Texas » RED HOT CONSERVATIVE

HUDSON ISD: FBI RESPONSIBLE for US TERRORIST ATTACKS……SERIOUSLY?

Sep 06

Posted by Ginger in Featured Post

Our country’s political landscape has been transforming before out very eyes and you can thank our public education system for the vast majority of it. The progressive ideology running rampant through our our government and education system will more than likely solidify the destruction of the United State’s freedom. Texas’s own Hudson’s superintendent Mary Ann Whitaker is a proponent of transforming our Texas Education System into a progressive one.

Image result for mary ann whitaker

Mary Ann Whitaker thought one students article on “Presidential Candidates Positions on Syrian Refugees” was so news worthy they have posted in on the school’s website. You can read it for yourself below. All I can add is “LORD HELP US”.

Presidential candidates positions on Syrian refugees

By: (I have removed students name)

Time’s 2015 Person of the Year award was given to Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany. Merkel has many accomplishments qualifying her for the title, including her handling of European economic crises and her response to the terror activities occurring too frequently in the region. By far, her most outstanding act has been Germany’s acceptance of nearly one million – 964, 574 to be exact – refugees from Syria and other unstable regions of the Middle East. Merkel’s ability to see migrants as who they actually are – innocent families fleeing religious and social persecution – rather than who the Islamic State wishes for them to be – terrorists – not only makes her an outstanding leader on a global scale but a champion of tolerance and humility second to none.

There are skewed responses to the refugee crisis around the world, the United States being the center for such confusion. With ten popular Republican presidential contenders and three popular Democrats all professing different opinions and solutions, it’s no wonder Americans have a difficult time taking a stance on the issue. Even more upsetting is the fact that the responses of most Republicans are discriminatory based on race, religion, or gender and the actions suggested by Democrats are not nearly enough.

Donald Trump, America’s favorite presidential contender and human being in general, is the epitome of bigotry and ignorance. Trump has announced, and defended, his stance on the ban of Muslim migration to the United States. Two comments. First, this idea senseless as a vast majority of Muslims condemn Islamic extremism, those fleeing IS especially exhibiting disapproval of radicalization. The people running from the terrorists are not the terrorists! Second, this action would be unconstitutional as it violates the First Amendment. Americans have the right to “freedom of religion,” and prohibiting people of a particular religion from entering and practicing their beliefs in this country grossly defies this basic liberty.

Freedom of religion can also be defined as freedom from religion. Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush have both proposed an idea in which only Christians from Syria and the Middle East would be allowed to enter the United States. The first flaw with this reasoning is the belief that Christians will be less violent than Muslims. As mentioned earlier, the Muslims in the region are not terrorists and will not behave in a way more threatening than the Christians of the region. The second flaw is that there is no guarantee those migrating are actually Christians. How does one prove he’s a Christian? A relationship with God is on a personal level and as a result there is no possible way for screening agencies to determine who is and is not Christian. In addition, it is ridiculous, inhumane, and even unChristian to value a particular group over another and leave the less valuable one helpless and ready to die. Let me point out the most obvious issue at hand: this would be unconstitutional. It is ironic that these “Republicans,” who supposedly value strict adherence to the constitution which is evident through their call to abolish Obamacare and defend the rights of gun owners, would so easily damn the very document and its influence to protect those following America’s religion – Christianity.

Marco Rubio has suggested to only allow women, children, and the elderly to enter the United States. This is offensive on so many levels. First is the fact that the sentence reads women then children as if the two are equally incapable of taking care of themselves. These dependents most definitely need a brave, religious man like Mr. Rubio to step in and save them from the Muslims. Rubio’s statement is a gross display of benevolent sexism. Mr. Rubio is willing give women “special” (by that I mean unequal) treatment if women embrace their subordination. The tragic reality is that so many women would accept this offer, at the expense of their husbands, sons, and dignity, to continue their lives. It’s this rhetoric that holds back females and forces them to embrace their current social standings rather than strive for equality.

Ben Carson and Donald Trump both advocate increased surveillance. Islamophobic Trump has called for separate databases for Muslims. Ben Carson says, “In the larger capacity, we should monitor anything – mosques, church, school, you know, shopping centers – where there is a lot of radicalization going on.” There is a commonality between the two stances: both call for increased surveillance of American Muslims, who do not support terrorism in the slightest. The few that may have in the past likely did so only because an FBI informant illegally tricked them into committing a crime. Pursuing American Muslims increases distrust in the government and alienates an essential ally in stopping terrorism.

All of these stances are hypocritical. The true Republican party, the one I would identify with if it existed, believes that a limited government is necessary for the maintenance of individual liberties. This party would condemn a national endorsement or ban of a particular religion as this is unconstitutional, would never pass legislation which subordinates women and potentially limits their rights, and would be an adamant advocate of decreased government surveillance. Unfortunately, none of the candidates above share these values. Maybe the Democrats have a better stance…

Martin O’Malley, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders have all called for the acceptance of 65,000 refugees. This may be the figure suggested by the U.N. but it is not nearly enough. There are an estimated 4 million people displaced by the chaos in Syria. Democrats suggest we take 65,000 while Germany is accepting 964, 574. This acceptance rate is extremely disproportionate and unfair to Germany and other European countries attempting to support the refugees. John Kerry, the current Secretary of State, has suggested that the U.S. should take a minimum of 100,000 refugees, and this figure is likely a better starting point. At least these candidates don’t exhibit intolerant or even hostile, in Trump’s case, sentiment toward the refugees.

The Islamic State wins when America does not have an adequate response. Innocent Syrian and Iraqi families continue to be slaughtered, Muslims around the globe begin to despise American leaders for their lack of response as Islam adherents face these atrocities, and Islamophobic sentiment grows in America, alienating a crucial ally and cultural benefactor. It is important for the public to know and understand the values of presidential candidates, as their beliefs impact legislation and action in the future. An improper character perception could be the difference between the tragic outcome listed above and the endurance of American ideals.

Tags: ANGELA MERKEL, CHRIISTIANS, Education, FBI, hudson isd, Liberal, LUFKIN, Mary Ann Whitaker, Progressive, RELIGION, TASA, TASB, Texas

Comments Off

TOP

CSCOPE: Alive and Well

Aug 31

Posted by Ginger in Featured Post

I don’t think I have personally witnessed such a huge money laundering scheme in my life. Texas homeowners are burdened with huge property value increases. We have school districts passing school bonds screaming they need more money to better educate our children. I assure you MONEY is not the problem MONEY MANAGEMENT is the problem.

This became quite clear when I and others discovered and researched the Texas online curriculum management system in 2013. Cscope was not purchased by school districts but rented by 90% of Texas School Districts yearly from their local Education Service Centers for thousands of dollars.

The Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott requested a State Audit of Cscope in 2014. The State Auditor’s Report showed there was over 6 Million unaccounted for. As of today no one person responsible for this has been indicted and the money laundering scheme continues.

After Cscope’s damaged reputation to recover some viability the name was changed to the Teks Resource System. They removed the horrible lessons and Assessments. What is remaining and rented for up to millions statewide is criminal.

What is remaining can accessed off of the TEA website for FREE. But that would be to easy and financial responsible. Do our Texas Representatives care?

Below you will see that Frenship ISD rented the Teks Resource System for the 2015/2016 school year for $46,290.00. Superintendents are funneling money into these Cesspools securing them a place to retire among other things.

OUTRAGEOUS!!!!

TEXAS WAKE UP!!

Tags: Cscope, Education, Frenship ISD, Gov. Greg Abbott, ISD, MONEY LAUNDERING, red hot conservative, TEKS, Teks Resouce System, Texas

Comments (1)

TOP

HCDE Declares War on Texas Tax Payers

Aug 23

Posted by Ginger in Featured Post

Since the video surfaced of HCDE’s superintendent outlining his battle plan AGAINST the taxpayers, Texans deserve to know exactly who declared war on them….

It is the two obsolete county school boards left over from 100 years ago when counties operated Texas public schools:

1. Dallas County School Trustees–dba–DCS,Texserve
2. Harris County School Trustees–dba–HCDE,Choice Partners

All other counties in Texas quit electing County School Trustees after all their students moved to Independent School Districts.

But these two dinosaurs have refused to close.

They continue to operate and tax under a loophole (TEC 11.301) even after the laws governing county schools were repealed in 1995.

The archaic 1930s county school property tax they still collect is called the “equalization tax.“ It was supposed to be used for the public schools in the county. Instead, they use most of it for themselves.

Why should the average Texan care?

Because in recent years, these two have developed a new “Texas government business model.”

They use public funds from property taxes, f ees and bonds to start-up, purchase, and/or operate business enterprises –
everything from cloud computing to charter bus services.

They aren’t limiting these business enterprises to their own counties. They are selling “services” across the US.

And…because both are actually leftover “county school districts”…. their 3000+ employees qualify for the Texas Teacher Retirement System.

That means the State taxpayers are responsible for providing their employees LIFETIME benefits, as if they were teachers, even when their work has nothing to do with public education – like storing records for the City of Houston or chartering buses for church trips.

If the Legislature allows these tax exempt subsidized business operations to continue, they will be sanctioning public debt to purchase private companies, and using public funds to supplement government owned businesses.

Government businesses which can put private sector companies out of business, and their private sector employees out of work.

In other words, taxpayers are at war with subsidized public sector, socialistic businesses that are working to undermine our capitalist system.

If you want to join in the battle, you can contact your Texas State Representative and Senator and let them know you expect them to support a bill to close the two remaining county school boards.

You can find who represents you: here

Note:

You can view the Texas Senate Education Committee Hearing held on 8/3/16 when some of their business practices are discussed here. It was a long hearing, but very informative. (start at 4:28:57)

Colleen Vera

colleen@TexasTrashTalk.com

Tags: Choice Partners, City of Houston, colleen Vera, CORRUPTION, Dallas County Schools, Education, HARRIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, James Colbert, JR, red hot conservative, Texas, Texas Senate, Texas Teacher Retirement System, TrashTalk.com

Comments Off

TOP

VOTE NO on FRISCOE’S ISD TAX INCREASE

Aug 19

Posted by Ginger in Featured Post

Texas School districts have gotten way out of hand and mastered the art of wasting taxpayers money. Friscoe ISD is now trying to raise ISD taxes by .13 cents on the dollar. Yes, from 1.04 to 1.17. This is outrageous. You will most definitely hear that is all need to increase academic scoring and increasing teachers salaries. The repetitive jargon and lies is the selling point every school district ramps up when it wants more money. I can assure you school districts are padding the administrative’s pockets and livelihood. There is more money laundering going on in our Texas ISD’s than anyone can ever imagine.

As of today there is still 6.1 Million missing due to the Texas Cscope Scandal and not one education employee has been indicted. I guess you can say in Texas it pays to play.

Want to know how much Friscoe ISD Superintendent and Asst Superintendent are earning while wanting to raise your taxes? Watch the video below.

Vote NO on the Friscoe ISD TAX INCREASE.

Tags: Education, Friscoe ISD, Texas, TRE TAXES

Comments Off

TOP

TEXAS SCHOOLS RUSH INTO ‘NEW COMMON CORE’

Aug 10

Posted by Ginger in Featured Post

DrCaroleHaynes.com

Texas declined the federal government’s efforts to force Common Core Standards into its schools. Yet now Texas is rushing headlong into implementing the ‘New Common Core.’

During the U.S. House proceedings for Every Student Succeeds Act that replaced No Child Left Behind, Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, made the stunning statement that Common Core is being redefined as social-emotional learning (SEL), which must come first in the learning hierarchy — with academics ranking second!

Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, confirmed in a prepared statement that he was proud “the legislation includes language to help expand and make the teaching of social and emotional learning [Common Core] more effective!”

SEL is a dominant feature in the recent federal legislation, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaced No Child Left Behind. The federal focus on education has shifted from academic learning to the “affective domain” — feelings and emotions — with requirements to measure progress.

Teaching character has been an important lesson in American public education until recent years. Students learned to be polite, honest, independent, resilient, and respectful of others. They learned to exhibit self-control, accept challenges and personal responsibility, value family and self, show empathy for and get along with others. There were no tests to measure their progress. No funding was required for additional teachers, textbooks, materials, and special teacher workshops.

However, the purpose of public education shifted under John Dewey’s teaching philosophy which is embedded in every government school. The focus on academic learning has turned to non-academic learning with the classroom serving as the engine for social and political change. Moral relativism replaced the teaching of character with its emphasis on ethics and morality. Love of America and pride in our national heritage were replaced with hatred for America, its Judeo-Christian heritage, and its traditional family values. With the loss of a moral compass, the school climate has turned deadly as students become violent, disrespectful for others, lacking in self control, and irresponsible.

After decades of being used as social engineering tools, students are so emotionally fragile that, as they enter college, many cannot cope with the rigors of the university and demand “safe spaces” where they can flee from reality.

Now in an effort to “fix” the problems that the public schools have created, the latest education fad of social and emotional learning is sweeping the nation.

In some independent school districts entire social and emotional department have already been created. The social engineering officially continues, now under the guise of “teaching the whole child.”

In the Austin, Texas independent school district, skills such as understanding and managing emotions, forming positive relationships, solving problems, and being optimistic have been integrated into the curriculum. Teachers are asked to spend 30-45 minutes a week teaching a lesson on an explicit skill. They have hired expensive consultants and created new programs and materials to formally teach what we once did for free.

In Dallas, Texas the Dallas Morning News (DMN) reports that the Dallas Independent School Board (DISD) has “…quietly passed a policy pushed by trustee Dan Micciche that requires social and emotional learning — already used informally in some schools – to be taught in all classrooms over the next 10 years.” The DISD notes the program will follow that of the Austin ISD and questions whether federal funding can be obtained.

ESSA requires that at least one non-cognitive trait be assessed by the states and incorporated into their accountability systems. The dilemma is how to measure the progress.

Already policy makers and corporate leaders are demanding measurement. If a school district uses any taxpayer funding for their SEL program, they will be required to file more reports and to collect more highly personal information for student permanent records. Government-appropriate thoughts and behavior will be taught by the latest round of “experts.”

Already new consulting groups are hawking their wares and profiting handsomely at the expense of children who are labeled “human capital.”

Under ESSA, there will be even more federal controls despite what our Congress promised us.

But can social and emotional traits such as character be measured? Should we turn social and emotional learning into high stakes metrics for high stakes accountability? Not according to noted character psychologist,Angela Duckworth, who wrote, “But we’re nowhere near ready — and perhaps never will be — to use feedback on character as a metric for judging the effectiveness of teachers and schools. We shouldn’t be rewarding or punishing schools for how students perform on these measures.”

What once was free and inherently taught now will cost the taxpayer billions of dollars while the students are psychologically manipulated to alter their beliefs, values, and world views and forced to take psychological assessments. In a nutshell, their mental health will be evaluated according to government standards.

ESSA is an unconstitutional piece of legislation that is very dangerous for our American freedoms. Parents must demand that their state legislators stop the implementation of ESSA. Having one’s child psychologically profiled is yet another reason why school choice is sweeping across the nation.

Tags: Angela Duckworth, AUSTIN ISD, Common Core, Dr. Carol Haynes, Education, ESSA, Every Student Succeeds Act., Paul Ryan, SEL, Social Emotional Learning, Texas

Comments (1)

TOP

TRUE STORY FROM TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOL CLASSROOM — WHY STUDENTS CAN’T READ!

Jul 12

Posted by Ginger in Featured Post

7.12.16

Sent to Texas Education Activist, Donna Garner by a Texas classroom teacher friend.

Name kept confidential.

Donna,

I just talked with a kindergarten teacher from XXXX, TX.

I am tutoring a second grade boy of a friend of hers. She came to pick him up today for his dad. The boy goes to a school here in XXXX. He could read NOTHING when he could not pass my 1st grade IRI at the time he came to me for tutoring. He could read all but 2 of the Dolch Sight Words List but missed 28 simple phonics words on my dyslexia test. He is an obvious vicim of Guided Reading. He is making fabulous progress with me.

I struck up a conversation with the kindergarten teacher from XXXX. I mentioned that his teacher had taught the bright boy next to nothing in his Guided Reading classroom. Then she told me something that blew my mind. She said that last year they were told to switch from Saxon Phonics, which they had used very successfully, to the Pinnell and Fountas Guided Reading program. Why on earth would any district with an ounce of common sense switch from Saxon to Guided Reading…

Forgive me, but what on earth is wrong with administrators who would switch from an excellent beginning reading program [Saxon] to the absolutely worst reading program [Guided Reading] ever devised by the mind of man?

I believe, Donna, there is a Big Conspiracy afoot. Guided Reading is not only a colossal failure; but it is an incredibly expensive failure, sapping schools of funds that could be spent better elsewhere. It, also, fills the remedial reading classes with students who otherwise would not be there – an added enormous expense.

Somebody is using our administrators to subvert good education in our schools. I wish I knew who it was.

XXXXXX

Tags: DONNA GARNER, Guided Reading, Pinnell and Fountas Guided Reading, Reading, Saxon, Texas, TEXAS SCHOOLS, Why Students Can't Read

Comments Off

TOP

TEXAS: KAUFMAN ISD SUPERINTENDENT BROKE THE LAW

May 18

Posted by Ginger in Featured Post

OPEN LETTER RE: KAUFMAN ISD SUPERINTENDENT BLAYLOCK BROKE THE TEC LAW

From Donna Garner

On 5.17.16, the following e-mail was sent to Mary Lou Bruner, Primary Run-Off Candidate, Dist. 9, Texas State Board of Education by an unnamed employee of Kaufman ISD. The employee included an e-mail that was sent to all Kaufman ISD faculty members from Kaufman ISD Superintendent Loraine Blaylock.

By reading Blaylock’s e-mail and going through the links she chose to enclose, it is obvious that she has sent out a partisan electronic communication using school district equipment. This is against the Texas Ethics Commission code (TEC links posted at the bottom of this e-mail).

Ms. Blaylock deliberately chose to include a negative link to an article (KTRE) about Mary Lou Bruner and a positive link to an article (Dallas Morning News) about Keven Ellis. By her choice of links, Ms. Blaylock is deliberately trying to prejudice all Kaufman ISD personnel to vote for Keven Ellis and to vote against Mary Lou Bruner.

Kaufman ISD Superintendent Blaylock is in full violation of the Texas Ethics Commission and is subject to a Class C misdemeanor. I am sharing this information with people in her own school district and with the general public.

If Mary Lou Bruner should decide to file an ethics complaint against Ms. Blaylock, Mary Lou is sure to win because of the partisan, prejudicial, and illegal e-mail that the superintendent sent using school resources.

The appropriate thing for Ms. Blaylock to do immediately is to send an e-mail of apology to Mary Lou Bruner and to all Kaufman ISD personnel for her lack of judgment in breaking the TEC code.

==========

E-MAIL SENT FROM KAUFMAN ISD EMPLOYEE TO MARY LOU BRUNER:

Greetings.

Posted below is a copy of an Email I received along with my fellow faculty members at Kaufman I.S.D. from our superintendent today.

Not sure if other school districts are involved in this type of political information , however I believe you should be aware of what may be going on.

Contact our schools administration if you wish as this is a clear violation of the Texas Election Code, Section 255.003 , prohibiting the use of school district resources for political advertising or to influence a voter to vote a certain way.

=========

E-MAIL SENT BY KAUFMAN ISD SUPERINTENDENT BLAYLOCK TO ALL KAUFMAN ISD PERSONNEL:

Two individuals are in a run-off election for the open State Board of Education position that represents our district. The candidates are Keven Ellis and Mary Bruner. Remember – the State Board of Education determines what textbooks/curriculum are available to schools and how it is tested. So, this election is very important to the future of our district!

Please follow this link to view a meeting between East Texas superintendents and Mrs. Bruner. It is frightening!

(ctrl+click to follow link:)

Mary Bruner Talks to Superintendents

Trouble? Paste this in your browser.

http://www.ktre.com/story/31912871/board-of-education-candidate-draws-ire-of-east-texas-superintendents-at-monthly-meeting

Also, take the time to learn more about Mr. Ellis. This is only one of many articles about him.

Keven Ellis Dallas Morning News

http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/20160510-editorial-we-recommend-keven-ellis-for-state-board-of-education-district-9.ece

Finally, VOTE!!!! Early voting for this run-off election is going on right now!

Dr. B.

Loraine Blaylock, Ed. D.
Superintendent
Kaufman ISD
972-932-2622

============

FROM TEXAS ETHICS COMMISSION

According to the Texas Ethics Commission, these links indicate that Kaufman ISD Superintendent Blaylock is committing a Class A misdemeanor by having used school district resources of any kind (including electronic transmissions) to take a partisan stand for political candidate, Keven Ellis:

https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/pamphlet/B09pad_sch.html

https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/opinions/045.html

Donna Garner

Wgarner1@hot.rr.com

Tags: Education, Huffman ISD, Kevin Ellis, Mary Lou Bruner, Ms. Blaylock, SBOE, Texas, Texas Ethics Commission, TEXAS STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Comments Off

TOP

Magnolia ISD: Dr. Stephens Where is the TRUTH?

Apr 19

Posted by Ginger in Featured Post

Texas school district, Magnolia ISD, has made national news within the last couple of weeks due to the violation of “parental rights“. Their “NEW” policy prohibited parents from walking their children home from school in the name of “safety'” (I assume they did not think parents would be concerned with their own child’s safety and needed help from the “STATE”).

Magnolia’s new Bear Branch Elementary Principal, Holly Ray, informed parents that there would be no walkers at the beginning of this school year. Since making the news after parents had been issued “trespass warnings” and threatened with arrest the Magnolia ISD administration is now denying there was ever a “no walker policy”. The district claims parents have always been free to walk their children home although we have found no notice stating this fact up until the district released this statement on April 6th. As expected, the district diverts blame for their actions onto the parents. Labeling them as being “verbally and physically” abusive and disrupting school procedures. This diversion technique is a common tactic utilized among Texas School Districts when portrayed in a negative light in the news.

The new walker policy was pulled out of thin air once this news story broke. Parents may now walk their children home twenty five minutes after school dismisses if the car rider line has made its way through the parking lot and possibly a longer if not. (More of “I” am in control). So where does the TRUTH lie?

Principal, Holly Ray

Parent, Robert Zeck provided this statement and a copy of the schools “CAR RIDER RULES” that specifically states “Students will NOT be dismissed to people on foot”. Notice the bold word “NOT” in this one rule. Seems Ms. Ray wanted to make her point quite clear there would not be walkers. So why all the confusion?

MISD released the following comment to Fox 26 April, 15th stating “We are happy for parents to walk their children home”. I would say we have some major contradictions here. Where in the world are the board members in all of this?

Holly Ray became the new principal of Bear Branch Elementary this year. Parents upset with the new policy have followed the district’s administrative channels in hopes of reaching an amicable agreement. Unfortunately, Ray and MISD Superintendent, Todd Stephens dug their administrative heels in and would not budge. One father met with Ray during the fall to discuss revising the new policy. With no agreeable consensus he left Ray’s office voicing his opposition to the “no walker policy” and said he would be at the next school board meeting. The meeting with Ray was held at 9:00 am on Sept 4th. At 4:00 pm the same day a Constable placed a “TRESPASS WARNING” in the father’s mailbox with no explanation as to why it was issued. Upon visiting the constable’s office asking for any and all documents pertaining to the warning, he was told there was nothing. Yes, that is right NO POLICE REPORT.

I would have to surmise that Ms. Ray, as Bear Branch’s new principal, did not want the father to address the first school board meeting of the year voicing complaints directed at her school policies.

Magnolia ISD has since come out claiming the warrant that was issued in the fall was due to the father attempting to be “verbally and physically” abusive to a staff member at Bear Branch Elementary though there is no police report backing up such claims. Fox 26 asked the district the following regarding the superintendents statement.

It is their understanding? WHAT? Do they not have any facts? Now not only has this father, a school volunteer, been portrayed as possibly “verbally and physically abusive”, the district is now claiming his behavior has been an on going problem although there is no report of it. Hmmm, interesting?

The district also claimed there was no police report. Well after filing a Public Information Request the Montgomery County Attorney’s office released the police report that doesn’t exist. See below. I would like to mention that the superintendent, Todd Stephens claims in his press releases that a father has continually been a “verbal and physical” danger. Though the police report has zilch information pertaining to this or why a trespass warning was issued. Interesting. Again Magnolia ISD where is the truth?

POLICE REPORT

Superintendent, Todd Stephens was emailed by the parents asking once again to be allowed to walk their children home as well as having the “Trespass Warning” removed. His response below specifically states there will be no “bike rider or walkers” at Bear Branch. In regards to removing the “Criminal Trespass Warning”, the superintendent left that up to the Ms. Ray, the principal. WHAT? Let’s look at this objectively. We have a man that the district claims is, and has been, a “physical threat” to staff at Bear Branch Elementary prompting them to call Constable, David Hill’s office to invoke a criminal trespass warning. Now the school principal, Holly Ray is qualified to determine when this father is no longer a threat in order to remove the warning? You can’t make this stuff up.

We also have two moms that walked to the school and picked up their children at the close of the school day in March and returned home. Within the hour Ms. Ray calls for a constable from Constable David Hill’s office to serve them papers at their home, in front of their neighbors and children. The constable informs the moms that if they walk their children home again they could either be charged with a class B misdemeanor or arrested. SERIOUSLY?

MOMS ADDRESS SCHOOL BOARD

Asked by Fox News Reporter, Andrea Watkins if the district will apologize for the excessive force and intimidation tactics. The district now claims these moms have been a continued disruption to the dismissal procedures. More blame shifting and intimidation on behalf of Magnolia ISD district.

Districts statement to Fox 26 questions.

The following paper was distributed to parents at the beginning of the year. The policy states “If you need to come inside the building after school, please remain in the car rider line until you have picked up your child and then park in a designated spot and check in at the front office.” I can see no other reason for that policy except to show the parents of Bear Branch Elementary that she is the boss and will control the parents and children and how they behave at “her” campus. Why else would you want someone to wait in the rider line, pick up their child, park, and then enter the building rather than park and enter the building where their child already was, do your business and return to you car and leave?

Texas State Rep Cecil Bell is now caught in the fray after posting Magnolia ISD’s response to Fox News on his Facebook Page. From all appearances it appears that Rep. Bell supports the Magnolia ISD School District over the parents in this situation and has yet to speak to them (his constitutents) regarding the matter.

I will end by asking Magnolia ISD where is the truth?

Tags: Andrea Watkins., Arrest, Dr. Sandra Stotsky, Dr. Todd Stephens, Education, Fox 26, Heather Burke, Holly Ray, Lindsey Simmons, Magnolia ISD, POWER, Texas

Comments Off

TOP

Magnolia ISD: Moms Address School Board on Walking Kids Home

Apr 13

Posted by Ginger in Featured Post

Unfortunately, across the United States we are witnessing the overreach of governmental authorities at various unconstitutional levels. One that hits a little closer to home is the utilization of government power to violate and intimidate parents and their “parental rights” when raising their own children as they see fit. This violation is happening by a greater scale on a daily basis with parents seeking legal council to fight this infringement.

Presently in the Texas school district of Magnolia ISD we are witnessing this government encroachment and intimidation with moms being threatened with arrest and class B misdemeanors. Their crime you may ask? Walking their children home from school. One would think this is a fabricated story but unfortunately it is not. Magnolia’s Bear Branch Elementary new principal, Holly Ray implemented this new walker policy this school year prohibiting parents to walk their children home even if they live within walking distance.

Mom’s Heather Burke and Lindsey Simmons live within .2 miles of the school and after numerous attempts to work with the school and their administration on their absurd “no walker” policy brought their complaints to the Magnolia ISD April school board meeting.

You can view the video of their complaints below.

Heather Burke

Lindsey Simmons

ParentalRights.org has released the following video, OVERRULED highlighting the government invasion of parental rights

Tags: Arrested, Bear Branch Elementary, Education, Governement, Heather Burke, Holly Ray, Lindsey Simmons, Magnolia ISD, Moms, No Walker Policy, Overreach, Parentalrights.org, Texas

Comments (1)

TOP

Magnolia ISD to Implement Buddhist Meditation?

Apr 10

Posted by Ginger in Featured Post

Magnolia ISD has been working quietly the last few years to implement the United Nations, International Baccalaureate Program (IB), paid for with our tax dollars. The IB program is promoted as a “prestigious & valued” program taken by students seeking college admittance and scholarships. Hidden is the history of it’s creation and mission of changing American Society. IB is no friend to the Christian faith or America’s western values.

Magnolia ISD is no longer an American School teaching American Exceptionalism, but a Global School with a Global Mission. You can read more about the history and mission of the IB program at the following post, Magnolia ISD Implementing “Marxist” Curriculum.

IB has a World Magazine which is published twice a year. The current issue promotes the practice of Buddhist Meditation called “mindfulness” by students and teachers. You can view this article in full on pages 11-19 of the March issue.

I have pasted a few excerpts from the article below. Please take the time to read the above mentioned blog post and the IB article.

If you are a Christian and value America and it’s freedom please make your voice heard and call the

Magnolia ISD Administration office and tell then we do not want this in our schools. Phone: (281) 356-3571.

Tags: Buddhaist Meditation, Education, IB, IBO, INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE, Magnolia ISD, mARXIST, Mindfulness, red hot conservative, Texas

Comments (2)

TOP

Amid Deficit, HISD Continues Spending

Mar 07

Posted by Ginger in Featured Post

Texas Scorecard

A news magazine for all Texans

http://www.empowertexans.com/

Mar 7, 2016 byCharles Blain

Despite vocal outrage, HISD trustees voted last month to rename seven district campuses currently named after confederate leaders.

In a district that isn’t burdened by corruption and debt this push should draw ire because it represents an attempt to sugarcoat history. But considering the dismal state of affairs HISD has imposed upon itself, it should be anything but a competing priority.

Attempting to determine the cost of the name changes was all the more maddening.

Both HISD’s Public Information Office and Press Office, when responding to an inquiry about the costs associated with the change, said it “wasn’t determined” yet. The notion that district trustees voted on such a massive undertaking before considering (or even investigating) such an expense is unfathomable.

Following that response, we reached out to Board President Manuel Rodriguez who was the only official who had an estimate. Rodriguez said that each name change was estimated to cost around $250,000 — or about $1.75 million for the whole project.

In addition to unnecessary spending, a general lack of oversight, cost overruns, and a history of hiring questionable vendors, a lack of inter-district communication can now be added to the growing list of concerns plaguing the credibility of HISD’s school board.

District officials are focusing more on being “social justice” warriors than fiscal stewards acting in the best interest of the taxpayers and the students they serve. Rushing through emotionally charged, feel-good measures while failing to address employee concerns — all while ignoring a $200 million bond shortfall and a $105 million deficit— is at best, grossly irresponsible.

The inefficiency of HISD would be laughable if it were anything but a public entity.

Sadly, HISD’s problems are largely self-inflicted, and while some board members were voted out during the last election cycle, it doesn’t appear the new ones are adequately refocusing the board on their fiduciary responsibility to represent taxpayers.

– See more at: http://www.empowertexans.com/around-texas/amid-deficit-hisd-continues-spending/#sthash.tCnK4Z76.dpuf

Tags: Charles Blain, Empower Texans, HISD, Houston Independent School District, Manuel Rodriquez, Robin Hood Induced, Texas

Comments Off

TOP

Texas Magnolia ISD teaching Islam is Tolerant of other Faiths?

Jan 21

Posted by Ginger in Featured Post

While the powers at be have purged our American education system of prayer and biblical teaching there is movement to indoctrinate our children with a positive view of Islam. The following is an excerpt from a study guide given to students at Magnolia ISD from their History teacher.

Does this teacher not listen to the news and the thousands of Christians that are being slaughtered for their Christian faith?

And we wonder what is wrong with this country.

Learn the true intent of Islam.

http://pamelageller.com/

http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/pages/quran/violence.aspx

http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/

Tags: Center for Security Policy, CHRISTIAN, Evil, islam, Magnolia ISD, Pam Geller, Texas, TEXAS EDUCATION

Comments Off

TOP

Open Letter to the Argyle ISD School Board- TRANSDISCIPLINARY (Updated)

Jan 20

Posted by Ginger in Featured Post

By Alice Linahan

Voices Empower

As a Mom with a student in Argyle ISD, I am very concerned about the direction our school district is heading. As our schools embrace 21st Century Learning and the College and Career ready standards, we must ask ourselves as parents and adults; are our children being harmed by this?

As Moms and Dads, we need to step back and start asking “ourselves”…….

1. If our children graduate from high school or college with the attitudes, values, beliefs, behaviors and a worldview that we oppose and we know it is because their teachers have been trained to believe it is their responsibility to be the devil’s advocate and teach our children ‘Critical Thinking’ and to question and even oppose the foundational beliefs of our family; is that really a solid academic education that will serve our children and their future well?

2. Is our child getting college credits in high school more important than protecting our child’s mind and their soul?

3. If your child graduates from college, gets a great high paying job but no longer respects, much less believes, they are worthy of a strong marriage, a free and prosperous country, and that by the grace of God anything is possible; have we done our best to give our child a strong foundation for a happy joy filled life?

Let me give you a personal story from right here in Argyle ISD. This is what “21st Century Learning” also known as getting students “College and Career Ready” looks like in the classroom.

For a little background, my daughter is the only student in her class whose parents have refused to allow her to use a district issued chrome book or google student account.

One day she texted me screen shots of a quiz her AP/Dual Credit English 3 teacher asked the class to take. Because my daughter did not have a chromebook her teacher told her to take the quiz from her cell phone. The lesson plan for the class shows that they were working on group presentations on philosophy (in an English Class) and these quizzes were a part of the research each group was to do. Each group was assigned a Philosophy and after their research, each group gave a presentation to the class. The Philosophy’s the groups were assigned were….

1. Utilitarianism

2. Objectivism

3. Civil Disobedience

4. Existentialism

5. Categorical Imperative

6. Hierarchy of Human Needs

7. Social Contract

Parents!! Would you want your child taking a quiz called ‘Philosophy Experiments,’ in high school, much less on their district issued Chromebook, that grades their answers, compatibility, and then gives the student a “tension score” on a bar graph. Whatever two answers contradict, it plays devils advocate and makes the student question their beliefs.

Here are just some of the questions asked:

* There are no objective moral standards; moral judgements are merely an expression of the values of particular cultures. Agree or Disagree

* So long as they do not harm others, individuals should be free to pursue their own ends. Agree or Disagree

* It is always wrong to take another persons life. Agree or Disagree

* The right to life is so fundamental that financial considerations are irrelevant in any effort to save lives. Agree or Disagree

* Homosexuality is wrong because it is unnatural. Agree or Disagree

* It is quite reasonable to believe in the existence of a thing without even the possibility of evidence for its existence. Agree or Disagree

* There exists an all-powerful, loving and good God. Agree or Disagree

* The second world war was a just war. Agree or Disagree

* There are no objective truths about matters of fact; “truth” is always relative to particular cultures and individuals. Agree or Disagree

* Atheism is a faith just like any other, because it is not possible to prove the non-existence of God. Agree or Disagree

* To allow an innocent child to suffer needlessly when one could easily prevent it is morally reprehensible. Agree or Disagree

* The holocaust is an historical reality, taking place more or less as the history books report. Agree or Disagree

As I said, where there is a conflict with two answers, it analyzes the two and scores the student.

Here is an example……

Statements 5 and 29: Can you put a price on a human life?

28% of the people who have completed this activity have this tension in their beliefs.

You agreed that:
The right to life is so fundamental that financial considerations are irrelevant in any effort to save lives
But disagreed that:
Governments should be allowed to increase taxes sharply to save lives in the developing world

If the right to life is so fundamental that financial considerations are irrelevant when it comes to making decisions about saving human lives, then that must mean that we should always spend as much money as possible to save lives. If it costs £4 million to save a cancer patient’s life, that money should be spent, period. But if this is true, then surely the West should spend as much money as possible saving lives in the developing world. You may already give $100 dollars a month to save lives in the developing world. But if financial considerations are irrelevant when it comes to saving lives, why not $200, or $1000, or just as much as you can afford? If you do not do so, you are implicitly endorsing the principle that individuals and governments are not obliged to save lives at all financial cost – that one can spend ‘enough’ on saving lives even though spending more, which one could afford to do, would save more lives. This suggests that financial considerations are relevant when it comes to making decisions about saving lives – there is a limit to how much one should spend to save a life.

______________________________________________

28% of the people who have completed this activity have this tension in their beliefs.

You agreed that:
There exists an all-powerful, loving and good God
And also that:
To allow an innocent child to suffer needlessly when one could easily prevent it is morally reprehensible

These two beliefs together generate what is known as ‘The Problem of Evil’. The problem is simple: if God is all-powerful, loving and good, that means he can do what he wants and will do what is morally right. But surely this means that he would not allow an innocent child to suffer needlessly, as he could easily prevent it. Yet he does. Much infant suffering is the result of human action, but much is also due to natural causes, such as disease, flood or famine. In both cases, God could stop it, yet he does not.

Attempts to explain this apparent contradiction are known as ‘theodicies’ and many have been produced. Most conclude that God allows suffering to help us grow spiritually and/or to allow the greater good of human freedom. Whether these theodicies are adequate is the subject of continuing debate.

Do you realize these responses and their data can legally be tracked for research purposes by 3rd party contractors? President Obama changed the regulation on the FERPA law? A student’s private data can be collected without parental consent in the name of “Education Research”. Here is a link you can take the quiz yourself. http://www.philosophyexperiments.com/health/Default.aspx

After taking this quiz herself, Clinical Mental Health Counselor Joan Landes stated….

“It’s a classic psychological deconstruction technique to put a person in a double bind and collapse his cognitive framework. Then the “leader” picks up the pieces and reassembles them to order. This is an inappropriate use of psychological force on impressionable minds and unformed identities.”-

Now, you might say, what public high school teacher would think this is a good quiz to give and blame it all on the teacher, but…..

That local superintendent is ultimately in charge of curriculum, and you the locally elected school board are ultimately in charge of approving funding for the professional development of both the teacher and the superintendent. In addition, you are in charge of funding technology used in the classroom that allows for our student’s data to be collected. It has been stated to me that this is an AP/Dual Credit class, therefore it is a college level course and okay. To that I have to ask. Why is this okay in college? It is certainly not appropriate for high school age students.

The challenge with 21st Century Learning/Common Core/College and Career Ready Standards transformation of education, is how teachers are being re- trained to teach. It is their professional development. In addition, administrators are being trained, through their professional development, how to deal with parents who complain. It is actually the teacher who is in danger, because they are many times used as the fall guy. Education is no longer about reading, and writing in a 21st Century English classroom. It is about the 4 C’s Creativity, Communication, Critical Thinking and Collaboration.

In Texas we said NO to the Common Core National Standards, but we’ve said yes to our teachers being re-trained for 21st Century Learning using the InTASC Model CoreTeaching Standards; Learning Progressions for Teachers. The Copyright for these standards is owned by the Council of Chief State School Officers, who as you will remember own the copyright to the Common Core National Standards. They are all aligned to a collectivist philosophy of education. Check out standard #5. When you begin to research what is happening, you will see, this is NOT 21st Century Learning it is simply another push for OBE (Outcome Based Education).

“The teacher understands how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.”

Clearly worded in the InTASC paper is states; “these standards differ from the original standards in one key respect: These standards are no longer intended only for “beginning” teachers but as professional practice standards.”

Have you heard the term Transdisiplinary ?

The College Board’s SAT and AP (Advanced Placement) assessments and conceptual frameworks can be described as “Transdisiplinary” in their purpose.

Transdisiplinary is when the function of the subject matter, concept themes in the syllabus, and course frameworks are all used to guide how a student views the world. The technical term most commonly used is lenses. Effectively these lenses become the values, attitudes, and beliefs the students are to be taking away from the curriculum.

Therefore my question is, are you okay with this? As parents are you okay with your child in Argyle ISD being taught using these learning theories and teaching strategies?

Argyle ISD is not an isolated incident. Nor is it isolated to AP/Dual Credit classes. This is happening in school districts across Texas. (RISD) Richardson ISD held a meeting for angry parents speaking out against (PBL) Project-based learning. In the audio clip below you will hear Tabitha Branum, Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education (formerly Coppell ISD) describe how teachers are no longer teaching as they did in the past and are being re-trained. She goes on to explain that the STAAR exams no longer ask questions about facts, such as “can you identify this organ” and or “what is the function of this organ?” Then the biology lead teacher explains why they are shifting away from learning facts in exchange for building “social skills”.

I would also like to let you know that my children are NOT allowed to take any surveys online or for the school district, state or federal government. If their grades suffer because of this I would like to let you know about this federal law.

Limits on Survey, Analysis, Evaluations, or Data Collection (United States Code, Title 20 1232h)

(b) Limits on survey, analysis, or evaluations

No student shall be required, as part of any applicable program, to submit to a survey, analysis, or evaluation that reveals information concerning—

(1) political affiliations or beliefs of the student or the student’s parent;

(2) mental or psychological problems of the student or the student’s family;

(3) sex behavior or attitudes;

(4) illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior;

(5) critical appraisals of other individuals with whom respondents have close family relationships;

(6) legally recognized privileged or analogous relationships, such as those of lawyers, physicians, and ministers;

(7) religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs of the student or student’s parent; or

(8) income (other than that required by law to determine eligibility for participation in a program or for receiving financial assistance under such program), without the prior consent of the student (if the student is an adult or emancipated minor), or in the case of an unemancipated minor, without the prior written consent of the parent.

UPDATE

In preparation for the Argyle ISD school board meeting on Tuesday Jan. 19th, 2016. Here is a link to my public testimony at the Jan. 19th meeting.

Tags: Alice Linahan, ANTI CHRISTIAN, Argyle ISD, ASSESSMENT, CAPA, mARXIST, Mary Bowen, Philosophy, Progressive, Sandra Stotsky, Standards, Texas, TRANSFORMATION, Women on the Wall

Comments Off

TOP

“Texas School Children To Be Unable To Read Patriotic Documents”

Jan 06

Posted by Ginger in Featured Post

ACTION ALERT: Texas public school students to be unable to read the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution – no cursive writing to be taught

To voice objections to no cursive writing — The public is encouraged to send their comments to the TEA at the following address: TEKS@tea.texas.gov and/or to write to the Texas State Board of Education members:

http://tea.texas.gov/About_TEA/Leadership/State_Board_of_Education/Board_Members/SBOE_Members/

1.5.16 — ADDENDUM TO MY CRITIQUE OF THE NOV. 2015 ELAR/TEKS DRAFT SENT OUT YESTERDAY–

Today, I am sending out an addendum to the critique of the Nov. 2015 DRAFT OF THE ELAR/TEKS that I sent out yesterday (http://www.educationviews.org/critique-nov-2015-texas-elarteks-draft/ ) in which I verbalized my four Objections to what the Texas English / Language Arts / Reading (ELAR) Review Committee Members had produced.

The reason for this separate addendum is to explain thoroughly my concern that the leadership of the ELAR/TEKS Review Committee Members (RCM) chose to follow the Type #2 philosophy of education as exhibited in the Common Core Standards by taking away cursive handwriting from the Texas public schools.

Here is my Objection #5 which should be added to the Objections #1 – #4 in yesterday’s critique. I have also added Objection #6 at the end of this addendum:

OBJECTION #5

The present ELAR/TEKS document (Beginning with School Year 2009 to the present) states:

(23) Oral and Written Conventions/Handwriting, Capitalization, and Punctuation. Students write legibly and use appropriate capitalization and punctuation conventions in their compositions. Students are expected to:

(A) write legibly in cursive script with spacing between words in a sentence. (http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter110/ch110a.html#110.14)

In the Nov. 2015 ELAR/TEKS Draft, no mention is made of cursive writing to be taught in Grade 3.

Texas is one of the few states that requires cursive writing to be taught, starting in Grade 3. However, for some time, this state mandate in the present ELAR/TEKS to teach cursive has been ignored; and many Texas teachers have quit teaching cursive or correct handwriting habits.

Because Grade 3 teachers have quit teaching cursive, then the students going forward from Grade 3 have no longer had the ability to write nor to read cursive. Because the skills learned in ELAR are competency-based (build upon one another) and because the ELAR/TEKS set explicit goals at each grade level/course level, once students are taught to master a certain skill, then they are to be held accountable in the future grade levels to demonstrate that mastery.

In other words, once students are taught cursive in Grade 3, teachers in the succeeding grade levels can expect students to write cursively and to read text written in cursive writing.

The Common Core Standards deliberately do not support the teaching of cursive writing for two reasons: (1) The agenda behind Obama’s Common Core Standards is to dumb down students to the same common level, and (2) Obama and his administration are indoctrinating students into the social justice agenda.

One of the best ways to indoctrinate this and future generations of students is to make sure they can no longer read the historical documents upon which our nation is founded.

Beyond the obvious (e.g., personal thank-you notes, friendly letters, etc.), if students can no longer read cursive writing, they will not be able to read the primary sources upon which our country is built — the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, journals, diaries, love letters, historical documents, ledgers, etc.

Students will also not be able to read historical and literary documents that come from Britain and other English-speaking nations. This means that large portions of resources in every museum and library in this country and throughout the world would be unintelligible to generations of non-cursive-reading students. They would be forced to have someone else interpret these documents for them which is a dangerous thing in today’s politically correct world.

The advantages of cursive are well documented. Cursive is a much faster form of handwriting than printing because each letter flows into the next letter. If people are without computers and need to be able to take or write notes, their handwriting speed would be severely impaired if they did not know how to write cursively.

Computers are not always accessible and do not always work. Schools are already finding that out as they put their students in digitized textbooks. When the network or the device goes down, all learning stops! As schools are forced to cut their technology budgets and the layers of tech support staffers are overcome with the deluge of techie devices in the schools, these “computer down” occurrences are occurring much more regularly.

Nothing forces students to pay attention to detail better than their having to write their compositions, test answers, open-response questions, timed writings in longhand; and cursive prioritizes classroom time.

When people go into an office to apply for a job, they generally have to fill out applications in longhand. Being able to write quickly, neatly, and clearly gives the prospective employer a favorable impression of the applicant.

How many of us who go to doctors’ offices, dentists’ offices, and hospital/clinic offices frequently are asked to fill out forms? Again, being able to write quickly, neatly, and clearly expedites those office visits and gives healthcare workers important information about our health.

We also have credible research done by qualified, peer-reviewed, published researchers that proves cursive is good for the brain.

6.2.14 – “What’s Lost As Handwriting Fades” – by Maria Konnikova – New York Times, Science – http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/science/whats-lost-as-handwriting-fades.html?_r=0

Excerpts from this article:

…psychologists and neuroscientists say it is far too soon to declare handwriting a relic of the past. New evidence suggests that the links between handwriting and broader educational development run deep.

Children not only learn to read more quickly when they first learn to write by hand, but they also remain better able to generate ideas and retain information. In other words, it’s not just what we write that matters — but how.

“When we write, a unique neural circuit is automatically activated,” said Stanislas Dehaene, a psychologist at the Collège de France in Paris. “There is a core recognition of the gesture in the written word, a sort of recognition by mental simulation in your brain.

“And it seems that this circuit is contributing in unique ways we didn’t realize,” he continued. “Learning is made easier.”

… When children had drawn a letter freehand, they exhibited increased activity in three areas of the brain that are activated in adults when they read and write: the left fusiform gyrus, the inferior frontal gyrus and the posterior parietal cortex.

By contrast, children who typed or traced the letter or shape showed no such effect. The activation was significantly weaker.

…In another study, Dr. James is comparing children who physically form letters with those who only watch others doing it. Her observations suggest that it is only the actual effort that engages the brain’s motor pathways and delivers the learning benefits of handwriting.

Virginia Berninger, a psychologist at the University of Washington, demonstrated that “When the children composed text by hand, they not only consistently produced more words more quickly than they did on a keyboard, but expressed more ideas… When these children were asked to come up with ideas for a composition, the ones with better handwriting exhibited greater neural activation in areas associated with working memory — and increased overall activation in the reading and writing networks.”

Dr. Berninger goes so far as to suggest that cursive writing may train self-control ability in a way that other modes of writing do not, and some researchers argue that it may even be a path to treating dyslexia. A 2012 review suggests that cursive may be particularly effective for individuals with developmental dysgraphia — motor-control difficulties in forming letters — and that it may aid in preventing the reversal and inversion of letters.

…the benefits of writing by hand extend beyond childhood. For adults, typing may be a fast and efficient alternative to longhand, but that very efficiency may diminish our ability to process new information. Not only do we learn letters better when we commit them to memory through writing, memory and learning ability in general may benefit.

Two psychologists, Pam A. Mueller of Princeton and Daniel M. Oppenheimer of the University of California, Los Angeles, have reported that in both laboratory settings and real-world classrooms, students learn better when they take notes by hand than when they type on a keyboard…the new research suggests that writing by hand allows the student to process a lecture’s contents and reframe it — a process of reflection and manipulation that can lead to better understanding and memory encoding.

========

MY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ACTUAL HANDWRITING STANDARDS

Not only should cursive handwriting be restored to the Nov. 15 ELAR/TEKS Draft going forward, but the teaching of good handwriting habits should be taught systematically beginning in Kindergarten. As I stated in my comments from 1.4.16, the Oral and Written Conventions strand should be restored to the Nov. 2015 ELAR/TEKS Draft going forward, and the following elements should be added to that strand:

KINDERGARTEN

The student is expected to:

(A) Practice good posture when seated at a table/desk for writing purposes.

(B) Practice proper pencil gripping (using correct fingers to form vise to hold writing tool) while correctly positioning hand and arm in relationship to paper and desk.

(C) Produce correct formation of letters using starting point, directionality, and ending point for each letter.

(D) Identify the top/bottom, front/back, margins, lines on a sheet of paper.

GRADE 1

The student is expected to:

(A) Practice good posture when seated at a table/desk for writing purposes.

(B) Practice proper pencil gripping (using correct fingers to form vise to hold writing tool) while correctly positioning hand and arm in relationship to paper and desk.

(C) Produce correct formation of letters using starting point, directionality, and ending point for each letter.

(D) Identify margins and margin forming lines.

(E) Identify appropriate times for writing outside the margin lines.

(F) Start writing close to left margin line.

(G) Form all letters so they rest on baseline.

(H) Demonstrate correct starting point and stroke sequence for each letter.

(I) Form both lower and upper case letters in correct manuscript style.

(J) Form all letters so they occupy proper space in relationship to other letters.

(K) Allow space between words.

(L) Start next line at the left margin when one line is complete.

(M) Form both lower and upper case letters in correct handwriting style.

GRADE 2

The student is expected to:

(A) Distinguish cursive from printed writing.

(B) Explain the purpose of cursive writing.

(C) Identify appropriate times to use printed writing (e.g., maps, charts) or cursive.

(D) Demonstrate how to form the connecting line between any two given letters.

(E) Produce neat, legible cursive writing (e.g., consistent slant, correct letter formation, correct size).

GRADE 3 – ENG. IV

The student is expected to:

(A) Use neat, legible cursive writing on most school work.

(B) Produce neat, legible cursive writing (e.g., consistent slant, correct letter formation.

OBJECTION #6

In the Nov. 2015 ELAR/TEKS Draft, the wording is as follows in the Introductions for K through Eng. IV:

Introduction

(a)(6) Statements that contain the word “including” reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase “such as” are intended as possible illustrative examples.

I would like to see this wording clarified by deleting the above explanation and inserting the following:

If the curriculum element says “such as” or “e.g.,” – (1) teachers may teach, (2) textbooks/instructional materials must include, (3) the element preceded by “such as” or “e.g.” may or may not be tested on STAAR/EOC’s

If the curriculum element says “including” – (1) teachers must teach, (2) textbooks/instructional materials must include, (3) element is permissible to be tested on STAAR/EOC’s

Donna Garner

Wgarner1@hot.rr.com

Tags: cursive, DONNA GARNER, ELAR, Patriotic Documents, TEKS, Texas, Texas Education Agency, TEXAS STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Comments Off

TOP

Texas Grocery Magnate Forbids ‘Open Carry,’ Opposes School Choice, Supports Sanctuary Cities

Jan 03

Posted by Ginger in Featured Post

by Merrill Hope 3 Jan 2016

Charles Butt, the Texas billionaire magnate behind the H-E-B supermarket chain which forbid the open carry of firearms law that went into effect January 1, 2016, opposes school choice, funds anti-school choice lobbyists, and is even credited for his role in killing a 2011 state bill banning “sanctuary cities.”

Butt is the 2015 fourth richest Texan and Forbes’ 44th wealthiest person in America with a net worth of $10.7 billion known for funneling hard earned assets into educational lobby groups that fight school choice, although the 77-year-old grocer received a private Ivy League college education that included an undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s prestigious Wharton School and a master’s in business administration from Harvard. Texas Watchdog stated Butt believes that private competition “undermines government schools.”

His vested interest in Texas public education includes H-E-B handing out $800,000 a year to public education pursuits through the Excellence in Education Awards. In 2006, he founded Raise Your Hand Texas, which lists Butt as an advisor. The Texas Tribune describes Raise Your Hand Texas as a “seasoned lobbying force on education issues at the Capitol.”

However, Raise Your Hand Texas is a corporate sponsor of the Texas Tribune and Butt contributed $500,000 to the Tribune in 2014, with his all-time contribution to them at $1,150,000. Last year, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, primary funder of the Common Core State Standards, donated $249,763 to the Tribune.

Texas Watchdog charged Raise Your Hand Texas “pushes for increased public school funding while opposing every substantive education reform at the state legislature,” including supporting and funding candidates who oppose reform efforts to the state’s education system, and measures that expand parental rights.” The dubbed Butt a key player blocking school choice instead “propping up a faltering public monopoly.”

David Anthony, who heads up Raise Your Hand Texas, was one of 35 Texas public school superintendents instrumental in formulating a new vision for “future ready” classrooms under the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA), another powerful education lobby.

In 2015, Breitbart Texas reported on the jarring conflict-of-interest that arose at the onset of the state’s last legislative session because House Education Committee Chairman Jimmie Don Aycock’s daughter, Michelle Smith, works for Austin-based lobbyist powerhouse HillCo Partners, which Texas Monthly placed “at the top of the lobby pyramid” since 1998. Smith’s two key clients were Raise Your Hand Texas and Fast Growth School Coalition (FGSC), which promotes rapid growth and spending on building new public schools statewide. Public outcry over the father-daughter connection put Aycock’s chairmanship at risk. Breitbart Texas reported that Smith withdrew her lobbyist registration status at the onset of the 84th Legislature to thwart that outcome.

Butt also funds the Texas Parent PAC, the largest recipient of his 2014 contributions at $1,498,000 and recognized as a top “power PAC” in the state. Texas House Speaker Joe Straus (R-San Antonio), who appoints the House Education Committee, received $168,000 from Butt that year. Butt contributed $161,458 directly to the committee members, according to the Austin American-Statesman. Texas Watchdog highlighted that the largest contribution chunk, $76,920 went to Straus’ committee chair pick Aycock (R-Killeen), also the lead author on the state’s 2013 college and career ready standards, House Bill 5.

Texas Parent PAC contributed another $81,931 to House Education Committee members, according to Texas Watchdog. The Parent PAC has proudly endorsed Aycock since his 2006 election, although he announced last summer he would not run again. In 2013, he voted against vouchers. Last year, Senate Bill 4, an education tax credit scholarship bill designed to help low-income and at risk K-12 students, was sidelined in the House Ways and Means Committee after passing in the Senate. The House never gave it a hearing.

Yet, in the 11th hour of the legislative session, the House flung House Bill 1891 out for a vote. This big government community schools initiative backed by the Texas American Federation of Teachers was the union’s solution to combat public charters, Breitbart Texas reported. Its inspiration was the American Federation of Teachers Promise Schools, a co-initiative with the Albert Shanker Institute, a proponent of Common Core state standards.

Like Raise Your Hand Texas, Texas Parent PAC opposes school choice, which means different things to different advocates on both sides of the debate. Breitbart Texas reported the premise behind “school choice” as educational options decided upon by families and not educrats whether that choice is public, charter, private, parochial, or home school. School choice opponents often depict advocates as trying to dismantle public education and privatize schooling, attack teachers, and drain taxpayer funds from public schools.

“Not so,” Americans for Prosperity State Director Michael Hasson told Breitbart Texas last year. He said the point of school choice was to “maximize” educational opportunities. “Education is the gateway to the American Dream. It’s ridiculous to assume we can eradicate the system. We want to strengthen it,” he said.

In 2013, Raise Your Hand Texas supported virtual (online) education and adding more charter schools, although they pushed for legislation that limited the reach of the proposals backed by pro-school choice advocates, the Texas Tribune reported, saying Butt created Raise Your Hand Texas to “combat private school vouchers.” Groups like Texas Freedom Network oppose school choice because they do not want taxpayer dollars to move out of the system with the child. Arizona, Florida, and Nevada embraced education savings style “voucher” accounts (ESA) as a means to flee failing schools and empower parents in making educational decisions for their children.

In December, the Texas Education Agency released its Public Education Grant (PEG) list for its 5.2 million publicly educated K-12 students and it identified the degree to which the system failed — 1,532 campuses landed on the list for poor test scores or unacceptable ratings, an increase from the previous year’s 1,199 failing schools. Texas has approximately 8,600 campuses totalling 1,200 school districts and charters.

Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Kent Grusendorf described a core conundrum of the public education “monopoly.” He wrote: “Thousands of great people work in the field of public education. Unfortunately, union leaders, bureaucrats and politicians all think they can tell teachers what is best. We must set educators free. We must set our children free.” He underscored that historically “monopolies are inherently inefficient in the allocation of resources,” adding that Texans spend over a quarter of a million dollars per year for a classroom of 25 students where the average teacher earns $50,000. “In order to advance professionally, great teachers must leave the classroom, where they have great value to the institution, and move into administration, where in many cases, they add less value,” he noted.

In 2011, Butt, along with Houston homebuilder Bob Perry, no relation to former Gov. Rick Perry, worked to kill important legislation in the fight against illegal immigration. H-E-B operates 300-plus markets in Texas and also 52 in Mexico. Through HillCo Partners, they applied pressure to the state’s House panel to block Perry’s anti-sanctuary cities measure. The supermarket mogul gave nearly $2.2 million to squash the bill, the Dallas Morning News reported, footnoting that Texans for Public Justice ranked Butt third among givers to legislative candidates in 2008.

That blocked legislation would have allowed law enforcement officers to inquire about the immigration status of people they detained, the Houston Chronicle reported. Since the Texas legislature failed to pass any anti-sanctuary cities measures, Gov. Greg Abbott made this a 2015 priority, coming up with his own plan to deal with law enforcement officials who won’t enforce the law, Breitbart Texas’ Bob Price reported. In October, Abbott called to end sanctuary city policies in Texas, Price also reported. That came in response to a Dallas County Sheriff who intended to lighten up on immigration holds for jailed illegals and legal aliens, no longer detaining them for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Abbott said these types of sanctuary city policies will “no longer be tolerated in Texas.” A week later, he announced a new plan to strip state grant funding from county sheriffs with a Sanctuary City policy of not honoring ICE detainers, Breitbart Texas reported.

The Texas H-E-B stores will continue to abide by state CHL laws and allow concealed carry of handguns in stores..

Follow Merrill Hope on Twitter @OutOfTheBoxMom.

Tags: Breitbart Texas, Charles Butt, HEB, Jimmie Don Aycock, Joe Straus, Merrill Hope, Out of the Box, Raise Your Hand Texas, Texas, TEXAS EDUCATION, Texas Education Agency, Texas Freedom Network, texas legislature

Comments Off

TOP

Gov. Abbott Makes Bad Choice for Texas Commissoner of Education

Dec 14

Posted by Ginger in Featured Post

Mike-Morath

“Gov. Abbott Makes Bad Choice for Texas Comm. of Education”

By Donna Garner

12.14.15

As a conservative, I appreciate Gov. Greg Abbott for the many courageous positions he has taken for Texas; but he really missed it on this one!

I cannot think of very many people whom Gov. Greg Abbott could have appointed who would have been a worse choice than Mike Morath as Texas Commissioner of Education. (12.14.15 — Press release- “Gov. Abbott Appoints Mike Morath As Texas Education Commissioner — http://gov.texas.gov/news/appointment/21773 )

Mike Morath is supporting almost everything bad in education – the same Type #2 philosophy of education that opens the door to subjective, digitized curriculum and assessments found in Common Core/CSCOPE; the same “innovative” school model pushed by TASB and TASA with their 21^st century transformational “visioning” approach to education; and the greedy consultants, lobbyists, and vendors who make a fortune off education’s “Golden Goose” of public dollars.

Gov. Abbott had previously appointed Mike Morath as the chairman of the Texas Commission on Next Generation Assessments and Accountability (NGAA). It seems clear to me that the purpose of this commission is to recommend to the Texas Legislature that they replace the traditional public school classroom (where teachers teach fact-based curriculum directly and systematically while face-to-face with their students) WITH the 21^st century transformational model where students receive all their instruction through digitized curriculum. Grading is done through subjective assessments (e.g., portfolios, projects, group work); and curriculum focuses on students’ feelings, emotions, and opinions – not on hard facts with right-or-wrong answers. Students graduate through online and dual credit courses with wishy-washy accountability standards and unsecure testing procedures.

Obviously if Mike Morath was chosen as the chair of this NGAA commission, he intends to implement this same Type #2 philosophy across Texas as the newly appointed Commissioner of Education.

America has hundreds of years of historical data to prove that the traditional Type #1 philosophy of education produces success. Americans became the leader of the world because of the many scientists, inventors, technicians, entrepreneurs, engineers, writers, historians, and businessmen who used their Type #1 education to elevate themselves to great heights. They were educated on a Big Chief Tablet.

Where is the proof that the Type #2 digitized “global citizen of the world” approach will make America great? In fact, there is no long-term, independent, peer-reviewed research to prove that that method of education works.

To be very honest, we see just the opposite when we look around our society and see the ever-growing numbers of people educated through the Type #2 philosophy of education who are sorely lacking in the most basic knowledge and skills.

THE LAUGHABLE PRESS RELEASE

I do not mean to be unfairly critical, but it is almost laughable for the Governor’s office to try to boost the confidence of the public in Mike Morath by mentioning his less than one year of teaching experience (computer science) after a teacher had unexpectedly resigned.

My hint to Governor’s office: “One year or even less of teaching experience doth not a teacher make.”

Another laughable part of the Governor’s press release is the emphasis on Mike Morath’s years on the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees. Anyone who has been following education in Texas very long knows that DISD is one of the worst functioning public school districts in Texas as shown by mountains of hard, verifiable data, including numerous articles published by the Dallas Morning News. Here are but a few of them:

7.7.15 – “Dallas ISD’s Imagine 2010 Effort Fails To Prop up Troubled Schools” – Matthew Haag – Dallas Morning News — http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20150707-dallas-isd-s-imagine-2020-effort-fails-to-prop-up-troubled-schools.ece

“Results from the latest STAAR exams show that most of the initial 21 schools in the Imagine 2020 program are worse off than before it started…Among the 14 elementary schools, a majority of them have lower passing rates on the five STAAR exams since Imagine 2020 began.”

6.28.15 – “Fact Check: Was the DISD Miracle Real?” – by Jeffrey Weiss, Matthew Haag – Dallas Morning News –– http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20150627-fact-check-was-the-disd-miracle-real.ece

“Evaluation: The claim that minority students in Dallas are twice as likely to pass Advanced Placement exams than anywhere else in the nation is not supported by evidence. The data used did not include many urban districts, and at least one urban district beat Dallas.”

5.22.15 – “Little Progress Seen on Dallas ISD’s STAAR Results” – by Jeffrey Weiss, Matthew Haag, Holly K. Hacker – Dallas Morning News — http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20150522-little-progress-seen-on-dallas-isds-staar-results.ece

“STAAR test results released Friday by Dallas ISD offer little evidence of systemic progress…Compared with last year, the passing rate dropped for eight of 11 exams in grades three through eight…Similarly, compared with results from 2012 — a higher percentage of students failed this year in eight of 11 exams.”

========

MIKE MORATH’S FAILURE WITH HOME RULE

Even the home-rule initiative in Dallas ISD that Mike Morath championed ended up as a total failure. Morath helped start a group with the misnomer of a name — “Support Our Public Schools.” In reality this group wanted to turn Dallas ISD into a home-rule charter district that would have been run by a handful of high-level people with no real accountability and no elected school board members to whom the public could have turned with their concerns.

These two articles chronicle Morath’s failed attempt at home-rule:

1.21.15 – “Dallas ISD Home-Rule Commission Votes Against Writing Charter” – by Matthew Haag – Dallas Morning News — http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20150120-dallas-isd-home-rule-commission-votes-against-writing-charter.ece

“The effort to overhaul the way Dallas ISD operates began with a bang a year ago but ended with a whimper Tuesday…The home-rule initiative launched in March with a petition drive and support from influential politicians and wealthy backers. But the public’s enthusiasm never matched their fervor…a home-rule district could undermine people’s democratic rights.”

5.14.14 – “Group Pushing Home Rule for Dallas ISD Ready To Move Forward” – by Matthew Haag and Tawnell D. Hobbs — Dallas Morning News — http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20140514-group-pushing-home-rule-for-dallas-isd-ready-to-move-forward.ece

Mike Morath, who helped start Support Our Public Schools and is the only DISD trustee who backs the effort…Some opponents don’t trust the home-rule leaders, including its chief funder, Houston billionaire John Arnold…Support Our Public Schools spent 10 weeks collecting signatures and paid people to get them…Some fear the effort is about taking control of DISD’s $1.2 billion annual budget.”

WHY WAS MIKE MORATH CHOSEN?

In a nutshell, “It ain’t what you know but who you know.”

Mike Morath is cozy with Houston billionaire John Arnold (of former Enron fame). John Arnold established The Arnold Foundation that is pushing school choice. The Arnold Foundation works closely with Julie Linn of Texans for Education Reform. Linn, who used to work for an education company that designed online courses, became an education advisor to Gov. Perry and then to Gov. Abbott.

Both Mike Morath and Julie Linn seem to have had no real teaching experience, yet we are supposed to accept both as “experts” on how and what should be taught to help students become well-educated citizens. I find this extremely hard to believe after having taught for 33+ years myself.

As I and other people have said many times before, “We are not against school choice; but when every school in America is following the same Type #2 philosophy of education, then there really is no choice for anyone.”

Mike Morath is not the right person for the Texas Commissioner of Education. He will not support whole-heartedly the Type #1 curriculum standards that the elected members of the Texas State Board of Education have worked so hard to adopt. Morath’s philosophy of education is very closely attuned to that of the Obama administration’s Type #2 Common Core. I am terribly disappointed in Gov. Abbott’s choice of Mike Morath as the Texas Commissioner of Education.

Tags: Commissioner, Education, Gov. Greg Abbott, Government, Mike Morath, Progressive, Texas, Texas Commission on Next Generation Assessments and Accountability (NGAA), transformational, Type 1, Type 2

Comments Off

TOP

Cluster of Texas Teachers Accused of Having Sex or Sexting with Students

Nov 08

Posted by Ginger in Featured Post

by Merrill Hope 7 Nov 2015

Incidences of Texas teachers accused of improper relationships with students continue to stream into the 2015-16 school year. An autumnal cluster full of allegations of sexual acts or “sexting,” sending explicit sexual text messages or images, with under-aged minors have been reported.

Waco police arrested Michael George Benns, 35, a former full-time paraprofessional teacher’s assistant at the Midway Independent School District (ISD) Alternative Education Center. Benns was charged Wednesday with having an improper relationship between an educator and student plus sexual assault of a female minor. In March, Benns was fired after the district learned of the February police investigation into his conduct. Waco Police Sergeant Patrick Swanton told the Waco Tribune that the alleged sexual encounter occurred in January between Benns and the victim, a girl under the age of 17, in a downtown parking lot. The victim’s mother reported the incident to police.

“As far as they know at this point, it was a single encounter not on school property,” Swanton said. A forensic interview performed at the Advocacy Center for Crime Victims and Children proved instrumental to the case, said the sergeant. Benns remains in the McLennnan County Jail in lieu of a $50,000 bond since his arrest Nov. 4 arrest.

Midway ISD Superintendent George Kazanas emailed parents Wednesday afternoon about the situation. “Benns came with strong references from youth organizations in the community,” he wrote. However, he noted that Benns “came to us already with a prior connection to a young lady who now is no longer a student at Midway High School. Due to this prior connection, an inappropriate relationship occurred outside of school hours and off-campus. We will continue to work closely with law enforcement officials to maintain a safe and healthy learning environment for our students.”

On Tuesday, in the Houston area, police arrested Deer Park ISD substitute teacher Blake Saucillo, charging him with allegedly sexting explicit images to a female high school sophomore. According to the Houston Chronicle, Deer Park police investigated a June 1 South Campus High School report of an inappropriate teacher-student relationship. Officers determined Saucillo sent explicit videos, photos, and text messages back and forth with a student over a period of several days, although there was no evidence that the sexual misconduct happened at the school. The substitute made bail set at $30,000 following his arrest and was released for a Wednesday Harris County court appearance.

In late October, a similar case occurred in the Austin area. Eanes ISD officials notified Child Protective Services and the Travis County Sheriff’s Office of an investigation into a female high school math teacher for inappropriate communications with a male student over social media and texting. She taught at Westlake High School and the district said her background checks cleared when she was hired.

This week, just outside of San Antonio, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office charged Mark LeGault, 35, with an improper relationship between and educator and student. sheriff’s office spokesman James Keith said the Wagner High School band director accused of sexual misconduct was in a relationship with a 17-year-old female student since August but police did not disclose if the victim was one of his band students. Keith told KENS-5 the girl’s parents first contacted the sheriff’s office about the inappropriate relationship on Monday.

The sexual misconduct began after the teenaged girl broke up with her longtime boyfriend. She told deputies LeGault offered her comfort and said, “Let’s hang out. I can make things better for you.” The teen felt pressured to stay in the relationship with LeGault, telling police LeGault threatened to commit suicide.

The suspect had suicidal tendencies. Keith said LeGault showed up with bleeding arms for a meeting with district officials after being placed on administrative leave. First responders rushed LeGault to the hospital.

Since his Tuesday arrest, high school parent Quawanna Peoples told KENS-5 that she was relieved LeGault no longer taught at the school but she emphasized: “It’s shock and disappointment because we look at these educators to look after our children.”

The Texas Classroom Teachers Association (TCTA) reminds education professionals they are “perceived role models in the community” in their 2015-16 Survival Guide, defining improper sexual relationships for teachers and the criminal consequences of these actions. It lists what constitutes real and perceived solicitations of a romantic relationship, warning teachers to “take care to avoid situations in which professional boundaries become poorly defined.”

The 2014-15 school year marked the 7^th consecutive year Texas teacher-student improper relationship cases increased, upping from 179 cases opened by the Texas Education Agency to 188.” Previously, expert Terry Abbott blamed the rise of sexual misconduct on social media and secret electronic messaging which he said “created an open gateway for inappropriate behavior,” including developing “improper relationships with students out of sight of parents and principals.” He underscored that the wave of educator sexual deviance in the classroom extends beyond Texas, calling it “epidemic” nationwide.

Follow Merrill Hope on Twitter @OutOfTheBoxMom

VIDEO: Student says TX teacher forced 7th graders to deny God is real, or take a failing grade

Oct 27

Posted by Ginger in Featured Post

EAGNEWS.ORG

Victor Skinner,

Victor is a communications specialist for EAG and joined in 2009. Previously, he was a newspaper journalist.

KATY, Texas – A Texas seventh-grader is standing up for her religious beliefs after she alleges her teacher forced students to deny that God is real, and threatened them with failing grades if they don’t agree.

Jordan Wooley, a seventh grade student at West Memorial Junior High School in the Katy Independent School District, testified at a school board meeting last night about an assignment in her reading class that caused a serious controversy, and expressed frustration about her teacher’s atheist indoctrination.

“Today I was given an assignment in school that questioned my faith and told me that God was not real. Our teacher had started off saying that the assignment had been giving problems all day. We were asked to take a poll to say whether God is fact, opinion or a myth and she told anyone who said fact or opinion was wrong and God was only a myth,” Wooley told board members.

Students immediately objected, Wooley said, but the teacher refused to consider their position.

The teacher, “started telling kids they were completely wrong and that when kids argued we were told we would get in trouble. When I tried to argue, she told me to prove it, and I tried to reference things such as the Bible and stories I have read before from people who have died and went to heaven but came back and told their stories, and she told me both were just things people were doing to get attention.

“I know it wasn’t just me who was affected by it. My friend, she went home and started crying. She was supposed to come with me but she didn’t know if she could” because she was so upset, Wooley said.

The teen explained she spoke with other students in the class who were marked down because they believe God is real, as well as compromises proposed by students to avoid rejecting their faith.

“Another student asked the teacher if we could put what we believe in the paper, and she said we could … but you would fail the paper if you do,” Wooley told the board. “I had known before that our schools aren’t really supposed to teach us much about religion or question religion. When I asked my teacher about it she said it doesn’t have anything to do with religion because the problem is just saying there is no God.”

Wooley was accompanied to the meeting by her mother, Chantel Wooley, who texted with her daughter about the assignment earlier in the day and posted a video to Facebook about the incident after school.

“Hey mom so in reading we were required to say that God is just a myth,” Jordan texted her mother shortly before 3 p.m. Monday. “I thought if a question was against our religion that we could put what we think is true but we got in trouble for saying He is true.”

“Wait what? Myth?” Chantel Wooley replied.

“We had to deny God is real. Yeah, we had to say he was just a myth,” Jordan wrote.

“You got in trouble?” Chantel questioned.

“Yeah she told me I was wrong bc I put it was fact,” Jordan wrote.

“What did you say?” Chantel texted.

“I said he is real and she said that can’t be proven,” Jordan replied.

“And what happened?” Chantel wrote.

“I still put fact on my paper,” Jordan texted.

Jordan told school board members her family contacted the school principal, who promised to speak with the teacher and investigate the incident. Board members also vowed to “look into it,” but said school administrators should first focus on addressing the issue.

They also thanked Wooley for voicing her concerns.

In a Facebook video posted to Chantel Wooley’s profile, Jordan explained the situation in more detail.

“Basically, a lot of people said it was true and real, and she told us we were all wrong,” Jordan said. “She told us it was a commonplace assertion, just a myth, and lot of people got upset about it.

“I called my friend to see how she felt about it, and she was just crying,” Wooley continued.

“And how did that make you feel?” an off-camera voice questions.

“Like she was taking away my religion, what I believe is true,” the teen replied.

Texas education activist Alice Linahan told EAGnews the incident, and how district officials respond, could be an especially important indicator of things to come in the Lone Star state.

Katy ISD Superintendent Alton Frailey, president of the national American Association of School Administrators, was a central figure in crafting the state’s education standards as the former president of the Texas Association of School Administrators.

Frailey is now working to expand similar standards nationally, Linahan said, and is reportedly on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s short list to replace education Commissioner Michael Williams, who resigned last week.

Linahan pointed to standards Frailey help craft that require a teacher “understands how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues,” as evidence that the state standards and closely aligned national Common Core standards divert focus from core subjects to less important issues.

“Will Texas students get a good job when they grow up because they can read well, write well, do math and know history?” Linahan questioned. “Or, will they get a good job, without strong academics, but an emotional attachment and classroom experience to save the world on a global level from a humanist viewpoint, without a belief in God?

“Parents, it is time to step in like Jordan’s mom and say … NO!”

Linahan said Alton Frailey’s role, in both the local issue and the broader education standards, will undoubtedly influence how parents react if he’s appointed the state’s education commissioner by the governor.

“If Governor Abbott names Alton Frailey commissioner of education in Texas, there will be a backlash like … Abbott has never seen before,” Linahan said. “Parents know the truth and we are not going to stand by and watch them do this to our children.”

Tags: Alice Linahan, EAG NEWS, edreform, Education, GOD, Jesus Christ, Jordan Wooley, Katy ISD, Texas, Victor Skinner, West Memorial Junior High School

Comments (1)

TOP

Disturbing Summer Surge of Teacher Sexual Misconduct with Students in Texas

Aug 06

Posted by Ginger in Featured Post

The summer months saw a disturbing surge of teacher sexual misconduct with students as the start of the new school year starts is just a few weeks away.

KBXT-3, the CBS News affiliate in College Station, reported that a 17-year-old male student in the East Central Texas area high school contacted local police on Monday, alleging that theatre arts instructor Gregory Stanley, 42, “initiated unwanted sexual contact” with him at Stanley’s home.

NBC local KAGS-6 reported the boy was given an alcoholic beverage by the teacher and told to drink it slowly. The specifics of the purported sexual encounter between Stanley and the victim were not released and it is not clear why the student was at the teacher’s home. On Tuesday, Stanley apologized to the victim for the incident by phone. The student recorded the call, which he turned over to police.

Stanley was taken into custody that evening at his home. Bond was set at $35,000. He faces second degree felony charges, which carry up to 20 years in prison and a maximum $10,000 fine with a conviction. The teacher was at the College Station high school since 2013, heavily involved in the theatre department including in a one-act play that earned students a trip to the state’s University Interscholastic League (UIL) competition, according to KBTX-3.

In a statement, the College Station Independent School District (ISD) said Stanley was placed on administrative leave pending the results of a police investigation. The district also commented: “…accusations of this nature are disturbing, and if proven to be true, unacceptable” nor will “misconduct of this nature will not be tolerated by any employee.”

Also on Monday, former Dallas ISD teacher and coach, Philon Deberry, 45, received 10 years of probation for sexually assaulting a student and five years of probation for having an improper relationship with another. He must register as a sex offender as part of the plea deal, according to the Dallas Morning News. If he completes the probations, he avoids a formal conviction.

Throughout summer break, teacher sex scandals surfaced.

In June, Krum band director Steve Scher, 28, was arrested for having an improper relationship with a student. Also, Wichita Falls teacher Amber Witte, 29, was taken into custody on sexual misconduct charges. Although she admitted to having oral sex with a teenage male student, she denied having sexual intercourse, which the victim alleged. After a $5,000 bond, Witte was released from the Wichita County Jail.

In late June, a Central Texas high school teacher was arrested for allegedly having sexual relations with a 15-year-old female student. Shawn Westley Noordam, 29, the boys’ track coach and physical education teacher in Copperas Cove, was arraigned on one count of sexual assault of a child and improper relationship between and educator and student. He was later released on $50,000 bail. The Copperas Cove school said that Noordam was no longer employed by the district, the San Antonio Express-News has since reported.

Then in July, Dallas ISD teacher Troy French, 38 was arrested for allegedly having several sexual encounters with an 18-year-old female student. Although the sex was consensual, the relationship was illegal because it was between a teacher and a student, Dallas ISD Police Chief Craig Miller told the Dallas Morning News. A district spokesman identified French as the girl’s wrestling coach and social studies teacher. His bail was set at $25,000.

South of Dallas, Hurst Euless Bedford (HEB) ISD elementary school principal Oscar Figueroa, 46, was arrested and the feds charged him with enticement of a minor, although he pled not guilty. According to the Frisco Enterprise, Figueroa was under investigation based on a Craigslist online ad he placed seeking male-to-male oral sex at a movie theatre with “young partners.” Officers arrested Figueroa at the upscale Frisco Stonebriar Center Mall AMC movie theatre. He resigned his post.

Last year, Breitbart Texas reported on the troubling uptick of improper sexual relationships between educators and students. One teacher gave a student a birthday lap dance. A school security guard allegedly sent sexual texts to female students, only to be suspended and then reinstated. A band director had sex with a high school girl in his music room, and a teacher was sentenced to 17 years in prison for producing child pornography with a 16-year-old student whom he impregnated. This year, Breitbart Texas covered numerous incidents across the state.

It is not just Texas. Nationwide, it is epidemic, says Terry Abbott, the former U.S. Department of Education chief-of-staff who heads up Houston-based research firm Drive West Communications. They track reports of inappropriate teacher-student sexual relationship across the country. Abbott credited social media for the eruption of classroom sexual predators that has “created an open gateway for inappropriate behavior,” including developing “improper relationships with students out of sight of parents and principals.”

In 2014, about 35 percent of the sexual misconduct cases between educators and their students involved social media nationwide.

In March, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) added 74 alleged cases to existing 2013-14 school year tally of 179 cases. Breitbart Texas reported that sexual misconduct cases increased by 27 percent from 141 purported cases since the 2009-10 school year.

Besides criminal prosecution, the TEA’s Educator Investigations (EI) unit examines these educator sexual misconduct cases once they are reported. The offender can be sanctioned. These recriminations may vary from a reprimand to permanent certification revocation. When an educator receives deferred adjudication for a crime, they may not teach while serving that sentence.

TEA tracks data on sexual misconduct cases that they report on a fiscal year end basis.

Previously, TEA told Breitbart Texas that 334,000-plus public school teachers comprise the overwhelming majority of teachers and they act in an appropriate and ethical sexual manner.

Follow Merrill Hope on Twitter @OutOfTheBoxMom.

Texas: Teacher Arrested for Improper Relationship with Male Student

Jul 24

Posted by Ginger in Featured Post

On August 13, 2013 I posted an article titled Technology: Danger for Texas Students. The article highlighted a teacher, Brenda Pawelek and her social media behavior using vulgarity and tweeting students in her class.Which all public schools are promoting today unfortunately.

News agency reported this week, July 22 that Ms. Brenda Pawelek has been arrested for alleged improper relationship with a male middle school student. NEWS ARTICLE HERE.

I personally have experienced the bullying of teachers and students during the school day while running for the Magnolia ISD school board. As of today there is no record of these teachers being reprimanded. It appears that Magnolia ISD has no bullying policies if it is directed at someone off campus.

http://www.txcscopereview.com/2014/magnolia-isd-exploits-students/

Magnolia ISD Exploits Students http://www.txcscopereview.com/2014/magnolia-isd-exploits-students/

WAKE UP PARENTS!

Tags: Arrested, Brenda Pawelek, Corpus Christi, george west isd, Improper Relationship, Magnolia ISD, Sex, Texas

Comments Off

RED HOT CONSERVATIVE

HUDSON ISD: FBI RESPONSIBLE for US TERRORIST ATTACKS……SERIOUSLY?

CSCOPE: Alive and Well

HCDE Declares War on Texas Tax Payers

VOTE NO on FRISCOE’S ISD TAX INCREASE

Vote NO on the Friscoe ISD TAX INCREASE.

TRUE STORY FROM TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOL CLASSROOM — WHY STUDENTS CAN’T READ!

TEXAS: KAUFMAN ISD SUPERINTENDENT BROKE THE LAW

Magnolia ISD: Dr. Stephens Where is the TRUTH?

I will end by asking Magnolia ISD where is the truth?

Magnolia ISD: Moms Address School Board on Walking Kids Home

Magnolia ISD to Implement Buddhist Meditation?

Amid Deficit, HISD Continues Spending

Texas Scorecard

A news magazine for all Texans

Texas Magnolia ISD teaching Islam is Tolerant of other Faiths?

Open Letter to the Argyle ISD School Board- TRANSDISCIPLINARY (Updated)

UPDATE

“Texas School Children To Be Unable To Read Patriotic Documents”

Texas Grocery Magnate Forbids ‘Open Carry,’ Opposes School Choice, Supports Sanctuary Cities

Gov. Abbott Makes Bad Choice for Texas Commissoner of Education

Cluster of Texas Teachers Accused of Having Sex or Sexting with Students

Incidences of Texas teachers accused of improper relationships with students continue to stream into the 2015-16 school year. An autumnal cluster full of allegations of sexual acts or “sexting,” sending explicit sexual text messages or images, with under-aged minors have been reported.

Read More Stories About:

VIDEO: Student says TX teacher forced 7th graders to deny God is real, or take a failing grade

Disturbing Summer Surge of Teacher Sexual Misconduct with Students in Texas

The summer months saw a disturbing surge of teacher sexual misconduct with students as the start of the new school year starts is just a few weeks away.

Read More Stories About:

Texas: Teacher Arrested for Improper Relationship with Male Student

WAKE UP PARENTS!

Visitors to Site

Recent Posts

Post Archives

LINKS

Sign In