In Robbinsdale, Minnesota, a school bus driver for the Metropolitan Transportation Network saw something by the side of the road. He stopped the bus and asked a 7th-grader to see what it was. It turned out to be a gun, so the driver told the student tobring it to him and continued with his route. When he arrived at school, he told his supervisors about the incident and said he’d take the gun to the MTN central office. School officials sent a letter home with students telling parents what had happened and urging them to discuss the situation with their children.
Tag Archives for public education
Teachers Flock to Northwestern University for ‘Marxist Conference’
This Saturday, the Midwest Marxist Conference was held at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. The event was teeming with teachers who spoke about the new found bond between the radical socialists and their Teachers Union. The all-day event, which collected money to support Chicago Socialists and featured a communist bookstore, provided students on-campus along with the radical left community to plan the next phase in their activism.
Becca Barnes, a Chicago Teachers Union teacher and organizer with Chicago Socialists, proclaimed at the beginning of the conference that “the struggle here in the United States has entered a new phase. Nowhere have we pointed the way forward more clearly than here in Chicago with the teachers union strike.”
After the opening plenary, breakout sessions addressed more specific topics like the history of the Democratic party, education, and case studies in Russia. In these sessions, speakers continued to celebrate the use of education as a mechanism to insert Marxism into public institutions. In one session, the idea of targeting their message to students, even over “the working class,” was debated.
British School Won’t Allow Boy to Grow Movember Moustache
A school in Britain has banned a 13-year-old boy from taking part in Movember because it’s not an “inclusive” activity.
Gus Hooker has been shaving since he was nine and wanted to raise some money for Prostate Cancer UK by joining men (and boys) around the world growing facial hair for Movember, the BBC reports.
But a moustache would stand out among the boys and girls at the Priory Academy. It wouldn’t be something all students, regardless of age or gender, would be able to participate in, the school said in a statement to the news organization.
“In a coeducational school with young children, growing facial hair would not be an activity that many children would be able to join in with,” the statement said.
“Whilst the school dress code does not explicitly mention facial hair, it does mention unusual hair styles and colouring that are contrary to a smart uniform appearance.”
According to the report, Hooker wanted to take part in Movember because his grandfather recently beat cancer.
A Victory Against Educrats
Still, I don’t know why he doesn’t homeschool his kid(s)…
A Vermont judge has denied an attempt by the Addison Rutland school system to refuse to turn over documents requested by Marcel Cyr under the state’s open records law. Cyr, the parent of a student in the system and a frequent critic of the schools, had filed a request for a letter from a mental health professional that the school relied on to issue a “no trespassing” order against him. Cyr says the order was issued because of his criticism, not because he has threatened anyone.
Welsh Children Punished For Not Speaking Welsh
One mother was told not to read English books to her child at bedtime while another pupil, aged six, was too frightened to speak the language at home in case he got into trouble, it is claimed.
The Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Keith Towler, said he would look into the claims after he was contacted by a group of concerned parents in an email outlining the incidents at schools in Ceredigion – a bastion of Welsh language.
Source: Telegraph. Read full article. (link)
Spit It Out
Alex Kindopp says a teacher at Iowa’s Shenandoah Elementary School had students spit on her 9-year-old son after he stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry at another student. Superintendent Jeff Hiser told local media he could not comment on the claim since it involves a personnel matter, but he said the teacher has been placed on leave.
Screw Charity; The Rules Must Be Obeyed!
In Ohio, Canton South High School officials have given Zachery Aufderheide two days of in-school suspension for refusing to cut his hair. Zach is growing his hair out to donate to Locks for Love, the second time he’ll make such a donation. But offiicals say he’s in violation of the dress code, which says male students can’t have hair below the shirt collar.
12-Year-Old Girl Punished for Hugging Classmate
A MOTHER in Western Australia is demanding an apology from her kids’ school after her 12-year-old daughter was given a detention for hugging a classmate.
Heidi Rome’s daughter Amber was punished at the Adam Road Primary School in Bunbury, south of Perth, for giving her friend a quick hug after the school bell rang.
Apparently that violated the school’s no-hugging policy, a “blanket rule” which was brought in last year.
(H/T: Invisible Furry Hand)
Source: News.com.au. Read full article. (link)
Concealed Weapon
In Newton County, Georgia, 8-year-old Andrew Berry found he’d accidentally brought an unloaded BB gun to school in his backpack. So he immediately told his third-grade teacher. Bad move. The teacher told the principal, who suspended Berry for 10 days and filed a police report.
San Antonio Schools Tracking Students With RFID Chips
Privacy’s last stand is taking place not far from The Alamo in Texas right now, to hear some people tell it. Two schools in San Antonio have begun tracking students using radio-enabled computer chips embedded in their ID cards, allowing administrators to know the precise whereabouts of their charges on campus — be it in class, in the bathroom, in a stairwell or AWOL — all while sitting at a computer.
The stated purpose of the so-called RFID ID cards is simple: Because state aid is based on attendance, and the chips help schools count kids, tracking equals funding. The district also says the technology makes kids safer.
Source: NBC News. Read full article. (link)
Valuable Lesson
Samantha Pawlucy, 16, says her geometry teacher ordered her out of the classroom when she saw the girl had worn a Romney-Ryan t-shirt to school on dress down day. Pawlucy said the teacher compared the t-shirt to a Ku Klux Klan shirt. The principal of that Philadelphia high school later read an apology from the teacher to students and said the teacher’s remarks were meant to be “light and humorous.” Pawlucy’s parents say they are pulling all of their children out of the school.
Minnesota Schools Close So Teachers Can Play with Dolls, Learn About Teaching Islam
Each year, Minnesota government schools close for two days (just before the weekend, of course) so teachers’ union members can gather at a conference organized by their union.
It’s meant to “inspire teachers,” EAGnews.org reported, and the conference includes a session titled, “Using Persona Dolls to Promote Social Emotional Intelligence and Acceptance of Diversity.”
The union describes it this way: “Used around the world, persona dolls are lifelike dolls with personalities and stories you create. The dolls become members of your classroom community and children learn by empathizing with the dolls and giving them heartfelt advice on the same kinds of situations they struggle with daily in the classroom and on the playground.”
That’s weird. Teachers are taking time away from the classroom to learn how to play with dolls?
The conference also includes a workshop on how to teach about Islam. The union says about the session:
“An expert panel will present information on teaching about Islam in the context of social studies and world religion. They will share perspectives on how educators can help improve intercultural communication and well-being for immigrant and refugee students and families from Muslim countries.”
That sounds nice. Who’s betting they won’t hear anything about the September 11, 2001 hijackers’ jihad or suicide bombers blowing up American soldiers or Israeli children? And why the focus on only one religion?
Teacher Arrested for Allegedly Possessing ‘Date Rape’ Drug
MONTREAL – Police arrested a high school math teacher last week for allegedly possessing $250,000 of GHB in his home, a narcotic commonly referred to as the “date rape” drug.
Police said they investigated Michel Vincent, 37, for a few weeks before they arrested him on Oct. 12. Police said they found 55 litres of the drug in his home, an amount that represented about 50,000 doses.
Vincent teaches at Andre-Laurendeau high school in Longueuil, Q.C., on Montreal’s south shore.
GHB is often sold as a clear liquid. The drug depresses the central nervous system, according to Health Canada. The health agency says that GHB is particularly dangerous because its effects on the body are unpredictable and “the amount that produces the desired pleasurable effects is close to the amount that can cause an overdose.”
Health Canada says the drug lowers people’s inhibitions and can make people feel relaxed, euphoric, sedated and sleepy. “Its sedative effects have been used to prevent victims from resisting sexual assault. For this reason, it can be referred to as a ‘date rape’ drug,” Health Canada warns on its website.
The spokeswoman for the school board that employs Vincent said he was suspended pending the police investigation.
“When the conclusions of the investigation are known, then (the school board) will take the necessary measures against this person,” Catherine Giroux told QMI Agency.
Vincent is expected to appear in court on Monday for a bail hearing.
Entire School Dismisses to Attend Obama Rally
More than 250 teachers and students of a public charter middle school in Rhode Island spent Thursday at a political rally for President Obama – leading some Republicans to wonder why the kids weren’t taken to a Mitt Romney rally, too.
The Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy rented coach buses as well as school buses to travel more than two hours to New Hampshire where the president addressed his supporters on Thursday.
“Whether you are a supporter of President Obama or not, the opportunity to hear the President of the United States speak in person is truly an extraordinary one,” Head of School Joy Souza told the Providence Journal.
At least one teacher was left behind at the academy to supervise around 20 students who chose not to attend. They also had to do class work related to the presidential campaign and American politics. It’s unclear what education activities the students at the Obama rally were required to perform.
The school has not en masse attended a Mitt Romney political campaign, sources at the school told Fox News.
Homeschool your kids!
Schoolkids Suspended for Looking at Topless Pictures of Teacher
Even though it was she who accidentally sent them.
A RANDY schoolteacher accidentally sent photos of her naked breasts to her pupils — and the children were SUSPENDED for looking at them.
The class had been playing with a school iPad during a lesson when the topless pictures popped up on the screen.
The teacher’s iPhone is believed to have accidentally synched with the tablet device — and transferred all her naughty private snaps.
(h/t to commenter Brett L)
Source: The Sun. Read full article. (link)
Another reason to homeschool; after all, no kids want to see their own mom topless, and few moms are likely to do something as stupid; motherhood tends to mature women, make them grow up… (And if it happens, well, ew, it’s mom, gross, not titillating, send that to dad, not us!)
High School Student Sues Over Orangutan Video Allegedly Made By Girls’ Basketball Coach
Yet another reason to homeschool…
A high school girl’s basketball coach made a video that superimposed an orangutan’s face over a black player’s face, with monkey sounds, and showed the video to her class, the student claims in court.
Cloe Lane’s father Fred Lane sued Blue Springs School District on behalf of his daughter, in Federal Court. The school district is the only defendant, though the coach and others are identified in the complaint.
Source: Courthouse News. Read full article. (link)
Teacher Cuts Student’s Hair
Jessica Stirewalt says she got a call from her daughter Jesslyn’s assistant teacher telling she’d cut the girl’s hair because Jesslyn had gotten food in it. The Rowan County, North Carolina, mother wasn’t pleased. She was less pleased when Jesslyn, who is 7 and has Down syndrome, got home. Stirewalt found that about eight inches of her hair had been cut. Stirewalt says she also got a letter from the teacher saying they cut the girl’s hair because she would not stop taking it down.
Another reason to homeschool…
Kid Suspended from School After Mom Packs Kombucha in His Lunchbox
A school in Newport Beach, California—where you’d think they would know better—suspended an elementary school kid for the beverage his mommy packed in his lunch bag.
It was kombucha, a fermented drink made with tea and sugar that can contain trace amounts of alcohol. The increasingly popular beverage made headlines in 2011 when it (supposedly) causeda false positive on Lindsay Lohan’s court-mandated blood alcohol testing. But the typical drinker isn’t a blond alkie. Kombucha is a home brew favorite with the seitan-and-seaweed set, thanks to the a host of (unverified) health benefits some believe confers. (For the curious: This is what the tea looks like in process. Link is technically SFW, but totally gross.)
The California kid originally got fingered for thecontainerhis mom packed the tea in: a glass bottle protected by a foam sleeve. (Aficionados say the acidic tea shouldn’t be packed in plastic or metal.) But when school officials found out what was inside the verboten receptacle, they freaked out. The kid spent the whole day in the school office. At one point they called in a police officer. The vice principal suggested that the kid may be required to transfer schools and tried to enroll him in alcohol abuse counseling course aimed at teens. Then the infraction was reported to the school district and the kid was suspended for 5 days.
The kid’s mom got wind of what was going on and wound up getting the suspension revoked, but it’s on his record and the school district may yet choose to take action.
It doesn’t matter whether the tea is healthy or not, of course. Nor does it matter if I think it’s a little bit gross. Just as with raw milk, the point it that people should be able to drink what they want—and make choices for their kids—without intervention by the cops, for crying out loud.
And the police should have not gotten involved.
Texas Cheerleaders Fight for Right to Display Bible Banners
Cheerleaders at a Texas high school are fighting for the right to display Bible banners during school football games after their Scriptural signs came under fire from a national atheist organization.
Approximately fifteen cheerleaders from Kountze High School have filed suit against their Houston-area school district, arguing that the district’s decision to stop the use of the banners violated their constitutional right to freedom of speech and religion. District officials say that they were simply following the directives of their attorneys, who advised that the Bible banners amounted to government endorsement of religion.
The decision came after the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation contacted the school district following a single complaint. The organization asserted that Kountze High School had to put a stop to the banners as they allegedly were an infringement of the United States Constitution. In turn, Superintendent Kevin Weldon, a professing Christian, advised the school and the cheerleaders that while he supported their efforts, the Scripture-laden displays would no longer be permitted.
“We just wanted to encourage the boys and the fans in a way that gave honor to God. It wasn’t supposed to be a big deal,” said 17-year-old Rebekah Richardson, who advised that the banners were the idea of the cheerleaders and not school officials.
Hey, if you parents out there are outraged by this: homeschool / privately / parochially educate your kids!
Seriously, though, quite apart from secularist fundamentalists and their ‘stamp out all public expressions of faith’ jihad, why mix sports and faith? I’m sure God doesn’t take sides in sports games; why bother invoking His name at such?
‘Zhe’ & ‘Hir’
Toronto School Board guidelines on gender identity allow for non-masculine/feminine pronouns.
Posters from the TDSB’s safe and positive place campaign.
The Toronto District School Board this week issued a set of guidelines on how schools should accommodate transgendered students — spelling out everything from what washrooms they can use to how teachers should address them.
The stated goal is “to promote the dignity and equality of those whose gender identity and/or gender expression does not conform to traditional social norms,” the TDSB explained, but critics are divided on the anticipated impact.
On the issue of washrooms, the guidelines note that all students have the right to use a bathroom that “best corresponds to the student’s gender identity, regardless of the student’s sex assigned at birth.” Requiring a student to “prove” their gender through a doctor’s letter or identity documents is unacceptable, the board says.
Further, “students who wish to use pronouns other than the masculine or the feminine (such as ‘zhe’ and ‘hir’) need to be accommodated equally,” the guidelines note.
That’s where the board goes too far, said Doretta Wilson, executive director of the provincial education policy think tank Society for Quality Education.
“This has gone beyond ridiculous… We are men and women, whether or not we are transgendered,” Ms. Wilson said. “We identify somehow with one sex or another; we’re not neutered.”
Homeschool / privately school your kids!
