TJUSD Board Meeting - November 13, 2014

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TJUSD Board Meeting - November 13, 2014

Postby blackturtle.us » Fri Nov 14, 2014 10:21 am

The board meeting lasted less than an hour and several community members were present. Items of special interest:

1) Community Talent Show - The actual talent show will be held on December 5th and tryouts will be held on November 19th. The talent show is sponsored by the ASB and open to all community members. Tickets are $1 in advance and $2 at the door.

2) Old Elementary Demolition - Actual demolition should begin before the end of the month and the project is expected to be complete early in January. Mr. Olney said that architects have delivered the Notice to Proceed and are currently finalizing permit-related issues.

3) School Computer Network - Mr. Olney talked a little about configuration issues being dealt with by Vector and Xerox. Additionally, he mentioned a server inventory and consolidation project. Also regarding technology he talked some about iPads at the elementary, Chromebooks at the high school, and interactive, wireless projectors for all classrooms throughout the district. On top of that he mentioned a two-day training with Apple that took place on Sunday (November 9) and Monday (November 10) in which elementary teachers participated.

4) Mr. Olney talked about Prop 39 Energy Efficiency Funds and possible projects the district will participate in along with several other districts and organizations, including Cerro Coso CC.

5) Consolidation/Modernization - Mr. Olney shared a report prepared by architects who analyzed the usage of district facilities and made recommendations based on the data they collected. Mr. Olney stressed that the recommendations made in the report were open to discussion and not some kind of mandate.

6) Community Member Comments - Two community members addressed the board. One had a question about the marquee located in front of the high school gym. She wanted to know if community organizations could use the marquee to announce events for their organizations. Another community member expressed concerns regarding the demolition of the old elementary and possible asbestos hazards.

7) Candidates for the following positions were approved: two junior high basketball coaches, one elementary secretary, and two substitute teachers.

8) Policies and Procedures - There was a first reading for the job description for Cafeteria Manager and several other board policies and administrative regulations pertaining to Uniform Complaint Procedures, Nondiscrimination/Harassment, and Sexual Harassment. Additionally, one administrative regulation pertaining to Fees and Charges was approved.

9) Next Regular Board Meeting: December 11, 2014. (Also a Special Meeting will be held November 15.)
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Re: TJUSD Board Meeting - November 13, 2014

Postby CactusHugger » Fri Nov 14, 2014 6:40 pm

Selling Fear: The First US School Installs A Shooting Detection System :smack:
This is so utterly ridiculous in so many ways that it's hard to believe that anyone would be stupid enough to pay $100K for this system. Read the article and the comments and then contemplate how it is possible that someone would seriously pay out the bucks for such a worthless product. The moral depravity of the company selling this shooting detection system is the stuff that legends are made of... seriously!
If there is one thing that really irritates me more than anything else, it's when people use fear as a sales tactic. This gives me many opportunities to be pissed off, since fear is commonly used to sell stuff, with varying degrees of depravity: fear to sell warranties, fear to sell wars, fear to sell surveillance on the public, fear to sell political ideology. But using the fear parents have for their children in the wake of tragic school shootings, particularly doing so while outright lying about statistics to scare the hell out of parents even more, just might be the worst of them all.

LINK:
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20141112/07011929117/selling-fear-first-us-school-installs-shooting-detection-system.shtml
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Re: TJUSD Board Meeting - November 13, 2014

Postby cactuspete » Sat Nov 15, 2014 7:51 am

What It's Like Inside a School Shooting Drill
The media working overtime to heighten fears in order to help companies sell products that won't do anything other than make money for themselves. As for lockdown drills, I think that announced lockdown drills are a good idea. Surprise lockdown drills are really, really dumb. It's FAR, FAR, FAR more likely that someone would be hurt as the result of a surprise lockdown drill than for a real situation requiring lockdown to even occur. Anyone traumatized or injuried as the result of a surprise lockdown drill should file a lawsuit against all entities participating in the drill.
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Re: TJUSD Board Meeting - November 13, 2014

Postby panamint_patty » Sat Nov 15, 2014 8:14 am

Rehearsing for death: A pre-K teacher on the trouble with lockdown drills
Here's the article mentioned in the video from the previous post. I'm not in favor of gun control, but the irony is rather obvious. At the same time, I think these drills do very little. There is no need for "realistic" drills (unless there is an ulterior motivation behind the drills). Do we fire off huge explosives during an earthquake drill to make it seem more real? All that is necessary is to go over the basics and do some simple rehearsal. Turning a drill into a traumatic enactment does no one any good at all and may be more psychologically damaging than most forms of child abuse. Should teachers report those who conduct these drills for child abuse? After all, teachers are what are known as mandated reporters!
Instead of controlling guns and inconveniencing those who would use them, we are rounding up and silencing a generation of schoolchildren, and terrifying those who care for them. We are giving away precious time to teach and learn while we cower in fear.

LINK: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/rehearsing-for-death-a-pre-k-teacher-on-the-trouble-with-lockdown-drills/2014/10/28/4ab456ea-5eb2-11e4-9f3a-7e28799e0549_story.html
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Re: TJUSD Board Meeting - November 13, 2014

Postby wildrose » Mon Nov 17, 2014 7:18 am

cactuspete & panamint_patty: The most obvious problem with school shooting drills is that most of the time school shooters are kids who attend the school. By holding the drill you provide the people most likely to attack the school with inside information on what to expect and plan for.

CactusHugger: I agree that there are a lot of companies waiting like vultures to make money off of people's fears and it seems like the media works with them to increase the fear. I wonder if the media companies get some of the profits made from selling stupid products like this shooting detection system.
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Re: TJUSD Board Meeting - November 13, 2014

Postby mrgreen » Wed Nov 19, 2014 8:30 pm

Cops Decide Running Surprise School Shooter Drill During Class At A Middle School Is A Great Idea
This is what we get when law enforcement routinely rejects applications based on the idea that the applicant is too smart or over-qualified. When you cull out anyone with above average intelligence you get stupid stunts like this. To make matters worse one of the officers involved in this realistic drill actually pointed a loaded weapon at children! You never point a loaded weapon at anyone unless you are prepared to shoot and kill that person. That's one of the most basic safety rules pertaining to the use of firearms!
:smack:
We're going to have to go over this again: if your drills to prevent school tragedy actually leave school children traumatized, then don't do those damned drills. What began with terrorism drills on school buses and then devolved into unannounced school-shooting drills is getting to be so full-on crazy that I sort of can't believe that anyone thinks any of this is a good idea. The latest story involves police running an unannounced "active shooter drill" at a local middle school while classes were in session. As a part of this insane exercise, police officers went around bursting into classrooms filled with terrified students, weapons out, as they acted out their fun little thespian experience of horror.

LINK:
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20141118/06513429177/cops-decide-running-surprise-school-shooter-drill-during-class-middle-school-is-great-idea.shtml
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Re: TJUSD Board Meeting - November 13, 2014

Postby cactuspete » Thu Nov 20, 2014 6:49 pm

#1 Skill in America To Guarantee You a High Paying Job
I really have no idea what local schools are doing to teach kids coding skills. My guess is nothing.
:smack:
I think this is where public education misses the boat. It's the number one job skill most in demand, but they miss the opportunity over and over again without fail.
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Re: TJUSD Board Meeting - November 13, 2014

Postby wildrose » Fri Nov 21, 2014 9:11 am

cactuspete: We've had this discussion before and as I recall the consensus was that it's difficult to find teachers with coding skills to teach these classes. Most teachers are very good at reading and writing, but not so good at math and science and even weaker when it comes to coding. In fact, this push for coding in the classroom has only become prevalent in the last few years. That's mostly because of developments in the job market. It's been pointed out many times that there is no shortage of jobs, but there is a huge shortage of people with the skills to do the jobs which are available. Schools have failed to step up to the plate on this one.
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Re: TJUSD Board Meeting - November 13, 2014

Postby CactusHugger » Mon Nov 24, 2014 6:06 pm

#ThanksMichelleObama: Comparing School Lunches in the US and Abroad :ack:
People were all happy when the Obamas moved into the White House. Now both the first lady and the idiot in charge are pretty much scorned. The only consolation is that they aren't quite as bad as their predecessors. But then again they still have two more years to fuck up things up even more and so they just might have a chance of screwing things up even more than did Bush. Way to go Michelle!
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Re: TJUSD Board Meeting - November 13, 2014

Postby mrgreen » Tue Nov 25, 2014 6:30 pm

Homeschool Raid Ruled Unconstitutional by Missouri Court
Child Protective Services is like the American version of the Gestapo. Anyone who homeschools their children should make sure they are prepared for this type of treatment. In the video a homeschool legal defense organization is mentioned.
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