There's so much to say about what everyone has written, but for now, I'd like to address two items -- Adult Ed in Ffx Cty and the dropout rates. First, someone mentioned that Adult Ed should be run by NVCC -- guess what, folks? NVCC doesn't want us. Why? B/c adults spend all their scholarship $$ on remedial classes at NVCC, then don't have $$ to pursue further education. However, Adult Ed programs thru FCPS are what:

a. serve minority and nonminority high school drop outs; and
b. provide ESL classes, apprenticeship, certificate and high school completion programs.

These programs serve Fairfax County by providing adults (meaning: 18 years and older) opportunities to obtain high school certification and increase skills, all leading to better jobs. And the better the job, the more taxes paid into "the system" to fund county services. Incidentally, Ffx Cty Adult Ed is not only a flagship program for the state of Virginia, but nationally, as well.

Edsall Park is a facility that houses adult ed offices -- staff and businesses. It also houses facilities for certification completion programs, such as dental assistant courses. Try taking this coursework at NVCC and see how much you pay for these classes.

But don't worry, folks. Jack Dale (and the SB does NOT have to approve this) has reorganized the K-12 system effectively enough to pretty much do away with adult ed as we know it. Providing services for adults is a customer-based endeavor -- ask NVCC or any university. Give it a couple of years, and when your high school aged child drops out of school, there will be only a shell of the services that currently exist. It's a real shame, because as the numbers prove, we have lots of drop outs, which impacts the kinds of jobs they can get and the kind of lives they will lead.

As for Jack Dale and the SB, I believe they are out of touch with the needs of the Fairfax County demographic and are building their own little fiefdom without input. What you are seeing now is that the serfs are rebelling.

Dale you have a record of failure since you have been with FCPS. Therefore, please go some place else with your poor decisions and your $500,000 pay.

Go now Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dale you have a record of failure since you have
> been with FCPS. Therefore, please go some place
> else with your poor decisions and your $500,000
> pay.


He does whtever the school board wants and it's a mutul admiration society. Never has made a tough decision that might be politically unpopular. Didn't scrap extar programs when he went to staffing ratios. Should get rid off- ELIMINATE- many programs in this budget since it's not getting better for years.

gatehouse 2 and soco middle school should be impeachable offenses for this school board.

sc area mom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There's so much to say about what everyone has
> written, but for now, I'd like to address two
> items -- Adult Ed in Ffx Cty and the dropout
> rates. First, someone mentioned that Adult Ed
> should be run by NVCC -- guess what, folks? NVCC
> doesn't want us. Why? B/c adults spend all their
> scholarship $$ on remedial classes at NVCC, then
> don't have $$ to pursue further education.
> However, Adult Ed programs thru FCPS are what:
>
> a. serve minority and nonminority high school drop
> outs; and
> b. provide ESL classes, apprenticeship,
> certificate and high school completion programs.
>
> These programs serve Fairfax County by providing
> adults (meaning: 18 years and older) opportunities
> to obtain high school certification and increase
> skills, all leading to better jobs. And the
> better the job, the more taxes paid into "the
> system" to fund county services. Incidentally, Ffx
> Cty Adult Ed is not only a flagship program for
> the state of Virginia, but nationally, as well.
>
> Edsall Park is a facility that houses adult ed
> offices -- staff and businesses. It also houses
> facilities for certification completion programs,
> such as dental assistant courses. Try taking this
> coursework at NVCC and see how much you pay for
> these classes.
>
> But don't worry, folks. Jack Dale (and the SB
> does NOT have to approve this) has reorganized the
> K-12 system effectively enough to pretty much do
> away with adult ed as we know it. Providing
> services for adults is a customer-based endeavor
> -- ask NVCC or any university. Give it a couple
> of years, and when your high school aged child
> drops out of school, there will be only a shell of
> the services that currently exist. It's a real
> shame, because as the numbers prove, we have lots
> of drop outs, which impacts the kinds of jobs they
> can get and the kind of lives they will lead.
>
>
How are these classes that are offered by Fairfax County Public Schools helpful in job skills????

Right Angle weaving
Pearl Knotting
Wire Crochet
Investing in Mutual Funds
Build a deck
Bicycle Mechanics Workshop


The list goes on and on....

I hope FCPS is charging more than their costs on these fluff courses. This is a joke with the budget as tight as it is, that FCPS is offering this crap.

Oh and by the way, all the parents out there whose little darlings go to school in crumbling buildings and trailers with mold-well, FCPS spent over $7 million bucks renovating the classrooms for their adult education classes.

Glad to know the folks learning "Pearl Knotting" are in nicer facilities than our kids!!!!

Another brilliant management decision by Mr. Dale!

let's be real Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> sc area mom Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > There's so much to say about what everyone has
> > written, but for now, I'd like to address two
> > items -- Adult Ed in Ffx Cty and the dropout
> > rates. First, someone mentioned that Adult Ed
> > should be run by NVCC -- guess what, folks?
> NVCC
> > doesn't want us. Why? B/c adults spend all
> their
> > scholarship $$ on remedial classes at NVCC,
> then
> > don't have $$ to pursue further education.
> > However, Adult Ed programs thru FCPS are what:
> >
> > a. serve minority and nonminority high school
> drop
> > outs; and
> > b. provide ESL classes, apprenticeship,
> > certificate and high school completion
> programs.
> >
> > These programs serve Fairfax County by
> providing
> > adults (meaning: 18 years and older)
> opportunities
> > to obtain high school certification and
> increase
> > skills, all leading to better jobs. And the
> > better the job, the more taxes paid into "the
> > system" to fund county services. Incidentally,
> Ffx
> > Cty Adult Ed is not only a flagship program for
> > the state of Virginia, but nationally, as well.
> >
> > Edsall Park is a facility that houses adult ed
> > offices -- staff and businesses. It also
> houses
> > facilities for certification completion
> programs,
> > such as dental assistant courses. Try taking
> this
> > coursework at NVCC and see how much you pay for
> > these classes.
> >
> > But don't worry, folks. Jack Dale (and the SB
> > does NOT have to approve this) has reorganized
> the
> > K-12 system effectively enough to pretty much
> do
> > away with adult ed as we know it. Providing
> > services for adults is a customer-based
> endeavor
> > -- ask NVCC or any university. Give it a
> couple
> > of years, and when your high school aged child
> > drops out of school, there will be only a shell
> of
> > the services that currently exist. It's a real
> > shame, because as the numbers prove, we have
> lots
> > of drop outs, which impacts the kinds of jobs
> they
> > can get and the kind of lives they will lead.
> >
> >
> How are these classes that are offered by Fairfax
> County Public Schools helpful in job skills????
>
> Right Angle weaving
> Pearl Knotting
> Wire Crochet
> Investing in Mutual Funds
> Build a deck
> Bicycle Mechanics Workshop
>
>
> The list goes on and on....
>
> I hope FCPS is charging more than their costs on
> these fluff courses. This is a joke with the
> budget as tight as it is, that FCPS is offering
> this crap.
>
> Oh and by the way, all the parents out there whose
> little darlings go to school in crumbling
> buildings and trailers with mold-well, FCPS spent
> over $7 million bucks renovating the classrooms
> for their adult education classes.
>
> Glad to know the folks learning "Pearl Knotting"
> are in nicer facilities than our kids!!!!
>
> Another brilliant management decision by Mr. Dale!


Whenever I heard a FCPS employee talk about Adult Ed they pnly talked about ESL classes for adults (parents of students) and how important the classes were.

It made sense because these kids go home and someone there needs to speak English to the kids.

I honestly don't get why FCPS is offering all these other classes. These belong under the Park and Rec Dept courses-not FCPS.

Please plan to attend this important discussion on the FCPS proposed school budget cuts ….this is an opportunity to discuss your opinions and options regarding the proposed budget with the leaders of the various parent and teacher organizations.

FCPS Budget Cuts: Teacher and Parent Perspectives

FCPS has published its FY 2010 budget, which increases class sizes. Teachers and custodians are being fired, to the extent vacancies aren’t created by attrition. Bus service is being reduced for magnet students. This FY 2010 budget is still tentative, and the School Board will be considering changes in the FY 2010 later this spring.

On Tuesday night, March 24th, at 7:30 PM, hear from all the teachers unions and the Fairfax County Council of PTAs about how the School Board could balance the FCPS budget without increasing class sizes or making some other cuts. Panelists include Leonard Bumbaca (Fairfax Education Association), Dr. Mark Glaser (Fairfax County Federation of Teachers), Mary Kaye Downes and Vern Williams (Association of Fairfax Professional Educators) and Michele Menapace (Fairfax County Council of PTAs). After short presentations, there will be an open question and answer session.

This meeting is free and open to the general public. It is located at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, 6560 Braddock Road, Alexandria, in the auditorium.

Dale is like a weather man, wrong 50% of the time.

What is Dale doing about this:

what happened at SOCO with
the baseball team?

Varsity players cut the JV players hair off in
front of the varsity coach.

Lots of questions on this one.

What weapon was used to cut the hair off? Razor,
knife, or scissors?

Was the attack done in the gym, bathroom or locker
room?


Interesting point. FCPS does not play about weapons on campus. I wonder what the coach saw.

I know a 12 year old kid in PG County (nice kid-no trouble), who foolishly brought a swiss army knife to school and has been sitting out of school now for about a month waiting to see if he will be placed in an alternative school.

I guess the jocks at SOCO get a free pass.....

Jack Dale needs to take a good look inside his schools and see what the real problems are...and start with the administrators who try so hard to keep the bad things hidden...especially at SOCO!

Why would Jack Dale want to involve himself in any of that? It's not his problem. He has other people to handle such problems.

no kidding Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jack Dale needs to take a good look inside his
> schools and see what the real problems are...and
> start with the administrators who try so hard to
> keep the bad things hidden...especially at SOCO!

Every body knows that the staff at South County HS has looked the other way when it comes to sex, drugs and now hazing inside the school.

Each month the School Board expels students for the same violation, but not at SOCO HS.

Are these not weapons, razor,knife, or scissors?

The people that Jack Dale has to take of such problems obviously are not doing their jobs. That's the big problem right there! Keep in mind that they may feel that they can't expel people from SOCO because they need to keep a good image with it being their NEW school. Sex, drugs and hazing are not the only things that going on at SOCO.

Poor Jack Dale - not enough money in the world for his job...

no kidding Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The people that Jack Dale has to take of such
> problems obviously are not doing their jobs.
> That's the big problem right there! Keep in mind
> that they may feel that they can't expel people
> from SOCO because they need to keep a good image
> with it being their NEW school. Sex, drugs and
> hazing are not the only things that going on at
> SOCO.

What are the other things that are going on at South County HS that school staff looks the other way. I have been told that students have sex and do drugs in the bathrooms.

This school is out of control and Dale knows it.

Somebody better do something fast before students get hurt.

Out of control SOCO HS Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> no kidding Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The people that Jack Dale has to take of such
> > problems obviously are not doing their jobs.
> > That's the big problem right there! Keep in
> mind
> > that they may feel that they can't expel people
> > from SOCO because they need to keep a good
> image
> > with it being their NEW school. Sex, drugs and
> > hazing are not the only things that going on at
> > SOCO.
>
> What are the other things that are going on at
> South County HS that school staff looks the other
> way. I have been told that students have sex and
> do drugs in the bathrooms.
>
> This school is out of control and Dale knows it.
>
> Somebody better do something fast before students
> get hurt.

LOL. Maybe they can just rename SoCo "Westfield South."

LoCo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Out of control SOCO HS Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > no kidding Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > The people that Jack Dale has to take of such
> > > problems obviously are not doing their jobs.
> > > That's the big problem right there! Keep in
> > mind
> > > that they may feel that they can't expel
> people
> > > from SOCO because they need to keep a good
> > image
> > > with it being their NEW school. Sex, drugs
> and
> > > hazing are not the only things that going on
> at
> > > SOCO.
> >
> > What are the other things that are going on at
> > South County HS that school staff looks the
> other
> > way. I have been told that students have sex
> and
> > do drugs in the bathrooms.
> >
> > This school is out of control and Dale knows it.
>
> >
> > Somebody better do something fast before
> students
> > get hurt.
>
> LOL. Maybe they can just rename SoCo "Westfield
> South."

Great idea.

Dale, why not make a lot of people happy by quitting your job today.

Give someone else a chance to fuck up FCPS staff and students.

Dale plays favorites:

Let's compare 3 middle schools within FCPs and see if there is consistency in the punishment vs. the crime:

Irving Middle School had 38 assaults/fights against students. 10 or 26% resulted in NO punishment.

Key Middle School had 51 assaults/fights against students. 3 or just 6% resulted in no punishment.

Longfellow Middle School had 42 assaults/fights against students. 21 or 50% resulted in no punishment.

In summary, a kid at Key has a 94% chance of being punished while a kid at Longfellow has just a 50/50 shot.

This is just stupid. I can't believe noone in Dale's office bothers to look at these gross injustices.

Are you saying affluent, white students in Langley/McLean might ultimately be favored and protected in FCPS? Because of what their important mommies and daddies will do if they don't get their way?

So all those photos of the non-whites on their website getting enriching educational opportunities are just a sham?!

parent Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Are you saying affluent, white students in
> Langley/McLean might ultimately be favored and
> protected in FCPS? Because of what their
> important mommies and daddies will do if they
> don't get their way?
>
> So all those photos of the non-whites on their
> website getting enriching educational
> opportunities are just a sham?!

With Dale and this SB, MONEY TALKS.They are corrupt.

Discrimination by Dale in FCPS Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dale plays favorites:
>
> Let's compare 3 middle schools within FCPs and see
> if there is consistency in the punishment vs. the
> crime:
>
> Irving Middle School had 38 assaults/fights
> against students. 10 or 26% resulted in NO
> punishment.
>
> Key Middle School had 51 assaults/fights against
> students. 3 or just 6% resulted in no punishment.
>
>
> Longfellow Middle School had 42 assaults/fights
> against students. 21 or 50% resulted in no
> punishment.
>
> In summary, a kid at Key has a 94% chance of being
> punished while a kid at Longfellow has just a
> 50/50 shot.
>
> This is just stupid. I can't believe noone in
> Dale's office bothers to look at these gross
> injustices.

FCPS has something they call site based management. That means each Principal decides everything that happens in their school, from what textbooks to use, to who to discipline. Sorry, Dale has no control over anything that parents care about. The school board and Principals run the show.

FCPS HAS NO MONEY FOR STUDENTS OR TEACHERS BUT THEY HAVE MONEY FOR:



It seems that the unconscionable raw greed that characterized the AIG executives and their behavior is on full display within the FCPS system. On April 2-4, two FCPS administrators are being sent, all expenses paid, to a luxurious beach front Hotel for a few days of sun and fun. Administrators will spend those days sailing and tanning, while Fairfax Taxpayers are busy working to pay their salaries.


OK Fairfax County – this is your wake-up call…

The proposed FY2010 school budget (54% of the entire county’s budget) is out and it:

1) Increases class sizes

2) Fires teachers and custodians not absorbed by attrition

3) Reduces bus service for magnet students



Now we know where the School Board’s priorities are. Forget that now we can’t even provide transportation to the nation’s #1 high school. Never mind that the Fairfax County average high school class size is 31 and the STATE LAW sets the maximum at 30. Let’s cut where it hurts most -– and leave the bloated school administration alone to protect the Superintendent’s fiefdom. If only we could find that Holy Grail….



For starters, why do we need 470 people in the Division of Instructional Services writing lesson plans that the teachers ignore? Why is a planning period for middle and high school teachers and half day every Monday for Elementary School teachers needed if someone is writing their lesson plans? Many of these positions could be eliminated or forced to return to the classroom.



We have 17 cluster superintendents who earn a six figure salary.



We have 30-34 people in the Department of Accountability studying SOL scores. If we had more teachers, then maybe the SOL scores would take care of themselves.



We have a spin department called Communications and Community Outreach – we would save $2 million a year if this department was eliminated.



Why do we have separate school and county libraries, HR departments, and audits? They claim they are looking into it – so where’s the plan? We could combine the two and introduce obvious efficiencies.



We could reduce the number of assistant principals – we have one assistant principal for every 455 students – Arlington has one for every 567 students. [1]



Superintendent Dale makes $266,292 + $16,000 custodial contribution + $46,000 403(b) contribution + a car or approximately $360K + he gets 26 days vacation a year[2] . The President of the United States makes $400,000 a year. Need I say more… wake up folks.

Need Justification for School Population Increases - The school budget currently includes $40 million for a projected increase of 4,400 students next year. School staff cites "feelings" and "intuition" for its belief that more students will arrive from Prince William and that there will be a shift from private schools. The increase in students moving into Fairfax County in response to policies implemented by Prince William County did create a one-time spike of around 2,500 students in the school population last year. But without any sound justification, schools have turned that blip into a trend. In fact, evidence shows that the migration has stopped. More disturbing, FCPS has not analyzed where the 600 new students joining so far this year came from. The consequence for the lack of diligence is potentially significant and could cost taxpayers $40 million! That is a huge price tag for students who may never show up in our schools. And if the projections aren't accurate? Once this money is provided to the schools, it will never find its way back to taxpayers, classrooms or teachers' salaries.

Elementary teacher charged with sexual battery
March 24, 2009 - 10:43am


Rodney Bower (Photo courtesy of Fairfax County Police) FAIRFAX, Va. -- A Gunston Elementary School teacher faces charges of aggravated sexual battery after a student at the school reported she had been inappropriately touched.
Fairfax County Police say the alleged assault occurred sometime between Feb. 1 and Feb. 14 when Rodney Bower, 54, of Alexandria tutored the girl in her home.

The victim did not require treatment, and the police department was not contacted until March 20.

Bower, who has taught at the elementary in Lorton since 2005, was first hired by the school system in 2000.

Bower remains on unpaid administrative leave, according to Paul Regnier, spokesman for Fairfax County Public Schools:

Police say the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, e-mail the information or text "TIP187" plus your message to CRIMES/274637. Fairfax County Police also can be reached at 703-691-2131.

(Copyright 2009 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

FAIRFAX, Va. -- A Gunston Elementary School teacher faces charges of aggravated sexual battery after a student at the school reported she had been inappropriately touched.
Fairfax County Police say the alleged assault occurred sometime between Feb. 1 and Feb. 14 when Rodney Bower, 54, of Alexandria tutored the girl in her home.

The victim did not require treatment, and the police department was not contacted until March 20.

Bower, who has taught at the elementary in Lorton since 2005, was first hired by the school system in 2000.

Bower remains on unpaid administrative leave, according to Paul Regnier, spokesman for Fairfax County Public Schools:

Police say the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, e-mail the information or text "TIP187" plus your message to CRIMES/274637. Fairfax County Police also can be reached at 703-691-2131.


WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG FOR FCPS TO CONTACT THE POLICE?

COVER UP?

Or maybe it didn't happen

More big problems for Dale Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Elementary teacher charged with sexual battery
> March 24, 2009 - 10:43am
>
>
> Rodney Bower (Photo courtesy of Fairfax County
> Police) FAIRFAX, Va. -- A Gunston Elementary
> School teacher faces charges of aggravated sexual
> battery after a student at the school reported she
> had been inappropriately touched.
> Fairfax County Police say the alleged assault
> occurred sometime between Feb. 1 and Feb. 14 when
> Rodney Bower, 54, of Alexandria tutored the girl
> in her home.
>
> The victim did not require treatment, and the
> police department was not contacted until March
> 20.
>
> Bower, who has taught at the elementary in Lorton
> since 2005, was first hired by the school system
> in 2000.
>
> Bower remains on unpaid administrative leave,
> according to Paul Regnier, spokesman for Fairfax
> County Public Schools:
>
> Police say the investigation is ongoing. Anyone
> with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers
> at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, e-mail the information or
> text "TIP187" plus your message to CRIMES/274637.
> Fairfax County Police also can be reached at
> 703-691-2131.
>
> (Copyright 2009 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
>
> FAIRFAX, Va. -- A Gunston Elementary School
> teacher faces charges of aggravated sexual battery
> after a student at the school reported she had
> been inappropriately touched.
> Fairfax County Police say the alleged assault
> occurred sometime between Feb. 1 and Feb. 14 when
> Rodney Bower, 54, of Alexandria tutored the girl
> in her home.
>
> The victim did not require treatment, and the
> police department was not contacted until March
> 20.
>
> Bower, who has taught at the elementary in Lorton
> since 2005, was first hired by the school system
> in 2000.
>
> Bower remains on unpaid administrative leave,
> according to Paul Regnier, spokesman for Fairfax
> County Public Schools:
>
> Police say the investigation is ongoing. Anyone
> with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers
> at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, e-mail the information or
> text "TIP187" plus your message to CRIMES/274637.
> Fairfax County Police also can be reached at
> 703-691-2131.
>
>
> WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG FOR FCPS TO CONTACT THE
> POLICE?
>
> COVER UP?

Jack no more coverups for your staff or teachers. Zero tolerance please.

Here is another reason why Dale needs to go. These are the people that he has selected to work for him.



These filthy souless nazi scum FCPS administrators are cowardly, hypocritical bullies; nothing more. There is more empty pass-the-buck excuses coming from these lazy reprobates than there are stars in the sky.


Now you know why are children do not stand a chance in FCPS.

Drop out rate is almost 50% in some schools.

Lee Dad wrote:
---------------------
> Now you know why are children.....


"are children"?

You must have dropped out yourself, dumbass.

Excellent post Lee Dad. And exceptionally well written.

butty Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Excellent post Lee Dad. And exceptionally well
> written.


Yes very representative of the white trash clientel that attend the school

"Yes very representative of the white trash clientel that attend the school"


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ White Trash

Excellent post Lee dad. End I agree, very well written.

"open sewer" is ignorant white trash.

I wonder if Jack Dale feels good that his school system killed a kid.

You must read this if you child goes to FCPS. You need to know these facts in order to protect your child from Dale and the evil people who work for him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our School Board Hearing Experience
This post is from Josh's Dad & Mom:

We have been so moved by the comments from all of you and are blown away by the number of people who are reading this blog. Our intent in this post is one of education - for those who have never gone through the suspension/expulsion process within Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). It is also to share our experience with those who have or are currently going through the process as we'd like to hear what your experience has been.

Langley HS (LHS)
On March 3, 2008, the Assistant Principal (AP) was monitoring the lunch period and noticed that Josh took food from the lunch line without paying for it. Josh was taken to another AP's office at which time a search was conducted of his backpack to see if there was any other food taken. They found an oval-shaped piece of screen and a small baggie containing substance that appeared to be marijuana. The School Resource Officer (SRO) took possession of the baggie and performed a field search and confirmed it was marijuana.

We were called and told that Josh was caught with possession of marijuana on school grounds which was a serious violation of the rules of conduct which meant an immediate ten-day suspension with a recommendation to the School Board for expulsion. (As you can imagine, we were both in complete shock). We went to the school and had a meeting with the AP, Josh and SRO. At first, Josh denied that the pot was his. He then amended his statement which I have posted below. He was allowed to get his belongings from both the school and gym locker, and then we left. I (Sue) took him immediately to an Urgent Care in Herndon for a drug test. The results of this test were negative, which means that he could not have used marijuana for the past 30-40 days as this is how long the drug stays in a person's system.


"I took a sandwich and milk from the cafeteria lunch without paying because at the time I had the idea and didn't tell myself not to. I deeply regret ever doing that; it was the wrong thing to do, and all just for a couple of bucks? When no one's looking I always still need to do the right thing. The bag of pot I bought from a guy after him and I hadn't finished smoking it about two weeks ago. The metal screen I had cut of somebody's glasses case with the intent of using it on a smoking device but I have never used it. Now more than anything I wish I hadn't bought it from that guy or smoked with him at all. I've been taking all the things in my life for granted, and now that it's all taken away: lacrosse, school, my friends, I'll do anything to get it back. It was the worst feeling walking out of my school knowing I might never come back; I wished that it wasn't happening to me, that it wasn't me taking that walk, but it was. All of these series of events are my fault and I have to take responsibility for every last bit of it. That comes with changing who I am; I have to have integrity and make the right choices, and I know I can if I'm given a second chance." Joshua Anderson

We received a letter from the Hearing Officer for the Superintendent that was dated March 11th that informed us that the hearing was to take place on March 24, 2008 at the FCPS administrative building, 21 days after the incident.

In the meantime, we were shuttling homework back and forth from LHS. They allowed quizzes and tests to come home so that he could take them under our supervision. The math teacher also recommended two students who came to our home and helped Josh keep up with the math work. (These two students came to our home after finding out about his death; I was so grateful to see them).

The hearing was attended by two Hearing Officers for the Superintendent, the AP who caught Josh, and the three of us. We were told that the hearing officers really do not like it when the family brings an attorney, so we didn't do this. The "expulsion packet" was what was in front of the officers and used as a basis for their questions. This packet consisted of the following items:

- one page student information form
- letters from the principal with the recommendation for expulsion
- photographs of the baggie with marijuana and screen as well the the contents of his backpack
- detailed incident report
- report from the other AP
- two of Josh's statements (initial and amended)
- attendance record
- grade report
- standardized test results
- Student Progress Report for Teachers Disciplinary Hearings (one for each teacher)
- Signed Student Responsibilities and Rights form (SR&R). Signed at the beginning of the school year.

We would like to share what is asked on the form that is filled out by the teachers.
- Academic strength and weaknesses
- Behavior
- Work habits
- Attitude and motivation
- Peer and adult relationships
- Disciplinary and academic interventions

We would like to the School Board to answer this question: Why aren't teachers asked this additional question: "Is this student a threat to the well-being of the school community?"

For those who have never been to a hearing, it is an experience that I wish you and your child would never have to endure. The AP did not say much except to relay the facts of the incident. We were told that the hearing officers would be asking Josh many questions and if he was slow to respond, or quiet, or non-communicative, it would not go well for him. This concerned us greatly as Josh was not a verbose young man; in fact, in front of any adult, including ourselves, he really mumbles and is quite difficult to understand.

The questioning started out in a reasonable way but as the meeting progressed and Josh was not showing forth the type of responses they wanted, it became more and more confrontational, which caused him to shut down even more. We did not feel good about Josh's chances after this meeting. In fact, Tim called one of the hearing officers the next day and said that he did not think they got the correct impression of Josh since he was so intimidated by the entire situation. The response back was basically that once Josh was caught on school property with marijuana, it was a done deal. So we take this to mean that it didn't matter what Josh said or did in the meeting; he was either going to another HS or he would be expelled.

On April 9th, over one month after the event, we received a letter saying that he would be allowed to attend South Lakes HS as a probationary student. There were several terms he was expected to adhere in this status, but I would like to post the paragraph that explained the extent of his relationship with LHS.

"Unless and until readmitted, Josh shall not be on the property or in the buildings of, or in the attendance of any activity (including, without limitation, social, athletic, or graduation-related), wherever located, involving Langley HS without the specific prior written permission of the Hearings Office. Any violation of this particular provision may lead to the imposition of further sanctions by the school administration or the filing of trespassing charges, or both. The proscriptions contained in this paragraph shall be applicable until such time as Josh reached 22 years of age or graduates from the high school, whichever shall last occur."

South Lakes HS (SLHS)
Josh began as a student at SLHS and was embraced by the administration and students. His football coach was particularly instrumental in ensuring that Josh was introduced to a number of teammates, which we appreciated so much at that time. He began a drug treatment program through the county and for various reasons, we made the move to a privately run program. He graduated from this program in November of 2008. He also successfully completed the SAFE program that was prescribed by the Juvenile Hearing Officer.

Unfortunately, almost a year to the date of the previous incident, Josh left school grounds with another student to have lunch at Taco Bell. They smoked a joint in the car on the way back, and were questioned by the AP while in the parking lot as to why they left school during regular hours. Upon exiting the car, the AP smelled marijuana and the SRO was called to assist. After searching their person, they conducted a search of the car and found a small container of pot, rolling paper and a piece.

Once again, we were called to get Josh as he was immediately suspended. His statement of this incident is below:


"I was found in the parking lot by the AP during lunch and because of the smell he decided to search the car and us and found weed and a piece. And I have been working hard at this, I can't believe I'm putting my parents through this now. They don't deserve this at all. I can't believe how selfish and stupid I've been. I really have been working on this I've been through the private counseling group and I've seen a psychiatrist regularly. I got extremely lazy and stupid. I've fully realized what has happened and what we are going to have to go through and I'm honestly going to try my hardest to fix this, help my parents, they haven't raised me to be like this in any way, I'm so scared for the future, this wasn't worth any of it at all. I've only recently been thinking I could make college football and I've gotten so excited about it and now everything's ruined and it wasn't worth it in any way. I've come to enjoy South Lakes. I was actually liking my teachers and classes and my coach. He helped welcoming me here at the beginning of football and made it more enjoyable. He's there so much for me and I can't believe I'm doing this to him as well. I had gotten it from someone who graduated from here last year I met one night and I'm not distributing marijuana or selling it, I was only sharing it with a friend. " Josh Anderson.
As last year, once Josh was suspended, he was grounded from everything; cell phone, car use, computer, I Pod, video games. He could only watch TV with us. We are parents who strongly believe that kids should have consequences for their behavior. We only allowed his girlfriend to visit each day.

We had decided to visit a lawyer that had experience with the County and the expulsion process. This meeting was on Monday, March 16th as the hearing was scheduled for Thursday morning, March 19th. We brought a copy of the expulsion packet that was sent to the Hearing Office by SLHS. The attorney asked Josh a few questions and basically told us that he would most likely be expelled from the County completely. If not, it would be the alternative school or the computer based learning program. She did not feel that he would be able to go back to SLHS or any other HS in the county. We then discussed other alternative for him; she suggested looking into private schools or a military school, which we just began doing. We also talked about the GED route, but in our minds, this would be only as a last resort. Another option we were pursuing but it probably would've been a dead end, was going to another county and enrolling him in school there. We did not have much hope for this as we heard that VA schools have the option and tend to uphold any suspension/expulsion decision from other VA School Boards. He rode back home with me and it was a quiet ride. He just put his seat back and looked out of the window. In hindsight, I should have told him, "no matter what, we will get through this." Why didn't I do this?

We never got to see what the County's decision would be as he took his life the day before the hearing.

This is our experience and we have many feelings about it. As mentioned in another post, the two people who are conducting the hearing had never met Josh before the first incident. The person in attendance from the school did not speak to Josh's character, overall behavior, or whether he was a threat to other students. Forgive me, but we thought this was the purpose of expulsion - to remove students that pose a real and genuine threat to the school community.

The fact that the hearing officer basically admitted that Josh's fate was sealed once he was found with marijuana in his possession begs this question: if this is the case, why the whole charade of the hearing? Why put parents and kids in this situation?

We have three older children that have successfully gone through FCPS; two are TJ graduates and one graduated from LHS. This situation was completely new to us and we were doing our best to navigate it by asking as many people as we could the same questions: what can we expect, how can we be best prepared for the hearing, what will it be like, etc. There was not one resource given to us by the county to help not only us, but our son with this process. It felt as if we had been placed on this fast moving train and we could not do anything to stop it. We felt completely helpless and at the mercy of, in our opinion, a very large, bureaucratic organization, with little or no compassion or concern for the well-being of our son.

Josh has violated the rules of conduct, we do not dispute this. However, he was treated as if he were a hard-core drug dealer. Why aren't there varying degrees of consequences for those that yes, make very poor decisions but would be clearly open to help, if given, by those in their school community?

Why isn't there an intermediate step before a child goes before the Hearing Officer for the Superintendent? As mentioned in a previous post, we would suggest that there should be a hearing with members of the school community: administrators, teachers, counselors, SRO's, etc. The child should have consequences: suspension, placed on probation, community service within the school, mandatory meetings with the counselor/school psychologist, meetings with the parents, etc. If the student had violated probation, then it would go to the School Board for consideration for transfer to another school or potential expulsion.

If a student exhibits a desire to attend college and is not a threat to the school community, we feel it is the County's responsibility not to expel the child, but to work with them and the parents so that they can succeed and have an opportunity for a future.

Now that he is gone, we write this in hopes that the Fairfax County School Board will look at their policies and consider what role their treatment of Josh may have had on his decision to take his own life.

Posted by Josh's mom

Josh's Mom's experience is not unlike the experience of many FCPS parents that get pushed into a FCPS process instead of worked with to help their student and the community get maximum benefit from their tax dollars. The missing element in FCPS is customer service. Attending FCPS is a choice, but the school administration is very fond of handing out "take it or leave it" propositions. Tailoring solutions or exploring the nuances of a situation to help the needs and future of an individual student is rarely entertained. Whether it is gifted education, special education, disciplinary action, or other student needs, it is an administrator that decides to plug a student into a process and the parents are given little recourse except to run with the flow or leave the system and negotiate/fund an appropriate educational on their own.

It is a testimony to what's right with FCPS and our community that so many of us choose to stay, but it's also unacceptable that we are treated as if we have no choice. Our kids and their parents deserve more than blanket statements and fast-track processes. We saw a ground swell movement with Fairgrade to get the school system off its 'not what we do' attitude about proper grading practices, but it never should have taken that much effort and dedication by a few parents to get the impacts on our students properly evaluated. SLEEP is also having to go the same route just to get a hearing, but again, why does this level of effort and organization have to occur before the school administration can step back and look at whether status quo is actually a benefit to its students.

There is a lot of flexibility in the rules for school administration, but the flexibility in the hands of local school administration (i.e., credit for outside course work, ability to have an amended school schedule, access to special equipment or support) is somewhat limited and rarely exercised because of fear of precedent. This orientation has got to stop and it is the job of senior administrators to set the cultural climate for everyone below them. A culture of support with recognition for customer benefit (even at the individual student level) has to have as much (if not more) priority in the evaluation of school personnel as budgets and the predictable administration of processes does.

I challenge Jack Dale and the school board to incorporate a customer satisfaction model into their evaluation of school administrators as well as the system processes that are used to deal with atypical student situations. Are these decisions and programs actually accomplishing optimal results for the students, community and schools that the community funds? This is not to say that all student/parent demands must be met, but consideration of the benefit/impact on a student's situation should be paramount in all processes and administrative matters. Following a prescribed process or having a predictable outcome independent of the circumstances of each situation is an abdication of responsibility to the students that this system was built to support.

It's time for the county administration to take note of its customer base and find ways to improve their customer service. Our community can't afford to keep hitting administrative walls or to be run through an accelerated process with little or no consideration for optimal student impact. Hold Jack Dale and his administrative team accountable for their customer service, not just their budget and processes.

butty Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Excellent post Lee Dad. And exceptionally well
> written.

Thank you.

Tubby is a major ass hole. He must be related to Jack Dale.

You are welcome, good sir. And tubby is an asshole.

Josh's mom, I can't begin to express how sorry I am about Josh. He sounds like a fine young man who made a couple of bad choices, as we all have. My heart breaks for your loss.

So very sad Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Josh's mom, I can't begin to express how sorry I
> am about Josh. He sounds like a fine young man
> who made a couple of bad choices, as we all have.
> My heart breaks for your loss.

This story proves that Dale/Staff do not care about any student and are heartless.

It's a government school system, a great big bureaucracy. They have no reason, and no incentive, to care about the people that they serve. They don't care, they don't have to care, it's a monopoly, run by the government. Take it or leave it, and pay the bills.

Stop you kid house whinning! It's called election.. if you don't like the school board then VOTE! OH, "I can elected because my past..."

Cheated on your taxes... you know how you are!

Facts Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I wonder if Jack Dale feels good that his school
> system killed a kid.

Josh's story is horrible. What is worse ? A student smoking a marijuana or a student beating a girlfriend to the point where she has medical problems? On school grounds . How about rape? On school grounds. How about school adminstrators abusing students including those with disabilities or allowing it?

There are some school board members that need to GO. Dale is a colossal a$$. FCPS should take a hint from the ecomomy and use non-violent students like Josh caught with marijuana to perfrom community service at school.

Dale is the leader of nazi scum who work for FCPS.His army of brown shirts need to go when he goes.

When does Dale's current contract end?

FairfaxCaps and others need to presssure the school board so that the next board can evaluate him in 2012 and terminate him if they choose.

Thomas More Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When does Dale's current contract end?
>
> FairfaxCaps and others need to presssure the
> school board so that the next board can evaluate
> him in 2012 and terminate him if they choose.

I agree with all of the above, but the parents and students of FFC cannot wait two more years. He needs to go down the same way the CEO of GM went down.

Dale is not only hurting students every day, he is now helping them to die.

Where does Dale live? Does he have children? Do they go to FCPS?

When does his contract end with FCPS?

Here are the FCPS advanced studies diploma graduate statistics, showing major disparities by race:

Advanced studies diploma -- "The number of students who earned at least 24 standard credits by passing required courses and electives and also earning nine verified credits by passing end-of-course Standards of Learning (SOL) tests or substitute tests approved by the Board of Education."

Overall -- 61% of FCPS graduating students had an advanced studies diploma

Asian students -- 72% of Asian students had an advanced studies diploma
Black students -- 32%
Hispanic students -- 32%
White students -- 69%

Does FCPS discriminate against blacks and hispanics? Just look at the numbers, they speak for themselves.

Info Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Where does Dale live? Does he have children? Do
> they go to FCPS?
>
> When does his contract end with FCPS?


I think he has a condo in Reston...don't know if he has kids.

Contract? The school board can fire him anytime....he serves at their pleasure. You alls' problem is with the school board...a democratically ELECTED school board. Although you wouldn't know it from reading the shit on here, apparently more people voted for these current school board members than voted for their opponent (DUH).

I wasn't wild about Bush, but I was in the minority in '00 & '04...so I got over it, which is what you motherfuckers should do...or better yet, run against them!

It is something called the achievement gap, it exists nationwide....not just in FCPS.

The people of FFC must take a stand against this corrupt SB and Jack Dale. He needs to be let go and we must vote in new SB members.

Center isn't running
Gibson will be voted out
Smith will be voted out
Wilson will be voted out
Storck will probably be gone as well.

We will have a lot of new faces in 2011-thank goodness!

Things will get better and parents will FINALLY have a say in how this school district is run.

We will also have a new superintendent-Dale's contract will not be renewed.

The election is 2 and 1/2 years from now!

No one will be voted out, democrats will continue to vote for the same democrats they always vote for.

If Gibson was ever to lose his job it would have been in 2007 when everyone was so angry about the redistricting. If he doesn't run again, another far leftist will be chosen to run in Hunter Mill. That's who they like there. The schools in Reston will continue to sink because that's what Reston voters support. They get the government that they vote for.

Center is not running again? No matter, some other democrat just like him will be voted in.

If Smith couldn't be beaten in 2007, why would she lose in 2011? She won't.

Tessie won't run in 2011 and will be replaced with a democrat who will vote like the democrats always vote.

Dan Storck will be in the job for as long as he wants it.

Sorry gang, but the voters don't know anything about the school board and they don't care. They'll vote for whoever the democrats tell them to vote for. Those candidates won't be any different than the folks we have on the board now. They may get a new superintendent but he won't be any different than Dale, and the others. The democrat school board will always support staff, the bureaucracy will always come before students and their parents. It's a friggin' monopoly! They don't care, they don't have to. That won't change. It's the government, run by the democrats, for all the other democrats on staff.

In three years?! lol Wake us when it happens.

Isn't it a bit early to be discussing the new school board that won't take office until January 2012?

Be sure to let us know how that turns out.

If the parents only vote party line again and not vote for the person who will do the right think for the students, then it will be a sad day in FFC.

We need change, we need more and better teachers, we need schools to be repaired, we need new schools built, we need less staff, we need staff to care about the students, not about another TAJ MAHALs, we need bus routes that make sense, we need PTA's that work, we need staff to deal with kids who are in trouble, rather then pushing them over the edge and then kill themselves.

As you can see there is lots to do, so vote to get things done.

Dale this is a most read for you.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trends: Banging on the PK-16 Pipeline

Why am I so ill-tempered when I read a sensible report like “Bridging the Gap: How to Strengthen the Pk-16 Pipeline to Improve College Readiness”?

The authors, Ulrich Boser and Stephen Burd, know their stuff. The sponsoring organization, New America Foundation, has a great reputation. (Bias alert: It also employs one of my sons as a senior fellow, but he does California politics and direct democracy, not national education policy.)

My problem is that smart and industrious experts like Boser and Burd often unearth startling facts but don’t follow through. “Bridging the Gap,” available at Newamerica.net, details the large percentage of first-year college students in remedial courses and the duplication in federal college preparation programs. This is interesting information of which few people are aware.

But their recommendations follow the standard line: Let’s have more meetings and spend more money. Example: “We recommend that the federal government provide states with incentives to come together and adopt national college and work-readiness standards in math, science and the language arts.”

Or: “The federal government should work directly with states to foster partnerships between high schools and postsecondary institutions to smooth the transition between high school and college.”

You might think that sounds reasonable. I think it misses an opportunity. Why not harness the energy and ambition of a new president to shake things up?

The Obama administration doesn’t have much money to spend getting more students ready for college. The Education Department’s $100 billion in stimulus funds will mostly go to less sophisticated projects that create jobs fast.

But Education Secretary Arne Duncan can dispatch officials to ask embarrassing questions, identify glaring deficiencies and dissolve the rust that has accumulated on the PK-16 pipeline. (Jargon alert: PK, more often called pre-K, means pre-kindergarten, and 16 refers to 16th grade, better known as the college senior year.)


What will boost the chances of success in college for most students is not more money but a change of attitude. American schools, from pre-K through college, labor under the misimpression that children whose parents don’t make much money, and never went to college, aren’t up to such academic stress, and should be shunted aside to less demanding schedules. The few schools that give such students a dose of great teaching find that the assumption that they can’t learn at a high level is dead wrong, but convincing most schools of that is going to take a lot of effort, and a willingness to break some bureaucratic crockery.

Here are some ways to rattle the relevant cages. Meetings and money have their place, but I prefer forceful words to the right people, including reporters:

1. Ask elementary and middle schools why they are not preparing most students to complete algebra by the end of eighth grade, and give recognition to schools that do. I visited a charter school in San Jose last week where almost all eighth-graders successfully complete not just Algebra I but geometry. Eighty-six percent of these students come from low-income families. That math advantage will make their path to college much smoother.

2. At every news conference, call for an end to the standard high school practice of requiring high grade point averages or teacher recommendations for enrollment in Advanced Placement courses. No other policy is a greater hindrance to preparing students for college. At least half of college freshmen never took a college-level AP course and test in high school, mostly because they were not encouraged to, or more commonly barred from doing so. We have data showing that even students who flunk AP tests in high school do better in college than students who were never allowed to take AP.

3. Provide matching funds (okay, I want to spend a little money on this) to pay AP, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge test fees for any public high school that requires AP, IB and Cambridge students to take those tests. These college-level courses are often not taught very well when students are allowed to skip the final exams. The tests are written and graded by outside experts and are the best tools we have both to expose inadequate high school teaching and motivate better instruction.

4. Investigate the hidden world of college remedial classes. Who sets the passing scores on tests that determine who has to take non-credit remedial courses? Why do those scores differ from college to college? I have only suspicions, not facts, on this issue, but it is possible that colleges have turned remedial courses into cash cows -- funded by students who pay tuition but get no credit.

5. Encourage community colleges to experiment with letting students take for-credit courses even if they have failed the qualifying exams. Compare their results with those from students who do pass those exams. My hunch is that some professors are good at challenging marginal students and helping them pass credit courses. Demanding motivated students to take a dumbed-down remedial course before they take a course for credit is a great way to slow their progress toward a degree and lead them to conclude that colleges don’t want them.

6. Cut off federal funding to any college academic department that gives credit for good exam scores at the end of one-year AP courses but gives no credit for good exam scores at the end of one-year IB courses. Most departments in most colleges practice such discrimination, even though the AP and IB courses have been shown to be similar in rigor and content. The college department heads, who are responsible for this injustice, ignore the problem. They might pay more attention if their grants were in jeopardy.

7. Do the same for any college academic department that fails to give credit for AP students who score 3 or above on the five-point exams, unless they provide data showing that those students do less well on follow-up courses than students who have passed the department’s introductory course. Many selective colleges refuse to give credit for 3s, and even 4s, on AP exams but have done no research to justify the policy. This discourages high school students from taking the AP courses that would lubricate the PK-16 pipeline.

Once again the students will be hurt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If the parents only vote party line again and not
> vote for the person who will do the right think
> for the students, then it will be a sad day in
> FFC.
>
> We need change, we need more and better teachers,
> we need schools to be repaired, we need new
> schools built, we need less staff, we need staff
> to care about the students, not about another TAJ
> MAHALs, we need bus routes that make sense, we
> need PTA's that work, we need staff to deal with
> kids who are in trouble, rather then pushing them
> over the edge and then kill themselves.
>
> As you can see there is lots to do, so vote to get
> things done.

Vote in three years? Ok. You might want to remind us again, in say 2 years and 7 months.

Only 20% of voters are parents with kids in public schools. The rest of the voters don't care.

Union rules won't allow better teachers or less staff. Democrats will never buck teachers and staff because that's who elects them to the board.

PTA's have never worked for kids, that's not going to change. But their fund raisers could improve.

YOu want real change? Demand that your politicians give you school choice.

Dale doesn't need to read most of that long post, it needs to be sent to DED where it will get lost and be ignored by the bureaucracy that thinks it knows everything and sure doesn't want to create more work for itself. But some of them are nice ideas.

BTW, In FCPS any student can take an AP course, no GPA or recommendation required.

Neen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Once again the students will be hurt Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > If the parents only vote party line again and
> not
> > vote for the person who will do the right think
> > for the students, then it will be a sad day in
> > FFC.
> >
> > We need change, we need more and better
> teachers,
> > we need schools to be repaired, we need new
> > schools built, we need less staff, we need
> staff
> > to care about the students, not about another
> TAJ
> > MAHALs, we need bus routes that make sense, we
> > need PTA's that work, we need staff to deal
> with
> > kids who are in trouble, rather then pushing
> them
> > over the edge and then kill themselves.
> >
> > As you can see there is lots to do, so vote to
> get
> > things done.
>
> Vote in three years? Ok. You might want to
> remind us again, in say 2 years and 7 months.
>
> Only 20% of voters are parents with kids in public
> schools. The rest of the voters don't care.
>
> Union rules won't allow better teachers or less
> staff. Democrats will never buck teachers and
> staff because that's who elects them to the board.
>
>
> PTA's have never worked for kids, that's not going
> to change. But their fund raisers could improve.
>
>
> YOu want real change? Demand that your
> politicians give you school choice.

Neen are you giving up? We will not give up until we vote these ass holes out.

More reasons why he needs to go:

Unbending Rules on Drugs in Schools Drive One Teen to the Breaking Point

By Marc Fisher
Sunday, April 5, 2009; C01



J osh Anderson had just finished four homework assignments. He did his laundry. He watched TV with his mother -- "House," which he had Tivo'd for viewing that night. He played with the dogs. Then, at his mom's urging, he went up to bed. It was 12:30, and the next day, March 19, was a big one: Josh was scheduled for a hearing that probably would end with his expulsion from the Fairfax County school system.

The Andersons weren't blind to what got Josh into this pickle. He had been caught leaving campus, going to Taco Bell with a friend. When the boys returned to South Lakes High in Reston, an assistant principal confronted them in the parking lot, smelled marijuana and had the car searched. This was the second time in two years that Josh, a junior, had been found with pot.

"I really have been working hard on this," Josh wrote to the hearing officers. "I can't believe I'm putting my parents through this now. I can't believe how selfish and stupid I've been. . . . I'm honestly going to try my hardest to fix this."

The Andersons were told that Josh would be barred from any regular Fairfax high school and might be tossed out of the system entirely. His parents were looking into private schools or moving.

But there would be no hearing, no new school, no more visits from college football coaches asking about Josh's talents.

When Sue Anderson went into her son's room the next morning, he was dead. Without a word to his girlfriend, parents, psychologist, coach or teachers, Josh Anderson, 17, had killed himself.

He left a note, just two lines. "Why does it have to be like this?" And, to his girlfriend, "I love you."

There is little anger in Tim and Sue Anderson's voices now. Waves of grief strike at random intervals. Their eyes water when they look up the stairs toward Josh's room in their house in Vienna. They don't want to sue anyone. They praise coaches and teachers at South Lakes who did what they could to help their boy. But they have come to believe that the system did Josh a terrible wrong, that the zero-tolerance mentality contradicts the goal of educating or helping an immature adolescent.

"No one can ever answer whether Fairfax County was responsible for what Josh did," says Tim Anderson. "But they pushed him closer to the edge than he needed to be." The parents know their son's often-silent manner masked emotional troubles, but he had been in counseling, both through the school system and privately, and no one saw this coming. The trauma of facing expulsion, the Andersons believe, was just too much for their son.

In Fairfax, possession of marijuana on school grounds means automatic suspension and a recommendation of expulsion. "There's no discretion at the school level," says Paul Regnier, spokesman for the system. "Virginia law requires that if there's possession of marijuana on school grounds, the student must be expelled unless there are special circumstances."

The Andersons' living room is a makeshift shrine to a boy everyone half expects to be there the next morning. Josh's football helmets frame the coffee table, which is crowded with his photos. A friend collected dozens of Facebook tributes and made a book for his parents. More than a thousand people -- many of them kids from South Lakes and Langley, which Josh attended before he was caught with pot the first time -- attended the funeral. The kids still come by, some just to sit in Josh's room. Some ask if they can take something to remember him by.

It can seem like mere chance that those kids are here and Josh is a collection of memories. (Sue is recording those at http://rememberingjosh.blogspot.com). "If they searched every backpack and car at Langley and South Lakes, what portion of the students would be suspended and sent to other schools?" Sue asks.

The county's survey of students from eighth to 12th grades suggests that the number would be large: 22 percent said they have used marijuana, 10 percent within the past 30 days.

Tim and Sue "don't in any way condone what Josh did," the father says. "It was totally boneheaded, and he should have been punished." But Fairfax's rules make no distinction between a kid who is using drugs and one who is dealing. The Andersons say a system that immediately escalates a case to the county level strips families and schools of the chance to work together to help a teen.

State law requires drug cases to be handled at the central hearing office, says Fairfax School Board member Jane Strauss. "The zero-tolerance structure is a response to the choices voters have made and to the huge outcry for dealing with drugs on school grounds. The tighter expectations used to be in the private schools. But starting in the early 1980s, there were much tougher rules in the public schools. Now, the toughest rules are in public schools, while there's more give in the private schools."

The goal, Strauss says, "is to save souls, to help kids get through adolescence." In Josh's case, which Strauss would not discuss, his parents say the counseling programs he was assigned to were helpful. But Strauss concedes that "I cannot say there are the very best therapeutic situations available for all children" in the system. "We try, but there are unfortunate tragic situations."

That, of course, is not good enough. Parents of kids who do wrong will always argue that schools should be at least as flexible and understanding of adolescents as we are of adults who commit similar offenses. And parents of other kids at those schools will always contend that those who bring drugs to school need to be dealt with in clear, strong terms.

The system's job is both to punish and to educate. Zero-tolerance rules make life easier for bureaucrats and lawyers, but they make no sense in the jumbled world of teenagers. Some kids are poisonous to their peers and need to be removed for the good of all. Others need an individualized blend of punishment, counseling and connection with the people who know them best -- in some cases, at their own school.

"I'm sure I'll ask myself what I could have done until the day I die," Sue Anderson says. "Maybe we could have done more, but the policies right now are one-size-fits-all, designed to get rid of hard-core drug dealers. It's too late for us, frankly, but are we treating these kids as we would like to be treated?"

Dale you need to take a birth control pill.

No pills in FCPS? Jack how many pills do you and you staff take during a school day?

"No pills in FCPS? Jack how many pills do you and you staff take during a school day?"


An excellent point. I do wonder how many of these damn FCPS nazi hypocrites take prescription or over-the-counter medication during the course of a day.

Why would I waste time supporting a system that is failing our children? That system won't change because the government runs the schools. It hasn't changed anywhere in the country. Why would it suddenly, radically, change here? It won't. Only competition will make things better and democrats who are in charge in FC will never allow that. As long as there is no choice, nothing will change, there's no incentive to change. The bureaucracy will continue to hum and grow.

Sorry guys and gals. Reality is reality.

Neen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why would I waste time supporting a system that is
> failing our children? That system won't change
> because the government runs the schools. It
> hasn't changed anywhere in the country. Why would
> it suddenly, radically, change here? It won't.
> Only competition will make things better and
> democrats who are in charge in FC will never allow
> that. As long as there is no choice, nothing will
> change, there's no incentive to change. The
> bureaucracy will continue to hum and grow.
>
> Sorry guys and gals. Reality is reality.


No competition? Bullshit, there are numerous private and parochial choices one can make if FCPS is unacceptable. Can't afford that, then homeschool.

I'm not aware of any jurisdiction anywhere that has competing PUBLIC school systems. It is a novel idea however.....just think of all the incompetent Federal agencies that could use competition. For example, I know some guys that would jump at the chance to round 'em up some illegal aliens!

Jack Dale murdered my child after catching my precious snowflake toking on school property. Down with Jack Dale!

--------------------------------------------------------------
13 4826 0948 82695 25847. Yes.

Boo-hoo, boo-hoo, the public critized widdle Jackie Dale and his band of brownsahirt nazis simply cuz they mercilessly persecuted and hounded a 17 year old into suicide. Awww, poor widdle Jackie Dale and his widdle oose-stepping brownshirt nazis.

Competition? Bullshit, there are no choices one can make if FCPS is unacceptable unless you want a school that graduates 40% of its students. That aint good enough? Then the FCPS muthafuckas you pay taxes and that they will do their phukkin jobs.

Why is it the superintendents fault that the children are not scoring higher on standardized tests? Why isn't it the fault of the:
1)teacher's ability
2)poor parenting
3)kids not caring enough to try?
Seems to me, an outsider, that you folks should be far more concerned about the neighborhood's respect for learning than the Superintendent's job.

Neen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why would I waste time supporting a system that is
> failing our children? That system won't change
> because the government runs the schools. It
> hasn't changed anywhere in the country. Why would
> it suddenly, radically, change here? It won't.
> Only competition will make things better and
> democrats who are in charge in FC will never allow
> that. As long as there is no choice, nothing will
> change, there's no incentive to change. The
> bureaucracy will continue to hum and grow.
>
> Sorry guys and gals. Reality is reality.

Yes, I'd much rather have Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, and Enron running our schools. That'll make me feel much better.

Yes, I'd much rather Peace Corps, Hollywood, and Global Crossing running our schools. That'll make me feel much better.

Hick67 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes, I'd much rather Peace Corps, Hollywood, and
> Global Crossing running our schools. That'll make
> me feel much better.

Hollywood and Global Crossing are private companies (well Hollywood is several private companies, but still.)

Thanks for playing.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/2009 10:36AM by formerhick76.

BoA and Enron are private companies (well Enron is no longer a private company, but still.)

But thanks for playing.

Does anyone know when Dales current contract is up?

The school board will just hire another educrat just like Dale. They're all just like Dale. That's the government model.

Sorry dude.

Out of Towner Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why is it the superintendents fault that the
> children are not scoring higher on standardized
> tests? Why isn't it the fault of the:
> 1)teacher's ability
> 2)poor parenting
> 3)kids not caring enough to try?
> Seems to me, an outsider, that you folks should be
> far more concerned about the neighborhood's
> respect for learning than the Superintendent's
> job.

We need to make all the neighbors richer and better educated. Those are always the kids who do best in schools, the children of the rich and well educated.

Change is coming Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The people of FFC must take a stand against this
> corrupt SB and Jack Dale. He needs to be let go
> and we must vote in new SB members.

There is no school board election until 2011.

Contract Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does anyone know when Dales current contract is
> up?

Does anyone know if Dale takes birth control pills?

hahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaa

Pills Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Contract Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Does anyone know when Dales current contract is
> > up?
>
> Does anyone know if Dale takes birth control
> pills?

Are FCPS female employees allowered to take birth control pills on school grounds?

Jack Dale and the school board are the most corrupt, morally degenerate group of ass holes in Fairfax County.

They do not care about your kid, they only care about themselves.

Pills Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Contract Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Does anyone know when Dales current contract is
> > up?
>
> Does anyone know if Dale takes birth control
> pills?

Please put down the playstation and get out into the real world..no you are not 18 and dont have the same rights as an adult, get over it

Please put down the blackberry and get out into the real world..yes you are over 18 and dont have the right to abuse defeseneless children, get over it

Corrupt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jack Dale and the school board are the most
> corrupt, morally degenerate group of ass holes in
> Fairfax County.
>
> They do not care about your kid, they only care
> about themselves.

I think that Dale and the SB need to take viagara every day in order to be human.

So much dislike for one man. You would think that he would get the message and move on. Not Dale, he wants to continue to screw up the school system. Lets see what he does with Fairgrade.

Move on Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So much dislike for one man. You would think that
> he would get the message and move on. Not Dale, he
> wants to continue to screw up the school system.
> Lets see what he does with Fairgrade.

He is not only screwing up students, he is responsable for several student deaths with zero tolerance.

Dale only needs to keep the school board happy. They're his bosses, not a bunch of silly parents and students. He doesn't care what you think. Why would he?

why would Dale care? Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dale only needs to keep the school board happy.
> They're his bosses, not a bunch of silly parents
> and students. He doesn't care what you think.
> Why would he?

You are right he doesn't care about students or parents. He just cares about kissing the school boards butt and his $450,000 pay check.

One more thing, if you think we are silly because we care about our children, then you are the one who is stupid and silly.

It's not silly to care about your kids. It is silly to waste time caring about Jack Dale. He works for the school board. If you don't like what he does, take it up with the them.

Not your kids Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It's not silly to care about your kids. It is
> silly to waste time caring about Jack Dale. He
> works for the school board. If you don't like
> what he does, take it up with the them.

We have and we are. He is no good.

Another reason why Dale needs to go.


To all students in the FCPS system. 4/17/09

To all parents who have students in the FCPS system.

Please send to anyone in Fairfax County.

From a parent:


Please put the word out about the protest I have launched against the FCPS cruel, inhuman policies and practices. Students and parents please join the protest this coming Monday outside the FCPS building, Gatehouse I. The most effective time is around 3 p.m. because the FCPS employees leave their office around 4 p.m. Limited parking is available outside the building on the main road and there is a McDonalds around the corner as well.

I will carry two posters: One says " FCPS "zero tolerance policy awards death penalty to our children and the other side of the poster says " FCPS "zero policy is KILLING TEENAGERS.

The appeal and the decision process is a mere formality by the board. It is a rubber stamp process. So, maybe a couple of posters stating something to the effect that the appeal process must be based on review of all facts will make them aware of the knowledge of the grossly deficient process we are aware of.

Please help in getting the word out about the rally will go a long way in making the board know that we are protesting such inhuman policies and we are NOT stopping till the status quo is changed.




PS Help this parent save his kid and help him change the zero tolerance policy in FCPS. No more students need to die.

Amen.

Zero Tolerance Kills Students Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Another reason why Dale needs to go.
>
>
> To all students in the FCPS system.
> 4/17/09
>
> To all parents who have students in the FCPS
> system.
>
> Please send to anyone in Fairfax County.
>
> From a parent:
>
>
> Please put the word out about the protest I have
> launched against the FCPS cruel, inhuman policies
> and practices. Students and parents please join
> the protest this coming Monday outside the FCPS
> building, Gatehouse I. The most effective time is
> around 3 p.m. because the FCPS employees leave
> their office around 4 p.m. Limited parking is
> available outside the building on the main road
> and there is a McDonalds around the corner as
> well.
>
> I will carry two posters: One says " FCPS "zero
> tolerance policy awards death penalty to our
> children and the other side of the poster says "
> FCPS "zero policy is KILLING TEENAGERS.
>
> The appeal and the decision process is a mere
> formality by the board. It is a rubber stamp
> process. So, maybe a couple of posters stating
> something to the effect that the appeal process
> must be based on review of all facts will make
> them aware of the knowledge of the grossly
> deficient process we are aware of.
>
> Please help in getting the word out about the
> rally will go a long way in making the board know
> that we are protesting such inhuman policies and
> we are NOT stopping till the status quo is
> changed.
>
>
>
>
> PS Help this parent save his kid and help him
> change the zero tolerance policy in FCPS. No more
> students need to die.

Dale are you happy about the above? Do you sleep at night? Do not kill another student on your watch.

Dale let us know when you leave the state.

Corrupt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jack Dale and the school board are the most
> corrupt, morally degenerate group of ass holes in
> Fairfax County.
>
> They do not care about your kid, they only care
> about themselves.

Why wouldn't they? Most people only care about themselves and their families. Why would a bunch of politicians be any different?

Watcher22 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Corrupt Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Jack Dale and the school board are the most
> > corrupt, morally degenerate group of ass holes
> in
> > Fairfax County.
> >
> > They do not care about your kid, they only care
> > about themselves.
>
> Why wouldn't they? Most people only care about
> themselves and their families. Why would a bunch
> of politicians be any different?

They are not, they are just a bunch of corrupt ass holes who need to go.

Dale what are you doing about this corruption?


Re: SOCO HS Baseball Coach does not Discipline Player
Posted by: Where is the money? ()
Date: April 21, 2009 06:38PM


a parent Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That's $250 per player selling 50/50 raffle
> tickets. I would also like to know why parents who
> didn't go to the Orlando trip didn't have to pay
> for a hotel room (4 players per room at $119 per
> night for 7 nights) .....about $225 per player.
> parents who joined and particpated in Orlando with
> the boys paid the whole balance of over $900 for
> the hotel stay plus our own travel. I'd like to
> know where the Matress sales, Mulch sales, Spirit
> weatr sales, raffle sales, clinic sales $$$$ went
> myself?

Where is the money? Does Luther have it? What has he spent it on? Did he use it for his pay and his expenses? Did he use it for his coaches expenses and their pay? These coaches went to Orlando. Who paid their way?

We need complete ACCOUNTABILITY for every penny raised and spent.

Luther where is your treasury report? You need to give a copy of this report to every player,parent and school official. If you do not do this you are corrupt.

Goodbye Dale. Please go South ASAP before you screw up one more student.

Dale answer this:

I am quite curious why several months ago, Dean Tisdat declared Lake Braddock "at capacity" when they were considering moving some South County kids, yet now, it has 400 empty seats to accommodate Annandale overflow.

I would welcome a response from any FCPS officials, of course.

Before we borrow $50 million for the new South County Middle School I would like an answer.

Jackie boy do you have budget woes? Have you spent to much on your TAJ MAHALS?

Start spending on the students/teachers ass hole.