Robinson Orchestra.

Private lessons are strongly encouraged. Yes, they make a big difference. Another good term to use.

Some students are "expected" to do special auditions and performances. There's that word again.

Course Fee is being paid to the school. Good.

The parents don't provide the uniforms. The school system owns the uniforms. Money for uniforms, which are public property, should run through the school account.

Who has been dealing with the student ID numbers? It says a portion of the number is used to access Charms for the Parent group. Parents are not allowed access to student ID numbers. That is a protected number.

Spring trip is indeed optional. Parents-do NOT write checks to the parent group for Spring Trip. It is too much money. You have a right to have that money run through a properly insured school account with open public records.

No IFA's.
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I continue to work the numbers on the Madison Band parent budget. I got out my magnifiers and I am squinting at these huge amounts of money and little itty bitty numbers.

I am still getting the impression you spend $23,000 for marching band staff. For three months?

You are spending every dollar FCPS gives the school on transportation alone. $24,000. Why are your transportation and hotel expenses so high? If there is an extra trip, that should be itemized out and run through the school as a school-sponsored trip, and the families involved HAVE to pay that, or their kid doesn't go to Prom or get a parking pass or travel. What if ten or fifteen families refuse to "donate"? You will be out thousands and there is nothing you can do about it.

I am still floored by the $23,500 for food. People can feed their own kids. That is $157 a student right there. You are asking for money from people to cover this, but you can't count on receiving the money, because you have no right to demand payment. Again, what if ten or fifteen families refuse to "donate"? You will be out thousands with zero recourse.

$18,000 for band sectionals. That is $2000 a month, $500 a week. Every month, every week. For nine months. That is a lot of help.

(Plus, $6,500 for a percussion instructor. I have seen lots of those.)

I can't help you figure out the $270+ per student for extra instructors for both programs.

No wonder you think you need $500 per student. As a "donation". People are under absolutely NO OBLIGATION to give you any of that. Shift the expenses that you can directly to the families and have them feed their own kids. They can transport their kids and lodge their kids with fees set by the school and run through the school for those extra school-sponsored trips. You can chop $230 off the "DONATION" right there. And it is $35,000 less for you to keep track of and insure and have around your neck as an officer liability, since this is an agreement with a school system, which AIM in particular does not like.

And you still are required under Federal law to do the quid pro quo calculations. Parents, be SURE you get a statement. Have fun.

Did anybody call the school system on trying to charge the percussion kids THREE times for a percussion fee when they can probably only do TWO charges? Sneaky. That was turned in for evaluation.
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Madison goes to national band competitions, not just state and regional, which may account for some of the higher expenses. Excellence costs; agree that "donation" cost is steep and also wonder what they do in case of non-compliance? good luck getting the accounting straight - this community supports this band.

They can't do ANYTHING in the event of non-compliance. I have no idea what goes on "behind the scenes" now along that line. Are they being abusive? They already had to send out a letter because they sent a bill to everybody two years ago for $250 and told them to fundraise it or pay it. I caught it and demanded that the families be informed. They had to offer a bunch back to families and some things had to be reclassified as a donation. I think most people let them keep it, but still...They weren't the only ones doing that. That is why they would be better off just having parents pay what they are responsible for (which needs to run through a school account) instead of trying to get "donations" which are actually payments for services. They could lop $250-$300 off the "donation" that isn't a "donation". This is travel, food, and lodging. Legit expenses, but partial public funds because the lodging and travel are for school-sponsored activities. The food is a personal expense.

Public funds need to go through a school account, NOT be diverted via a 501c3. You lose the insurance coverage that you have in a school account, and the public records are messed up. The student payment spreadsheets are also public record. It isn't just the money. They have to be able to show who paid and how much. When you are calling it a donation, you have no idea who has paid and how much. AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO PAY. Which means they can get things for free that they should be paying for.

Booster clubs have been doing this for years. It is illegal in Virginia to send people a bill for whatever and tell them to pay it as the only things parents have to pay for are consumables and actual costs when it is a class or school-sponsored activity. The hatchet started falling a year or two ago when I pointed out parents and children have rights.

People can still support as much as they want. They are just setting themselves up if they try and call this stuff "donation" when it isn't and nobody has to donate anything. No mandatory fundraising in FCPS.

Old bad habits die hard. This is a power struggle.
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Lake Braddock Orchestra parents-

I notice there is a concert coming up DECEMBER 2nd. That's NEXT WEEK. Right after Thanksgiving. That's not a lot of time.

I hand-delivered a formal complaint to the Superintendent and your school board member (Megan McLaughlin) Friday morning. You see, I have quite a bit of experience in dealing with arrogant, abusive Booster groups and the staff who jump in bed with them instead of doing their jobs. YEARS of experience. That policy of having people who elected to not join the Booster club (which requires a fee) to step aside and wait for the Booster members to enter the auditorium first is rude, abusive, and out of line. And for staff to allow this to happen is highly unethical. Joining that Booster club is entirely optional. It has nothing to do with going to a free, open concert in a public school auditorium to see your child play their viola with their class. I have asked to see a written apology and a retraction of that policy. IMMEDIATELY.

If they don't move on this in time for the concert, and you elected to NOT join this organization (and after reading that letter I can see why), you show up at that concert with your head held high, stand in the line with the Boosters, and walk right in that auditorium. And if they give you any grief, you ignore them. There is absolutely nothing they can do about it. If an Administrator is helping them police the doors, you tell them to move aside and report them to their Superintendent.

The choir policy is also being evaluated. I don't know what perks the lowest paying members have ("priority seating?"), but this sounds equally nasty.

That auditorium is a classroom for the evening. This concert is a part of their grade. You have every right to walk right in there whenever you darn well please and sit wherever you want, as long as it isn't in the student section.

I hope you have a lovely evening.

..

Let's do an analogy- why should a Booster supporter have head of the line privileges when a person who donated $500 directly to the school would NOT have HOL privileges? How about somebody who chaperoned every single game but did not join the Boosters? Some people don't have money to donate or don't like non-profits for some reason. Some people might donate to the school or Boosters later on in life.

All are welcome.

This is abusive. It should be a non-issue.

Woodson Orchestra.

Everybody makes fun of me with the "expectation" word but here are the class "expectations". I think the teacher wants every single one. Do you see anything optional about any of these?

Uniform money going to school. Good.

Not seeing too much, so the standard list-

All fundraisers are optional even if they are for a spring trip. The price is the price.
No IFA's.
Do NOT write any checks to a Booster club for trips.
Any money given to a Booster club has to be optional.
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Oh, Woodson Band. You started out with a nice-looking point sheet for letters, then went straight downhill.

I am enclosing select pages as this was an awkward set-up. It is all on the Woodson Band website if you want more information.

The packet was due October with checks to WT Woodson Band. Is that to the school or the parents?

The money for the Newport News trip should have run through the school. Did it?

Now is where it gets really, really ugly. The pre-season is technically optional, but is a school-sponsored activity. So, the money should run through the school system. The checks are being written to the parents. For $120. Here's the huge problem-you gave everybody 4 Cavalier cards to sell, told them they would get $40 back when they sold them. Even told them it can't be required, but it is a "necessity" in order to maintain the level of performance that the Cavaliers have had over the years, yada. That's no excuse. There is NO MANDATORY FUNDRAISING IN FCPS. YOU WERE ALL TOLD THAT. YOU EVEN SAID YOU COULDN'T MAKE IT REQUIRED AND THEN CHARGED THEM ANYWAY. Your "necessity" claim doesn't mean a darn thing. This is ILLEGAL in Virginia. It is a blatant, in your face violation of school system policy. You are bullies. Another one for Gatehouse. Cut it out. I read stripes are in this year.

TAG day is optional. OPTIONAL. Exemptions do NOT have to be granted by the director. If a parent has a problem with TAG Day, they just say NO, and that is that.

Tiny Tots-This was turned in to Gatehouse already along with several others. Students are not to be excused from classes for fundraisers. This is a fundraiser. It is during the school day. Any performance involving students that charges an admission is supposed to have serially numbered tickets and have the money go into a SCHOOL account, NOT the parents' bank account.
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Woodson Band parents- let me explain something to you. The officers in your organization have broken the law, violated school policy, and are bullies. The next time they try to hand you four or whatever of anything, expect you to write a check to them, and then tell you to try to recoup your money by selling the stuff, you keep your checkbook closed and tell them to put it where the sun don't shine. They knew they weren't supposed to be doing this, they were told they weren't supposed to do this, they even told you that, and then they did it anyway. You have been take advantage of.

Woodson Band families-You don't have to sell five boxes of fruit. Really! You can try if you want, but don't let anybody tell you that you will be in trouble if you don't.
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Marshall Band.


Pre-season is technically optional.
You talk about a $150 "voluntary" payment for camp. To the parents You then refer to it as a "commitment" payment. To the parents. Can something "voluntary" be a "commitment"? Can you "commit" with something that is "voluntary?" Can you "commit" to something that is school-sponsored with a "voluntary" payment to a parent organization? Can something that is "voluntary" and "optional" be called a "payment" for a school-sponsored service? Is this optional or not? Voluntary doesn't necessarily mean optional. And if it isn't, it needs to go through the school. There are probably some things that can be required payment for this camp and some is a donation (instruments).

Anybody want to explain what is going on here?
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Marshall Choir.

You are very, very confused.

A teacher is not allowed to order parents to fundraise for a non-profit or specify a particular amount of donation that is required to give to a non-profit because their child signed up for a class. They never were!!!!!!!!!!!!The only mandatory amounts are FCPS fees and they have to be paid to the school. (I know choirs and orchestras are a mess right now, but this is beyond that.)

************There aren't any more IFA's. And you even said so. So how exactly do you plan to credit $50 of fundraising instead of a "mandatory donation"? Would you like to elaborate on that? Because tracking the fundraising and applying it to their "mandatory $50 donation" IS AN IFA.

Families are not under ANY obligation whatsoever to help Booster clubs "meet their budget". Parents, if you paid this $50, you are entitled to a FULL REFUND. Believe me. IT'S TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ALL FUNDRAISERS ARE OPTIONAL. And that doesn't mean that you can send a bill to a parent and tell them to pay it to the Boosters to make up for it.

OMG.....
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Marshall Orchestra.

Again, I know this is a weird year for the Choruses and Orchestras.

Children do not have to pay "dues" to a non-profit because they signed up for a class. Parents don't, either. I don't see what the dues are in here. All payments to Boosters are optional.

Uniforms should be purchased through the school.

An FCPS fee could certainly be calculated out and charged to cover a lot of the expenses.

Parents-you and your children do NOT have to send solicitation letters or approach two individuals or businesses for money, in spite of every child being asked to do so. Parents and students are under no obligation whatsoever to solicit for a non-profit or the school system because the child signed up for a class. If your child is being penalized because you didn't do this, file a complaint.
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Oh, and I don't know the final decision on using students to perform either to solicit money for a non-profit or as a thank you for donating money to a non-profit. The non-profit is not part of the school system. This was brought up with another group.

So Co Chorus.

I LOVED your FCPS fee breakdown. I wish everybody did that. You get a Gold Star for that.


I see the checks are being written to SCHS-Chorus. It looks like they are going to the school. Again, other programs it is confusing as to where the money is going. They are being addressed similarly, but the checks are going into a Booster bank account. Just an example.

This FCPS fee is referred to as an activity fee in the index. This is not an activity fee. This is a course/class fee.

Tag Day is optional. 100% optional.
I am glad to see Spring Trip is optional, because it is.

Tiny Tots-There should be serially numbered tickets with the money going into a school account, NOT the Boosters. Students are not to be excused from a class for a fundraiser. Don't know how you are doing this.

The choral director is accepting and collecting donations for the Boosters. Teachers are supposed to stay out of collecting money for parents. That is their problem.
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You might as well quit wasting your time trolling because they are all getting posted and they are all getting turned in to Gatehouse if necessary.

So Co Orchestra.

Spring trip is indeed optional. Thank you.

Really glad to see that chaperone costs are covered. They should be. I fail to see why chaperones should be paying for anything but meals that everybody else has to pay for on the trips. They are helping out the school system. Why should they have to pay for that?

I see the course fees are going into a school account. Good. See, is this that difficult?

FARM is very nicely handled.

Fundraising is optional. That includes Tag Day. The new 5810 says any revenue generated by a Booster club that involves students is supposed to run through a school account. Don't know where the Tag Day money is going. A lot of programs have this problem.

No IFA's. I see references regarding crediting students. There is no such thing any more.
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dear troll- Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You might as well quit wasting your time trolling
> because they are all getting posted and they are
> all getting turned in to Gatehouse if necessary.



Unfortunately, by trolling, you are accomplishing nothing but confirming how mentally deranged a lot of the staff and parents are in dealing with this very serious situation.

The other thing constructive you can do is go whine and cry about it with the staff at the school that started all this. If they had handled things appropriately over the years and dealt with the issues that came up properly, things might not have progressed this far. But, they didn't. They treated everything like it was a big joke, and the Supers and Admins stalled around, so here we are!!!!!!!!! You can go complain with them, too.

I already posted Barbara, Jim, and Linda's contact information for tax, regulatory, and foia complaints. Need me to re-post that information? I am sure they would love to hear from you.

Tiny Tots at Soco is not a fundraiser. It's a free concert. Tickets are not taken.

I wouldn't assume it's always a fundraiser at every school.

4H9jC Wrote:
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> Tiny Tots at Soco is not a fundraiser. It's a
> free concert. Tickets are not taken.
>
> I wouldn't assume it's always a fundraiser at
> every school.


Good to know. A lot of them have the money going into what looks like a Booster account. They are selling advance tickets, have it on their budget, etc. Several of the syllabi and other handouts specifically say the money is going into the Booster accounts.

Take your MEDS. A typo. So what.
And I don't have to be nice. I don't care about being nice.
I am tired watching staff and parents being abusive to the families and not doing what they were told.

Lee Band

Pre-season was priced out separately, which was a rare find. This is a school-sponsored activity and the information I was given said all school-sponsored activities are to have the money run through the school, NOT the Boosters. This school transports the kids to Franconia Park for the day. Pre-season is technically optional. I know what the deal is.

Tag Day is optional.

What happens if the student has a private teacher they like and works well for their family that the director does not like? How can a teacher tell somebody that they can't use a particular instructor or they don't get the extra credits? I don't think it is any of their business.

It is mentioned several times that Spring Trip is "expected". There is that ridiculous term again. Spring Trip is 100% COMPLETELY ABSOLUTELY OPTIONAL! You don't have to make any apologies or explanations for not going. It can't be expected, requested, necessary, etc. I think I saw some small Choral groups at other schools that were not a class but rather a specialty activity, and they signed an agreement saying they would commit.
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I think this is wonderful. I had no idea about some of this.

-

We are going to take a very brief pause before finishing up the rest of the schools. This could easily take until the end of the year.

I have posted a redacted copy of a little email from the Deputy I received over Thanksgiving. I took my name off because I want you to focus on the other names on here. All I have been doing is turning in the public records I receive from them BACK to them with comments. Here is the cast of players-

Patty Reed-School Board
Dr. Lockard-The Deputy Superintendent
John Foster-the Division Counsel
Susan Quinn-Chief Operating Officer, FCPS

The School Board (Mrs. Reed and the others) has told these people to clean this mess up. You all created this mess. A lot of the mess is due to people completely ignoring what they were told to do and NOT do. Some of the mess is because the school system should never have gotten themselves into this situation in the first place, some is because people are being belligerent about the changes that the school system is trying to implement under the advice of their attorneys (in order to make them compliant with state and Federal laws as well as school regulations, which Mrs. Reed and the others expect/require them to follow), some of it should be basic common sense or should have been taught long ago in school or church or by their parents to a lot of people. I think Mr. Foster thinks it would be wonderful if everybody followed his advice and the advice of the outside law firm. Ms. Quinn and I had some tense conversations a while back in the Penthouse on Gatehouse about a Booster group and high school that were playing very dangerous games with public records and large public transactions. That situation could have easily cost the school system and the taxpayers six figures in legal bills and fines. She is in charge of Operations and what you are doing falls under her responsibility. You are all wasting a LOT of taxpayer dollars and putting private and funds at tremendous risk by NOT FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS.

A quick summary before we press on-

~501c4's cannot offer people the chance to deduct a donation to them on their taxes.
~Participation in fundraisers cannot be part of a child's grade. It shouldn't be required for a letter, either.
~All fundraisers are completely optional. That means OPTIONAL. You can't refuse a child the chance to go on Spring Trip or do anything else because they didn't participate in fundraisers. If you make the decision to direct fundraising dollars towards an activity, optional or otherwise, that is your problem.
~FCPS fees and all communications regarding them are supposed to be on FCPS letterhead.
~FCPS staff and property are not supposed to be used to help Boosters get money out of parents.
~You were given a template. It has a few problems, but is basically adequate. All you had to do was fill in the blanks. Some people took the liberty of changing it to something they liked better. Who did this? What right did you have to do this? That was a very bad idea. I am sure the FCPS legal team approved that template and wants it followed verbatim. Am I right, Mr. Foster?
~I was told pre-season was technically optional, was an FCPS-sponsored activity, and it was supposed to run through the school accounts. That is what the FAQ's say.
~I don't know what this "travel supplement" that a lot of people have but these trips are not Carnival cruises where you can take excursions. They are school trips, personal expenses like meals are supposed to be covered by the families, trip expenses are supposed to be itemized for the families and paid by them with a school fee, etc.
~I don't care where they are with the transition processes. All trips, spring and otherwise, need to run through the school accounts. Parents, you need to refuse to write those big checks to a volunteer group. RIGHT NOW. Their insurance coverage is very shaky, this isn't their problem, etc. It is already in the regulations and has been there for many, many years that trip money is supposed to run through school accounts. They have been wandering around with this for 3-4 years now. Just say NO. Don't come up with your own forms for these trips. Health, permission, etc. The school holds the liability for these. LET THEM HAVE IT. That is what we pay them to do. They have entire departments to analyze liability, contracts, etc. Don't sign anything committing public funds, Boosters. You don't have the right to do that.
~FCPS/School Board own the uniforms. Rental payments and uniform replacement accounts should also be with the school system, just like the instrument fees always have been. Has anybody ever rented an instrument from a Booster club? Don't think so. The uniforms aren't any different.
~The Fee Notice says only two percussion rental fees can be charged-one per semester. It doesn't say anything about a separate one for Marching Band.
~No child is to be excused from a class for a fundraiser. Extracurricular activities are not to interfere with curricular activities.
~Private lessons can't be required. I think it is probably considered inappropriate for a teacher to deny a child credit for private lessons because they take lessons from someone the teacher doesn't like. That can be called cronyism, steering contracts, conflict of interest, possible kickbacks, etc. Private lessons are an agreement between a parent and the private instructor.
~Volunteers are not supposed to have access to Student ID numbers. It is in the Guidelines.
~Late fees on school fees are not allowed. That is an unauthorized fee. And when the money goes into a Booster bank account, it makes for a nasty fundraiser for them. The school fees desperately need to get into school accounts. Parents-PAY YOUR BILLS ON TIME OR DON'T SIGN YOUR KIDS UP FOR STUFF. You are rude.
~Don't get all high and mighty because you have people pay dues to Booster clubs and then get snotty to other people who want to walk in the door at a concert. You are NOTHING. NOTHING. You are just a group of parents with a very inflated opinion of yourself. You are rude. Any school official who goes along with this should be counseled. These are public performances. This is a classroom setting. This is like only letting people who have donated to the PTA have a seat at back to school night, and making the others stand.


~You need to quit calling payments for goods and services donations/contributions/voluntary payments/requests/expectations/"shouldering your part of the Booster budget"/student dues and all the other ridiculous terms you are coming up with, and then funnel money through a Booster bank account instead of a school account. You are trying to circumvent the new policies and just being dangerous. Quit doing things like charging everybody $40 for Cavalier cards, telling them you know you can't do mandatory fundraising but are going to do it anyway because it is a "necessity" and you all will get your money back when you sell them. This is illegal. Bank robbers think robbing a bank is a "necessity", also. Quit calling payments for school and personal services "donations". They aren't donations. Figure out quid pro quo. It is a Federal law. Quit using the term "voluntary payment/commitment payment", with a due date, payable to the teacher, include things that are not consumables, and then try to weasel your way out of it. This could go on and on. FCPS fees are the ONLY thing that can be charged, collected, and go to collections if need be. Aside from if you are buying a tshirt or something from a Booster club, all payments to Booster clubs must be optional. And if some parent groups are totally over the top and want people to donate huge amounts of money, well that is their problem. Greed and inflated desires have taken a lot of people down. Don't let them bully you behind the scenes. You should not be writing $150+ checks to Booster clubs any more for things like camps, pre-season, travel supplements, etc. Those payments are public funds. Those transactions are public transactions. Because they are all for school-sponsored activities. In spite of the problems the school system has handling money, public records and accounts are a very valuable tool. Anybody can look at them, which can prevent and/or catch a lot of problems. Don't let a Booster club take away your rights. They are trying to portray a false sense of security. A Booster club bank account is NOT a secure place. Neither is a school account, but the insurance is a lot better, and the records are easily obtained. I have dealt with both systems. I know. When people don't want to share records with a person they have taken money from, it is usually NOT for a good reason. I was right. Numerous times.

*************Now we are going to have a chat about The Troll. Hundreds of you have managed to read all the information in spite of The Troll. The Troll is quite possibly a former Booster and quite possibly a former officer in my old Booster group. The one who created a real headache for the school system. Remember, the one who made access to public records a problem, set the school system up for six figures in legal bills, and played games with $100,000+ county transactions, then didn't treat families right? Yeh, THAT group. The Troll obviously has some major psychological issues. So do several other members of this Booster club. I am very familiar with their tactics. With his/her endless drivel and nonsensical posts, he/she is displaying exactly why you DON'T want to give money to Booster clubs, particularly large amounts.

Now we are going to give The Troll a change to display their mental illness, discouraging you from making donations to Booster clubs, before we move on to more reports..................
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I heard that Madison band students are getting out of class in December for some kind of little kids concert or show that has an entrance fee.

Wasn't sure if a community- focused event is also under the restrictions about class absences for raising money. If it is, how can they do this?

Yes, it was a typo. Should have been CHANCE. And you did a great job of reinforcing our understanding of your severe psychological disorder.

More on Woodson Band. They fixed their website. Unfortunately, for them.

Private lessons can't be required. I know they really need them. You can't deny somebody a class based solely on whether they can afford private lessons.

Spring trip is 100% optional. It can't be required or expected (I really hate that word) for a class, and I do believe that includes Jazz Band, because that is a course. SPRING TRIP IS OPTIONAL. SPRING TRIP IS OPTIONAL. SPRING TRIP IS OPTIONAL. We already went through this with some other programs. Deal with it.

Tag Day is optional.

Car washes and fruit sales are also optional.

In addition to the marching fee that the parents were ordered to pay to the Boosters, which included the four Cavalier cards that they HAD to buy and then sell to get their money back because this was a "necessity" so this was more important than following school system policy and state law, and also included a $10 DVD that they also didn't have to buy which is also a fundraiser for Boosters, parents were also ordered to pay $90 to the Boosters if their child was in regular Band class, in addition to the $30 FCPS class fee. Can't do this. Can't you people read? Can't you hear? ALL PARENTS ARE OWED A REFUND ON THIS AND PROBABLY A GOOD PORTION OF THE OTHER MARCHING BAND FEE THAT WAS PAID TO BOOSTERS. PARENTS, YOU HAVE RIGHTS. YOU ARE BEING ABUSED.

Now the big question is, who gets the "$1 fine" that kids have to pay if they leave an instrument out? It can only go to one of three places-

*School-this is not an approved FCPS fee.
*Boosters-since when are students ordered to pay money to a non-profit because they messed up?
*Somebody's pocket-!.

It's not the amount, it's the principle.

WHERE HAS THIS $1 BEEN GOING?
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Question # 2 Wrote:
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> I heard that Madison band students are getting out
> of class in December for some kind of little kids
> concert or show that has an entrance fee.
>
> Wasn't sure if a community- focused event is also
> under the restrictions about class absences for
> raising money. If it is, how can they do this?

Tiny Tots was reported to Gatehouse earlier on. This school, along with others, was brought up. Tiny Tots is a fundraiser. For a Booster club, right now. Children are not to be excused from classes for fundraisers. Any performance of students involving a fee is supposed to have serially numbered tickets, and the money is supposed to go into a school account. Any activity involving students and staff and school property is supposed to be school-sponsored. Money from school-sponsored activities is supposed to be in school accounts. Any revenue generated by a Booster club involving students is supposed to be in school accounts.

Kids are supposed to be in their classes during the school day. They have instructional hours to meet. They aren't supposed to have to make up tests because they are doing a fundraiser. I don't think the school system is probably supposed to be using taxpayer funded time and students who are supposed to be in class to offer a "community event". They don't have to provide "community events". They are supposed to be providing instructional hours.

I would say this is completely totally messed up.

I am just reading the directions.

Oh, and even if they wanted to do a community event, that is an extracurricular activity. Extracurricular activities are not supposed to interfere with instructional programs. That is a State law. And if they are pulled out of class for a "community event", that is interfering with the instructional program.

Kids aren't supposed to miss an AP Physics class because somebody wants to raise money or have a "community event". Got it?

More Woodson Band funny money. The fee limit in Jazz Band is $50. Woodson is charging $120.

Parents, you have rights. You are being abused. Start asking questions. I think you are probably going to strike out at the Booster and teacher level, which means you go to the principal and then your Superintendent. And if you strike out there, Dr. Lockard is next, then Dr. Garza. If you are to that point, you need to contact your School Board rep. Good luck.

As I pointed out, this is why you don't want to write large checks to Booster clubs. Can you imagine handing over $800 to somebody who does this kind of stuff?

West Springfield Chorus.

All fundraising is optional. If somebody made the decision to not collect class fees, that is their problem. Just because certain people or a certain person decided to not collect class fees, that doesn't mean children or parents have to fundraise. You can't tell them they have to do group or individual fundraisers or make a donation.

Such is life.....Oh well. You had the chance to charge a fee.
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West Springfield Orchestra.

Tag Day is optional. All fundraisers are optional.
No IFA's.
I thought the FARM kids all had a fee waiver this year.
Trip money is being sent to school account-wonderful.

Noticed the chaperone charge of $389. Chaperones don't have to pay anything. Many schools incorporate the cost of the chaperones into the student trip price. Some have special fundraisers to cover these expenses, but really the cost can easily be incorporated into the student price. Parents don't have to pay because they are helping out the school system. Their presence is required under school regulations. They are as much a part of the trip cost as the teachers and the buses. By paying their way, more parents can volunteer to help out.
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I was told pre-season was technically optional and was supposed to be priced out separately.
Course fee of $50 and Marching Fee of $300 (the max) to school is noted.
The $9000 to be put into a school account for Uniform Reserve is noted. Good. Some schools are specifying a specific amount per child, some a certain gross amount. I don't know the policy on that.

Trip money is going to school. Wonderful.

Did not see any Booster information, so the usual-

all fundraising is optional, including Tag Day.
No IFA's.
No Booster "assessments, your fair share of our budget, voluntary payments that are due right now or we won't survive, mandatory donations, necessities", and all the other bogus wishy-washy terms people are using to bully around the parents. You know who you are...........
Attachments:

We are really going to miss The Troll when they get admitted to a psych hospital. I think they are getting close...............They are really flipping out. DON'T WRITE ANY BIG CHECKS TO BOOSTERS.

senza sordino Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> West Springfield Chorus.
>
> All fundraising is optional. If somebody made the
> decision to not collect class fees, that is their
> problem. Just because certain people or a certain
> person decided to not collect class fees, that
> doesn't mean children or parents have to
> fundraise. You can't tell them they have to do
> group or individual fundraisers or make a
> donation.
>
> Such is life.....Oh well. You had the chance to
> charge a fee.


Anybody at WSHS care to explain how giving away a school trip to the person who sells the most pies and giving kids iPads as raffle prizes doesn't violate the no IFA policy?

Fort Hunt Band.

You can't require a kid to operate the valves of a French horn with their left hand. What about the students who are RIGHT HANDED? Parents - don't write a check! And I've had enough of these wishy-washy terms. When you say a student needs a written hall pass to "use" the bathroom, what do you really mean? Students, don't let them bully you into thinking you have to.

I've talked with Gatehouse on this one and it should be clear.

Now here's an interesting one about spring trip rooming lists. You can't confine a student to a room after curfew. If they need vending, they have the right to go and do it. You're going to find a lot of red tape around the taping of doors.

Looks like The Troll will soon be too deranged to take their meda.

By the way BARB I challenge you to try to play a French Horn right handed.

I played the violin and am a competent musician. Don't tell ME you can't play the French horn with your right hand! Maybe the area band directors just need to readjust their expectations a bit.

We had lots of fun with Fort Hunt. They kept adding punctuation in on the same page as the FCPS eduspeak and had due dates for the edits, just added them in automatically, tried to tell me they were optional, but could not show me anything saying that, etc. etc. More arguments with Gatehouse. More foot stomping.


Congratulations, Fort Hunt Band parents, on NOT signing the Magna Carta. That is a very wise move. Nothing personal, but the Magna Carta is fraught with problems that nobody wanted to listen to. Get out of the school accounting business. Pull your records frequently and go over every single line. Ask questions. Demand answers. It will be fine.

Don't know if you can make deodorant mandatory or not and how it calculates out with the consumables. Maybe add an extra class to the schedule so the students don't have to sit so close.

If you are going to leave it up to optional dues and donations to fund certain things that the families can well afford to pay for, oh well. I would just dump it on the families. One less thing to deal with.
Saw the $7000 set aside for mascot grooming. Good but seems low.
Your fees seem low considering all the rich white people at your school and the aspirations that usually accompany that.

TAG day and all fundraisers are optional.

Barb, you have jumped the shark. Take a look at a french horn and tell us, please, just how one could play it right-handed. One hand goes in the bell and the other operates the valves.

Just like your violin - you can't just reverse the strings a la Hendrix and expect things to work properly without taking the top off, re-gluing the bass bar to the other side, and relocating the sound post.

You don't come across as a competent musician.

Where's the Fort Hunt document?

QUIT WHINING. You people keep attacking me I'm just the messenger. I have every right to request this information. It is public record and YOUR tax dollars pay for it.

Take your meds!

>We had lots of fun with Fort Hunt.


Bravo, sir! (Or madam.) You have won the internet.

My God, no wonder you people had such a hard time keeping track of the money, the stories, and a trip payment spreadsheet. You were all schizophrenic. I knew it.

I don't put too much stock in people who break the law and bully parents and children around. There is a lot of that going on out there from what I am seeing.

Examples-

"You aren't good enough. Step aside and wait for the rest of us."
"We/I don't care what we/I was told to do. You are going to give us/me money (that we/I aren't/am not entitled to) right now or I/we won't let your child take a class or go on a school trip. It's a 'necessity'."
"We don't care about the state laws or school regulations".
"We just aren't going to tell people what their rights are because then we will have to follow the rules. If they are ignorant, that is their problem."
"What I/we want to do is more important than treating people appropriately."
"If you expect us to follow school regulations, you hate teachers and music education."
"If I just don't look at the payment spreadsheet then it isn't my problem and I don't have to assume any responsibility for it."

Sound familiar?

Lake Braddock Orchestra parents-are you getting ready to be abused tonight by a bunch of people who think because they gave $40 to a Booster club (that has nothing to do with the school system) they are better than you and think they can control your access to a public school concert?

Don't put up with it.

You are displaying severe Flight of Ideas.

You managed that one without a typo. Usually, when you're irked, the keystrokes fall a little faster than andante.

I do not think that you realize that what you are doing is hurting more than it is helping anyone. You have caused many problems for EVERYONE in the music departments in Fairfax County, and deprived our students of opportunities that could have benefited them greatly. Good job.

I do not think that you realize that what you are doing is hurting more than it is helping anyone. You have caused many problems for EVERYONE in the music departments in Fairfax County, and deprived our students of opportunities that could have benefited them greatly. Good job.

You are a jerk for doing this and I hope you know that you have an awful reputation within Fairfax County.

What has been going on was in violation of state laws, Federal laws, and school regulations. Why do you all have such a problem with following the laws and school regulations? Would you like to elaborate?

Staff-Do you teach your students to violate the laws and school regulations, also? They have to sign something every year saying they won't. When they whine about following them, what do you say to them?

And the staff also sign something. It is called their license to teach and administer schools, which requires them to follow laws and regulations pertaining to their profession. You also signed a contract with FCPS, and I would bet there is a clause in there about following all school regulations.

Parents, do you teach your children to obey the laws and school regulations, or to break them aggressively and frequently? Do you encourage them to rob banks and shoplift? Because sending out bills for large sums of money that you are not entitled to, pestering parents to pay up, maybe sending them to collections are all really bad ideas when you don't have the right to send the bills out in the first place.

No sympathy.

I also heard orange is the new black.
Attachments:

You created your own problems, NOT somebody else. Now act like adults and fix them.

Barb - you need to acquaint yourself with a couple legal terms:
• Defamation
• Libel
• Slander
• Slander per se

Specifically you need to understand that when you accuse people (volunteers for, or paid employees of, FCPS) breaking a law - you had better have facts to back it up, not just you opinions. In several instances you stated your opinions; you outright claimed people were "breaking the law". But you have made accusations without publishing any facts, without stating what law was broken. (This is bad for you.) Why do you think authors use words like "allegedly" and "the accused" but never say until after trial/conviction, "he/she committed" or "the criminal".

A slander per se claim does not require that the plaintiff prove special damages (monetary loss) all that has to be proved was it was you*, and the statement was of a legally qualifying nature such as:
• imputing criminal conduct to the plaintiff
• any harmful statement about the plaintiff's profession or business (which in VA by case precedent includes volunteer positions held)

But when you talk about “fingering” people, whether by name directly or by reference such that any reasonable person could identify the accused in your statements you had better be sure your ducks are in a row, legally speaking. I know you’ve said you’ve “read” the law, but unless you’ve consulted with an attorney, you’d better be careful just how you publicly hang people out to dry, so to speak.

* This is easily done in today’s world of computer forensics. Session logs, IP logs, ISP data, etc. can easily be used to identify not only the poster of each post but the device they used to do it. This is easily done. What if you only post from Starbucks on the free WiFi? And never the same Starbucks twice! Not a problem – everyone leaves a digital trail via their computer, iPad, cell phone pings, credit/debit card use, etc., etc. Just ask Paula Broadwell, and former Gen. Petraeus.

Note that violation of FCPS published policy is not a violation of the law. So be very clear. When you accuse people of “violating the law” (a crime) and what you mean is they didn’t follow FCPS or Virginia DOE policy (not a crime unless coded as such by the state legislature) you are committing slander per se.

There is also such a thing as FOIA Abuse. It would generally be up to the county/FCPS to bring that claim, however if ANY citizen feels you are using FOIA to directly harass them, they could very well bring a claim against you … personally, or with the help of their organization (e.g.: Boosters, PTA, a willing law firm).

Specifically, it is defined as using the Freedom of Information Act laws as a weapon to harass, bully, hector or intimidate. Note that the cause doesn’t matter. If you use FOIA in a constructive way, fine. But your repeated threats to “finger” people would be, in Virginia, sufficient to demonstrate harassment and intimidation. Do some case research and you’ll find which judges in District and Circuit court would agree. This is especially true if you make threats to harm someone’s status, position, career, etc. (which you have) and then follow up with slanderous statements.

See where this is going? Unless you are well funded for your defense, chose your words carefully and perhaps tone down the rhetoric just a notch or two. Be very careful who you “finger” come January and how. You are putting your own crusade for change at risk as well as your own finances (in Virginia, a judgment against you can be used to place a lien on your property, bank accounts, etc.)

Dear Warning----- Don't try to bully me around. I am sick and tired of people who do that in order to take advantage of people, particularly parents and children.

Extorting and demanding money that you are not entitled to from people is against the law. Yeh! Really. It is! Anybody can tell you that.

Not following state laws means YOU BROKE THE LAW. Got it? Demanding fees that are not approved by the school system, not returning excess money collected for consumables or a school trip, sending out a bill for $250 to a bunch of parents when you don't have the right to do so, etc.-all are violations of state laws. THEY ARE! These are the people who stand to lose their savings and their homes and their bank accounts. I haven't done any of this. I pitched a fit to get the money out of Booster accounts and into school accounts to prevent exactly that, because the school system was clearly trying to transfer their liability to the parents. It was right there on the MOU. I didn't write the MOU. Who did? I also didn't write the insurance policies that would have left the Booster clubs and parents high and dry. I read them. Did anybody else? I don't think so. Did anybody else read the Government Data laws and the computer privacy laws and think about how they apply to these helpless children and naïve parents? I don't think so. I didn't write those. I just asked why they weren't being followed. I have a right to do that. Didn't anybody else think this through? There were multiple lawyers, CPA's, etc. looking over these documents. It was all right there in plain English.

Pulling public records, posting them to notify the parents so they know what their rights are, commenting on them, and reporting problems to the public officials who are responsible for what is in them is a totally appropriate thing to do. It isn't harassment. I think it is very constructive. So do a lot of other people. Particularly people with children in the school system. They are very, very glad somebody is making an effort to clean this up.

If the school system could be counted on to fix things promptly instead of brushing them under the rug there wouldn't have to be a thread going on this to notify the citizens. They can't be counted on, they made that crystal clear to me and many others, multiple times, and that is not my fault. It is theirs. I personally gave them numerous opportunities to address the original problems four years ago. They chose to wander around in a daze. They are still in a daze. That is their fault, not mine. I continue to pay their salaries while they are in this daze. It is the people who have been doing things they aren't supposed to be doing that don't think this is constructive. Quit doing things you aren't supposed to be doing and DO the things you are supposed to be doing if you don't like it. I didn't put these things in public records and present them to citizens. I just found them. I have no sympathy.

Not following school regulations is grounds for losing a professional license. The school regulations are based off of state laws and are binding. I didn't write the licensure or school regulations. READ THEM.

You can FOIA as much as you want in Virginia and there is nothing anybody can do about it. That was already struck down. I followed the attempt. I didn't write FOIA.

I haven't slandered anybody. I haven't done anything I wasn't supposed to be doing. When you do things you aren't supposed to be doing YOU ARE DOING THINGS YOU AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE DOING. People have the right to talk about that. Get over it. That doesn't give you the right to bully around the victims or the person who figures it out and reports it so that you can keep on doing what you aren't supposed to be doing. That seems to be a very common tactic. Don't blame me for your problems in dealing with accountability for your actions.

There have been a lot of people slandering and threatening and stonewalling and insulting ME. For years. Some also stole from me and lied to me. Many, many people tried to take away my rights as a citizen. And that includes a few lawyers and multiple school officials, as well as parents. Want me to name some names? A lot of them are on the FOIA denials and in multiple written conversations. It is public record. One person abused my child and made her cry. That is also in the public records. I was yelled at and ridiculed by school staff and totally left in the lurch. More than once. Did any of these people ever apologize to me? NOT A SINGLE ONE. ZIP. ZERO. There was one parent who tried to, I will give her credit for that. I seriously doubted the sincerity. A lawyer tried to tell me I couldn't freely share public records. I have that in writing and it is also in the public records. Who do they think they are? I have also been told at least three times I didn't pay my bills on time. I certainly did, and I presented the proof. No problem. It happens. People said they would get back to me and never did. Multiple times.

I have also asked to see correct, current public records, and been shown anything but. That is not my problem. Don't go telling me you didn't charge a fee when your name is on a letter asking for $300+. Don't go telling me you didn't hand out a syllabus when you did. I was sent a packet of information, I noticed the website was different, and wouldn't you know I was given the wrong stuff. Don't go charging room service to a county credit card and not bring back a correct receipt and let a citizen find it six months later. Don't go telling families that it is not allowed to charge additional fees and then in the very next sentence say it is a necessity and do exactly that. I could go on and on about this. I think I have been. It's not my fault.

I haven't sent somebody a bogus bill for $200, made fake entries on a payment spreadsheet, not processed money for a $100,000+ school trip properly and try to walk away from my responsibilities, ignored multiple school regulations, etc. etc. etc.

Whoever you are, you are barking up the wrong tree. Don't talk down to me. You try walking in my shoes for a while. I will do anything I want to in January and any other month of the year.

Grow up and assume responsibility for your actions, people. And get the lead out. Parents, you have rights. Exercise them. NOW.

"Moving forward", you can "expect" to see me "requesting" more reports. It is a "necessity". This can be fixed.

Dear Warned-

We are going to play a little game with your little "alleged" word.

Sforzando allegedly was denied alleged public records at least 10 alleged times by at least 5 alleged school personnel. Sforzando allegedly has several of these requests writing. These allegedly could have cost the school system almost $50,000 in fines plus legal fees and lots of allegedly really BAD PRESS. There are allegedly years of alleged public records allegedly sitting in spare closets, basements, and garages all over the county that are allegedly still subject to the Public Records Act, and technically somebody could ask to see a lot of those. Their name might be Fortississimo or Presto. Sforzando and these other people allegedly think the school system and some Booster clubs are allegedly really lucky.

Sforzando allegedly spent well over two years watching people allegedly trying to straighten this out, only to find out that the people who were allegedly supposed to be allegedly fixing this were allegedly going to Morton's for dinner, allegedly going golfing, allegedly ordering and allegedly partaking of catered lunches, allegedly ordering presents and flowers galore, allegedly going out to allegedly fancy restaurants all over the country, all using alleged public funds, and allegedly having a lot of fun with the people who were allegedly not following alleged school guidelines developed off of alleged state laws on alleged six figure transactions.

Sforzando has allegedly also spent two more years allegedly watching a lot of people make alleged empty promises and stagger around making decisions and taking corrective action, while they were allegedly still going to Morton's and allegedly going golfing, etc.

Why don't you try asking somebody who got a $200 refund how allegedly non-constructive this is? My guess is they don't think it is alleged harassment at all. They are probably allegedly pretty darn glad somebody is allegedly demanding this situation be fixed once and for all because allegedly somebody has to do it and nobody else allegedly has a clue what to do. Including a lot of staff.

Like I said. The people who think this is harassment and not constructive are probably the ones who have been ignoring state laws and school regulations and taking advantage of families. They seem to be very proud of themselves.

Think twice before you start to bully me and scare me any more. I don't write the state laws, the Federal laws, or the school regulations. You can do whatever you want with public records. Want me to post quotes from somebody who tried to tell me otherwise? I just FOIA and post and turn in problems.

Got it?

I don't know what your "January" scare is about. Happy New Year!

BAD PRESS. They were allegedly supposed to find out this were allegedly resto. Sforzando all using allegedly fancy really lucky.

Sforzando has to Morton's and technically lucky.

Sforzando allegedly watching allegedly this is allegedly demanding golfing, etc.

Why don't think twice been ignoring a lot of people whateveral of those. The people allegedly going this situation be fixed off of families. Their name mighten this were allegedly supposed to play a lot of those. They are is the school guidelines.

I don't know what to be very promises and taking a lot of families. The people making a lot of the ones who this situations and stagger around make allegedly has to do what to do whatever your "January" scare me any more years allegedly demanding a lot of stagger around how allegedly demanding a lot of staff.

Like I said. They were allegedly has to do. Including advantage of people making corrective the stagger around making state laws, they were allegedly still going somebody who this is harassment.

These obviously should have read "FCPS DOES have the right to demand OUR documents on OUR trips and will get back to you within 12 working days". Oops.

This is what could have cost the taxpayers $10,000. There's more!

The rest is history.

Find somebody else to pick on and something else to whine about, everybody.

And The Trumpet Shall Sound.
Attachments:

Marshall Band parents!!!!!!!!!! Your $150 voluntary commitment payment for marching band wasn't a commitment payment as described. It was optional. Ask for a refund if you want it.

REBAND MARFUND SHALL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bant was optional. Marching band paymentarefund
> pary commitment payments!!!!!!! You was described.
> Marshall Band it.Marching bant if your $150 volund
> payment a commitment for a rent for marshall Band
> wasn't itment a commitment a commitment for $150
> volunt parching band parching band was optional.
> It was described. Marching band if your $150
> voluntary commitment as described. Ask for a
> commitment for marching bant parshall Band wasn't
> wand was described. Ask for marshall Band
> itments!!!!! You was de

> Marshall Band parents!!!!!!!!!! Your $150
> voluntary commitment payment for marching band
> wasn't a commitment payment as described. It was
> optional. Ask for a refund if you want it.

> > Marshall Band parents!!!!!!!!!! Your $150
> > voluntary commitment payment for marching band
> > wasn't a commitment payment as described. It
> was
> > optional. Ask for a refund if you want it.

> > Marshall Band parents!!!!!!!!!! Your $150
> > voluntary commitment payment for marching band
> > wasn't a commitment payment as described. It
> was
> > optional. Ask for a refund if you want it...

> > > Marshall Band parents!!!!!!!!!! Your $150
> > > voluntary commitment payment for marching
> band
> > > wasn't a commitment payment as described. It
> > was
> > > optional. Ask for a refund if you want it.....

> > > > Marshall Band parents!!!!!!!!!! Your $150
> > > > voluntary commitment payment for marching
> > band
> > > > wasn't a commitment payment as described.
> It
> > > was
> > > > optional. Ask for a refund if you want
> it......

-Marshall Band parents!!!!!!!!!! Your $150
voluntary commitment payment for marching band
wasn't a commitment payment as described. It
was optional. Ask for a refund if you want it.

-Marshall Band parents!!!!!!!!!! Your $150
voluntary commitment payment for marching band
wasn't a commitment payment as described. It
was optional. Ask for a refund if you want it.

**
> -Marshall Band parents!!!!!!!!!! Your $150
> voluntary commitment payment for marching band
> wasn't a commitment payment as described. It
> was optional. Ask for a refund if you want it.

#
> > -Marshall Band parents!!!!!!!!!! Your $150
> > voluntary commitment payment for marching band
> > wasn't a commitment payment as described. It
> > was optional. Ask for a refund if you want it.

Seriously!
Attachments:

Marshall Band parents! You didn't have a commitment payment due as clearly indicated on your commitment form, according to the school system. I gave the DCCO a deadline to clarify whether this was optional or required with the understanding that no response meant it was optional. The deadline has passed.

You can't be sent a bill for instruments anyway. Guard equipment I don't know about.

You have the right to either a partial or full refund if you paid this.

The due date for the commitment payment that didn't really exist was June 6th.

They are also claiming there wasn't any fee for regular Band, so if you were charged something, you will have to figure that one out.
Attachments:

-------------------------------------------------------
> Marshall Band parents! You didn't have a
> commitment payment due as clearly indicated on
> your commitment form, according to the school
> system. I gave the DCCO a deadline to clarify
> whether this was optional or required with the
> understanding that no response meant it was
> optional. The deadline has passed.
>
> You can't be sent a bill for instruments anyway.
> Guard equipment I don't know about.
>
> You have the right to either a partial or full
> refund if you paid this..
>
> The due date for the commitment payment that
> didn't really exist was June 6th.
>
> They are also claiming there wasn't any fee for
> regular Band, so if you were charged something,
> you will have to figure that one out.
Attachments:

-------------------------------------------------------
> Marshall Band parents! You didn't have a
> commitment payment due as clearly indicated on
> your commitment form, according to the school
> system. I gave the DCCO a deadline to clarify
> whether this was optional or required with the
> understanding that no response meant it was
> optional. The deadline has passed.
>
> You can't be sent a bill for instruments anyway.
> Guard equipment I don't know about.
>
> You have the right to either a partial or full
> refund if you paid this.
>
> The due date for the commitment payment that
> didn't really exist was June 6th.
>
> They are also claiming there wasn't any fee for
> regular Band, so if you were charged something,
> you will have to figure that one out...
Attachments:

-------------------------------------------------------
> Marshall Band parents! You didn't have a
> commitment payment due as clearly indicated on
> your commitment form, according to the school
> system. I gave the DCCO a deadline to clarify
> whether this was optional or required with the
> understanding that no response meant it was
> optional. The deadline has passed.
>
> You can't be sent a bill for instruments anyway.
> Guard equipment I don't know about.
>
> You have the right to either a partial or full
> refund if you paid this.
>
> The due date for the commitment payment that
> didn't really exist was June 6th.
>
> They are also claiming there wasn't any fee for
> regular Band, so if you were charged something,
> you will have to figure that one out....
Attachments:

These obviously should have read "FCPS DOES have the right to demand OUR documents on OUR trips and will get back to you within 12 working days".
Oops. This is what could have cost the taxpayers $10,000. There's more!

The rest is history.

Find somebody else to pick on and something else to whine about, everybody.

And The Trumpet Shall Sound.
Attachments:

-------------------------------------------------------
> Dear Warned-
>
> We are going to play a little game with your
> little "alleged" word.
>
> Sforzando allegedly was denied alleged public
> records at least 10 alleged times by at least 5
> alleged school personnel. Sforzando allegedly has
> several of these requests writing. These allegedly
> could have cost the school system almost $50,000
> in fines plus legal fees and lots of allegedly
> really BAD PRESS. There are allegedly years of
> alleged public records allegedly sitting in spare
> closets, basements, and garages all over the
> county that are allegedly still subject to the
> Public Records Act, and technically somebody could
> ask to see a lot of those. Their name might be
> Fortississimo or Presto. Sforzando and these other
> people allegedly think the school system and some
> Booster clubs are allegedly really lucky.
>
> Sforzando allegedly spent well over two years
> watching people allegedly trying to straighten
> this out, only to find out that the people who
> were allegedly supposed to be allegedly fixing
> this were allegedly going to Morton's for dinner,
> allegedly going golfing, allegedly ordering and
> allegedly partaking of catered lunches, allegedly
> ordering presents and flowers galore, allegedly
> going out to allegedly fancy restaurants all over
> the country, all using alleged public funds, and
> allegedly having a lot of fun with the people who
> were allegedly not following alleged school
> guidelines developed off of alleged state laws on
> alleged six figure transactions.
>
> Sforzando has allegedly also spent two more years
> allegedly watching a lot of people make alleged
> empty promises and stagger around making decisions
> and taking corrective action, while they were
> allegedly still going to Morton's and allegedly
> going golfing, etc.
>
> Why don't you try asking somebody who got a $200
> refund how allegedly non-constructive this is? My
> guess is they don't think it is alleged harassment
> at all. They are probably allegedly pretty darn
> glad somebody is allegedly demanding this
> situation be fixed once and for all because
> allegedly somebody has to do it and nobody else
> allegedly has a clue what to do. Including a lot
> of staff.
>
> Like I said. The people who think this is
> harassment and not constructive are probably the
> ones who have been ignoring state laws and school
> regulations and taking advantage of families. They
> seem to be very proud of themselves.
>
> Think twice before you start to bully me and scare
> me any more. I don't write the state laws, the
> Federal laws, or the school regulations. You can
> do whatever you want with public records. Want me
> to post quotes from somebody who tried to tell me
> otherwise? I just FOIA and post and turn in
> problems.
>
> Got it?
>
> I don't know what your "January" scare is about.
> Happy New Year!

Dear Warning-

Don't go poo-pooing the school regulations, buddy.

Administrators and teachers hold licenses that are dependent on them following them. Anybody can file a complaint against a licensed educator/administrator, so it pays to follow them. They are also required to manage money entrusted to them responsibly. I could write a book on that and it would probably be a Best Seller.

If you don't like these regulations, take it up with anybody but me. I didn't write them.
Attachments:

-------------------------------------------------------
> Dear Warning--
>
> Don't go poo-pooing the school regulations, buddy.
>
>
> Administrators and teachers hold licenses that are
> dependent on them following them. Anybody can file
> a complaint against a licensed
> educator/administrator, so it pays to follow them.
> They are also required to manage money entrusted
> to them responsibly. I could write a book on that
> and it would probably be a Best Seller.
>
> If you don't like these regulations, take it up
> with anybody but me. I didn't write them.
Attachments:

Madison Band Percussion parents-

You are being charged three times for percussion equipment fee when the Fee Notice says it can only be charged twice. It isn't the amount, it is the principle. I have not seen any other schools doing this unless I overlooked it. One even mentioned that it was not allowed to charge an extra percussion fee for Marching Band and that was why it wasn't being done.

The fee notice is attached. It says that no other fees may be charged unless authorized by the fee notice. This looks to be an unauthorized fee. Which means, you need to call Mr. Merrell at 703-319-2313 and ask what is going on unless somebody has already filled you in. If you paid this you probably are entitled to a refund. If you didn't pay it yet, DON'T.

This was turned in to Gatehouse and the School Board a while back.
Attachments:

> Madison Band Percussion parents-
>
> You are being charged three times for percussion
> equipment fee when the Fee Notice says it can only
> be charged twice. It isn't the amount, it is the
> principle. I have not seen any other schools doing
> this unless I overlooked it. One even mentioned
> that it was not allowed to charge an extra
> percussion fee for Marching Band and that was why
> it wasn't being done..
>
> The fee notice is attached. It says that no other
> fees may be charged unless authorized by the fee
> notice. This looks to be an unauthorized fee.
> Which means, you need to call Mr. Merrell at
> 703-319-2313 and ask what is going on unless
> somebody has already filled you in. If you paid
> this you probably are entitled to a refund. If you
> didn't pay it yet, DON'T.
>
> This was turned in to Gatehouse and the School
> Board a while back.
Attachments:

fermata Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I am still awaiting some information.
>
> No multiple marcher 10% discounts are allowed on
> FCPS fees. This is an FCPS course. No discounts
> was already clarified with the Comptroller. The
> price is the price and it is set by the Fee
> Notice.
>
> The separate summer camp fee is noted.
>
> The Marching fee is maxed out.
>
> Any uniform items that the students have to
> replace should have the money go to the school.
> Those items are owned by the School Board, NOT the
> parent group.
>
> Anybody besides staff messing with student ID's?



Oh, South County Band. Oh dear. Just got the commitment form. Anybody care to explain why you are running $250-$300 per student for Marching Band through Booster accounts? Parents, those checks are supposed to be written to the school system and run through school accounts. DON'T give these people this kind of money. Whatever you do, do NOT give them money for your Spring Trip.

Any reason the checks are being made out to the SCHS Band and the Boosters are supposedly keeping the non-refundable portion, etc.? Parents-you are NOT the Band. ARE YOU CALLING YOURSELVES THAT???????? You are an independent non-profit. You are nothing but a group of volunteers. Other checks like the instrument rental are made out to SCHS. Just SCHS. WHERE IS ALL THIS MONEY GOING? Did you just get mixed up when the commitment form was made up and the money is actually going into a school account? The checks made out to another school with XYZ School Band went into a school account. I guess I am supposed to do all the "alleged" stuff right about now. I allege that this is probably completely totally ENTIRELY screwed up.

I had to made a special additional request to see the commitment form! It wasn't with the original documents when I asked to see registration forms, syllabi, etc.! Whose form is this? The Band's/school's or the Boosters'? God only knows. Parents are signing permission for their child(ren) to participate in a school class, NOT a Booster activity. Why are we talking about a Booster Refund and Cancellation policy?????????????????????????

No wonder there are people threatening and warning me.

Another one for the Deputy and the School Board. I think we are up to about 15+ now. I have another 8 or 9 schools to go.
Attachments:

If this is what the records look like in CHARMS, and Boosters have access to this information, they might have access to your FARM status. The lady I talked with in Richmond said that the school system has to have very specific written permission to do that. The consent to share you sign doesn't cover for that. That only covers staff. Boosters aren't staff under their definitions. The phone number is 1-804-225-2074.

Unless she changed her mind............
Attachments:

^^^^^^^^attention FARM families Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If this is what the records look like in CHARMS,
> and Boosters have access to this information, they
> might have access to your FARM status. The lady I
> talked with in Richmond said that the school
> system has to have very specific written
> permission to do that. The consent to share you
> sign doesn't cover for that. That only covers
> staff. Boosters aren't staff under their
> definitions. The phone number is 1-804-225-2074.
>
> Unless she changed her mind............

Used the wrong attachment. Use this one instead.
Attachments:

-------------------------------------------------------
> > Madison Band Percussion parents---
> >
> > You are being charged three times for
> percussion
> > equipment fee when the Fee Notice says it can
> only
> > be charged twice. It isn't the amount, it is
> the
> > principle. I have not seen any other schools
> doing
> > this unless I overlooked it. One even mentioned
> > that it was not allowed to charge an extra
> > percussion fee for Marching Band and that was
> why
> > it wasn't being done..
> >
> > The fee notice is attached. It says that no
> other
> > fees may be charged unless authorized by the
> fee
> > notice. This looks to be an unauthorized fee.
> > Which means, you need to call Mr. Merrell at
> > 703-319-2313 and ask what is going on unless
> > somebody has already filled you in. If you paid
> > this you probably are entitled to a refund. If
> you
> > didn't pay it yet, DON'T.
> >
> > This was turned in to Gatehouse and the School
> > Board a while back.
Attachments:

Barbara,

You recently posted about being up to 15+ schools with some type of reportable offense, with 8 or 9 to go. That is nearly every high school in the county. It is by far the norm that when you look at a program, you find some offense that you consider criminal. The teachers of these programs run the gamut. Some are male, some are female. Some are in their first years of teaching, some have been in the profession for decades. Some have spent their entire career in FCPS, some have taught in multiple school systems before coming to FCPS. Some have only ever been teachers, some had a career before teaching. Some still have quite a bit of growth needed, some are respected as among the best in the country. With each of them, every one of them, you've found them to be involved in what you consider criminal activity. In most cases, you've also alluded to them involving an inner-ring of booster parents. Essentially, a crime ring.

Do you think it is circumstance that FCPS has exclusively hired criminals to run its high school music programs? Do you think it is something intrinsic about the job that tempts them into a life of crime? Do you think the music teaching profession is tempting for those with criminal tendencies?

I'd really like to know your thoughts on what is causing this epidemic.

I didn't say there was anything criminal going on (right now, that is). Just a lot of stuff that doesn't match up with what people were told to do. That is what is getting turned in, for the most part. And I think people are trying to retain control at the level it has been rather than relinquish it, thinking that keeping the information out of the public records will help things to be run better or because they like having this kind of control. Exactly why is up to them. That creates huge public records problems and hinders the public's right to access information that they have the right to access and also limits the application of school regulations. Which creates a lot of problems. Like crime. Want me to make a movie on that?

I don't care if they are brand new or seasoned teachers or volunteers. These practices are dictated by the school system and the state, etc. and people have rights. Somebody should have looked at these things before information was sent out to thousands of families-both faculty and Booster information.

If you are doing things like-

-telling kids they can't go on a school spring trip unless they sell fruit -telling people $800 trips are mandatory for a public school class
-telling kids they can't get a letter unless they fundraise
-running public funds through a Booster account when you were told not to
-telling families fundraising is part of the course/mandatory
-coming up with creative terms to try and funnel public funds through Booster accounts instead of going into a school account
-coming up with creative terms to extract money from naïve parents and take advantage of them
-using the name of the school group as your own (such as the parents are not the Band/Chorus/Orchestra issues I am seeing)
-sending parents bills for three school fees instead of two
-altering a template that you were told to just fill in
-sending out bills to families that you don't have the right to (and then don't want to correct things)
-pulling kids out of classes to fundraise for a private corporation
-encouraging tax fraud on bills for school services
-selling $40 of cards to families by including them in a bogus fee and telling them they will get even tell them you know you aren't supposed to do this
-making fake entries on spreadsheets making it look people are paid up when they aren't
-telling kids you don't like their private teacher so they won't get credit for private lessons
-telling kids private lessons are mandatory

....then somebody needs to sort stuff out. And you need to be talked to. Get over it.

No sympathy. No apologies. Quit whining.

-"selling $40 of cards to families by including them in a bogus fee and telling them they will get their money back when they sell them and even tell them you know you aren't supposed to do this"

Typo. It has been a long week. I see plenty of typos out there. I don't want to hear about it.

Barbara,

How on earth can you claim that you never said anything criminal was going on? Just a few days ago you posted this:

"Extorting and demanding money that you are not entitled to from people is against the law. Yeh! Really. It is! Anybody can tell you that.Not following state laws means YOU BROKE THE LAW. Got it? Demanding fees that are not approved by the school system, not returning excess money collected for consumables or a school trip, sending out a bill for $250 to a bunch of parents when you don't have the right to do so, etc.-all are violations of state laws. THEY ARE! These are the people who stand to lose their savings and their homes and their bank accounts."

You are blatantly accusing people of breaking laws, which by definition makes them criminals.

Between the epic scam that is Boosterthon and the legendary perversions of Laurence Einuis, FCPS' music programs are doomed.

To my knowledge, Boosterthon has not been used by any FCPS music programs as a fundraiser. I doubt you receive argument from anyone about the illegal acts of an individual; however, to say that they will somehow impact the education of tens of thousands of students doesn't seem to be a strong connection.

>
> -telling kids they can't go on a school spring
> trip unless they sell fruit -telling people $800
> trips are mandatory for a public school class
> -telling kids they can't get a letter unless they
> fundraise
> -running public funds through a Booster account
> when you were told not to
> -telling families fundraising is part of the
> course/mandatory
> -coming up with creative terms to try and funnel
> public funds through Booster accounts instead of
> going into a school account
> -coming up with creative terms to extract money
> from naïve parents and take advantage of them
> -using the name of the school group as your own
> (such as the parents are not the
> Band/Chorus/Orchestra issues I am seeing)
> -sending parents bills for three school fees
> instead of two
> -altering a template that you were told to just
> fill in
> -sending out bills to families that you don't have
> the right to (and then don't want to correct
> things)
> -pulling kids out of classes to fundraise for a
> private corporation
> -encouraging tax fraud on bills for school
> services
> -selling $40 of cards to families by including
> them in a bogus fee and telling them they will get
> even tell them you know you aren't supposed to do
> this
> -making fake entries on spreadsheets making it
> look people are paid up when they aren't
> -telling kids you don't like their private teacher
> so they won't get credit for private lessons
> -telling kids private lessons are mandatory
>
> ....then somebody needs to sort stuff out. And you
> need to be talked to. Get over it.
>
> No sympathy. No apologies. Quit whining.


See, here's the thing... I am a music teacher in the county and I have done NONE of the things on your list above. Neither has anyone in my department. Yet, we can't help but feel thrown under the bus along with other people we have nothing to do with. That may be why some people feel like your 'kill a few spiders by torching the whole house' approach is a bit unreasonable.

So, while you cause my community to be unnecessarily suspicious of me, and demand that I not whine and that I'm not owed an apology, excuse me if I feel a tad bit defamed. Hope the monitoring bracelet for my criminal actions isn't too uncomfortable.

Barbara, you are not truthful Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Barbara,
>
> How on earth can you claim that you never said
> anything criminal was going on? Just a few days
> ago you posted this:
>
> "Extorting and demanding money that you are not
> entitled to from people is against the law. Yeh!
> Really. It is! Anybody can tell you that.Not
> following state laws means YOU BROKE THE LAW. Got
> it? Demanding fees that are not approved by the
> school system, not returning excess money
> collected for consumables or a school trip,
> sending out a bill for $250 to a bunch of parents
> when you don't have the right to do so, etc.-all
> are violations of state laws. THEY ARE! These are
> the people who stand to lose their savings and
> their homes and their bank accounts."
>
> You are blatantly accusing people of breaking
> laws, which by definition makes them criminals.

I don't want to hear about it.

If somebody sent you a bill for $250, said they were sending you to collections and harassing you with emails if you didn't pay it like these parents have been doing, and they had no actual right to bill for the money in the first place, it's against the law, you know it, and you would be raising a major stink. Don't tell me you wouldn't be. If somebody sent you a bill for $250, you didn't realize you didn't have to pay it, you paid it, then found out it was a mistake, asked for a refund, and they wouldn't give it back to you until somebody spent six months fighting for you like I did, you would be raising a major stink. You would be screaming criminal type stuff too. I know you would. You wouldn't wait for a conviction to declare that. You would be calling that person every name under the sun.

I found about $150,000 for people in the last year or so that they were bilked out of. Yes, BILKED. Because staff were asleep or involved and they and/or the parents were allowed to run amok.

Bunch of crap. You want me to feel sorry for you? Ain't happening. I'm not tippy toeing around about this. Get off your high horses. All of you. I am SO SICK of the self-righteous whining.

Only the school system can assess a fee for classes. That is the law. It has been that way for many, many, many, many years. Your lawyers can stick it up their pompous noses. You don't like it, you all can take it up with Dr. Garza. I just get the material everybody passed out, make caustic comments, tell people their rights, and ship it back to the school system. It is public record and fair game. I did the school system's work for them.

That's right. No apologies. Read the syllabi and handouts in question and take it up with them. And some of the ones who were clean last year have dirtied it up. Some of the ones who were messing with people are STILL messing with people. They are just using different tactics.
Attachments:

You are ridiculous. You're rant of a response doesn't even relate to the post that prompted you to respond.

You were called out for being untruthful. You called teachers criminals. Then claimed you didn't. You were called-out for it. And then your response just went batshit.


Also, please point to some whining, because I've seen none.

Ok I pulled up old Madison percussion fee records. This is the third year in a row they have charged the percussion kids three times instead of two for percussion rental. I can't go back any further in my records. Let's see-

20 kids (estimate) times 3 years=60 kids times 26=$1560.

HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON?

Contact information-

Mark Merrell 703-319-2313

Your Regional Assistant Superintendent is Douglas Tyson and your Executive Principal is Evangeline Petrich 571-423-1110. Put them to work, too.

CALL EVERYBODY FIRST THING MONDAY MORNING. You might as well start the six month stalling around period on paying you all back.

Madison, you are going to be the death of me.

Thank you to those who keep reminding me I am stupid and deranged. Yeh, right. That is like the pot calling the kettle black.
Attachments:

-------------------------------------------------------
> Ok I pulled up old Madison percussion fee records.
> This is the third year in a row they have charged
> the percussion kids three times instead of two for
> percussion rental. I can't go back any further in
> my records. Let's see---
>
> 20 kids (estimate) times 3 years=60 kids times
> 26=$1560.
>
> HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON?
>
> Contact information-
>
> Mark Merrell 703-319-2313
>
> Your Regional Assistant Superintendent is Douglas
> Tyson and your Executive Principal is Evangeline
> Petrich 571-423-1110. Put them to work, too.
>
> CALL EVERYBODY FIRST THING MONDAY MORNING. You
> might as well start the six month stalling around
> period on paying you all back.
>
> Madison, you are going to be the death of me.
>
> Thank you to those who keep reminding me I am
> stupid and deranged. Yeh, right. That is like the
> pot calling the kettle black.
Attachments:

-Barb calls music teachers criminals.
-Someone calls Barb out on it.
-Barb denies ever calling anyone criminals in a rant that is barely coherent.
-Someone calls Barb on it again by posting a direct quote from her posts.
-Barb can't respond, gives her standard stop whining quip.
-No whining has been going on.
-Reality misaligned with what goes on in Barb's head?

What DO you call people who send out bills that they don't have the right to send out, who also send notices to people telling them they still owe, maybe threaten to send them to collections, and then refuse to give the money back readily and quickly when it is pointed out that they had no right to send out the bills in the first place? What DO you call a school official who orders parents to do all this, even puts out the bill in communications from them, and then refuses to help straighten out the situation?

I think this is very clear and coherent.

Somebody answer the questions please..................