Indian Creek Elementary student / Remembering Cameron Dunmore

We will never, ever forget Cameron Dunmore, and hope that the school system has worked closely with the county Transportation Department to identify and fix any pedestrian hazards at or by every single county school.

Second-grader hit, killed in DeKalb school crosswalk
Neighbors had earlier expressed concern about intersection safety at Princeton Elementary

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, February 02, 2009

Cameron Dunmore headed off to school early Monday to start his day in the gifted program at Princeton Elementary School in south DeKalb County.

His older sister had seen the 7-year-old second-grader to the corner in front of the school on South DeShon Road. That’s when it happened — a parent’s worst nightmare.

Police say as Cameron crossed the street at the school crosswalk at 7:30 a.m., he was struck by a sport utility vehicle that did not stop for the crosswalk.

Now, we have another tragedy. 6-year-old Suk Maya and her 10-year-old brother were to have started at Indian Creek Elementary on Wednesday. Unfortunately, Suk was killed by a driver with a long history of idiotic driving violations.

Another young DeKalb resident is gone because of a selfish driver who couldn’t wait a few seconds for a MARTA bus to unload. Gregory Armwood, a truly awful driver, should have been charged with a felony, but because the laws are so weak in Georgia for dangerous drivers, he’s out on bond facing misdemeanor charges.

According to state records, Armwood has had a number of traffic offenses since 1992, including DUI, running stop signs and red lights and causing accidents and speeding by as much as 33 mph over the posted speed limit. His most recent conviction was in DeKalb County on Sept. 9, 2003, for driving 75 mph in a 55 mph zone.

Things have to change in DeKalb and Georgia. It is unacceptable to lose any more of our young because of self-centered, ignorant drivers. The school system, county Transportation Dept., Georgia Dept. of Transportation, Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, etc. should do everything in their power to educate drivers on driving smarter and slower, especially near schools and during the school year.

Check out PEDS for more info., and go to http://peds.org/multimedia/videos/ to see their powerful Anti-Speeding Ad video.

And here’s hoping that David Guillory and the large administrative staff of the DCSS Transportation Office has worked very closely with the DeKalb County Transportation Dept. since the Cameron Dunmore/Princeton Elementary tragedy for better safety for all of our students walking and bicycling to every county school. You have, right David??!

Inclusion: a balancing act of students’ rights

The evolution of Special Education is America has created education models of many shapes and sizes – most immeasurable, but all driven by compassion for special education students and their families. The days of nearly complete segregation of these students from the general student population are virtually over.

The latest model adopted by the county’s educational experts is called “inclusion.” It is a more aggressive form of “mainstreaming.” Many parents of special education students strongly advocate for inclusion of their child into the general classroom. Some claim including special ed students improves their academic performance and their behavior (through modeling of the general student population). There are no conclusive studies to prove this.

A most comprehensive and readable article about inclusion (pros and cons) from the Wisconsin Education Association Council can be found by clicking here.

It begins:
“Inclusion remains a controversial concept in education because it relates to educational and social values, as well as to our sense of individual worth.
Any discussion about inclusion should address several important questions:
· Do we value all children equally?
· What do we mean by "inclusion"?
· Are there some children for whom "inclusion" is inappropriate?

There are advocates on both sides of the issue. James Kauffman of the University of Virginia views inclusion as a policy driven by an unrealistic expectation that money will be saved. Furthermore, he argues that trying to force all students into the inclusion mold is just as coercive and discriminatory as trying to force all students into the mold of a special education class or residential institution.
On the other side are those who believe that all students belong in the regular education classroom, and that "good" teachers are those who can meet the needs of all the students, regardless of what those needs may be.
Between the two extremes are large groups of educators and parents who are confused by the concept itself.”

DCSS has embraced inclusion whole-heartedly and is slowly whittling down its self-contained special education classrooms. Is this motivated by a perceived monetary savings or compassion and parental requests? Are special education teachers pressured to create IEPs for their students that include inclusion – whether the student is truly ready or not? Are special ed students with severe behavioral issues being included in general education classrooms at the expense of the other children? Are general education teachers properly prepared and trained to handle the unique needs of special education students? What have your experiences been?

Well, how did the 'first day' back go?

It's just unbelievable that it's back to school time already. I was so enjoying the easy-going traffic. Let us know your "first day back" stories -- how was it letting your kindergartner go off for the first time? Your new to middle or high-schooler? What kinds of welcoming tactics did your teachers and schools employ? What did your child have to say when they arrived home? How was lunch? And how did the buses do? We'd love to hear your stories!

Cross Keys Renovation to Begin

As published in yesterday's Brookhaven Reporter, Evergreen Construction has begun to prepare for $20 million in renovations to Cross Keys High School. School system reps confirmed the plan to renovate without admitting the horrible conditions there. "By no means would I classify Cross Keys as dilapidated," said Pat Pope, the school system's chief operations officer. "It's a sound structure and a good environment for a renovation."

Although this is very good news, I am still perplexed as to why there are no plans for an auditorium/career tech addition, as was promised for every high school in DCSS when we voted for SPLOST 3 funding. SPLOST 3 collections are ahead of projections, and are providing money in the bank – earning millions in interest. The money is there - and it must be spent as promised. So, why no auditorium for Cross Keys?

The excuse has been that the population is low, however, when you check out the way the district has been gerrymandered, it's obvious that the population is what it is due to politics. To create a "low population problem" and then declare it the reason for lower spending is disrespectful and unfair. Don McChesney is the board rep for this school and he needs to get in there and fight for Cross Keys' fair share - and their auditorium, just as Jay Cunningham did recently for SouthWest DeKalb and then later for Cedar Grove.

I am also perplexed as to why Pat Pope has suddenly started blaming the community itself for the architect quitting the project.

"Pope indicated that frustration with the design team of teachers, administrators, students and parents played a part in the first architect quitting the project.

"The community would never come to a consensus on design," she said."

I"m sorry, I just don't believe that. Big, rough, hard-hitting corporate architects would never just walk away from a project due to community issues. The Design Team at Cross Keys' only contribution to the plans to renovate was a 2 page wish list. All they ever asked was if the architect had received that list. Something else came into play. We will be watching more closely this time.

Imagine...

We hear a lot of rhetoric about Japanese education and how advanced it is compared to Georgia and the rest of the U.S. This video shows us that there is a very intangible component in Japanese schools that effects outcome -- love. Watch this video and you will feel the love, care and devotion this teacher has for his class and the empathy he fosters in his students for each other. This classroom looks a whole lot different from any classroom I've seen in the U.S. - it functions much more like a family - even though the actual class size is quite large.

Check it out. Check out the other four parts in this five part series as well. I found it enlightening.

Back to School "Need to Knows"

Oh boy! Summer is almost over and the "Back to School" sales are in full swing. We have decided to list items we see as "Need to Knows" for students and parents in DeKalb County Schools as they head back to school on Monday, August 10.

First, the biggest deal is the new dress code. The important, new changes include: No low-cut shirts, blouses or tops. No cleavage at all. No see-throught clothing. No short shorts. No short skirts. No low-hanging pants with underwear showing. No clothing with vulgar or offensive language. No bedroom shoes. No flip-flops. No between the toe shoes without heels at all. Of course, included in this initiative there will be basically zero tolerance for cell phones and texting. Students can expect to have their cell phones confiscated if they are caught using them in school.

The first offense includes a verbal reprimand, contacting parents AND In-School Suspension.
Second offense: Parent conference and two days ISS.
Third offense: Three days ISS, a local hearing that could result in 10 days ISS, local probation and/or - (my favorite) a parent can attend classes with the student in lieu of ISS.
Chronic violators may be referred to an alternative setting.

Dr. Lewis has introduced a very important parental involvement initiative. He plans to improve parental involvement across the entire school system and has set this as a top priority. A task force made up of parents, community leaders, teachers and principals was organized to study parental involvement throughout the U.S. and as a result, the group created the Parental Involvement Framework, a tool to map out strategies to improve involvement. A major component of the program ins the newly created Parent Resource Guide, which describes the initiatives and will be distributed countywide, as well as available online.

From DCSS Press Releases: Another component within the parental involvement framework is the E-Parent Communications system that is currently being piloted at nine schools throughout the district. The pilot program aims to bridge the communication gap between schools and homes by providing instant information to the parents via telephone, cellular phones and text messaging communication. The program will operate on the local school level as well as the system-wide level.

Principals, for example will be able to keep parents updated on PTA meetings, testing schedules and other school related activities. At the county-wide level, parents will be able to stay further informed about educational initiatives via message posts. The system will also provide instant communication with parents in the event of an emergency.

“Right now, we are dependent upon notes that go home to parents in backpacks and we all know sometimes those notes don’t make it home,” Tyson said. “[E-Parent Communications] will allow the district to connect directly with the parents electronically, so that there is an instant delivery of information.”

The pilot program began in May. The nine schools participating this summer are located within the Cross Keys, Redan, and Martin Luther King High School attendance areas. When the pilot period concludes in August, DeKalb will then evaluate the efficiency of the pilot program, make any corrections or adjustments that may be needed, and make preparations to launch E-Parent Communications system-wide in 2010.

This system will greatly improve the power of the Parent Portal.

Another new program is called, "America's Choice" and is being implemented in 40 schools in DCSS. You can read more about this on the DCSS homepage or by reading the press release.

To read about how DCSS is handling the new state law called HB 251, which allows for transfers within a district, visit this link. The deadline to apply for a transfer has already passed, but look for this program to increase offerings in the future, as many at the state level are pushing for more and more flexibility and school choice.

Of course, one very big continuation of a new program is the new math, which has it's own thread for discussion.

Please add any relevant "Need to Know" back to school info in the comments section.