Alabama State Senator Paul Sandford's 2000 foot bill is a pile of #HypocrisyInAction

Let's recap:
State Senator Paul Sandford (R. Hypocrite HSV) sponsored SB 205,  making it illegal for poor women to have access to quality health care within 2000 feet of a public school in Alabama.  Why? Because it's more important  anti choice protesters have the right to exercise their first amendment rights within 2000 feet of a public school.  Sigh  

A state senator has filed legislation that would require north Alabama’s only abortion clinic to move, again.
Sen. Paul Sanford, R-Huntsville, filed the legislation today, saying he didn’t want a repeat of last year, when similar legislation passed the House but stalled in the Senate.

Senate Bill 205 would prohibit an abortion clinic from operating within 2,000 feet of a public school. Rep. Ed Henry, R-Hartselle, carried the bill in the House last year and has said he will again this year, but he hasn’t yet filed it. 

The Alabama Women’s Center for Reproductive Alternatives in Huntsville is across the street from Edward H. White Middle School. The clinic moved to that location in 2014 after being forced out of a building on Madison Street in downtown Huntsville — within sight of the Huntsville Hospital main emergency room — in order to comply with the 2013 Women’s Health and Safety Act and its regulations on building standards.

Mind you, this same Senator,  who is so concerned about children being exposed to anti choice protesters, isn't concerned at all about the health and safety of the children who will be exposed to Silica dust particles because their school is being re-located to a site less than half a mile from an active rock quarry, but EYE digress.

There is more than a whiff of hypocrisy.  H/T Left in Alabama

Children brought to protest in Huntsville, April 2016 – weeks before the 2,000 foot clinic bill passed the Legislature.

Child (with face blurred) accompanying his mother (and her graphic sign) to a Huntsville clinic protest in April 2016.

“We can put a restriction on whether a liquor store opens up across the street and make sure pedophiles stay away from schools,” Sanford said. “I just think having an abortion clinic that close to elementary-age school children that actually have to walk on the sidewalk past it is not the best thing.”

Protecting the children my Donkey. 

Psst!  Senator Sanford, how about passing a bill restricting public schools from being built less than half a mile from an active rock quarry if you really care about school age children.

Desegregation Judge drops the hammer on black/brown/poor students and taxpayers #HCSvDOJ #hcsboe #SeparateAndUnequal

Huntsville City Schools March 11, 1963 -March 11, 2015  (Huntsville Times file)

EYE am still trying to figure out how Judge Madeline Haikala morphed from Huntsville City Schools can show no evidence they aren't operating a dual school system , to  it's OK for Huntsville City Schools to continue to operate a dual school system, but that's exactly what she did in a memorandum issued late last night.

Her memorandum opinion posted on the court's website called the proposed consent order "an excellent vehicle to help the district advance towards a 'nonracial system of public education' that will eliminate the effects of the former segregated system and allow the district to return to local control."
The proposed consent order was developed jointly by the school district and U.S. Justice Department after Haikala ordered both sides to enter mediation last summer to work out their differences. They presented their plan in unified manner to the judge during a two-day hearing in March.

About that "unified plan".  It's basically the same plan as the original plan. The only difference I can see is former Butler High and Terry Heights students won't be forced to attend the Mega Black school illegally renamed after two black astronauts, located less than half a mile from an active rock quarry. However, that will change when a majority of them are relocated to public housing across University Drive.

If Sage Hill comes to fruition, the developers have agreed to make all 62 units available to public housing families that live in Sparkman Homes on Holmes Avenue, said Lundy.
The housing authority wants to transform Eisenhower-era Sparkman Homes west of downtown into a new mixed-income development; relocating nearly 40 percent of current residents to Sage Hill would make that easier.

The Southern Poverty Law Center and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund asked the judge to reject the plan.

The SPLC criticized the proposed consent order as being written in "vague and overbroad terms that create uncertainty" and make it hard for the court to enforce.
It also seeks language that requires the school district to provide attorneys to students/families brought to disciplinary hearings in they can't afford one; obligations to report ongoing data; and a time frame for implementing reforms.
The NAACP's Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., said while it is no longer counsel in the case, it weighed in on the desegregation plan because of its "institutional mission and previous involvement in the matter."
It concluded its six-page letter, saying Huntsville failed to present a plan "that promises realistically to work and promised realistically to work now." It also criticized the proposed consent order for being "dangerously vague," "at best, ambiguous" and "difficult to enforce."

Councilman Richard Showers called for a rejection of the plan also.

It seems the District was successful in pleading their case that it was in the best interest of the schools in North Huntsville to remain as they are and continue the same 'feeder' pattern," wrote Showers. "Failing schools feeding into failing schools."

Am EYE disappointed in the Judge's ruling?  You bet EYE am.  This was an opportunity for Huntsville City Schools to be a shining example for others to follow, a beacon of HOPE for the future of our Republic.  it was an opportunity for all children, regardless of race, gender, address, or circumstance to have equal access to a quality public education.  There is no right way to do the wrong thing.  Separate and unequal was wrong then, and it's wrong now.

EYE told y'all the desegregation hearing was much ado about nothing.

 After months of  secret mediation The United States Department of Justice basically approved Wardynski’s rezoning plan that he developed and implemented entirely without public input.
Huntsville City Schools will agree to anything as long as they can legally operate a dual school system.  In an effort to stop expelling black students the district agreed to rewrite the Student Code of Conduct, implement a Restorative Justice Strategies, develop a Positive School Climate Program, and appoint a Desegregation Advisory Committee.  All of this by a superintendent and school board who who view African American students as natural born gang members, and adopts polices that treat them that way.

 Even If We Win We Lose

So after months and possibly years of litigation over the rezoning plan, what have we won?
The district will still be under the control of the DoJ except now the plan that the DoJ believed would best bring us unification has been rejected.
The DoJ still controls our destiny. Does fighting their plan (even assuming we’ve seen their plan) bring us closer to unification?
Nope. It doesn’t.
The Wardynski Plan is a fool’s errand. We did not have to file it. And the public has had zero input into the plan.
So, after potentially years of litigation and expense, we will have accomplished absolutely nothing, even if we win.
Nothing except the following:

1. Wardynski has shored up support for himself in this town because he’s willing to fight the “evil” federal government.
2. Wardynski has improved his name recognition on a national level.
3. Wardynski has spent a ton of the district’s money that he should be spending on improving education at all of our schools. And of course,
4. We’re still a segregated system.

This is, in the Bard’s wise words, much ado about nothing.

BTW, if you want to see the real "winners" just read the comment section on Al.com.

Casey you have to break the mold and prove you're not afraid of minorities, democrats, liberals, aclu (sic) types and the entire entitlement crowd! Do that, and you'll be doing the job you were hired to do! Oh yeah, not to mention striking down all racial transfers. And that includes allowing not allowing whites to racially transfer either. If you don't like where your child goes to school, move to where they can be zoned into a school of your preference, that's what I had to do!

Mission Accomplished  to the detriment of those who can't flee.

A little thought for Huntsvillians this St. Patrick's Day~ Redux

Not that I have to explain, or justify my involvement/actions regarding this issue, let me say right here and right now, it's not about a name change.  It's about a culture and a climate of disrespect for the black community in Huntsville, Alabama.

What's in a name?  Ask the powers that be at  Huntsville City Schools.  In their haste to kill democracy and fairness the Huntsville City School Board of Education, under the ruthless command of Superintendent Casey WARdynski   declared

"From now on, this land will be ruled by the Tigers. We are, after all, the strongest, fastest and wisest of all animals. Therefore, we are the only fit rulers." they claimed.
A little mouse spoke up from the crowd, " But we have a council where we make our decisions together, we don't need or want any ruler." One of the tigers let out a roar so loud and fierce that the poor mouse started running and didn't stop until he was in the land of the humans. To this day, he lives in the houses of humans.

Despite petitions, marches, and protest the Huntsville City School BOE decided they are the rulers and the people be damned.  If the BOE spent half as much time trying to scheme their way out from under the federal desegregation order and furthering their political careers ensuring that ALL children  had equal access to a quality public school,  Huntsville would be One City One Vision  and companies would be begging to locate here.

Slapping a new name on the outside of the school building won't change what's happening on the inside of the building.  The taxpayers have the right to self determination, instead they are being punished for it.

For those who say it's not about race, I say J.O.Johnson is predominately black school and the only school being forced to change it's name and lose it's legacy and it's heritage.

For those who say I don't live in the district therefore I have no right to complain, I say I pay state, local, and federal taxes which grants me the right and the privilege to complain about what I want to when I want to.

For those who say I don't spend time volunteering in the schools, reading to children, etc. I say been there done that, but at the end of the day Huntsville City School's is still trying to locate a new $65 million dollar school renamed after a former black astronaut  less than half a mile from an active rock quarry.

For those who say there are already two schools, a recreational park and homes  located even closer to an active rock quarry, I say two wrongs don't make a right, we didn't know then what we know now,  and a lot of people didn't know their homes were located near the rock quarry until they heard the first sonic dynamite boom, and those who could, moved away from the area, to the detriment of those who couldn't move.

Purposely withholding vital info from the people/community that will be affected is a nice nasty way of saying......"You are not valued as a person".......We know what is best for you, even though we need your tax dollars........We will do what we want in your community because we don't live in your community.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

#HCSvsDOJ Desegregation Hearing: "Much Ado about Nothing" #hscboe

Huntsville City Schools March 11, 1963 -March 11, 2015  (Huntsville Times file)

Let's recap:
Eight months ago Federal Judge Madeline Haikala dropped her hammer on the Huntsville City Schools rezoning plan.

U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala didn't approve the city's plan to redraw school zones.
And she didn't approve the Justice Department's plan.
Instead, she appointed Chief Magistrate Judge John Ott to oversee months of mediation between the two as they examine all aspects of racial disparities across Huntsville City Schools.
She also called for appointment of a Special Master to oversee the court's ongoing fact-finding in the case.

She also dropped her hammer on the Justice Department, but only to say they were being far too lax.

 "From the record, it appears that years of relative calm and inactivity have lulled the government into a habit of checking in only when the district proposes actions that require the government's review. The government should be more proactive. Based on the current record, the Court does not know when inequities in educational programs arose in the district; however, standardized test scores from 10 years ago demonstrate disparate results among racially identifiable schools. Had the government been keeping an eye on that sort of information, it could have brought it to the Court's attention more quickly and enabled the Court and the district to address the issue in a timely fashion. "

In short, Haikala held: "On the record before it, the Court cannot find conclusively that the Board does not operate a dual system."

Fast forward to March 11, 2015 exactly,  52 years to the day after black families first sued to end segregated schooling in Huntsville,  and a hearing about  granting Huntsville City Schools the rare opportunity to have court approved segregation disguised as a "pathway to unitary status", enabled by the Department of Justice.

City Councilman Richard Showers has written a federal judge to complain that the plan to improve racial equity in Huntsville does little to end the racially isolated classrooms on opposite ends of the city.
"It seems the District was successful in pleading their case that it was in the best interest of the schools in North Huntsville to remain as they are and continue the same 'feeder' pattern," wrote Showers. "Failing schools feeding into failing schools."

After months of  secret mediation The United States Department of Justice basically approved Wardynski’s rezoning plan that he developed and implemented entirely without public input.

Huntsville City Schools will agree to anything as long as they can legally operate a dual school system.  In an effort to stop expelling black students the district agreed to rewrite the Student Code of Conduct, implement a Restorative Justice Strategies, develop a Positive School Climate Program, and appoint a Desegregation Advisory Committee.  All of this by a superintendent and school board who who view African American students as natural born gang members, and adopts polices that treat them that way.

All of the above slogans, I mean programs, sound nice but here's the real deal.  African American students will be forced to attend failing schools, illegally renamed after two black astronauts located less than half a mile from an active rock quarry.  Majority to Minority Transfers,  and access to Magnet Schools will be granted to the fortunate few.  The Alternative School is still privatized.

Even If We Win We Lose

So after months and possibly years of litigation over the rezoning plan, what have we won?
The district will still be under the control of the DoJ except now the plan that the DoJ believed would best bring us unification has been rejected.
The DoJ still controls our destiny. Does fighting their plan (even assuming we’ve seen their plan) bring us closer to unification?
Nope. It doesn’t.
The Wardynski Plan is a fool’s errand. We did not have to file it. And the public has had zero input into the plan.
So, after potentially years of litigation and expense, we will have accomplished absolutely nothing, even if we win.
Nothing except the following:

1. Wardynski has shored up support for himself in this town because he’s willing to fight the “evil” federal government.
2. Wardynski has improved his name recognition on a national level.
3. Wardynski has spent a ton of the district’s money that he should be spending on improving education at all of our schools. And of course,
4. We’re still a segregated system.

This is, in the Bard’s wise words, much ado about nothing.

In short, the proposed Consent Order equals Segregation then. Segregation now.  Segregation forever?

For 50 years the legacy of discrimination has been allowed to  exist under the watchful eyes of those who didn't want integration then, and who don't want integration now.  Let's face it, it's all about money, and whose children will have equal access to the public dollars that fund public education.  I challenge these people to start being part of the solution. Everything we do as is first and foremost for our children, not what is best for a political agenda.

#hsvboe gives north Huntsville students, principals, teachers, elected officials, clergy, community leaders, and taxpayers the middle finger...again

The educational quality of Huntsville City Schools has not improved over the past two years. All that has improved is Wardynski’s ability to pretend that it has.~geekpavaler

OK, so I think I've calmed down enough to blog about the latest developments in the ongoing saga of the Huntsville City School system, and the desire of the Board of Education, City of Huntsville, the Chamber of Commerce, the PTSA, the board of Realtors, the media, and the business community to gain unitary status in name only, so they can self segregate without impunity.  Ironically this is a school system that used to have a reputation for diversity and academic excellence.  Being employed by Huntsville City Schools used to be a sought after privilege.

When I say the status quo wants a unitary school district in name only, it's because they think it's perfectly natural for schools to be identifiably white/black/brown/poor.  It's not their fault parents live in districts with failing schools.  If they want their child to attend a good school they should move into a district with good schools.  It's them there housing patterns (they created) in the name in urban renewal that are the cause of the self segregation.

The schools in north Huntsville are failing because of crime, and that's what the black clergy, elected officials and community leaders need to concentrate on instead of demanding equity and worrying about names of buildings, and rock quarries.  Typed with much sarcasm.

The children in north Huntsville don't want to learn, they are all aspiring gang members and thugs, whose parents want free stuff from the government so they use their money to  buy beer, guns, get their hair and nails done, and make babies out of wedlock.  It's makes no sense to throw good money after bad trying to educate them.  Snark

This is who they are and what they do.

The ACLU and a State Senator request information regarding the school districts monitoring of some students social media accounts and expulsions, they tell them to shove it.

The community organizes a march and a petition to keep the name and legacy of J.O.Johnson High School, they violate their own naming policy and rename the school, despite the fact they let other new schools keep their names after protests.

Black elected officials write a letter to the federal desegregation judge complaining about not being heard, they accused them of stealing money and trying to hurt the children.

Black ministers organize a mass community meeting in support of the  of the justice department, they stage a stand in the school house door, and a coup d'etat of the J.O.Johnson PTSA.

Parents and citizens try to address the board with their concerns, or generate a petition calling for the resignation of the superintendent,  they deny parents that right (pun intended) unless they live in Huntsville proper because it interferes with board business, and citizens have to write down their questions on index cards and have them read (if they are lucky) by the Director of Community Engagement, whose job it is to not only read the questions, but to write speeches for Board members, and send out mass emails ordering teachers and principals to attend a rally on the school house steps


North Huntsville Clergy and Community Leaders demand the resignation of Dr. Casey WARdynski and demand equity for north Huntsville schools, they extend his contract, make it ever green , without public comment.

Who the heck do north Huntsville elected officials, clergy, community leaders, and citizens think they are?  Taxpayers?  What gives them the right to demand anything?  Don't they know they need to government to take care of them?

About that Director of Community Spying.....
In a previous post, The Composer made a  tongue in cheek referral to David Driscoll as the Director of Community Spying, but when you look a little closer you find the characterization has a ring of truth.

Let's recap:

Who is David Driscoll?  According to his LinkedIn profile he is a former radio personality/sales director and President of the The Driscoll Group  consulting/business services. According to AL.com his firm does consulting work for Huntsville City Schools.

McGinnis, Wilder and Ferrell on Thursday issued a statement through the Driscoll Group, which does consulting work for Huntsville City Schools, in support of extending Wardynski's contract. 
"We believe extending Dr. Wardynski's contract an extra year is the right thing to do for the school system," the statement read. "With the ongoing court case, the construction of multiple schools and rapid changes being made to better educate our children, we feel that keeping the same team together is critical.

The Driscoll Group Facebook invites readers to check out the website they designed for soon to be former school board member/President, and failed State Senate candidate, David Blair. 

The counter protest in support of Casey Wardynski was organized and led by James Lomax,  whose LinkedIn profile says he was previously employed by the Driscoll Group.

Lomax, a young politically-active Huntsville resident who, until August, worked for the Driscoll Group, said he organized the rally because he worries that all of the negativity toward the superintendent will "scare him away."
"Casey Wardynski coming here has really changed the landscape of the school system," Lomax said. He said Wardynski has done an excellent job since becoming superintendent. 
"You don't fire someone doing a good job," Lomax said.

Back to the Director of Community Spying....remember when Casey Wardynski was invited to attend a town hall meeting in north Huntsville organized by Councilman Richard Showers, which he refused to attend, but said he knew everything that was said because he said "he had people there"?  Don't know about people, but I know one person that was there, and at all other community meetings.....
David Driscoll.

Enter the New South Slave Catchers, I mean, Coalition

In order to justify giving her constituents the middle finger again, District 1 school board member Laurie McCaulley claimed she received 3 emails against, and 30 emails in favor of extending Warydnski's contract.  None of which she produced.  What she did produce was an email she claims she received from the Huntsville Madison County Chapter of the Alabama New South Coalition the night before the vote, but AL.com reports the press release is dated the day of the vote.  Oh what a tangled web we weave....

Fellow blogger Field Negro awards Field Negro and House Negro status for behavior that merits the special designation.  Eye (pun intended) am going to start calling out Slave Catcher behavior.  What is a slave catcher you ask?  I turn the floor over to Field Negro:

You see a house Negro simply stayed in the house with massa, and he liked the house and everything in it. He would do everything to stay in the house, and would protect the house at all cost because he had a stake in it. It was where he lived, and it was where he found comfort. He would never speak against massa like the field Negroes, because he didn't want to risk losing all of that. But, even worse than the house Negro, was the slave catcher. This was the Negro who searched hardest to find us when we ran away. It was the slave catcher who the master would give the whip to tear into us when we stepped out of line. It was the slave catcher who ran right behind the blood hounds and in front of the master, when he thought one of us was hiding in the woods. It was the slave catcher who always did the master's most barbarous and sadistic deeds that even the master would not do. The slave catcher hated us even more than the master did. Who knows why? Maybe some sick demented sh#t in his past, maybe some psychological sickness that prevented him from wanting to be a part of something he has no control over. Or, a sick desire to be accepted by only those who didn't look like he does. Only the slave catcher and his shrink knows for sure.

The behavior of district 1 Board Representative Laurie McCaulley, and Wilbert Brownlow, incoming President of the Huntsville Madison County Chapter of the New South Coalition, have earned them the title of  Slave Catchers of the Week.  Just because you like being in bondage doesn't mean the rest of us want to remain in bondage.

#HCSBOE "This is a public meeting but not a meeting of the public" & "Interfering with with board business" one sad vote at a time *Sigh*

HSC superintendent Casey Wardynski's contract, a progress report on the combined Jemison/McNair campus, and changes to its bylaws and standing rules that would allow only Huntsville residents to speak during citizen comments, were on the agenda at last nights HCS work session.   I am going to refer you to the Geek Pavaler for in depth analysis and reporting, but here is what happened in a nutshell:

1. Make it harder for anyone, including board members, to see how he’s spending the district’s money;
2. Make his contract “auto-renewing” because they want “to simplify the work of the board; and
3. Silence the public from speaking out against Wardynski even more.

As one commenter said: It’s amazing how devious and underhanded the HCS board has acted. I hate to say it, but I thought they were just incompetent. I guess I would have preferred that, to them being obvious low down dirty rotten scoundrels. 

I would also like to refer readers to this post by Geek Pavaler from the first time Dr. Wardynski's contract was up for renewal when he asked the board to please provide the community with some reasonable justification for extending the superintendent’s contract.

A disgusted parent predicted the future:  If his contract is extended, he will have 5 more years to sit comfortably and dictate policy as he sees fit, with no fear of losing his job or having to cave to the wrath of the community. I emailed every Board member and not surprisingly, received zero responses, even though I requested one. These Board members need to be reminded as well that they represent a constituency, NOT themselves. Contracts are renewed or extended based on merit and accomplishment, not just because they were requested. Mr. Wardynski’s resume and expertise lies in economics, finance and policy making. I see no reference whatsoever to engineering or education. So why are we rewarding someone who sits up there on his throne pontificating about his engineering background and his imagined expertise in the process of education?

Why are we rewarding Wardynski you ask?  Because he is doing the job he was hired to do.

 Casey you have to break the mold and prove you're not afraid of minorities, democrats, liberals, aclu types and the entire entitlement crowd! Do that, and you'll be doing the job you were hired to do! Oh yeah, not to mention striking down all racial transfers. And that includes allowing not allowing whites to racially transfer either. If you don't like where your child goes to school, move to where they can be zoned into a school of your preference, that's what I had to do!

What, no mention of the super secret spy program?  I wonder why?  Snark

I want to talk about the update on the combined Jemison/McNair campus.

6:18 p.m.: An architect from Chapman Sisson Architects presented a slide show of artist renderings of what the new McNair Junior High and Jemison High School will look like when the schools open their doors in 2016. The schools, which will be separate facilities on a single campus, mirror one another in design, though each has its own touches.
AL.com will share images of the new schools when available.
Board member Jennie Robinson said that she sees elements similar to the designs of other Huntsville schools like Blossomwood and Goldsmith-Schiffman elementaries in the McNair-Jemison design.  
"We're starting to tie together the design of our schools," Robinson said. "I like that."

So, the update was a slide show of what the new schools will look like when they are completed, and Al.com will share images of the new schools when they are available?  I guess it depends on what the definition of update IS.

Allow me to give you a real update on the Jemison/McNair campus via the Keep Johnson High Schools Name Facebook Page:

JAGUAR ON THE PROWL NEWS:
Personal check up on the digging of Jemison from one contractor's perspective.
Xxxx: "What have you heard or seen with the new development at the Jemison High development so far?"

Local Contractor: "The land is not draining properly and it's a pure swamp. It's actually a marshland. The land has to be built up and mold WILL be the culprit along with the Rock Quarry issue. This is a bad area."
Xxxx: "What role does the rock quarry play with this new
development?"
Local Contractor: "Everything... The land need to be built up to an extent that when the explosions from the quarry rattles, the soft land of this new school will have a solid ground. This land has serious draining challenges from what I am hearing and what I saw when I was viewing the digging process. We need to remember that nothing has been built on this property ever and it's wetland which will have mold problems."
Xxxx: "Do you think they (the contractors for the new development) should build the soil properly?"
Local Contractor: "Yes. This doesn't make any sense right now."
Xxxx: "Thank you.
Local Contractor: "More than welcome."
In conclusion to this new story, I was attached to the Civil Engineers while I was stationed in Germany. It's very crucial at this time that this conversation from a local contractor be taken seriously. We need a thorough sure and solid soil recheck that reaches beyond a Quality Control Site Supervisor at this time.
The Quarry issue now this? We need to hear from all Jaguars and the Huntsville community at large from this "Jungle Eyed View".
Presently; the city and HCS is following the builders code by placing a full length gated fence around Jemison. This is a safety precaution and must be adhered to in the building process.

Eye update, You decide.

NOTICE: Due to Huntsville City School Superintendent Casey Warydynski's  Executive Orders, the school district may have read your social media accounts without warning, warrant, or notice. You have no recourse nor protection but to call for the resignation of the Superintendent and the Board of Education who enabled him.

#hsvboe Standing in the front door by going around to the back door.

Former Alabama Governor George C. Wallace standing in the front door of the University of Alabama June 11, 1963

There is an old saying  "If you can't get in through the front door then go around to the back door", which is exactly what Huntsville City Schools is doing, under the capable control and command of retired Colonel, turned superintendent,    Dr. Casey WARdynski in his continued quest to stand in the front door of the Huntsville City Schools.

After his presentation, the Board of Education authorized Wardynski to file the Motion for Approval of his plan. The City of Huntsville is therefore fighting the Department of Justice in court over which plan should be adopted. This motion will be decided by the US District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Northeastern Division. You may download the motion here.
There was no discussion of how much this litigation might cost during the board meeting. And they answered no questions from the members of the public attending Thursday’s meeting.  Our litigation happy superintendent and board are taking us into more legal action.

Remember back in June when  U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala dropped the hammer on Huntsville City Schools, saying she could find no evidence they weren't operating a dual school system?

The judge ruled late today in Huntsville's months-long desegregation dispute, clearing the way for federal attorneys to roll up their sleeves, dig deeper and and stay longer.
U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala didn't approve the city's plan to redraw school zones.
And she didn't approve the Justice Department's plan.
Instead, she appointed Chief Magistrate Judge John Ott to oversee months of mediation between the two as they examine all aspects of racial disparities across Huntsville City Schools.
She also called for appointment of a Special Master to oversee the court's ongoing fact-finding in the case.

Key words:
U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala didn't approve the city's plan to redraw school zones.
And she didn't approve the Justice Department's plan.

So how does HCS go around to the back door?  They rename existing schools after schools that haven't been built yet, and Viola!  Back door open.

The go-to phrases at Ronald E. McNair Junior High's first open house Thursday night was "Team McNair" and "Go Wildcats."

More than 200 parents, students, faculty and staff attended the event for the newly formed school, which combines students from Davis Hills and Ed White middle schools. The school will be located on the Davis Hills campus until the new facility on Pulaski Pike opens in 2016.

All vestiges of Davis Hills are gone, from its name to its color scheme to its mascot. In its place is the McNair Wildcat, prominently displayed throughout the school, and the new school colors of royal blue, black and white.

My sources tell me the facility on Pulaski Pike, you know, the site located less than half a mile from an active rock quarry,  has some ahem issues and it's become the Jemison/McNair Mud project.

THE LAND on Pulaski is>> A MARSH LAND DEVELOPMENT. The dirt is in piles as a future barrier, but the graded soil will not dry! It's going to cost an additional $4 Million Dollars to correct the foundational process of that development. It would have been better to buy a few homes near JOJ and expand the property requirement (acreage wise) and build a whole new school on the existing property then to spend undue dollars on the base of this project.

In the meantime the media keeps praising failure and calling it a success.

As they have repeatedly demonstrated, the Editorial Board of The Huntsville Times knows who they need to suck up to in this town, truth be damned.
On Thursday, September 11, 2014, the editorial board published an opinion entitled, “Transition from Textbooks to Digital Tools, as Led by Huntsville Schools, is Proper Path,” which joined in the chorus started by Dr. Wardynski, supported by Education Secretary Arne Duncan (in town on Tuesday on the public dime for meetings that excluded the public), that the only way forward in education is to continue down the failed pathway of the district’s 1:1 Digital Initiative.

 Some of us tried to tell some of y'all this superintendent would turn this process into a fraud and a farce.

In light of the blatant disregard Dr. Wardynski has for parents, students and citizens concerning transparency as evident in the comments made by Federal Judge Haikala: "The Court strongly suspects that the district has chosen not to share many of the reasons for the choices that it made as it shaped its student assignment plan."
In light of the hostile working environment that Dr. Wardynski has created which has resulted in at least 735 people choosing to leave employment with the district since August 2011;
In light of the declining standards of education that we are seeing in our finest schools as the district transitions to teaching nearly exclusively mathematics and English Language Arts;
We the undersigned respectfully request that the Huntsville City Schools Board of Education request the resignation of Dr. Casey Wardynski as superintendent effective immediately.

Can you hear us now?

#hsvboe

The Pinnacle of Hypocrisy Huntsville City Schools Style ~Friday Edition #hsvboe

Superintendent Dr. Casey Wardynski answers questions from the press following Thursday night's Huntsville school board meeting. (The Huntsville Times/Michael Mercier)

Why is it when a longtime HCS teacher  is accused of violating district policy, everyone immediately calls for her (or his) head, but when a private company does the same thing, or usually something far worse, everyone rushes to defend it? This is indeed The Pinnacle of Hypocrisy.

Pinnacle is a privately run alternative campus that often takes in children who’ve been expelled from Huntsville City Schools.
Huntsville city has no direct authority or oversight of pinnacle

Why is it when student's, alumni, and any number of councilmen and officials call to inform the Superintendent he is making a gargantuan mistake changing the name of Lee High School, he acknowledges his mistake and backtracks on his proposal, but when J.O.Johnson High School alumni and students protest, and any number of councilmen and officials call to inform him he is making a gargantuan mistake changing the name of Johnson High School,  he violates district policy and changes the name of not just Johnson but Davis Hills Middle School too?  This is indeed the Pinnacle of Hypocrisy.

 Last night the Huntsville City School Board of Education violated their own policy on the Selection of School, Facility, and/or Property Name (Policy 2.9, presented September 5, 2013) by concluding the process and voting on the new names approximately three weeks before they were allowed to do so.

Why is it public officials, and citizens expressed environmental concerns about unsafe traffic patterns, heavy trucks sharing roads with school buses, and  air quality at two schools located two miles from an active rock quarry in New Hope, but those same officials say the air quality is safe at two schools located less than half a mile from an active rock quarry?  This is indeed the Pinnacle of Hypocrisy.

 Other elected officials speaking against the quarry were Mark Russell, president of Huntsville City Council, Madison County District 3 Commissioner Eddie Sisk, state Sen. Paul Sanford, state Sen. Shadrack McGill, state Rep. Wayne Johnson, Gurley Mayor Rob Sentell, Gurley Councilman Robert Wren.

So much hypocrisy, so little time.

#hsvboe

Faking the Funk when the narrative doesn't fit the facts Huntsville City Schools style part 2

Hundreds of children enjoyed Huntsville City School's Summer Feeding Program Thursday morning, June 5, 2014, at the J.O. Johnson High School cafeteria. The program, which started in 2013, works to provide city school children with three free meals daily during the summer months. (Sarah Cole/scole@al.com)

So,  what if you clicked on Al.com one day and you see your beautiful, smart, articulate, happy, daughter, who is neither hungry or low income,  pictured as a  poster child for hunger and poverty?

I just looked at all the pics of the kids.
When will the black community of Huntsville be shamed enough to take care of their own? 

First the Funk:
In a media enabled public relations offensive, I mean campaign, to paint themselves as human beings, I mean, compassionate, Huntsville City Schools has been patting themselves on the back because they accepted funds from the same federal government they are currently fighting in court, to fund a summer feeding program to feed lazy blah folks who need the government to take care of them.

"We will have the highest number of hot meals served to kids in the State of Alabama for the second year in a row," Vaughn said.
The program, funded mostly through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was implemented last summer as a way to supplement the meals that children from low-income neighborhoods receive when they're not in school. It offers three free, hot meals to children 18 and under from anywhere in the city, whether or not they are enrolled in the school district.

Now the Facts:
Unfortunately, Huntsville City Schools walked all over the truth in order to spin a positive image of themselves. Reading this article, and clicking through pictures, gives the false impression Huntsville is the Black Belt region of Alabama, teaming with poor black children,  being bussed to schools day in and day out, to get a hot meal.

 Cue in: Give me your tired your poor your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

Not.  Most of the pictures were taken at Girls Inc., and the majority of the girls are not low income, they just happened to be participants in a summer program, which happened to serve breakfast provided by the summer feeding program.  Parents were asked for permission to use their daughters' image to promote Girls Inc. Imagine their surprise when they saw them being used to promoting the summer feeding program.

 The "feeding program" is just another way our socialist government is training this generation that dependency rather than self sufficiency is the accepted norm.

So in addition to most of the girls in the pictures not being low income, or hungry, the summer feeding program occurred in places other than Huntsville City Schools.  In other words, they took the meals to where the children were, and not necessarily to low income children.

Parents need to take care of their kids. It is not the governments place to do it. 
A few less beers a few less manicures. And these kids will continue the pattern.
So sad.

As you can see from the comments, the false narrative gives the impression all African American's are lazy, shiftless, baby making, drug dealing, thugs, who want the government to take of them, when nothing could be farther from the truth.

Oh what a tangled web we weave.....when we practice to deceive

The Judge Slams The Sham

Here we go again.

You know the drill.

Use the power of the press to marginalize and minimize legitimate concerns of people of color.

And yes, I'm going there.

 U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala saw through the ruse,  and dropped the hammer on HCS board member Laurie McCaulley's  little "community conversations" masquerading as "a citizens workshop on unitary status" planned for Monday night.

Things in court grew tense as Haikala talked about a "citizens' workshop" that board member Laurie McCaulley has planned for Monday night at Butler High School. McCaulley earlier this week told AL.com that she had decided to host the event to help establish a "template" of the community's wishes for Superintendent Casey Wardynski to refer to during desegregation negotiations with the Justice Department.
In a scathing 107-page opinion she issued June 30, Haikala criticized the school board for a lack of communication with the public about its plans for redrawing school zone lines.
"These sorts of conversations at this juncture could cause problems down the line," Haikala said.

Unfortunately I can't say the same for  AL.com sports/opinion writer Mark McCarter, who once again took it upon himself to be a crusader for the status quo, and bash local NAACP President Alice Sams for saying she planned to attend, but other black leaders planned to boycott the sham, I mean, event.

"But to those who would cavalierly dismiss an opportunity like this to be heard, don't be surprised when people stop listening to you everywhere."

So let me see if I have this right (pun intended),  if the black leaders boycott the event, white people will  stop listening to them?  Sounds like a veiled threat and some racial code words to me.

Psst Mark McCarter!  White folks listening to black folk sound oxymoronic (sic).  Didn't you get the memo?  They certainly didn't listen to black elected officials and community leaders about the Johnson High School name change.  They certainly didn't listen to the J.O.Johnson Alumni Association's petition and march against the name change . They aren't listening to the valid concerns some people have about locating the new north high school less than half a mile from an active rock quarry , without conducting a health risk assessment.  

The education system in our city remains an area of great racial divide. The Huntsville City Schools have gone from an era of being ineptly managed to heavy handed leadership. By its nature, tough decisions that won't sit well with everyone must be made. It's a lightning rod for people with an agenda, often people who have no children involved.

Now where have I heard that Huntsville City Schools were ineptly managed under the former superintendent, and it's a lightning rod for people who have no children involved?  Oh I know.... right wing radio host Dale Jackson, Superintendent Casey Wardynski,  and Mayor Tommy Battle,  people who have no children involved.

The education system in our city remains an area of great racial divide by design,  hopefully we are coming to the end of an era, the tough decisions will be made, and Huntsville City Schools will be a shining example for others to follow again. 

I sure do miss the good old days when the media kept public officials from lying to us instead of enabling them to lie to us.

 Can you hear us now?

Is Huntsville City Schools violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1965? Is the City of Huntsville enabling them?

Photo North Huntsville Environmental Concerns

Let's recap:

For the sake of giving North Huntsville a new school, the federal judge in the desegregation dispute said new school construction could continue, but does she know the school district is risking the health of the next generation by locating the new schools less than half a mile from an active rock quarry without conducting a health risk assessment?

The city of Huntsville is standing by their assertion the air is "safe to breathe" at the location of the new, illegally named, Mae Jemison High School, but to the best of my knowledge, they are basing this on one test, conducted on one day, in the early morning hours, when there was no activity at the rock quarry.

If I repeat, If, the DOJ approved the building of the new North Huntsville high school based on this one test, I not only have a problem with the BOE and the City of Huntsville, I have a problem with our government.

Title VI and Environmental Justice at EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)

In July 1964 Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (PDF) (13 pp, 23K, About PDF) Title VI of the Civil Rights Act states that "No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."
In February 1994, President Clinton issued Executive Order 12898, "Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations." In a separate memorandum, President Clinton identified Title VI as one of several federal laws already in existence that can help "to prevent minority communities and low-income communities from being subject to disproportionately high and adverse environmental effects."

The Civil Rights Act at 50 protects people of color and the environment too.

There are still people who think that social justice and environmental issues are totally separate things, but as I’ve argued before, they’re not — and the Civil Rights Act is a case in point. The climate justice and environment worlds have benefited much from this law, particularly Title VI, which protects people of color from discrimination in any program or activity that receives federal funding.

Now is the time for all good guys and gals to step forward.

Huntsville, Ala (WAAY) - The drama continues over Vulcan Materials opening a rock quarry off Highway 72 near the town of Gurley. One group which staunchly opposed to the quarry, traveled to Montgomery last week in the hopes of stopping it. When the East Huntsville Madison County Civic Association went to Montgomery they met with several legislators hoping to get House bill 230 through committee. The bill would stop rock quarries from operating within five miles of a school, but it has not yet made it out of committee.
Group members say health is their number one concern because of the dust produced by the blasting. North Madison county elementary and Madison county high are within 2 miles of the location
"The health of the 900 kids and the elderly in that area--that was the primary reason," said Bill Binkley of the trip to Montgomery.

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge"