The State newspaper is reporting that the SC for Ed walk-out planned for March 24 has been postponed or canceled, due to concerns about the coronavirus.
On Friday morning reporter Bristow Marchant wrote that the march at the Capitol was "postponed". Well, we'll see. Maybe it was really canceled.
I'm curious how a gang of teachers can get in contact with the CDC and DHEC. What kind of "consultations" did they engage in?
SC for Ed (some unnamed person) was quoted as saying, “While we are committed to advocacy on behalf of our profession, the number one concern is the health and well-being of the students we teach,”
Yeah, sure. It's all for the kids, folks. If you believe that, please call me right away about that bridge in New York City I've been trying to sell.
If it really was "all for the kids", the teachers would be at work and teaching the kids on the day planned for the walk-out.
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Friday, March 13, 2020
SC for Ed walk-out, March 24
At the March 10 Richland 2 School Board meeting there was absolutely ZERO discussion at the Board level about the teacher walk-out planned for March 24.
If you would like to hear what I told the Board about this on March 10 at the board meeting, go to YouTube.com and view the March 10 Board Meeting. Advance the counter to 0:26:17 for my remarks to the Board about the March 24th SC for Ed walk-out.
What will happen in Richland Two on March 24? Will it be like last year? Richland 2 said it wasn't going to close and, then, the day before May 1, 2019, Richland 2 caved. It just could not fill 600 teaching positions that were going to be empty because so many teachers took "personal days".
This year one school district has already caved in. Chester County School District has announced that classes have been canceled for March 24.
Contact your school's Principal AND Supt. Davis to express your opinion. Teachers are under contract to work. That's what they get paid to do.
There is no infringement on their right to express personal opinions to their legislators, and they should do so - on their own time.
Last year the District never reported its loss for that walk-out. Nor did it report on the disruption to families, when students were not allowed to attend school. This forces many parents to take days off or hire baby- or child-sitters.
Tell your child's teacheres to write letter, send email, make telephone calls (after school hours), visit their legislators after school hours, and NOT to discuss their walk-out in the classrooms.
A teacher is allowed a certain number of personal days during the school year. These are for medical and dental appointments, etc. When 600 teachers take the same day as a "personal day", that's a walk-out, a work slowdown, a strike.
The Board should have directed the superintendent to order the teachers to be at work. It didn't. Maybe it's time for a new board. Remember them in November, when three Board positions will be elected.
If you would like to hear what I told the Board about this on March 10 at the board meeting, go to YouTube.com and view the March 10 Board Meeting. Advance the counter to 0:26:17 for my remarks to the Board about the March 24th SC for Ed walk-out.
What will happen in Richland Two on March 24? Will it be like last year? Richland 2 said it wasn't going to close and, then, the day before May 1, 2019, Richland 2 caved. It just could not fill 600 teaching positions that were going to be empty because so many teachers took "personal days".
This year one school district has already caved in. Chester County School District has announced that classes have been canceled for March 24.
Contact your school's Principal AND Supt. Davis to express your opinion. Teachers are under contract to work. That's what they get paid to do.
There is no infringement on their right to express personal opinions to their legislators, and they should do so - on their own time.
Last year the District never reported its loss for that walk-out. Nor did it report on the disruption to families, when students were not allowed to attend school. This forces many parents to take days off or hire baby- or child-sitters.
Tell your child's teacheres to write letter, send email, make telephone calls (after school hours), visit their legislators after school hours, and NOT to discuss their walk-out in the classrooms.
A teacher is allowed a certain number of personal days during the school year. These are for medical and dental appointments, etc. When 600 teachers take the same day as a "personal day", that's a walk-out, a work slowdown, a strike.
The Board should have directed the superintendent to order the teachers to be at work. It didn't. Maybe it's time for a new board. Remember them in November, when three Board positions will be elected.
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Why isn't school district addressing possible teacher walk-out?
SC for Ed will descend on the legislators on March 24. That's only two weeks from now.
I watched for publication of the agenda for the March 10th school board meeting, expecting to see an item for Executive Session and an item in the Regular Session to discuss the very real possibility of a teacher walk-out on March 24. As of 5:30PM yesterday, the published agenda had not been revised to show such items.
And my open letter to the board? Nary a response.
Remember last May 1, when so many Richland 2 teachers requested "personal days" that Richland 2 School District caved in at the last moment and closed all schools for the day? The District never announced what the cost was to the District or the estimated cost to part-time employees and parents.
This created havoc for parents and employers, when moms and dads had to take a day off from work, virtually without notice to their employers, so that they could be responsible parents to their children who would be out of school.
What will happen this year?
Will Richland 2 teachers say "Thanks for the $1,000 bonus. We will be at work on March 24 and will not be walking around the Capitol Grounds in our red t-shirts"?
Raise your hands. Do you think that will happen? Get in line. (It'll be the short line to the right.)
Who, me? Cynical?
I watched for publication of the agenda for the March 10th school board meeting, expecting to see an item for Executive Session and an item in the Regular Session to discuss the very real possibility of a teacher walk-out on March 24. As of 5:30PM yesterday, the published agenda had not been revised to show such items.
And my open letter to the board? Nary a response.
Remember last May 1, when so many Richland 2 teachers requested "personal days" that Richland 2 School District caved in at the last moment and closed all schools for the day? The District never announced what the cost was to the District or the estimated cost to part-time employees and parents.
This created havoc for parents and employers, when moms and dads had to take a day off from work, virtually without notice to their employers, so that they could be responsible parents to their children who would be out of school.
What will happen this year?
Will Richland 2 teachers say "Thanks for the $1,000 bonus. We will be at work on March 24 and will not be walking around the Capitol Grounds in our red t-shirts"?
Raise your hands. Do you think that will happen? Get in line. (It'll be the short line to the right.)
Who, me? Cynical?
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Superintendent to be away during SC for Ed walk-out
Supt. Baron Davis will be in California later this month, when SC for Ed is expected to walk out on March 24.
He'll be speaking on Monday, March 23, at a conference put on by the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools and co-hosted by the Compton and one other USD (its website is out-of-date and does not list the March 2020 conference!). No doubt he could, if he wanted to, hop on a plane and fly back to Columbia in order to be the Face of Richland 2 and enforce an order to the teachers to be at work on March 24 or lose their jobs.
With the COVID-19 scare creating panic and havoc in the U.S.A. (and elsewhere), will he be self-quarantined upon return? Will District 2 pay him almost $1,000/day to sit behind closed doors at home after he returns?
Should he tell the conference that he won't be there and, instead, will be here to personally direct handling of SC for Ed?
What did the 2019 Red for Ed walk-out cost taxpayers? And what collateral costs did parents and employers face, when moms (and dads?) had to suddenly take a day off to care for children, while their teachers were parading around the capital with their red shirts on?
He'll be speaking on Monday, March 23, at a conference put on by the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools and co-hosted by the Compton and one other USD (its website is out-of-date and does not list the March 2020 conference!). No doubt he could, if he wanted to, hop on a plane and fly back to Columbia in order to be the Face of Richland 2 and enforce an order to the teachers to be at work on March 24 or lose their jobs.
With the COVID-19 scare creating panic and havoc in the U.S.A. (and elsewhere), will he be self-quarantined upon return? Will District 2 pay him almost $1,000/day to sit behind closed doors at home after he returns?
Should he tell the conference that he won't be there and, instead, will be here to personally direct handling of SC for Ed?
What did the 2019 Red for Ed walk-out cost taxpayers? And what collateral costs did parents and employers face, when moms (and dads?) had to suddenly take a day off to care for children, while their teachers were parading around the capital with their red shirts on?
Open Letter to Board re SC4Ed
On March 24 SC4Ed is planning its 2020 rally and will descend
on the State House to try to force its will on South Carolina legislators and
the people of South Carolina.
We know what happened last year. Richland 2 wasn’t going to
close and then, at the last minute, Richland 2 folded.
This year’s march is announced on short notice, but there is
time for Richland 2 to act.
Remember Nancy Reagan’s words on September 14, 1986? “Just
say No”
Well, Just. Say. No.
Most of you on the Board supported last year’s walk-out and
disregarded the expense and waste to the District and the disruption to
students and their working parents.
This year you have a chance to get it right. Direct the
superintendent to grant NO requests for absence on March 24 which, according to
the District 2 calendar, is the end of the third nine weeks and likely a day
full of tests for students.
You just gave the teachers $1,000. This is how they say
“Thank you”. I predicted there would be no value to Richland 2 for the
hand-out. They got the money. They spent the money. Now they say, “What are you
going to do for me now?”
Here’s what you do for them now. You tell them – “You take
March 24th off, and you will face discipline up to and including
immediate termination.”
They have a contract to work. They get paid for fulfilling
their end of the contract.
Don’t let them trample you like they did last year. Don’t
make any inane statements to them from your board chairs, such as “We support
you.” You employ them. That’s what you do.
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Weapons at three Richland 2 schools on March 2
On Monday a Richland 2 Westwood High School student was arrested for taking a gun to school, according to an article by The State reporter Noah Feit published today, March 3, at 8:38AM.
I mean, how stupid do you have to be to take a gun to school? And then to pull it out of a backpack during lunch, so that another student could see it?
Of course, this student is under 17 and privacy laws (don't you just love them?) prevent the District and The State newspaper and the Richland County Sheriff's Department from identifying the jerk.
No doubt that word is percolating around school as to who that student is. The State provides a clue when the reporter wrote "...bringing a gun to his high school..." How did the reporter learn that the student was male? or did he? Perhaps the reporter just used the editorial "his" in his article.
Should laws be changed? Do parents, other students, teachers, administrators, neighbors, friends, enemies have the right to know what 15-year-old is "packing"?
Westwood High School is located at 180 Turkey Farm Road in Blythewood.
A different article, by The State's Travis Bland, reported a 16-year-old at Westwood High School with a knife and a box cutter in his backpack.
And Bland's article reports a 13-year-old at Summit Parkway Middle School with a BB gun.
And a 12-year-old at Dent Middle School with a pellet gun.
If you know anyone who can identify these kid with the weapons, I don't have any problem with publishing their names. If I were the parent of a student at Westwood High School or any Richland 2 school, I would certainly want to know who these kids are. Let me know. I'll confirm it and post names here.
Maybe I missed the announcement from District 2 to media about this. I receive many emails in a day, and I don't recall seeing it. On the other hand, maybe the District didn't notify media about it.
Did the Board know about it last night?
Do we need to ask at every Board meeting, "Did anyone take a gun or other weapon to a Richland 2 school in the past two weeks?"
I mean, how stupid do you have to be to take a gun to school? And then to pull it out of a backpack during lunch, so that another student could see it?
Of course, this student is under 17 and privacy laws (don't you just love them?) prevent the District and The State newspaper and the Richland County Sheriff's Department from identifying the jerk.
No doubt that word is percolating around school as to who that student is. The State provides a clue when the reporter wrote "...bringing a gun to his high school..." How did the reporter learn that the student was male? or did he? Perhaps the reporter just used the editorial "his" in his article.
Should laws be changed? Do parents, other students, teachers, administrators, neighbors, friends, enemies have the right to know what 15-year-old is "packing"?
Westwood High School is located at 180 Turkey Farm Road in Blythewood.
A different article, by The State's Travis Bland, reported a 16-year-old at Westwood High School with a knife and a box cutter in his backpack.
And Bland's article reports a 13-year-old at Summit Parkway Middle School with a BB gun.
And a 12-year-old at Dent Middle School with a pellet gun.
If you know anyone who can identify these kid with the weapons, I don't have any problem with publishing their names. If I were the parent of a student at Westwood High School or any Richland 2 school, I would certainly want to know who these kids are. Let me know. I'll confirm it and post names here.
Maybe I missed the announcement from District 2 to media about this. I receive many emails in a day, and I don't recall seeing it. On the other hand, maybe the District didn't notify media about it.
Did the Board know about it last night?
Do we need to ask at every Board meeting, "Did anyone take a gun or other weapon to a Richland 2 school in the past two weeks?"
Bulletproof glass?
During the bond update at the February 25, 2020 school board meeting staff member Will Anderson mentioned that "specially-formatted glass - ballistic glass" is yet to be delivered to three schools.
Bulletproof glass?
He didn't mention where it will be installed. Isn't that a good question? Will it be at the front entrance, where the gatekeeper sits and admits visitors?
Do you know what the risk is for a student to be killed by a gun in a U.S. school?
That number is 1 in 614,000,000. In other words, infinitesimal. There is a better chance that a kid will choke to death on a PB&J sandwich. And, no, I don't have a statistic for that.
Somebody intending harm in a school is not going to waltz in the front door, show his driver's license, get his name badge, wish everyone a good day, and stroll on down the hallway to wreak havoc. He'll get in a back door, where some kid will hold the door for him or open it to a knock.
So, where is the bulletproof glass to be installed?
Bulletproof glass?
He didn't mention where it will be installed. Isn't that a good question? Will it be at the front entrance, where the gatekeeper sits and admits visitors?
Do you know what the risk is for a student to be killed by a gun in a U.S. school?
That number is 1 in 614,000,000. In other words, infinitesimal. There is a better chance that a kid will choke to death on a PB&J sandwich. And, no, I don't have a statistic for that.
Somebody intending harm in a school is not going to waltz in the front door, show his driver's license, get his name badge, wish everyone a good day, and stroll on down the hallway to wreak havoc. He'll get in a back door, where some kid will hold the door for him or open it to a knock.
So, where is the bulletproof glass to be installed?
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