Moron Sex - After All of these years

I am under strict marital-law orders to clarify my previous post:

HIgh School Sex -It's More Than Just Sex

When I wrote that I wasn't going to ask the second girl if the adult school employee was having sex with her before she graduated, I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. Like, maybe he took some professional development courses, and instead of grading on her curves while she was a student like he did the first one, he waited until graduation night to cap the gown.

My wife doesn't like the way I wrote it. First of all, she thinks the only reason I brought it up was because he was tapping it and not me. She said something to the effect that I could go find the girl if that would make me happy, and don't forget to send money. After a few months shy of 32 years of bliss, and she hangs it up for one night of 37 years ago. Whoever...

Secondly, my wife thinks the way I said that "the three of us were together" one night along with that I said how easy it would be to not ask "her" implied that it was her, my wife.

So, I am here to set the record straight. It wasn't my the wife the guy was tutoring. I did not get a BJ in Immokalee, at any price. And I did not have sex in New York .... with a $4000 call girl.

Glad I didn't say anything about the girl that sat next to me in typing class and the days she wore those short skirts and crossed her legs. You know how embarrasing it is to have a wet spot on khaki pants, and I never took my hands off the keyboard.

HIgh School Sex -It's More Than Just Sex

If you are thinking I am going to share personal history, I'll play a little of Garth Brooks' "Old Stuff":

"Oh the stories we could tell
If it weren't for the code of the road,,,"

Just a marketing ploy to get one's attention. Speaking of marketing, now that we know some people pay $4000 an hour for sex activity in New York, it may be surprising to know that one can get a blow job in Immokalee, Fla for $2. One can use their own calculations and variables to figure out how much that comes to in an hour. In case you wonder how I know this bit of information, look back on my post (it may be on my adjacent blog) of my days working for the U. of Miami on a nationwide AIDS research project. I have to admit, the packaging of the $4000 woman and the $2 woman says it all.

High School Sex. I graduated in 1971 from East Bay H.S. A male school employee was boinking one of the senior girls. I later found out he also was boinking another girl who was two years younger. What I am not sure of if he started on the second girl before she graduated. What I am sure of is he and I were in the same place with her one night, but it was after she had graduated. I didn't ask then, and I am not asking her now.


Fast forward to 1998. I know a high school girl who was boinking her soccer coach when she was in school. Also, during the late 90's, I knew a married woman was involved with a married AP. I saw them several times in the same vehicle at various places. I saw his truck at her mother's place. I also heard the rumors of how the windows on a school room were covered over and the room would be locked when the two of them were together. She became pregnant. They are now married.

Today we have an article from the Tampa Tribune - Are More Teachers Crossing The Line? .

This sentence grabs my attention:

""I'm doubtful that there's an epidemic going on," Finkelhor said. "I do think there's more reporting. One of the things that's changed is the very large liability lawsuits that happened in the wake of the priest abuse stuff. I think that has sensitized schools to the liability that they themselves may incur if they don't really take a very proactive stance with regard to these things.

"There was, perhaps, more in the past, a tendency of them to try and keep it under wraps. Get rid of the teacher. Negotiate something out, but not allow it to get public."".

I have expressed my thoughts about how important "image" is to our local school system here: Image More Important Than Substance? .

I don't have many guests register at my motel. I seem to think that a few drive by and look to see what the marquee says, but they never check in. Maybe they have read the lines behind the above flower vase. Maybe they know the words in the rest of the song -"you can check out anytime, but you can never leave" (Eagles).

Timing is everything. I did have a guest drop in here: Where Does The Money Go and How Does One Know .

This person writes: "Next year )we have heard rumors) resource rooms are coming back--even for higher functioning kids who are doing well in FUSE classes. I'm so sorry that this has all come down to politics and money, money, money. Parents should check this out-- it is NOT Least Restrictive Environment"!"

I learned a long time ago that parents can do what school employees can't. Despite the disparaging things that have been said to me and about me, I know that there are a lot of teachers silently begging for help. Some are openly begging for help.

I know what it's like to be told I was a "malcontent", that I used "broadbrush attacks" and that I only complain about "isloated incidents". But I also have the records to show how one administrator and one teacher lied and altered documents. Sort of like the blue dress evidence.

Here is an example of what parents did that school employees wouldn't. "Old news is still bad news, but how many know it?" . Real Professionals would work to correct this problem. I have reason to believe that efforts are strengthened to keep the public ignorant.

I remember my fraternity parties with the loud music playing and a very crowded dance floor, and the obligatory kegs and 55 gallon can of Everclear and fruit juices. One of the brothers would reach over and grab my date's ass and I would get slapped because I was the closest one to her. To make the metaphor clear, teachers are getting slapped by the parents because of what the administration is doing.

The house of cards is falling down. Blaming it on the kids and parents to maintain an image takes a lot resources. These resources could be put into developing an honest relationship with the public.

Almost another $200,000 down the drain

If this account is true, I wonder if the secretary has kids.

Or was her reaction to an irate parent a reflection of an administrative posture that "no one talks to us that way. We are educational experts."

In the real business world, consumers who don't like the way they are treated don't go back. In the real business world, business owners have the right to refuse service to those they do not want to do business with. I know the public school system is not a business - because they get their money no matter what.

It may be difficult for many to comprehend the emotional processes a parent goes through when they find out their kid is lost. One of these emotional processes is an inherit sense of distrust that starts to emerge. They want to find their kid, and any perceived action that anyone else does not share that immediate need will not be taken well.

The previous HCDS Superintendent once tried to bring back that "welcome feeling" for parents. I believe there were a few "red carpets" sent around. I am sure his desire was for a change in the culture, not just another "check mark" and an substance-empty symbol.

I can only imagine, in my "malcontent disposition", that the kid and the parent will be blamed for the trauma they have chosen to feel. After all, they are not the only family the HCDS has to deal with.

And for those who don't grasp the significance of $200,000, that is all Eric Martin the HCDS thought was fair value.

God forbid that none of us have to endure a tragedy. It could happen to any of us.
Maybe the degree of professionalism that parents give to a public school system is how much the system sees the value of their kids.

Right Before I Go to Bed, I Read This Sh*t - Almost another $200,000 worth

Deaf student left miles from home

"Pinellas school officials are investigating an incident Tuesday that left a 13-year-old deaf girl at the wrong bus stop, in the rain, more than two miles from her home"

"She tried to use sign language and other hand gestures, said her father, Joe Catalano. But the driver seemed frustrated and hurried her off the bus. Asked whether Heather tried to communicate with the driver through a written message, Joe Catalano said, "It never got to that point."

He added: "My daughter panicked and didn't know what to do.""

A 13 year old deaf girl.

Signing to the bus driver. Sign language we will presume that was professionally taught to her by an education system that recognizes special education.

Not a 13 year old girl saying "Fu*k you bro, I ain't gettin' off here!". Not a 13 year old girl all up in the bus driver's face. Not a 13 year old girl yelling and screaming. Because if she had done all of the above, a frickin referral would have been written, she would have been suspended from school transportation and sent to alternative school.

But no, we have a meek disabled, educated kid trying to tell an adult that the adult is wrong.

Fat chance that an adult that works for a public education system would even have a second thought about their actions being questioned, much less be questioned by a disabled kid (or parent for that matter).


I am quite sure this is forgotten:


Right bus, wrong stop, devastating consequences
Eric Martin died three years ago when a car struck him as he walked home from the wrong bus stop, 5 miles from home. Could it happen again?
By LOGAN D. MABE, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published November 3, 2002

“Eric Martin, a sixth-grader at Walker Middle School, was 10 years old and 5 miles from home when he was dropped off at the wrong school bus stop Oct. 28, 1999. It was the first day of an after-school tutoring class, so he went home on a different bus with a different driver who had different bus stops.
In the growing darkness, Eric set out on the long walk from VillaRosa to his family's house in Wyndham Lakes. He was hit and instantly killed on Lutz-Lake Fern Road.
Kimberly Martin sued the Hillsborough County School Board claiming negligence on the part of bus driver Linda Moore, who was driving Eric's bus that day.
The case never went to court. The School Board settled out of court for the state-mandated maximum of $200,000. Martin says she didn't sue for money but to bring attention to what she calls a flawed system. “

"On the advice of legal counsel, the district's director of transportation declined to discuss procedures in the context of the Martin case. Mark Hart, the district's spokesman, released a statement saying that dismissal procedures are regularly reviewed. Bus drivers now get a "rollover" list of student passengers to help drivers at the beginning of the school year. And elementary school officials now have an instructional video tape on effective dismissals to watch.

Hart emphasized that these changes were in the works before Eric's death. "

-----

"Eric made it about 3 miles trudging along busy Lutz-Lake Fern Road before a Dodge Ram, driven by University of South Florida student Christine Matanane, hit him. Matanane said she tried to avoid the boy but couldn't. It was about 7:25 p.m., 40 minutes after sunset. Eric's parents had been driving all over looking for him.

A little after 9 p.m. sheriff's deputies delivered the news to Kimberly Martin. She knew why they were there before they said a word. "


-----------------------
"The case never went to court. The School Board settled out of court for the state-mandated maximum of $200,000. Martin says she didn't sue for money but to bring attention to what she calls a flawed system.

-------------------------



I despise the arrogance and ignorance of those who have the authority to abuse it.

The very ones that need our help the most are used for a cathartic expression of power and authority because they can't fight back without the unchallengeable retaliation that they face.

I fight the fight because they can't.

I mock and make snide, sardonic comments about the system because it is what it is, and I recognize it.

Prove me wrong.

"Suing the District" or "Filing a State Complaint"

Special Education is not for the faint of heart. It is about big money as much or more as it is about specialized instruction that is designed to meet the needs of a student with disabilities.


A comment from Personal Experience 6:28 about a parent having "sued the district time after time" gives rise to the question if the commenter understands the difference between due process, which is a highly formalized legal procedure (suing), and a state complaint:

§ 300.153 Filing a complaint.
(a) An organization or individual may
file a signed written complaint under
the procedures described in §§ 300.151
through 300.152.
(b) The complaint must include—
(1) A statement that a public agency
has violated a requirement of Part B of
the Act or of this part;
(2) The facts on which the statement
is based;
(3) The signature and contact
information for the complainant; and
(4) If alleging violations with respect
to a specific child—
(i) The name and address of the
residence of the child;
(ii) The name of the school the child
is attending;
(iii) In the case of a homeless child or
youth (within the meaning of section
725(2) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a(2)),
available contact information for the
child, and the name of the school the
child is attending;
(iv) A description of the nature of the
problem of the child, including facts
relating to the problem; and
(v) A proposed resolution of the
problem to the extent known and
available to the party at the time the
complaint is filed.
(c) The complaint must allege a
violation that occurred not more than
one year prior to the date that the
complaint is received in accordance
with § 300.151.
(d) The party filing the complaint
must forward a copy of the complaint to
the LEA or public agency serving the
child at the same time the party files the
complaint with the SEA.
(Approved by the Office of Management and
Budget under control numbers 1820–0030
and 1820–0600)
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e–3)
(not suing)

*****************
As we should all know, the District has an obligation to provide the parents the rules of the game. This may be difficult if the front line District people don't know the rules themselves.

"§ 300.504 Procedural safeguards notice.
(a) General.

----
(2) Upon receipt of the first State
complaint under §§ 300.151 through
300.153 and upon receipt of the first
due process complaint under § 300.507
in a school year;

(c) Contents. The procedural
safeguards notice must include a full
explanation of all of the procedural
safeguards available under § 300.148,
§§ 300.151 through 300.153, § 300.300,
§§ 300.502 through 300.503, §§ 300.505
through 300.518, § 300.520, §§ 300.530
through 300.536 and §§ 300.610 through
300.625 relating to—

----
(5) Opportunity to present and resolve
complaints through the due process
complaint and State complaint
procedures, including—
(i) The time period in which to file a
complaint;
(ii) The opportunity for the agency to
resolve the complaint; and
(iii) The difference between the due
process complaint and the State
complaint procedures, including the
jurisdiction of each procedure, what
issues may be raised, filing and
decisional timelines, and relevant
procedures;

The Sound Of A Closed Door Can Be Deafening

There is something very intriguing about the doors to public education. I don’t know who built the first one, but I am sure that information could be found if one took the time. I have no doubt that the study of the origin and progression of public schools in our country would be a fascinating endeavor . I am also sure the following statement made by a former Teacher of the Year would not go without challenge:

“ The secret of American schooling is that it doesn't teach the way children learn
- nor is it supposed to. Schools were conceived to serve the economy and the social order rather than kids and families -- that is why it is compulsory.”



I throw that out there for others to attack or defend. The premise is why I have chosen it. The fact that even today there is much discussion about whether current influences on public education are self serving and not truly aimed at education is no different than the above premise.

I do know of two major social issues where it took the Federal Court to pry open the doors of public education that were obviously closed for two identifiable groups. One major door opening to the public as a whole was Brown v. Board of Education. Another major door opening to the public as a whole was the Education of the Handicapped Act (EHA or the Act). One must read about the many other doors that had to be pried open before these two major doors were forcibly opened.

Since the mid 1990's this writer first learned about the secret that when the teacher's door is closed, it is their realm. In fact it was told to me in that way almost verbatim. The secret was dirty then, and it remains so today.

I have previously asked the question "what rights does a regular education student have to their education." The answer to that question increases in intrigue and difficulty when one compares it to the answer of the question "what rights does a special education student have to their education."

Understanding case laws that have shaped our public education system is a formidable task. Many of the people who work day in and day out may not even know or understand where the pressures come from that effect their daily routine. A door may be physically closed, and a parent may be physically kept out of the classroom, but is that really keeping the parent out of the classroom?


I have chosen a passage from a federal case HONIG, California Superintendent of Public Instruction v. DOE, et al. to make a point:

"Envisioning the IEP as the centerpiece of the statute's education delivery system for disabled children, and aware that schools had all too often denied such children appropriate educations without in any way consulting their parents, Congress repeatedly emphasized throughout the Act the importance and indeed the necessity of parental participation in both the development of the IEP and any subsequent assessments of its effectiveness. See 1400(c), 1401(19), 1412(7), 1415(b)(1)(A), (C), (D), (E), and 1415(b)(2). Accordingly, the Act establishes various procedural safeguards that guarantee parents both an opportunity for meaningful input into all decisions affecting their child's education and the right to seek review of any decisions they think inappropriate. These safeguards include the right to examine all relevant records pertaining to the identification, evaluation and educational placement of their child; prior written notice whenever the responsible educational agency proposes (or refuses) to change the child's placement or program; an opportunity to present complaints concerning any aspect of the local agency's provision of a free appropriate public education; and an opportunity for "an impartial due process hearing" with respect to any such complaints. 1415(b)(1), (2)."

If we examine this part of the statement, does this not "put the parent in the classroom" : "guarantee parents both an opportunity for meaningful input into all decisions affecting their child's education and the right to seek review of any decisions they think inappropriate?"

It Ain't Me Babe, No, No, No It Ain't Me Babe

I was trying to find the information about how making public schools be responsible for educating disabled kids was more about politics than education. Still haven't found it, but the search is interesting.

I once went to Washington D.C. to speak to a couple of legislators about ESE Issues. It has been about 10 years ago and my memory has a lot of gaps in it.

I found this Report to Congress and was perusing through it.

I selected these few bits, but there are plenty:

Finding 1: Parent-professional relationships too often are strained and difficult, and parents and professionals frequently view one another as adversaries rather than as partners.

Finding 2:

Some parents have difficulty finding appropriate services for their children.

.......... the states are "evaluating" children to deny them service. "I don't have this service, and I don't have this service. We don't have the money for this service. We will need to re-evaluate." And when they finish their evaluation, the child is no longer in need of the service. And this is going on again and again, and again. And it is not just in the South...I deal with parents all over the United States.

......."What is lacking is a respect for the kinds of things that it is necessary for students with disabilities to learn......


Finding 7:

Many parents are uninformed about their rights under the law.

Although school districts are required to inform parents of their rights under the law, witnesses testified that parents frequently report that they are not informed.
*************************

"We have a very complicated state formula mechanism [in West Virginia] where special needs students are triple-weighted. And that means that for every dollar appropriated for a regular education student, special needs students are given three dollars. Sounds good, doesn't it? There is a catch. The catch is that those funds are not earmarked and that the county superintendent and his board may spend it on whatever they please. It can be spent on salary increases for the administrators;......."

I could go on and on about things I can relate to that are in this report. I have been writing about these things since I was goaded into blogging.

This report was written almost 20 years ago.

Just read the titles of the Findings and you will get the picture.

Big Fat Money

A little Van Halen to jump start the day:

"Some say money is bad for the soul
Bad for the rock, bad for the roll
Bad for the heart , bad for the brain
Bad for the damn near everything oh yeah
It must be good for something"

I have reason to remind the readers of this event from the recent past:

Old news is still bad news

Go to the link and read finding of fact by the State. Not just a complaining parent.

IEP's are contracts for service. A Matrix of Service is filled out based on what was written in the IEP, submitted to the State, and the State sends money to the District based on the funding number.

If the services that are written in the IEP are not provided to the student, there is a multitude of problems. Ethics would be one of them. Destruction of trust from the parents may be one of them. Fraud may be one of them. An appropriate education for the student is so far down the list, it is lost in the fog of war when the parent finally demands some accountability.

Recent dialog on this blog and posts by this blogger on other blogs has dealt with parents and teachers needing to work together.

Some parents want to audiotape their IEP meetings. How many of you get to a point in your life where you want to go the hassle of taping a meeting? One would reasonably assume that the need to tape something is because one has become wary of false assurances, parsing of words, repeated delays, repeated "misunderstandings" and "clarifications" that are far from what was previously stated or written.

Under the current culture, the burden of proof of compliance is left to the parent to somehow prove that not only did a host of people who say they are educators hear what was said and see what is written, but they are not honoring what they said and wrote.

I have been in many, many IEP meetings. I know the game. If an elephant came into the IEP meeting, dropped a load right in the middle of the table, no one could ever prove it if it wasn't written in the IEP form or the conference notes. Even when there are teachers, ESE specialists, related service personnel, principals, directors and parents that see the elephant, moved their papers out of the way of the big dump, and smelled the aroma that stunk up the whole room. If it wasn't written, it didn't happen.

If the system continues to leave it to the parents to enforce compliance, I will continue to mock those who hide behind this strategy. And I am counting the days. To steal a concept from Goader - tick, tick, tick.

Where Does The Money Go and How Does One Know

A wide variety of media sources are full of stories about the financial woes of school systems. Not enough money for this, and not enough money for that. In the arena of Special Education, it is the same. Try to have a discussion about Special Education finances with a high ranking administrator and see how long it is before they make sure it is stated that the District is "responsible for all children". I have been to events that promote science and never heard an administrator remind everyone not to forget that the District is there for all students, not just science students.

It appears that finding money for specific personnel within the District is easy compared to finding money for specific educational programs. Maybe it has to do with something like a leak in a water bucket where a drop is nothing until there are no more drops and then complain there is a water shortage.

Public Law 94-142 (1975)later to be known as The Individualized with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a funding mechanism. I guess since public schools were forced to take on the education of kids with disabilities in the mid 1970's, the good natured people who made this decision wanted to make sure that everyone realized that disabled kids were a hardship to everyone so they gave extra money for each one. This way, the disabled kids are always second to the trough because they have special papers to fill out and hoops to jump through instead of just showing up at the school house and receiving free money as a matter of course like the regular kids do.

And to add insult to injury, the Feds way back then promised 40% funding for the disabled kids. The highest figure I have heard trying to reach this benchmark was "less than 15%."
Because of this shortfall, it sort of feeds the belief that disabled kids really aren't worth even what the Feds say they are. If one studies the history prior to IDEA, there is belief that IDEA was a stepping stone towards attempts to increased socialized government. How could anyone turn down helping those poor pathetic kids that were not allowed at the public school drinking fountain? I unfortunately can not relocate the link that provided the names of the people, the course of events and how it was more about politics than education.

"For whatever reasons--compassion, votes, humanism, dollars--the handicapped are big business today, are political factors not to be taken lightly." Burton Blatt

For those who want to read how the funding is figured, click on the link below. Go to the last few pages and see if it is clear how the math works. Then ask "where does the money go and how does one know?"
USE OF THE EXCEPTIONAL STUDENT EDUCATION MATRIX OF SERVICES

They Just Didn't Get It

My previous post was an attempt to provide some insight in to why some educational settings do not succeed, despite how much the educators involved want to believe that they know what they are doing. Money is not the answer. Changing a mind-set is.

As a parent of a disabled child, I have years of experience and hundreds of anecdotal incidents (far exceeding what was often referred to as "isolated" by District personnel) that I could share. Despite my incessant efforts to bring in outside educated supports from places such as FSU, Fla. School For Deaf Blind, UofF, Texas, New York, Gallaudet, Boston College Deaf/Blind and even Australia, some people just didn't get it that their way was not good. Despite numerous evaluations, observations,reports and money spent on bringing in real experts, some people just didn't get it that their way was not good.

Dealing with behaviors was one of the most exasperating issues. I can not tell anyone how many times I was told my son did something "for no apparent reason". Like the time he broke his pencil, crumpled his paper and threw it on the floor "for no good reason". He was sent to the office. The principal informed us that he would not be allowed to act like that.

As the uninformed, emotionally attached, overwhelmed father, I only had excuses for his behavior. The fact that he had an uncorrectable vision problem did not matter. The fact that he was deaf did not matter. The fact that there was no one at that school to sign to him did not matter. The fact he was extremely successful in the prior setting because the previous teacher had all of the supports needed for him to succeed but they were not with him didn't matter. The fact that he had been given the same ditto several days in a row did not matter. The fact that the ditto was too small of print for him to see didn't matter. The fact that the lesson plan called for recognition of presidents didn't matter. The fact that no one knew how to present an abstract concept such as President Lincoln and President Washington to a kid who will never be able to grasp the concept didn't matter. The fact that he could not see pencil markings very well didn't matter. The fact that he was used to a black marker to accommodate his vision didn't matter.

No, I simply had to trust those who had the authority of the school system vested in them.

In my continued efforts to be a helpful father, despite my shortcomings, I talked with the teacher about my concerns. She told me she did not have ink to make separate dittos for my son. I asked what kind of ink cartridges she needed, and went directly to what-ever store it was and bought two cartridges and a ream of paper and gave it to her.

Needless to say, my purchase of the ink cartridges was not the answer. That was in 1990. By December 16th, 1996, despite various settings, it was the mind-set of several people that was never overcome and it led to me learning the rules.

Most of them had authority that could have righted the issue. Fortunately, there were a few who not only got it, but even without power and authority, they overcame the misguided. But not without a lot of effort to make things work.

The previous article speaks to how behaviors can be made worse by ignorance combined with power and authority.