In This Issue:
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NATIONAL RESPONSE NEEDED TO PROTECT CHILDREN FROM GUN VIOLENCE |
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SCHOOLS OFTEN FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE IN IDENTIFYING, TREATING KIDS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS |
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SCHOOLS FACE MORE PENALTIES AS FEDS REJECT CALIFORNIA WAIVER |
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BATTLING
OVER SCHOOL GRANTS: Another tussle between the teachers union and the
school reform movement, this time over grant applications + smf's 2¢ |
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ROCK ME, MERCY: a poem written in mourning |
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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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What can YOU do? |
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Featured Links:
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In the aftermath of Sandy Hook there were some
solutions offered, as the week rolled on the solutions got comparatively
and superlatively worse and worst.
The best thinking actually came locally, from LAPD Chief Charlie Beck,
who announced that LAPD officers – uniform and plain clothes – would
visit and engage with every school in LAUSD every school day. Sherriff
Baca and local law enforcement in many of the twenty-some odd
jurisdictions LAUSD operates in followed suit.
This creates a strong partnership between the schools and the police and
the community – it is community policing at it’s best – and it creates a
deterrent effect for those intent on creating mayhem on a school
campus. It’s imperfect – because school shooters generally don’t act
rationally – and self destruction is part+parcel of their scenario (see
Remembering Elementary School Shootings of the Past, following). If
police officers are to be frequent guests or partners on school campuses
everyone must be careful that they do not become part of the schools
disciple policy – one doesn’t want the visiting officer enforcing tardy
sweeps or misbehavior issues.
The plans espoused later in the week swiftly go from good the bad thinking and then escalate from worse to worst.
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA [Marin County]) suggested on Wednesday that
the National Guard patrol school campuses – beginning in January! The
last time National Guard troops occupied a U.S. public school under arms
was at Little Rock Central High School in 1957. I think this is the
same Senator Boxer who had reservations about ROTC on college campuses
and military recruiters at high schools. Having the military occupy
our schools seems pretty bizarre – especially having it done by
reservists who actually have other jobs. I’m unclear if the senator is
proposing a federal call-up – and whether troops returning from Kandahar
Province will be directly redeployed to PS 137 in the Bronx …or
Carpenter Avenue in Studio City. National Guardsmen, unlike policemen,
work in units rather than individually. Can a fireteam secure an
elementary school? …a squad a middle school? …a platoon at a high
school? There are schools in LAUSD where Seal Team Six might be
challenged.
Compared to the above the NRA’s Wayne LaPierre’s suggestion that a
police officer at every school all day long every day seems dimly
enlightened (“The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good
guy with a gun”*) A dedicated school policeman at every school with
the specialized training to work around kids and school staff seems like
great thinking – especially if the feds are going to pay for it.
EXCEPT:
1. With what money? The feds are about to plunge off the fiscal cliff
like lemmings, Democrats+ Republicans alike, in a crisis of their own
making per a deadline of their own device.
2. There are an estimated 132,656 public schools in the US – and only
30% of them have a dedicated security officer present on campus at least
once a week.
3. Because LaPierre proposes to NOT take assault weapons off the street
each school police officer would need to be armed to that level at the
very least.
4. But if you drill down into LaPierres proposal you will see that he is
really proposing NRA trained volunteers to perform this function. There
is a name for armed volunteer law enforcers: They are called
“vigilantes”.
* In a disappointing nod to gender equality, two recent school shooters
were women. Or, to fit LaPierre’s Twitterpated bromide: “Gals”!
As I mentioned last week – and is stated below in Remembering Elementary
School Shootings of the Past - the worst mass murder of students on a
campus in US. History was the elaborately premeditated bombing of the
Bath Consolidated School in Bath Township, MI in 1927 by a deranged
school board member who had been defeated in a local election. He
purchased dynamite and blasting caps and a WWI military surplus
explosive product called Pyrotol on the open market.
After the Bath School Disaster the federal government banned the sale of
Pyrotol and regulated the sale of dynamite – passing the legislation in
record time! Assault weapons are essentially military surplus
technology – they may not be actual former surplus weapons – but they
are made to the specifications and design of the military. (AR-15s , the
weapon used at Sandy Hook is a design for the M-16 made for the US
government by Colt, ironically in Connecticut. The ubiquitous AK-47 is
the same thing made for the Soviet government by Kalashnikov.) These are
not target or sporting arms – there are far more accurate and better
suited weapons for target shooting and hunting. They were designed to
effectively, systematically and reliably kill human beings – and they
are very effective.
Joe Biden has his work cut out for him.
RETURNING TO A THEME: It would be nice to have tablets and iPads and
laptops for all students. But it would be better to have all the workers
back or made whole who were RIFed, reduced in hours or had their bases
changed. Librarians, nurses, assistant principals, psychologists. It
would be better to have strong after school and early childhood ed;
adult ed and arts and music programs. It would be better to adequate
counselors. It would be far, far better to have safe and healthy and
clean schools.
That is something worth wanting for Christmas.
¡Onward/Adelante! - smf
NATIONAL RESPONSE NEEDED TO PROTECT CHILDREN FROM GUN VIOLENCE
“TEACHERS, PTAS AND ALL OTHERS WHO WORK IN OUR
SCHOOLS WILL HAVE TO COME TOGETHER TO PUSH CONGRESS TO APPROVE
LEGISLATION THAT CREATES SAFER ENVIRONMENTS FOR OUR CHILDREN – AND
PEOPLE OF ALL AGES.”
By Louis Freedberg, EdSource Today | http://bit.ly/TemOcR
December 16th, 2012 | When will we ever learn?
Almost a quarter century ago, California experienced the horror of an
elementary school massacre when five children were killed at Cleveland
Elementary School in Stockton. (see following)
In that traumatic January 1989 event, barely remembered except among
those whose lives were directly touched by the tragedy, Patrick Purdy, a
so-called “drifter” with a long criminal record and a history of mental
disturbance, entered the school grounds during recess and shot to death
five children from Southeast Asian refugee families – Rathanar Or, 9;
Ram Chun, 8; Sokhim An, 6; Oeun Lim, 8; and Thuy Tran, 6 – injured 29
others, and then killed himself.
Sound familiar?
The shootings triggered the usual outpouring of outrage – and the
California Legislature actually responded. It passed the Roberti-Roos
Assault Weapons Control Act of 1989, the first state-level law to ban
the possession, sale and manufacture of a long list of assault weapons
in California. It was signed into law by Republican Governor George
Deukmejian.
Over the years, California has passed numerous other bills, and today it
is the only state to get a 4-star rating for its gun control laws from
the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
Not surprisingly, the Roberti-Roos bill was challenged in court,
resulting in a set of prohibitions that are exceedingly complex to
follow, as a review of the California Department of Justice’s webpage
shows, raising questions about its effectiveness. (For details on the
Roberti-Roos legislation, go here: http://bit.ly/TgqARC)
The DOJ site declares that as a result of the legislation “AK and AR-15
series weapons are unlawful for sale after August 16, 2000, even if
their assault weapon characteristics are removed.”
Yet an online ad for a Sacramento gun shop with the chillingly
coincidental name Newtown Firearms describes itself as ” Sacramento’s
premiere AR-15 and tactical semi auto rifle dealer.” It shows that
things are not as clear cut as state authorities claim. “If you are
trying to buy an AR-15 in California, you have come to the right place,”
the gun shop tells prospective customers. (In fact, the Internet is
filled with sites like this one [http://bit.ly/12Hwkbl] providing advice on how to get around California’s ban on the weapon.)
And despite California’s top ranking for its gun control laws, the
state’s experience underscores the limited potential of states to
protect children – and adults – from the deadly impact of firearms. Just
this year, another deadly attack in an education institution occurred
in Oakland when a former student at a small Korean Christian university
killed seven people and injured three more.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 138 children under the age
of 18 were murdered in California in 2010, the last year for which
figures have been compiled. Fourteen of those homicides were of children
under the age of 12. Those figures don’t include the many more wounded
as a result of intentional gunfire – or the 11,078 people of all ages
killed nationally in 2010 by assailants wielding guns.
It is also notable that when it comes to efforts to regulate weaponry,
Connecticut is not far behind California. Ranked 5th in the nation, it
is one of only four states to get a 3-star rating from the Brady Center.
Yet the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre took place there – in a school
that had rigorous security measures in place, probably more than in most
schools. As of this writing, reports say that Adam Lanza carried out
his killings with weapons, including an AR-15 rifle, which appear to
have been purchased legally – just as those used in the Stockton
killings were in 1989.
Clearly what is needed is a national response, not a piecemeal
state-by-state approach. Whatever is done has to go far beyond just
reinstatement of the long-expired federal assault weapons ban that
California Senator Dianne Feinstein is championing, although that would
be a good start.
President Obama’s emotional speech in Newtown last night could well
signal the start of a serious attempt to regulate weapons that can take
the lives of 20 first graders in minutes. “We can’t tolerate this
anymore,” he said. “The tragedies must end. And to end them, we must
change.”
With two young children of his own, and ensconced in the White House for
a second term, Obama must now make this a central cause of his
presidency. So far, he has fallen terribly short on the issue.
Getting a 60-vote majority in the Senate, and majority support in the
House of Representatives, for any meaningful reforms will be
extraordinarily difficult. Teachers, PTAs and all others who work in our
schools will have to come together to push Congress to approve
legislation that creates safer environments for our children – and
people of all ages.
“No single law, no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world or
prevent every senseless act of violence in our society, but that can’t
be an excuse for inaction,” President Obama said last night. “Surely we
can do better than this.”
Surely we can. Whether we will is another question altogether.
Louis Freedberg is executive director of EdSource
________________________________________
►REMEMBERING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SHOOTINGS OF THE PAST
by James Swift, The Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (JJIE.org ) | http://bit.ly/RLLb3x
Dec 16, 2012 | The Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre Dec. 14
constitutes the second deadliest mass school shooting incident in
American history, second only to the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre in
which a single assailant murdered 32 individuals and injured 17 others.
With an estimated 26 victims dead — 20 of whom are children — the recent
massacre is far and away the deadliest shooting incident to ever occur
in one of the nation’s elementary schools.
Although mass shooting incidents in university and high school settings
have occurred in the past, the Newtown, Conn. massacre serves as a rare
instance of a perpetrator targeting elementary school students. But
similar shootings have taken place.
• On Oct. 20, 2006, Charles Carl Roberts IV entered the West Nickel
Mines School in Bart Township, Penn. and killed five young girls –
ranging in ages from 7 to 13 – while additionally wounding five others
before committing suicide.
• On Jan. 17, 1989, Patrick Purdy opened fire on a playground filled
with children at Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton, Calif. In the
three-minute rampage, Purdy killed five students and wounded an
additional 29 children before turning the gun on himself.
• On Sept. 26, 1988, James William Wilson, Jr. killed two eight-year-old
children and wounded seven others with a .22-caliber pistol at Oakland
Elementary School in Greenwood, S.C. Wilson was sentenced to death for
the attack.
• On May 20, 1988, Laurie Dann shot and killed an eight-year-old boy and
wounded five other individuals in an attack that took place at Hubbard
Woods Elementary School in Winnetka, Ill. She later committed suicide.
• On Feb. 24, 1984, Tyrone Mitchell killed a 10-year-old girl and
wounded 11 other children when he opened fire on students exiting 49th
Street Elementary School in Los Angeles. The perpetrator than killed
himself with a shotgun.
• On Jan. 29, 1979, 16-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer injured eight
children and killed two adults when she opened fire at Grover Cleveland
Elementary School in San Diego, Calif. She was tried as an adult and is
serving a sentence of 25 years to life at the California Institute for
Women.
Historically, the single deadliest attack on elementary students to ever
take place in the United States occurred in Bath Township, Mich., when
Andrew Kehoe — a school board treasurer alleged to have been spurred by
foreclosure proceedings on his farm — killed 38 children and wounded
more than 50 others in a bombing that transpired on May 18, 1927.
Tabulating school-related violent deaths, the National School Safety
Center reported that from 1992 until 2010, an estimated 52 homicides
occurred within the nation’s elementary schools.
The Sandy Hook shooting increased that statistic by 50 percent.
SCHOOLS OFTEN FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE IN IDENTIFYING, TREATING KIDS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS
By Barbara Jones Staff Writer, LA Daily News | http://bit.ly/VdsDIm
12/22/2012 03:44:22 PM PST :: They teach kids to read, write and solve math problems, and to work and play well with others.
And along with those lessons, educators are increasingly being trained
to spot depression, anxiety and other troubling behaviors in their
students, with administrators and teachers forming the first line of
defense against mental illness.
"We provide psychiatric first aid," said Ailleth Tom, who coordinates
crisis counseling and mental health services for the Los Angeles Unified
School District. "We really listen, protect and connect students with
services.
"We don't ask, `What's wrong with you?"' she said. "We ask, `What's happened to you?"'
Speculation about the mental health of the 20-year-old gunman in the
Connecticut school shootings has focused attention on the need for the
early treatment of troubling behavior in the nation's adolescents and
teens.
Los Angeles Unified has long partnered with local law enforcement
agencies and mental health experts in Los Angeles County, where crisis-
and threat-assessment teams evaluate student activity that could
potentially lead to violence.
Within Los Angeles Unified, experts train principals and faculty to
watch for early warning signs so kids can get help before more serious
conditions develop. Any new insights that develop from the Sandy Hook
Elementary tragedy will be incorporated into future professional
development sessions, officials say.
"We all are very aware
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of the school's role in identifying problems a student may be having. We
do feel that responsibility," said Judith Perez, president of
Associated Administrators of Los Angeles, which represents about 3,000
principals and assistants principals in LAUSD.
With 600,000 students, LAUSD has a cadre of 300 psychiatric social
workers who refer students to mental health professionals or, in some
cases, hold group or individual therapy sessions on campus for kids
struggling with emotional traumas like divorce, death, illness or abuse.
"They're completely busy all of the time," Superintendent John Deasy
said. "There are not enough of them to deal with the problems."
Mental health services are also offered at eight clinics operated
jointly by LAUSD and Los Angeles County. Sites include clinics next to
Daniel Pearl High School in Lake Balboa, and at Cabrillo Elementary in
San Pedro.
Christine MacInnis, a counselor at North High in the Torrance Unified
School District, said counselors do not wait for students in distress to
come to them.
"Half come to me on their own, and the other half are referred through a
parent, teacher, coach or administrator," she said. "Teachers are
probably our first line of defense, because they are the ones with them
all day."
The most common warning signs are sudden changes in behavior or
appearance. A strong student may lose interest in his studies, for
instance, or a snappy dresser may start coming to school looking
disheveled.
If Torrance High counselors suspect that a student is a danger to
himself or others, they call in a Los Angeles County psychiatric
evaluation team. In the extremely rare event that a child is perceived
to be a threat to others, law enforcement is also notified.
In 2011-12, the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health conducted
more than 4,200 threat assessments involving the region's school
districts, a spokeswoman said. The agency's Emergency Outreach Bureau
also held some five dozen training sessions for educators,
law-enforcement, parents and students.
The Sandy Hook tragedy unfolded as many school districts were preparing
for winter break. Nevertheless, officials began reviewing their own
operations to determine whether they needed to do more to keep campuses
safe.
San Bernardino City Unified, for instance, formed a task force that
includes officers from the San Bernardino and Cal State San Bernardino
police forces, along with members of local churches and service clubs.
They'll be looking at all aspects of student safety, including support
for youngsters with mental health issues.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, more than 20
percent of U.S. kids ages 9-17 are struggling with a mental disorder
that disrupts their lives, with symptoms appearing by age 14 in half of
those cases.
However, only 20 percent of these youngsters begin treatment each year.
Experts say parents may be reluctant to seek treatment for their child
because of the long-held stigma about mental disorders. Others may be in
denial about troubling changes in their child's behavior, dismissing
extreme mood swings, or episodes of panic, defiance or excessive
hostility as just a passing phase.
This may create a delay that experts say could allow the disorder to worsen and become more difficult to treat.
"Adolescents and teens are in the midst of achieving their education,
making friends and developing their identity," said Dr. Daniel Grosz,
director of adolescent psychiatry at Northridge Hospital Medical
Center's Behavioral Health Unit.
"If their mental illness started early in life, it's harder for them to
achieve these goals. The longer we delay, the more resistant these
conditions become."
Researchers from the National Institute of Mental Health studied more
than 10,000 kids with mental disorders and found that panic and anxiety
were the most prevalent issues, followed by ADHD, depression and drug or
alcohol abuse.
Grosz said youngsters coping with these kinds of issues may display
flashes of anger or aggressive behavior, but not the type of violence
unleashed at Sandy Hook Elementary, where 20 children and six adults
were gunned down.
"It's important after a tragedy like this to strike the right balance
between investing in awareness and resources and referrals without going
to the other extreme of suspecting any kind of unusual behavior," he
said.
Nevertheless, he advised against keeping guns in a home where there are
concerns about the mental health of anyone - adult or child.
While the Sandy Hook shootings shook the entire nation, they had an even
stronger impact on the parents of children with mental and behavioral
disorders.
Rosa Morales, who lives in San Bernardino County, has sought
psychological help through the school system for her 10-year-old son
because of the sudden, angry outbursts that seem to come out of nowhere.
"Once he had a screaming fit when he couldn't pass a level in a reading
computer game," she said. "He yelled and screamed that he was a dummy,
that all the kids in his class had already passed the level and that he
was too dumb to get it right," she said.
Morales fears that her son's tantrums may one day escalate to violence.
Administrators said schools can play an important role beyond
recognizing students in distress. They can help parents find low-cost
counseling, support groups and other services.
In the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy, school districts in
the Southland and around the U.S. have been reviewing security
procedures and looking for ways to improve student safety.
However, Las Virgenes Superintendent Dan Stepenosky, who wrote his
doctoral dissertation on the gunmen in two high-profile school
shootings, said the best way to protect students is to get to know them
well and to address their mental health issues as soon as they surface.
• Staff Writers Rob Kuznia and Beatriz E. Valenzuela contributed to this report.
___________________
WARNING SIGNS OF MENTAL ILLNESS (smf: Warning signs + bullet points are not the same as a psychological evaluation!)
Each mental illness has its own symptoms, although there are some
general signs that might alert you that someone needs professional help.
These include:
• Marked personality change
• Inability to cope with problems and daily activities
• Excessive anxiety
• Prolonged depression and apathy
• Marked changes in eating or sleeping patterns
• Thinking or talking about suicide or harming oneself
• Extreme mood swings - high or low
• Strange or grandiose ideas
• Abuse of alcohol or drugs
• Excessive anger, hostility, or violent behavior.
Source: National Institute of Mental Health
SCHOOLS FACE MORE PENALTIES AS FEDS REJECT CALIFORNIA WAIVER
By Howard Blume, LA Times/LA Now | http://lat.ms/VlUjGp
December 21, 2012 | 7:53 pm :: Federal officials have rejected
California’s request for exemption from rules that penalize
low-performing schools and school districts, state officials announced
Friday.
The state’s failure to win a “waiver” from the No Child Left Behind law
was not entirely a surprise, but was still unwelcome news to officials.
“It is disappointing that our state’s request—which enjoyed such strong
support from parents, teachers, administrators and education advocates
across California — has apparently been rejected,” said state Supt. of
Instruction Tom Torlakson in a statement. “California made a good-faith
effort to seek relief from requirements that even federal officials have
acknowledged time and again are deeply flawed.”
Under federal rules, more than 6,000 California schools have been
labeled as failing. In many cases, these schools are improving,
sometimes rapidly. Besides enduring a stigma of failure, these schools
must also set aside as much as 20% of their federal funds to transport
students to “non-failing” schools and to set up tutoring services with
outside vendors. The outside tutoring has been inconsistent and
frequently ineffective, according to some experts.
“At a time when resources for schools are so scarce, schools and
districts should be able to focus their resources on delivering services
they believe will actually improve student performance — a waiver would
have provided that flexibility,” said Paul Hefner, a spokesman for the
California Department of Education.
The U.S. Department of Education said it would not comment until
California has been officially notified of its waiver status, but a
department spokesman did not contest the state’s announcement.
The state has engaged in a series of high-profile tiffs with federal
officials over school reform—and the waiver application was one of them.
Waivers were offered to spare states from a mandate requiring nearly all
students to be academically proficient by 2014. But in exchange, states
were expected to develop teacher and principal evaluations that rely
substantially on student data, such as standardized test scores, among
other requirements.
Teacher unions and other critics, including California Gov. Jerry Brown,
have faulted the U.S. Department of Education for taking this position
on evaluations.
While most states sought waivers, California may have been the only one
to do so while choosing which federal directives to follow in its
application, state officials said. To do otherwise, they said, would
have cost California an estimated $2 billion in new expenses for
unproven reforms.
The federal decision was defended by StudentsFirst, a Sacramento-based advocacy group.
“By submitting an inadequate application, California has precluded the
ability of school districts and schools to be flexible and innovative
with millions in federal funds,” said spokeswoman Erin Shaw. “It’s time
to change the system that rejects accountability and continually risks
classroom resources that rightfully belong to students.”
BATTLING OVER SCHOOL GRANTS: Another tussle between
the teachers union and the school reform movement, this time over grant
applications + smf's 2¢
LA Times Editorial | http://lat.ms/U4Yk2X
December 23, 2012 :: In yet another tussle between the teachers union
and the school reform movement, the Los Angeles Unified school board
decreed last week that district administrators must obtain board
approval before applying for any grants of more than $1 million, in
order to ensure that they don't seek out grants that come with
problematic strings. The idea is reasonable enough, but the way the new
policy is written, it unnecessarily ties the hands of staff without
necessarily protecting the district.
During the meeting, board member Richard Vladovic referred to a
$50-million grant the district received requiring recipients to
institute some form of merit pay and to include student test scores in
teacher evaluations — two sore points with the union. Neither policy was
in place when the district applied, and Vladovic's concern was that the
grant might lead the district to make policy changes that hadn't been
approved by the board. The 4-3 vote split along union-friendly versus
reform-minded lines.
Supt. John Deasy, who clearly resents this intrusion into his autonomy,
says the district doesn't have to change any policies because of the
federal grant, though he acknowledges that it would have to give back
some or all of the money if it eventually failed to meet the
requirements. Deasy complains that the board's action makes the district
look hostile to reform-minded grantors and might kill L.A. Unified's
chances at future largesse. In any given year, the district generally
has billions of dollars of grant money that would be affected by the new
policy, most of it for construction.
Deasy's argument goes too far. It's fairly common for school boards to
exert their authority over grant applications to avoid conflicts of
interest or a move in a dubious direction. We don't particularly favor
anti-reform actions by the board, but there's no question that it has
the right and responsibility to oversee any promises the district is
making through its grant applications.
There are some practical concerns, though. L.A. Unified has no
grant-writing department; this supplemental money comes from the efforts
of staff who put in extra time and initiative on grants. In August, the
school board decided to start meeting half as often — just once a
month. But some grants have 45- to 60-day turnarounds, making it hard to
get permission in time to write a good proposal. That puts quite a
burden on the grant writers. The board should agree to hold emergency
meetings when tight deadlines are involved. If the board wants to
exercise this level of control, it should be willing to put in the work
involved.
Meanwhile, why set the amount at $1 million? If a grant commits the
district to an unacceptable promise, it's just as bad whether the amount
is $10,000 or $10 million. The board should narrow the kinds of grants
affected by this policy based not on the dollar amount but on the issues
involved. For instance, it might choose to review all grants that could
affect labor contracts, curriculum or school discipline. Chances are
the board doesn't need to get involved in most of the construction
grants, by far the bigger source of funding.
•• smf’s 2¢: “In August, the school board decided to start meeting half as often — just once a month.”
I think The Times may be onto the biggest part of the problem here. The
board members – for all the self-congratulation they award themselves
for the time+work they put into running “their schools” – are paid for
attending board meetings. They have eliminated half the board meetings.
Did they cut their pay for this reduction in basis? …for all those
furlough days? When Superintendent Deasy spoke to the amount of grants
the District receives he disclosed almost two billion dollars a year –
and now balks at disclosing to the board and therefore to the public the
sources and terms of this largesse. It’s called transparency and
accountability. It’s a good thing.
ROCK ME, MERCY: a poem written in mourning
from npr/ read aloud at http://n.pr/TU38rZ
The river stones are listening because we have something to say.
The trees lean closer today.
The singing in the electrical woods has gone down.
It looks like rain, because it is too warm to snow.
Guardian angels, wherever you're hiding,
we know you can't be everywhere at once.
Have you corralled all the pretty wild horses?
The memory of ants asleep and day lilies, roses, holly and larkspur?
The magpies gaze at us, still waiting.
River stones are listening.
But all we can say now is mercy, please rock me
- Yusef Komunyakaa :: 12/14/2012
poet & distinguished professor of English at NYU
HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T
FIT: The Rest (but not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other
Sources
NRA’s IDEA TO MILITARIZE OUR SCHOOLS WON’T MAKE US SAFER + smf’s 2¢
Editorial by LA Daily News/LA Newspaper Group Opinion staff | http://bit.ly/107jRPv
THE NRA & THE SCHOOL ARMS RACE: Why deescalate when you can escalate?:
"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."
- NRA honcho Wayne LaPierre
“The only thing that stops a really bad idea is the combination of truth and education.”
- smf http://bit.ly/UQWEej
CLAIM OF FUNNY BUSINESS ON SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE PETITIONS + smf’s 2¢: by Hillel Aron in LA Schools Report |... http://bit.ly/WEgFtH
MONICA GARCIA, LAUSD BOARD PRESIDENT, ON UTLA, PROP 30 & BOARD POLITICS: By Hillel Aron, Huffington Post courtes... http://bit.ly/YxNmcD
SEN. BOXER PROPOSES DEPLOYING NATIONAL GUARD AT SCHOOLS: By Richard Simon, LA Times | http://bit.ly/UN7Pok
$6.9 Million Queen Anne Elementary Student Molestation Verdict: A HARBINGER FOR MIRAMONTE + TELFAIR?: LAUSD must... http://bit.ly/XUfG44
A Lesson Plan for the Teachable Moment: THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS AND PASCAL’S TRIANGLE: Created by: Judy Ann... http://bit.ly/WyVAkk
DISTRICTS FACE QUESTIONS IN SPENDING LONG-TERM BONDS FOR SHORT-LIVED TECHNOLOGY: By John Fensterwald, eDsOURCE t... http://bit.ly/Wobv4R
DEASY PLEDGES SAFETY REVIEW OF L.A. SCHOOLS AFTER CONN. SHOOTING: -- Howard Blume, LA TIMES/LA Now | http://lat.... http://bit.ly/V0X0NF
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L.A. POLICE, COUNTY SHERIFFS, OTHER CITIES ANNOUNCE ADDED SCHOOL PATROLS, “GUN BUYBACK” PROGRAM: Chief Beck: “We... http://bit.ly/UG6Vck
LAPD CHIEF CHARLIE BACK ANNOUNCES A PLAN TO HAVE OFFICERS PATROL KINDERGARTEN-THROUGH-8th GRADE SCHOOLS IN L.A.:... http://bit.ly/UG6XkF
ROCK ME, MERCY: a poem written in mourning: from npr/ read aloud at http://n.pr/TU38rZ The river stones are... http://bit.ly/ZHbTw9
View summary
17 Dec Scott Folsom Scott Folsom @4LAKids
Deasy: "District has never cutback on security even though the LAUSD has
experienced devastating budget cuts." Let 4LAKids know otherwise!
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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