When you hear an educator, a teacher, a school board trustee, an administrator mention Black Lives Matter (BLM), what do you think of?
Write down .... now before reading further, what you think of, or maybe even what you think you know about, BLM.
1.
2.
3.
Did you write it down?
Now read this article from The Heritage Foundation.
Did you write down, substantially, what you read in this article?
Comment below, please. The same? Different? How different?
Is Black Lives Matter a domestic terrorist organization that belongs on the Hate Watch list of Southern Poverty Law Center?
Saturday, July 11, 2020
Thursday, July 9, 2020
BEDH Reinstated - sort of
At today's special-called board meeting, the board voted 7-0 to reinstate Board Policy BEDH - Public Participation at Meetings. Sort of...
Some kind of backroom deal must have been made, because Mrs. Libby Roof, the District's Chief Communications Officer, was ready with an explanation about how public participation would be conducted.
The public will NOT be able to speak during the board meeting.
What the public will be able to do is submit comments to the District during a few days before the meeting and up until about mid-afternoon of the day of the meeting. Then the submitted comments will be read to the board during the meeting.
The next board meeting is July 21. On about July 17 a notice form will be posted on the District's website, and a member of the public will submit his comment electronically on that form.
Let's say that a parent wants to really unload on the board about something it has or has not done. So he or she submits a strongly-worded comment (polite, no profanity; but strongly worded). Then a staffer will be expected to read that comment. Will it be read with the same emotion and forceful tone as that with which it was written?
Because Mrs. Roof was ready with her explanation, when a board member asked how public participation would be handled, that caused me to think that the board already knew about the that policy. And yet no one spoke up on behalf of the public to ask how a member of the public could address the board orally.
I guess we'll find out how well it works and if the board really "gets" what the member of the public was saying to them.
Some kind of backroom deal must have been made, because Mrs. Libby Roof, the District's Chief Communications Officer, was ready with an explanation about how public participation would be conducted.
The public will NOT be able to speak during the board meeting.
What the public will be able to do is submit comments to the District during a few days before the meeting and up until about mid-afternoon of the day of the meeting. Then the submitted comments will be read to the board during the meeting.
The next board meeting is July 21. On about July 17 a notice form will be posted on the District's website, and a member of the public will submit his comment electronically on that form.
Let's say that a parent wants to really unload on the board about something it has or has not done. So he or she submits a strongly-worded comment (polite, no profanity; but strongly worded). Then a staffer will be expected to read that comment. Will it be read with the same emotion and forceful tone as that with which it was written?
Because Mrs. Roof was ready with her explanation, when a board member asked how public participation would be handled, that caused me to think that the board already knew about the that policy. And yet no one spoke up on behalf of the public to ask how a member of the public could address the board orally.
I guess we'll find out how well it works and if the board really "gets" what the member of the public was saying to them.
Slippery agenda for 7/9/2020
On the agenda for today's school board meeting, there is a line that appears when you click on the link for Item 6.1.
Item 6.1 will be the discussion and vote on whether to reinstate Board Policy BEDH - Public Participation at Meetings.
This is the slippery line:
"Per the recommendation of the S.C. School Board Association in light of the global health emergency, the board voted May 12, 2020, to suspend policy BEDH, Public Participation at Meetings for all meetings indefinitely."
It's partially true. The Board did vote to suspend BEDH, but there was no "indefinitely" about it.
Although Amelia McKie said emphatically on May 12th that the suspension was temporary, it was not. She just was not telling the truth.
The motion that night was to suspend Board Policy BEDH. Period.
Not "temporarily."
Not "indefinitely".
Not "until the COVID-19 pandemic is over."
Not "until the the state of emergency is over."
The Board suspended it. Period.
Today the Board may correct that error. We'll see.
Item 6.1 will be the discussion and vote on whether to reinstate Board Policy BEDH - Public Participation at Meetings.
This is the slippery line:
"Per the recommendation of the S.C. School Board Association in light of the global health emergency, the board voted May 12, 2020, to suspend policy BEDH, Public Participation at Meetings for all meetings indefinitely."
It's partially true. The Board did vote to suspend BEDH, but there was no "indefinitely" about it.
Although Amelia McKie said emphatically on May 12th that the suspension was temporary, it was not. She just was not telling the truth.
The motion that night was to suspend Board Policy BEDH. Period.
Not "temporarily."
Not "indefinitely".
Not "until the COVID-19 pandemic is over."
Not "until the the state of emergency is over."
The Board suspended it. Period.
Today the Board may correct that error. We'll see.
Restore Public Participation (BEDH) Tonight
The following email has been sent to the Richland 2 School Board.
I surely hope that the Board will vote to reinstate Board Policy BEDH this evening. Tonight is the night to demonstrate your respect for the public in Richland 2 School District.
When Board Policy BEDH is restored, will you please make a motion to add Public Participation to the next and future agendas? Otherwise, the Policy will be reinstated but there will be no agenda item for the public to speak.
Please also seriously consider scheduling in-person Board meetings, with appropriate social-distancing seating. It is important for the public to see you and for you to see the public.
If the Board continues to meet by Zoom, it is a very easy step to allow members of the public to address the Board via Zoom. Those wishing to speak can indicate their interest by 2:00PM on the day of the meeting. They should attend the Zoom meeting.
When Public Participation is opened, the Chair should state how Public Participation will be conducted. He should briefly review the guidelines, then introduce the first speaker and say, "Followed by (name) and (name). The Zoom moderator unmutes the first speaker. At the conclusion of the first speaker's remarks, the Chair thanks that speaker and introduces the next speaker, "followed by (name) and (name)".In fact, this method would work well for in-person Public Participation at Meetings. The delay between speakers would be eliminated.
At the June 20, 2020 virtual meeting of the Alexandria, Va. City Council, there were 38 speakers registered to speak. Watch how Mayor Wilson efficiently runs the public participation portion of the meeting:
Gus Philpott
847/971-7083
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
ATTN. Teachers, Parents. Contact Board Members NOW
Richland 2 School District has announced, on short notice, a Special-Called Board Meeting for this Thursday, July 9, 4:30PM. The Board will convene at 4:30PM, adjourn to Executive Session for 30 minutes, and re-convene the open, public (Zoom) meeting at 5:00PM.
At the June 30 meeting it was believed that the next board meeting would be July 21 (no first--Tuesday meeting in July), and a draft agenda for that meeting was discussed and approved.
Today the School District announced a meeting this Thursday. There must be some reason for the rush.
"New Business - No Action Requested" is a re-opening of schools discussion.
AND the Board decided to advance the discussion of rescinding the suspension of Board Policy BEDH - Public Participation at Meetings. This agenda item is marked "New Business - Action Requested".
At the May 12 meeting the Board stripped YOUR privilege of addressing the Board at board meetings. And it eliminated your privilege of submitting items to be considered at future board meetings.
NOW is the time to contact your board members (see contact information here) and tell them to restore your privileges. Ask them to unwind the anti-public decision they made on May 12, 2020. Email or telephone before Thursday afternoon. The Board Members' webpage hasn't been updated yet, following the June 30 election of officers for the 2020-2021 School Year.
All the same board members are in place. The deck was only shuffled a little on June 30, when James Shadd took over as Board Chair.
Shadd is a lawyer and he should understand and respect the First Amendment - the one that says government (this includes school boards) shall not infringe freedom of speech, regardless of advice freom the South Carolina School Boards Association. He should lead the board in placing Board Policy BEDH back in full force and effect.
At the June 30 meeting it was believed that the next board meeting would be July 21 (no first--Tuesday meeting in July), and a draft agenda for that meeting was discussed and approved.
Today the School District announced a meeting this Thursday. There must be some reason for the rush.
"New Business - No Action Requested" is a re-opening of schools discussion.
AND the Board decided to advance the discussion of rescinding the suspension of Board Policy BEDH - Public Participation at Meetings. This agenda item is marked "New Business - Action Requested".
At the May 12 meeting the Board stripped YOUR privilege of addressing the Board at board meetings. And it eliminated your privilege of submitting items to be considered at future board meetings.
NOW is the time to contact your board members (see contact information here) and tell them to restore your privileges. Ask them to unwind the anti-public decision they made on May 12, 2020. Email or telephone before Thursday afternoon. The Board Members' webpage hasn't been updated yet, following the June 30 election of officers for the 2020-2021 School Year.
All the same board members are in place. The deck was only shuffled a little on June 30, when James Shadd took over as Board Chair.
Shadd is a lawyer and he should understand and respect the First Amendment - the one that says government (this includes school boards) shall not infringe freedom of speech, regardless of advice freom the South Carolina School Boards Association. He should lead the board in placing Board Policy BEDH back in full force and effect.
(Not so) Proud Students at Summit Middle School
On July 6 The State newspaper reported that two "children" were caught after they ran from deputies who were questioning them about being out on the town at 4:00AM on July 2. So, what ARE two kids doing out at 4:00AM?
Deputies stopped to question the kids, who turned out to be 11 years old and 13 (or 14) years old. According to the story, the kids gave false names and then took off.
Let it be known to one and all that our RCSD deputy did not shoot at them!
Later, deputies found, according to the story, “a stolen handgun, two BB guns, rubber gloves and burglary tools, among other items that would later be reported stolen from car break-ins on Summit Centre Circle and Summit Parkway,”
During the first contact the deputies' bodycams recorded images of the kids. When the images were shown to the School Resource Officer at Summit Middle School, he recognized one of the kids. The two turned out to be brothers.
One was released to parental custody, and the other cooled his heals in the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center juvenile wing.
Cimpliments to our alert deputies. Good work!
Deputies stopped to question the kids, who turned out to be 11 years old and 13 (or 14) years old. According to the story, the kids gave false names and then took off.
Let it be known to one and all that our RCSD deputy did not shoot at them!
Later, deputies found, according to the story, “a stolen handgun, two BB guns, rubber gloves and burglary tools, among other items that would later be reported stolen from car break-ins on Summit Centre Circle and Summit Parkway,”
During the first contact the deputies' bodycams recorded images of the kids. When the images were shown to the School Resource Officer at Summit Middle School, he recognized one of the kids. The two turned out to be brothers.
One was released to parental custody, and the other cooled his heals in the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center juvenile wing.
Cimpliments to our alert deputies. Good work!
Tuesday, July 7, 2020
Caution-Parker filed SEI late - why?
South Carolina law and the South Carolina Ethics Commission require all public officials to file a Statement of Economic Interests Report (SEI) annually. The SEI is due by noon on March 30 of each calendar year.
Why did Cheryl Caution-Parker file her SEI on 3/30/2020 at 3:24PM?
The Report should cover the previous year. Just like a person's income tax year. The Report should cover the entire year (ex., from 1/1/2019 to 12/31/2019), so it has to be filed after the Calendar Year ends on December 31. In that way the Report will include the full year.
A report filed by March 30, 2020 should cover the Calendar Year of 2019. Just like when you file your Federal Income Tax Return. When you file your form with IRS by April 15, 2020, it is for the year ending 12/31/19.
But the Ethics Commission's User Guide instructs Filers to call the 1/1/19-12/31/19 report the 2020 Report.
So filers submit forms by March 30, 2020 for the Year 2020.
Last year I suggested to the Ethics Commission that it re-program its system to prevent a filer from choosing an incorrect Filing Year. When I followed up this year, I was directed to the User Guide.
Now, why would Caution-Parker file late? As an elected official she must be familiar with the law. She would have known that the SEI could be filed on any day between January 1, 2020 and March 30, 2020. And for the calendar year 2019. That's how many days? 31 + 29 + 30. And she still missed the deadline by three hours 24 minutes.
She was just re-elected as the Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the Richland 2 School District. Should we be worried about her attention to detail?
Will she just sign any form put in front of her? Or will she look at it carefully and think, "Is this right? Is this true?"
Caution-Parker wasn't alone in filing late.
S.C. Sen. Mia McLeod missed the deadline by 53 minutes.
S.C. Rep. Ivory Thigpen missed the deadline by 2 days, 8 hours 16 minutes and then filed Amendment 1 the next day at 10:11PM.
S.C. Sen. Dick Harpootlian missed the deadline by 6 minutes and then filed Amendment 1 60 minutes later.
Why did Cheryl Caution-Parker file her SEI on 3/30/2020 at 3:24PM?
The Report should cover the previous year. Just like a person's income tax year. The Report should cover the entire year (ex., from 1/1/2019 to 12/31/2019), so it has to be filed after the Calendar Year ends on December 31. In that way the Report will include the full year.
A report filed by March 30, 2020 should cover the Calendar Year of 2019. Just like when you file your Federal Income Tax Return. When you file your form with IRS by April 15, 2020, it is for the year ending 12/31/19.
But the Ethics Commission's User Guide instructs Filers to call the 1/1/19-12/31/19 report the 2020 Report.
So filers submit forms by March 30, 2020 for the Year 2020.
Last year I suggested to the Ethics Commission that it re-program its system to prevent a filer from choosing an incorrect Filing Year. When I followed up this year, I was directed to the User Guide.
Now, why would Caution-Parker file late? As an elected official she must be familiar with the law. She would have known that the SEI could be filed on any day between January 1, 2020 and March 30, 2020. And for the calendar year 2019. That's how many days? 31 + 29 + 30. And she still missed the deadline by three hours 24 minutes.
She was just re-elected as the Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the Richland 2 School District. Should we be worried about her attention to detail?
Will she just sign any form put in front of her? Or will she look at it carefully and think, "Is this right? Is this true?"
Caution-Parker wasn't alone in filing late.
S.C. Sen. Mia McLeod missed the deadline by 53 minutes.
S.C. Rep. Ivory Thigpen missed the deadline by 2 days, 8 hours 16 minutes and then filed Amendment 1 the next day at 10:11PM.
S.C. Sen. Dick Harpootlian missed the deadline by 6 minutes and then filed Amendment 1 60 minutes later.
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