Ken O'Brien
The O'Zone has received the following communication from one of its readers. We can vouch for its authenticity.
"To the Parents and Students of the 39 Students Hurt by This Gaff,
Joe Shortsleeve of Boston television station Channel 4 contacted me yesterday regarding this situation. Joe is a lead investigator with the stations I Team Unit. He is well aware of the current situation and would like to talk with some of the students/parents that were impacted by this failure.
Please contact Mr. Shortsleeve directly at: jmshortsleeve@wbztv.com He is a very nice man and does a great job. He makes you very comfortable when talking with him."
We contacted Mr. Shortsleeve with the following question, "I am told that you are looking for information on the situation relating to retesting relating to MCAS in the Southbridge Public Schools. Is this true?"
His response, "Yes".
He followed up with "Yes we would like to interview impacted students. Joe"
Please, will somebody speak up in this case. We need to know the truth about what is going on in our school district. We are obviously not getting it from the school committee or the administration.
ReplyDeleteLet's see how quickly Lauren runs to the cameras this time!!!
ReplyDeleteWorcester gets Hollywood-East ! Southbridge gets CBS-Boston ! What Perfect Timing !!!
ReplyDeleteIt's just about a year since the bobbleheads staged their coup and got rid of Woodruff. How's that working out so far?
ReplyDeleteThe Bobble heads made the same foolish presumption that many readers are making today- that the problem is related to the School Committee Chairperson.
DeleteThe problem is some of the teachers and the TEACHERS UNION !
Are you f#@king kidding me?
DeleteShe and the other members of the Core Four have had the run of things for almost a year. They stumped around the school with their clipboards asking their questions and intimidating everyone in sight. They got rid of staff right and left (now coming back to haunt them). They put their faith in a Superintendent who did nothing and split before his predictions failed to come true with a healthy payoff. Now they won't even speak to anybody. And now, now, you're trying to blame the teachers and their union.
Try again, because that pig won't fly.
It sucked way before them. The only constant is the teachers.
DeleteI strongly suspect that those who were not retested are among the least able to respond.
ReplyDeleteDo they have internet resources? Are they aware that somebody wants their input?
The very fact that they failed the initial round of MCAS testing may very well be a result of the fact that they don't have access to these resources.
I would encourage everyone to reach out to these students and parents so they know that someone is seeking their input.
Why doesn't the school system do the honorable thing and ask Mr. Shortsleeve to meet with the students. They should make a space available to the media, inhibited with school department personnel, and they the students and parents speak.
ReplyDeleteMcLoughlin ran to the Boston new outlets when O'Brien made some stupid fat jokes - none of which was life-altering. Failure to meet the MCAS threshold is life-altering, and not in a good way.
Available space should be UN-inhibited, no school officials or employees, sorry.
DeleteIt is amazing how fast the breakdowns by the secret service were off the front page, or lead in story to every broadcast report, once Julia Pierson resigned as the Director. She recognized that, while not being the person physically responsible for protection of the White House property or checking elevator ride-sharers, her personnel were. She knew that these, and some that happened prior to her being named director painted a sorted look of the service.
ReplyDeleteShe did the right thing yesterday and put country ahead of herself - she resigned.
It's time for our local failures to do the same. There is little doubt that McLoughlin, Donovan, Quinney and Congdon need to step down IMMEDIATELY. Your replacements need to fire Nimberkow, Gardner, Culligan and Hatch IMMEDIATELY upon assuming their roles.
What ever public support there may have been is long gone. Time to go themselves, and stay gone.
I totally agree with "Time to Go". There is no public support remaining for these people or this current situation. I was an original supporter of this school committee but what a major disappointment they have been. Put Dr. Page in charge and lets have a complete search and committee to hire the next superintendent.
ReplyDeletePlease, those seniors impacted by this last embarrassment call Mr. Shortsleeve!
School Committee of the Whole Meeting - M100, 25 Cole Ave.
ReplyDeleteOctober 6, 2014 - 6:00pm
Should this one be on TV ??
So while there may be many administrators to blame here, does anyone, ANYONE find it unbelievable that 38 sets of parents, and 38 upperclassmen who failed MCAS didn't know enough to QUESTION when a re-take would happen? As the parent of a current senior (different district), I was waiting by the mailbox in the fall of his Junior year for those results to be sure he passed (he did). Nobody knew the implications of these students' not passing? Not ONE parent questioned this? Not one kid went to guidance or administration and said, "hey, I'd like to graduate next year... what do I have to do to re-take MCAS"? The apathy is incredible. Just when you think it couldn't be any worse. Not sure if the correct word is "apathy" or "ignorance". Do they not care or are they just too stupid to care?
ReplyDeleteThey didn't question it, because the students were given the retakes on schedule. Those that did not pass, will be given the retakes again this year. If they qualify for an EPP, one will be or already has been written. I, for one, would rather trust the teachers than this administration.
DeleteYes, I did the year prior in Sept 2012. I had to make biggest fuss to get EPP written and it took months I even filed a complaint with the state. I forwarded my complaint to the state to Pat Gardner just now. Same school committee and same guidance dept head then as now.
DeleteOMG ! I just got my weekly News delivery at home. Not a single article, item, comment, editorial, etc. about the MCAS disaster. I guess those 39 students and families are not worthy of any coverage by the wreck of a newspaper.
ReplyDeleteTalk about sleeping with the enemy. I guess the editor, Adam Minor, is a chubby chaser!
Every time they want to have the appearance of transparency, they hold a meeting in at Cole Ave. Why not schedule it at the Middle High School where there is plenty of space and plenty of money that was spent to be able to live broadcast anything that goes on over there?
ReplyDeleteWhy haven't any of these 38 people spoken out?
ReplyDeleteMaybe they don't exist.
DeleteMaybe they all dropped out. Maybe they think they passed.
DeleteMaybe, Maybe, Maybe
This school system sucks. And it doesn't have to.
Sad. Sad.
A meeting "of the whole.". Seriously!
5 fools and two ballsless observers. Sad. Sad. Sad.
Wasn't it Hatch who dropped the ball originally. Wasn't she the one who "forgot"?
ReplyDeleteSome where along the way some one has to be held accountable. Why hasn't anyone been fired yet? Why not start with Hatch? Start at the beginning and don't stop until you get to the end.
Corruption can Only be Counteracted via Transparency. Nothing else will do; PERIOD !
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the T&G article this morning along with Ms. Allen's rebuttal, the situation seems not to have changed, just the numbers. The re-tests were not given to some of the students and the EEP plans were not written at all. While there is no excuse for the re-tests not being given, they offer the excuse that the Math and ELA department heads were out on leave.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it the job of the building principal to make sure these things happen? Maybe Allen, Gardner, and the rest of the administration was too busy bullying teachers to take care of students.
They have lied, bullied, and left our students hanging in the balance. All, for their own gain. It is time for their reign of terror to end. It is time to put our students back into the forefront of our educational system.
One can only hope that Joe Shortsleeve will wear his Big, Boy Trousers. ;-) !
ReplyDeleteThey're pumping out those EPP's. Where is the student input ? Where is the parent input?
ReplyDeleteToday's Telegram article is further evidence (as if any is needed) that the current leadership, both on the school committee and within our administrative ranks, are as bad as it gets.
McLoughlin's comments were pathetic. Another investigation! More wasted $$$. What, don't they give MCAS retests, create EEPs, etc in SPRINGFIELD?
The only comment I want to hear from McLoughlin and Donovan is we resign. For the good of everyone in the Southbridge Public Schools.
Do we miss Mr. Bishop now?
ReplyDeleteNo.
DeleteNot even a little bit.
DeleteBishop? He's riding around town in his topless jeep laughing all the way to the bank. And he's just gonna laugh more when his suit us settled.
ReplyDeleteYou think he gives a @#$% ? Why would he?
Maybe they can find Bialy or Haskins!
Hope you're not waiting on Shortsleeve to come to town, as he let go yesterday by WBZ. I'm wondering how long it will take for this audience to start the "conspiracy theory" on how the Southbridge School Committee got him fired? Enjoy the humor by the audience that constantly whines yet does nothing to actually bring about change. Time to go! Just don't ask us to get off our butts to sign a petition (that will never get enough votes to pass anyway), or to find "better" candidates. No, eating Bon-Bon's while watching Judge Judy-Alex-Joe is tough--particularly while moaning and groaning about those SC members who "do nothing". It sure is tough to do something when you're so busy watching mission critical TV shows. Or hanging out at the Dunkin' (Drunken?), bitching and moaning about everyone and everything but yourselves. This town is full of--people that talk and do nothing. Before you say it, I'm not bitching about the SC which is why I'm NOT doing anything. I'm not praising them. I just don't care when the parents and students themselves don't care.
ReplyDeleteFinally could you please stop the Bishop is coming back theories, the "it was better with" other SC members? Talk about folks that love living in the past!
http://www.bostonherald.com/inside_track/the_inside_track/2014/10/wbz_parts_ways_with_chief_correspondent_joe_shortsleeve