In This Issue:
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MIRAMONTE: a view of the mountains. |
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My View: HOW TO HELP STUDENTS COPE WITH CHANGE |
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MIRAMONTE STRUGGLES: What Can The Rest Of Us Do? |
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THE VALENTINES DAY MASSACRE v.2012 |
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HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but
not neccessariily 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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“While I understand the need to not compromise the
investigations of law enforcement in these egregious situations, I am
extremely concerned about the rights of parents and guardians to know
about alleged crimes against children at a neighborhood school operated
by adults to whom they entrust their precious children every day.” –
Boardmember Nury Martinez
THERE ARE RIGHTS PARENTS REASONABLY THINK WE HAVE – not buried in the Ed
Code or a resolution of the Board of Education or guidelines from staff
or even enumerated in the Constitution – but that come from a Higher
Authority. Rights that are among those certain unalienable Rights
endowed by our Creator:
1. Parents have the right to be immediately informed that their child may have been the victim of a crime or abuse.
2. Parents have the right to know that their child is being interviewed by law enforcement, whether as a victim or a suspect.
3. Children have the right to have their parents present in such an
interview unless the parent is a suspect of the crime or abuse.
4. Parents have the right to know that a crime has taken place at their child’s school.
5. Once an arrest has been made and/or the clear and present danger of
continued abuse removed these rights take precedence over the
confidentiality of the investigation.
There may be reasonable exceptions to these rights, that’s what court orders are for.
¡Onward/Adelante! - smf
MIRAMONTE: a view of the mountains.
By smf for 4LAKids
2/12/2012 :: There has been a lot written about “Why Miramonte?” –
from Geraldo Rivera on Fox News and others putting the race and
socioeconomic and undocumented citizen cards in play. The perpetrators
it is said – and perhaps the District/Enabler - preyed on the low
income/Hispanic/undocumented Miramonte-Florence community.
This was echoed later in the week at Telfair Elementary in Pacoima.
The bad guys got away with it because they could. “Those parents” are
compliant. And law enforcement and the school district apparently got
away with not informing anyone because they could. Or because it wasn’t
very important.
Could the strangeness perpetrated at Miramonte and Telfair been kept a
secret – and that’s what it was – a very dirty/very large
‘just-our-secret’ – in whiter, more affluent LAUSD communities?? Or in
Beverly Hills or La Cañada? At Telfair a teacher was removed from
school in April and was arrested for serial child molestation and has
been in jail since last October …and nobody knew? Not parents, not the
school board member, not other teachers? Not the LA Times or Daily News?
Law enforcement presumably questioned students and teachers …and nobody
told anyone?
It isn’t like they waited a day or two. They waited ten months.
How does anyone know to look out for in post traumatic behavior from victims if the whole thing is a secret?
The view may be of the mountains …but it certainly wasn’t from MLK’s
mountaintop – it was from “how-low-can-you go?” And “how quiet can you
keep it?”
Since when does LAPD (or the LA County Sheriffs) order school districts to not inform parents that children have been abused?
Kids who may or may not have been abused were encouraged to keep it a
secret from their parents? Isn’t that what child abuse is? At Telfair
was the intent to protect the investigation? The alleged perpetrator is
in jail!
Parent engagement and transparency just don’t get any more disengaged
and opaque. The integrity of the investigation seems to have been
leveraged by institutional self protection. By CYA.
The Daily News editorializes re: Miramonte: “At the LAUSD, it appears
Superintendent John Deasy will not err on the side of under-reaction.
Deasy's apparently unprecedented decision to replace the entire
120-person staff at Miramonte angered some educators and some parents.
But the housecleaning sent the message that the district put the highest
priority on restoring trust.”
What has exactly LAUSD done to engender trust at Miramonte, let alone restore it?
Sunday’s Times describes the previously unreported on Miramonte. A
school on the upswing; test scores rising. A new principal who brought
in Parent Ed Programs, student government, guitar club and dances – all
gone in the ‘housecleaning’.
Complicating the Miramonte story is the suicide of Miramonte teacher Rigoberto Ruelas [http://huff.to/a3gzLi] - a tragedy the school was trying to get over before this story broke - and now connected by circumstance or coincidence.
Maybe I’m making more of this than is really going on. Maybe there
wasn’t cover-up or a stonewall. Maybe it’s not a conspiracy; maybe it’s
just incompetence or cosmic insensitivity.
Maybe someone just didn’t bother to inform parents.
If that’s all it is that person (or persons) doesn’t deserve all the grief I’m unloading.
I just don’t think they deserve their job either. Or jobs.
My View: HOW TO HELP STUDENTS COPE WITH CHANGE
By Betsy Landers, Special to CNN Schools of Thought Blog | http://bit.ly/wMEGoq
- Betsy Landers is president of the National PTA.
February 9th, 2012 - 7:02 AM ET :: There is no excuse for the child
abuse that the police say happened at Miramonte Elementary School in Los
Angeles. The National PTA joins parents everywhere in shock and
outrage, especially those families directly affected.
The protection of children in all school settings is a fundamental right
and of the utmost priority for the National PTA. A safe environment is
crucial to learning, and every child in every city deserves to feel safe
in school.
Miramonte administrators have replaced the faculty and staff, a move
they believe will keep children safe. Students will return Thursday to
new teachers and the presence of social workers. While promoting a safer
environment, this move also creates a tremendous amount of change,
which can interrupt the learning process.
Students will have to adjust. As with many experiences, parents can and
should play a key role in helping the children cope with the change.
What can parents do?
REBUILD TRUST. These children might feel like they experienced a broken
trust from the previous staff, and now they are meeting people they
don’t know. Parents should visit the school with them and meet the new
teachers and staff.
MANAGE FEELINGS. There are specific things you can do to help your child
maintain a positive mood, such as exercising, eating small treats and
listening to or making music. Also, making a list of all the positive
things they can think of, even the smallest, can stimulate positive
feelings.
BE A ROLE MODEL. Show your child the ways you handle change and maintain
a positive attitude. Talk about how you feel during times of change and
about what you do to cope. If you are confident about an upcoming
change, chances are your child will be positive, too.
TALK ABOUT IT. Talk about what will happen, why it’s happening and what
to expect. Acknowledge your child’s worries and fears and respond
sympathetically. Allow children to feel angry, sad and confused. It’s a
normal reaction, and your child needs to be allowed to express these
feelings.
STAY HEALTHY. The healthier and better rested a child feels, the easier
it is to withstand everyday stress and to handle change. Make sure your
child eats well, gets plenty of exercise and gets enough sleep.
MAINTAIN ROUTINES. Knowing what to expect helps your child feel grounded
and secure, especially during times of transition. Try to keep other
changes to a minimum for a time.
BE AVAILABLE. If a child has a hard time adjusting, parents need to be
more available than usual and must try to simplify family life so that
they can focus on the child’s needs.
WRITE. Encourage your child to write in a journal about worries or changes. All children express themselves differently.
Finally, parents can take action for school and child safety everywhere
to try to prevent such things from happening. However, safety is not
just a one-time training workshop or a discussion at a school board
meeting. School safety is much like family engagement - it’s an ongoing
process of creating a real partnership between families, schools and the
local community. The National PTA stands ready to help create these
partnerships to ensure that all children have a safe place to learn and
grow.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Betsy Landers
••smf’s 2¢: Betsy’s final suggestion – to have children write – is
interesting. Apparently the second accused child abuser at Miramonte
was discovered after review of student writing.
MIRAMONTE STRUGGLES: What Can The Rest Of Us Do?
Themes in the News for the week of Feb. 6-10, 2012 by UCLA IDEA | http://bit.ly/x4BPtd
02-10-2012 :: Miramonte Elementary School has been through hell for
the last two weeks, and for many children and adults the pain will not
be forgotten. The school has suffered the unnerving realization that
students were abused, and trust in the school and in the school system
has eroded. An entirely new workforce has stepped in halfway through the
year adding to the students’ educational upheaval.
When news broke last week, we learned that a longtime teacher who had
been under investigation and out of the classroom for about a year was
arrested. He has been charged with 23 felony counts of lewd acts on
children. Shortly after, a second teacher was arrested and charged with
three counts of lewd acts.
The Los Angeles Unified School District’s response was swift and
drastic. The school was closed for two days and Superintendent John
Deasy said the entire school staff would be replaced pending an
investigation. “I can’t have any more surprises at Miramonte,” he said
(KPCC).
Deasy’s actions have been widely discussed and argued, and they have
been met with both praise and criticism from parents (Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Daily News, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, USA
Today, This Week in Education). The move is a costly one with the
district spending $5.7 million to transfer 85 teachers and 40 support
staff, and hire replacements (Los Angeles Times). Plus, there’s the cost
of potential litigation and teacher grievances.
Many who question the mass transfer have said that a trusted teacher,
rather than a new one, is best suited to help students through this
experience and return a sense of normalcy to their education. Teachers’
union president Warren Fletcher said, "We resent it when this community
and these parents have their children's education deeply disrupted for
no other purpose than to deflect criticism from an administration that
failed to do its job" (Los Angeles Times). But many teachers and others
are less inclined to lay blame on the administration—looking instead to
broad, structural challenges that Miramonte and other schools face.
Miramonte is located in Florence, an unincorporated area of Los Angeles
County with high poverty and a largely Latino population. It is one of
the few remaining year-round track schools in the district, and it
enrolls almost 1,500 students (down from a high of more than 2,100 just a
few years ago). That is almost three times the statewide elementary
school average of 555. In other words, the school is overcrowded, more
difficult to manage and supervise, and has greater unmet needs than
schools in more affluent communities. These conditions did not cause the
tragedy, but better conditions might, just might, have prevented it.
Across the state, generally, Californians can’t do much to heal the
emotional disruptions of the student victims or their families. But they
can act to give all schools adequate space, manageable size, and
sufficient, responsible supervision.
THE VALENTINES DAY MASSACRE v.2012
by smf for 4LAKidsNews
I’m guessing Lincoln's Birthday in Chicago Illinois on Feb 12, 1929 was a big day in the land of Lincoln.
Nobody knew the St. Valentines Day Massacre was coming in two days – and if they did, they weren’t telling. | http://bit.ly/ir8Z3H
Valentines Day 2012 in LAUSD is no such thing – as the school district prepares to fire staff and eliminate programs.
Of course the school board won’t vote to eliminate the programs or fire
the teachers, they’ll just vote to not fund or pay them next year.
They’ll just line up Early Childhood Ed and Adult Ed and Elementary Arts
and Music and After School Programs and Health Ed and other programs -
and 10% of the school district staff against the wall in the parking
garage.
FROM THE DAILY NEWS STORY ON ADULT ED CUTS: “For the last five years,
the cash-strapped state government has provided the district with just
part of the money it is supposed to receive and has extended IOUs for
the rest. This year, for instance, Los Angeles Unified got just $3,338
of the $6,506 it had been promised to educate each student, according to
district officials.”
There’s your smoking gun.
The Valentines Day Massacre: PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS UNDER FIRE IN LAUSD BUDGET: By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer, LA D... http://bit.ly/wr1JWC
The Valentines Day Massacre: ADULT EDUCATION ON LAUSD CHOPPING BLOCK: By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer | LA Daily ... http://bit.ly/xQLaGz
The Valentines Day Massacre: LAUSD PLANS TO ELIMINATE 100% OF ELEMENTARY ART EDUCATION (Update): Arts for LA Act... http://bit.ly/xlhEZX
The Valentines Day Massacre: ADULT ED FACES ELIMINATION BY LAUSD BUDGET CUTS: Lucas Alexander , Intersections So... http://bit.ly/wW74c5
The Valentines Day Massacre: ELIMINATING THE YOUTH SERVICES AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM: from internal LAUSD Correspond... http://bit.ly/AtNUZ1
The Valentines Day Massacre: STOP THE INSANITY RALLY - February 14, 2012: Published on United Teachers Los Angel... http://bit.ly/x7Ltmc
HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T
FIT: The Rest (but not neccessariily the best) of the Stories from Other
Sources
In These Best of Times/Worst of Times:
GRANADA HILLS CHARTER WINS LAUSD ACADEMIC DECATHLON, WEST HIGH WINS LA COUNTY ACADEMIC DECATHLON
The four highest scores in the nation are from LAUSD: Granada Hills, Marshall, El Camino Real + Franklin
Congratulations to every academic decathlete, every one a winner!
____________________________________
UPHEAVAL THREATENS TO UNDO MIRAMONTE GAINS: The school was doing better on test scores, student activities and p... http://bit.ly/xm5K0u
LAUSD REFORM OP-ED -- Miramonte scandal is opportunity to change the system for the better + LETTER: System has ... http://bit.ly/wTrtw3
LAUSD BOARD MEMBER WANTS DISCLOSURE GUIDELINES TO NOTIFY PUBLIC IN SEX-ABUSE CASES: By Barbara Jones, Staff Writ... http://bit.ly/yGZUIy
MOLLY MUNGER’S TAX PROPOSAL (“Our Children, Our Future”) MAKES HER A MAJOR PLAYER IN CALIFORNIA BALLOT WARS: By ... http://bit.ly/xzVVOy
PIONEERS OF LAUSD DESEGREGATION: A bus ride from Watts 40 years ago took African American students to a Van Nuys... http://bit.ly/x1x1qD
TURNING THE TIDE: An Historian’s View of School Reform: By Mark Naison | from LA Progressive http://bit.ly/xV5gkA
And the good news is: GRANADA HILLS CHARTER, WEST HIGH WIN REGIONAL ACADEMIC DECATHLONS: The four highest scores... http://bit.ly/A7iwTY
OUTRAGE/STONEWALL/COVER UP SPREADS TO TELFAIR ELEMENTARY IN PACOIMA: 4 stories: Parents, faculty at Telfair Ele... http://bit.ly/xZDSCH
My View: HOW TO HELP STUDENTS COPE WITH CHANGE: By Betsy Landers, Special to CNN |... http://bit.ly/zYxfmq
Sandy Banks: NOT BUSINESS AS USUAL AT LAUSD: * L.A. Unified's swift action in response to the alleged sex abuse ... http://bit.ly/waQXtp
MIRAMONTE TEACHER WAS PAID $40K BY LAUSD TO DROP APPEAL: LAUSD says it paid Mark Berndt to settle his challenge ... http://bit.ly/xu7L4z
COMMUNITY GROUP SCORES COURT VICTORY AGAINST L.A. COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT TRUSTEES: For Immediate Release| ht... http://bit.ly/wCtspg
WITH LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES, COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS STRUGGLE TO PASS COLLEGE-LEVEL MATH COURSES: By Dan Fost... http://bit.ly/yPZFgC
LAUSD'S ADULT SCHOOLS MAY BE CUT FROM BUDGET ENTIRELY: Protesters Rally in Defense of 350,000 Endangered Student... http://bit.ly/ySBFGR
Outrage at Miramonte - UTLA PRESIDENT: “LAUSD IS MAKING TRAGIC SITUATION WORSE” – SUPERINTENDENT DEASY: “UNION C... http://bit.ly/vZG0fF
MIRAMONTE TEACHERS TO FILE GRIEVANCES AFTER REMOVAL FROM SCHOOL: by Howard Blume, Samuel Allen and Angel Jenning... http://bit.ly/xLCJIX
Leaving NCLB Behind: TEN STATES GRANTED WAIVERS BY PRESIDENTIAL ORDER: By The Associated Press http://bit.ly/xyt3rf
Via @EdWeek: "The president called for an $80 million competition to
support STEM teacher preparation programs...fttp://fb.me/1ek5K5KhH
4LAKids Twitter: Rendering displaced Miramonte staff to an undisclosed
school under construction for investgation+self criticism:
GuantanaMonica
LAUSD DEFICIT SWELLS TO $557 MILLION: By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer | LA daily News | http://bit.ly/wY5N3S
PARENTS, TEACHERS PROTEST PLAN TO SCRAP TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN: Gov. Jerry Brown wants to eliminate the new g... http://bit.ly/wjd9mS
Letters to the editor: TURMOIL AT MIRAMONTE ELEMENTARY: LA Times: Turmoil at L.A.'s Miramonte Elementary School ... http://bit.ly/x0sOvS
Steve Lopez: WILL L.A. UNIFIED’S RESPONSE TO ABUSE ALLEGATIONS PASS MUSTER?: Administrators removed Mark Berndt ... http://bit.ly/AcVJ2P
OUTRAGE 2/8: Today’s LAUSD “He said/she said” child abuse news | http://bit.ly/zfSdqX
4LAKids Twitter: to DrDeasyLAUSD: "Miramonte ...is one of the last
campuses in the school district to operate year-round because of
overcrowding" happened
4LAKids Twitter: to DrDeasyLAUSD: "The unincorporated Florence-Firestone
neighborhood surrounding Miramonte is one of the poorest in LA County"
happened
4LAKids Twitter: Deasy on Reconstituting Miramonte:"I have to understand
how this could happen." By disrupting kid's lives beyond what's already
happened?
4LAKids Twitter: LA Times on Reconstituting Miramonte: "In a dramatic
move..." 'Dramatic' is not the same as 'desperate'. Schools are not
frozen orange juice
4LAKids Twitter: Outrage, updated: STAFF OF MIRAMONTE REPLACED PENDING
SEX ABUSE INQUIRY: L.A. Unified Supt. John Deasy seeks to ... http://bit.ly/x3wfVC
L.A. YOUTH SCHOOL CUTS SURVEY RESULTS: More than 1,850 students told us how budget cuts have hurt their schools.... http://bit.ly/ApHVvw
ENTIRE STAFF AT MIRAMONTE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL REPLACED: Schools chief announces entire Miramonte staff to be re... http://bit.ly/AawBXI
WHY FRENCH PARENTS ARE SUPERIOR – or - Why American Parents are Inferior: by Edit Barry in re-Education in Balti... http://bit.ly/yf2ynB
The Dept of Redundancy Dept - or - Making illegal what was already illegal: ASSEMBLYMAN FIGHTS ILLEGAL SCHOOL FEES | http://bit.ly/yoJJER
JERRY BROWN'S CALL FOR FEWER SCHOOL TESTS CONFLICTS WITH STATE'S NEW EDUCATION BLUEPRINT: by Diana Lambert, Sacr... http://bit.ly/zmpuCH
PARENTS PROTEST HAZING-RELATED SUSPENSION OF LONGTIME L.A. HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL COACH: Bob Cook, Contributor For... http://bit.ly/A21yTW
VALLEY SCHOOL JANITOR ACCUSED OF LEWD CONDUCT: by Victoria Kim | LA Times/LA Now | http://bit.ly/zOgfvP
LOS ANGELES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLOSES FOR SEX ABUSE INVESTIGATION: Miramonte Elementary School will be closed Tue... http://bit.ly/yhjbvE
EVENTS: Coming up next week...
*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:
Tamar.Galatzan@lausd.net • 213-241-6386
Monica.Garcia@lausd.net • 213-241-6180
Bennett.Kayser@lausd.net • 213-241-5555
Marguerite.LaMotte@lausd.net • 213-241-6382
Nury.Martinez@lausd.net • 213-241-6388
Richard.Vladovic@lausd.net • 213-241-6385
Steve.Zimmer@lausd.net • 213-241-6387
...or your city councilperson, mayor, 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.
• If you are registered, VOTE LIKE THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT. THEY DO!.
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