Friday, January 25, 2008

Snow Day Fiasco

By now I'm sure you have heard about this, but if not...read directly below. If you already know the story, skip to the bottom for the update. Let me know what you think...

Va. Student's Snow-Day Plea Triggers an Online Storm
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 23, 2008; Page A01

Snow days, kids and school officials have always been a delicate mix.

Audio on YouTube

But a phone call to a Fairfax County public school administrator's home last week about a snow day — or lack of one — has taken on a life of its own. Through the ubiquity of Facebook and YouTube, the call has become a rallying cry for students' First Amendment rights, and it shows that the generation gap has become a technological chasm.

More here.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now for the update...
Remorse, Detention for Snow-Day Caller
By
Michael Alison Chandler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, January 26, 2008; Page B01

High school senior Devraj "Dave" S. Kori, who may be remembered someday as the Fairfax County champion of the snow day, will spend a Saturday in detention at Lake Braddock Secondary School for the phone call that started it all.
More HERE

4 comments:

Jennifer Abell said...

My two cents...
If your phone number is in the phone book and public information, anyone, ANYONE has permission to call you no matter your job description. Once they do, you can ask them not to call that number again, and if they continue it is harrassment. If you don’t want anyone and everyone to call you, unpublicize it.
The student calling the house is not something I or some of you would do, but that doesn’t make it wrong. It doesn’t sound like he said anything inappropriate, he just left a message.
In addition, for a grown adult to turn around and return the call of a minor and talk the way she did is absolutely unexcuseable. The message wasn’t even for her, she should have let her husband handle it. I say she crossed the line.
As a public figure, I get numerous calls at home and publicize my number. No problem, I expect it. There is no such thing as “off duty”.
Then for the principal to turn around and give the boy detention just in retaliation, IMHO, based on a technicality, only shows his poor ability on dealing with teenagers.

Anonymous said...

The student probably should not have called the home to voice his complaint or to possibly ask a question however, he did not break any rules and therefore he should not be punished. I agree, the wife should not have handled the "call back". She was completely unprofessional as a citizen, as an adult, the wife of a public figure, and probably a mother herself. For the lack of good judgement and patience she should be the one reprimanded. They are quite the couple...one verbally abuses children and the other gives detention for an out of school act. Shame, shame!

Anonymous said...

That may be true, but their school system is heads and tails above Chucky County.

Choose your battles. you say he has a problem with dealing with teenagers.

I would certainly take a loud mouth and excellent test scores, academics, and the arts, over a bunch of BS'ers that constantly do nothing to save our sinking ship.

I think that we need to be more concerned with the crappy instruction that is being given in many of the schools. We should be concerned with the high percentage of brand new teachers that have no idea how to teach.
We should be concerned with the high turnover of the teachers.

Our schools are concerned about passing these silly assessments, both county and state. After wasting an entire year covering elemental hogwash, you turn out students that are lined up to take one full year of remedial classes at an average community college.

Anonymous said...

(ALL CAPS ARE ON PURPOSE)
PLEASE STOP WHINING ABOUT HOW BAD THE SCHOOLS ARE HERE UNLESS YOU PLAN TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. CHARLES COUTY SCHOOLS ARE , AT WORST, MIDDLE OF THE ROAD FOR THIS STATE. THE ARE NOT AS GOOD AS WE'D LIKE. THEY ARE NOT NEARLY AS BAD AS SOME ON THIS BLOG SUGGEST. TO THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE SO VOCAL ON THIS SITE --- WHERE ARE YOU ON THE FIRST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH? MRS. ABELL IS SWIMMING AGAINST THE TIDE ON THE SCHOOL BOARD. SHE HAS THE AUDACITY TO THINK THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT WORKS FOR THE BAORD AND SUBSEQUENTLY FOR US. THE BEST THING YOU COMPLAINERS COULD DO IS TO BECOME MORE INVOLVED AT THE BOARD LEVEL. IMAGINE THE POWER AND EFFECT IT WOULD HAVE IF JUST 10-15 PEOPLE SHOWED UP FOR PUBLIC FORUM AND DEMANDED BETTER FROM OUR SCHOOLS. OR DEMANDED TRANSPARENCY FROM THE SYSTEM. IMAGINE IF WE SHOWED UP AND DEMANDED THAT THEY OPEN UP THE HIRING PROCESS WHEN THE CURRENT OVER-PAID BLOW HARD SUPERINTENDENT'S CONTRACT EXPIRES NEXT YEAR. THEY BANK ON THE SILENT MAJORITY. IF WE WANT REAL CHANGE, THEN LET'S USE OUR VOICES AND OUR VOTES. I CHALLENGE ANY OF YOU WHO COMPLAIN ABOUT "THE SINKING SHIP" TO MEET ME ONE (FIRST) TUESDAY (OF THE MONTH) AT THE BOARD TO RAISE HELL!