school-funding-taxes

So School Districts want “involved Parents”? Er, not so much here

My operative question in this (and those similar to them) is this: Who works for whom? Reformatted, emphasis mine:

Parents lament Connecticut school district’s decision to stop lunch visits

Some parents cherish school lunch visits with their children. If work or other obligations allow them, it can be a time to check-in with kids and model good social behavior. But in a Connecticut town’s elementary schools, district officials have sided with those who find such visits to be disruptive. Parents can no longer visit their kids during lunchtime at the Darien system’s K-5 schools after they struggled with a growing number of cafeteria visitors.

“It feels like a punch in the gut,” said Jessica Xu, whose oldest child is in first grade. “I chose the town for the schools. I’m so frustrated the schools don’t want me there.” Although some supported the decision in the wealthy shoreline community that prides itself on its high-performing public schools, Xu is not alone. Parents have protested at town meetings and in online forums, saying they can help their children resolve conflicts with others or simply help them open milk cartons.

And who are the “those” people?

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It Was A Fire-Stormy: The California BAR and Avenatti

The California State Bar oversees the 250,000 licensed attorneys in that state.

They have a web site and publish news releases. Here is a recent press release, warning California citizens caught in the recent wild fires in the tinderbox forests of California to be on the lookout for unscrupulous lawyers:

The State Bar of California Issues Fraud Alert, Warns Fire Victims to Watch for and Report Potential Legal Fraud
Published: November 15, 2018

The State Bar of California issued a fraud alert to warn the public to watch out for and report potential fraud in response to the recent fires across the state. (The fraud alert is also available in Spanish and Chinese.) As a result of California’s ongoing fires, many people may wish to seek legal advice for various reasons, including insurance disputes, landlord tenant disputes, consumer fraud and more. California law prohibits lawyers or others acting on behalf of a lawyer from…”

And the article goes on to describe things crooked lawyers do to latch onto a client. They want to protect people who hire lawyers.

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Democrat Chris Pappas Backs Pelosi for Speaker of the US House

Freshman Democrat Congressperson-elect Chris Pappas has followed career politician Ann Kuster down the rabbit hole. Kuster’s Thanksgiving gift to New Hampshire was a repeat endorsement of Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House. Pappas has joined her in supporting Pelosi after months of avoiding the subject of who he might earn his favor. Related: We Can’t Trust Chris … Read more

bread-grain-harvest

By the way – Thanksgiving isn’t Racist Oppression. It Isn’t Even Cultural Appropriation

As the annual onslaught of “Social Justice hate” against Thanksgiving dissipates in the seasonal rear-view, we have an opportunity to stir it back up. What? Triggering snowflakes is fun. Speaking of which, Trump and Thanksgiving start with the same letter. Right? That’s not what I meant. Related: Decolonizing Thanksgiving: A Toolkit for Combatting Racism in Schools.” The … Read more

Quotes

Notable Quote – Ben Shapiro

“The left is expert at framing debates. They have buzzwords they use to direct the debate toward unwinnable positions for you. They are tolerant, diverse, fighters for social justice; if you oppose them, by contrast, you are intolerant, xenophobic, and in favor of injustice. Now, all these terms are – to be polite – a … Read more

Yes, Steve, the Manchester Democrats really do hate Rich Girard AND lawyer Karen Hewes invokes the Streisand Effect

MANCHESTER — An attorney representing a Manchester High School Central senior has sent a letter to At Large school board member Rich Girard, requesting he stop discussing her publicly or during meetings or face legal action, after he contacted her through a district-operated student email account regarding an opinion piece she authored in a student newspaper. The student, Rachel Phelan, 18, wrote an editorial in the Sept. 28 edition of “The Little Green,” Central’s student newspaper, urging support for city teachers currently working without a contract.

And said attorney is identified later on in the article as Karen Hewes of EdLaw New England in Bedford. Who accuses Girard of violating FERPA, the Federal law that protect students’ Personal Indentifiable Information (“PII”) as Grokster Ann Marie talked about here. Yet, I dryly note that her letter to Girard to stop talking about Rachel Phelan was leaked to the UL (do ya really think it was Rich that would have done that?).  Naw, this boob of an attorney

Sidenote: Wanna make a bet I’ll hear about that as either being sexual harrassment or politically incorrectly for simply using a common American English slang phrase?  First Amendment, baby – just like Rachel Phelan “outed” herself as an adult, so has this nitwit.

not is just trying to threaten Rick Girard – she also outed her client to everyone in NH.  Great job, just a great job. Which brings up the case – for fee or pro bono?  Truth or self-aggrandizment? Or just being self-unaware of invoking the Streisand Effect?  OK, to recap (thank you, Steve):

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WIndham Pelham School District

Part 1: Back to the Windham School District; yet another self-inflicted wound, eh? Yes, teacher Elizabeth Talon, that would be you.

“Are NFL players participating in Civil Disobedience?“

That is the question that was put to Elizabeth Talon’s class – but was the NFL really the true subject of this “lesson”?

First, let’s put a baseline into place examine the new Code of Ethics that was adopted earlier this month by the NH Board of Education in that a few snippets may well apply (found here, emphasis mine):

  • The educator accepts the responsibility to practice within the educational profession according to the highest ethical standards and aspires to continuously and consistently make decisions which are, first and foremost, within the best interests of the student.
  • There is also a recognition that the decisions and actions that the educator makes, whether inside or outside of the school and classroom, may be reflective of ones’ professional judgment.

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WMUR_Logo

Going along with my previous observations about WMUR – a tilt; Part 2: So “Diversity” really means “Democrat”?

Democrats yammer all day about about diversity this, diversity, there, diversity there…but I’m wondering how “diverse” their voting records will be for all that talk about “diversity”?  Do that really mean diversity in thought?  Diversity in legislation?

No, “Diversity” on the Democrat side is only skin-deep on the outside and mono-thought culture on the inside:

I bring that, partly as a younger person. I’m also a Latino and we could also use some more diversity in the Legislature from that perspective as well.

My question is this: Why?  If you are a Democrat, and you speak like a Democrat, and you vote like a Democrat, what does being a Latino have to do with anything?  What does having others around you look like you have to do with anything if you all act the same in the Democrat mode? From my perch outside of both Parties, it simply devolves to

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WMUR_Logo

Going along with my previous observations about WMUR – a tilt?

On yesterday’s WMUR News9 at 5pm, they ran a piece on the new legislators, newly elected on November 6th, as they were going through their 3 day State House orientation:

Like the political junkie I am, I watched it…and went “wait…what?”  Diversity? Methinks WMUR’s Adam Sexton went tilt on “diversity”.

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“I am running for the position of Chair (Belknap County Republican Committee)

Dear Fellow Republicans:

On Wednesday, December 12, the Belknap County Republican Committee will be meeting at the Laconia VFW Post, 143 Court Street, Laconia.  The principal purpose of the meeting will be to elect 19 Republican State Committee Members from Belknap County. Although any Republican can make nominations, only “Delegates” can vote at that time.

I ask for your support and vote to elect me as one of the Committee Members.

Also, on January 9, the  Belknap County GOP will be electing its officers, and I am running for the position of Chair.

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Americans for Prosperity: 2018 Conservative of the Year is David Wheeler

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 28, 2018
CONTACT: Greg Moore, GMoore@afphq.org

Americans for Prosperity Awards David Wheeler as the 2018 Conservative of the Year
Executive Councilor receives grassroots group award for protecting taxpayers, promoting freedom

MANCHESTER, NH – Americans for Prosperity-New Hampshire (AFP-NH) today announced that Executive Councilor David Wheeler will receive the grassroots group’s Tom Thomson Conservative of the Year Award.

“David Wheeler’s tremendous stewardship of taxpayer money and commitment to upholding the New Hampshire Advantage has benefited New Hampshire greatly. From his continuous support of ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent in the most efficient and effective manner possible to his continuous opposition of Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, David has kept government growth in check and worked to expand freedom,” said AFP-NH State Director, Greg Moore. “During his time in office, David exemplified the belief that ‘low taxes are the result of low spending.’ We are proud to award David with our Tom Thomson Conservative of the Year Award and thank him for the great work he did for the Granite State, not just this year, but over the course of decades embracing our ‘Live Free or Die’ tradition.”

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If this is happening in Merrimack schools without Parental Notification, it’s probably happening in your’s.

“New Hampshire schools have redirected the purpose of school, and the primary focus is not on academics.”

Marge Chiafery, Superintendent of Schools;

I appreciate your response that you have provided and appreciate the open dialogue about data collection and social, emotional, and behavioral programming (SEL) in the state of New Hampshire. After reading the regulations for FERPA, it appears that personally identifiable information (PII) collected at the local school district level in the state of New Hampshire (i4See Data Collection system) can be shared without parents knowing about it. Knowing that social, emotional and behavioral programming is being initiated in the state, I believe the sheer magnitude of sharing sensitive, personal, and private data brings the legal issues of privacy, safety, and security to the front of my concerns. I’m sure you would agree.

Although it appears that schools and the New Hampshire Department of Education tell parents and communities that the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. §1232g, is a Federal Privacy law designed to protect the privacy of students’ educational records. Regrettably, regulations were changed without Congressional authority where data mining of our children is permitted for research and development without the knowledge and consent of the parents. I believe it is important that parents are informed about this loophole in the regulations. Protecting children and families should be of utmost importance particularly if children are being used as research subjects. When you stated in your letter, “We have been, and will continue to be methodical in our research and in the application of research into practice….” your comment sheds light on exactly what is happening in our classrooms…methodical research into practice. Professional ethical protocols require informed consent when researching, assessing and treating subjects.

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