In This Issue:
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STATEMENT FROM SUPERINTENDENT RAMON C. CORTINES / DECLARACIÓN DEL SUPERINTENDENTE RAMÓN C. CORTINES |
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HANDLING OF L.A. SCHOOLS SHUTDOWN OFFERS A CIVICS LESSON |
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PORTER RANCH GAS LEAK: The Los Angeles Unified School Emergency |
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Ancient History/Breaking News: IN AT LEAST ONE HUGE DEAL IN L.A., TRUMP GOT SCHOOLED |
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HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but
not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources |
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EVENTS: Coming up next week... |
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What can YOU do? |
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Featured Links:
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By the time you read this The Big News About LAUSD
may very be that a new superintendent has been selected by the Board of
Education.
As I write and send this out TBNALAUSD is the District Shutdown on
Tuesday and the Porter Ranch Relocation. Those stories – building upon a
theme of LAUSD Practicing An Abundance of Caution – have pushed The
Great Superintendent Search out of the headlines.
…but I’ve gotta say that the trend is trending the other way:
Sample phone call:
CALLER: “Whataya know?”
ME: “Nothin’. You heard anything?”
CALLER: “Only that they are down to two candidates, X and Y.” [Here I
must point out that the two candidates named are never the same from
call-to-call …just XYZ selections from the usual suspects.]
ME: “¿Y? Really? I heard there’s a problem with Y’s degree/record/history/leadership skills.”
CALLER: “I’ve heard that too. But anyone’s better than Deasy.”
ME: “Deasy’s exit contract says he can never work for the District again.”
CALLER: “Call me if you hear anything.”
ME (making a note to add Caller to the list): “You’ll be the first one I call!”
As I write the Board of Ed is sequestered in an undisclosed location (The Board Agenda http://bit.ly/1J0HWiM
doesn’t even say where the meeting is – I’m not sure how Ralph M.
Brown would feel about that!) having secret confabs about The Next
Superintendent
We hang on every tweet - Saturday at a Glance:
●LAUSD @LASchools 8:37 AM - 19 Dec 2015
The Special Board Meeting, scheduled to start at 8:30, has not begun.
●LAUSD @LASchools 8:45 AM - 19 Dec 2015
The meeting has been called to order.
●LAUSD @LASchools 8:47 AM - 19 Dec 2015
Board Member Dr. @richardvladovic is ill, and not at the meeting.
●LAUSD @LASchools 8:47 AM - 19 Dec 2015
One public speaker wishes to address the Board.
●LAUSD @LASchools 8:49 AM - 19 Dec 2015
Board Member Dr. @richardvladovic will participate in closed session via
conference call. The Board has recessed into closed session.
…thirteen hours later:
●LAUSD @LASchools 9:32 PM - 19 Dec 2015 ·
Board of education in recess. Nothing to report.
…as of this writing at the crack-of-early Sunday no future meetings are
scheduled for Sunday or next week. The next Regular Board Meeting is
January 12, 2016 at 1:00 p.m.
Maybe they should decompress and all go to a screening of Star Wars?…
Maybe the Board of Ed is being exceedingly abundantly cautious in their decision making?…
Maybe I detect a Wisp of White Smoke?…
…and Get Well Soon Dr. V!
TUESDAY SAW THE RETURN OF RAMON CORTINES v. 3.1 …and points out how
important the leadership of a
superintendent-who-knows-what-he’s-doing-and has-the
trust,-faith-and-support-of-the-organization-is.
Some doubt that there is actual tangible difference between Management
and Leadership; if there is it is in the perception of the led.
I’m pretty sure Ray was looking forward to using his earned vacation
time at his leisure, stay-cating at home. Instead he was called
Back-to-Beaudry and led LAUSD in one-last-crisis (or perhaps:
not-a-crisis …it matters not) – and he led us well in his yellow Cape
Cod ball cap!
Our District turns its lonely eyes to you.
I can understand the decision made by Chief Bratton and Mayor De Blasio
in NYC to ignore the e-mailed threats. I can neither understand nor
ignore Bratton’s criticism of Cortines’ decision – other than to
attribute it to NYC arrogance …misplaced in a Bostonian.
THURSDAY SAW THE DECISION TO TEMPORARILY RELOCATE THE PORTER RANCH
SCHOOLS AWAY FROM THE SEMPRA/SO. CAL. GAS CO. ALISO CANYON METHANE LEAK.
If you watch the replay of the Board Meeting [http://bit.ly/1NwvENV
| It’s not that long] you can see the Board and District Staff weigh
the health threats and danger of future health threats against the
current disruption – and reach what probably is the only right decision;
a decision sure to be unpopular with a number of someones somewhere.
Yes, the Gas Company will have to pay for much of (if not all of) the
cost – but the disruption and ill will and inconvenience and sheer
unpopularity will never be compensated ...and right now some of that
accrues to the District. Which is sort of like blaming the Gulf of
Mexico for the BP/Deepwater Horizon Disaster.
►Breaking: L.A. Times Editorial: CLOSE SoCalGas' FACILITY IN ALISO CANYON – EVENTUALLY | http://lat.ms/1mekmog
“…and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge.
“May that be truly said of us, and all of us!
“And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!”
¡Onward/Adelante! - smf
STATEMENT FROM SUPERINTENDENT RAMON C. CORTINES /
DECLARACIÓN DEL SUPERINTENDENTE RAMÓN C. CORTINES
Cortines: "ALL L.A. UNIFIED SCHOOLS AND CHARTERS HAVE
BEEN INSPECTED AND CHIEF STEVEN ZIPPERMAN HAS GIVEN THE ALL-CLEAR."
From LAUSD | http://bit.ly/1IUJgDN
15 Dec 2015 :: Today has been a difficult day, with L.A. Unified
schools closed for the first time in decades. Thanks to the
extraordinary effort by Los Angeles Unified School Police and
law-enforcement partners, all L.A. Unified schools and charters have
been inspected and Chief Steven Zipperman has given the all-clear.
Classes and after-school activities will resume on Wednesday. The
District will have crisis counselors available for students and
employees who may need additional support.
I decided to close schools, and this choice was not made lightly. It
disrupted the lives of our students, our employees and their families.
Based on recent events, I took this precaution out of an abundance of
caution and to ensure safety and security in our schools.
We now must get back to the business of educating our kids. Our local
districts will be supporting school and maintaining consistency. I have
asked state Schools Superintendent Tom Torlakson to allow us to count
today as an instructional day and reimburse the District for funds we
will otherwise lose.
I want to thank our L.A. Unified families for your support and your
sacrifice as we worked through a very difficult day. I am also very
grateful to my colleagues on the Board of Education and to our
principals, plant managers and police officers who played a pivotal role
in securing our schools.
In addition, I want to express my appreciation to Superintendent
Torlakson and to Mayor Eric Garcetti, the Los Angeles City Council, and
to Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck for their unwavering support.
We also owe our thanks to the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives and to a host of law-enforcement agencies that
came to our aid. They are: the Los Angeles Police Department; Los
Angeles County Sheriff's Department; California Highway Patrol; the
Departments of Police Services at the University of California and Cal
State-Northridge; and the police departments from Long Beach, San
Fernando, Bell, Gardena, Hawthorne, Huntington Park, Inglewood and South
Gate.
Finally, this event underscores the need for everyone to remain diligent
and serves as a reminder -- if you see something, say something.
___________________________
Declaración del Superintendente Ramón C. Cortines
Hoy ha sido un día difícil por el cierre de las escuelas del Distrito
Escolar Unificado de L.A. por primera vez en décadas. Gracias al
esfuerzo extraordinario de la Policía Escolar de Los Ángeles y de
nuestros colaboradores de las fuerzas del orden público, ya se han
inspeccionado todas las escuelas del Distrito Escolar Unificado de Los
Ángeles, y también todas las escuelas autónomas Charter autorizadas por
el distrito, y el Jefe Steven Zipperman nos ha dado luz verde. Se
reanudarán las clases y las actividades extraescolares el miércoles. El
Distrito tendrá disponibles a los consejeros de crisis para los
estudiantes y los empleados que puedan necesitar apoyo adicional.
Tomé la decisión de cerrar las escuelas el martes, y esta no fue una
decisión hecha a la ligera. Creó interrupciones en la vida de nuestros
estudiantes, nuestros empleados y sus familias. Basándome en los
acontecimientos recientes, tomé esta decisión colmada de precaución y en
un esfuerzo para garantizar la protección y la seguridad de nuestras
escuelas.
Ahora debemos volver a la labor de la educación de nuestros niños.
Nuestros distritos locales apoyarán a las escuelas y mantendrán la
solidez. He pedido al Superintendente de Educación del Estado, Tom
Torlakson, que nos permita contar el día de hoy como día de instrucción y
que reembolse al Distrito por los ingresos que, de lo contrario,
perderíamos.
Quiero agradecer a nuestras familias del Distrito Escolar Unificado de
Los Ángeles por su apoyo, y por su sacrificio mientras trabajábamos en
conjunto en este día tan difícil. También, estoy muy agradecido con mis
colegas en la Junta de Educación y nuestros directores, gerentes de
planta y agentes de la policía que desempeñaron un papel fundamental
para la seguridad de nuestras escuelas.
Asimismo, quisiera expresar mi agradecimiento al Superintendente
Torlakson y al alcalde Eric Garcetti, al Consejo Citadino de Los
Angeles, y al Jefe de la Policía Charlie Beck por su inquebrantable
apoyo. También extendemos nuestro agradecimiento al FBI, a la Oficina de
Bebidas Alcohólicas, Tabaco y Armas de Fuego, y a una gran cantidad de
agencias de las fuerzas de seguridad que vinieron en nuestra ayuda: el
Departamento de Policía de Los Ángeles, el Departamento del Sheriff del
Condado de Los Ángeles; la Patrulla de Carreteras de California; los
Departamentos de Servicios Policiales de la Universidad de California y
de Cal-State -Northridge; y los departamentos de policía de Long Beach,
San Fernando, Bell, Gardena, Hawthorne, Huntington Park, Inglewood y
Southgate.
Por último, este caso pone de relieve la necesidad de que todos estemos
al pendiente y nos sirve como recordatorio - si ves algo, repórtalo.
HANDLING OF L.A. SCHOOLS SHUTDOWN OFFERS A CIVICS LESSON
by Peter Jamison and Howard Blume | LA Times | http://lat.ms/1OyoFle
Dec 17, 2015 :: On Tuesday morning, as the nation's second-largest
school district was shutting down in response to a suspected terrorist
threat, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti took the microphone at a news
conference led by L.A. Unified School District Supt. Ramon Cortines.
With his first words, the mayor established the posture he would adopt
toward the crisis throughout the day. "The decision to close the schools
is not mine to make, but is mine to support," Garcetti said.
That seemingly innocuous statement underscored the jurisdictional
divisions that marked L.A. government's response to the threat. In L.A.,
unlike New York and Chicago, the mayor does not control the schools.
Cortines ultimately made the choice to close the district.
A day after that decision, which has drawn some criticism because the
threat turned out to be a hoax, key players acknowledged that their
effort could have been better coordinated.
Cortines, who was awakened with news of the threat seven hours after it
was received, said in an interview that he should have been called
earlier. Garcetti said one lesson of Tuesday's school shutdown was that
officials of different agencies should try to coordinate more closely
during future city emergencies.
"I think it is better to be brought in as collaboratively and as quickly as possible," he said.
Politicians and law enforcement experts continue to debate the wisdom of
closing schools to L.A.'s 640,000 students, a dispute intensified by
New York City officials' decision to write off a similar threat. For
their part, many L.A. parents say they do not fault the district for
excess caution with students' lives.
Meanwhile, some critics say the false alarm has laid bare potential
shortcomings in officials' capacity to handle future crises, both in the
nuts and bolts of coordination among government agencies and in the
less quantifiable ability to reassure the public.
Garcetti's repeated efforts throughout the day to emphasize his lack of
ownership of the decision gave the impression that he and the police
department he oversees were not fully committed to the school district's
course of action, said Joe Domanick, associate director of the Center
on Media, Crime and Justice at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
"They were just moving away from the decision. That's what it looked like," Domanick said.
Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC, said the episode presented Garcetti with a dilemma.
Schnur said he understood concerns about the lack of a unified front
among city and school officials at a time of crisis. But had the mayor
chosen to take a more assertive role, Schnur said, he might have been
vulnerable to accusations that he was playing politics with the safety
of schoolchildren by trying to influence Cortines' deliberations.
"If he takes the lead, it makes it look like he's politicizing the
decision," Schnur said. "There is absolutely no way he can win on this."
Asked why he had explicitly stated several times on Tuesday that he did
not make the call to close the district, Garcetti said he wanted to
"simply sort out confusion." With the "national coverage" of the event
by media organizations, he said, many people might not be aware that as
mayor he is not in charge of the schools.
Garcetti said the Los Angeles Police Department had advised the school
district prior to Cortines' decision, but declined to say what the
advice was. He declined to say whether he agreed with the school
closure.
"We were here to support it, period. That's their decision to make," Garcetti said.
Some also question the mechanics of how the city and school district
responded to the threat, especially the amount of time it took to notify
Garcetti and Beck, and the lack of coordination among various parts of
government affected by the shutdown.
Brian Michael Jenkins, a counterterrorism expert at the Rand Corp., said
that the mayor and police chief ideally should have been consulted on
the possibility of closing city schools as soon as district officials
began to consider it seriously.
"You're not going to wake people in the middle of the night for every
stupid phone call or threat," Jenkins said. However, "If this is
sufficient that closing down the district is even an option … they
should be brought in immediately at that point."
He added, "The consequences of the decision go way beyond the schools themselves."
Much remains unknown about what took place between about 10 p.m. Monday,
when school board President Steve Zimmer first saw a vaguely worded
email threatening an attack on L.A. schools with explosives and gunmen,
and Cortines' decision shortly after 5 a.m. the next day to close the
schools. In an interview Wednesday, Garcetti said that Beck woke him up
with a text message and then a phone call alerting him to the situation
about 4:40 a.m. Tuesday.
The mayor said he did not speak to Cortines before the superintendent
made the decision to close the schools. Garcetti said he spoke to Zimmer
"maybe a half-dozen times in the morning, offering feedback and
advice," but said that "it was clear that they had made the decision to
close the schools."
Zimmer said Wednesday that after receiving the email he immediately
alerted L.A. school police Chief Steven K. Zipperman, who told the LAPD
and FBI about the threat. Over the next several hours, Zimmer said, he
consulted with Zipperman and Chief Deputy Supt. Michelle King. They only
contacted Cortines after they became convinced that law enforcement
could not decisively rule out the attack threatened in the email.
In an interview Wednesday, Cortines defended the decision to close the schools, which he had minutes to make.
"We saw in the Boston Marathon what pressure-cooker bombs could do. All
of that came into my decision," he said. "I go back to 9/11. People knew
something. Maybe they didn't know enough. But they knew something and
they didn't act. And I was not going to let something happen on my
watch."
Cortines said he received no recommendation from the LAPD.
"Time was against me. The starting of the buses was against me," he
said. "I knew I had to do something quickly if I was going to do
something. My priority yesterday was our children, our staff and our
property."
PORTER RANCH GAS LEAK: The Los Angeles Unified School Emergency
By City News Service from KABC | http://bit.ly/1IglAtG
Posted on December 17, 2015 :: LOS ANGELES (CNS) – The Los Angeles
Unified School District board unanimously declared an emergency today at
two Porter Ranch schools affected by a natural-gas leak and authorized
that the nearly 1,900 students be moved to other locations. The board
also authorized its attorneys to pursue litigation against Southern
California Gas Co. to recover any costs incurred as a result of the
leak.
The vote came despite objections from some parents who said only a small
percentage of students at the schools have reported any problems from
the gas and complained that the relocation of students will disrupt
their schedules while forcing them to wake up earlier and miss out on
after-school programs. According to an LAUSD staff report, Porter Ranch
Community School is located about two miles from the Aliso Canyon
storage facility that has been leaking natural gas since late October.
Castlebay Lane Charter school is about one mile from the site.
“These two schools have been significantly disrupted by the gas
leak,” according to the report. “Absenteeism and visits to the health
offices at each of these schools has significantly increased.
Furthermore, since the leak was first reported, families are opting out
of attending school and are instead choosing independent study for their
children, while others have transferred to a different school.
Additional requests for independent study programs and school transfers
continue.” Despite the concerns of some parents, school board members
said they did not want to risk the health of students. “I believe that
we should never gamble without sufficient knowledge that absolutely
convinces me 100 percent this (leak) won’t hurt kids, and I’m not
convinced,” board member Richard Vladovic said. “… If it were my child, I
would want to move.”
Michelle King, the district’s chief deputy superintendent, stressed that
the move will be temporary, taking effect after the winter break and
likely continuing until June. According to the district, students from
Castlebay will be moved to Sunny Brae Avenue Elementary school in
Winnetka. Porter Ranch Community School students will be moved to
Northridge Middle School. The students will be housed in portable
classrooms and other available space at each campus. Gas Co. executives
have said a relief well they are having drilled will allow them to cap
the leak, but that process is expected to take weeks. School district
officials said the process could take three to four more months,
necessitating action at the two schools. Porter Ranch Community Schools
has about 1,100 students in kindergarten through eighth grade, while
Castlebay has 770 students from kindergarten through fifth grade.
School board member Scott Schmerelson and Northwest Superintendent
Vivian Ekchian said earlier that the district has already installed air
filters in classrooms at the schools, assigned additional nurses to the
campuses and began daily air-quality monitoring. In a joint statement,
they said the problem “has become a distraction to the teaching and
learning taking place at our schools.” The Los Angeles County Board of
Supervisors declared a local emergency on Tuesday in response to the gas
leak, in hopes of expediting state and local assistance to help with
air monitoring and efforts to cap the leaking well.
No evacuation orders have been issued for the area, but nearly 1,700
Porter Ranch-area families have been relocated and another 1,000 have
applied to be moved, at the cost of the Gas Co. The Gas Co. opened a
Community Resource Center in the Porter Ranch Town Center Wednesday to
offer a variety of assistance to residents, including relocation help.
It also has created a website, www.AlisoUpdates.com, to provide updates
on the relief well progress, air quality monitoring, community resources
and other relevant information.
Ancient History/Breaking News: IN AT LEAST ONE HUGE DEAL IN L.A., TRUMP GOT SCHOOLED
THE AMBASSADOR HOTEL SITE, MORE THAN 23 ACRES NEAR
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES, WAS BOUGHT BY TRUMP WILSHIRE ASSOCIATES IN 1989.
NOW IT'S AN LAUSD CAMPUS.
By Doug Smith | LA Times| http://lat.ms/1TXRYBQ
Dec 20, 2015 :: On one side was the alpha male of New York developers
who burst into town with pockets full of money, a legion of lobbyists
and lawyers and an audacious plan to build the nation's tallest
building.
Opposing was a tag team Donald Trump would have little reason to fear:
Jackie Goldberg and Jeff Horton, two rumpled progressives on the Los
Angeles Board of Education.
Long before his run for president and his reality TV career as the
ruthless boss, Trump fought an ugly decade-long battle over a Los
Angeles landmark.
It's not an exploit he's bragging about on the campaign trail
The prize was the Ambassador Hotel. A legendary Hollywood celebrity
hangout and the site of the 1968 assassination of Sen. Robert F.
Kennedy, it had endured a long downward spiral before closing in 1989.
The 23.5-acre property, much of it open space, became a rare object of desire in a densely built part of the city.
The Board of Education already had its eye on the property for a badly
needed high school when a Trump syndicate swooped it up for $64 million
in 1989 and announced plans to erect a 125-story office tower.
The school board countered with a 7-0 vote to take the property from Trump via eminent domain.
Usually that would start a process in which the parties and their appraisers, or a court, would settle on a price.
But not when one of the parties was Trump.
His team launched a fierce lobbying campaign to block a $50-million state allocation to help the district buy the property.
Goldberg, then the president of the school board, took on the notoriously tough negotiator.
"They simply have enough money to buy enough lobbyists to go absolutely
everywhere and talk to as many people as need to be talked to until they
get what they want," she said.
The district mounted its own lobbying effort and got the state allocation restored.
Talks on a possible sale price ensued but then broke down.
Roused by Goldberg, protesters outside the Ambassador chanted "Dump
Trump" and carried signs saying, "Public need over private greed."
Barbara Res, executive vice president for Trump Wilshire Associates,
accused the board of "fiscal irresponsibility" for choosing to build a
school on "some of the world's most expensive property."
The $73 million that the district was offering for 17 acres of the site
was far below the developer's estimate of its value — up to $200
million, she said.
The district, Res said, "will be embroiled for years in litigation it cannot win."
Then Trump blinked.
In January 1991, he and his partners decided to take the nearly
$48-million deposit the school board offered as part of its eminent
domain condemnation suit.
In doing so, Trump Wilshire Associates, in effect, conceded the district's right to take the property.
Attorney Rita J. Miller denied the widespread perception that the
syndicate needed the money to deal with mounting financial problems.
Miller said it was the district that had money trouble.
"Trump Wilshire Associates is confident the decision will be in the
neighborhood of $200 million," Miller said of the court case. "It would
be totally irresponsible for the Los Angeles Unified School District to
pay that amount for a school site."
Two and a half years later, Goldberg had moved on to the Los Angeles
City Council. Her former aide and successor, Horton, ratcheted up the
pressure.
As the eminent domain suit was set to go to trial, the school board
abruptly dropped its bid to buy the land. The recession had driven the
property's value down to $50 million, and Horton saw no reason to pay
the previously estimated value of $74 million.
The Trump team's arguments continued but began to sound overblown.
"We told them from the start they were going to wind up years down the
road with no school for those kids, and that's exactly how it's working
out," Res said. "You tell me: Who's the winner here?"
Res accused the district of duplicity, saying it reneged on a promise to
pay $82 million for the entire 23.5-acre site "because they said
politically it wasn't a good idea."
Horton discounted that, saying the offer was only "a potential deal that
we didn't accept, because we couldn't figure out a way to pay for it."
Early in 1994 a judge sided with the district.
"The district has treated us terribly and has been extremely cavalier
about this," Res said. She said Trump's next step would be to sue the
district for damages because it unfairly tied up the Wilshire corridor
property. "We are going to end up with the lion's share of the $48
million."
But in December 1997, another judge ordered Trump to repay the $48 million deposit.
Although the Ambassador was once again its property to develop, the
Trump partnership maintained that such an undertaking would no longer be
financially feasible. Soon Trump, whose share was reported to be 20%,
left the partnership with no signature building and little, if any,
cash.
By then, Trump's successor in the venture, Wilshire Center Marketplace,
couldn't return the deposit, having used the money to pay off debt.
The district sued to recover its deposit. The firm fought, claiming compensation for delays that had made the project untenable.
Again the court ruled in the district's favor. At one point, the board
ordered a sheriff's sale, a move the owner forestalled by declaring
bankruptcy.
The end of the story comes four years later when the district was flush with construction money.
The school board again voted to buy the Wilshire Boulevard property for a negotiated price of $76.5 million.
Today Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools, a kindergarten-through-12th-grade campus of standout architecture, is there.
But if Trump lost, the district didn't entirely win. It would take nine
more years before RFK opened, too late for more than a generation of
students.
HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T
FIT: The Rest (but not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other
Sources
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION'S GLOBAL GAP
http://bit.ly/1mekEeM
LAUSD/NYC SCHOOLS THREATS INVESTIGATION CENTERS ON 21-YEAR-OLD MAINE MAN IN ROMANIA
http://bit.ly/22eXQN6
AGENDA+MEETING MATERIALS FOR TODAY'S 1:30 PM EMERGENCY LAUSD BOARD OF ED MEETING RE PORTER RANCH GAS LEAK http://bit.ly/1k5fald
LAUSD WORKS TO CLOSE TWO PORTER RANCH SCHOOLS OVER GAS LEAK
http://bit.ly/1k4KpNl
HANDLING OF L.A. SCHOOLS SHUTDOWN OFFERS A CIVICS LESSON
http://bit.ly/1QPb4L0
THE TEXT OF THE THREAT THAT LED LOS ANGELES TO CLOSE ITS SCHOOLS
http://bit.ly/1mpGiNF
L.A. SCHOOL DISTRICT COULD CLOSE TWO SCHOOLS BECAUSE OF PORTER RANCH GAS LEAK + smf’s 2¢
http://bit.ly/1ZcD5yY
Statement from Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines / Declaración del Superintendente Ramón C. Cortines
http://bit.ly/1IUJgDN
New York Times: LOS ANGELES AND NEW YORK DIFFER IN THEIR RESPONSES TO A TERRORISM THREAT
http://bit.ly/1m7QKcn
THE THREAT + THE SHUTDOWN: L.A. School Report's coverage
http://bit.ly/1T1WQ8K
KPCC: LAUSD SCHOOLS TO REOPEN AFTER THREAT PROMPTED CLOSURES
http://bit.ly/1UA1BHQ
Tale of Two Cities: AFTER CLOSING ALL SCHOOLS, LAUSD FINDS THREAT NOT CREDIBLE - LA Daily News/Multiple articles
http://bit.ly/1TQcfsS
L.A. DEFENDS RESPONSE TO THREAT THAT NEW YORK DISMISSED AS A HOAX
http://bit.ly/1O8zsbI
L.A. SCHOOLS TO REOPEN WEDNESDAY; THREAT AGAINST SCHOOLS WAS 'NOT CREDIBLE,' OFFICIALS SAY
http://bit.ly/1Owh2f6
0 retweets 0 likes
Scott Folsom Retweeted
LAUSD @LASchools Dec 15
LAUSD schools will be open and operating under normal school operations on Wed. Dec. 16,
http://home.lausd.net/apps/news/article/525380 …
"It's the kind of thing that people talk about happening ...but never actually does. Except today it did."
http://bit.ly/1QKPreM
LAUSD officials have yet to announce whether they would reopen their
campuses on Wednesday. They plan a 5:30 PM news briefing at LAUSD HQ
#LAUSD Closure: watch this morning's full news conf.
https://youtu.be/Gk9D6Z17n2o
Updates updated :: LAUSD THREAT LIVE UPDATES: Email author claims to be 'extremist Muslim' - LA Times
http://lat.ms/1RQb66l
Teen killed crossing street after L.A. schools closed over threat was - LA Times
http://lat.ms/1I753s0
LA TIMES: All Los Angeles Unified schools closed by 'credible threat' of violence - LA Times
http://lat.ms/1k0IKIP
DISTRICTS MUST ENSURE EQUITY IN RULES FOR ACCELERATING STUDENTS IN MATH
http://bit.ly/1lMMkYL
Press conference now moved to 10 am.
LAUSD @LASchools Dec 15: Parents/Guardians please bring proper ID when picking up your child at school. They will be required.
Students that have arrived at school will be with staff until parents or guardians can be contacted.
LAUSD schools are closed today due to credible threat. Updates will be provided via http://lausd.net & 213-241-2064.
BREAKING: All LA schools shut over 'threat' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-35102954 …
¡Happy Last Night of Chanukah everyone! …or Hanukkah if you choose!
LAUSD Adult Misbehavior Updates [Updated]: DISCLOSURES CAST NEW LIGHT ON DISTRICT'S PROBE OF TEACHER RAFE ESQUITH
http://bit.ly/1NqQCLV
CDC GRADES AMERICAN SCHOOLS ON HOW WELL THEY TEACH SEX EDUCATION
http://bit.ly/1YdgaBg
HIGH SCHOOL CAREER CLASSES CONNECT LEARNING, LIVING FOR TEENS
http://bit.ly/1J3FLFT
Public Policy Institute of CA: GOOD TIMING ON NEW FEDERAL EDUCATION LAW
http://bit.ly/1NioDQJ
EVENTS: Coming up next week...
▲WINTER BREAK: Don't break anything!
*Dates and times subject to change. ________________________________________
• SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE:
http://www.laschools.org/bond/
Phone: 213-241-5183
____________________________________________________
• LAUSD FACILITIES COMMUNITY OUTREACH CALENDAR:
http://www.laschools.org/happenings/
Phone: 213-241.8700
What can YOU do?
• E-mail, call or write your school board member:
Scott.Schmerelson@lausd.net • 213-241-8333
Monica.Garcia@lausd.net • 213-241-6180
Ref.Rodriguez@lausd.net • 213-241-5555
George.McKenna@lausd.net • 213-241-6382
Monica.Ratliff@lausd.net • 213-241-6388
Richard.Vladovic@lausd.net • 213-241-6385
Steve.Zimmer@lausd.net • 213-241-6387
...or your city councilperson, mayor, county supervisor, state
legislator, the governor, member of congress, senator - or the
president. Tell them what you really think! • Find your state
legislator based on your home address. Just go to: http://bit.ly/dqFdq2 • There are 26 mayors and five county supervisors representing jurisdictions within LAUSD, the mayor of LA can be reached at mayor@lacity.org • 213.978.0600
• Call or e-mail Governor Brown: 213-897-0322 e-mail: http://www.govmail.ca.gov/
• Open the dialogue. Write a letter to the editor. Circulate these
thoughts. Talk to the principal and teachers at your local school.
• Speak with your friends, neighbors and coworkers. Stay on top of education issues. Don't take my word for it!
• Get involved at your neighborhood school. Join your PTA. Serve on a School Site Council. Be there for a child.
• If you are eligible to become a citizen, BECOME ONE.
• If you a a citizen, REGISTER TO VOTE at http://registertovote.ca.gov/
• If you are registered, VOTE LIKE THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT. THEY DO!
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