[Insert Sch. Dist.] Kids First

[Ghost of LL 15698]

So in my local school district, we got a new group about two months ago called "X Kids First."  Their entire platform is all about returning to school as quickly as possible.  Some of the people are more strident than others, but the leader of our local group is out there lobbying the school board to return to school with no greater safeguards than the minimum TEA recommendations. 

Because football, don't you know--other teams aren't having to wear masks.  And that might impair our ability to Take State!

So about two weeks ago, we start hearing that there are other "X Kids First" around the state (and presumably around the country).  Austin ISD has one; Dripping Springs ISD has one; Dallas ISD has one.  So are our local crazy moms just really good evangelists for the pro-virus cause?

Nooooooo.  It turns out it's all a fucking astroturf deal.  It's all some scheme out of the Trump Administration (including Betsy DeVos).  Presumably the purpose is to get schools fully reopened so parents can go back to work and the economy will reopen (health consequences notwithstanding) before the election.  But with Betsy DeVos involved, you know that part of the purpose is to undermine public education.

And that's apparent when you get into the X-KF'ers' communications.  Their communications to public-school teachers are really toxic.  It's been hugely demoralizing to the teachers and administrators who are putting in incredibly long hours to teach students under difficult circumstances.  And it's all with the goal of undermining public education.

So be on the lookout, because this shit is coming to a neighborhood/school near you.

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

It is the most sorrowful thing in the world that I am no longer shocked that @Brisketexan's admonition: "THERE IS NO BOTTOM!" is each and every day a reality.

 

 

Edited October 1, 2020 by Mrs Whiggins
today is not my day to type.

[Guest Lobo]

Our local ISD had one of these very early on and it got real annoying, real quick.  It was all over KVUE and KXAN as well.  The people we know that are leading it here locally aren't overly-Trumpers which kinda surprised me that they'd get so involved in this obvious political scheme.  Then I realized the main organizer (she's been all over the news to talk about it), runs an event planning/production company so of course she wants things opened back up, but she's going in a really roundabout way to do that.  I consider her a friend and I've done a lot of philanthropic work with her in higher ed., so I'm kinda surprised at how adamant she's being about this.

They took another interesting leap last week (we had to have an 'emergency' meeting of our Envision Committee on Tuesday)...they've formally announced their members (and they are in the several hundreds of student households at this point) will not be donating to the district excellence fund (which raises millions each year to give direct grants to teachers) nor will they be donating to any individual campus booster clubs.  The reason?  Because too much of it is going to fund PPE and to hire substitute teachers.  Their threat rationale is that if there are no paid subs, teachers will be forced to come back into school.  I'm not sure why they're so pissy about the district buying PPE in bulk for campus usage.  Anyway, we're trying to figure out a quick way to make up that shortfall by the end of the year.  One of the reasons our school district is good is because of the substantial amount the excellence fund and booster clubs raise each year.  Our teachers only make like $1,500 above the state average but that's pretty much completely wiped out by the fact that Austin is an expensive city to live in compared to fucking Waco or Corsicana where they make the same amount.  But they get a nice supplement from these funds, plus no need to pay out of pocket for any classroom supplies.  No need to spend weekends doing fundraisers for art supplies.  And this group is threatening to withhold a huge portion of those donations while they have their political pouting fit.  

A month ago we turned over an independently audited manifest of what percentage of teachers AND STAFF (they get lost in these debates) had serious co-morbidities or someone in their household with one, and it came back at nearly 40%.  And "X Kids First" response was basically...'welp, tough shit.'  Also surprising given one of the leaders of the group does PR for a living.  She asked me to participate and my response was to politely decline and send a pic of our garage learning POD that will be operational until holiday break.  

I get they're passionate about this, as we all are.  They are just going about it a very tone-deaf way and they're doing a shitty job at hiding what's really motivating them.  There's a lot of members in their group that I know just want a safe way to get their kids connected with other kids and teachers in a reasonable way, but their leadership has obfuscated the true purpose of "X Kids First"...it's to serve as a hail mary attempt for certain politicians to save face.  Every little thing that starts to feel somewhat normal again, makes us complacent.  And if we're complacent, we won't stand in long masked lines to vote certain people out of office (NO CR).  I've long since accepted that we can weaponize education for politics (I have openly remarked on here and TOS for 10 years at what a shitty job Democrats do with public education.  Part of the reason I have to volunteer so much of my time each month is to work to clean up their messes).  We can politicize the virus, and of course teachers have always been an exploited political tool by the Democrats.  But what blows me away is a wonton disregard for the health and safety of schoolkids and teachers.  I didn't grow up around here so I don't know if y'all had 25 year old cross-fit athletes as your teachers, but where I came from...they were overweight 60 year olds who wouldn't fare too well with this virus.  

tl;dr  We're a few weeks away from the "If you're not with 'X' Kids First...then you're against the children...Won't somebody think of the children?" media soundbyte. 

Edited October 1, 2020 by Lobo

[TwiceHorn 32076]

Hmmm.  I see AISD Kids First is as you described.

I am seeing a Dallas (not DISD) Kids First that seems to be a fairly innocuous and inclusive organization for quality and accountability at the School Board level.  Seems to go back to 2011.  https://www.dallaskidsfirst.org/

It appears that a similar group to the Dallas group also exists in Austin.  http://austinkidsfirst.org/

Looks like a trademark infringement problem, and AISD Kids First seems to have changed it's name.

Get on that!

[SydneyCarton 49477]

This is really upsetting to read. I'd have told her why I wouldn't participate, in detail, and said I find it unfortunate you care about you children but not the people you entrust to teach them, and you don't think that creates a healthy level of trust necessary for a successful teacher/family dynamic. 

We're going to private school because my wife works at once (finger's crossed), but it breaks my heart what has happened to our public schools. Between my wife and I, there are 3 teachers among our parents. Breaks my heart. My mom was a professional substitute teacher and sold shoes at night, 7 days a week, to raise me after my parents were divorced. She eventually moved into a private school position because, surprise, they're less likely to be treated like shit. Sigh. Nothing to add, just makes me sad. 

[sasquatch69 626]

We had a Facebook group like that pop up in our district at the beginning of the year. They pushed all their folks to submit comments to the school board to be read at their meeting when reopening plans were discussed; most of them were along the lines of "if you don't reopen immediately I'm pulling my kids out and so are my friends in our neighborhood, and you can't afford to lose us."

They weren't approving requests, so a friend who was in the group already let me in. It was pretty toxic.  I looked around but never posted anything, and then an admin kicked me out a few hours later - I guess I didn't live in the right part of the district (or was friends with the right people) to be a part of their club.  

[SydneyCarton 49477]

3 minutes ago, sasquatch69 said:

We had a Facebook group like that pop up in our district at the beginning of the year. They pushed all their folks to submit comments to the school board to be read at their meeting when reopening plans were discussed; most of them were along the lines of "if you don't reopen immediately I'm pulling my kids out and so are my friends in our neighborhood, and you can't afford to lose us."

They weren't approving requests, so a friend who was in the group already let me in. It was pretty toxic.  I looked around but never posted anything, and then an admin kicked me out a few hours later - I guess I didn't live in the right part of the district (or was friends with the right people) to be a part of their club.  

This makes no sense to me. Who cares if they pull their kids out? Unless they move and take away their property taxes, who gives a fuck? and they'd then be replaced. Is there something I'm missing about school funding in this regard? And again, this is why I don't work at a school or in any kind of public sector work, I'd have told them to pound sound, we'll happily keep their property taxes and have one less little shit to deal with in school. 

[Ghost of LL 15698]

16 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Our local ISD had one of these very early on and it got real annoying, real quick.  It was all over KVUE and KXAN as well.  The people we know that are leading it here locally aren't overly-Trumpers which kinda surprised me that they'd get so involved in this obvious political scheme.  Then I realized the main organizer (she's been all over the news to talk about it), runs an event planning/production company so of course she wants things opened back up, but she's going in a really roundabout way to do that.  I consider her a friend and I've done a lot of philanthropic work with her in higher ed., so I'm kinda surprised at how adamant she's being about this.

I am reasonably certain that you and I live in the same neighborhood and are talking about the same person.  Last week, she demanded--seemingly with a straight face--that the District not put any safeguards in place above the minimum TEA recommendations.  And your comments about PPE certainly tracks.  

And then there's the withholding of donations from the Foundation.  And the emails that the ___KF'ers send to teachers--they're just so awful.  You're right that their underlying message to teachers is "you're disposable."  

The result is that we are losing a lot of teachers.  Some are uniquely experienced educators, and their loss is going to be felt for quite a long time.  

All of which goes to the fact that this isn't some real grassroots movement.  The person who you and I are talking about isn't doing this because she runs an event-planning business and needs shit to open back up.  That's what I originally thought, too.  But new shit has come to light.  This is an astroturf deal, and she's likely being paid by some outfit that goes back up to DeVos.

When you read between the lines (and occasionally when you read the actual lines) you see that the organization is pro-charter schools and fundamentally anti-public education.  They're trying to destroy the school district from the inside.

[Ghost of LL 15698]

11 minutes ago, sasquatch69 said:

We had a Facebook group like that pop up in our district at the beginning of the year. They pushed all their folks to submit comments to the school board to be read at their meeting when reopening plans were discussed; most of them were along the lines of "if you don't reopen immediately I'm pulling my kids out and so are my friends in our neighborhood, and you can't afford to lose us."

They weren't approving requests, so a friend who was in the group already let me in. It was pretty toxic.  I looked around but never posted anything, and then an admin kicked me out a few hours later - I guess I didn't live in the right part of the district (or was friends with the right people) to be a part of their club.  

I think we all live in the same school district.

5 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

This makes no sense to me. Who cares if they pull their kids out? Unless they move and take away their property taxes, who gives a fuck? and they'd then be replaced. Is there something I'm missing about school funding in this regard? And again, this is why I don't work at a school or in any kind of public sector work, I'd have told them to pound sound, we'll happily keep their property taxes and have one less little shit to deal with in school. 

I think you also live in the same district as I do.

State funding is based on enrollment.  There have been some preliminary estimates that due to lower enrollment this year, Austin ISD could lose funding for as many as 200 teachers district-wide.

Edited October 1, 2020 by Ghost of LL

[SydneyCarton 49477]

1 minute ago, Ghost of LL said:

I think we all live in the same school district.

I think you also live in the same district as I do.

State funding is based on enrollment.  There have been some preliminary estimates that due to lower enrollment this year, we could lose funding for as many as 200 teachers district-wide.

Lol. I wonder if I'm missing a joke on the same school district thing. But I know you live in Dallas since we've met, and I just assumed Lobo lives in Austin. I'm a Houston boy. 

I really hate Texas politicians. Educating hating pieces of shit. When Brisket finally snaps in a few weeks, I hope he goes after Dan Patrick first. @Brisketexan. Pay attention, sir.  

[Guest Lobo]

I thought Ghost of LL lives near me because we reasoned that we were both at the same liquor store at the same time way back during lockdown.  

Shit, I dunno...that was a long time ago and I was probably hammered. 

Yeah, I'm in South-ish Austin but we're not talking about AISD.  Fun fact-40% of Austin residents aren't zoned for AISD schools.  

Anywho---yeah the other thing that GoLL touched on that also really disturbed me about this group was the correspondence they send to administrators and teachers.  The Assistant Superintendent #2 guy showed me some of them and they went from slightly annoying to real fucking dark in a real fucking hurry.  He had to good sense to remove the parents names before he showed me.  I mean I get that parents are selfish about themselves and then about their kids, we've all been there...but to be so callously insulting and tacit about not giving a fuck about other people is so weird to me because...

it's gonna be real fucking awkward when we go back to normal schooling and you have to have a F2F parent-teach conference or run into the principal at a football game.  Some of the shit they've said to these educators can't be walked back by a simple, "My bad, it was the heat of the pandemic getting to me."  That's what it is for most people, but some of these people are fucking disturbing.  Like they made the kind of threats you can't walk back with a nice booster club donation and  cupcake party for the whole school; it was the kind shit that gets into legal issues real quicklike. 

[SydneyCarton 49477]

16 minutes ago, Lobo said:

I thought Ghost of LL lives near me because we reasoned that we were both at the same liquor store at the same time way back during lockdown.  

Shit, I dunno...that was a long time ago and I was probably hammered. 

Yeah, I'm in South-ish Austin but we're not talking about AISD.  Fun fact-40% of Austin residents aren't zoned for AISD schools.  

Anywho---yeah the other thing that GoLL touched on that also really disturbed me about this group was the correspondence they send to administrators and teachers.  The Assistant Superintendent #2 guy showed me some of them and they went from slightly annoying to real fucking dark in a real fucking hurry.  He had to good sense to remove the parents names before he showed me.  I mean I get that parents are selfish about themselves and then about their kids, we've all been there...but to be so callously insulting and tacit about not giving a fuck about other people is so weird to me because...

it's gonna be real fucking awkward when we go back to normal schooling and you have to have a F2F parent-teach conference or run into the principal at a football game.  Some of the shit they've said to these educators can't be walked back by a simple, "My bad, it was the heat of the pandemic getting to me."  That's what it is for most people, but some of these people are fucking disturbing.  Like they made the kind of threats you can't walk back with a nice booster club donation and  cupcake party for the whole school; it was the kind shit that gets into legal issues real quicklike. 

I wish the school would sue the parents then. Of course there's no money for that, but it would be satisfying. 

[Ghost of LL 15698]

14 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

Lol. I wonder if I'm missing a joke on the same school district thing. But I know you live in Dallas since we've met, and I just assumed Lobo lives in Austin. I'm a Houston boy. 

I really hate Texas politicians. Educating hating pieces of shit. When Brisket finally snaps in a few weeks, I hope he goes after Dan Patrick first. @Brisketexan. Pay attention, sir.  

Yeah--I'm in Austin now.  

I forgot you were a Houston guy.

1 minute ago, Lobo said:

I thought Ghost of LL lives near me because we reasoned that we were both at the same liquor store at the same time way back during lockdown.  

Shit, I dunno...that was a long time ago and I was probably hammered. 

Yeah, I'm in South-ish Austin but we're not talking about AISD.  Fun fact-40% of Austin residents aren't zoned for AISD schools.  

Anywho---yeah the other thing that GoLL touched on that also really disturbed me about this group was the correspondence they send to administrators and teachers.  The Assistant Superintendent #2 guy showed me some of them and they went from slightly annoying to real fucking dark in a real fucking hurry.  He had to good sense to remove the parents names before he showed me.  I mean I get that parents are selfish about themselves and then about their kids, we've all been there...but to be so callously insulting and tacit about not giving a fuck about other people is so weird to me because...

it's gonna be real fucking awkward when we go back to normal schooling and you have to have a F2F parent-teach conference or run into the principal at a football game.  Some of the shit they've said to these educators can't be walked back by a simple, "My bad, it was the heat of the pandemic getting to me."  That's what it is for most people, but some of these people are fucking disturbing.  Like they made the kind of threats you can't walk back with a nice booster club donation and  cupcake party for the whole school; it was the kind shit that gets into legal issues real quicklike. 

Yeah, so there are a few things on this.

1) The stuff on their facetrons page is even worse.  You had an actual lawyer scheming to accuse the superintendent of child molestation if he didn't reopen the schools.  There may have been a grievance filed with the State Bar of Texas over that (and that's not a clever way of saying that I filed a grievance), so he's gone quiet.  But there is plenty of other craziness to take his place.

2) You're exactly right about the correspondence.  I really don't know what these people's plan is post-pandemic.  This thing is destroying relationships in the neighborhood.  And it's killing goodwill between teachers/administrators and these parents.

It's like my across-the-greenbelt neighbor.  I've always liked her.  She's maybe not the most intellectually stimulating conversationalist.  But she's very pleasant.  She's gotten down with this group in a big way--demanding that all kids go back to school full-time--and it's pissing me off.  It's doubly obnoxious because she's throwing pool parties every weekend.  She's probably done more to spread the disease than anyone in the neighborhood.  And I can't help but think that this has permanently damaged our neighborly relationship.

3) But holy shit is there a counter-movement.  And there are a lot of people in it, including Mrs.LL.

The DeVos-ites need to be careful with that shit.  Because these (overwhelmingly) women were already of a heightened political awareness because of Trump.  But now they're organizing and moving to serious action.  There are a bunch of them who are going to make excellent Democratic candidates in the years to come.  And there's a lot more of them who are going to be excellent fundraisers/bundlers for Democratic candidates in the years to come.

Just watching my wife and her friends--including a lot of new friends--this is like suburban mom Pearl Harbor.  Something something sleeping dragon.

 

[SydneyCarton 49477]

Holy fuck to all of that. 

[Guest Lobo]

 I would pay to see the brazzers movie, "Suburban Mom Pearl Harbor"

That's a good point about how many Democratic machines this will make out of so many previously passionate, but not terribly engaged, suburban women.  I already know how the ones in the EKF group lean and that's fine, we used to be one of those households (my wife is a catholic conservative who runs in those circles).  But they're stoking up a whole other dormant group that's not gonna forget about this transparent bullshit.  I've burned a few bridges in my time, and in spectacular fashion;  but even my offensive ass knows better than to publicly fuck with the very teachers and staff I'm gonna have to see everyday at drop-off for the next 5 years.  A lot of these parents are like me in that we've worked our asses off so that our children get the "Oh, you're Mr. Lobo's daughter? Well, we really appreciate your dad" treatment.  And in a heartbeat, it can all turn to, "Oh, your dad's the one who publicly accused me of being a pedophile in front of a bunch of schoolchildren.....I'm afraid it's assigned seating at lunch all year...and your seat is over here in this damp closet."  

I don't know much about early childhood education and I don't know much about women.  But one thing I do know is that the only thing a mom loves as much as her children is when her children love their teachers.  When your child loves learning and loves that teacher, life is so much more pleasant.  And fucking Karen over there just stirring shit up, making threats, and pouting like a toddler is gonna make some beloved teachers leave the school.   And those teachers are gonna be too polite to cite the specific people who initiated their early departure.  That's where you and I come in.  

[Guest]

I am eternally grateful we don't have kids in school right now and no grandkids on deck.

That being said, we as a society are going to have one hellova bill coming due in about 15 years.   Education and employment matter.  Both of these entities are under siege bigtime right now.  It's fucking stupid... deliberately negligent, as well.

There is a goal in mind, and it has nothing to do with protecting anyone's health.  That premise is just the implement of choice.

[1978horn 904]

We have this stuff going on in my district.  Lots of crazy Mom's demanding schools reopen and starting rumors that the board is leaning against reopening.  The whole community gets riled up on one side or the other and the board was never thinking about it.  They were moving forward as planned. 

I know some of these moms and they just want to drop their kids off at school so they can drink wine with their neighbors while the kids are at school.  One mom switched districts because they were in person sooner and on day one she posted a pic of her sunbathing in her pool. I get that it is hard, but you are a stay at home mom that chose to have kids who are now in school.  Be a fucking parent.

These people are selfish and privileged and want what they want no matter the consequences.

[hayden_horn 11402]

1 hour ago, Ghost of LL said:

I think we all live in the same school district.

I think you also live in the same district as I do.

State funding is based on enrollment.  There have been some preliminary estimates that due to lower enrollment this year, Austin ISD could lose funding for as many as 200 teachers district-wide.

it's enrollment, and it's also attendance. a huge focus for my middle school boys' remote learning is clicking the attendance link, and it's obvious that is tied to school funding. it's tragic.

[Ghost of LL 15698]

13 minutes ago, Lobo said:

 I would pay to see the brazzers movie, "Suburban Mom Pearl Harbor"

That's a good point about how many Democratic machines this will make out of so many previously passionate, but not terribly engaged, suburban women.  I already know how the ones in the EKF group lean and that's fine, we used to be one of those households (my wife is a catholic conservative who runs in those circles).  But they're stoking up a whole other dormant group that's not gonna forget about this transparent bullshit.  I've burned a few bridges in my time, and in spectacular fashion;  but even my offensive ass knows better than to publicly fuck with the very teachers and staff I'm gonna have to see everyday at drop-off for the next 5 years.  A lot of these parents are like me in that we've worked our asses off so that our children get the "Oh, you're Mr. Lobo's daughter? Well, we really appreciate your dad" treatment.  And in a heartbeat, it can all turn to, "Oh, your dad's the one who publicly accused me of being a pedophile in front of a bunch of schoolchildren.....I'm afraid it's assigned seating at lunch all year...and your seat is over here in this damp closet."  

I don't know much about early childhood education and I don't know much about women.  But one thing I do know is that the only thing a mom loves as much as her children is when her children love their teachers.  When your child loves learning and loves that teacher, life is so much more pleasant.  And fucking Karen over there just stirring shit up, making threats, and pouting like a toddler is gonna make some beloved teachers leave the school.   And those teachers are gonna be too polite to cite the specific people who initiated their early departure.  That's where you and I come in.  

So what're we going to do about it.

Based on the ___KF'ers' statement that they're not giving to the Foundation this year, we've already doubled our annual contribution.  I'm thinking of digging deep and quadrupling it.  But even that only goes so far.  Some of those assholes are really high-dollar donors.

But separately, the morale among our teachers is at a real critical point.  I'm taking to writing them hand-written notes letting them know how much I appreciate what they're doing.  I've found that a hand-written note goes a lot further than an email.  And they need to know that a lot of us really appreciate the sacrifices--including possibly to life and limb--that they're making.

[Guest Lobo]

Hayden Horn---Sadly, a lot of educators were going through the motions to get attendance to get funding long before that "attendance link" popped up on the remote learning tablets.  But I get what you're saying.

My daughter loves her two primary teachers.  Used to be tooth and nail to get her to do anything before 10:00am in the 19-20 academic year.  But she's smiling and can't wait to log on at 7:45a to see what Ms. K & Ms. G have in store for her now.  If one of those teachers gets so much as a sideways look from a fucking EKF Karen, I'm gonna shank a bitch.  

GoLL-great idea.  I'm gonna drop off a note in Spanish and some starbucks or something at the school next week.  Least I can do since I drive by there every week to hit up the liquor store.  I've been so busy listening to the administrators' complaints on our zoom calls that I forget about the morale of the people on the ground.  Then again, maybe I'll drink the starbucks and drop off the liquor to them.  Is that legal, to bring booze into an elementary school?  

And yeah, a lot of the people pulling donations are big donors so this is gonna really hurt.  But I get it, I've pulled donations from groups that I disagreed with, just never occurred to me to do that with organizations that deal directly with my children.  I had a great introduction (massive defense contractor who is coming to Austin) that would give very generously to the robotics club and in addition to some discretionary funds, and of course whoever the opposite of Karen is in my world, starts questioning me like "Well, I don't know how I'd feel about a defense contractor having a stakehold in our district."  And to show my true bipartisanship (not a CR cabal member), I wanted to scream at her "Listen to me, the people that make your fucking Prius still make weapons!  We can sort out all our feel-good politics bullshit after this pandemic.  Right now, we need money and I think I can score a huge check from BAE Systems so shut up for now.  Everybody on every side of this is responsible in some small way for the fucking mess we're in!"  I need a drink. 

Edited October 1, 2020 by Lobo

[SydneyCarton 49477]

7 minutes ago, 1978horn said:

We have this stuff going on in my district.  Lots of crazy Mom's demanding schools reopen and starting rumors that the board is leaning against reopening.  The whole community gets riled up on one side or the other and the board was never thinking about it.  They were moving forward as planned. 

I know some of these moms and they just want to drop their kids off at school so they can drink wine with their neighbors while the kids are at school.  One mom switched districts because they were in person sooner and on day one she posted a pic of her sunbathing in her pool. I get that it is hard, but you are a stay at home mom that chose to have kids who are now in school.  Be a fucking parent.

These people are selfish and privileged and want what they want no matter the consequences.

Just say republicans. 

[Ghost of LL 15698]

8 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Hayden Horn---Sadly, a lot of educators were going through the motions to get attendance to get funding long before that "attendance link" popped up on the remote learning tablets.  But I get what you're saying.

My daughter loves her two primary teachers.  Used to be tooth and nail to get her to do anything before 10:00am in the 19-20 academic year.  But she's smiling and can't wait to log on at 7:45a to see what Ms. K & Ms. G have in store for her now.  If one of those teachers gets so much as a sideways look from a fucking EKF Karen, I'm gonna shank a bitch.  

GoLL-great idea.  I'm gonna drop off a note in Spanish and some starbucks or something at the school next week.  Least I can do since I drive by there every week to hit up the liquor store.  I've been so busy listening to the administrators' complaints on our zoom calls that I forget about the morale of the people on the ground.  Then again, maybe I'll drink the starbucks and drop off the liquor to them.  Is that legal, to bring booze into an elementary school?  

I think there is a prohibition on bringing outside stuff into the school.  I happen to know my kids' teachers home address, so I'm using the good old USPS.  But dropping in a gift card isn't a bad idea.  Or maybe ordering up a Drizly.

But yeah--if it's not legal to bring booze into an elementary school, I could be in trouble.  Because I definitely had a hip flask for the daddy-daughter Halloween dance last year.

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

 

But yeah--if it's not legal to bring booze into an elementary school, I could be in trouble.  Because I definitely had a hip flask for the daddy-daughter Halloween dance last year.

Maybe not the best time to get your date drunk...

[1978horn 904]

Just say republicans. 

They are probably or at least lean that way, but I know some Democrats that are doing the same shit. Most People are selfish naturally and have to work at not being that way.

[ChuckNorrisActionJeans 2692]

Thanks for the insight into the Kids First shitheads. I emailed the superintendent, trustees, my BOE member, and the shitheel called Mike Morath to generally say we support teachers and need to value their morale. And that Kids First should get fucked, not in so many words.

[Red Six 131]

We're, I believe, a district bordering yours that's very similar, and there is no way that our "grassroots" parent movement was organic. No one ever put a fancy name to it or held press conferences, but it's clearly organized. I know there is at least one prominent local politician tied into it, as well as at least one, if not two, school board members who are at minimum complicit.

The parents involved in the local "open the schools" movement have been absolutely atrocious. I dip in on their Facebook group, and the things they say in there are awful and the same sentiment you describe -- the teachers are disposable. All of this is said without any hint of self-awareness.

Now that their kids are back at school, any attempt by the district or individual teachers to maintain health and safety protocol is met with derision. A friend and I attended a recent school board meeting to watch the circus, and it was painful to be in the room and listen to person after person just go up there and trash teachers. After that meeting and word got out that they sunk teacher morale, they were chatting about putting together gift baskets for the teachers, all of whom they absolutely love and value. It was like watching an abusive relationship play out in real-time.

I'm curious as to what kind of paper trail there is behind this. These astroturf movements can be hard to pin down, especially if the visible folks out front are volunteers, no money is changing hands, and no elected official is operating it in their official capacity.

[SydneyCarton 49477]

The morale is so bad. My wife's private school is giving off a bunch of Fridays to their teachers because the morale is so bad. And they work in a great environment. The burnout is just so hard right now. 

[Macanudo 13318]

It would not surprise me at all if there was a Kids First (type) group at work in Humble ISD.   Back in August, there was a huge push to get back F2F.   They ended up with a slight suspension on that but then, almost out of the blue, the school board called a meeting on Tuesday after Labor Day (announced it on Friday but almost impossible to find any written announcement) with the goal to go back F2F full time for high school and middle school instead of an A/B schedule.   It passed, like 8-1.   

And guess, what?   We're seeing cases almost daily at our high school now.   Nearly 100 in the district just since we went back F2F grades 6-12 (as of September 21.)  

[kevwun 16437]

I think a big problem for elementary teachers at least is that many kids have gone feral in their time away from school.  I have a few friends who teach anywhere from kindergarten through 6th grade and they are hating their life right now.

[hayden_horn 11402]

10 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

The morale is so bad. My wife's private school is giving off a bunch of Fridays to their teachers because the morale is so bad. And they work in a great environment. The burnout is just so hard right now. 

honestly, when i sit down and think about it...what was the fucking rush? everything is turbofucked right now. this just isn't fucking working until we fix the pandemic. now we have hundreds of thousands of layoffs this week, just a staggering loss of jobs.

aisd was right to delay. the lack of state leadership is fucking infuriating. they had six months to provide meaningful guidance for schools and teachers and parents, and they've done fuckall. there's this magical thinking that by going back to school, we're going back to normal, when it's the polar fucking opposite.

goddammit.

[SydneyCarton 49477]

4 minutes ago, hayden_horn said:

honestly, when i sit down and think about it...what was the fucking rush? everything is turbofucked right now. this just isn't fucking working until we fix the pandemic. now we have hundreds of thousands of layoffs this week, just a staggering loss of jobs.

aisd was right to delay. the lack of state leadership is fucking infuriating. they had six months to provide meaningful guidance for schools and teachers and parents, and they've done fuckall. there's this magical thinking that by going back to school, we're going back to normal, when it's the polar fucking opposite.

goddammit.

It was answered a ways up, but not directly. Basically, people got fucking sick of taking care of their kids. And realistically, since there ISN'T any plan to fix the pandemic...not in a way that will allow the economy to recover...folks were tired of being at home with their kids.

To be fair, we were home with just our one, and it is a different kind of mental burnout. But at least I didn't morph into a piece of shit that started viewing teachers as replaceable parts. We sent him back to daycare when my wife had to go back to school because...well...we're already exposed. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, SydneyCarton said:

The morale is so bad. My wife's private school is giving off a bunch of Fridays to their teachers because the morale is so bad. And they work in a great environment. The burnout is just so hard right now. 

Yep.  Challenging doesn't even cover it.  Lotsa older teachers are tapping out for retirement too.

[HornOnTheBayou 9062]

3 hours ago, 1978horn said:

I know some of these moms and they just want to drop their kids off at school so they can drink wine with their neighbors while the kids are at school.  One mom switched districts because they were in person sooner and on day one she posted a pic of her sunbathing in her pool.