The destruction of America's public education system

[Dahobbs 17686]

8 hours ago, slorch said:

don't bring vapes to school.

easy rule.  The punishment is for being that fucking dumb.

 

The notion that accountability is such an egregious offense to students is a huge weapon in the destruction of our schools.  'Tis but a symptom of much larger issues that lotsa folks want to pretend don't matter.

Slorch coming in with the hot take on vapes, but oddly silent on the PragerU indoctrination. 

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

You mean unless someone ditches one in your locker or your backpack, slips one into your jacket pocket, etc... yeah, guess not. Modeled after the 3 strikes laws except for changing to 1st strike it will work probably about as well.

Everyone needs a fall guy.

[Guest]

14 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

Slorch coming in with the hot take on vapes, but oddly silent on the PragerU indoctrination. 

Plenty of different avenues for destruction of the education system exist.

Sorry I don't comment on every aspect.

I have spoken openly and often about weak-ass parents who want to 'protect' their little Christians from outside views.  Have I not?  I'm not a supporter of the fraidy-cat brigade, by a long shot.

Edited July 28, 2023 by slorch

[Dahobbs 17686]

16 minutes ago, slorch said:

Plenty of different avenues for destruction of the education system exist.

Sorry I don't comment on every aspect.

I have spoken openly and often about weak-ass parents who want to 'protect' their little Christians from outside views.  Have I not?  I'm not a supporter of the fraidy-cat brigade, by a long shot.

I'm confident when I say that the PragerU stuff is the most concerning. It isn't just "the destruction of the education system," it's the replacement of it with a system designed to indoctrinate, precisely what certain groups have said they are against. Watch the video I posted. It is beyond disturbing. 

[atomheartbevo 89807]

If my high school was playing a high school named Clements, and some friends and I happen to do something stupid like make a banner that says “Clements sucks donkey dong” and we have it stowed on top of the press box at the football field that we share with Clements, and then things go down, it’s rolled down and people see it and some of us get caught in some way, these people would take the punishment out of the hands of the principal and try and make us out to be criminals instead of high school kids doing stupid shit.  Not that anything like that happened back in the 80s, I’m just making up a hypothetical scenario.

[Bullneck 19210]

[Nivek 16987]

HISD is going well. Rumor is they let go a bunch of SPED/Autism specialist teachers. At Oak Forest Elementary, they lost their only trained Special Ed teacher (let her go), took away a teacher from 4th grade who is not special Ed trained to do her job, and increased class sizes so there are 28 kids in each class. The “standard” for Texas is supposed to be 22 kids/class.

They are hell bent on fucking over the kids, the special needs kids, and the school system.

[elfenix 34332]

This guy is totally normal:

"It got off to a rough start. The fire marshal stopped by because several rooms were over capacity. And halfway through the week, Superintendent Mike Miles starred in a musical.

He was appointed to lead Houston’s public school system by the Texas Education Agency in June. In the musical, Miles played the owner of a diner in a town. The local school system faces reforms from a new superintendent … named Mr. Miles.

One scene portrayed reporters asking bad-faith questions about playgrounds.

“So why do you hate children?” asked one reporter, played by a student who later criticized the musical as a “propaganda play.”"

https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/hisd-teachers-mixed-feelings-superintendent-mike-miles-reforms/

[UpperWestside 6190]

3 hours ago, Nivek said:

HISD is going well. Rumor is they let go a bunch of SPED/Autism specialist teachers. At Oak Forest Elementary, they lost their only trained Special Ed teacher (let her go), took away a teacher from 4th grade who is not special Ed trained to do her job, and increased class sizes so there are 28 kids in each class. The “standard” for Texas is supposed to be 22 kids/class.

They are hell bent on fucking over the kids, the special needs kids, and the school system.

Thank you Texas for ensuring I will never set foot in that 3rd World cesspool ever again. I mean my God what a bunch of cruel people to do this to the least of those in our society. 

[UpperWestside 6190]

And Mike Miles might be the worst administrator in the entire country. He has not been missed anywhere he has left. I still have a friend in Dallas that teaches and coaches that absolutely hates him.

[mchookem 16386]

6 hours ago, Bullneck said:

 

[atomheartbevo 89807]

And the State of Texas signed off on using PragerU videos and instructional materials in the classrooms.

[Sbbruin 21893]

11 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

And the State of Texas signed off on using PragerU videos and instructional materials in the classrooms.

Is that true?  Unbelievable.

[Stilicho 1405]

https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/crime-courts/more-school-bomb-threats-keep-investigators-busy-parents-worried/article_89b4b9f2-4350-11ee-9260-dbd6c22abf62.html

Thanks in large part to an evil alt-right social media account, an evil grifter/nihilist running the state's education policies, and lots of christofascist grievances that need to be revenged upon kids just trying to go to fucking school and teachers doing their fucking jobs.

They're going to do their absolute damnedest to burn everything to the ground.

[atomheartbevo 89807]

1 hour ago, Sbbruin said:

Is that true?  Unbelievable.

Maybe.  The state comptroller allowed them to register/enter into bidding for classroom materials.

https://www.khou.com/article/news/education/is-prageru-coming-to-texas-depends-whom-you-ask/285-2f475930-0e4b-4529-8683-d9703a920f90

TEA for once, is saying "no, just hold on a minute"

Quote

"The State Board of Education has authority under new statute to review and approve commercially available instructional material, such as those sold by PragerU. We welcome all publishers to participate in the SBOE's review and approval process. Texas also has been developing and piloting a state-owned set of instructional materials in a few grades and subjects, as open education resources. More information on that can be found here: https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/tea-available-materials/tea-available-instructional-materials

Quote

Under new statute, the State Board of Education has ultimate approval on those resources once they are ready for full release. As part of the development process, TEA has issued competitive RFPs, and will continue to do so, for vendors who can provide content, write, or edit those materials. We welcome individuals and publishers with expertise to respond to those RFPs directly, or otherwise partner with other vendors engaged in that work."

Full statement from SBOE Chair Keven Ellis:

Quote

"I have received many questions today about Prager U working with Texas on a Core Knowledge curriculum. I have no knowledge of Prager U submitting any instructional material for approval to the SBOE in the past, and specifically I know that Prager U has not submitted any instructional materials to the SBOE under the new Instructional Material review process that was adopted by the legislature this year. Additionally, no one from Prager U has presented to the State Board of Education or has contacted me, as Chair of the State Board of Education, to discuss any working relationship."

PragerU, along with some Texas politicians, put out a video or two saying they were allowed to.

[skeeter 454]

1 hour ago, atomheartbevo said:

And the State of Texas signed off on using PragerU videos and instructional materials in the classrooms.

https://www.businessinsider.com/texas-education-official-went-rogue-falsely-announced-prageru-approval-2023-8

[Beau Vine 54432]

[DaysOff 7975]

That's an aggy or aggy adjacent woman if I've ever seen one.

[NWBuck 8587]

1 hour ago, DaysOff said:

That's an aggy or aggy adjacent woman if I've ever seen one.

She's so fat that she's adjacent to everyone 

[MonkeyDoughnut 10357]

Spring Branch ISD decides to call state out and voted to give authority to NOT send in recapture payments since state isn't giving it back to education in the state.  Should force the state to have to publicly decimate a district on order to get it's funds.  Hopefully other districts will follow suit and force the state on the defensive. It's about time someone actually stood up and didn't roll over.

 

 

 

[Dahobbs 17686]

On 8/26/2023 at 4:33 PM, atomheartbevo said:

Maybe.  The state comptroller allowed them to register/enter into bidding for classroom materials.

https://www.khou.com/article/news/education/is-prageru-coming-to-texas-depends-whom-you-ask/285-2f475930-0e4b-4529-8683-d9703a920f90

TEA for once, is saying "no, just hold on a minute"

Full statement from SBOE Chair Keven Ellis:

PragerU, along with some Texas politicians, put out a video or two saying they were allowed to.

I'm watching this carefully. I got a child in HISD. If the state actually approves this material, I'm ready to file suit. 

[Ted Lange 16143]

 

 

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article278582149.html
 

[Stilicho 1405]

The knots these folks are willing to twist themselves into to avoid saying "slavery is bad" is a little bit hilarious and terrifying at the same time. These folks are fucking gone.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

The knots these folks are willing to twist themselves into to avoid saying "slavery is bad" is a little bit hilarious and terrifying at the same time. These folks are fucking gone.

Well, that and their inability to admit that 350 years of slavery plus 100 years of Jim Crow laws and institutional racism have an effect on present day socioeconomics.

[Stilicho 1405]

6 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Well, that and their inability to admit that 350 years of slavery plus 100 years of Jim Crow laws and institutional racism have an effect on present day socioeconomics.

Chief Justice Roberts told me that racism was dead.

PragerU apparently tells Florida that brown folks should thank white folks for not being as cruel as they could have been. 

Fuck we may have to fight this out after all.

[Nivek 16987]

I ranted in the other DT thread.  But my daughter's 4th grade class has 28 kids in it now.  The Texas standards are up to 22 kids.  So the TEA is violating the TEA rules but submitted a request for exemption from themselves.   This is accountability republicans have.   Add to that dickhead asked to change the qualifications so he could be in charge, vote for an order-of-magnitude increase in discretionary spending, amongst all the other bullshit.   We all know why.  Because educated people lean left and are not as easy to manipulate.   Their goal is to harm our children.  

If someone kicked his ass, I would jury nullify on the grounds of defense of others. 

[SydneyCarton 48182]

41 minutes ago, Nivek said:

I ranted in the other DT thread.  But my daughter's 4th grade class has 28 kids in it now.  The Texas standards are up to 22 kids.  So the TEA is violating the TEA rules but submitted a request for exemption from themselves.   This is accountability republicans have.   Add to that dickhead asked to change the qualifications so he could be in charge, vote for an order-of-magnitude increase in discretionary spending, amongst all the other bullshit.   We all know why.  Because educated people lean left and are not as easy to manipulate.   Their goal is to harm our children.  

If someone kicked his ass, I would jury nullify on the grounds of defense of others. 

Nothing to add here, but I'm cheering for you guys. Hopefully the revolt of places like Oak Forest and others will be loud and overwhelming and make a difference in your community, at least. 

4 hours ago, Dahobbs said:

I'm watching this carefully. I got a child in HISD. If the state actually approves this material, I'm ready to file suit. 

On what grounds exactly?

[hookemATL 11904]

13 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

On what grounds exactly?

[Nivek 16987]

On 8/26/2023 at 1:09 PM, elfenix said:

This guy is totally normal:

"It got off to a rough start. The fire marshal stopped by because several rooms were over capacity. And halfway through the week, Superintendent Mike Miles starred in a musical.

He was appointed to lead Houston’s public school system by the Texas Education Agency in June. In the musical, Miles played the owner of a diner in a town. The local school system faces reforms from a new superintendent … named Mr. Miles.

One scene portrayed reporters asking bad-faith questions about playgrounds.

“So why do you hate children?” asked one reporter, played by a student who later criticized the musical as a “propaganda play.”"

https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/hisd-teachers-mixed-feelings-superintendent-mike-miles-reforms/

I was sure this was an onion article.  

[Dahobbs 17686]

54 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

On what grounds exactly?

I think a few of the videos create establishment clause issues. There might be discrimination issues as well. Beyond that, it would depend on exactly how everything goes down in terms of getting approved for use. 

[SydneyCarton 48182]

59 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

I think a few of the videos create establishment clause issues. There might be discrimination issues as well. Beyond that, it would depend on exactly how everything goes down in terms of getting approved for use. 

So, uh, what grounds exactly?

[Dahobbs 17686]

15 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

So, uh, what grounds exactly?

I don't understand your question. Violation of the establishment clause. Are you asking me to pull the offending videos for you? Depending on how approval would occur, there may be other violations based on the specific legal requirements for approval. As the videos haven't been approved in Texas, I've had no reason or ability to put together the specifics of a petition/complaint.

[SydneyCarton 48182]

7 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

I don't understand your question. Violation of the establishment clause. Are you asking me to pull the offending videos for you? Depending on how approval would occur, there may be other violations based on the specific legal requirements for approval. As the videos haven't been approved in Texas, I've had no reason or ability to put together the specifics of a petition/complaint.

No, dude, I'm telling you I have no idea what "Violation of the establishment clause" fucking means. I realize this is Surly, but not everyone here is an attorney. 

[Pancho 45004]

3 hours ago, Nivek said:

I ranted in the other DT thread.  But my daughter's 4th grade class has 28 kids in it now.  The Texas standards are up to 22 kids.  So the TEA is violating the TEA rules but submitted a request for exemption from themselves.   This is accountability republicans have.   Add to that dickhead asked to change the qualifications so he could be in charge, vote for an order-of-magnitude increase in discretionary spending, amongst all the other bullshit.   We all know why.  Because educated people lean left and are not as easy to manipulate.   Their goal is to harm our children.  

If someone kicked his ass, I would jury nullify on the grounds of defense of others. 

Friend who moved to middle school for HISD this year has class sizes of 28, 35, 36, and 29. He’s livid. 

Also, heard Miles made a policy to where teachers have to leave their door open while teaching, which creates all sorts of safety issues. Friend also told me they are required to have a running Zoom on at all times while teaching so essentially they can be watched whenever. 

Miles doesn’t mind being the bad guy (like he was with Dallas) because he knows he’s going to get paid by the political folks he’s connected with. He doesn’t care about kids, just getting his money. 

[Dahobbs 17686]

13 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

No, dude, I'm telling you I have no idea what "Violation of the establishment clause" fucking means. I realize this is Surly, but not everyone here is an attorney. 

Oh. Sorry. First Amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion" - separation of church and state. 

[SydneyCarton 48182]

Feeling more and more like my wife's random getting of a job at a private school was the best thing that ever happened to us, even if I have to pay for it. 

[atomheartbevo 89807]

7 hours ago, Stilicho said:

The knots these folks are willing to twist themselves into to avoid saying "slavery is bad" is a little bit hilarious and terrifying at the same time. These folks are fucking gone.

But they are also snowflakes of the highest order, sensitive over the littlest of things.  Fucking cowards in other words.

[Francisco 2.0 32430]

Meanwhile, our fine friends over in Arkansas have something...interesting going on:

 

 

 

 

[Biff Tannen 45742]

6 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

Meanwhile, our fine friends over in Arkansas have something...interesting going on:

 

 

 

 

[safe sex 11770]

14 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

Meanwhile, our fine friends over in Arkansas have something...interesting going on:

 

 

 

 

Literally what in the fuck??

[Zepol87 9191]

20 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

Meanwhile, our fine friends over in Arkansas have something...interesting going on:

 

 

 

 

Even when I went to Catholic school I thought that shit was weird for confirmation. Had to do 80 hours of volunteer shit around campus, I did 30 hours helping the daycare and the mfer I helped got popped for molesting the daycare kids. Shit was nuts 

Edited August 30, 2023 by Zepol87

[Sbbruin 21893]

3 minutes ago, Zepol87 said:

Even when I went to Catholic school I thought that shit was weird for confirmation. Had to do 80 hours of volunteer shit around campus, I did 30 hours helping the daycare and the mfer I helped got popped for molesting the daycare kids. Shit was nuts 

A kiddie diddler at a Catholic school?

[Francisco 2.0 32430]

20 minutes ago, safe sex said:

Literally what in the fuck??

 

She follows up with other info.  New law; students in public schools beginning with this year's 9th grade have to perform 75 hours of community service to graduate.  They do 15 hours this year, and 20 each of the next three.  Excess hours cannot roll over, so each year you start anew.  Homeschool and private school students that are receiving public assistance  with their education (vouchers) so they are essentially "public" students; yet, the same indentured servitude provision does not apply to them.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 30, 2023 by Francisco 2.0

[Francisco 2.0 32430]

Meanwhile, the State Superintendent  in Oklahoma has been busy:

 

 

 

 

 

[atomheartbevo 89807]

These Republicans are so fucking stupid when it comes to public education, but unfortunately they don’t realize it.  

[Stilicho 1405]

3 hours ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

Meanwhile, the State Superintendent  in Oklahoma has been busy:

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah. He was unsurprisingly fine with this.

Until last week when someone called in a bomb threat to his house. He was awful quick to denounce those particular threats as terroristic.

[Chad Fuck 17782]

Yeah. He was unsurprisingly fine with this.
Until last week when someone called in a bomb threat to his house. He was awful quick to denounce those particular threats as terroristic.

I love it when karma puts their hypocrisy on blast.

[animaltobacco11 107]

On 8/30/2023 at 5:25 PM, Francisco 2.0 said:

Meanwhile, our fine friends over in Arkansas have something...interesting going on:

 

 

 

 

That's insane. My kids private school has mandatory community service hours starting in middle school and yes of course in high school, as a way to encourage (in a compulsory manner) civic duty and sacrifice and humility to give back to your community, etc., but that's also because as a private school you can have that be part of your mission and values.

For public school this is an overstep. Arkansas be crazy.

[animaltobacco11 107]

 

[TexasEd 8077]

On 7/12/2023 at 9:10 PM, tx 3 putt said:

 

I just dropped a big order on my local elementary schools. I'll send something to the middle and high schools too, before school start. wish i could send $10,000 more. I live in a minority and pretty poor area (it's in transition) 

Hey, that's been outlawed.

On 8/29/2023 at 1:56 PM, Pancho said:

Friend who moved to middle school for HISD this year has class sizes of 28, 35, 36, and 29. He’s livid. 

Also, heard Miles made a policy to where teachers have to leave their door open while teaching, which creates all sorts of safety issues. Friend also told me they are required to have a running Zoom on at all times while teaching so essentially they can be watched whenever. 

Miles doesn’t mind being the bad guy (like he was with Dallas) because he knows he’s going to get paid by the political folks he’s connected with. He doesn’t care about kids, just getting his money. 

Yeah, we've spent a year arguing about whether the door in Uvalde was open or closed, locked or unlocked and not this chucklehead wants them to leave the doors open for the next gunman?