tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post2956733732911324671..comments2024-01-08T03:21:35.616-05:00Comments on DeKalb County School Watch: A Smokey Bait and Switch Arising at Smoke Rise?Cerebrationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-54066662087371939862012-01-29T13:13:50.571-05:002012-01-29T13:13:50.571-05:00Yes CERE many thanks. Great job! Hate to see you g...Yes CERE many thanks. Great job! Hate to see you go...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-81296876377101798042012-01-29T10:15:46.971-05:002012-01-29T10:15:46.971-05:00@ Cerebration
thank you for all of your hard work...@ Cerebration <br />thank you for all of your hard work as moderator of this blog. I can't even imagine the toll it has taken on your private life - it is a full time job!! It is sad that those of us advocating for better schools for our kids have to spend so much time trying to tear through beaurocracy and red tape that we end up losing a lot of time with our own kids. That was the reason we finally had to leave SMoke Rise. Spending my life documenting inadequacies took too much of a toll. Best of luck to you and please know what this blog has meant to the involved parents of DeKalb! I hope people who criticized your censorship above keep that in mind!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-79191697524110331842012-01-29T10:00:54.530-05:002012-01-29T10:00:54.530-05:00@12:46 AM:
"As a former teacher, it is obvio...@12:46 AM:<br /> "As a former teacher, it is obvious that the parents have created deep wounds" <br /><br />Of all of the disturbing things that have happened at Smoke Rise, I can't believe it is "Obvious" to you that this is the fault of the parents. Unbelievable. My guess is that "as a former teacher" you may be a little biased. There is nothing obvious about this situation at all. The administration, staff, and parents all acted unprofessionally at some point. <br /><br />A little background: We sat down with our local area superintendent and brought a BINDER full of parent complaints and affadavits from people who either had left or planned to leave (and now have left) Smoke Rise because of poor leadership. During our assimilation of this information, a TEACHER made a decision that kicked off an awful chain of events. After 7 years of complaining to our principal about specific issues, we felt we were not seeing any improvements in a lot of very relevant areas. We had more and more families dropping out of the school each year, and were upset that there were very few folks left in the community who felt comfortable enrolling their students at SMoke Rise. We did not want the principal fired or tainted... we thought then that he was a very nice guy, but not effective as a leader in our particular school. We never meant to publicly speak against him, we only wanted someone more effective for our situation. We tried VERY hard not to go public with any of this, but a teacher got a copy of an email where we were attempting to organize the massive number of parent complaints. This teacher, instead of taking it to the principal, and allegedly without his knowledge, called every teacher in the school into her room and read it aloud. It happened contain a response with a copy of ONE PERSON'S reasons for leaving SMoke Rise, which included being tired of hearing teachers yell at students and treat them disrespectfully. The reading aloud of this email (that was clearly marked CONFIDENTIAL) set off a chain of events that shook our community to the core. The email was interpreted as an attempt to generate complaints against the principal instead of what it really was... a way of organizing existing complaints. Many teachers thought that because the ONE email response they saw contained unkind words against several teachers, that the parents were all out to clean house and get rid of principal and teachers. This was absolutely, positively NOT the case. Everyone knows that leadership sets the tone for the whole building. If leadership set high expectations, staff would follow. All we wanted was higher expectations from the top. However, after the email was read aloud, all he^^ broke loose and the principal started plotting to get rid of the parents instead of visa versa. The area super joined his efort and with the full power of DCSS behind them - including making it impossible to get copies of the police investigation, they succeeded. About 30 kids left for other schools. These kids were the children of PTA presidents, Charter Council members, Foundation Members, and other highly involved parents. The ones who didn't leave last year are planning to leave this year if we don't get the playground that was approved by administration. This is his last attempt to shut the Smoke Rise Community out of our school. This foundation raised those funds and deserves to see the fruits of their labor.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-6026837501586537702012-01-29T00:17:23.352-05:002012-01-29T00:17:23.352-05:00Anon 10:36 pm, Principal Aaron Moore is listed her...Anon 10:36 pm, Principal Aaron Moore is listed here as he should be. He refuses to answer questions from the AJC regarding the playground issue. He refuses to answer whether he attempted to bully the foundation. I don't know how he did it, but he stopped the harassment of 4th grade girls last year by a number of boys from going public. Trust me, it would have been a major news story, but the parents involved weren't ready for the media coverage it would have garnered.<br /><br />Aaron Moore is well compensated to be a DCSS principal, and has a duty to answer questions from the newspaper.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-80377035960023055912012-01-28T23:26:27.638-05:002012-01-28T23:26:27.638-05:00I just wish this much effort was placed in the rea...I just wish this much effort was placed in the real problems of DeKalb- inflated grades, lack of discipline in our schools, teachers and administrators who lack basic English grammar when writing and speaking,smaller class sizes, an elementary math curriculum that is constantly in flux, and we could go on.<br /><br />I am not saying that playgrounds aren't important, but it's even more important that our children's minds are being exercised, and more times than not, the district could be providing a more rigorous and comprehensive curriculum. <br /><br />The biggest problem in any DCSS school is not a playground, but raising the bar on the quality of educating that the children are receiving.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-313196423587462182012-01-28T23:13:55.287-05:002012-01-28T23:13:55.287-05:00Cerebration I want to thank you for having this fo...Cerebration I want to thank you for having this forum for people to discuss issues in the school system. I also appreciate your link to the ethics hotline. Thanks to the link I was able to file 2 complaints about the Smoke Rise Charter Council. The first was in October and regarding the SR Charter Councils decision to hold closed meetings. I had made attempts to discuss it with the Council before they voted to close their meetings but the response to me, a guest, was that I had been "duly noted."<br /><br />The fundamental problem with Smoke Rise is that the administration and Charter Council seem to think they operate outside the community, the rules and intent of DCSS, and their own charter. Their current actions demonstrate they don’t even understand Dr. Atkinson’s 5 Guiding Principles for excellence in Education.<br /><br />By holding closed meetings without informing even all their own board members much less any of the other organizations they interact with, and then taking a vote on topics that concern other organizations, they demonstrate a lack of the most basic understanding of a public board and a system wide problem throughout DCSS.<br /><br />As of today they still refuse to acknowledge that the Charter Council does not have a right to mandate how a private non-profit operates. They continue to promote their Organizational Chart and how it places control of the Foundation under the Charter Governance Council. They continue to ignore the public words of Walter Woods. And most importantly they will be continuing to hold closed working meetings. The next one is set for Tuesday Jan 31 location and time unknown.<br /><br />The Smoke Rise Charter Council, its Chairman, and the principal of Smoke Rise have made numerous attempts to bully the Foundation. To disregard our status as a private non-profit. To punish us for disagreeing in public and privately. 2 adult men are convinced that the opinions of a woman is of lesser value then theirs. The choose to lie and cover up their actions and when someone questions them or complains that they bully. Numerous times I have been called to task for expecting the Charter Council to follow the rules and told that my disagreement with the Governance Council is ruining the school. Just yesterday they informed the SR Foundation that it was no longer allowed to use the school in the evening hours to hold a board meeting. All other organizations and clubs are allowed access but not SREF. This is indirect conflict to the written DCSS policy on the use of the school building after school hours https://eboard.eboardsolutions.com/ePolicy/policy.aspx?PC=KG-R(1)&Sch=4054&S=4054&RevNo=1.12&C=K&Z=R <br /><br />The Principal withdrew his written permission for the playground project and then denied ever providing the permission. The thing about written items is they last and the SREF has the information posted to its website. Gosmokerise.org<br /><br />The Principal nor the Charter Council have made no attempts to have any discussion about the playground project except to ask repeatedly how much will it cost. They have offered no compromise to the SREF on how we could possibly provide both a playground and some of the other items they desire. They have ignored our donation of $5000 to the school's general fund on Jan 5, 2012 except to provide us with a written receipt. <br /><br />The big question is: why would any elementary principal turn down a free playground that is available immediately - for free and with no strings attached- on the hope that in the next few years he would get one eventually?<br /><br />Thank you<br />Karen WeitzelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-22077470559925611872012-01-28T23:13:36.599-05:002012-01-28T23:13:36.599-05:00Great job of looking out for all of the children a...Great job of looking out for all of the children at Smoke Rise. I think our children deserve the very best! When the public (taxpayers) are informed about unjust things there will be haters coming out. They are upset because the wrong actions is being exposed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-78251216786269361632012-01-28T22:36:25.078-05:002012-01-28T22:36:25.078-05:00I have seen the names of principals and assistant ...I have seen the names of principals and assistant principals named here. How do we get it removed?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-83841147536867562702012-01-28T22:09:45.812-05:002012-01-28T22:09:45.812-05:00If the school system is truly for children why wou...If the school system is truly for children why would someone reject replacing playground equipment? The school system recommends "fresh air time" for the elementary students. So this behooves me about the educational system! Why not give the children a new, safe, and fun place to enjoy? I hope that someone would really look at the students needs and not personal adult benefits! I believe the children will benefit from the new playgroud equipment. I also believe that it will increase student performance.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-8551254342149251382012-01-28T21:13:01.565-05:002012-01-28T21:13:01.565-05:00@Karen Weitzel
Hi, Karen!
BRAVO! You are doing t...@Karen Weitzel<br /><br />Hi, Karen!<br /><br />BRAVO! You are doing the right thing by speaking out and not hiding your identity.<br /><br />I would love to be in touch with you if you would send me your e-mail address (send to reparteeforfun@gmail.com), please. I will send you my contact information by return e-mail. <br /><br />I fully support SREF's position.<br /><br />Sandy SpruillSandy Spruillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-42091938571587866222012-01-28T19:47:03.108-05:002012-01-28T19:47:03.108-05:00Post from one of the leaders of the Smoke Rise Fou...Post from one of the leaders of the Smoke Rise Foundation on get Schooled:<br /><br />Karen Weitzel<br /><br />January 28th, 2012<br />5:28 pm<br /><br />Thank you to everyone who has posted and made suggestions about the controversy at Smoke Rise. I wanted to provide a bit of an update and answer some questions<br /><br />The Principal and the Charter Governance Council has made no attempt to change their minds, contact the SREF board, or work towards some sort of compromise. They continue to insist that is within their power to decide how the money raised by the foundation is spent and to remind people of the importance of the organizational chart they presented this week. They have revoked our permission to use the building during after school hours to hold our regular quarterly meeting in violation of the school policy on use of a building by a group that supports the school. https://eboard.eboardsolutions.com/ePolicy/policy.aspx?PC=KG-R(1)&Sch=4054&S=4054&RevNo=1.12&C=K&Z=R<br /><br />They continue to hold closed secret meetings and take binding votes during these meetings. Their next meeting is Jan 31 but the time and place is unavailable.<br /><br />The SREF exists to support the school. Our mission is to bring the community and school together. We are exactly what Dr. Atkinson addresses in the 5 Guiding Principles of her Excellence in Education. We want to support the school and we don’t want to interfere in the job of educating the students. Providing a free replacement playground for one that is currently condemned seemed a no brain-er. Over the years we have made other donations of both items and money including a cash donation of $5000 on Jan 5, 2012. Last year we donated $7500 to the Smoke Rise PTA. In 2010 we donated $12,500 to the PTA. The SREF has never made any demands or attached any strings to our gifts. This year the Charter Council and the principal decided that since we had been so easy to work with in the past that they could start being loose and liberal with laws, policies and rules. I was informed as SREF President that if I couldn’t convince the SREF board of the merits of their actions I needed new board members. When even my new board members would not go along fully with their demands they informed us that our bylaws were immaterial and destructive to the school. I have been shouted at by Council members, accused of creating an atmosphere of “us vs them” and of acting like a little child. All because I expected the Principal and Charter Council to follow the rules. It was never enough for the Charter Council. Any attempt by the SREF to explain our position has been ignored.<br /><br />As many readers have noticed this is not the first controversy that has happened at Smoke Rise. Last year was one of the worst. Many other posters have explained why they have left, but I have not left. My child is a 3rd grader and I feel she deserves a decent education in my local tax payer funded school. She stayed when many of her friends left. I stayed on volunteering my time to the school, PTA, and SREF when almost all the other volunteers left. All I asked for in return was that the Principal and Charter Council operate honestly and ethically. They have repeatedly demonstrated they are not capable of that. That is why I went to the press. I will not be bullied any more then I would allow my daughter to be bullied if she had a playground to play on. I am not afraid of the haters and I am not afraid to sign my name to this update.<br />Karen WeitzelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-25238405944595806942012-01-28T19:11:53.736-05:002012-01-28T19:11:53.736-05:00The behavior of Smoke Rise administrators is inexc...The behavior of Smoke Rise administrators is inexcusable. But I have to say, their playground looks almost identical to the one at my neighborhood school. Except Smoke Rise has an additional play structure, albeit one with its bridge laying on the ground. My school isn't on a SPLOST list and we don't have a fundraising foundation, so I guess we're just going to have to live with our decay indefinitely. What a shame that priorities are so skewed in DCSS.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-37029974134279036952012-01-28T16:11:26.401-05:002012-01-28T16:11:26.401-05:00Of course people are going to post anon. They have...Of course people are going to post anon. They have to protect their livelihood! That's how the corrupt stay in power so long. The whistleblowing policy isn't worth the paper it's printed on and OIA is there to protect the District. We all know that. Tolerance of certain behaviors is allowed by the superiors and the superiors are the only ones to stop it! Who is going to rick their next meal by posting their name?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-86588308927018659712012-01-28T15:36:30.633-05:002012-01-28T15:36:30.633-05:00Maybe Ms. Hurst is the one out of hand and people ...Maybe Ms. Hurst is the one out of hand and people need to know but you will suffer from her wrath if you 'tell' (backed by Turk) and most people need their jobs. So yes, I personally understand you not wanting to be sued so feel free to delete this. And she is very careful to not cross the bounds of legality so it's hard to whistle-blow, but things can be done in very sly ways....example: "close the door" conversations with veiled threats, etc. But we appreciate the opportunity to have this forum to air such things. Thank you....for your time and hard work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-4077690350386140702012-01-28T11:59:15.532-05:002012-01-28T11:59:15.532-05:00When I remove comments, I save them just for this ...When I remove comments, I save them just for this reason: so I can double check on accusations like those above.<br /><br />I will say, I did delete one I shouldn't have:<br /><br /><i>If your daughter had a boy "teabag" her (really teabag hear) you need to get thee to the district attorneys office and swear out a warrant for the boy and the school officials who let it happen.<br /></i><br /><br />And as far as the one with the link to the DCSS Education Plan, I made that its own blogpost.<br /><br />Join that conversation here:<br /><br /><a href="http://dekalbschoolwatch.blogspot.com/2012/01/superintendent-atkinson-releases-her.html" rel="nofollow">Superintendent Atkinson releases her Excellence in Education Plan</a>Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-4121687746727667892012-01-28T11:42:54.676-05:002012-01-28T11:42:54.676-05:00@ Anonymous 9:38 and 11:20
It's extremely di...@ Anonymous 9:38 and 11:20 <br /><br />It's extremely difficult to run a blog this big. Are you aware that not one person who contributes to this blog including the moderator receives a penny for this very time consuming endeavor? Cerebration does an excellent job for no renumeration.<br /><br />You don't have a choice. You have to respect the rules in place for this blog.<br />Here they are from the home page in case you didn't read them:<br />"Comments are welcomed and appreciated on every post. We request that you show mutual respect and serve to advance the conversation by adding only thoughtful comments on the topic at hand."<br /><br />That's the nature of the Internet. Whoever creates the website controls the content. You posted under Anonymous so that tells me you understand this and post as Anonymous to protect yourself. Perhaps you may extend this courtesy to others.<br /><br />You are free to start ur own blog. Then you can make the rules.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-67831940729665064182012-01-28T11:20:08.699-05:002012-01-28T11:20:08.699-05:00I know about not using names, but there were some ...I know about not using names, but there were some posts that did not use any name whatsoever that still got "moderated". In no way, shape, or form were you under any liability there, yet you still chose to shut it down due to its unpopular criticism of a DCSS link.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-73678480459069332102012-01-28T10:15:17.048-05:002012-01-28T10:15:17.048-05:00BTW - anyone who has ANYTHING of substance to repo...BTW - anyone who has ANYTHING of substance to report, *please* use the new Whistleblower Hotline. There is a link to it on the front page of the blog. It's the red phone. IF you want to be backed up, send us an email copy of your filed complaint and we will help you track the response you get. <br /><br />The Hotline is there -- please use it! Otherwise, they will think you are all just blowing smoke.Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-522602294988661542012-01-28T10:11:55.732-05:002012-01-28T10:11:55.732-05:00Sorry if you don't like it. It's only sel...Sorry if you don't like it. It's only self-serving in a self-protective way. Would you prefer I be sued on your behalf? I hope to only engage people on this blog who are at a minimum, respectful of my personal liability.<br /><br />As I've stated before, you can name names of persons in the news or top administrators or board members in your criticisms. Principals, teachers, etc are off-limits. Unless you have filed formal complaints and gotten no action. (Like the Smokerise parents did regarding their principal.) <br /><br />It's very difficult to moderate a blog like this, and I try to give as much latitude as possible. But the comments about Ms Hurst - who is temporarily filling in - got out of hand, IMO.Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-61464505558368013082012-01-28T09:38:55.039-05:002012-01-28T09:38:55.039-05:00I do so love the self-serving censorship on here.I do so love the self-serving censorship on here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-49787044536315424192012-01-28T00:46:43.136-05:002012-01-28T00:46:43.136-05:00I have done a great deal of thinking about the sit...I have done a great deal of thinking about the situation at Smoke Rise. I've read the comments on the AJC blog, and those here, and I have come to the conclusion that there were better ways for the parents and district to handle the matter of the playground. <br /><br />Parents bashing teachers and the principal for not contributing financially to the effort of the playground is very hurtful and inappropriate. School workers should not have to give financially to the school. Many give back by the long hours they put in after school and on the weekend grading papers, planning lessons, and staying up to date on subjects. The attitude parents expressed, while possibly out of frustration, is one that leaves me pondering if ulterior motives were also at play, and not as genuine as they want people to believe.<br /><br />I would hope that parents would stop and think before they speak ill about a teacher and ask themselves if they would be happy to hear a teacher talk about their child in the way that they are about to speak. There are appropriate ways and channels to follow. Did you contact your school board member? What did he/she do to help you?<br /><br />As a former teacher, it is obvious that the parents have created deep wounds. Saying that they would rather have the school knocked down and a park built is cruel and just ugly for the teachers that are dedicated to educating the children in their classroom. I am sure that you are frustrated, but chose your words wisely, as words hurt and cut deep. If you thought teachers weren't involved before this mess, do you think that the words shared about them are going to make them want to suddenly get involved and help out?<br /><br />While a new playground would be nice, and the grounds do have bare patches, have you seen the play areas at other schools? Your school isn't being singled out. There are many play areas and school grounds that are ill cared for. The principal can complain all he wants, but if the person ahead of the grounds crew isn't willing to do something about it, than the principal's hands are tied.<br /><br />The problems of DCSS are so deep. Many in the upper levels of management don't put kids first and see DCSS as a jobs program. Parents have no idea what is really going on in the schools and the pressure principals and teachers are under to perform with very little to no support.<br /><br />While I love this blog and respect the people who run it. I do not like the bashing of individual principals and people by name. Terms like bullying and racism are so easy to throw around and provoke big response with little proof. We need to be careful not to spread gossip and not to throw words like bully and racism around willy nilly and not have significant proof. Often times, people in the heat of passion take things out of context and manipulate them to bring others on their side. <br /><br />I feel sorry for the kids at Smoke Rise, as they most likely have teachers who are already down about making less now than three years ago, not getting all of the retirement help that they were promised, and the ever increasing mountain of paper work that needs to be done in a timely fashion complete, and then to hear parents whine about them not contributing financially to the fundraising efforts is yet another slap in the face. <br /><br />As a tax payer, I am shaking my head in disgust and disbelief that both parties couldn't sit down, show respect to each other, and discuss events like adults on all accounts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-41369678729791988672012-01-27T21:18:18.224-05:002012-01-27T21:18:18.224-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-42593103876686308922012-01-27T21:00:59.299-05:002012-01-27T21:00:59.299-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-2987466220305413152012-01-27T20:16:43.695-05:002012-01-27T20:16:43.695-05:00Am assuming everyone has looked at and read this:
...Am assuming everyone has looked at and read this:<br /><br />http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/superintendent/excellence-in-education-planAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-81798510995326955432012-01-27T20:02:16.704-05:002012-01-27T20:02:16.704-05:00If your daughter had a boy "teabag" her ...If your daughter had a boy "teabag" her (really teabag hear) you need to get thee to the district attorneys office and swear out a warrant for the boy and the school officials who let it happen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com