Melrose Cares: Open Community Dialogue




Click here to report offensive or inappropriate posts.



Schools & School Committee
Start a New Topic 
Author
Comment
School Committee Self-Eval Does Not Even Acknowledge its Gross Failures re OCR

Page 134, MSC Jan 10, 2017 Meeting Packet
http://melrosecityma.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=2708&Inline=True

At the back of the packet is the "Executive Summary" BS of Driscoll's re the euphemistically named Self-Evaluation of the School Committee. It's a rather stunning document in its stark lack of reality/honesty-based content.

In the very year when this school district, unprecedented in all its history (and probably in the region), was found by the U.S. Office of Civil Rights to be guilty of creating/fostering a "racially hostile environment", and yet there is not one single acknowledgment of this in the MSC Self-Evaluation, but there are many paragraphs of self-glorification about all their excellent accomplishments. This is consummately revealing and appalling.

(last January, Findings Document):
http://melroseschools.com/administration/presentations/ocr/ocr-findings-01-14-1259/#sthash.LnBuOL5c.dpbs

Re: School Committee Self-Eval Does Not Even Acknowledge its Gross Failures re OCR

It is incomprehensible that this community continues to allow the abuse of power and degradation of its school system. The school administration has never been held accountable for its actual crimes, gross negligence, and the hideous financial burden placed on taxpayers, as yet undisclosed in its entirety due to the comprehensive complicity of elected and paid officials. The outward presentation of the administration, even after the expensive whitewashing by the taxpayer-funded public relations firm, is still offensive and suspect enough that there is no excuse for the public to remain so silent. The information available from even a superficial look makes the corruption and bad decisions patently obvious. Instead the Melrose public seems willing to buy the noxious self-congratulatory fumes as sufficient validation for the comfortable blinders it would rather wear. Beyond the pervasive violations of statute and ethics, the standards have now sunk to the point of negative faculty morale across the district, laughably pathetic public presentations, elimination of meaningful parent-teacher communication, and on downwards.

Re: School Committee Self-Eval Does Not Even Acknowledge its Gross Failures re OCR

The matter at issue related to an incident between a teacher and student in the 2013-14 school year. The teacher is no longer in the district. The OCR set out a compliance program with deadlines. All elements of the compliance program were fully met. As much as you don't want it to be; the issue is closed. I know that doesn't meet with your agenda.
Fortunately, with the Trump administration coming into power the influence of the Federal Government in the class room will start to recede. The overreach of the Federal Department of Education and it's Office of Civil Rights will be reigned in under Trump and local school districts can get on with the business of educating their students without Federal interference. Only 2 more days to go!!!!

Re: School Committee Self-Eval Does Not Even Acknowledge its Gross Failures re OCR

"All elements of the compliance program were fully met."

You could not be more wrong, or misguided, or uninformed.

If you even read those elements, you would know this is true.

Re: School Committee Self-Eval Does Not Even Acknowledge its Gross Failures re OCR

Fully complied with what?? They are still under observation/supervision by OCR until at least 2018... IF they meet all of OCR's requirements over that time frame. The School District's civil rights compliance officer (complicit in subverting Federal civil rights laws along with the superintendent and city legal counsel) quickly nominated a "new" compliance officer, PWL! But wasn't she the old civil rights officer you ask?? She certainly was. And your elected school committee and legal counsel actually APPROVED CT's nominee if you can believe it!

Re: School Committee Self-Eval Does Not Even Acknowledge its Gross Failures re OCR

This school committee, school superintendent and city solicitor are so stupid (or openly brazen) that they continue to this day to illegally expose personally identifiable information to the general public about specific outplaced SPED students, their outplacements and tuition fees on the school department's website (IQ2M ) in violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) as pointed out several months ago in an article by Mr. Leibowitz (Free Press). Oddly enough, Cyndy Taymore admitted to this and falsely stated that they immediately took action to correct the mistake'" That was months ago and the violative information is still on the Melrose School Department's website for the world to see. FERPA is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records and information. Schools risk federal funding if they fail to take action to protect student's and family's personal information.

Does the school committee care?

Does the superintendent care?

The answer is no.

Re: School Committee Self-Eval Does Not Even Acknowledge its Gross Failures re OCR

Parent
Page 134, MSC Jan 10, 2017 Meeting Packet
http://melrosecityma.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=2708&Inline=True

At the back of the packet is the "Executive Summary" BS of Driscoll's re the euphemistically named Self-Evaluation of the School Committee. It's a rather stunning document in its stark lack of reality/honesty-based content.

In the very year when this school district, unprecedented in all its history (and probably in the region), was found by the U.S. Office of Civil Rights to be guilty of creating/fostering a "racially hostile environment", and yet there is not one single acknowledgment of this in the MSC Self-Evaluation, but there are many paragraphs of self-glorification about all their excellent accomplishments. This is consummately revealing and appalling.

(last January, Findings Document):
http://melroseschools.com/administration/presentations/ocr/ocr-findings-01-14-1259/#sthash.LnBuOL5c.dpbs


Maybe it wasn't part of last year's evaluation because it didn't happen last year?

Re: School Committee Self-Eval Does Not Even Acknowledge its Gross Failures re OCR

The OCR Findings came out last January. It has been publicized throughout the region. Are you really that ignorant?

Re: School Committee Self-Eval Does Not Even Acknowledge its Gross Failures re OCR

Just plain gross.

Re: School Committee Self-Eval Does Not Even Acknowledge its Gross Failures re OCR

Yesterday Trump revoked Obama's guidelines on the requirements of transgender bathrooms in public schools. He has pushed it back to the states. This is the first big move by Trump in getting the federal government out of the schools.
The downgrading of the OCR is next on the agenda.

Re: School Committee Self-Eval Does Not Even Acknowledge its Gross Failures re OCR

Dismantling of Over -reach
Yesterday Trump revoked Obama's guidelines on the requirements of transgender bathrooms in public schools. He has pushed it back to the states. This is the first big move by Trump in getting the federal government out of the schools.
The downgrading of the OCR is next on the agenda.


You want to downgrade the OCR office? Are you nuts? It is the only way we can hold these school officials responsible for their actions! Some pf these offices actually have some worth!