Curse on Greece residents: “May you live in an INTERESTING school district.”
The Greece Board of Education, AKA the board that can’t shoot straight, stumbled into the news again this week… several times.
It began last weekend with news of the Greece Superintendent disciplining a popular hockey coach who admitted to drinking on an overnight trip to a tournament. The school board was besieged with complaints from fans and families of team members, so on Tuesday they overruled their Superintendent in a secret vote. The only dissenting board member, Frank Oberg, was so upset that he left the subsequent public meeting in protest. The next day he posted this comment on a public website:
I want to make clear that I did not support last night’s board decision. I think the board’s action was irresponsible, violates the board’s own Zero Tolerance policy for drugs (including alcohol) as delineated in Policy number 6151 and Policy number 6150, sets a poor example for our kids to follow, and undermines the superintendents ability to maintain order within the district. My message follows:
I had no hand in this matter. I am disgusted by the action of the board in this matter. I did not and do not support this undermining of the Superintendent’s disciplinary role. This community is unable to tell the difference between principled behavior and response to mob rule.
On Wednesday, news broke that a city woman was arrested for allegedly falsifying documents to enroll her children in Greece schools. An excessive response? Maybe. D&C reporter Meaghan McDermott discovered that most school districts resolve such cases without arresting anybody. The final irony: If the mother goes to prison, her children might move in with their grandmother, who lives in Greece… and they’ll continue attending the same Greece schools, legally.
On Thursday, it was revealed by the State Comptroller that Greece schools, along with four other districts, failed to perform adequate criminal background checks on new employees.
On Friday, more news about “illegal” students. This time, a principal took it upon herself to expel a student she suspected of living outside the district. Hey, what happened to “due process?” Here’s what the mother had to say:
“I’m upset they questioned my son, without my permission and did not contact me,” Melissa Brandt said. The first time she found her 10 year-old son D’Andre Brandt was getting kicked out of his school was when a letter came home with him Thursday. It says D’Andre didn’t live in Greece and his last day at Buckman Elementary is Friday.
“I’m upset because I moved from the city to come here so that my children could have a better education,” Brandt said. “I’m a single mother trying to do the best for my children.”
Greece School District, you sure keep things “interesting.” What do you have in store for us next week?
Related posts:
Keep in mind that the majority of school board is by no means independent of the republican political apparatus in Greece though they may represent the rump of the old ‘boily’ wing of the party.
the boily wing operating through the local rotary club recruits and funds candidates for office. since only they have money for publicity they have carried the day recently. This is Just another reason we need real change in greece
[...] Curse on Greece residents: “May you live in an INTERESTING school district.” [...]
[...] Greece Board of Education, AKA the board that can’t shoot straight, stepped into their own poo again. This time, mixing Christianity with public education. Well, [...]