PeoriaStory

The Conflict memoralizes Memorial Day

MACOMB -- Here's the most interesting event anywhere for the Memorial Day weekend:  the world premier of an original play about the Civil War by John Hallwas, author and professor emeritus at Western Illinois University.

Hallwas has taken real people and events in Macomb's history and turned them into a full length drama that plays for the last time on May 28.  But it also has been videoed and will be shown on the Macomb PBS affiliate and during Macomb's Heritage Days celebration in June.

The Conflict: A Soldier's Memories of the Civil War is being presented in Macomb at WIU's Hainline Theatre -- and the lead character is W. H. Hainline, a direct  ancestor of the family that endowed the theatre with funds.  W.H. Hainline was an editor of the Macomb Daily Journal who also served in the Civil War as a youth. He died in 1924.

He wrote about the war obsessively, Hallwas said, and probably suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. He was prisoner at the infamous Andersonville prison camp, and saw his father killed in battle.

The play is presented by the Macomb-based Starry Night Repertory Theatre, and stars professional actor Dan Woods as Hainline, the narrator.

Woods' wife Jeannie Woods is the director of the play and founder of Starry Night, and WIU faculty member.

The play itself, an interesting combination of poetry, music and drama, is extremely well staged and well acted.

It opens as Hainline delivers a Decoration Day speech in 1911 in Macomb's opera house.  His talk in the first act combines poetry of the era, music and narration to tell about the Civil War in the words of those who experienced it first hand. 

The second act dramatizes the family relationship between Hainline's father, who is a Union soldier in the Civil War, his wife, and his son, Billly, who ultimately becomes W.H. Hainline the narrator. 

Billy's mother suffers hardships with her husband away from the farm, and is furious when her husband, home on furlough, reenlists, while Billy at age 16 decides to enlist to serve with his father.

Hallwas commented afterwards that this is a rare portrayal of the impact of the war on a woman.

Conflicts are everywhere in the play -- the glory and horror of war, duty to the nation and to the family, conflicts over the war itself and in the community, as copperheads --southern symphizers -- threaten western Illinois.

It's a fascinating look at Macomb's past and the nation's history with echoes that continue today. It's well worth seeing.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

UPDATE 5/28/11:  Hallwas is leading tours of Oakwood Cemetery today and Sunday at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., where you can learn more about the fascinating local history of Macomb.

The Mason-Dixon Line ran through Macomb, with those on the east side of square supporting the Union and those on the west side supporting the south, Hallwas said.

Some prominent local citizens were involved in the underground railroad for escaping slaves.  Their graves are in Oakwood which likely is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places but is not listed.

There also are graves of Civil War heroes and other prominent citizens.  All come with fascinating stories, another very interesting Memorial Day event   Tickets are $10.

 

 

 

Civil Unions Act in Illinois begins June 1

PEORIA -- An audience of more than 50 people heard and discussed the new Civil Unions Act which becomes law in Illinois on June 1.  The May 26 event at the new Peoria Public Library North Branch meeting room, was sponsored by the Peoria ACLU chapter.

The speakers included staff counsel Karen Sheley of ACLU of Illinois, who distributed a helpful FAQ on the new law; Joseph Meister, a Chicago attorney who founded The Civil Rights Agenda, and Peoria County Clerk Steve Sonnemaker.

Sonnemaker said his office will begin issuing civil unions licenses on June 1 just as it issues traditionial marriage licenses now.  They can be used by same-sex couples or any couples not wishing to accept all the implications of a legal marriage.

The license is valid on the following day, and costs $37.00.  It's valid only in Peoria County. Applicants must be 18 years old.  They must follow up with a ceremony from someone licensed to perform marriage ceremonies in the state, and the certificate must be sent back to the clerk's office.

They must both be present and present identification, though special arrangements can be made for someone who cannot leave a hospital or otherwise enter the office.

Asked about a name change, Sonnemaker replied "we understand it's the same" as marriage, as a tradition, not a law.  But "talk to an attorney," he added.

Sonnemaker said he expects people to line up early to be among the first to obtain licenses.His office will stay open late for people in line at closing time.

Sheley said the ACLU spent 40 years advocating for civil unions and helped draft the Illinois law. A dozen states now recognize civil unions, she said.  The law confers property rights, hospital rights, some benefit and pension rights, at least for state employees, and other rights accorded to traditional married couples.

"Now we need full marriage" for these couples, because some states don't recognize civil unions, even though they recognize drivers licenses and marriages from other states.

The federal government will not recognize civil unions, so couples must file individual federal tax returns, but may be able to file a type of joint return for state taxes, she said.

Meister said the Civil Unions Act provides inheritance rights, and will prevent a family member from challenging a will, as they can do now as 'next of kin.' 

It also allows for dissolutions, and will provide legal standing for couples who may have lived together for years, have children, own property, businesses, even pets together.  Now they have no way to legally separate, he said.

"They will be treated like a business partner," under the Civil Unions Act, he said.

Adoption and foster care are other issues.  The Roman Catholic Church objects to civil unions, and some dioceses may be withdrawing from providing state paid adoption and foster care services rather than place children with gay couples, he said. Under the Civil Unions Act they cannot discriminate against those with civil unions.

Couples in civil unions will not be eligible for their spouse's social security benefits, but will be eligible for health insurance, pension benefits and the like if employed by the state government.  Private Illinois employers who obtain their health insurance from agencies licensed in Illinois will have to provide health insurance to civil union partners as they do to married couples.

Large multistate companies providing insurance regulated by ERISA, the federal law, may not have to provide the insurance, he said.

Questions from the audience ranged from whether to check the 'married' box on forms (answer: yes) to whether the other person is called 'spouse,' or 'partner' or 'husband/wife' (answer: take your pick.)

The bottom line:  under the Civil Unions Act, partners should be treated the same way in Illinois as if they are traditionally married. But that's not true of federal issues because of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which is discriminatory and should be repealed, and likely will be sooner or later.

Here's a recording of the forum.

ACLU 5-26-11

-- Elaine Hopkins

 

County redistricting: all harmony

PEORIA -- Statehouse legislators may be yelling at each other over redistricting but the Peoria County Board committee charged with redrawing County Board districts has worked out the lines satisfactorily. The committee unanimously approved the map at its meeting on May 25.

Democrats control the County Board and the committee, but Republicans are satisfied, committee member Steve Morris said. He met with committee chairman Allen Mayer several times, he said, to work on the map.

It was a more amicable process than previously. "I've heard it was painful ten years ago. It was deemed to be partisan," Morris, A Republican, said. 

"We tried to depoliticize" the process, by not pitting current board members against each other. "It's (been) a fair, acceptable process. I support the map," Morris said.

the committee worked with software that helped to draw the map so that each of the 18 districts has about 10,361 people.  The map follows city and township borders as much as possible.  Two districts have a majority of African Americans. Many of the districts don't change very much.

Morris jokingly called District 8 a "two-fanged terodactyl," because of its shape, but Mayer said it merely follows city of Peoria boundaries.

The map is posted on the county's website, with the board to vote on it at its June meeting.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

A tedious hour later, the public comments...

PEORIA --  Six -- count them -- six groups appeared at the beginning of the Peoria District 150 School Board at its May 23 meeting, to be "spotlighted" or otherwise recognized as in "all the children are above average."  And teachers, as well, as the outstanding teacher of the month was recognized, too.

It's a scene worthy of a politburo out of a communist government, where those so glorified also praise the board and administration.  Barf. 

The scene tool up more than an hour before the board finally got to its meeting and the public comments.

It's a huge waste of valuable time.  If it were on TV, I wouldn't watch it.  Since it's not -- the board has yet to resume its live broadcasts, or later taped ones, for that matter, I pretended it was on TV and read a magazine for the hour, so my time was not wasted.

The public comments were not as interesting as they often are, as many people likely have given up trying to influence the board. But not the diehards.

Teacher union president Bob Darling asked why "displaced" teachers have not been assigned classrooms for next year, and suggested the best will be hired away from the district.

Charlie Thomas said he is glad to see Woodruff High School reopened and used.

Sevino Sierra told the board to stop blaming the teachers for school problems.

Terry Knapp talked about the protections of tenure, and said without it, "it's drink the kool-aid or else," and gave several examples of people who refused to drink it.  The district's constant turnover in superintendents stems from activists and taxpayers refusing to drink it, he added.

(Though he didn't mention it, Knapp's previous complaints to the board were vindicated by a May 23 story on WCBU-FM, the Peoria NPR affiliate, about the long bus rides that charter school pupils must endure. The school plans to cut back bus service to students living near the school, apparently to free up busses to shorten the long rides.  Of course they could just pay for more busses. Guess that's not what the company running the school wants to spend money on, since that might impact the bottom line.) 

Karen Atkinson Dutro questioned the board about a recent letter to Lincon Middle School parents saying some children may be eligible to take a series of tutoring sessions and tests, then skip the 8th grade and go on to high school. 

Mentioning the problem of "overaged" middle school pupils, she asked why only Lincoln students are getting this program, and how it will be monitored, whether they will be prepared for high school and what message it sends to other students.

Sharon Crews presented research to the board on suspensions and expulsions for weapons such as firearms and knives, and asked about guidelines and inconsistencies in the outcomes. Some of the penalties are the same as for inappropriate cell phone use, she said. Her complete talk will be posted below later.

In her response to these comments, Lathan only said "we're working on getting teachers placed.  We are concerned about displaced teachers."  She didn't mention the Lincoln situation or suspensions and expulsions. 

Board president Debble Wolfmeyer said savings from closing Woodruff High School came from cutting the staff, not closing the building, which will be reopened next year.  If that's true, why not just cut the staff and not close a high school? 

A recording of the public comments is posted here.

D150 May 23

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Here are the remarks from Sharon Crews:

From September to March 21, about 237 suspensions were for illegal activities in 13 categories. Fifty-one suspensions and four expulsions were related to weapons.  According to the codes I was given, there are five categories of weapon offenses.  There were no suspensions or expulsions for the category labeled possession or use of a handgun.

   For the possession or use of a knife or other sharp object there were 16 suspensions and 3 expulsions.  Seven students received 10-day suspensions.  Three primary school students received five-day suspensions.  One student received a three-day suspension.  Five students were suspended for two days.

   Why is there such a difference in the number of days students are suspended?  Age seems to be a factor, but not necessarily the deciding factor.  Secondly, even though 10-day suspensions seem to be meted out for serious offenses, 2, 3, and 5-day suspensions are meted out for weapons as well as for such behaviors as using cell phones at unauthorized times.  Shouldn’t the degree of consequences reflect the serious nature of the offense?  The messages sent to students should be more clear-cut.

   Thirdly, when is a knife or a sharp object not a knife or a sharp object?  Three students were expelled because of a knife or sharp object.  Why were 16 students suspended instead of being expelled?  Please, what are the criteria for such divergent consequences?  Are there any guidelines for schools to follow?

   For the use or possession of a firearm other than a handgun, there were 6 suspensions but no expulsions.  Two primary students received 10-day suspensions, one middle school student a five-day, and four students received 2-day suspensions.  Please, define a firearm other than a handgun.  The use or possession of a “firearm” of any kind seems to me to be worthy of expulsion, not just a suspension.  There must be something I don’t understand.

   Thirteen students were suspended for possession or use of other weapons or gun look-alikes.  One student was expelled for swinging a lock on a belt.  Almost any ordinary object—a book, a chair, a bat--could qualify as a weapon.  I am, therefore, assuming that all of these 13 students didn’t just possess but actually used an object as a weapon—so again I wonder how the decision was made to give two students a ten-day suspension, five a 3-day suspension, two a 2-day suspension, three a 1-day suspension, and one a half-day suspension.

  The last weapons category is for weapon/gun look alikes.  Fifteen students received suspensions for this category with only one 10-day suspension.

There seems to be an overlap or lack of clarity between the WPO and WPL categories.     

   Twenty-four suspensions were for gang activity. Three of the 24 were 10-day suspensions.  There were two expulsions for gang activity. 

   I am puzzled by the consequences for the use or possession of drugs.  There were 53 suspensions and 18 expulsions.  Most of these offenses were from the three high schools but there were suspensions and/or expulsions from ten schools, representing all levels and schools.  Only fourteen suspensions of the 53 were for 10-days.  I recall that not long ago possession of use of drugs was an automatic expulsion.  So my big question is when is a drug not a drug?

    There were only two suspensions for alcohol use.  The misuse of drugs and alcohol reminded me that all of you seem to have forgotten or didn’t know that District 150 started having graduation parties at the high schools on graduation night because several area graduates had died as a result of private parties on that night of celebration.  This year the all-night parties are on separate nights—thus defeating their original purpose.  -30-

Taxpayers fund controversial meetings for District 150 administrator

PEORIA – Do you wonder what’s happening in Peoria School District 150, with all the school closings, staff shuffles and layoffs? 

Is it a lack of money?  Or could it be something more sinister – a plan to create chaos to destabilize community opposition to school closings, privatization, charter schools, and subvert the traditional checks and balances system on finances?

It’s all beginning to fit together like a weird puzzle. 

Start with the travel of school administrators over the past school year, as released, under a Freedom of Information Act request. The documents show that while the district claims to be short on money, as it lays off teachers and other school personnel, taxpayers in the district have paid almost $9,400 for two administrators, Supt Grenita Lathan and chief curriculum officer LaToy Kennedy, to attend conferences this year.

The meetings include a 3-part event hosted by the controversial Broad Foundation, a right wing group accused of manipulating school officials and others to push charter schools and create uproar in school districts by closing schools and shifting personnel – the situation in Peoria District 150.

Here’s the careful analysis of the Broad Foundation, done by a parent advocacy group but based on hard facts. 

http://parentsacrossamerica.org/2011/04/a-guide-to-the-broad-foundations-training-programs-and-policies/

In Peoria, LaToy Kennedy was the main meeting-goer. She spent at least 22 days away from the district at conferences, which cost over $6,300.

The documents do not reflect another 2 days away from the district on Oct. 27-28 in Greensboro, N.C., her home town.

I heard about this and asked  FOIA officer Kanika Hendricks about it.  She replied, it was a “training hosted by the Guilford County Schools,” and added,  “this travel was done on her own time as an in-service day and was at no cost to the district.”

This is a slick way to visit home without taking a vacation day. Some insiders say she was out of town for other events also not included in the documents.  

But there’s more.  Three of those conferences for Kennedy were the Superintendent’s Preparatory Academy in Chicago, run by the Broad Foundation, all paid with tax money.

Two of those Chicago conferences were financed with the district’s federal Title II funds, documents show.  Title II funds supposedly are earmarked for professional development for teachers, not administrators, insiders say.

But what if the Broad (rhymes with ‘road’) Foundation is a good group, pushing business-like procedures and other reforms?  Think again.

The report on the Broad Foundation states: “Three prominent school district superintendents resigned or were fired, after allegations of mismanagement, autocratic leadership styles, and/or the pursuit of unpopular policies. All three were trained by the Broad Superintendents Academy….. (They include)  Jean-Claude Brizard (class of 2008) of the Rochester New York school district. Brizard resigned to take the job as CEO of Chicago schools, but his superintendency in Rochester had been mired in controversy.

The Broad Foundation believes schools should be run using a “top-down, corporate-style business model imposed on public schools.”  With no accountability, it has spent nearly $400 million to ‘reform’ public education.  

Here is its guiding philosophy: “Broad and his foundation believe that public schools should be run like a business. One of the tenets of his philosophy is to produce system change by “investing in a disruptive force.” Continual reorganizations, firings of staff, and experimentation to create chaos or “churn” is believed to be productive and beneficial, as it weakens the ability of communities to resist change.”

Sound familiar to Peoria?

“A hallmark of the Broad-style leadership is closing existing schools rather than attempting to improve them, increasing class size, opening charter schools, imposing high-stakes test-based accountability systems on teachers and students, and implementing of pay for performance schemes. The brusque and often punitive management style of Broad-trained leaders has frequently alienated parents and teachers and sparked protests.”

That’s what Peoria taxpayers were paying a top administrator to learn in Chicago.

There’s more:  “Eli Broad is a wealthy individual, accountable to no one but himself, who wields vast power over our public schools. Parents and community members should be aware of the extent to which the he and his foundation influence educational policies in districts throughout the country, through Broad-funded advocacy groups, Broad-sponsored experiments and reports, and the placement of Broad-trained school leaders, administrators and superintendents.”

Like LaToy Kennedy.

Supt. Grenita Lathan told the League of Women Voters on May 19 that she supports a “well rounded curriculum,” adding “you can’t just teach to the test.”  That’s good.

But she also could not point to any evidence that shifting administrators, teachers and other staff members around improves student learning.  See story below for her comments on this, as she avoided the question like politicians are trained to do.

So – will District 150 continue to follow the Broad Foundation’s playbook?  Stay tuned.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

5/25/11:  Here's a link to another story on the Broad Foundation.

 And another link.

Emailed comment:  Several years ago, I sent a message to then Congressman LaHood with 13 reason why private/parochial schools should not be subsidized.  I did not get an answer.  Pretty clear to me why many wealthy people are supporting these ideas, both Gopers and Dems - it is to direct as much of the cost as possible to educate their kids in either private facilities or facilities that are, in effect,  private facilities at the expense of the public.
Regards,
Ed Dentino

Lathan speaks, League listens

PEORIA -- Peoria District 150 School Superintendent Grenita Lathan was the guest speaker at the annual meeting of the Peoria Area League of Women Voters on May 19.

Lathan's update on various new programs in the district included:

• Some early childhood classrooms are to be sacrificed to fund counselors at the middle schools.
• All eighth graders will be taking algebra, and some seventh graders will study it, with the program to be expanded to all seventh graders soon.
• Ninth graders will receive transitions programming to help them adjust to high school, with fifth graders receiving transition services to help them adjust to middle school.
• The district is applying to extend the IB program to middle schools.
• Woodruff High School will be used as a career and tech center and alternative school.
• A mobile family resource center will reach out to help families and students with immunizations, computer access and the like.
• A parent university at Harrison, Glen Oak and Richwoods High School will help parents learn how to help their children with reading, math and science projects.
• Graduation requirements will be extended.

During the question and answer session, Lathan said the district will seek volunteers for various programs.  Asked about early pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, she responded that 100 high school students are pregnant, with some having a second child. "We are open to discussing" moving beyond abstinence, she said. But her remarks on this subject were somewhat vague.

Asked about testing, she said students "need a well rounded curriculum. You can't just teach to the test. We will follow the Illinois learning standards." 

Asked about teacher tenure, she said teachers who are laid off can be called back without regard to tenure. Instead they will be called back "based on performance," she said.

A longer school day "is still on the table," she said, but nothing has been decided. A new social studies curriculum for grades 6-12 will provide better information on voting and government, she said. The Edison model will not be replicated, she said, but all teachers will receive professional development opportunities.

I asked Lathan if she had any evidence that moving administrators and teachers around in the district, as had been done recently, would improve student learning.  She responded that the goal is not to "create chaos." Instead, people wanted "different opportunities," she said.

My take on the meeting:  Lathan made a good impression, but her answers were vague.  She admitted that early childhood classes are being cut to pay for middle school counselors only after League member Jan Deissler pinned her down, politely, on the issue.

And of course, moving around teachers and administrators was not to give people new opportunites, and many resent being uprooted from communities they know and have built up to go into unfamiliar situations.

Here's an audio recording of her talk.

LWV Lathan

 

 

  -- Elaine Hopkins

Love Aaron Schock? Hate Aaron Schock? Read this!

PEORIA -- Our half-naked Congressman on the cover of the current Men's Health magazine has garnered loads of publicity for the photo, ostensibly promoting physical fitness.

A columnist for the Guardian in London sees through the ruse.  Read this: 

Here's the title of the article:

"The soft underbelly of the right's hard abs."

Don't neglect the comments, as well.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

 Comment via email:  I read the Amanda Marcotte article and the first page of comments.   I've head some of the stuff over time about Aaron Schock, and so far,  he may may just be a vain glorious product of the self obsessive culture.   Traits shown that he shares with some others give pause to think.   Many preachers and politicians have been gay bashing and women bashing individuals that have turned out to be gays or having affairs, hiding out their own lives.  It could be interesting to see what turns out. 

I've met Arron Schock and did not like him personally.  I certainly dislike the politics of mythical values that are not consistent with peoples lives or the well being of our country.
Regards,
Ed Dentino

Keep fighting: ACLU of Illinois executive diector

PEORIA -- The Peoria chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union celebrated its 50th anniversary with a May 12 banquet highlighted by a lively talk from ACLU of Illinois executive director Colleen K. Connell.

The first female attorney to lead the organization, she has directed its litigation efforts involving the constitutional rights to privacy, reproductive rights and conditions in state facilities for institutionalized persons.

Connell told the group that the ACLU is really the premier conservative organization in the nation, as it seeks to support and enforce the US Constitution and its Bill of Rights, promoting free speech, freedom of religion, voting rights and other civil liberties and rights.

These rights were not enforced until the ACLU and other advocacy groups began demanding enforcement in the 1920s, she said.

In 1920, Margaret Sanger was arrested for passing out information on birth control, not condoms or other devices, she said.  In East Saint Louis, IL., African Americans were lynched for political and labor organizing and attempting to vote, she said.

The ACLU was organized 90 years ago, and they and other advocacy groups demanded change, she said.  It's been a long, slow slog, with backlashes from the right wing, who even today, under the guise of the Tea Party, are attacking women's right to abortion, civil rights, voting rights and gay rights.  The right to privacy and freedom from wiretaps and other government scrutiny is also under seige, she said.

The Peoria chapter displayed documents from its archives, including some from an FBI file on the group from the late 1960s. "We all have FBI files," Connell said, adding the Illinois group has boxes of documents from the FBI, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.

Connell said that in previous years, the ACLU could count on the courts to protect the civil rights and liberties in the Constitution.  But not now. The courts have been packed with right wing judges, she said.

That means advocacy groups must engage in grass roots efforts to sway legislators, she said.

In Illinois the death penalty has been abolished and the Civil Unions Act enacted, but efforts are under way to repeal both, she said, along with attacks on reproductive freedom.

She mentioned anti-choice legislation sent this spring to the House Agriculture Committee for review, on the theory they knew little about it.  The ACLU fought back, created tshirts saying "women are not livestock," embarassing legislators.  The bill was dropped, she said.

She urged the audience to work with the ACLU to shape favorable legislation so that the promise of the US Constitution is fulfilled.

An audio recording of her speech isposted here. It's worth listening to.

ACLU 5-12-11

 -- Elaine Hopkins (Full disclosure: I am secretary of the Peoria ACLU chapter.)

Peoria District 150 disciplines teacher for Facebook postings

PEORIA -- A tenured teacher in Peoria School District 150 has been disciplined for postings on her Facebook page even though the school district has no policy on social media. 

School activist Terry Knapp spoke out during the public comment section at the District 150 School Board meeting on May 9 about the situation. He also accused school officials of bullying the teacher into signing the report without telling her she could file a rebuttal.

Have district officials looked at everyone's Facebook page? he asked.

Knapp, a former teachers union president, was clearly outraged about what has happened to the teacher, who has always had good evaluations and never been in any trouble. She had a "perfect" annual evaluation on April 28, he said, then a week later was threatened with a bad letter that could lead to her being "fired," even though District 150 has no social media policy.

"This is free speech away from the workplace," Knapp said of the teacher's Facebook postings. 

He then counted the pending lawsuits against District 150, adding she met with a lawyer today, and this likely will be the 6th lawsuit.

"We had administrators do worse things," he said.  One had an adultrous affair and "everybody knew about it," and he -- a man (!) -- was promoted anyway, Knapp said.

"What are we doing isolating and humiliating a teacher?" he asked.  He suggested that the district's personnel director be placed on remediation for the situation.

The teacher met with the District 150 Watch Group on Sunday and described some of the postings that were cited. They included comments that she was out having drinks with family members, and brief satiric remarks about other schools in the district.

She said an anonymous complaint to school officials drew their attention to the page, likely from the estranged spouse of someone she has dated.

During her public comments, activist Sharon Crews cited horrendous statistics on suspensions and expulsions for fighting and other agressive behavior.  Her complete comments will be posted below.

Crews has done extensive research using the Freedom of Information Act to find these statistics, but lately she and others have found requests are not being fulfilled in a timely manner.  She will furnish the complete statistical analysis to anyone who requests it.

I also spoke to the board about FOIA issues.  Here are my comments:

"On March 30, 2011 I filed the first of two Freedom of Information Act requests.  I filed the second one on  April 11, 2011. 

To date, neither one has been fulfilled.  The FOIA officer says she is snowed under with work and therefore has not been able to complete them.

I have heard similar stories from others filing FOIA requests.

Obviously the FOIA officer needs more resources to fulfill her job – another person, assigned to help full or part time.

The School Board is not complying with the letter or the spirit of Illinois law when it does not provide the resources to fill these requests promptly, as the law requires.

These are not frivolous requests – they concern information of interest to me as a District 150 taxpayer and journalist-blogger.  They should be fulfilled promptly as the law requires.

Please provide this office with more resources immediately!"

Teachers union officer Brian Devine complained that no job postings have occurred yet, and no interviews have been scheduled for teachers who will be transferred to other schools as part of the school closings and shake-ups in the district.

In her response to the public comments, Supt. Grenita Lathan said only that job postings will be made as soon as high school registration is complete, and that "May is busy" requiring many extra events. "Last week was teacher appreciation week," she said, an ironic end to her remarks given the Facebook situation.  She didn't mention that, the many suspensions and expulsions or the Freedom of Information Act delays. 

An audio recording of the public comments is posted here.

D150 5-9-11

It begins with activist Sevino Sierra arguing with board president Debbie Wolfmeyer over always being picked to speak first.

  -- Elaine Hopkins

 Sharon Crews's comments to the board:

Suspensions and expulsions are voted on at every board meeting but the details are not reported.  The information that I just received through a FOIA should be reported in board meeting minutes.  This data did not violate the privacy of any student.  Parents, taxpayers, and district employees have a right to this information.  We all want to know about the good stuff, but we, also, want to know about the bad stuff that keeps more good stuff from happening.

Over the last 25 years, discipline problems have increased tenfold and a steady stream of people have left District 150.  I am amazed that so few in District 150’s leadership have acknowledged the very possible correlation between these two phenomena.  

Suspensions and expulsions do nothing to change student behavior.   However, the future for young people is negatively impacted when there are no meaningful consequences for their unacceptable behaviors.  Both the behaviors leading to suspensions and the days students are absent to serve suspensions are disruptive to the learning process for all students, not just those who are suspended.  Teachers cannot teach and students cannot learn with so much chaos in their schools.   I fear that the recent recommendations do not include plans for an effective Alternative School.  No progress will be made until this problem is resolved.

From September to March 21, 4,736 District 150 students were suspended and 77 were expelled.   Hopefully, many of these were repeat offenders. Tonight I am reporting on the suspensions for only the 1,768 suspensions for aggressive behaviors that encompass fighting, threats, bullying, reckless conduct, and battery to school personnel.  About1400 suspensions were for fighting and/or physical conduct where injury may occur.   For these categories there were 39 expulsions. 

Manual had 276 suspensions in these categories but only 7 expulsions.  Peoria High, with the much larger population, had 255 suspensions but 22 expulsions.  Richwoods had 95 suspensions and 3 expulsions.

Forty-nine students were suspended for physical battery to school personnel and 9 were expelled.  Workman’s Comp payments totaling $27,403 have been paid out for 44 District 150 employees for injuries sustained during these incidents.  The constant rumors of fights turned out to be fact.  There were only 7 out of 121 days with no suspensions in the district for fighting.   For the following numbers, I am using only the figures in the Physical Activity Fighting category.   There were 94 suspensions for fighting at Glen Oak Primary compared to only 81 at Peoria High.  Lincoln had 82 suspensions.  Both Roosevelt and Trewyn had 67 for the PAF category.  For the other schools, Manual had 110 suspensions, Richwoods 63, Franklin 33, Irving 9, Thomas Jefferson 20, Mark Bills 15, Calvin Coolidge 32, Columbia 22,  Lindbergh 16,  Rolling Acres 43, Sterling 39, Von Steuben 20, Valeska 1, Day Treatment 9, and 42 at the 3 alternative sites and Adult Ed.   Many suspensions were for 2, 3, or 4 students on a given day.  However, there were 13 days when from 5 to 8 students were suspended for fighting at a particular school.  There were two days of these multiple suspensions at Manual, two at Peoria High, two at Glen Oak, and one each at Roosevelt, Trewyn, and Columbia.

In addition, there were 515 suspensions for the Physical Activity Aggression category, which involves physical contact where injury may occur—that sounds like fighting to me.

I believe I can safely argue that the instances of aggressive behaviors are under reported.  The number of referrals for these behaviors is undoubtedly much higher than are the number of suspensions.  Later I will provide data for the disruptive and the illegal activity categories for suspensions.  Dr. Lathan herself has called the district dysfunctional.  What will be done to stop the real causes of the dysfunction?  Shuffling principals is not the solution.

     If anyone wants a copy of the data I have compiled, please call me, Sharon Crews, at 676-8109,  and I will e-mail it to you.  The data includes the dates and length of all suspensions and expulsions and the reason for each suspension and expulsion. -30-

 

 

 

 

Public TV channels in jeopardy

CAP Act introduced in support of Public channels - From a news release:

Washington, DC) - In a showing of bi-partisan support for the community, Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Congressman Steve LaTourette (R-OH) yesterday introduced the Community Access Preservation (CAP) Act of 2011 (H.R. 1746). The bill seeks to stem the severe challenges faced by public, educational, and government access (PEG) TV channels and to protect those channels for future generations.   "Local access channels bring unique voices, perspectives, and programming to television," said Congresswoman Baldwin. "The nature of television programming is changing, as are the methods in which that programming is delivered. These changes should not come at the expense of the diversity and vibrancy of local voices," Baldwin said.   "These stations don't receive federal funding. All this bill does is allow and empower local communities to keep their public access channels if they choose to do so," said Congressman Steve LaTourette.   Historically, the number of channels and funding dedicated to PEG TV was negotiated as part of local cable franchise agreements between the cable company and the local community and each community determined its own investment in programming. However, recent state-level franchise laws in twenty states have jeopardized this balance and communities and consumers in six states, including Wisconsin and Ohio, will lose all funding for PEG channels by 2012.   A nationwide study conducted for the Benton Foundation by the Alliance for Communications Democracy shows that PEG access centers in at least 100 communities across the U.S. have closed since 2005 and, without passage of the CAP Act, as many as another 400 public access channels will shut down.   For a summary of the bill, go here. Bookmark www.alliancecm.org for updates on the bill's progress and how you can help.