Thank You to the SIX Speakers who stood up for our children and the teachers!! Thank you to the OVER 2 dozen parents who went to the Board meeting last night!!
What Are Your Thoughts On Tuesday's Board Meeting ?
What Are Your Thoughts On Tuesday's Board Meeting ?
Posts
Thanks April for making sure the parents speaking tonight had their '3' minutes instead of the '2' they tried to give them. Well done!!
ReplyDeleteToo bad Elia spun things around. So, the question for thursday is 'what's the process to get placed in another school?'
ReplyDeleteWhat a Slap in the face to all those parents who came to school board meeting tonight to speak to the board! It is obvious that the school board is not taking the parents of Alafia seriously! How can they ignore the 279 signatures that were collected at the petition booth this week? How can they listen to those stories from the parents and not remove this tyrant? It seems to me that the only other solution to this situation is to apply to be become a Charter school and FIRE Mrs. Smith!
ReplyDeleteMaybe the school board should freshen up on their rules when it comes to the public speaking forum! It’s pretty bad when the public has to inform them that the speakers get 3 minutes to speak on an item not 2! WAY TO GO MR. HARBORD!! Your speech was exactly what the board needed to hear.
ReplyDeleteI am so proud of all of you who spoke tonight from the heart. THANK YOU!
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I watched this all play out on TV and I think Elia expected her buddies to help her sweep this under the rug again...kudos to the board members who quickly stepped in to question her.
ReplyDeleteTo the parents that spoke, I thank you for being a voice for our school! BRAVO to the gentleman that spoke first, very well done! Your speech was very informative and well delivered!
To the woman who spoke last, while I appreciate your initiatives as well, your comments came across as a bit more like a personal vendetta against the principal. I say that as someone who wants the same changes for our teachers & children, I'm behind you in your desires but, would like to recommend you reword things a bit if you plan to address the school board again. Just a suggestion.
I think more media exposure, call all reporters to show up on Thursday to the townhall meeting. Maybe a "Smith must go" chant at the end, followed by keeping the kids home from school on Friday, November 20th. Call it a lesson in civil disobedience.
ReplyDeleteThis NEEDS to stop!! As teachers we may not agree but have to move forward. Please help us do that. We are the ones that have to be there everyday dealing with all of this. PLEASE support us in working through this time!
ReplyDeleteThe TEACHERS know that they have our support.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 10:47, I know that keeping the kids home for a day probably scares the heck out of you. Whatever will you do without your coveted 96% attendance record?
School on Friday? Hell, no, we won't go!
Can someone explain to me how keeping kids home is going to further benefit our efforts in this matter?
ReplyDeleteNo offense to those planning this but, I just can't put my kids in the middle of this. If they could get over the devistation of not getting perfect attendance, I'd imagine they'd then want to know why I'm playing mind games with the school board.
Whether I'm in the majority or in the minority I do NOT think it is appropriate to get our children in on this.
What do YOU suggest then? Were you at the board meeting last night? Did you write a letter to the board? What are you doing to make them listen? The facts do not seem to matter to them.
ReplyDeleteThe people with the greatest knowledge of Ellen Smith's detrimental impact on Alafia are the many teachers that have left Alafia as a result of her behavior. I believe they should be contacted at their new schools; they may be the best source of information as they are no longer subject to Smith's retaliation.
ReplyDeletePlease don't feel as though I am against getting things handled with our school, I'm not sure why you feel the need to question me. This is part of why there's such division amongst our school, I'm not at the forefront of these efforts, however; I'm not in any way opposed to having Smith & Elia held accountable for their behaviors. If you think everyone that is not at the board meeting, writing letters to the board is not doing enough and putting them on a different "team" so to speak from yourself it just adds more division to our school and downplays all efforts thus far.
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, I'll answer your questions from above:
I was unable to attend the school board meeting last night but, I did watch the entire meeting while it was broadcast on TV. I did write a letter to the board and emailed it to all members. My Mother who also lives in the community wrote a letter as well. My Mother, husband and myself also stopped by the petition booth and signed after our names and addresses.
My efforts thus far are to help my children, their classmates and the teachers and faculty at Alafia. I just don't think angry chants and not allowing our children to attend school on friday is going to get our point across POSITIVELY to the board. That may just be my opinion and I'm OK with that.
I did ask a question myself though, in my previous post, I simply want to know how keeping our children home on friday is going to further benefit our efforts as parents. I didn't ask it to be on the attack, I just don't see how that will benefit.
I agree about NOT getting my kids involved and missing school. So the kids do not go to school for one day. What impact will this make in the long run? I am believing not much. This is not the way to move forward on the Ms. Smith fight.
ReplyDeleteI will continue my support and fight along with you all in regards to Ms. Smith leaving but not at the expense of my children. They know nothing about this issue and I plan to keep it that way. They do not need to have their elementary year memories tainted by this awful mess.
May just be a blurb but, seems our school caught someone's attention!! http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/nov/18/na-school-board-swears-in-members/
ReplyDeleteI hope Superintendent Elia allows enough time for parents questions to be answered. She will need to plan a reasonable amount of time, and not cut us off, as I fear she will.
ReplyDeleteI was very disappointed with Carol Kurdell. First she thanks the Alafia parents for waiting so patiently to speak (3 hours), then she gets up and leaves for the first 3 speakers. Obviously she doesn't care about our school. We watched her get sworn in and then thank her family and friends, it is a shame she did not give us the same courtesy!
ReplyDeleteWhat is there to say about Deputy Superintendent Ken Otero. He sat up at the board like a little boy who was not allowed to leave the dinner table until he ate all his spinach. I cannot believe how unprofessionaly he holds himself up there. He acts like he is bored out of his mind! These are the people we are expecting to help make a difference! No one is taking this seriouly!!!
You need to add the contact information for April Griffin, the other at large school board member. As an at large member, she is subject to our votes as well.
ReplyDeleteGood Luck ! Parents and Teachers I wish only the best for you and your students. We need to make the position of the Superintendent an elected one. We as tax payers should have that right. I don'tknow much but I know this "the entire SDHC board and their people at the ROSAC(?) offices" should be investigated. Call in the FBI as they did in Polk County for corruption. ACLU for civil rights violations. HR Dept. for hostile work environment. Use the BIG GUNS as resources. Fight the Good Fight! Thank you for bringing this type of abuse out in the open.Sad but true, the principals of Area 5 have been doing this for years and getting away with it. SDHC thinks of their teachers as patsys and puppets. Since, Florida is a "NO Strike" state they hold that noose over teachers. Where is CTA in this matter? WHY are they not defending their teachers? CORRUPTION? Need I say More...
ReplyDeleteFor or against Ms. Smith, parents of Alafia children must show up enmasse at the November 20th meeting at the school. Our community asked Superintendent Elia to come to our school to address our concerns, and now that time has come. We must now prove to the Superintendent, the School Board, administrators and teachers, that Alafia parents are 100% engaged in the process that will heal our school. Please be sure to attend the meeting, and urge your neighbors to do so as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree - no matter your affiliation you need to show up to find out the direction the school is going and how this will affect your child.
ReplyDeletei disagree
ReplyDelete