What a crock of crap Hypocritical! I hate that string too but reading it occasionally is a constant reminder of the racism that exists in this community. Just attack the only woman who was willing to stick her neck out for Melrose by keeping this site going. You're a real peach! An you know full well that Patty doesn't condone racism or that this site is a forum devoted to fostering it.
I'm sure she has a much longer track record of community activism in Melrose than you do! Why don't you ask Liz Deselm of the Melrose Human Rights Commission why we haven't heard a peep from them. Get off this board with your faux indignation!
Liz - if you should win a seat on the school committee, we would all expect much from you given your what you have learned from your experience on the WHRC. We need someone who will initiate corrective and preventive actions of these types of violations and the current seniors leadership of our schools MUST go!
Thanks Liz for making that effort. As you may know, civil rights laws generally cover discrimination against persons with disabilities as well. As you may be aware, there is and has been rampant retaliation by the school administration against parents with SPED children who file complaints with their principal and/or with the superintendent's office. While we all should be concerned about occasional misconduct by teachers and principals, we should all be deeply concerned when the school administration ignores parent's complaints about this type of activity, and be outright fuming when top administrators and even the city solicitor's office retaliate against parents and children who are brave enough to have filed complaints. The OCR is hopefully investigating this much more serious crime.
With all due respect to the previous poster, all of these offenses are very serious, none more serious than the rest. With the district administration having now been found guilty (and admitting it in their peculiar "press release") of violating the civil rights of students, explicitly around racist conduct in the first case (and presumably in the other 2 as well), this has become a matter for the entire community. The parent referring to the SPED issues certainly sounds like he/she has a compelling and grievously serious situation, so one hopes there will be justice eventually for this person, also. The federal Office of Civil Rights may or may not be investigating these SPED issues, but so far there is no indication that this is the case. Hopefully the parent writing here on Melrose Messages has taken the actions necessary if an investigation by that body (or whichever one most appropriately addresses the concern) is to be opened.
To "have to differ":
"I would suggest that it is far more serious infraction when the administration, who has a legal obligation investigate and uphold civil rights of all students, retaliates against them when they make a civil rights complaint." It seems there is a misunderstanding here. Of course you are correct that the administration has the legal obligation to behave appropriately, and obviously in Melrose it has not. You do not have all the facts if you think that there was no retaliation in relation to the racism issues. It's all part of the same sickness, and it's all grievously wrong. Saying that the treatment re: the SPED issues is more serious than that of the racism issues only pits one group of victims against the other, which is a perfect foil from the administrative point of view, the old "divide and conquer" (and deflect) thing. All of it is wrong and correcting one part of it means addressing all of it. You sound like perhaps one of the parents who's maybe had to shell out many thousands of dollars to lawyers defending your family, which means that you are naturally very distraught about your family's particular issues. There are people hurt in similar devastating ways (including enormous financial cost) all over Melrose (and quite a few who've had to go to the extent of leaving Melrose, leaving faculty positions (giving up pensions, taking any kind of position to get out, etc.), hiring advocates & attorneys, selling their homes to move to districts that manage SPED better or in which their children won't face institutionalized bullying and unprofessionalism, paying for expensive therapy to help repair damage done by staff here, and many other kinds of costs that are less visible).
The fact is that institutionalized bullying and unprofessionalism are now "embedded" (to use one of their favorite buzz words) at the highest levels. The conduct emanating out of City Hall, the school administration, the BOA, the Melrose Ed Foundation, the HRC, the Chamber, the clubs, and certainly most of the candidates for public office, too often mirrors and propagates this bullying and unprofessionalism, covered over with a neatly applied gloss of self-righteous fake patriotism about the "True Melrosian."
Facts are only to be avoided, with the aid of the 5-ton intimidating propaganda, and Don't you Forget it! "Yes" for Melrose with a great big sledgehammer and/or the threat of full-on Shaming and Shunning (and oh sure, throw in a topping of a few ignorantly implied threats of "libel" while they're at it, or perhaps even an Order of Protection based on nothing, thrown out in court but ultimately very costly to the falsely accused, which was the real purpose all along).
Don't think for a minute that you/your family are alone if you've faced this ugliness. THEY just want you to think that. But these institutionalized bullies have threatened and harmed many and on all kinds of grounds, not just the OCR narrowly defined civil rights basis. It's all very serious and it all has to be fixed.
I was confused by the last post. "Have to differ", nor the original poster were comparing or pitting SPED students against minority students. She was comparing the original aggressor of a civil rights infraction against administrators, principals, and city solicitor's office who she believes commit a far more grievous crime when they retaliate and intimidate victims and their families for reporting these civil rights infractions. And I agree with her, as most Melrosians would. It's like kicking the victim and stealing their wallet as the victim lays there bloodied on the ground, dazed from the first attack. I think we can all agree that although these are all serious crimes, to victimize the victim again is a more serious crime and the OCR's language appears to support this.
Also, there has been to date no mention of the victim/family of OCR's first investigation being retaliated against (other than RVC's comments in the newspaper supporting the racist teacher and questioning the student), but at the same time I think it is easy to extrapolate and assume that this victim and his family were most likely retaliated against by the school administration and city solicitor's office. Like another poster said: "it's what they do". Its institutionalized bullying and its against the law.
Lastly, I'd like to say that we all seem to be on the same page about this. A crime against any of the protected groups is a crime against us all.
I just read that for only the 3rd time in 40 years, there will be no increase in Social Security, or disabled Veterans`, benefits next year. I suspect not too many of those included will be voting yes!
You are correct. It's based on the Consumer Price Index which was a big fat zero.
Gee - then it must be time to give the teachers another 25% pay increase and our own Mayor another 25% pay raise! Makes sense - doesn't it?
What do you think this override is for? After the first year that 2.5 million per year forever is unencumbered.
What exactly is a "pot of money" and what is it used for? Who decided what positions needed to be filled? I am voting NO because I feel the bulk of these positions are not dire.
Let me make it easy for you to understand - Resident. Mayor Dolan decided all this! He used his pawns - Superintendent Taymore, school committee, Board of Aldermen and Police Chief Lyle to vouch for the increase!
With a school surplus this year of $600K, with more newly constructed, tax-based housing going on the market soon, and with state and federal finding expected to increase in the years ahead - everyone should be voting no on the override.
Wow - Dolan must really want another $25K pay increase badly and of course we all know that Taymore recently go another big jump in her pay - thanks to our incompetent school committee who think that establishing advisory groups, committees, and planning groups are the way to better education!
The Aldermen and the Mayor need to get off their fat as ses and find a way to allow established and future businesses to add Keno to the licenses of those businesses that have a Lottery sales license. This is an inexpensive way for the City to raise money that already is being spent and sent across the City line to adjoining communities that allow Keno.
I'm voting NO for the override.[8-)]
You do know that most places that sell scratch tickets and numbers can also sell you a Keno ticket- they do not have the TV with the live feed, but you can get Keno tickets.