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My Profile
Retro-retrospection - 2008-10-06
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4:22 p.m. - 2003-05-24
Remember what I said in the last entry about Podunkville Schools being terrified of bad press? They are really, really protective of their image. Like those state assessment test scores? You know how Podunkville keeps at the head of the pack? Same way Harvard does, baby, GRADE INFLATION. About 9 years back a fine teacher was crucified for admitting to the local paper that like election results in Florida, any test scores that might bring their numbers down are simply "corrected". She went to the paper after being rebuffed and shouted down and finally suspended by the admins when she voiced complaints about being ORDERED to fudge the scoring. Not only was her integrity besmirched, but more importantly, she felt the kids were being done a huge disservice. Well the shit hit the fan and this tenured teacher was summarily FIRED. On what charge? She was fired for violating her contract's morals clause. Apparently telling the truth is immoral! Test score fudging isn’t immoral, but speaking about it in a public forum is. She sued, the school district counter-sued. They duked it out in court and the teacher lost. That the school district had eleventy billion more dollars to spend on pricey legal representation, that the daughter of the judge who heard the case suddenly became her class's salutatorian, and that after the Podunkville Chamber of Commerce bought several hundred thousand dollars of advertising space the story disappeared from the paper, had NOTHING to do with it! Truly! Uh huh. And I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. After being stripped of her license, her retirement fund, and losing her life’s savings in the futile legal battle, she left town. The grumbling from the special ed parents is growing into shouts. Today at the birthday party we parents told our tales of lies, empty promises, and bullshit wrapped with a bow that’s been handed to each of us about why the school is failing our children. Why the special ed kids are denied access to sports, clubs, and extracurricular activities. Why after finishing the second grade and being moved onto the intermediate school the special ed kids disappear. (They are either mainstreamed with no further services offered to those with physical, mental, or learning difficulties and are left to sink or swim on their own, or are summarily shunted off to the local BOCES to be schooled with the kids with profound handicaps. Tough titty if your kid is of normal intelligence but needs help with other issues. Any “flaw” means Podunkville wants the kid GONE.) Then, as I sometimes get busted as the former Pearlman’s Girl, one of the mothers turned, asked for my name again and shouted, “Holy Shit! You’re LA Sage! Ohmygod! I’ve read your stuff! You were the one who wrote that article about the protected wetlands being drained to put in a golf course! You did that piece on birth defects and PCB levels for The Snootytown Gazette! I’ve heard you speak at the town board meetings! I don’t know why it took me so long to recognize you!” I laughed, told her my public appearances have been curtailed by health issues so I have been doing my “speaking” via computer, and that 6 years ago I was 50lbs thinner and had long blonde hair. She wrung my hand and asked if I’d consider putting my voice and keyboard to work on behalf of ALL the special ed kids being short shrifted by the Podunkville School system. That started a plaintive chorus from the rest of the parents. Please? Please? Pretty please? I told them I’d have to wait until Alex graduated and was safely enrolled at Oswego. After what Podunkville did to that teacher it’s not beyond possibility that my kid’s recommendations and even his diploma might vanish, (they nodded) but then yeah, I’d do what I could. Phone numbers were exchanged and I said I’d get busy right after 4th of July weekend. I’ve said it here many times. DO NOT fuck with my family. And now it seems that not only my family, but every family with a special needs kid is being fucked with. Watch out Podunkville Schools. LA the Crusader is back ...with a vengeance. Today’s Pick: “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim” by Jim Croce
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