I am sure most of you heard about the Trayvon Martin case. The young African-American male who was shot by George Zimmerman, a "neighborhood watch captain" who thought Trayvon looked suspicious. Zimmerman is hoping he can escape prosecution from this case because of Florida's Stand Your Ground law, where you can shoot someone if you feel threatened.
My thing is, if you feel threatened, then why follow that person and not wait for the police, who told you to back off. If you felt threatened, why did you even approach Trayvon? Why would to claim self defense, when the young boy was armed with skittles
and an ice tea?
The whole point of a neighbor hood watch person is to WATCH the neighborhood and report any activity to the police. Once reported, you let the police step in, because you have done your job. This story truly sickens me. And to add fuel to the fire, people are claiming that Zimmerman is Hispanic as if him being Hispanic no longer makes it racist.
Hispanic is not a race, because you have black and white Hispanics. And if you look at a lot of Hispanic countries, they have racial problems as well.
What I don't understand is when police came to the scene, and the dispatcher told Zimmerman not to shoot, the police took his side, saying he acted out of self-defense and that was that. Why did it take the protest of people, and the young man's upset parents for the police to look further into this case? This is just absolutely awful.
I found a video that explains the Stand Your Ground Law a bit further. Let me know what you think.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
Plans to shutdown 13 schools
I am a huge education person and wanted to blog a little about this. Atlanta Public Schools plans to shut down 13 schools. That is huge. I screamed when my county of Dekalb had plans to shut down eight. And I am sure many of you know where these schools are located--in urban communities. After the cheating scandal in Atlanta, I am sure the close of schools does not help.
I found an article from The Atlanta Voice and want your opinion on this issue. Atlanta Public Schools stated the reason for the closing is due to budget. Anyway, read the article and let me know what you think.
Staff and Wire Report
ATLANTA – Public hearings are scheduled to start next week over recommendations to shut down 13 Atlanta public schools – most of them on the city’s south side – as part of a cost-cutting initiative proposed by school superintendent Erroll B. Davis Jr.
Community hearings on the controversial proposals will take place March 12, March 13 next week and March 21 and March 22 at various high schools across the city. The district then will finalize its proposal and school board members will approve the final plan at their April 10 meeting. That plan will take effect next school year.
Davis introduced his redistricting plan to the Atlanta school board Monday, telling board members that closing 10 elementary schools and three middle schools would boost efficiency and save the cash-strapped district about $6.5 million in operational expenses – freeing up resources to support and teach students.
“Although APS traditional schools serve 47,000 students, we have seats for 60,000 students,” Davis said in a letter released this week. “Heating, cool and lighting 13,000 empty seats is expensive.”
“Our proposal will eliminate approximately 7,200 of the 13,000-seat excess and generate substantial savings,” he added. “As a result, we will be able to allocate more funds in direct support of students – that is, to provide more counselors, assistant principals, paraprofessionals and special education resources.”
The plan, which would displace about 2,500 students, is the most recent version of a redistricting plan that has been debated since late last year and generated heated public outcry in many circles – including at Monday night’s school board meeting.
Board members debated the plan for hours, including some who expressed concerns about closing schools – especially in communities where several vacant school buildings already exist. Many of the vacant seats are on the district’s south side, while many schools in north Atlanta are overcrowded.
“In doing closures, you decrease morale, you decrease parent involvement, which feeds into decreased student achievement,” said board member LaChandra Butler Burks. “We’re adding more distress onto already distressed communities. Is all that worth a couple hundred thousand dollars?”
Davis said the expected cost savings justify the closures.
“Our driving force is a commitment to children, not to buildings,” he said. “We are heating, cooling, lighting 13,000 empty seats. The money spent [there] can go to counselors, social workers, assistant principals, the kind of robust support the children in the needy communities are not getting.”
Davis said school redistricting, while uncomfortable for some, is needed to adjust for shifts in population throughout the city.
“Redistricting is never an easy or painless process, but it is something most urban school districts must periodically undertake to effectively manage educational resources and ensure continued student academic achievement,” he said in a recent column in The Atlanta Voice.
“Today, the district has critically overcrowded schools in some areas and severely under-enrolled schools in others. This situation wastes resources and adversely impacts efficient operations and potentially student academic achievement.”
The last time APS approved a full redistricting plan was in 2003, he said.
The plan released Monday also calls for schools to be reorganized into clusters, meaning students would stay together as they move to middle and high school. It also calls for renovations and expansions at many schools and support services to be added at others.
Elementary schools slated for closure include: Boyd, Capitol View, Cook, East Lake, Fain, Herndon, Humphries, F.L. Stanton, Thomasville, and White. The middle schools proposed for closure are
Coan, Kennedy and Park.
Buckhead is the only area that won’t be affected by the boundary changes.
Community meetings on the closures will be held March 12 at Douglass High School, March 13 at North Atlanta High School, March 21 at Maynard Jackson High School, and March 22 at Carver High School.
I found an article from The Atlanta Voice and want your opinion on this issue. Atlanta Public Schools stated the reason for the closing is due to budget. Anyway, read the article and let me know what you think.
Staff and Wire Report
ATLANTA – Public hearings are scheduled to start next week over recommendations to shut down 13 Atlanta public schools – most of them on the city’s south side – as part of a cost-cutting initiative proposed by school superintendent Erroll B. Davis Jr.
Community hearings on the controversial proposals will take place March 12, March 13 next week and March 21 and March 22 at various high schools across the city. The district then will finalize its proposal and school board members will approve the final plan at their April 10 meeting. That plan will take effect next school year.
Davis introduced his redistricting plan to the Atlanta school board Monday, telling board members that closing 10 elementary schools and three middle schools would boost efficiency and save the cash-strapped district about $6.5 million in operational expenses – freeing up resources to support and teach students.
“Although APS traditional schools serve 47,000 students, we have seats for 60,000 students,” Davis said in a letter released this week. “Heating, cool and lighting 13,000 empty seats is expensive.”
“Our proposal will eliminate approximately 7,200 of the 13,000-seat excess and generate substantial savings,” he added. “As a result, we will be able to allocate more funds in direct support of students – that is, to provide more counselors, assistant principals, paraprofessionals and special education resources.”
The plan, which would displace about 2,500 students, is the most recent version of a redistricting plan that has been debated since late last year and generated heated public outcry in many circles – including at Monday night’s school board meeting.
Board members debated the plan for hours, including some who expressed concerns about closing schools – especially in communities where several vacant school buildings already exist. Many of the vacant seats are on the district’s south side, while many schools in north Atlanta are overcrowded.
“In doing closures, you decrease morale, you decrease parent involvement, which feeds into decreased student achievement,” said board member LaChandra Butler Burks. “We’re adding more distress onto already distressed communities. Is all that worth a couple hundred thousand dollars?”
Davis said the expected cost savings justify the closures.
“Our driving force is a commitment to children, not to buildings,” he said. “We are heating, cooling, lighting 13,000 empty seats. The money spent [there] can go to counselors, social workers, assistant principals, the kind of robust support the children in the needy communities are not getting.”
Davis said school redistricting, while uncomfortable for some, is needed to adjust for shifts in population throughout the city.
“Redistricting is never an easy or painless process, but it is something most urban school districts must periodically undertake to effectively manage educational resources and ensure continued student academic achievement,” he said in a recent column in The Atlanta Voice.
“Today, the district has critically overcrowded schools in some areas and severely under-enrolled schools in others. This situation wastes resources and adversely impacts efficient operations and potentially student academic achievement.”
The last time APS approved a full redistricting plan was in 2003, he said.
The plan released Monday also calls for schools to be reorganized into clusters, meaning students would stay together as they move to middle and high school. It also calls for renovations and expansions at many schools and support services to be added at others.
Elementary schools slated for closure include: Boyd, Capitol View, Cook, East Lake, Fain, Herndon, Humphries, F.L. Stanton, Thomasville, and White. The middle schools proposed for closure are
Coan, Kennedy and Park.
Buckhead is the only area that won’t be affected by the boundary changes.
Community meetings on the closures will be held March 12 at Douglass High School, March 13 at North Atlanta High School, March 21 at Maynard Jackson High School, and March 22 at Carver High School.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Restraining Students
I know my readers are use to me writing my opinion about certain pieces, but I wanted to do something a little different. I want to know your thoughts about this issue, plus it is Spring Break and I know most of you just want to relax. But please let me know your thoughts. This is article is from the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Push for action to curtail restraining students
By KIMBERLY HEFLING
The Associated Press
10:31 a.m. Saturday, March 10, 2012
WASHINGTON — Tens of thousands of students, most of them disabled, are strapped down or physically restrained in school, and disability advocates hope that a new Education Department report detailing the practice of "seclusion and restraint" will spur federal action to end it.
The report, compiled and made public for the first time by the department's civil rights arm, shows that 70 percent of students subjected to the techniques have disabilities. There are no current federal standards on the use of the techniques in schools.
The American Association of School Administrators says they are a last resort in protecting students and faculty from physical harm and keeping some children with behavioral problems in schools who might otherwise go into residential institutions. Advocates for the disabled say the use of seclusion and restraint is too accepted in schools and has led to abuse. They want Congress or the department to help curtail the practice.
They point to news reports and a Government Accountability Office study in 2009 illustrating cases of children as young as preschool age who were duct-taped to chairs and locked alone for hours. That report by Congress' investigative and auditing arm did not determine whether these types of allegations were widespread, but investigators did find "hundreds of cases of alleged abuse and death related to the use of these methods on schoolchildren during the past two decades."
In one recent case, the mother of a Kentucky boy with autism said that when she went to her son's school, she found him stuffed in a canvas duffel bag in the hallway. Connecticut lawmakers are considering a bill that would require the state to report how often special education students are isolated because of emotional outbursts. That follows incidents in Middletown, Conn., where special education students were allegedly isolated in "scream rooms" during outbursts.
Sasha Pudelski, government affairs manager at the school administrators association, said except in rare cases, school workers use seclusion and restraint safely and only when necessary. She said federal action isn't appropriate because the issue should be addressed at the local and state level, which is happening.
"We would never defend the heinous practices that are sometimes highlighted," Pudelski said.
The department's data from the 2009-2010 school year showed tens of thousands of instances in which the techniques were reportedly used. It also showed that that while black students represent 21 percent of students with disabilities, they account for 44 percent of students with disabilities who are subjected to mechanical restraints. It's unclear the circumstances or exact methods used in the cases.
People on both sides of the debate said the new numbers don't show a complete picture.
Because they are based on a survey that relied on self-reporting in about 85 percent of schools, activists said there are likely many more cases. Pudelski said it was the first time that schools were asked to compile the statistics, so there was confusion about how to count some situations, and therefore probably over-reporting.
Reece L. Peterson, a special education professor at the University of Nebraska who has testified before Congress on the topic, said there's a consensus among special educators about using seclusion and restraint only in emergencies where there's a threat of someone getting hurt.
Based on the department's new numbers, Peterson said, "there is some evidence that these things are being used on a basis more widely than simply these kind of emergency situations."
Reports of such incidents should be "minuscule," said Maureen Fitzgerald, director of disability rights at the Arc, which advocates for people with disabilities. Fitzgerald said when abuses occur, it's usually because workers aren't properly trained.
"They are put in situations where they're not trained, they don't have the support they need and things get out of control because they don't know how to manage the kids, and they do whatever they can to keep everybody calm and safe ... and that's when people start getting hurt," Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald's organization is among several disability organizations seeking passage of a bill by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, that would prohibit the use of seclusion and allow restraints only in emergency situations and until the danger of serious bodily injury has passed. Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., has a similar bill in the House. Legislation to address the issue sponsored by Miller passed in 2010 but failed to get out of the Senate.
Activists also say the Education Department should be doing more to highlight and end the practice. In a report this past week, Curt Decker, the executive director of the National Disability Rights Network, wrote that the department hasn't provided "meaningful" leadership on the issue and has failed to issue clear guidance on when seclusion and restraint might violate the law.
"The guidance at a minimum must also limit the use of physical restraint or seclusion to circumstances when necessary to protect a child or others from imminent physical danger and not weaken existing protections in the states," Decker said.
Daren Briscoe, an Education Department spokesman, said the new data will be an "invaluable tool to illuminate trouble spots, highlight best practices, and pinpoint areas where teacher and principal training may be appropriate."
___
Online:
Civil Rights Data Collection: http://ocrdata.ed.gov/
American Association of School Administrators: http://www.aasa.org/
The Arc: http://www.thearc.org
National Disability Rights Network: http://www.ndrn.org
___
March 10, 2012 10:31 AM EST
Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Push for action to curtail restraining students
By KIMBERLY HEFLING
The Associated Press
10:31 a.m. Saturday, March 10, 2012
WASHINGTON — Tens of thousands of students, most of them disabled, are strapped down or physically restrained in school, and disability advocates hope that a new Education Department report detailing the practice of "seclusion and restraint" will spur federal action to end it.
The report, compiled and made public for the first time by the department's civil rights arm, shows that 70 percent of students subjected to the techniques have disabilities. There are no current federal standards on the use of the techniques in schools.
The American Association of School Administrators says they are a last resort in protecting students and faculty from physical harm and keeping some children with behavioral problems in schools who might otherwise go into residential institutions. Advocates for the disabled say the use of seclusion and restraint is too accepted in schools and has led to abuse. They want Congress or the department to help curtail the practice.
They point to news reports and a Government Accountability Office study in 2009 illustrating cases of children as young as preschool age who were duct-taped to chairs and locked alone for hours. That report by Congress' investigative and auditing arm did not determine whether these types of allegations were widespread, but investigators did find "hundreds of cases of alleged abuse and death related to the use of these methods on schoolchildren during the past two decades."
In one recent case, the mother of a Kentucky boy with autism said that when she went to her son's school, she found him stuffed in a canvas duffel bag in the hallway. Connecticut lawmakers are considering a bill that would require the state to report how often special education students are isolated because of emotional outbursts. That follows incidents in Middletown, Conn., where special education students were allegedly isolated in "scream rooms" during outbursts.
Sasha Pudelski, government affairs manager at the school administrators association, said except in rare cases, school workers use seclusion and restraint safely and only when necessary. She said federal action isn't appropriate because the issue should be addressed at the local and state level, which is happening.
"We would never defend the heinous practices that are sometimes highlighted," Pudelski said.
The department's data from the 2009-2010 school year showed tens of thousands of instances in which the techniques were reportedly used. It also showed that that while black students represent 21 percent of students with disabilities, they account for 44 percent of students with disabilities who are subjected to mechanical restraints. It's unclear the circumstances or exact methods used in the cases.
People on both sides of the debate said the new numbers don't show a complete picture.
Because they are based on a survey that relied on self-reporting in about 85 percent of schools, activists said there are likely many more cases. Pudelski said it was the first time that schools were asked to compile the statistics, so there was confusion about how to count some situations, and therefore probably over-reporting.
Reece L. Peterson, a special education professor at the University of Nebraska who has testified before Congress on the topic, said there's a consensus among special educators about using seclusion and restraint only in emergencies where there's a threat of someone getting hurt.
Based on the department's new numbers, Peterson said, "there is some evidence that these things are being used on a basis more widely than simply these kind of emergency situations."
Reports of such incidents should be "minuscule," said Maureen Fitzgerald, director of disability rights at the Arc, which advocates for people with disabilities. Fitzgerald said when abuses occur, it's usually because workers aren't properly trained.
"They are put in situations where they're not trained, they don't have the support they need and things get out of control because they don't know how to manage the kids, and they do whatever they can to keep everybody calm and safe ... and that's when people start getting hurt," Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald's organization is among several disability organizations seeking passage of a bill by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, that would prohibit the use of seclusion and allow restraints only in emergency situations and until the danger of serious bodily injury has passed. Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., has a similar bill in the House. Legislation to address the issue sponsored by Miller passed in 2010 but failed to get out of the Senate.
Activists also say the Education Department should be doing more to highlight and end the practice. In a report this past week, Curt Decker, the executive director of the National Disability Rights Network, wrote that the department hasn't provided "meaningful" leadership on the issue and has failed to issue clear guidance on when seclusion and restraint might violate the law.
"The guidance at a minimum must also limit the use of physical restraint or seclusion to circumstances when necessary to protect a child or others from imminent physical danger and not weaken existing protections in the states," Decker said.
Daren Briscoe, an Education Department spokesman, said the new data will be an "invaluable tool to illuminate trouble spots, highlight best practices, and pinpoint areas where teacher and principal training may be appropriate."
___
Online:
Civil Rights Data Collection: http://ocrdata.ed.gov/
American Association of School Administrators: http://www.aasa.org/
The Arc: http://www.thearc.org
National Disability Rights Network: http://www.ndrn.org
___
March 10, 2012 10:31 AM EST
Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Policies limit student dining options
One of our class assignments, like semester, is to write an article for The Inkwell. The only difference is the topic needed to deal public affairs, whether on or off campus.
I contacted Jay, the news editor, and he told me about how Armstrong's Dining Services cut back hours regarding the food court, Starbucks, and the convenient store on campus.
Since I live on campus, I knew Dining Services changed the hours, because one weekend when I wanted to grab a bite to eat the food court, it was closed. And long story short, I was disappointed. Because last semester, students could use these services on the weekends, particularly those who lived on campus.
When I was reporting for The Inkwell my freshman year of college, I remember talking to Al Harris, director of Student Activities about the Student Union, which was not built at the time. He said one of the reasons why the Student Union is so special is because it will stay open late for the students to use.
And I have to admit, I was excited about that perk, no pun intended. But when the hours changed this semester, it left me a bit confused.
Both Louis Duran, general manager of Sodexo, and David Carson, vice president of Business and Finance said the reason for the change in hours is due to the lack of student participation. And since students were not participating, Armstrong lost money.
My thing is, in order to use those services besides the cafeteria, we (students who live on campus), are only allotted $150 a semester to use the food court, Starbucks, etc. Because those services are not part of the meal plan. And that is not a lot of money if you are charging $7 per meal, plus tax.
When I first came to Armstrong, I had a $400 meal plan, which means $400 was on my card and I could spend the money however I wanted to. And I would only pay for the for the food according to what I ordered/picked up.
But since the Student Union came, all that changed. And students are only given a set amount for their meal plan.
I don't like Armstrong telling me what I can and cannot eat. I do like the buffet style, but why can't I choose the food I want an pay accordingly? There are many times when my friend and I go into the cafeteria and there is nothing good and I feel like I wasted money because I have to pay at the door.
And then I can't go to the food court, because I will just have to pay again. Duran said he didn't want the food court to be like the cafeteria, so he won't add it as a meal plan.
Both Duran and Carson said they said if they see more students using the dining facilities, they will go back to later hours. My thing is, if you just add the food court as a meal plan, you will make the money back that you are losing and not have to worry about changing the hours.
To look at the full article, click here
I contacted Jay, the news editor, and he told me about how Armstrong's Dining Services cut back hours regarding the food court, Starbucks, and the convenient store on campus.
Since I live on campus, I knew Dining Services changed the hours, because one weekend when I wanted to grab a bite to eat the food court, it was closed. And long story short, I was disappointed. Because last semester, students could use these services on the weekends, particularly those who lived on campus.
When I was reporting for The Inkwell my freshman year of college, I remember talking to Al Harris, director of Student Activities about the Student Union, which was not built at the time. He said one of the reasons why the Student Union is so special is because it will stay open late for the students to use.
And I have to admit, I was excited about that perk, no pun intended. But when the hours changed this semester, it left me a bit confused.
Both Louis Duran, general manager of Sodexo, and David Carson, vice president of Business and Finance said the reason for the change in hours is due to the lack of student participation. And since students were not participating, Armstrong lost money.
My thing is, in order to use those services besides the cafeteria, we (students who live on campus), are only allotted $150 a semester to use the food court, Starbucks, etc. Because those services are not part of the meal plan. And that is not a lot of money if you are charging $7 per meal, plus tax.
When I first came to Armstrong, I had a $400 meal plan, which means $400 was on my card and I could spend the money however I wanted to. And I would only pay for the for the food according to what I ordered/picked up.
But since the Student Union came, all that changed. And students are only given a set amount for their meal plan.
I don't like Armstrong telling me what I can and cannot eat. I do like the buffet style, but why can't I choose the food I want an pay accordingly? There are many times when my friend and I go into the cafeteria and there is nothing good and I feel like I wasted money because I have to pay at the door.
And then I can't go to the food court, because I will just have to pay again. Duran said he didn't want the food court to be like the cafeteria, so he won't add it as a meal plan.
Both Duran and Carson said they said if they see more students using the dining facilities, they will go back to later hours. My thing is, if you just add the food court as a meal plan, you will make the money back that you are losing and not have to worry about changing the hours.
To look at the full article, click here
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