I often advise cutting the flow of school dollars to high-priced outside vendors as a way of finding money to pay teachers. Here's a story that seems to support my suggestion.
Los Angeles Unified has just halted its $1 billion contract for iPads due to revelations about shenanigans in the bidding process and a worrisome relationship between Apple and LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy.
L.A. Unified school police recently decided to citing students for minor offenses. Maybe they should investigate the possibility of major offenses by top officials.
L.A. Unified halts contract for iPads
LA Times
Aug. 25, 2014
L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy suspended future use of a contract with Apple on Monday that was to provide iPads to all students in the nation's second-largest school system amid mounting scrutiny of the $1-billion-plus effort.
The suspension comes days after disclosures that the superintendent and his top deputy had especially close ties to executives of Apple, maker of the iPad, and Pearson, the company that is providing the curriculum on the devices.
And an internal report that examined the technology effort showed major problems with the process and the implementation...
But Deasy, who has been the main proponent of providing the iPads throughout the district and who has defended the project repeatedly, was coming under mounting criticism for his handling of the contract and for the implementation of the program.
Last week, a draft report of a district technology committee, obtained by The Times, was strongly critical of the bidding process.
Among the findings was that the initial rules for winning the contract appeared to be tailored to the products of the eventual winners — Apple and Pearson — rather than to demonstrated district needs. The report found that key changes to the bidding rules were made after most of the competition had been eliminated under the original specifications.
In addition, the report said that past comments or associations with vendors, including Deasy, created an appearance of conflict even if no ethics rules were violated...
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Monday, August 25, 2014
Students Aren't Getting Enough Sleep—School Starts Too Early
Administrators and teachers frequently benefit themselves at the cost of students. Doctors and researchers have found that too-early start times are harming the health--and the test scores--of middle and high school students. Why don't parents demand a change? It should be an issue in school board elections.
Students Aren't Getting Enough Sleep—School Starts Too Early
These early school start times result in sleepy kids and frustrated parents.
But, as of Monday, those kids and parents have the formidable weight of
the American Academy of Pediatrics on their side.
The organization released a new policy statement saying that “insufficient sleep in adolescents [is] an important public health issue that significantly affects the health and safety, as well as the academic success, of our nation’s middle and high school students.”
“The empirical evidence [of] the negative repercussions of chronic sleep loss on health, safety and performance in adolescents … has been steadily mounting for over the past decade,” wrote Judith Owens, a pediatrician and the lead author of the report, in an email. “For example, an important recent study published this spring by Dr. Kayla Wahlstrom documented the positive effects of school start time delay in over 9000 students from eight high schools in three states, including improved grades and standardized test scores and up to a 65 to 70 percent reduction in teen car accidents.”
According to the Academy, the solution is to delay school start times. “In most districts, middle and high-schools should aim for a starting time of no earlier than 8:30 a.m. However, individual school districts also need to take average commuting times and other exigencies into account in setting a start time that allows for adequate sleep opportunity for students,” it said in a statement.
The organization also published a report that summarizes the current research on teen sleep trends, health consequences of chronic sleep deficits, factors that contribute to lost sleep, and ways to promote healthy rest in adolescents. The main take-away is that American teens are not getting enough sleep, which damages their mental and physical health, education, and even ability to drive safely.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, teenagers need at least nine and a half hours of sleep every night. However, the National Sleep Foundation’s 2014 Sleep in America Poll reports that less than half of American children get at least nine hours of sleep each night, and 58 percent of 15- to 17-year-olds regularly sleep fewer than seven hours each night. Since poll respondents tend to overestimate the number of hours they sleep, actual nightly sleep totals are likely lower than these self-reported averages.
Chronic sleep loss contributes to higher rates of depression, suicidal ideation, and obesity. Long-term deprivation has also been shown to be a factor in lower test scores, decreased attention span, tardiness, concentration, and overall academic achievement...
Long-term deprivation has also been shown to be a factor in lower test scores, decreased attention span, tardiness, concentration, and overall academic achievement...
--The Atlantic
Students Aren't Getting Enough Sleep—School Starts Too Early
A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics says delaying the day may help teens get more rest.
..The median school start time in this
country is 8 a.m. But this fall, some schools, including a handful of
elementary schools in New York City, will ring their first bell up to 40 minutes earlier than they did last year in order to accommodate curricular demands.
The organization released a new policy statement saying that “insufficient sleep in adolescents [is] an important public health issue that significantly affects the health and safety, as well as the academic success, of our nation’s middle and high school students.”
“The empirical evidence [of] the negative repercussions of chronic sleep loss on health, safety and performance in adolescents … has been steadily mounting for over the past decade,” wrote Judith Owens, a pediatrician and the lead author of the report, in an email. “For example, an important recent study published this spring by Dr. Kayla Wahlstrom documented the positive effects of school start time delay in over 9000 students from eight high schools in three states, including improved grades and standardized test scores and up to a 65 to 70 percent reduction in teen car accidents.”
According to the Academy, the solution is to delay school start times. “In most districts, middle and high-schools should aim for a starting time of no earlier than 8:30 a.m. However, individual school districts also need to take average commuting times and other exigencies into account in setting a start time that allows for adequate sleep opportunity for students,” it said in a statement.
The organization also published a report that summarizes the current research on teen sleep trends, health consequences of chronic sleep deficits, factors that contribute to lost sleep, and ways to promote healthy rest in adolescents. The main take-away is that American teens are not getting enough sleep, which damages their mental and physical health, education, and even ability to drive safely.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, teenagers need at least nine and a half hours of sleep every night. However, the National Sleep Foundation’s 2014 Sleep in America Poll reports that less than half of American children get at least nine hours of sleep each night, and 58 percent of 15- to 17-year-olds regularly sleep fewer than seven hours each night. Since poll respondents tend to overestimate the number of hours they sleep, actual nightly sleep totals are likely lower than these self-reported averages.
Chronic sleep loss contributes to higher rates of depression, suicidal ideation, and obesity. Long-term deprivation has also been shown to be a factor in lower test scores, decreased attention span, tardiness, concentration, and overall academic achievement...
Sunday, August 24, 2014
UW-Whitewater professor sues former student over online comments
See update below regarding Vogl-Bauer v. Llewellyn case. Another voice about what goes on in schools seems to have been silenced WITHOUT A TRIAL.
The public pays the salaries of public employees like college professors, and is legally liable for the actions of public employees acting within the course and scope of their employment.
Public employees have less right to privacy regarding their work behavior than private employees do.
UW-Whitewater professor sues former student over online comments
Andrea Anderson
May 22, 2014
A [University of Wisconsin] UW-Whitewater professor is suing her former graduate student, saying the student's comments on websites are defamatory.
“When you make false statements of fact repeatedly about another person with the intent of harming them, that's over the line,” said Tim Edwards, attorney for UW-Whitewater communications professor Sally Vogl-Bauer.
“If you truthfully say, 'In my experience, this isn't a good teacher, I didn't have a good experience, she was late' and that's your opinion, that's fair," Edwards said.
Vogl-Bauer is suing Anthony Llewellyn for defamation.
The lawsuit alleges Llewellyn “engaged in an intentional, malicious and unprivileged campaign to defame Dr. Vogl-Bauer, resulting in substantial economic, reputational and emotional injuries.”
Websites dedicated to students reviewing their instructors have proliferated. The Whitewater case raises the question of when online comments become defamation.
Llewellyn posted videos on YouTube and wrote comments on Blogger.com and TeacherComplaints.com describing what he said Vogl-Bauer did to him while he was in her communication theories class in spring 2013.
A few of Llewellyn's claims are Vogl-Bauer:
-- Said he didn't belong in college
-- Labeled him as a horrible student
-- Docked him points on assignments
-- Caused him to fail out of school
Llewellyn said he spoke with Vogl-Bauer in April about her behavior before he was notified in June that he failed her class.
After trying to communicate with UW-Whitewater Department of Communication faculty and staff and university administration, Llewellyn sent emails to the Eastern Communication Association, Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission describing Vogl-Bauer's behavior as “degrading, demeaning, verbally attacking,” according to court documents...
Read more here: UW-Whitewater professor sues former student over online comments
UPDATE AUG. 24, 2014
I received the following information:
The public pays the salaries of public employees like college professors, and is legally liable for the actions of public employees acting within the course and scope of their employment.
Public employees have less right to privacy regarding their work behavior than private employees do.
UW-Whitewater professor sues former student over online comments
Andrea Anderson
May 22, 2014
A [University of Wisconsin] UW-Whitewater professor is suing her former graduate student, saying the student's comments on websites are defamatory.
“When you make false statements of fact repeatedly about another person with the intent of harming them, that's over the line,” said Tim Edwards, attorney for UW-Whitewater communications professor Sally Vogl-Bauer.
“If you truthfully say, 'In my experience, this isn't a good teacher, I didn't have a good experience, she was late' and that's your opinion, that's fair," Edwards said.
Vogl-Bauer is suing Anthony Llewellyn for defamation.
The lawsuit alleges Llewellyn “engaged in an intentional, malicious and unprivileged campaign to defame Dr. Vogl-Bauer, resulting in substantial economic, reputational and emotional injuries.”
Websites dedicated to students reviewing their instructors have proliferated. The Whitewater case raises the question of when online comments become defamation.
Llewellyn posted videos on YouTube and wrote comments on Blogger.com and TeacherComplaints.com describing what he said Vogl-Bauer did to him while he was in her communication theories class in spring 2013.
A few of Llewellyn's claims are Vogl-Bauer:
-- Said he didn't belong in college
-- Labeled him as a horrible student
-- Docked him points on assignments
-- Caused him to fail out of school
Llewellyn said he spoke with Vogl-Bauer in April about her behavior before he was notified in June that he failed her class.
After trying to communicate with UW-Whitewater Department of Communication faculty and staff and university administration, Llewellyn sent emails to the Eastern Communication Association, Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission describing Vogl-Bauer's behavior as “degrading, demeaning, verbally attacking,” according to court documents...
Read more here: UW-Whitewater professor sues former student over online comments
UPDATE AUG. 24, 2014
I received the following information:
IS A SETTLEMENT IN THE WORKS FOR VOGL-BAUER V. LLEWELLYN?
Anthony Llewellyn now has three lawyers, Andrew Price, Kate E. Maternowski, and Laura Brenner . Jury trial is still scheduled for SEP 15 - SEP 17, 2014, in the Walworth County Judicial Center Courtroom of the Honorable Phillip A Koss; however, it is hard to find any of Anthony Llewellyn's videos online. IS HE TAKING THE VIDEOS DOWN?
Sally Vogl-Bauer apparently had her pre-trial hearing AUG 20, 2014. It is no longer listed on the pending court docket.
Visit http://wcca.wicourts.gov/index.xsl . Click agree.
On next page enter name = Llewellyn,
County = Walworth,
Case Number = 2013CV001140.
You'll see suit history and public data about Sally Vogl-Bauer and Anthony Llewellyn.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Remittitur issued in Stutz v. Larkins on Aug. 20, 2014--but Judge Judith Hayes issued new default judgment TWO WEEKS EARLIER
On August 20, 2014 the Court of Appeal issued a remittitur in Stutz v. Larkins.
But Judge Judge Hayes issued a new judgment two weeks earlier--on August 6, 2014--in San Diego Superior Court! [In typical fashion, Judge Hayes didn't bother to have her clerk serve me with the judgment. I didn't know about it until I was served with a copy by plaintiff on August 19, 2014.]
I have no idea why the Court of Appeal bothered to issue the remittitur. Judge Hayes certainly wasn't waiting for it.
Click image to enlarge.
UPDATE: It turns out that there's case law that says that Judge Hayes did not have jurisdiction on August 6, 2014 to issue a new judgment:
‘Until remittitur issues, the lower court cannot act upon the reviewing court’s decision; remittitur ensures in part that only one court has jurisdiction over the case at any one time.” (People v. Saunoa (2006) 139 Cal.App.4th 870, 872.)
So why did she do it?
Don't ask me. I still don't understand why she felt it was in the interest of justice to throw out my opposition to summary judgment because I made a small mistake in format. For good measure, she also threw out my evidence (which seems sort of redundant, right?) and then granted plaintiff's motion for summary judgment.
NO WEIGHING OF EVIDENCE, NO JURY TRIAL FOR DAMAGES
Why didn't Judge Hayes want to weigh the evidence?
And then why did she rant and rave about defamation ever since, as if the evidence had been weighed and there had been a factual finding of defamation?
There was no justification for outrage or anger when the decision was based on a pure technicality. And there was no justification for denying me a jury trial regarding damages for four years.
Judge Hayes granted default four years after granting summary judgment. She then awarded nominal damages of $30,000 based on the fact that there were TWO (yes, 2!!!) Internet searches for Plaintiff in a certain month.
Here's what I wrote in my Opening Brief regarding the $30,000 in "nominal" damages:
The calculation for the $30,000 is based on a ludicrous,
unreasonable and illogical conclusion drawn from Exhibits D and E...
If the trial court had looked at Exhibit E of the prove-up, it would
have seen that visitors to Defendant’s site were looking for CVESD, CTA,
MEA, Fagen Friedman Fulfrost, Emily Shieh, Voice of San Diego Education,
Procopio, Kaiser Permanente, Vickie Gilbreath, medical records,
insurance, the new teacher project, Cornell, Bonifacio Bonny Garcia, CTA
lawyer, and Councilman Castaneda.
It isn’t until page AA 2510 that we see the
two (2!) total queries...referring to Plaintiff.
These two queries would appear to
justify damages of $.86...
It was unreasonable for the trial court to order Defendant to pay Plaintiff
$.43 every single hit on the site, when almost all of the hits were by
Defendant herself; search robots; visitors who only stayed on the site a
second or two; people looking for health and insurance information--
particularly Kaiser Permanente; visitors wanting information about
schools, education and San Diego politics; or non-Plaintiff lawyers.
The Court of Appeal backed-up Judge Hayes, also based mostly on technicalities.
Erasing information on my websites
I've been working hard erasing web pages and blog posts that could be considered violations of Judge Judith Hayes' injunction.
In the past couple of months I've depublished hundreds of blog posts and erased or edited several web pages. I'm starting to erase web pages with public records:
Deposition page plus six additional pages
Motion to compel
Zero tolerance in Los Angeles, affluenza teen in Texas: maybe we have been screwing up both rich and poor kids
Affluenza teen is back in the news, and poor kids in Los Angeles are finally going to catch a break.
1st story:
Detention, not jail: LA public schools drop 'zero tolerance' policies
Starting this school year, conferences with parents, drug counseling, or interventions at off-site counseling centers will replace court or probation for minor offenses
By Matt Hamilton
Associated Press
August 19, 2014
LOS ANGELES — Students caught misbehaving in the nation's second largest school district will be sent to the principal's office rather than the courthouse as part of sweeping disciplinary reforms announced Tuesday by Los Angeles schools. Under the new policy, police officers at Los Angeles Unified School District won't arrest or cite students for low-level offenses like possessing alcohol or marijuana but will instead refer students to administrators or counselors — a shift that educators and justice officials say will prevent students from becoming mired in the criminal justice system. The decriminalization of student discipline marks the latest rollback to "zero tolerance" policies that were instituted in the 1970s and 1980...
2nd story:
Father of 'Affluenza' teen arrested for impersonating an officer
Chron
August 20, 2014
Affluenza A mental condition so maddening that I can barely contain my hatred for it, used by the defense for Tarrant County teen Ethan Couch, who killed four people while drunk driving in June. If you are rich and do something really bad, just complain that it's because the money has rotted your morals. Example: "I didn't know that you had to tip at restaurants. I blame my Affluenza."
1st story:
Detention, not jail: LA public schools drop 'zero tolerance' policies
Starting this school year, conferences with parents, drug counseling, or interventions at off-site counseling centers will replace court or probation for minor offenses
By Matt Hamilton
Associated Press
August 19, 2014
LOS ANGELES — Students caught misbehaving in the nation's second largest school district will be sent to the principal's office rather than the courthouse as part of sweeping disciplinary reforms announced Tuesday by Los Angeles schools. Under the new policy, police officers at Los Angeles Unified School District won't arrest or cite students for low-level offenses like possessing alcohol or marijuana but will instead refer students to administrators or counselors — a shift that educators and justice officials say will prevent students from becoming mired in the criminal justice system. The decriminalization of student discipline marks the latest rollback to "zero tolerance" policies that were instituted in the 1970s and 1980...
2nd story:
Father of 'Affluenza' teen arrested for impersonating an officer
Chron
August 20, 2014
Affluenza A mental condition so maddening that I can barely contain my hatred for it, used by the defense for Tarrant County teen Ethan Couch, who killed four people while drunk driving in June. If you are rich and do something really bad, just complain that it's because the money has rotted your morals. Example: "I didn't know that you had to tip at restaurants. I blame my Affluenza."
The father of a Texas teen who garnered
national attention for being afflicted with "affluenza" has been
arrested on accusations he impersonated a police officer, according to
Dallas media outlets...
Sunday, August 17, 2014
From the defamation archives: Dentist claims he lost $300,000 due to an online review that was up for three weeks
Our health is at risk when doctors and dentists can silence patients who have been harmed. All a doctor has to do to silence criticism is to threaten expensive litigation even when the patient would win in court if he had the resources to go to trial. How many patients have the resources to pay for years of litigation?
A Portland dentist is suing a former patient for what the dentist claims are defamatory reviews in online forums
By Sam Stites
Willamette Week
September 3, 2012
Dr. Mo Saleh, of Dental Dynamics, originally filed suit against Spencer Bailey in Multnomah Circuit Court on June 26 seeking $300,000 after Bailey wrote about Saleh’s dental skills on Yelp, DoctorOogle.com and Google. In his lawsuit, Saleh says Bailey posts caused damage to his reputation, loss of profits and emotional distress.
The reviews cited in the complaint include statements saying Bailey implied ”improper and insufficient dental services by Dr. Saleh.” The complaint further alleges that Bailey wrote, “if Dr. Saleh tells you that you have a cavity — GET A SECOND OPINION.”
According to the complaint. Bailey said he had never had a cavity in 32 years until Saleh found several. Bailey’s lawyers have responded by stating that Bailey went to Saleh for dental work and then went to another dentist after experiencing pain. They claim that the other dentist advised Bailey that some of the fillings were unnecessary and some were poorly put in.
Bailey’s attorneys, Jeremiah Ross and Linda Williams, also claimed that Saleh contacted Bailey after he reviewed the dentist on various web sites, threatening him to remove them. They say Bailey removed the postings out of concern for his and his family’s safety. Even though Bailey removed the postings, Saleh is proceeding with his suit. (Saleh’s lawyer declined to comment.)
As online commentary about all manner of topics has exploded, so too has the number of lawsuits unhappy targets have filed about such commentary. Saleh’s suit falls under what lawyers call a practice of Strategic Law Against Public Participation or SLAPP. SLAPP cases take aim at people making statements or publishing information that could be damaging to the plaintiff. Critics say these suits are sometimes little more than attempt to censor, silence and in intimidate the defendant.
In a similar case, a Washington County pastor sued a former parishioner in June, claiming an online review of his church was defamatory. The defendant’s attorney, Linda Williams—who is also representing Bailey, the dental patient—employed an Oregon anti-SLAPP statute passed in 2001 aimed at frivolous SLAPP lawsuits. The judge ruled in favor of the Washington County defendant and said that the statements were made “in a public forum and concern an issue of public interest,” according to KATU.
Earlier this month Bailey’s attorneys filed a motion to strike Saleh’s lawsuit under the anti-SLAPP statute, declaring that Bailey’s online reviews are free speech in a public forum. "Spencer's review was a protected opinion and the Plaintiff cannot prove their allegations," Ross, Bailey’s co-counsel tells WW via email. "Nor can they prove $300,000 in damages for a post that was up for three weeks."
A judge will hear the anti-SLAPP motion on Sept. 5.
A Portland dentist is suing a former patient for what the dentist claims are defamatory reviews in online forums
By Sam Stites
Willamette Week
September 3, 2012
Dr. Mo Saleh, of Dental Dynamics, originally filed suit against Spencer Bailey in Multnomah Circuit Court on June 26 seeking $300,000 after Bailey wrote about Saleh’s dental skills on Yelp, DoctorOogle.com and Google. In his lawsuit, Saleh says Bailey posts caused damage to his reputation, loss of profits and emotional distress.
The reviews cited in the complaint include statements saying Bailey implied ”improper and insufficient dental services by Dr. Saleh.” The complaint further alleges that Bailey wrote, “if Dr. Saleh tells you that you have a cavity — GET A SECOND OPINION.”
According to the complaint. Bailey said he had never had a cavity in 32 years until Saleh found several. Bailey’s lawyers have responded by stating that Bailey went to Saleh for dental work and then went to another dentist after experiencing pain. They claim that the other dentist advised Bailey that some of the fillings were unnecessary and some were poorly put in.
Bailey’s attorneys, Jeremiah Ross and Linda Williams, also claimed that Saleh contacted Bailey after he reviewed the dentist on various web sites, threatening him to remove them. They say Bailey removed the postings out of concern for his and his family’s safety. Even though Bailey removed the postings, Saleh is proceeding with his suit. (Saleh’s lawyer declined to comment.)
As online commentary about all manner of topics has exploded, so too has the number of lawsuits unhappy targets have filed about such commentary. Saleh’s suit falls under what lawyers call a practice of Strategic Law Against Public Participation or SLAPP. SLAPP cases take aim at people making statements or publishing information that could be damaging to the plaintiff. Critics say these suits are sometimes little more than attempt to censor, silence and in intimidate the defendant.
In a similar case, a Washington County pastor sued a former parishioner in June, claiming an online review of his church was defamatory. The defendant’s attorney, Linda Williams—who is also representing Bailey, the dental patient—employed an Oregon anti-SLAPP statute passed in 2001 aimed at frivolous SLAPP lawsuits. The judge ruled in favor of the Washington County defendant and said that the statements were made “in a public forum and concern an issue of public interest,” according to KATU.
Earlier this month Bailey’s attorneys filed a motion to strike Saleh’s lawsuit under the anti-SLAPP statute, declaring that Bailey’s online reviews are free speech in a public forum. "Spencer's review was a protected opinion and the Plaintiff cannot prove their allegations," Ross, Bailey’s co-counsel tells WW via email. "Nor can they prove $300,000 in damages for a post that was up for three weeks."
A judge will hear the anti-SLAPP motion on Sept. 5.
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Mario Koran gets to the heart of the punitive culture at poor schools
Voice of San Diego's Mario Koran wrote yesterday in Oops: San Diego Unified Might Have Just Unwittingly Validated ‘Vergara’ that blacks and Latinos at poor schools in San Diego are disproportionately suspended and expelled.
This jibes with my experience. I remember how the teacher clique leaders at Castle Park Elementary used to go nuts because Superintendent Libby Gil wouldn't let them suspend students. I, on the other hand, thought that this was the best policy Libia Gil ever instituted. It may have been the only good policy that Gil ever instituted.
One day our special education teacher ran into the lounge, speechless with fury at the principal. The teacher leaned against a wall, fuming, as her loyal brigade of teacher followers fluttered around her asking questions.
It turned out that one of her students had run away from school. Apparently, he just couldn't bear it any more.
She was mad at the kid for leaving, but she was even madder that the principal was going to let him come back.
Ironic, right? She didn't want the kid in her class, but she didn't want him to leave--at least, not voluntarily. She was basically saying, "He can't quit! He has to be fired!"
But here's my larger point: it's not necessarily the least experienced teachers at poor schools who are most responsible for the suspensions and expulsions. There seems to be a culture among many veteran teachers that holds that teachers don't have to do their jobs for students who do not meet all their requirements.
In general, kids are given more chances to measure up if the teacher holds them in high regard. They are allowed more mistakes.
Kids who are disliked by a teacher are behind the figurative eight ball. There's very little chance that they will be able to become one of the fair-haired children, no matter how hard they try.
I taught a bilingual class at Castle Park Elementary, and year after year, my class was assigned to sit in the very back of the auditorium during assemblies. I asked the principal if we could rotate positions. It was starting to feel strange having the brown kids always in the last row. I told the principal that my kids had a greater need to be closer to the front because it was already hard for them to understand English, and it was even harder when they couldn't hear well. But the principal refused to make any changes in our assignment.
I campaigned long and hard to have my students mix with all-English classes for some small part of the day. Finally the other third-grade teachers allowed me to send a few kids to each of their classes for sharing time each morning. "But I don't want them to share, they should just listen," said Teacher A. It's possible that this did them more harm than good. I pointed out, during a grade-level meeting with the principal, that the Civil Rights Act forbids segregation and discrimination. Teacher A laughed out loud. Teacher B bellowed. And the principal let them get away with it. And when Rae Correira came from the district to try to solve the problem, Libby' Gil's right-hand man Richard Werlin transferred Rae to another position and the investigation was dropped. It's ironic that Libia Gil is now in charge of the federal Department of Education's bilingual department.
I think it would be worthwhile for districts to find out which teachers are initiating the suspension process most often, and then to see if those teachers share certain traits, such as being inexperienced.
I suspect that the culture of the school might also have something to do with it.
I know that at some schools teachers spend a lot of time talking about how awful their students are. Other teachers stay away from the lounge so they don’t have to listen to all the complaining by their colleagues about administrators who don’t suspend kids when the teachers demand it.
I think inexperienced teachers might behave very differently depending on the influence of the veteran teachers in their schools. Wouldn’t it be fascinating if it turned out that poor schools not only have the least experienced teachers, but they also have the crankiest veteran teachers? Maybe there’s a perfect storm at poor schools.
I hope you’ll follow up on this, Mario.
The Vergara decision is just a scratch on the surface of what is wrong in poor schools.
But maybe it will help raise the quality of education in poor schools.
COMMENTS FROM VOICE OF SAN DIEGO
Kathy S
"Vergara" or "We can call it structural inequity or we can call it institutional racism."
Fifty years after federal troops escorted nine black students through the doors of an all-white high school in Little Rock, Ark., in a landmark school integration struggle, America's public schools remain as unequal as they have ever been when measured in terms of disciplinary sanctions such as suspensions and expulsions, according to little-noticed data collected by the U.S. Department of Education for the 2004-2005 school year.
Academic researchers have been quietly collecting evidence of such race-based disciplinary disparities for more than 25 years. Yet the phenomenon remains largely obscured from public view by the popular emphasis on "zero tolerance" crackdowns, which are supposed to deliver equally harsh punishments based on a student's infraction, not skin color.
........Race , Class and Gender......
Socioeconomic factors are certainly at play, researchers believe.
"Studies of school suspension have consistently documented disproportionality by socioeconomic status. Students who receive free school lunch are at increased risk for school suspension," according to "The Color of Discipline," a 2000 study by Skiba and other researchers in Indiana and Nebraska. Another study concluded that "students whose fathers did not have a full-time job were significantly more likely to be suspended than students whose fathers were employed full time."
But those studies and others have repeatedly found that racial factors are even more important.
"Poor home environment does carry over into the school environment," said Skiba, who is widely regarded as the nation's foremost authority on school discipline and race. ......."But middle-class and upper-class black students are also being disciplined more often than their white peers. Skin color in itself is a part of this function."....
Maura Larkins
Excellent point, Kathy S. Here's a thought that is chilling, but I have a hunch that it might be true: maybe the cranky veteran teachers who habitually suspend kids of color in poor schools are actually LESS racist than the veteran teachers who have skedaddled to middle and upper class schools. In other words, maybe the horrible situation that we have now, a system that consigns thousand of kids every year to lifelong economic failure, is actually not the worst possible situation. Maybe those cranky teachers just need a little support and guidance to help them cope with difficult students.
I really hope that Mario will keep an eye on how schools handle this issue in the future.
This jibes with my experience. I remember how the teacher clique leaders at Castle Park Elementary used to go nuts because Superintendent Libby Gil wouldn't let them suspend students. I, on the other hand, thought that this was the best policy Libia Gil ever instituted. It may have been the only good policy that Gil ever instituted.
One day our special education teacher ran into the lounge, speechless with fury at the principal. The teacher leaned against a wall, fuming, as her loyal brigade of teacher followers fluttered around her asking questions.
It turned out that one of her students had run away from school. Apparently, he just couldn't bear it any more.
She was mad at the kid for leaving, but she was even madder that the principal was going to let him come back.
Ironic, right? She didn't want the kid in her class, but she didn't want him to leave--at least, not voluntarily. She was basically saying, "He can't quit! He has to be fired!"
But here's my larger point: it's not necessarily the least experienced teachers at poor schools who are most responsible for the suspensions and expulsions. There seems to be a culture among many veteran teachers that holds that teachers don't have to do their jobs for students who do not meet all their requirements.
In general, kids are given more chances to measure up if the teacher holds them in high regard. They are allowed more mistakes.
Kids who are disliked by a teacher are behind the figurative eight ball. There's very little chance that they will be able to become one of the fair-haired children, no matter how hard they try.
I taught a bilingual class at Castle Park Elementary, and year after year, my class was assigned to sit in the very back of the auditorium during assemblies. I asked the principal if we could rotate positions. It was starting to feel strange having the brown kids always in the last row. I told the principal that my kids had a greater need to be closer to the front because it was already hard for them to understand English, and it was even harder when they couldn't hear well. But the principal refused to make any changes in our assignment.
I campaigned long and hard to have my students mix with all-English classes for some small part of the day. Finally the other third-grade teachers allowed me to send a few kids to each of their classes for sharing time each morning. "But I don't want them to share, they should just listen," said Teacher A. It's possible that this did them more harm than good. I pointed out, during a grade-level meeting with the principal, that the Civil Rights Act forbids segregation and discrimination. Teacher A laughed out loud. Teacher B bellowed. And the principal let them get away with it. And when Rae Correira came from the district to try to solve the problem, Libby' Gil's right-hand man Richard Werlin transferred Rae to another position and the investigation was dropped. It's ironic that Libia Gil is now in charge of the federal Department of Education's bilingual department.
I think it would be worthwhile for districts to find out which teachers are initiating the suspension process most often, and then to see if those teachers share certain traits, such as being inexperienced.
I suspect that the culture of the school might also have something to do with it.
I know that at some schools teachers spend a lot of time talking about how awful their students are. Other teachers stay away from the lounge so they don’t have to listen to all the complaining by their colleagues about administrators who don’t suspend kids when the teachers demand it.
I think inexperienced teachers might behave very differently depending on the influence of the veteran teachers in their schools. Wouldn’t it be fascinating if it turned out that poor schools not only have the least experienced teachers, but they also have the crankiest veteran teachers? Maybe there’s a perfect storm at poor schools.
I hope you’ll follow up on this, Mario.
The Vergara decision is just a scratch on the surface of what is wrong in poor schools.
But maybe it will help raise the quality of education in poor schools.
COMMENTS FROM VOICE OF SAN DIEGO
Kathy S
"Vergara" or "We can call it structural inequity or we can call it institutional racism."
Fifty years after federal troops escorted nine black students through the doors of an all-white high school in Little Rock, Ark., in a landmark school integration struggle, America's public schools remain as unequal as they have ever been when measured in terms of disciplinary sanctions such as suspensions and expulsions, according to little-noticed data collected by the U.S. Department of Education for the 2004-2005 school year.
Academic researchers have been quietly collecting evidence of such race-based disciplinary disparities for more than 25 years. Yet the phenomenon remains largely obscured from public view by the popular emphasis on "zero tolerance" crackdowns, which are supposed to deliver equally harsh punishments based on a student's infraction, not skin color.
........Race , Class and Gender......
Socioeconomic factors are certainly at play, researchers believe.
"Studies of school suspension have consistently documented disproportionality by socioeconomic status. Students who receive free school lunch are at increased risk for school suspension," according to "The Color of Discipline," a 2000 study by Skiba and other researchers in Indiana and Nebraska. Another study concluded that "students whose fathers did not have a full-time job were significantly more likely to be suspended than students whose fathers were employed full time."
But those studies and others have repeatedly found that racial factors are even more important.
"Poor home environment does carry over into the school environment," said Skiba, who is widely regarded as the nation's foremost authority on school discipline and race. ......."But middle-class and upper-class black students are also being disciplined more often than their white peers. Skin color in itself is a part of this function."....
Maura Larkins
Excellent point, Kathy S. Here's a thought that is chilling, but I have a hunch that it might be true: maybe the cranky veteran teachers who habitually suspend kids of color in poor schools are actually LESS racist than the veteran teachers who have skedaddled to middle and upper class schools. In other words, maybe the horrible situation that we have now, a system that consigns thousand of kids every year to lifelong economic failure, is actually not the worst possible situation. Maybe those cranky teachers just need a little support and guidance to help them cope with difficult students.
I really hope that Mario will keep an eye on how schools handle this issue in the future.
@Maura Larkins I don't think structural
inequity or institutional racism is a "cranky veteran teacher"
thing....
Of course, you're right. At
heart, structural inequity goes much deeper than crankiness.
Where exactly does it come
from? It comes from the human instinct to advance ourselves by putting
our neighbors at a disadvantage. And it is maintained by the human
instinct to resist change. Once a group of people gets themselves into a
privileged position, they resist giving up that position. At that point,
it isn't necessarily racism that protects the system. It's the fear of
change.
Some very nice people work hard to
maintain structural inequity. That's the beauty of the system, from the
point of view of those who think they benefit from it.The people who enforce it
don’t even think they’re doing anything wrong.
Of course, I question whether people
are really acting in their own best interest when they grab an obscenely large
slice of the pie while their neighbors get crumbs. Everyone would be
safer if our society didn’t generate legions of citizens who have nothing to
lose.
My point is this: very few teachers
in the classroom actually intend to dispense structural injustice.
The system has left these teachers
with inadequate resources to deal with children who have been set up to fail by
poverty and past and present inequality.
It’s not accidental that these
teachers have inadequate resources.Society intends this to be the case. If we
wanted good schools for all kids, we would have them.
So what I’m saying is that at the
level of the classroom, the institutional racism is applied to individual
children by teachers who are socialized into a culture of crankiness.
They don’t sit around the teacher
lounge saying racist things.They rant about specific kids who did specific
things.
The teachers have no idea that they
are failing to give the kids the chances that they deserve.The teachers really
believe they are doing the right thing.
Teachers tend to give white and Asian children more chances because they believe that those kids are more likely to succeed. This belief becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy because the teachers undermine the black and brown students by too-readily consigning them to failure.
Learning is all about making mistakes and then improving. Good teaching means deftly guiding a child from ignorance to knowledge. Instead, lazy teachers just excuse themselves from their obligations by deciding that there's no point in helping some children.
Of course, many white children are also undermined by the rigidity and laziness of their teachers.
It isn't just about race.
The teachers themselves are not receiving adequate training and supervision.
After all, who do you think is supervising them? Teachers just like themselves who probably got promoted for reasons other than teaching excellence.
Teachers tend to give white and Asian children more chances because they believe that those kids are more likely to succeed. This belief becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy because the teachers undermine the black and brown students by too-readily consigning them to failure.
Learning is all about making mistakes and then improving. Good teaching means deftly guiding a child from ignorance to knowledge. Instead, lazy teachers just excuse themselves from their obligations by deciding that there's no point in helping some children.
Of course, many white children are also undermined by the rigidity and laziness of their teachers.
It isn't just about race.
The teachers themselves are not receiving adequate training and supervision.
After all, who do you think is supervising them? Teachers just like themselves who probably got promoted for reasons other than teaching excellence.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
It’s the students who lose when universities pay enormous salaries to upper-level administrators while cutting faculty salaries
What parents need to know about college faculty
BY Joseph Fruscione
PBS
August 14, 2014
Editor’s Note: Another school year is about to start, and parents will soon be packing their teenagers up for college. But do they know who’s teaching their kids?
America’s college and university faculty doesn’t look like it did when parents were in school. Today, adjunct professors represent more than 70 percent of all faculty. These teachers aren’t tenure-track, and they’re probably teaching on multiple campuses to make ends meet because they earn an average of $2,500 per course (with three or four courses per semester). That makes it hard for your sons or daughters to find their office hours — if they even have offices (most of them don’t).
Joe Fruscione used to be one of those adjuncts. But after 15 years shuffling among three Washington, DC-area universities, he’s left that world to pursue a career as a freelance writer and editor and activist. Last month on this page, he wrote about the petition he and other adjuncts will be delivering to the U.S. Department of Labor...
It’s the students who lose...when universities “pay enormous salaries to upper-level administrators while cutting faculty salaries by dismantling tenure and moving faculty to piecemeal adjunct positions...
BY Joseph Fruscione
PBS
August 14, 2014
Editor’s Note: Another school year is about to start, and parents will soon be packing their teenagers up for college. But do they know who’s teaching their kids?
America’s college and university faculty doesn’t look like it did when parents were in school. Today, adjunct professors represent more than 70 percent of all faculty. These teachers aren’t tenure-track, and they’re probably teaching on multiple campuses to make ends meet because they earn an average of $2,500 per course (with three or four courses per semester). That makes it hard for your sons or daughters to find their office hours — if they even have offices (most of them don’t).
Joe Fruscione used to be one of those adjuncts. But after 15 years shuffling among three Washington, DC-area universities, he’s left that world to pursue a career as a freelance writer and editor and activist. Last month on this page, he wrote about the petition he and other adjuncts will be delivering to the U.S. Department of Labor...
It’s the students who lose...when universities “pay enormous salaries to upper-level administrators while cutting faculty salaries by dismantling tenure and moving faculty to piecemeal adjunct positions...
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Solana Beach School District ordered to pay $580,000 in attorney fees in Doyle case
Solana Beach School District board members have been called out by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal for wasting taxpayer money and for denying a free and appropriate public education to a little girl. The district has been ordered to pay $580,000 to the little girl's lawyers, who were dragged by the district from court to court, year after year.
Here's what the board members of Solana Beach School District would say in their own defense: we were trying to protect our resources so we could spend them on regular students.
But if they're like most school districts, of course, they also fail to give an appropriate education to vast numbers of regular students. The money saved by violating the legal rights of special education students is likely to go to some administrator or outside vendor rather than to a regular classroom.
I'd estimate that the number of regular students who never reach their full potential, and end up locked-out of the American Dream, is much higher than the number of special education students who are left behind.
So, where do school districts get the idea that they are free to violate the law? School boards aren't supposed to substitute their own judgments for the law of the land.
The idea is to make it so costly and onerous to sue a school district that future lawsuits will be prevented, and the district will actually save money in the long run. It's sort of like the Vietnam War: schools know they can't win, but they want to let their enemies know that they will pay dearly for challenging a school district.
But wait, you say, these are our children, not armed adversaries.
And the parents are part of the public that funds the schools!
Well, apparently that's not how school boards see the situation. Believe it or not, school districts actually have lists of parents that are considered "enemies".
The lawyers representing Solana Beach School District in the Doyle case were just doing their job.
The law holds the client--in this case, the school board--automatically responsible for any improper actions in litigating the case. If the board members were to try to shift the blame to the lawyers, I'm confident they would lose. Afterall, the board knew exactly what it was doing. Solana Beach School District was represented by Fagen, Friedman Fulfrost and Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz in the Doyle case.
Our justice system is based on the theory is that if both sides in a case fight equally hard to win, we'll end up with a fair decision a large part of the time. Young lawyers are instructed to fight like hell for their clients. That's the most important rule, the one that everyone seems to follow.
The goal is to end up with a decision that everyone will be willing to accept, whether or not it is actually just. We go along with the decisions for the sake of peace in society.
We try to ignore the fact that most parents can't afford $580,000 worth of legal assistance. (I believe the Doyle's were represented by pro bono attorneys, but there aren't enough pro bono attorneys to keep schools honest.)
Schools, of course, can reach deeply into taxpayer pockets to fund their own legal defense.
Also, most lawyers won't sue public entities (particularly not schools and police agencies). Why not? Because the school attorneys will tell the jury, yes, sure, this school district might not be a candidate for sainthood, but you don't want to hold it financially responsible, do you? You don't want to make a school district pay money, do you?
The result? Schools can operate quite freely outside the law.
We actually have a decision-producing system rather than a justice system.
Will the Doyle decision cause a change in schools?
Not unless the voters take some action at the polls.
Here's what the board members of Solana Beach School District would say in their own defense: we were trying to protect our resources so we could spend them on regular students.
But if they're like most school districts, of course, they also fail to give an appropriate education to vast numbers of regular students. The money saved by violating the legal rights of special education students is likely to go to some administrator or outside vendor rather than to a regular classroom.
I'd estimate that the number of regular students who never reach their full potential, and end up locked-out of the American Dream, is much higher than the number of special education students who are left behind.
So, where do school districts get the idea that they are free to violate the law? School boards aren't supposed to substitute their own judgments for the law of the land.
UT-San Diego notes, "The Solana Beach School District has ended up with more than $800,000 in legal bills in a special-education dispute that started over one family’s $6,100 of private-school tuition. The district unsuccessfully fought the Doyle family, now living in Utah, through several federal appeals and attempted to involve the U.S. Supreme Court. A federal court commissioner on Aug. 1 ordered Solana Beach to pay nearly $580,000 in attorney’s fees for the Doyles, on top of hundreds of thousands the district has paid for its own counsel."
The idea is to make it so costly and onerous to sue a school district that future lawsuits will be prevented, and the district will actually save money in the long run. It's sort of like the Vietnam War: schools know they can't win, but they want to let their enemies know that they will pay dearly for challenging a school district.
But wait, you say, these are our children, not armed adversaries.
And the parents are part of the public that funds the schools!
Well, apparently that's not how school boards see the situation. Believe it or not, school districts actually have lists of parents that are considered "enemies".
The lawyers representing Solana Beach School District in the Doyle case were just doing their job.
The law holds the client--in this case, the school board--automatically responsible for any improper actions in litigating the case. If the board members were to try to shift the blame to the lawyers, I'm confident they would lose. Afterall, the board knew exactly what it was doing. Solana Beach School District was represented by Fagen, Friedman Fulfrost and Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz in the Doyle case.
Our justice system is based on the theory is that if both sides in a case fight equally hard to win, we'll end up with a fair decision a large part of the time. Young lawyers are instructed to fight like hell for their clients. That's the most important rule, the one that everyone seems to follow.
The goal is to end up with a decision that everyone will be willing to accept, whether or not it is actually just. We go along with the decisions for the sake of peace in society.
We try to ignore the fact that most parents can't afford $580,000 worth of legal assistance. (I believe the Doyle's were represented by pro bono attorneys, but there aren't enough pro bono attorneys to keep schools honest.)
Schools, of course, can reach deeply into taxpayer pockets to fund their own legal defense.
Also, most lawyers won't sue public entities (particularly not schools and police agencies). Why not? Because the school attorneys will tell the jury, yes, sure, this school district might not be a candidate for sainthood, but you don't want to hold it financially responsible, do you? You don't want to make a school district pay money, do you?
The result? Schools can operate quite freely outside the law.
We actually have a decision-producing system rather than a justice system.
Will the Doyle decision cause a change in schools?
Not unless the voters take some action at the polls.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
California Department of Education (CDE) refuses to take complaints about Child Nutrition Program
Does Director Sandip Kaur of the California Department of Education's Child Nutrition Program look the other way when her top administrators aid and abet retaliation against citizens who complain about irregularities in the handling of public money?
Sandip Kaur, director of CDE's
Child Nutrition Services
The California Department of Education (CDE) handles huge amounts of USDA money that is supposed to end up feeding children in California. CDE distributes these taxpayer dollars to local organizations such as Chicano Federation here in San Diego.
If you have reason to believe that a local organization isn't handling the public money properly, you're theoretically allowed to file a complaint with CDE. But you might want to think twice before you do that.
I complained twice to CDE about Chicano Federation.
The first time, it wasn't so bad. CDE simply ignored my complaint. It was clear that they wanted to protect Chicano Federation.
But I had no idea how determined CDE is to protect the organizations to whom it gives large amounts of public funds.
I found out today that my second complaint didn't get ignored. It was given through back channels to Chicano Federation without ever being acknowledged or accepted officially.
And Chicano Federation is now threatening to sue me for writing to CDE about them!
I got a letter today from Michael at Daly Law Firm in San Diego that states:
"You have also sent out a libelous email to representatives of the California Department of Education with the subject line "Clearly CDE has let Chicano Federation feel that it is free to administer the USDA regulations arbitrarily and abusively" that also defames Mr. Uzeta and the organization."
I wonder whether Mr. Uzeta is using tax dollars or donations to sue a citizen for complaining to the California Department of Education.
The representatives of the CDE who received my complaint were...[Update Aug. 15, 2014: I have removed these names because I believe that these individuals were doing what they were told to do, and they'd probably get fired if they did otherwise. It appears that Tom Torlakson thinks that the Child Nutrition Program should be run like a bad public school.]
I called Chris Kavooras at CDE at 11:09 this morning, but she hasn't returned my call. I have the feeling that I will have to wait a very long time for her call. [Note/Update Aug 15, 2014: Chris Kavooras sent me a terse email. Also, the complaint I filed in June, which was ignored, has suddenly been activated by Shirley Rhodes. So far I have received no response to my complaint about intimidation and retaliation, but I expect something soon.]
But I'd be willing to bet that someone at CDE is already on the phone to Chicano Federation.
The head of the Child Nutrition Program is Sandip Kaur. I'm going to try to get through to her. Maybe Sandip can tell me if CDE has a policy of aiding and abetting retaliation against citizens who complain about irregularities in the handling of public money.
UPDATE: I called CDE again, and now the receptionist isn't answering at 916 445 0850. That's interesting. Rhonda has always answered previously.
But I did find the official email address of the associate director of CDE. She's Carol Chase Huegli. I wonder if I'll get sued for writing to her?
Saturday, August 09, 2014
Judge rules against NCAA in Ed O'Bannon antitrust lawsuit
It's time to take a look at education administrators. The culture of school administrators from elementary through college is supports the personal and political agendas of those in charge rather than the advancement of students.
See all posts on bad administrators.
Wilken issued her ruling five weeks after a bench trial in the case brought by former UCLA basketball star Ed O’Bannon on behalf of Division I men’s basketball and football players concluded.
Wilken, however, stopped short of lifting rules that bar student-athletes to receive money for commercial endorsements while in school, saying that would “undermine the efforts of both the NCAA and its member schools to protect against the ‘commercial exploitation’ of student-athletes.”...
Wednesday, August 06, 2014
A calculator that makes you estimate the answer before you can see it
Behold the Power of an Educated Guess
...[Ilan Samson, an inventor from Israel] set out to make people rethink how they learn math long before 43 states adopted new Common Core state standards. But now that Common Core is in full-swing in San Diego, he’s hoping more schools will see the benefit of having a tool like QAMA in their classrooms.
The calculator is already in students’ hands at High Tech High and the Preuss School at UCSD, among other schools...
The goal is to help students connect math concepts, and build on them, instead of learning lessons in fragments. Ideally, students will be able to explain how they arrived at an answer, which is why parents might notice – and sometimes reject – an increased focus on word problems.
But if we want American students to become more competitive internationally, it may be time to rethink how we teach. Elizabeth Green, editor of Chalkbeat, a nonprofit news site covering education, took a detailed look at why Americans stink at math.
Green determined that Americans can learn a lot from how math is taught in other countries. One or her points fit with Samson’s take: American students spend too much time memorizing arbitrary rituals. This approach is divorced from true learning, and undervalues the process of finding the answer...
Monday, August 04, 2014
The arrest and suicide of Aaron Schwartz: Is there a problem with the culture of secrecy in our universities?
Did MIT go too far in the Aaron Schwartz
case? Why are universities so secretive about their research? I have a suspicion that university administrators are cut from the same cloth as K-12 school administrators--too often concerned about protecting the power of people in high positions rather than dedicating themselves to the goal of education.
Why did the Department of Justice go after Aaron so savagely?
June 27, 2014
I first met Swartz's father, Robert, last year as he explained his mission to fight for his son's memory by helping to change outdated laws. He wanted answers about why he lost his son.
His son's story is now the subject of a new documentary called "The Internet's Own Boy: The story of Aaron Swartz."...
Why did the Department of Justice go after Aaron so savagely?
Aaron Swartz's father: He'd be alive today if he was never arrested
June 27, 2014
In 2013, Internet activist and Reddit co-founder Aaron Swartz ended his life while facing up to 35 years in prison for hacking.
Swartz faced multiple charges for breaking and entering into an MIT wiring closet and downloading academic journals, including two counts of wire fraud and 11 counts of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Swartz, who was battling the court, also battled with depression. Prosecutors dropped the charges after his death.I first met Swartz's father, Robert, last year as he explained his mission to fight for his son's memory by helping to change outdated laws. He wanted answers about why he lost his son.
His son's story is now the subject of a new documentary called "The Internet's Own Boy: The story of Aaron Swartz."...
Sunday, August 03, 2014
San Diegans are paying to defend a politician who claims San Diegans have no right to obtain records
You think that just because you're paying the lawyer, that means he's acting in your interest?
No, public entity lawyers protect public officials. They rarely seek to protect the public. (Mike Aguirre was an exception to this rule. He believed he represented the people of San Diego.)
We elected them--and now we're paying for their efforts to keep us ignorant of what's going on.
Both Voice of San Diego and UT-San Diego are covering the topic:
The issue of concealing public business in private emails will be addressed by the California Supreme Court in Smith v. City of San Jose (March 19, 2013, No. 1-09-CV-150427).
No, public entity lawyers protect public officials. They rarely seek to protect the public. (Mike Aguirre was an exception to this rule. He believed he represented the people of San Diego.)
We elected them--and now we're paying for their efforts to keep us ignorant of what's going on.
Both Voice of San Diego and UT-San Diego are covering the topic:
Morning Report: What to Watch for in Big PD Misconduct Deal
...San Diegans are now in the position of paying to defend a politician who claims San Diegans have no right to obtain the records of public business he has conducted over his personal devices and accounts.
Goldsmith’s office recently coughed up around 1,000 emails relating to city business that went to his personal account, but noted he wasn’t legally required to do so.Secret Public RecordsOn the topic of the public’s interest, the Public Utility Commission decided to withhold an expert report on what went wrong at the San Onofre nuclear power plant. Full disclosure of that report wouldn’t be in the public’s best interest either, according to a PUC attorney.
Shortly after denying the request to release the report in defense of the public’s best interest, the PUC released the report...
The issue of concealing public business in private emails will be addressed by the California Supreme Court in Smith v. City of San Jose (March 19, 2013, No. 1-09-CV-150427).
State's high court takes email case
Justices will decide whether officials can keep public business secret by using personal devices
The California Supreme Court will review a lower court ruling that kept otherwise public records out of public hands if they were sent using private email accounts and devices.The San Jose case involves a resident who asked to see emails and texts of City Council members but was rejected because the communication took place on personal devices and accounts. It’s garnering statewide interest as electronic devices make it possible for public officials to handle more public business outside the usual communications systems...
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