old lawsuit brought by the former principal of Lindbergh Middle School, saying District 150 didn't violate her Constitutional rights when they fired her in April 2009.

At issue was whether the act of Julie McArdle, a first-year principal at Lindbergh - blowing the whistle on a former administrator who is now criminally charged with taking money - considered protected speech under the First Amendment.

Senior U.S. District Judge Michael Mihm said no, that McArdle was acting in her capacity as a principal when she learned of alleged misuse of money by her predecessor Mary Davis.

It matters because established federal precedent holds "a public employee is not speaking as a private citizen for First Amendment purposes when the employee makes statements pursuant to their official duties."

In his 15-page order handed down Tuesday, Mihm wrote reviewing accounts and spending at a school is the job of a principal and thus, the speech wasn't protected. Additionally, McArdle reported the allegations only after she was notified that her contract would be terminated a year early.


In her suit, McArdle claims the district retaliated against her and tried to prevent her from telling others about the theft allegations.

Her attorney, Richard Steagall of Peoria, disagreed with the order and indicated his client would likely appeal.

"It's our position that theft of public funds is always an issue of public concern and as such, speech should always be protected," he said, adding McArdle had discovered discrepancies in October 2008 but didn't know what she had until she approached him after being informed of the district's desire to fire her.

Peter Jennetten, the district's attorney, said he was pleased with the decision. Claims against former superintendent Ken Hinton and former human resources director Thomas Broderick were dropped by McArdle after deposed testimony from both made it clear they didn't believe her when she came to them with the allegations, Steagall said.

District 150 School Board President Debbie Wolfmeyer said she was "happy the judge looked at the facts in the case and found that the district handled the situation correctly - and glad that justice fell in favor of the school district."

Former School Board member Mary Spangler also praised the ruling and the decision to fire McArdle, noting the district was closing two primary schools at the time and there were "extra" principals, "We didn't know anything about any of that stuff, until afterwards."

The "stuff" Spangler referred to was the allegations Davis took money several times between 2005 and 2007 while principal at Charles Lindbergh Middle School. Davis, 52, of Dunlap has since been indicted on 16 felony counts of official misconduct and theft.

Her case is set for trial later this summer. She faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

While Lindbergh's principal, Davis allegedly made credit card purchases, many not appearing to be school-related, on a Sam's Club Discover credit card carrying Lindbergh school's name. Among other allegations is a $4,002.05 payment transferred from the school's activity fund to the Discover card used by Davis.

Is this the life of the "Bad A** Kids?

I was reading this article entitled African American Families take a chance on charter schools. One of the commenters on that story made a few very good points:

"...charter schools only aim to educate a fraction of students NOT all students. They should only be a complimentary aspect of educational reform. Read my post on 'bad ass kids' (reposted below).

The language is crass but the public educational system in major cities is disproportionately poor and minority. With that being said, there are large numbers of students with severe emotional issues, learning disabilities and language barriers. For the past decade, out of all the charter schools created in NYC under Bloomberg, not a single one had ESL programs or special education options."

Bad A** Kids
This is the biggest problem with the public education system within our inner cities. Sure there are a myriad of issues we could choose from, including the swelling bureaucracy, outdated curricula and ineffective teachers. However, nothing is tantamount to the prevalence of bad a** kids. I teach in Brownsville, Brooklyn-the hood. And as we all know, the hood is plagued with bad a** kids.

It is impossible for anything constructive to get done in environments like this. Teacher's can't teach and students can't learn. And it is mostly because of a relatively small, yet significant number of bad a** kids.

Sure there are reasons for why these bad a** kids are so bad, but those of us in the education profession need a better plan on how to deal with these bad a** kids. And therein lies the problem. Nobody wants to deal with these bad a** kids and so these bad a** kids aren't dealt with. Allow me to explain the following scenarios based on everyday occurrences:

In class, lesser bad kids get fed up with bad a** kid, isolates him*. He's no longer being engaged, so he becomes embarrassed, angry and therefore continues being bad.

Bad a** kid is monopolizing the teacher's time, get kicks out of the classroom and sent to the Dean. He's back in five minutes and surprisingly, starts back acting bad.

The Dean sees bad a** kid three-five times in a school week. Between the paperwork and dozens of other bad a** kids being sent to the office, there is not much that can be done other than just yell at the bad a** kid for a minute or two. After the hood version of a pep talk, the Dean desperately wants to get the kid away from his sight. Wanna bet the bad a** kid is still bad?

Bad a** kid finally does something horrendously bad like kick in the glass of a door or kick a classmate's face in. The Assistant Principal eagerly suspends the bad a** kid. Now he can be bad at home.

After another incident, the school tries to involve the parent (Mother) of the bad a** kid. The Mother is mostly truant, and has not answered most of the phone calls made by faculty involving her bad a** kid. She finally shows up to a meeting to discuss her bad a** kid. She visibly is tired and stressed and quite frankly, would much rather not deal with her bad a** kid.

They make you go to school where nobody wants to deal with you. This is the life of a bad a** kid.

*I decided to use male pronouns for the bad ass kid because most of the bad ass kids are male.

Let the Choice School fight begin

Throughout the District parents are feeling anxious about what schools, what programs, what teachers and/or what principal they will encounter come the 2011-2012 school year.

The tightening of District 150 school boundaries appears to limit the options that parents who are seeking boundary waivers have available. With the institution of the Choice Student Transfer program, waiting lists for schools will be built, while other schools are not even shown as a option. You can see the District 150 Middle School Choice Form and Primary School Choice Form below (click on thumbnails to enlarge).


What if a you find out Washington Gifted is not an option; you aren't lucky enough to win the charter school lottery; your neighborhood school no longer exists; you can’t afford private school; and the choice school available to you, is not the choice you would make for your child? Makes one understand why parents are driven to do what Kelley Williams-Bolar did.

Would it make you feel better to know that parents in other cities are facing the same problems (see article below from the New York Times)? Oh well, try to enjoy your summer vacation anyway and if you are still with District 150 next year, good luck finding a good fit with a school for the 2011-2012 school year.

Parents Fret as Kids Seek 'Gifted' Status

The number of incoming kindergartners who took the test to qualify for gifted programs in New York public schools shot up 13% this year over last, according to data released by the Department of Education Thursday.

There was also a 13% increase in the number of soon-to-be kindergartners who scored in the 90th percentile or above, which guarantees them a seat in a district gifted and talented program, though not necessarily in the school of their choice.

Those scoring at the 97th percentile or above qualify for one of five citywide gifted programs, such as the Anderson School on the Upper West Side and TAG Young Scholars on the Upper East Side, though a spot is not guaranteed.

There was only a slight uptick over last year in kindergartners eligible for those programs.

The city didn't release the results by district, nor by ethnicity. The program is often criticized for not including a diverse group of children, in part because white and upper-class families often have the resources and wherewithal to prepare their children for the tests.

An Education Department spokesman said the city believes it did a better job this year reaching out to more varied types of families.

The scores, released to individual parents this week, sent a ripple of anxiety among some families grappling with figuring out where their children will start school in the fall.

"The amount of work and uncertainty to get into kindergarten has escalated dramatically in the last two years," said Emily Glickman, president of Abacus Guide Educational Consulting, which guides parents through private-school admissions.

Students who don't get into a private school, charter school or a gifted program can't necessarily rely on a spot in the top neighborhood schools, either. Population growth has led to waiting lists at some of the most popular schools—even for children who live in the immediate area.

"I used to say if private school doesn't work out, you can go to your neighborhood school," Ms. Glickman said. "Not any more."

The increase in children scoring in the gifted category in public schools matches a similar increase in kids taking private school tests, according to Ms. Glickman.

She said it's a clear sign of the "test-prep effect."

The arrival of the test scores in inboxes and mailboxes also kicks off a scramble of tours and applications for those who qualify.

"There's a real range of programs" across the city, said Pamela Wheaton, managing editor of Insideshcools.org, an independent website about New York City public schools and part of the Center for New York City Affairs at the New School.

"It's kind of hard for parents. There's a rush now to go look at the programs because not every program is the same," Ms. Wheaton said.

Ms. Wheaton said some parents have their kids take the tests repeatedly, "just to see how their kids are doing on it."

Children going into grades kindergarten through third grade can take the test. Overall, there was a 3% increase in all students taking the test, but the jump was driven primarily by incoming kindergartners.

If you find yourself backed into a corner - you should most definitely come out fighting...

The teacher in the video above could have more than likely taken the big bully down. If at the age of 64, she is capable of throwing a couple of jabs out of a corner, you know darn well she knows the power of a well placed knee.

The teacher may not be prosecuted, but make no mistake, she will be penalized. She will penalize herself. She will have to live with the embarrassing fact that she was pushed past her limits and found herself in this uncomfortable situation after years of service.

Previously voted Teacher of the Year and close to retirement, this art teacher obviously loved what she was doing. A sad situation.

Contesting just for the sake of contesting? Who does that?

A little something to think about...

Doth We Protest Too Much?
Focusing on the negative can become destructive. Is there a little Cornel West in all of us?

It's all about this business of "contesting." And it's about all of us.

One thing we all know is that if Cornel West actually met Barack Obama alone in a room -- and we can be sure this will happen one day, and likely more than once -- he would embrace him and call him brother.

That's what he does with everybody, and I doubt he truly thinks Obama has a "fear of free black men." West was thinking of himself as a prophet, as so many of us encourage him to do. He was telling, thus, a truth that many are uncomfortable with. Except that this time, the truth wasn't true.

Why tell it, then? Because what West was doing was contesting for the sake of it, out of a sense that this is the noble thing for smart, engaged people to do.

You have to watch out for that stuff.

Contesting is good, solid post-Enlightenment behavior to a point. But West was displaying a tic that has spread too far and deep into our society, including into notions of black authenticity. Of course we contest when we think something is wrong. But must we contest just because it's fun?

But how likely is contesting that's that endless -- virtually subconscious -- to be focused enough to help anybody? We are dealing with contesting as commodity, contesting as congealed into attitude.

In 1965, James Forman was trying to set up a protest demonstration in Montgomery, Ala., against what had happened in Selma. James Bevel wasn't with it. "Demonstrate for what?" Bevel asked. He thought they should do a "demonstration" in, well, Selma, not just perform in Montgomery.

We should all ask ourselves that question sometimes. Contest, yes. But contest what? And why? Contesting also happens to just feel good for its own sake, and we waste too much energy when we forget that. Source

NAACP vs. Charter Schools

The N.A.A.C.P. on Friday defended its involvement in a lawsuit to block 20 charter schools from opening in public school buildings this fall, saying it was trying to halt city plans to create what it considered a two-tiered education system. About 50 people, including many Harlem political leaders, staged a rally on Lenox Avenue outside the offices of the Success Charter Network, one of the city’s largest charter school networks.

The rally was meant to counter a rally in front of the State Office Building in Harlem last week. That gathering drew about 2,500 parents and students, who came from charter schools around the city to demand that the N.A.A.C.P. withdraw its support from the lawsuit.

The suit, filed by the city’s teachers’ union, would prevent 20 charter schools from opening and expanding in September inside of traditional public school buildings. The process, known as co-location, allows charter schools to move into public school buildings and share their facilities.

Critics of the N.A.A.C.P. have contended that it was betraying charter school parents — most of whom are black or Hispanic — in order to stand by United Federation of Teachers, a longtime ally.

Read entire article here...

Public Service Message: Bullying hurts and must be stopped

How many of us out there were victims of bullies and told we had to toughen up?

Things are different these days, parents are hiring lawyers and suing school districts, accusing them of letting schoolyard bullies frighten, intimidate and sometimes beat up their children. The uptrend started around 2007, with people and agencies now recognizing bullying as a public-health threat.

Many parents are not aware that Illinois is one of 46 states with an anti-bullying law, which was originally passed in 2007. Illinios has received a grade of A- from watchdog groups for their anti-bullying law. Additionally, Illinois law requires schools to notify parents and engage in intervention procedures when students are bullied. It is incumbent upon parents of bullied children to let schools know that they MUST take bullying seriously. Contact an Illinois injury lawyer if you believe you may have a claim.

Teen girl sues Seattle school, alleges relentless bullying
On May 27, 2011, a 16-year-old girl sued a small, private girls’ school in Seattle, where she said administrators failed to protect her from two years of assaults, Facebook taunts and near-daily name-calling.

The girl, who wanted to be identified by her first name Olivia, said she was initially excited to enroll at the Seattle Girls’ School in 2006, a Central District middle school known for its intimate setting and math and science curriculums.

But soon after she started sixth grade, another girl slapped her at a dance for no apparent reason, the girl said. She told her teacher, but nothing reportedly happened.

Instead, the bullying escalated to frequent name-calling, profane insults on Facebook and ostracism. She said other girls called her “ugly” and “fat pig.” They arranged “secret meetings” in the bathroom to talk about her, while she overheard them in a stall and cried.

“Eacy day was like a war zone,” said the girl’s complaint, filed Thursday in King County Superior Court. “She was subjected to things being thrown at her head and face.”

She began to dread going to her locker, where another girl with the locker above hers regularly abused her. ‘I felt like I was suffocating’

“She would stand above me and shove my head down,” said the girl, a slight, soft-spoken teen with braces. “I felt like I was suffocating.”

But when she reported the incidents to her teachers and an advisor, she said little happened. She said they assured her that they would deal with the bullies – a group of about 10 girls – but the taunts never really stopped. She said none of the girls were suspended or expelled.

Instead, the advisor reportedly told the girl to talk to her bullies and said every grade seemed to single out a victim for bullying each year.

“Sadly, that was me,” the girl said. “She said I was going to have to man up and deal with it. It was sort of like an unavoidable thing I was going to be bullied.”

On Thursday, the 120-student school – which launched in 2000 with a Bill Melinda Gates Foundation grant – responded with a statement about its anti-bullying efforts.

But it made no mention of the complaint or the girl, now in high school.

“We take the issue of bullying, relational aggression and cyber bullying very seriously,” the statement said.

“The commitment to our students who are entrusted to us is to equip them with the necessary tools and self confidence to combat issues of bullying.”

The girl said the school’s response included a circle group for her and her abusers, in which each girl was supposed to say if they had ever gossiped about anyone.

“They had these vague, kumbaya meetings with the girls,” said the girl’s attorney, Yvonne Kinoshita Ward. “That kumbaya stuff isn’t going to work when it’s vicious bullying and assault. You need swift, clear, consistent actions.”

The abuse culminated in eighth grade in 2009, in which the girl said the locker bully kicked her hard in the back and whispered, “That hurt, didn’t it.” The victim’s mother then pulled her daughter out of school.

The mother surmised that the school – which she said charged about $15,000 in tuition when her daughter was there – tolerated the mean girls, because it didn’t want to jeopardize funding from their parents.

“They’re dependent on the tuition and their reputation in the community, so rich donors (are) giving them money,” said the mother, who didn’t want her name used, in order to protect her daughter’s identity.

She said the pain still lingered. Her daughter, once friendly and active in ballet, is now withdrawn and distrustful. She’s been diagnosed with depression, anxiety and anoxeria. Her back still hurts.

“I used to be lot more outgoing,” she said. “I’m not that person any more.”

Aaliyah Burnett to audition for "The Event" in Orlando, Florida

In December, Peorian Aaliyah Burnett was chosen through a local audition to go to Orlando, FL the week of December 16th, to audition for "The Event".

At this gathering she will have the opportunity to audition before production agents and assistants for Disney, Nickelodeon and a host of other entertainment industry professionals seeking new talent for existing and upcoming projects. She will also be competing for cash prizes, but the recognition and opportunities that she will gain are the key to potentially open the door to her future.

To add some context to this, Aaliyah, who has been a student at Roosevelt Magnet (which is a Fine Arts school here in Peoria) pursued this competition on her own. She obtained the phone number, called the people herself and turned it over to her parents, Pastor Harvey and Geraldine Burnett.

The agent who auditioned her locally is also a manager and producer of some top young talent in the industry. She said that Aaliyah had some unique abilities and opportunities ahead of her and was looking forward to working with her in a greater way.

There is an expense and Aaliyah's family is trying to raise about $5,000 for the trip, registration fees and additional expenditures associated with travel, training and preparation for The Event.

Check out Aaliyah's website here to learn more about Aaliyah and find out how you may be able to help. Good luck Aaliyah!

Did your lest favored tenured teacher retire this year?

According to the PPS website, 134 employees have retired. Apparently most of the retirements took effect this month, with some from throughout the last school year. 37 of the positions were teachers. I personally find it interesting that one tenured teacher I know that should have been out on her arse YEARS AGO is not on the list. Other names I don't see on the list -Principals Stockman and Wood.

Hopefully, some of the younger, experienced teachers who were pink slipped will get the call back sooner rather than later (i.e., before they find other jobs). The list (click on image to enlarge)...

What happened when a school district in Arizona tried to stop FOIAs

Anybody wanna bet that District 150 hasn't looked into this already?

In January 2010, the school district filed a lawsuit against four residents to prevent them from requesting public records, suing the district or complaining to outside agencies about the district.

The lawsuit alleged that Jean Warren, Jennifer Renee Hoge, Cyndi Regis and Barbara Rejon harassed the operation of the district by repeatedly submitting public records requests.

Congress School District loses court appeal

The Arizona Court of Appeals unanimously denied the Congress School District's appeal of a Yavapai County Superior Court decision regarding access to public records.

On April 5, following oral arguments, Superior Court Judge David L. Mackey threw out the lawsuit against the four women. Mackey ruled that requesting public records does not amount to a public nuisance, which generally applies to an "interference with the use and enjoyment of the plaintiff's land." He also said the women did not harass the district.

Mackey added that to grant the school district's request to forbid the women from requesting public records documents without the permission of a third party would require rewriting Arizona's Public Record law.

The Congress School District appealed Mackey's ruling to dismiss the case.

In its ruling, the Court of Appeals stated...

"The core purpose of our public records law is to give the public access to official records and other government information so that (it) may monitor the performance of government officials and their employees."

Court of Appeals Judge Sheldon Weisberg affirmed "the Superior Court's ruling that the district failed to show a public interest sufficient to overcome the presumption favoring disclosure of public records. Accordingly, we also affirm dismissal of the district's complaint."

Independent government watchdog group The Goldwater Institute represented Warren, Rejon, Regis and Hoge in this case through its Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation.

"This is the second court to tell the Congress School District that it has no case," said Clint Bolick, the Goldwater Institute's litigation director. "Hopefully, district officials will stop trying to silence these women and instead will start following the law."

The four women have sought records during the past 10 years ranging from school board meeting minutes and agendas to their own children's school records.

Warren said, "This is a great day for people who have children in school and are taxpayers. This has returned my faith in the justice system. The only thing better would be for the court to order personal fines for each board member."

A call to the school district's attorney about the district's next course of action was not returned by press time. Source