Saw Kristin Thorpe's 'apology' from Tuesday night. Looks like the school committee and the superintendent believed they could keep a federal investigation secret from the rest of the city.
It's despicable, the whole thing. They have encased themselves in arrogance and new rules ("norms" I guess they call them) and new anti-democratic, anti-public practices (like moving Public Comment to the end, after votes have been taken). Their conduct is more outrageous than ever, really hard to believe. They are hiding all sorts of things quite obviously. The superintendent is fully allowed to do whatever she wants, and the committee, with one exception, is completely insular now, with the exception of catering exclusively to the kindergarten & elem (MEF) parents. Even the new one, JD, has gone rabidly into the Dark Side. She nearly went bonkers last night that they only approved one extra kindergarten class instead of two, and she looks nearly as crazy as MD now. Whatever they are trying to hide with that "apology" of Thorp's is quite obviously way more damaging than they would ever have admitted if Mroz hadn't gotten them dead to rights with what was obviously too powerful a complaint that even those bums couldn't bully their way out of (good for him!). Clearly there is a huge backstory here. Where is the illustrious Melrose media on this? (Oh that's right, this isn't a story that Brigid/RD approved and submitted.)
What a huge disgrace.
Federal Office of Civil Rights Investigation. Time for citizens revolt!
I don't get why Mrs. K went along with the cover-up. She's all about transparency.
Just stop. These mean nothing. Look at all the colleges Dept of Education has investigated recently. They are all great schools. These "federal investigations" are run by government lawyers with too much free time making too much of our money. Some colleges are standing up to them and Melrose should too.
Get real in the mayor's office - and in the superintendent's office. You may be able to get naive kindergarten parents believing you're wonderful when you put 22 kids in a class instead of 24. Your best expertise in spin and deceit will be required to brush off a federal investigation. I hope they don't fall for your tactics as easily as the parents in Melrose.
Will someone who knows tell how to find out about the investigation? What are they really investigating? Is it a teacher or the school? Or does no one outside of the school committee know?
Most likely Mrs. K has been trying to get at the bottom of whatever the rest of them have kept secret from her, too, if you listened to her statement on March 24.
Since they've now admitted to a Federal Office of Civil Rights Investigation, the news of that will eventually end up on a national website, and no official from city hall or the schools will be able to influence that. Sounds like CKK has been trying to get at this stuff with the continual focus on legal bills that they insist they have a right to "redact" even from her. They sound crooked as all getup. The rest of them seem more determined than ever that they have a right to hide things, but hopefully the truth will win in the end. Shame on Jessica! Thought she'd have more sense than to go along with this stuff. Now she not only goes along, she's in some of the driver's seats! Shame!
"Trust the good people on the school committee and the mayor and the superintendent to do best the jobs they were elected and hired to do." Sounds like City Hall is in full spin mode to make this stuff go away by insulting and denigrating any critics. Why anyone would trust those currently in power (except one) is beyond understanding. And no, this stuff doesn't happen in every district. Some are actually well run and have people of integrity in power.
What bothers me is that Kristen Thorpe is actually bold enough to try to pass this off as "a mistake". This was no mistake; she knowingly and willfully violated the State's Open Meeting Laws in a desperate attempt to hide from Melrose Residents that our School Administrators are under investigation for Federal Civil Rights Violations. I'm not so sure that G Mroz or the Attorney General's office is going to find this acceptable.
So far all that's been forced to be revealed is the minutes of the executive session, which provides no information whatever, except that it's already cost over $9000 in legal and other fees. I wonder what the loss will be if the city loses the lawsuit and has to pay a settlement or award? Very troubling indeed.
Shame on Jessica Dugan - I voted for her to help CKK turn things around and to improve transparency and openeness! What an abject failure she has been - she turned out to be a "go-along, to get along" person on the committee. As Lord Action, the historian once said:power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely!
I see lots of comments but no one goes to the meetings to be heard or writes to the papers or speaks publicly.
Papers have no interest (have tried). No public comment, unless you count that travesty thing they call Public Comment at the end of the meetings (10 p.m. or so) where Thorp will yell at you to shut up and the rest (except one) will ignore you while packing up their things or watch baseball games on their devices and almost certainly make nasty faces at you if they acknowledge your presence at all.
I'm not so sure. I think you may see something in either the Free Press or that other local paper. Who knows. Maybe the Boston Globe North will cover it?
No one but the insiders/perpetrators knows what the investigation is really about. You can file a freedom of information act of the schools and see if they respond. Now that it's not a secret, they have to give you copies of records they have. I think they can hide some names, but they still have to give you the copies.
Believe me, you will get nothing from the schools with a Freedom of Information Act Request. As has been aptly demonstrated in recent days, months really, they really don't care if they are violating the law.
Maybe the Office of Civil Rights investigaters will have better luck.
The Melrose Whiners always try to make mountains out of molehills. They latch onto one isolated incident from more than a year ago as if it indicts the whole school system, the school committee and the mayor, too. You can be sure federal investigators have enough perspective to see that it was one simple mistake by one teacher on one bad day. All you whiners - shut up. We're all tired of you. Just move and go away if you don't like it here.
It is troubling that you would minimize the pervasive corruption within our City. That one incident has nothing to do with what prompted Federal Officials to initiate a Civil Rights Investigation. They saw a repeated pattern of intimidation and retaliation against students, parents and advocates, all illegal activities under Federal law. Much like a district attorney, The Office of Civil Rights does not waste their time taking on Civil Rights investigation unless they already have what they need to make a finding. They will be searching through school district files, (by subpoena if need be) to button up their charges.
Wow. Just wow.
Now the administration sycophants (and/or the principal players themselves) are trying to sweep a federal civil rights investigation under the rug? Really? "one simple mistake"? Oh really?
It appears that maybe this one is too big for such tactics, maybe there isn't someone to bail out the guilty parties (as it becomes more obviously a conspiracy by more than "one teacher on a 'bad' day" as the public learns that this investigation has been going on and wracking up large legal bills but has been quite brazenly kept secret by the committee until it was forced to disclose with that OML "apology"). Maybe, just maybe those who have provided cover (and incompetent counsel) are beginning to jump from the sinking ship, hence the advice to come forward for the less egregious matter with an "apology" (minus any admission to having committed a crime--just an "error").
"You can be sure federal investigators have enough perspective" And the poster knows this how?
"one simple mistake" by "one teacher on a bad day" Sounds like someone on the inside is getting scared that this thing hasn't been disappeared already, despite best efforts by the crew to do this.
Just how much of a bill is this district likely going to be footing as this continues to unfold? Is this the real reason behind the freight train known as the done-deal Override that the mayor is assuming will take care of all?
Mole hills indeed!
The "one simple mistake..............." comment shows that the spinners don't even know what they're supposed to be spinning, or they think we're foolish enough to just accept that.
So what about the new business of Public Comment at the end of meetings instead of beginning, with the requirement to write in questions to the superintendent? This is discriminatory for anyone with a disability who might not be able to write in or who can't wait until 10:00 p.m. to come before the committee. A citizen should be able to walk into THEIR public meeting and be treated with courtesy and have their chance to speak BEFORE deliberation occurs and votes are taken. This whole thing smells, and the stink goes right back to that contemptuous committee. They'd rather spend a few teachers' salaries (or more--how would anyone know?) in paying attorneys to give them the atrociously bad advice they've obviously been given that everything they do is hunky-dory, only to have it all come flying back eventually that they were dead wrong, but instead of changing their ways, they only find worse ways of dissing the public they took an oath to serve! These people need to be handed their walking papers!
Just read a few different strings and "sycophant" is mentioned all over the place. Did some learn a new word??
syc·o·phant
ˈsikəˌfant,ˈsikəfənt/
noun
noun: sycophant; plural noun: sycophants
a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage.
synonyms: yes-man, bootlicker, brown-noser, toady, lickspittle, flatterer, flunky, lackey, spaniel, doormat, stooge, cringer, suck, suck-up
If the foo $hits, wear it.
Oh, and obsequious is another quite suitable term for what is in preponderance here.
Some of those are WAY more fun than sycophant!!! Lick spittle!!!
How toady.
It is what it is nothing new.
The school committee should be discussing and correcting the problems and firing all the people responsible for this embarrassment. But they aren't having executive sessions to discuss - they just have secret meetings to get around those open meeting violations. I'll wager there's one member they don't include.
"The school committee should be discussing and correcting the problems and firing all the people responsible for this embarrassment. But they aren't having executive sessions to discuss - they just have secret meetings to get around those open meeting violations. I'll wager there's one member they don't include."
It isn't just an "embarrassment." That Federal Office for Civil Rights doesn't investigate for silly reasons. Go online and look at their process and their determinations. They won't even start a case unless there is concrete evidence.
The revelation of this investigation was the most telling part of Kristin Thorp's so-called "apology" (did you notice how it was an "error" but no admission of breaking the law?).
There should be outrage that means something about whatever has led to such a serious matter, and that is quite clearly being actively hidden by school officials and their boss, the Melrose School Committee. Where is the moral compass of this community? Does it even exist anymore? There is so much that is wrong with what is going on other than the superficial nonsense that officials, and their nasty operatives, want very much for us to focus on. Where is the focus on the ethically corrupt system that is now in place? This isn't just about a political majority bullying a minority (with directly poor consequences for students in Melrose).
This is an unusual situation where the local press is delinquent in covering the issues that are important. Week after week we see fluff pieces written and directed by the Mayor's office substituting for real journalism in the Free Press and Melrose Weekly. Meanwhile, there is a full blown Federal Civil Rights investigation of the School Department going on, exposed only after a good citizen alerted the AG's office of the SC chair's attempted cover-up, an OML violation under State law. That's two blockbuster stories not being covered. By the press not covering these issues, crooked government officials feel emboldened to violate the public's trust. That was supposed to be the beauty of Freedom of the Press and the First Amendment. It was meant as deterrent against corruption of government officials. Unfortunately, the Melrose Weekly and Free Press are not brave enough to do their job.
How long do these types of federal investigations take, anyway? It's been going on since February. Will it be months or years?
Wow. Just wow.
Now the administration sycophants (and/or the principal players themselves) are trying to sweep a federal civil rights investigation under the rug? Really? "one simple mistake"? Oh really?
It appears that maybe this one is too big for such tactics, maybe there isn't someone to bail out the guilty parties (as it becomes more obviously a conspiracy by more than "one teacher on a 'bad' day" as the public learns that this investigation has been going on and wracking up large legal bills but has been quite brazenly kept secret by the committee until it was forced to disclose with that OML "apology"). Maybe, just maybe those who have provided cover (and incompetent counsel) are beginning to jump from the sinking ship, hence the advice to come forward for the less egregious matter with an "apology" (minus any admission to having committed a crime--just an "error").
"You can be sure federal investigators have enough perspective" And the poster knows this how?
"one simple mistake" by "one teacher on a bad day" Sounds like someone on the inside is getting scared that this thing hasn't been disappeared already, despite best efforts by the crew to do this.
Just how much of a bill is this district likely going to be footing as this continues to unfold? Is this the real reason behind the freight train known as the done-deal Override that the mayor is assuming will take care of all?
Mole hills indeed!
From what I've heard, this has been going on since last spring, more than a year. All of these government bodies seem to take forever, just like lawsuits do. But from what I've heard, this one is not something the administration can sweep under the rug, even though it tried and tried (hence the "apology" from Thorp for violating the OML, though she didn't apologize for trying to hide a federal investigation which is now out of the bag). When this one comes out, it really does have the potential to unravel the whole stinking thing. Then the rats will really race from the sinking ship!
My sources tell me that the Ted Wells firm has been hired to investigate this matter. The report should be out in about 100 days.
And how about this mess? What's happening?
"They latch onto one isolated incident from more than a year ago"
Wouldn't bet on that number. Want an example? How about the teacher who recently received their eval with, lets say, improper comments within like referring to a certain group of students as "colored."
Please tell me this is not true.
Swear to God it's true.
nothing,nada[:))]
Well you just wait an see. The OCR case number is already out there. Time is on my side.
This is an unusual situation where the local press is delinquent in covering the issues that are important. Week after week we see fluff pieces written and directed by the Mayor's office substituting for real journalism in the Free Press and Melrose Weekly. Meanwhile, there is a full blown Federal Civil Rights investigation of the School Department going on, exposed only after a good citizen alerted the AG's office of the SC chair's attempted cover-up, an OML violation under State law. That's two blockbuster stories not being covered. By the press not covering these issues, crooked government officials feel emboldened to violate the public's trust. That was supposed to be the beauty of Freedom of the Press and the First Amendment. It was meant as deterrent against corruption of government officials. Unfortunately, the Melrose Weekly and Free Press are not brave enough to do their job. There should be outrage that means something about whatever has led to such a serious matter, and that is quite clearly being actively hidden by school officials and their boss, the Melrose School Committee. Where is the moral compass of this community?These people need to be handed their walking papers!Just how much of a bill is this district likely going to be footing as this continues to unfold? Is this the real reason behind the freight train known as the done-deal Override that the mayor is assuming will take care of all?It isn't just an "embarrassment.
School Comm July 28
https://vimeo.com/134795094
1:02:30 CKK tackles this month's installment of the whitewash/coverup: $24,500+ of legal bills
$24,500+ of legal bills for one month's warrants. No wonder they claim to need an override. What are all these "special" funds the idiotic biz manager refers to? Loved CKK's low-key but intelligent tenacity, laying it out for us and letting the idiotic non-replies speak for themselves.
Also loved CKK's earlier grilling about the $600,000+ in surplus funds after they supposedly "balanced" this year's budget. Obviously they are padding everything. Gerry's right about calling them "slush funds"!
There is nothing credible about what this administration is doing. It's all smoke and mirrors. The DoDefense should hire this "team" to hawk its acronyms and BS!
I think that if you wrote it up in a letter to the editor, you would get published. Especially if sent to the MWN which seems starved for material.
I also find it funny that in the thread tearing down JMG (new comer) when I asked MFD, et al, what they would want the platform of GM to be should he run again, no one answered. This silence only supports the lack of real action behind the bloviation on this bulletin board.
Hey Chem...the reason why I did not respomd to your question is because you live in la-la land - you know - that alternative universe of ignorance and indifference!
Anyone who knows what]s going on in the schools for the past 3 or 4 years understand what Gerry Mroz represents and his viewpoints on education, especially after he ran for school committte the last time around! I helped him in this effort and even held up his signs during a snow storm! If you reaaly care to learn about what's going on - go do some reading for yourself like a "big boy" and grown-up - watch these videos on MMTV of the school committee meetings - even attend these meetings - and go out and talk to people in the community. In other words - get off your recliner!
Well said Myron! I thank you for your advice.
For the purposes of constructive debate (aside from the implications of my fat ass being stuck to a recliner and not out in the schools, watching the SC or BOA meetings, or otherwise being proactive) Just wanted to remind you and all that:
GM got the least votes last SC election. He had no campaign to speak of. I saw no signs, and as someone who is a 'high frequency voter' I saw no real substance from GM in literature, door knocking, the press, the video he did with Melrose Matters or even in the debate at the Roosevelt by the League of Women Voters.
Next, the purview of the SC is to:
* hire, fire and otherwise review the superintendent of MPS
* manage the budget of the schools
* amend or otherwise effect and uphold policies of MPS
So, one more time, in hopes you won't deflect in a personal attack:
What would you have GM's platform be? What solid and substantial pieces of policy or fiscal waste/modification would you have him stand for?
