Saturday, January 15, 2011

What the heck is going on?

Is there no more converstaion about education or about the woes and benefits of being an EA resident/ student?

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29

224 comments:

1 – 200 of 224   Newer›   Newest»
Anonymous said...

204 e-News: Moment of Silence Reinstated
Date: 1/14/2011 8:34:12 P.M.

The Illinois State Board of Education informed District 204 today that the U.S. District Court lifted its injunction on the implementation of "The Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act." This means each public school is once again required to observe a brief moment of silence at the opening of every school day. This moment is meant to provide an opportunity for silent reflection on the day. This change will be minor as a practice was already developed to comply with the previous mandate. The district will simply reinstate the practice of including a moment of silence during the morning announcements.

Has 131 acknowledged this. Lord knows we need it?

Anonymous said...

I don't know when this was enacted but the high school has not had announcements for 3 days due to finals. They will resume on Tuesday.

Anonymous said...

Yeah we "need" a moment of silence.

No, what we need is involved parents and a community willing to clean itself up.

Not quite time.

Rudy Reza said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

The schools have been ordered to call it a moment of silence. The law is actually called:

The Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act

It was in effect a few years ago and has been going through the courts. It was deemed unconstitutional and ordered to be removed from our schools.

Yesterday, an appeals court judge stated that since it is also called "a moment of silence" we are not forcing the students to pray and in his opinion, the law is not illegal.

It is already being appealed to a higher court and will probably find it's way all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Bottom line is religious groups found a simpathetic judge who wants to push for prayer in schools and it has temporarily reinstated this ridiculous law that forces children to be indoctrinated into religion.

It will eventually be overturned and rightly removed from our schools but by then, religous zealots will find a new way to push religion is schools.

Anonymous said...

The only thing is if a student decided not to honor the moment of silence would they get in trouble? Most feel a m moment of silence refers to a prayers or honoring someone as many do on Veterans Day.

Anonymous said...

Yes they would be punished - They would be forced to do a book report on the Bible.

Anonymous said...

You're not that far off but the school wouldn't be that crass. The student would face discipline for "disturbing class" and probably be given a lecture on tolerance and consideration for others.

The amusing part is that no tolerance or consideration is given to those individuals who are agnostic or atheiest.

There is a time and place for religion and prayer, however, that is not during the school day. There are churches all over the place for people to pray in, we don't need to make every school building another place of worship.

Anonymous said...

Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression. Ratified 12/15/1791. Note

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

How is it that the state can mandate a silent prayer when it is stated that government can't? Having a moment of silence or if some want prayer mandating the public school system to do this? I think everyone should have the right to prayer and to chose which religion or no religion which was what the amendment meant. When people came to the United States years ago from England they could only practice religion from the Church of England and when we broke away it was made that you could chose the religion of your choice.

Anonymous said...

Hey Ruby the illegal Mexican why don't you go back to Mexico and pray for citizenship

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

His name is Ruby a gay moron illegal Mexican

Anonymous said...

2:36, I'll pray for you--you really need it!

:)

Anonymous said...

This illegal law was brought to you by the same group of idiots who overspent this state into a 15 Billion dollar deficit and just raised your taxes by 67%.

We should go back to the ancient Greek way of government

Anonymous said...

In ancient Greece, only the rich could hold office because all expenses for that office were paid by the office holder. The public did not pay a cent.

The terms were six months long. At the end of the term everyone came together. The office holder read aloud all of their accomplishments during their term. If they did a good job, they were considered an honorable man and reaped the rewards. If they were dishonest or did not hold the publics interest first, they were stoned.

There was little corruption of public office.

Anonymous said...

Prayer in mandated in schools?

Now we know why the district is sponsoring a breakfast for local clergy.

There is a reason that seperation of church and state is in the constitution. Religous zealots will stop at nothing to advance their beliefs. The worlds history is full of atrocities justified through religion.

Even in today's world people are executed for changing beliefs leaving the muslim religion.

There is no place for religion in schools.

Anonymous said...

You need to pray for Rudy he thinks Jesus is a 2000 year old zombie. No need to put down others beliefs.

Rudy Reza said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

A moment of silence is NOT the same as "mandated prayer"! It is simply what it says: silence. Students (and teachers) can pray during that time if they choose. They can close their eyes and relax. They can meditate. They can make a mental list of what they'll do after school. They can count to 100 by fives.

Personally, I would choose to offer a silent prayer to God in Jesus' name--but that's MY choice. The moment of silence is just that: a minute (or so) intended to allow us to acknowledge a higher power OR just sit quietly and center our thoughts.

Anonymous said...

AOCDRNDICG TO RSCHEEARCH AT CMABRIGDE UINERVTISY, IT DSENO'T MTAETR WAHT OERDR THE LTTERES IN A WROD ARE, THE OLNY IPROAMTNT TIHNG IS TAHT THE FRSIT AND LSAT LTTEER BE IN THE RGHIT PCLAE. TIHS IS BCUSEAE THE HUAMN MNID DEOS NOT RAED ERVEY LTETER BY ISTLEF, BUT THE WROD AS A WLOHE.

Anonymous said...

It's not just a moment of silence, it's The Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act.

It was pushed for by religious leaders and it's a very thinly veiled attempt to require prayer in schools. It has no place in a public institution.

Anonymous said...

So religion in schools is OK as long as you combine it with some other activity?

Ok

We can have:

PE class and Communion period.

Homecoming and Circumcision Day.

East/West game and the Inquisition Day.

Senior Prom and Ramadan.

Call it what you want, it's religion in public schools and will lead to a multitude of problems.

Anonymous said...

The school district has invited local clergy into the schools.


What happens when the first priest/minister/pastor/etc. molests a child in a school?

The Catholic Church is going bankrupt paying for all the lawsuits. They have had to close churches and schools because of it. Why are we opening ourselves up to that sort of risk?

Anonymous said...

9:11 asks:

What happens when the first priest/minister/pastor/etc. molests a child in a school?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The same thing that happens when any other adult molests a child in a school: they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law!

And as a practicing Catholic, I can tell you that most Catholic churches in this area are thriving; if anything, membership and attendance are up, not down. Yes, a few churches and schools throughout the country have been subsumed (combined into neighboring parishes)--but that's mostly because of the terrible economy, not because of VERY occasional lawsuits. More than 99% of priests and religious are good, ethical, God-fearing people.

And I'd probably use that minute of silence to say a Hail Mary or two.

Anonymous said...

Wow - Let's focus on that .5% chance of a priest molesting somebody.

You people are OUTRAGEOUS. Simply ridiculous and that is why you are not taken seriously.

Please go the school board and read your post to everybody

_________________________________
So religion in schools is OK as long as you combine it with some other activity?

Ok

We can have:

PE class and Communion period.

Homecoming and Circumcision Day.

East/West game and the Inquisition Day.

Senior Prom and Ramadan.

Call it what you want, it's religion in public schools and will lead to a multitude of problems.
_____________________________

It is so stupid that you will probably get laughed out of the room.

Then I want somebody else to mention that they are worried that their kid is going to be molested - WHEN THE CLERGY ARE COMING TO THE SCHOOLS TO TALK TO THE ADMINISTRATORS on that day, not the kids.

I can see it now - those clergy members sitting at home right now planning their molestation adventure. They are just going to stand in the bathroom and snatch kids out of the hallways and grab their cocks.

Anonymous said...

You are a perfect example of why religion can not be allowed in schools. You rely on faith instead of facts.

The fact is that in the past twenty years, lawsuits involving pedophile priests has cost the Roman Catholic Church more than two billion dollars. Many more lawsuits are pending and Roman Catholic Archdioces are filing bankruptcies in a desperate attempt to protect church assets.

Very recently the Milwaukee And Spokane Archdioces filed for bankruptcy protection. Chicago has paid out hundreds of millions in settlements with more still pending. Yes. The economy is bad but that is not the primary reason the Catholic Church is in the financial situation it is in.

If you want to say a Hail Mary or two, perhaps you should ask for the priests in your church to have the strength to keep their penis' in their pants. You might also ask for the bishops, cardinals and pope to provide moral leadership that includes protecting children instead of pedophile priests.

Anonymous said...

So let's add one to the list of this blog:


All Mexicans are illegal
All Blacks are in gangs
All East Aurora students are unprepared

AND NOW

All priests are child molesters

Anonymous said...

You forgot

All administrators are corrupt, self serving assholes.

Anonymous said...

You're right, I'm glad you are proud of your prejudices.

Anonymous said...

From Wikipedia:

In a statement read out by Archbishop Silvano Maria Tomasi in September 2009, the Holy See stated "We know now that in the last 50 years somewhere between 1.5% and 5% of the Catholic clergy has been involved in sexual abuse cases", adding that this figure was comparable with that of other groups and denominations.[10] A Perspective on Clergy Sexual Abuse by Dr. Thomas Plante of Stanford University and Santa Clara University states that "approximately 4% of priests during the past half century (and mostly in the 1960s and 1970s) have had a sexual experience with a minor" which "is consistent with male clergy from other religious traditions and is significantly lower than the general adult male population which may double these numbers".[11][12] Additionally, according to Newsweek magazine, the figure in the Catholic Church is similar to that in the rest of the adult population.[13]

Anonymous said...

So where did you get that .5% figure? I guess you just facts out from your ass.

Anonymous said...

That last post does not mean that there is a 5% chance of a student getting molested. You are an ass hole. That 5% is the number of priests who have molested. See the difference? Probably not because you a little slow.

Just because as much as 5% of ADULTS are molesting children does not mean that 5% of children have been molested.

See how that works.

Anonymous said...

Oh yes, now I see. That makes it all better. We can play with numbers and disregard that 5% of priests are child molesters because a smaller percentage of children will be raped and abused. Why don't explain that rationale to the young boy who has a priests dick being shoved into his ass. Tell them that he is part of a smaller than 5% number and so it makes everything OK.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

No said 5% of children, they said 5% of priests and I didn't say it, Archbishop Silvano Maria Tomasi did.

Anonymous said...

You are not worth my time.

Everything you say is right. Good job. You are sooooooo smart

:)

Anonymous said...

I know it's not fair, I use my brain and facts. You are equipped with neither of these. You must be a product of East Aurora

Anonymous said...

Actually it's more difficult to argue with somebody who is so diluted that they always think they are right.

What facts have your produced? What brain power. You are a joke. Somebody who can't see past their own nose.

Rudy Reza said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

What state goals does student reflection and silent prayers meet? As teachers, we are required to show how everything we do in the classroom meets district curriculum and state goals. We are talking about hundreds of minutes of instruction time for each student every year. How is this improving instruction and test scores?

Anonymous said...

What certifications and qualifications do these clergy being invited to work with our kids have? What are they trained to do other than preach the bible? Why are they being "invited" by the district to work with our children? Are there going to be fingerprinting and background checks done? What evaluation tools are in place to measure the effectiveness of this program? Who do these clergy answer to? What guidelines must they follow?

Why hasn't the board asked all of these questions and more of our administrators?

Anonymous said...

The district states that it would like to join up with Kids Hope USA.
Here is their website and you can find out the information about the group. They do talk about separation of church and state. It is based on a church not just the Clergy to do this and they do have rules for the mentors to follow.

It sounds like the district is going in a different direction since they are having the Clergy to ask them about it. The district states that they are already in a partnership with Kids Hope USA does anyone know about this? One Kids Hope USA the Principles of the schools seems to the ones that are lead person in it.

Anonymous said...

Information pulled directly from the Kids Hope Usa web site:

One child: an at-risk public elementary school child who needs a relationship with a caring adult;

One hour: sixty critical minutes each week when a trained mentor befriends a child and helps him or her acquire basic academic skills;

One church: a committed congregation who owns the program with its neighborhood school and provides a trained mentor and a BEHIND-THE-SCENES PRAYER PARTNER for each child; and

One school: a school that welcomes this proven intervention to increase the academic skills of at-risk children, at no cost to the school.

It clearly states that they are pushing ACADEMIC SKILLS and PRAYER.

1) Are they qualified/certified to provide academic instruction?

2) They are clearly violating the constitutions 1st Amendment, seperation of church and state by providing a BEHIND-THE-SCENES PRAYER PARTNER for every one of the students they mentor.

These are clear violations. These children are being indoctrinated into religious beliefs. Which religions are going to allowed? Will the Muslim or Budhist be represented? How about satanism, that's a religion?

I can't believe the board is allowing this to happen.

Anonymous said...

the truth from the website.
KIDS HOPE USA mentors spend just one hour per week, reading, talking, playing and listening to a child at school. By helping the child feel loved and valued, they help that child to learn, grow and succeed.

CHURCH AND STATE SEPARATION
KIDS HOPE USA respects church-state issues, and all participants are trained to strictly adhere to U.S. Department of Education guidelines to ensure that the program does not violate the separation of church and state.
Mentors are trained to understand that they must abide by the rules of the school at which they volunteer. They are not allowed to evangelize or pray while at the school or on school property because it is against the law. It is understood that a violation could result in the termination of the program.
Principals are advised that parents may choose to someday send their children to events at the church, only after parental permission is granted. The scope of a KIDS HOPE USA program remains focused on the one hour that takes place at school.

KHUSA VOLUNTEERS: TRAINED, SCREENED, COMMITTED, SUPERVISED
All KIDS HOPE USA mentors volunteer their time to nurture the heart of an at risk child. These loving, caring adults are all members of the congregation at the participating partner church, and each makes a commitment to devote an hour every week to their mentoring role.
All KIDS HOPE USA mentors are carefully screened using a process that includes an application, a criminal history check, a personal interview and pastor approval. Mentors must also submit to screening requirements at the school. They are thoroughly trained by the program Director, using comprehensive materials provided by the KIDS HOPE USA National Office, and also attend an orientation session at the school. Ongoing supervision and support is provided to all volunteers by the program Director.

This statement is false and you can check it on the website.
BEHIND-THE-SCENES PRAYER PARTNER for each child;

Anonymous said...

OUR COMMITMENT
TO CHURCHES
We pledge to maintain the integrity of the model by ensuring that all participating churches honor the agreements made in the Affiliate agreement.
We pledge to provide training for church Directors and volunteers that is marked by educational excellence and positive intervention.
We pledge to equip and encourage church Directors and volunteers in their respective roles through cost-effective strategies.
TO SCHOOLS
We pledge to strictly adhere to the separation of church and state in the design and implementation of the KIDS HOPE USA model.
We pledge to maintain the agreements made in the Affiliate agreement so that principals and teachers are truly supported, not distracted, in their efforts to help students learn and grow.
We pledge to involve teachers in evaluating the impact of KIDS HOPE USA in the lives of their students.
We pledge to make reading a priority for academic skill development in KHUSA students, as appropriate.
We pledge to seek and follow the advice of professional educators and child psychologists as we train and equip Directors and volunteers.
TO DONORS
We pledge to be faithful to our mission: KIDS HOPE USA builds caring relationships...one child, one hour, one church, one school.
We pledge to conduct all aspects of our organization in a manner congruent with generally accepted biblical mandates and principles. We believe in Jesus’ way.
We pledge to be faithful stewards with the resources invested in this organization.
We pledge to be truthful in all our communications.
We pledge to conduct the financial affairs of our organization according to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).
We pledge to obtain an annual audit performed by an independent certified public accounting firm in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS).

Anonymous said...

I am not really in agreement of this sort of thing but if it helps it's worth a try and they would follow the rules more than if the district ran a program like this.

Anonymous said...

"A BEHIND-THE-SCENES PRAYER PARTNER for every one of the students they mentor".

It is on their web-site. Copy and paste this link:

http://www.kidshopeusa.org/About/History/

It will take you the the page on their web site.

Anonymous said...

Not a big deal

Anonymous said...

It is there. I saw it.

It sounds like they are playing games and skirting the constitution (if not violating it completely) to bring religion to the kids.

Their utimate goal is to get the kid to join their churches. They will eventually get a parents permission but they are using the schools as a direct vehicle to the students themselves.

It would not pass any real scrutiny by the law.

Anonymous said...

What that means is that there is someone praying for the child just like in most churches they ask the congregation if their is someone that needs to be prayed for. Some people have prayer books that they keep to put peoples names in the pray for and most times the person that is getting the prayer doesn't know. We will put your name in ours.

Anonymous said...

This was a part of what you posted:

Principals are advised that parents may choose to someday send their children to events at the church, only after parental permission is granted.

How would the children or parents know anything about the church unless the mentor is talking to the child about it and inviting them to the church?

It is a clear violation of the 1st Amendment.

Anonymous said...

This same program that has been in the District for years with community 4-12. They run the Bardwell tutor program and the gift mart. They also work at Brady & Rollins. They also train and help with the Parent reading programs.
The members all get finger printed by their organization at no cost to the District.
I know its hard for this blog to believe but there are good people in the world who don't sit behind their keyboards and complain. They try to make difference in people lives.
The Board does back this program they realize that many of the students need more than just the help the teacher provides them during the day.

Anonymous said...

So, according to your logic, the next time a child tells me that they made the same mistake yesterday, so it makes it OK to make the same mistake today. I guess I am supposed to tell them, "Yes keep making the same poor choice".

Or when they say "but they are doing it too" I am supposed to respond, "Well if friend is making the same mistake, it's OK for you to do it also".

It's a poor arguement, that most people get over by the time they are 10 or 12 years old.

Anonymous said...

NO, to my logic not everybody has arterial motives to destroy children.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

The district is a public institution entrusted to teach children. It is required to follow the laws of the land including the 1st Amendment.

They are not here to push religion in schools. There are people of every faith in this country as well as no faith. They all pay taxes to run the school system. The school system should not be pushing certain faiths or beliefs.

If the district goes ahead with this plan, I will be filing a complaint with the Illinois States Attorneys Office. I wish them luck justifying a religious program cloaked under the guise of mentoring.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

I've done it before and I will do it again.

Anonymous said...

Maybe if the district was more open to the community people wouldn't think that way. Do you really think that some are not talking about this that don't post on this board I think not it is just on the board you hear what some in the community is saying.

You hear where two districts can't help preschool children because there is not enough room for have classes but when another district tries to partner with our district we don't want to give up our money.
What other programs has another district tried to partner with us but we won't because our administration and board won't because they can't have compete control.

Anonymous said...

I do not see any "cloaking" going on.
If a person is respected and you are grateful for their friendship, it is a natural course you would want to know them better. At that time a mentor may answer, "I became a mentor through my church." A child may then inquire about visiting the place where such nice, giving, people congregate. Nothing would be "pushed."

Rayanne said...

I have to ask again...what the heck is going on?
A group of well meaning people offer their time and service after being "screened" to help other peoples children and this is wrong?
This blog is not the problem, but rather certain people who have such distorted views spewing them as fact based.
What does it matter if these people are from a church, the VFW, Plumbers Union or Women's club?
Would their motives be questioned?
Would they be pushing children to join the armed forces, a union, a women's rights group?
Whoever has a probelm with this volunteer group helping the EA students, why not start your own group of EA resident volunteers? Be sure to use only people who are not affilitated with any other organization so as not to be accused of "cloaking" your motives.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

I believe there are many hidden agendas in this district within the highest level, that are not all about creating the best possible learning environment for the children.
I am not a teacher, but I know many of the teachers. They are hard working, caring individuals who put their heart into their job.
They have little to no support from the central office.
I am not in agreement with the management at my job, but it doesn't mean I don't take pride in my job and work hard to do my job well.

Anonymous said...

I'm a teacher. I hate kids.

Anonymous said...

Public: Institution: Educational institution that receives majority of funding from public tax dollars.

Clergy: the ministers, priests etc of the Christian religion.

First Amendment: "make no law respecting an establishment of religion"

From the Pew Research Center:
Major Religious Traditions in Americs:
78.4% Christian
4.7% Other Religions
16.1% Not Religious

School districts are public institutions, taking tax dollars from the public and with the responsibility to serve all the community. For the same reasons they are not allowed to promote one political party or candidate, they are not allowed to promote religion. It is also a violation of the First Amendment.

Clergy by definition are the leaders in the Christian Faith. Only very recently has the term begun to include leaders of all religious faiths.

20.8 are not Christian in this country. They pay into the tax system and do not want their tax dollars promoting the Christian Faith.

School districts are not allowed to promote or discriminate against any one part of a community. They can not discriminate against blacks, women, homosexuals or non-christians. It's illegal.

Just because they are doing "Good Things" or you agree with the Christian Faith can't make it legal.

Anonymous said...

So clergy members are not allowed in schools?

So clergy members can't help students without pushing their religious views?

You are stupid.

Anonymous said...

Hey, I don't know if you heard about this event that the district is also doing but I just saw it on the web site.





(Aurora)- East Aurora School District 131 is hosting the ‘Focus on Children’ Clergy’s Breakfast on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 8:30 a.m. at East Aurora High School.

The Clergy’s Breakfast is an opportunity for area clergy, school district officials, and students to dialogue about collaboration opportunities that will help our students to continue making choices for excellence. School Board President, Annette Johnson, and Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Jerome Roberts, will be available to answer questions and take suggestions.

The district’s partnership with Kids Hope USA will also be highlighted. Operated in some of the district’s elementary schools, Kids Hope USA is a national mentoring program that connects churches with schools for one-on-one mentoring. Representatives from Kids Hope USA will be on hand to give an update on the partnership.

The Clergy’s Breakfast is an event in a series of community relations initiatives aimed at strengthening connections and increasing involvement between the school district and the community.

During the first semester, East Aurora Schools hosted the Youth Service Providers Expo for Faculty and Staff, a Realtors’ Luncheon, and a ‘Principal for a Day’ program in collaboration with the Aurora Cares Corporation. Future events are planned with officials from local trade unions and higher education institutions.

All area clergy are invited to attend. Please RSVP to info@d131.org or 630.299.8343 by Wednesday, January 19, 2011.

Anonymous said...

What are these "Clergy" qualified or certified to do? Everyone dealing with our children are required to be "highly qualified" what qualifications do these clergy provide.

In this district, all administrators, teachers, aides, even coaches have to show their certifications. What certifications do these clergy have other than preaching the bible?

What are they qualified to do other than promote their religions?

Anonymous said...

9:41 a.m.--

OK, let's take all references to religion out of the public schools.

--No mention of religion in history classes. Good luck having any meaningful discussion of the Renaissance without mentioning the Catholic church. The Pilgrims came to this country because, maybe, they wanted to make friends with Native Americans (it couldn't have had anything to do with religious freedom). And the Holocaust happened entirely because certain people didn't like others' physical characteristics (after all, Judaism is a religion--mustn't mention that!)

--There will be no reference to religious beliefs in music or art classes. Choral performances in December will be mostly "la-la-la", "doo-be-doo" to avoid mentioning that dreaded Baby or his heavenly Father. And of course, any artwork that shows a cross, crown of thorns, person praying, etc. would automatically receive a zero.

--Literature must be carefully evaluated to make sure there is absolutely no mention of God, Zeus, Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, Confucius, Joseph Smith, Mary Baker Eddy, etc. That eliminates Shakespeare, Steinbeck, Dickens, and just about every other author worth studying.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our forefathers did NOT intend our society (and schools) to be devoid of religious belief. They advocated freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion.

BIG difference!

Anonymous said...

Ok 10:02 - How many ways can you ask the SAME DAMN QUESTION?

Are there any other ways you can ask the question?

Did you know that you asked the same question over and over again?

Why are you asking the same question multiple times in the same post?

Doesn't it seem stupid to ask the same question over and over again in the same post?

Anonymous said...

Community 4-12 has never had a problem or a complaint from any parent. They have never forced their form of worship on anyone. Anyone is welcome to go to the clergy breakfast so if you are so concerned go find out ask Dr Roberts or the Board President the article says they will be at the breakfast.

Anonymous said...

To those who think that there should be no religion in public schools:

In addition to the excellent points made by 11:01, I'd like to remind you that today we celebrate the legacy of an American hero, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. King was an ordained Baptist minister. He constantly referred to God and quoted Scripture in his speeches. He was unashamed of his Christian faith, and unconcerned about whom he might offend when he spoke. He advocated respect for all God's children regardless of race, creed, or color.

Happy MLK Day to all!

:)

Anonymous said...

To: January 17, 2011 11:29 AM

The question was asked many times and in many ways, both yesterday and today and no one has yet answered the question.

Anonymous said...

To: January 17, 2011 11:01 AM

There are no laws prohibiting the study or religion when it's done in a historical, academic and impartial way. You can mention the holocaust, the inquisition, the crusades etc. from a historical stand point. It is allowed to sing a religious song as part of a concert as long as one religion is not being promoted.

It is illegal to have a 'Christmas Concert' where only Christian music is celebrated. It is illegal to have a program whose goal is to recruit children to ultimately become part of a church and practice one faith.

You are also wrong about our forefathers. When it came to the government, they did want freedom of and freedom from religion. They wanted people to believe as they saw fit but they did not want government promoting religion.

Anonymous said...

Okay, here's an answer.

I know several area clergy personally. All are highly educated men & women. Most have spent at least 6 years in college, and have studied some of the same subjects our teachers have (psychology, literature, history). All are experienced in communicating with people (individually & in groups).

Those are just a few specific qualifications our local clergy bring to the table--can others expand this list?

Anonymous said...

January 17, 2011 2:08 PM

I agree with you on all points about Dr. King.

However, you missed one very important point. He did not do these things in a public school. It makes a huge difference.

Anonymous said...

Where is their certification in education???

Anonymous said...

2:22 p.m., how does inviting local clergy (of all faiths) to a district breakfast promote a specific religion?

If only Catholic priests, Jewish rabbis, or Muslim imams were invited that would be one thing. But "clergy" includes religious leaders of ALL faiths.

Anonymous said...

Many of our staff members who help teach our children do NOT have teaching certificates: substitute teachers and teacher assistants, for example.

Anonymous said...

January 17, 2011 11:01 AM -Thank you! You expressed the point VERY well.
Hopefully, the difference is now understood by those hell bent on freedom FROM religion and excercising their freedom of speech.

Anonymous said...

Trying to convince a bunch of religious zealots that they are breaking the law in regards to religion is a waste of time. Don't even try. People have been trying for centuries.

Just report it to the authorities. It will have to be dealt with legally.

Anonymous said...

God Bless Dr. King!

Anonymous said...

This has to be the brainchild of Clayton. Only he can screw up so badly and have a program still enacted in this district.

There have been central office administrators come out publicly and state his programs are illegal and yet they remain. This is just one more example.

It will be interesting to see how many more illegal programs are enacted now that he has a much larger support staff paid for on the districts dime.

It's just a matter of time before his house of cards comes crashing down.

Rudy Reza said...
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Rudy Reza said...
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Anonymous said...

This is all such bs. Good people who have done nothing wrong and having breakfast at East High to try to maybe brainstorm some ideas to fix the problem of youth in the community.

What is the big fucking deal. This is absolutely absurd that this conversation has gone on this long.

Anonymous said...

How do you know they are good people? Do you know every one coming to the breakfast personally? Do you know their backgrounds? Their criminal records? Their educational background? Their sexual preferences? Posible alterior motives?

Why do you assume because they are religious they are "good people"?

By the Catholic Church's own admission, as many as 5% of their priests are child molesters.

Why do you assume that they are good people?

The board and administration should not just assume they are good people. They should be checking into their backgrounds and their certifications/qualifications.

It's bad enough they are violating the first amendment. The safety of the children demands a complete check of everyone involved.

Rudy Reza said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

There are lots of churches that accept gay people. I know, because two of my friends are gay, and were married by an Episcopal priest in a church.

And, how do you know they are not good people.

My view - Innocent until they ACTUALLY COMMIT A CRIME

Your view - All priests are pedophiles and child molesters.

Who seems to have the more mature view.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

It does mention that students will be there is the district getting parents permission for that. I think it should be church members that mentor not clergy and it should be done from the church not school.

Anonymous said...

Good, just because it's what you THINK does not make what the district is doing is wrong. You can think all you want, but you are not in charge.

Anonymous said...

Rudy, I am very sorry to hear about what you experienced from a group of people who CLAIM to represent Christ. As a Catholic woman, I can tell you that I too have been "condemned from the pulpit" a few times because I've been outspoken about using birth control instead of having more than the 2 children my husband and I felt we could support.

Here's what my family and I did: We "shopped around" until we found the (in our case, Catholic) church where we felt welcomed and where the Gospel was preached in love. There are SO many churches in this area--people can "vote with their feet" (and take their offering envelopes with them).

Rudy, please give the Church another chance! Maybe some folks on this blog have specific suggestions for you; if you're Catholic, I'd be happy to suggest a few area churches where you'd feel welcome.

Anonymous said...

To: January 18, 2011 6:32 AM

My views:

Follow the laws of the land (including the First Amendment).

How do you know that they are innocent? The district must perform background checks to find out IF they have been convicted.

Can you imagine if something does happen to a child? The district would have to sit on the stand and explain 1) Why they are promoting religion in schools and 2) Why background checks were not done to protect the children.

It's idiots like you that enabled pedophile priests to molest children for decades. Just bury your head in the sand, all religious people are "good".

Anonymous said...

As a member of Community 4;12 I can assure you the District does get permission slips. Tutoring to improve academic performance also requires permission. We also work with parents to improve their level of education. Recently at Brady we helped get resumes together and showed parents and children how to do that on a computer. We are not pushing a church or religious belief.
We are also responsible for the cost of our own background checks. It costs the District nothing.

This blog needs to stop being so critical. I am sorry you had a bad experience Rudy but you should not judge the whole world by this. This is a good working program many School Districts are adopting this. D131 is out ahead of everyone in the area. You should thank your board and administration for trying to educate the whole child and parent.

Anonymous said...

This must be some hair brained idea of Dr Roberts pushing off education on anyone other than his staff. Dr Roberts lives in Shorewood and most likly goes to this church.


Community Christian Church -
Shorewood Campus
Phone: (630) 388-5000
Director(s)
Liz Walker
School(s)

Anonymous said...

To: January 18, 2011 8:34 AM


Who are you and who is WE.

Some anonymous person says it's working and we check on ourselves?

Oh yes, I feel much more comfotable now.

Get real.

Anonymous said...

Demanding the district follows the First Amendment and doesn't push religion is not complaining.

Demanding that background checks are done by the district on every individual who is around our children is not complaining.

Anonymous said...

We is community 4-12 dumb-ass...Background checks are being done. So again get off your lazy ass get out from behind your computer and ask. You will find Joan Glozbach has a file on everyone.

Anonymous said...

"We is community 4-12 dumb-ass"???
"get off your lazy ass"???

These are the people we are trusting to do background checks and are going to be mentoring our kids???

Only in District 131

Anonymous said...

You are complaining on here before checking ANY facts about the breakfast?

You asked:

Are background checks being done?
- Did you ask anybody but this stupid blog

Are they going to have contact with the kids?
- Did you ask anybody but this stupid blog

Why are they being involved with the school?
- Did you ask anybody but this stupid blog

What are their qualifications (multiple times in the same post)?
- Did you ask anybody but this stupid blog


So, asking a question here should get you what you get - NOTHING?

But perhaps if you ask the right people, you will get an intelligent answer.

Anonymous said...

There are no right people, this district is run by a bunch of incompetents.

Anonymous said...

Well there is the cop-out answer.

Thanks for explaining why you choose to be lazy.

Anonymous said...

I'm not being lazy at all. Talking to this district administration and board is a complete waste of time, as is talking to religious fanatics about the First Amendment. I'm busy writing a complaint to the Illinois State's Attorney's Office. I'll let the matter lie with them.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Your claim is not that far from the truth.

In America there are 41,406 priests in the Catholic Church. By the Catholic Church's own admission, as many as 5% of priests are pedophiles. That means a total of 2,070 pedophiles are walking around with a collar around their neck.

That is 2,070 priests who are publicly known to do exactly what you said, "fucking our children".

Fortunately, not everyone is as niave as you are.

Anonymous said...

Looks like that mexican fairy deleted his comments. Good riddance

Anonymous said...

January 18, 2011 7:36 PM

Must be one of those "Good Christians" we are going to have mentoring our kids.

Anonymous said...

Yup, always think the worst of people.

Anonymous said...

I can just see it now. All of this clergy members (who do currently work in a church) have finally gotten their invitation to come into a school.

Now their child molestation escapades can begin.

Anonymous said...

It's better than assuming everyone is good and only finding out the truth when your kid is standing in front of you with his rectum bleeding.

You remind of the idiot the news reporters always find after a flood, standing waist high in water, with a stupid look on their face saying "I never thought it would happen to me".

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Sometimes a bloody ass hole makes you a stronger person.

Anonymous said...

No, I want my children to have as many positive experiences as possible. The only way to ensure this, is to make them feel as though they have freedom but make sure that the adults around them are a positive influence.

That means keeping pedophiles and other abusers away. Background checks assure that there is a much smaller risk that this can happen. I also want the people mentoring and influencing my children to be law abiding citizens. If they can't figure out the First Amendment, they have no business being around children.

There is a difference between protecting children and locking them away from the world. If you can't understand the difference, you have no business entering this conversation.

Anonymous said...

This blog is full of idiots!!!!! Complete waste of time.

Anonymous said...

Some bus drivers are pedophiles. Some teacher's aides are pedophiles. Some crossing guards are pedophiles.
Some doctors are pedophiles.
Some firemen are pedophiles.

Pick ANY profession, and there will be a few bad apples.

It's just that when clergy are the abusers, they get a LOT of publicity.

My question would be, where are the parents? When my kids were growing up I don't remember a time when they were ever alone with an adult other than their parents or other family members. Either their father or I sat in on their piano lessons, tutoring sessions, doctor's exams, etc.

As far as adult mentors coming in to the schools, I'd be all right with it as long as it would be a group activity. If it were a one-to-one thing, I would want to be there. I consider it part of my duty as my child's parent.

Anonymous said...

There are molesters in all professions, that is why background checks are made. You are incorrect about it just being clergy getting more publicity. Teachers get a lot of publicity as well. Teachers have a much lower percentage of pedophiles for two reasons. 1)Teachers go through years of preparation where possible pedophiles are identified and weeded out (wherever possible) and 2)Most teachers are woman. There is a lower percentage of women who are pedophiles vs. men.

The clergy will be mentoring one-on-one with children and in this neighborhood, parents will not be there in most instances.

Clergy are predominantly men and they have gone through no program like a four year teaching college where "strange" individuals are weeded out.

For all these reasons, the risks to children will be much higher than should be.

Anonymous said...

AURORA — There are seven candidates that have filed to run for four East Aurora School Board spots — including a candidate who just graduated from East Aurora High School.

Ignacio Cervantes, 19, who served as co-student body representative on the School Board last year, now is running for election to a full board seat.

Cervantes, of High Street, will be running against Lorena Cundari, Mary Fultz, Robert Hill, incumbent Ray Hull, Juan Sifuentes and incumbent Mary Anne Turza.

Cervantes is a freshman at Aurora University majoring in criminal justice and working as a grill man for Sodexo.

Cervantes said that there were many factors that made him want to run for the board post.

“I just graduated from high school. I’ve been in the district for my whole life,” Cervantes said. “I know the whole process of the district and I know what the students need education-wise.”

He said he wants to get parents more involved in the schools. Now, he said, parents only go to a board meeting if their child is winning an award.

“In board meetings we didn’t have a lot of parental involvement,” Cervantes said. “In a district that’s more than 80 percent Hispanic, and I go in there as a Hispanic leader, hopefully I can attract parents to come to the board and speak about the issues they have.”

Hiring teachers who have attended school in the district should be another priority, he said.

“They care about this district and want to make a change,” he said.

Cervantes said he isn’t discouraged by voters concerned about his age — his own family told him that he was too young.

“I just told them it’s something that I want to do. I love kids,” Cervantes said. “I want them to grow up in District 131 and I want my little cousins to have a district they can rely on.”

Hull was appointed to the board in February 2010 after former board member Rayanne Carlson stepped down. Hull was also elected to the board in 1999. Turza was appointed to the board in fall 2009 when former President Carol Farnum departed.

Sifuentes applied for both recently appointed seats.

Long-serving board member Juanita Wells and one term-board member and past President Dee Weaver announced that they would not seek re-election earlier this year.

The School Board election will be held April 5.

Anonymous said...

I can't believe the administration would back any program that gives adults, one on one, access to children.

Administrators warn teachers all the time (especially younger, less experienced teachers) to never leave yourself in a position where you are, one on one, alone with a child. Anything could be claimed against the teacher and it is a, he said, she said situation. Adults should never be alone with a child.

Why would this board and administration back a program designed to leave adults alone with children? It makes no sense.

Anonymous said...

Not only will these "mentors" be allowed one on one access to these children, they will eventually be allowed one on one access to these children outside of the school buildings. It's astonishing that our school leaders could be this irresponsible.

Anonymous said...

Does not look like the Board will change
Cervantes is backed by Clayton

Noway was this kid ever that smart on the Board sounds like Clayton's been working with him

Robert Hill and Ray Hull are from Clayton's church and are youth ministers that equal more clergy in the schools.


Sifuentes is a friend of Lisa Morales they serve on a Board together.

Tursa is pro administration.

At least 5 are District cronies

Anyone know the other two

Anonymous said...

About the mentoring--as much as I don't like to assume the worst about my fellow Christians, I'd rather my kids be safe than sorry.

So I would welcome this mentoring program in our district, on one condition: that I (as a parent) am welcome to be present at all sessions. If not, that would be a dealbreaker.

It's that simple.

Anonymous said...

That's fine for your kid. Your kid is not the one I'm worried about.

I'm worried about the vast majority of our kids whose parents wouldn't show up to a school event if you were passing out free gold bars.

Who's going to looking out for them when they are alone with these adults?

Anonymous said...

Somebody is going to get ass raped. It's that simple. There is no way around it, these priests are coming here on the 26th with FULL ERECTIONS just waiting to corner these little boys. I'm going to call the cops that morning.

Anonymous said...

Well you will have a 5% chance of being correct calling the cops.

I wonder how many mentors they are bringing in.

100- That's 5 raped children

200- That's 10 raped children

How many lawsuits will be filed?

Anonymous said...

Rayanne

Only a Sex-offender could be having such harmful thoughts about a mentor clergy they never meet

Anonymous said...

If that really is Rayanne, it's a good thing you are off the board.

I would not want anyone on a school board who doesn't put the safety of our children first.

I would not want a board member who is more concerned about their opinion that all clergy must be "good people".

The children's safety must always be paramount in any decision a school board makes. If it isn't you don't belong on the board.

Anonymous said...

You people are sick in your thinking about clergy. Things could happen the children with any adult. Should the district try and get the community involved with mentoring I say yes in the right way and with their parents involved.

Anonymous said...

How about having parents mentor their own children.

What a concept.

Then the children are at no more risk than they always are.

Anonymous said...

I can see it now, a sea of bloody ass holes. Children who can't sit down in class because their butts hurt. We have to extend passing periods because everybody is walking bow-legged. This is a major problem. You are all right to be soooo concerned. Good work looking out for the safety of the kids. Put your penis away priest man, not in my school

Anonymous said...

Well, I just got home from church and boy, my priest has a HUGE cock. You all are right, priests are totally into raping young boys.

Anonymous said...

3:28 p.m., I dare you to ask those who are running for School Board about whether they support the mentoring program, and express your concern for kids' safety from abuse by predatory pedophile clergy.

But you won't, because you aren't posting your nasty comments out of any real concern for children. You're just trying desperately to sabotage this blog--and it's not working.

So like a naughty child you'll keep making your ridiculous comments, while those of us with any intelligence just shake our heads and smile.

Anonymous said...

Well, If I make you smile then my job is done.

Your concern for the children is UNFOUNDED and STUPID.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Your comments are entertaining at best. Here are some facts from Wikipedia:

The 2004 John Jay Report commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) was based on surveys completed by the Roman Catholic dioceses in the United States. The surveys filtered provided information from diocesan files on each priest accused of sexual abuse and on each of the priest's victims to the research team, in a format which did not disclose the names of the accused priests or the dioceses where they worked. The dioceses were encouraged to issue reports of their own based on the surveys that they had completed.

The team reported that 10,667 people in the US had made allegations of child sexual abuse between 1950 and 2002 against 4,392 priests (about 4% of all 109,694 priests who served during the time period covered by the study). One-third of the accusations were made in the years 2002 and 2003, and another third between 1993 and 2001. "Thus, prior to 1993, only one-third of cases were known to church officials," says the report.

Anonymous said...

Of the 11,000-odd allegations, 6,700 were investigated and substantiated against 1,872 priests, and another 1,000 were unsubstantiated against 824 priests. The remaining 3,300 allegations were not investigated because the priests involved had died by the time the allegations were made. The allegations were thought to be credible for 1,671 priests and not credible for 345 priests. Police were contacted regarding 1,021 priests. Nearly all these reports led to investigations, and 384 instances have led to criminal charges. Of those priests for whom information about dispositions is available, 252 were convicted and at least 100 of those served time in prison. Thus, 6% of all priests against whom allegations were made had been convicted and about 2% sentenced to prison at the date of the report.

Of the 4,392 accused priests included in the report, 56% were the subject of a single allegation. Just under 3% (or 149 priests) were the subject of ten or more allegations. These priests accounted for 2,960 of the total number of allegations. Around 81% of the victims were male; 51% between the ages of 11 and 14, and 27% between the ages to 15 to 17 years.

Anonymous said...

They are not meant to be anything else.

Yes, we know priests have molested children. Thanks for the update. Teachers have molested children - We just had a case at Metea Valley High School and another one at Plainfield North High School. The Metea teacher was a man having sex with a young girl and the Plainfield teacher was a woman having sex with a young boy.

I guess teachers should not have contact with students either. Put all the kids in bubbles in their house. Oh Wait, below is off of wikipedia as well

"Offenders are more likely to be relatives or acquaintances of their victim than strangers.[98] A 2006–2007 Idaho study of 430 cases found that 82% of juvenile sex offenders were known to the victims (acquaintances 46% or relatives 36%)"


So 36% of the offenders are related by blood to the victims, I guess they aren't safe EVEN IN THEIR OWN HOMES!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Hey look at this!


In US schools, according to the United States Department of Education, "nearly 9.6% of students are targets of educator sexual misconduct sometime during their school career."



So now, out of 100 students 10 will get fucked by their OWN TEACHER!

That is way worse than your little priest 5% at best.

So stop all the bull shit people. Don't play with the statistics that you like because they support your point. Child Molesters are EVERYWHERE so lets work on protecting children by educating them about the risks and what to do if it happens. Let's not demonize a group of people because you HATE district 131 and the people who run it.

Anonymous said...

First, you need to document where you are getting your "facts" or they are worthless.

Second, Thank you for proving my point.

The district should never promote any program that places adults and children alone together. There should not be one-on-one contact between adults and children, especially off of school grounds. It doesn't matter if they are clergy or not.

The risks are just to great.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

I never said children should never be one on one with their family members.

I said that the district should not be promoting programs that leave adults alone with children especially off school grounds.

However, when a child has been sexually abused, close family members are usually the first people that police suspect. Simply put, they are the ones who most likely had one on one access to the child.

Anonymous said...

Why is it when people comment on things that the district wants to do or implement and people comment about it does some get mad. Some of the concerns are just out there but some are good concerns. The problem is that the ones in the districts that come on here see it and don't like anyone stating anything about it or think that they are making a mistake. People that go out to lunch or dinner might talk about these things there without the district knowing so why not here and get it out in the open. Everyone has a right to their own opinion and this district has made mistakes to if you don't like what they say here don't read it.

Anonymous said...

Why don't you ask how the mentoring program is run. Children don't leave the school. Most of the time its a lunch or a after school program with a group of students. Many parents actually are there as well. They teach them to read or do resumes. They never leave the building. This blog is always to the extreme. Whether is Liska, the Board or administrators or a mentor program. You should thank the people who have donated countless hours.

Rayanne, started this blog to discuss district issues. Swearing and violent accusations is not one of them it shows you have a sick mind.

Anonymous said...

The ones that swear on the blog is the ones that don't like what is said not the ones who post their concerns.

Anonymous said...

Actually 90%+ of the profane comments are from people trying to defend the district and administration.

I do understand though, I too, would be driven to profanity if I had to keep defending the blunders of this districts administration.

Anonymous said...

Yup, blunders like trying to help students.

Anonymous said...

Blunders like multi-million dollar losses on land deals.

Blunders like pissing off the entire community over one band class.

Blunders like allowing an illegal fraternity.

Blunders like paying superintendents more money than the Govenor makes.

Blunders like ignoring health department directives and placing children at risk.

Blunders like Clayton "the matter is closed" Muhammad.

Blunders like ignoring the first amendment and placing Clergy in one-on-one situations with children.

Do we need to go on?!?

Anonymous said...

I think mentoring could be a good thing but how about working on the overcrowding in the schools? The mentoring would help the kids learn but how about trying some new curriculum to help also. Be more open to partnering with other districts to help like with a preschool together with another district.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I do need you to go on, because I think all of those are BS so far.

Anonymous said...

The overcrowding was addressed the District hired about 40 new positions and a new school was purchased by the District. Read the BoardBook online.

One School District can not partner with another until the State does not take money away from a program. If that happened preschool would no longer be funded by a grant.

It seems there are good things going on in this District just look at the glass half full for a change instead of half empty

Anonymous said...

I went and looked at the board book and with the two properties that seems could be good one has 10 classrooms the other 12 which means that you must be looking for something for preschool and or the Magnet Program which wasn't suppose to cost the district anything. Since we don't have busing it means again only the students that could get there would be able to go. The two buildings are old and and what would it cost to get them ready for the children to go to. This is not for all the children of the district any only will ease some of the overcrowding in the schools.

Anonymous said...

What ever happened to the Bieglow donation that the district was suppose to get? Is it that the homes weren't built and we won't get them thanks to the city and the district. Word is that Bieglow is going bankrupt which is sad for him but that is what happens when greed gets in the way.

Anonymous said...

Word is Bigelow filed bankruptcy here at Hometown. We will not be getting that donation.

Anonymous said...

It looks like the District purchased something called Bethesda they have a construction time-line

Anonymous said...

It really frustrates me that we have buildings that are falling apart, parts of East High, Waldo, some of the older middle schools, and we are buying and fixing up these other properties.

You know when other school districts make large additions (like the field house/ROTC or the Freshman building) they also at the same time fix up other parts of the buildings so that all teachers and students have similar equipment and resources available to them.

No in this district, some people have everything and some people have nothing.

Anonymous said...

What this district is purchasing is for the Magnet Academy which was suppouse to cost this district nothing. Therefore the new teachers are probably for the Magnet Academy also. Shame of this district for the Magnet Academy so far has really proved to be nothing for the students except to keep them out of the mainstream of regular schools. I am sure all parents wish their children did not have to be exposed to things going on everyday in the schools. The Magnet Academy is nothing but an expensive baby sitter which takes away from the students that have to go to regular school everyday. Oh, well this district can afford it since we have all those millions to the good. Wonder how the state would feel if they knew about the monies since the state thinks we are such an improvished district?

Anonymous said...

How can you jump to the fact it is the Magnet School. They call it the Child Service Center. Get the facts call the District ask. They stated it is for Elementary and Special Ed. All rehab costs are paid by a grant.

Anonymous said...

The reason the District had to pay for the Magnet School was once Hull got on the Board he took care of his employer The City of Aurora Tom Leisner and made a deal. Just like Dan Barriero made a deal with Bigelow. Both cases have hurt the District but most Board members are self serving.

Anonymous said...

It seems Clayton will not live tweet anymore. Must be because of this blog. Roberts must have told him if you are screwing around on District time hide it on your protected facebook page.


ClaytonMuhammad betta NOT tweet otherwise or umma go innnnnn, lolol! < B RING IT! COME OVER TO FACEBOOK

Anonymous said...

Yup, because of this blog. Soooo much power here.

Anonymous said...

Maybe it's because of this blog; maybe it's just coincidence. But I remember a few months ago when some EHS teachers had current students as "friends" on Facebook. Now it looks like they've seen the wisdom of maintaining a professional distance--EXCEPT for Clayton Muhammad. He has many current EHS students among his "friends". I guess standards & expectations don't apply to "Farrakhan's Disciple".

Anonymous said...

I don't remember that.

Anonymous said...

I do! As a parent, it disturbed me that my son was able to access pictures of his teacher's beer party with college roommates on a private Facebook page that I, his legal guardian, was denied access to. Situations like this are a lawsuit just waiting to happen--I'm so glad our teachers don't do this anymore.

Well, except for Clayton Muhammad.

Anonymous said...

Well you wern't invited.

Anonymous said...

No responsible adults are ever invited to see what Clayton is doing with the kids.

Anonymous said...

The district is lucky it wasn't "invited" to appear in court.

As in, a subpoena.

Anonymous said...

Clayton still has many many students as his friends but now you can't access it because he can monitor who his friend is. His conversation on Twitter with students was grounds for termination but his low life boss Roberts told him just do a better job of covering it up.

Roberts allows him to spend his days working on B2M awards. Clayton will stay locked up in his office for days with phone, computer and printer working on B2M will Martinez his new lackey does his job.

Martinez works on Hill Ave so Central office staff don't see what he is up to. Many of us know. The Board should demand Clayton's resignation and save the District $100,000. Martinez does the job anyway. Of course Clayton follows in his bosses foot steps Roberts spends half days in the District as well.

Anonymous said...

Everyone is moving to the District Facebook page to complain about the horrible conditions in the District. It is funny Roberts suppressed Twitter and people are still finding a way to post. The only difference is the District now has to accept you as a friend.

Remember Teachers Parents and students if you are afraid of District bulling you can always have a anonymous account. We can now blog against the District and watch the 2 black boys sweat.

Way to go Rudy.

Anonymous said...

Here it is

#
It is absolutely ridiculous that you have decided to have school today when the weather is like this. You have hundreds of kids that walk to school and the majority of them never dress properly. A lot of the kids don't have the proper clo...thing due to financial constraints as our district is a poorer district than others. Frostbite in this weather can set in after six minutes. For a child walking from where I live to the high school is at least 15 minutes. For you to have school at this time and not even consider a delayed start is irresponsible and frankly, a bit stubborn on the part of the school board and all that make those decisions.
We've not had an emergency closing yet this year and when I look on the news and see how many schools in the IL and IN area having delayed openings, I am disappointed in the East Aurora School District to not be responsible enough and worry about the safety of their kids as opposed to making a point that school MUST go on.See More
13 hours ago · 5 peopleLoading... ·
#
Mauricio JePalma ‎"feels like -20*F". Oh, at least the wind died down a little.
13 hours ago ·
#
Cheri Winters Anseth Completely agree with you Joanna! Weather Bug said it was -5 without the windchill when it was time to leave. Late for work this morning because instead of having them walk in this frigid weather I drove the kids to school. Two of them go to East and then the youngest to Waldo and then had fight the traffic to get them dropped off and then get to work in Geneva by 8. Saw so many kids walking and the kids who were at the school already were having to stand outside.
11 hours ago via Facebook Mobile · 2 peopleLoading... ·
#
Joanna Kenyon
Sorry you had to go through that Cheri. I'm lucky that I'm off work today and my kids were able to get to school. I have people on my husband's FB page saying "Stop complaining on FB and do something about it." You can't tell me that the...y haven't seen this post, they just refuse to answer. Also, it seems that the administration will do what they want b/c they know that most of us have no choice but to comply. It's not like we all have the money to just pick up and leave. They know this.
I'm sure the explanation is that other local school districts haven't closed or had a delayed opening. Other school districts have busing whereas we don't for some explanation that seems nonsensical to me.See More
10 hours ago ·
#
Mauricio JePalma Oh district. You ask us to make excellent choices, and this is the example you give us. Remember that referendum you where trying so hard to get passed? Well, we're all disappointed a the crap you've done with it. Tiles are coming off the floor in the band room. You know what that means? Asbestos. Also, you'll never get another referendum passed. You've probably realized this by this point and proceeded to spend it on unnecessary things that look nice, or bring lots of additional costs.
about an hour ago ·
#
Rudy Reza Oh look the district has 80 million dollars just sitting in the bank. Good thing we have new buildings like the freshman center. Let's just ignore the fact that the rest of the school is falling apart. I'm sure we can just ask for another referendum. While we're at it let's just cut all the arts and clubs!
about an hour ago · 1 personLoading... ·
#
Mauricio JePalma
We use the band room on a daily basis, some of us more than once a day. Loose tiles are located right in front of the door and in one of the storage rooms. They crack every time we step on them.
Now, will you use that money to
a.) Replace t...he tiles.
b.) buy big flashing signs that say "don't step here!"
c.) something that'll end up costing us lots of money in the future.
d.) nothing.See More

Anonymous said...

So you thought you where so start Jerome

Anonymous said...

Wow "two black boys" - Now we see why you don't like them - you're a racist.

Mauricio Palma said...

Can't help but feel bad for those kids who walked. 2 blocks felt like torture this morning. Most of my classes only had a couple of kids missing though.

Anonymous said...

Any parent can make the decision on if to send their child to school on a day like this.

Anonymous said...

Many students may not have the proper outer clothing to wear, but they probably do have cell phones, designer shoes, etc. If they can have these things, then they can have proper clothing.

Anonymous said...

The biggest problem I see is the tiles how can they be falling apart. Walking to school is a personal choice. Broken tiles are not does the maintenance staff not repair the buildings

Rudy Reza said...

A few months ago there were dead rats stuck in the heaters in the band room. Smelled like rotting carcass in there (literally). Took them a while to get around to fixing it. Recently the choir room's tiles started breaking up and due to asbestos choir classes shared the band room and auditorium for their classes. In the band room now, the tiles are starting to crack. In fact, there are several at the entrance. Maintenance has decided to just put a rug over them instead of actually fixing the floors.

Rudy Reza said...

Also, D131 has now adopted a moment of "silent reflection and prayer" at the beginning of each school day.

Anonymous said...

We almost always have at least a couple of sub-zero days in January--so why don't high school students who have a long walk have a "Plan B"?

Two words: CITY BUS.

:)

Anonymous said...

Some of our children would have to walk a mile or more in the 30 below wind chills to get to the bus stop and then they would have to wait in the cold until the bus arrived.

It's not the same as the other districts where the kids look out the window from their warm houses and run to bus when they see it rolling down the street.

Anonymous said...

Ruby why not post on the District's Facebook page. I can assure you the problems in the band room will get cleared up. Clayton will be having one of those headache days. I can assure before the weekend is over Roberts will be on the maintenance crew

Anonymous said...

D131 has not adopted a "moment of silence" the state of Illinois has - It is a law so we cannot just ignore it.

Anonymous said...

I see the Racist Clayton deleted the negative comments on the District Facebook page but I can bet Rudy Roberts will already had a maintenance supervisor look at repairs to the band room. Keep it coming for Clayton to be busy on a weekend when he does not do his job during the week tells you something.

Lets all create those anonymous accounts folks and hit the District facebook page. That is change

Anonymous said...

This district has never had buses and the students have always had to walk to school even in the cold weather I had to 30 years ago and the parents have a choice to send them or not. Even some districts with buses close down when it is as cold as it has been because the buses are diesel and cost a lot to run in that cold of weather and they close schools because of the heating cost to heat the schools. Yes, it was this cold back 30 years ago and it will be again we survived and so will you.

I do think it is good for the students to express their feelings on the website good or bad and the band room was a good example to get out there. The District is trying to clean up their image and when the students voice their concerns they get deleted that is not right but just like if the parents came to board meetings or voiced their concerns if it wasn't a pet project of the Superintendent, Board, Administration or Clayton the matter would be over.

Anonymous said...

"It's all about image!"

Anonymous said...

You can bet the Band Room will be fixed students and parents should used the Facebook to complain Clayton, Johnson and Roberts are very image driven and at the very least it will get under their skin

Anonymous said...

This district did have buses but it was about 35 yrs ago and did not last for long. We had them when Simmons opened up. THis is where the buses went. Do not know if the whole district had them.

Anonymous said...

The buses that went to Simmons wasn't from the district you had to pay 25 cents to ride on them.

Anonymous said...

This is from the board packet from the last school board meeting.

8. East High Choir Room Abatement – The problem with tiles on the floor
coming loose was taken care over winter break.

So is this true or not Maurice? You state a rug was put over them which really isn't a fix and could cause more problems.

Also if there are rats getting into heating vents you really need to take care of that since it could cause students to get sick. i'm sure that there are probably problems with rodents but the district needs to get the problem solved and when you know they are in heating vents should be taken care of right away.

Rudy Reza said...

The choir room's floor was fixed, the band room's has not.

Anonymous said...

There's not a choir and a band room, they are the same room

Anonymous said...

7. East High Band Room Renovation – The band practice rooms need
emergency strobe lights installed. Mr. Garcia informed the Committee that
this will be completed in January.

It looks like there are two different rooms or is the above a lie?

You can see this in the boardbook under buildings and ground minutes.

Unless they have changed things even when I went to school 20 years ago there was a choir room and band room.

Anonymous said...

Ohhhhhh, great detective work.

Anonymous said...

Copied from the Openline Blog

Both school districts and Leisner have good reason to cover up the death of this child.

Here are the facts Leisner at one time to keep his gal pal in business would pay 100% of Alternative Education he city in to the Urban League. Recently he dropped the payment to $90,000 per district because of budget problems. Another words bait and switch. Of course residents would not know this because the money comes from Community in Schools run by none other than Theresa Shoemaker daughter of Arlene long time democrook. Community in Schools is the new Youth Department even though they are a Private Organization. Now the taxpayers have no accountability as to who gets paid. This is nothing more than a slush fund of Leisner's cronies.

A student attending Urban League and these are troubled students on the verge of dropping out or joining a gang basically sits in front of a computer the entire day receives no social worker, no teacher/student interaction, no counseling or class room instruction in individual subjects. God forbid you are Bilingual or your parent is because they can not communicate with you. No classroom instruction is provided in Bilingual as well. This is a problem since d131 teaches about 50% of their classes in Spanish. So why would you use a program that can't service the students. D129 is no different both districts continue to expel Bilingual students and put them on the streets because they have no place to send them.

In the case of the boy who has shoot he had not been at Alternative School that week. Nobody even checked. At East Aurora if you do not come to school a automated phone call is made to your home in Spanish. It is my understanding the parents did not even understand he was not in school.

Ask the School Districts the Graduation rate of kids going through that program it has about a 100% drop-out rate.

This is what happens when career politicians get involved in people lives. This child could have been saved. Leisner, Gillespie, Shoemaker, and the administration of both districts have this boys blood on their hands.

Anonymous said...

I don't believe a word of that.

Rudy Reza said...

There is a band room and a separate choir room. In the band room there are adjoining practice rooms. Band and choir do not share the same room.

Anonymous said...

Copied from another Blog

Everyone know Roberts lives in Shorewood and it is in his contract that he can the board loves this man so much he could live about anywhere and they wouldn't mind. He stayed at the other place for awhile because he was split from his wife.

The child had part of a responsibility also in his death. He chose to get a gun and go after someone.

The Alternative School is not prefect but when people complain some say well if we don't do this they kids will be out in the street. Is there some kind of pay back to people I believe so but some voted the Mayor back in and I think Gillespie was one of them so the Mayor owes her something. Weisner should do what he is doing with AHA and get a whole new group in there that is really concerned about the trouble students and not their own projects.

1/23/11 8:34 AM

Anonymous said...

Copied From another Blog

Weisner is only after Aurora Housing because there was a lot of complaining go on in the West Aurora Schools. West Aurora purchased more slots at the Urban League after a internal study showed a 98% drop out rate. Yet West backed this useless program paid Urban League more money and got rid of Jericho Circle. Look at past news clips Weisner was saying Jericho was great to re-build. Rumor was Vaughn head of the Dunham fund brokered a deal. West Aurora had about 300 students coming out of that development lowering there test scores.

Vaughn another Weisner crony heads the Duhman Fund. Duhman Fund paid over a million dollars to build the new Urban League. Corrigan & Clark donated building plans and managed the project free shaking down many of Leisner donors for Gillespe. Now Gillespe can't afford the building so Leisner supports her by shaking down the schools. Yet she is not qualified to run the program.

Yes the kid is responsible for his actions but maybe with professionals involved things may have turned out differently.

By the way Jerry Jones is still on the Urban League Board.

1/23/11 11:05 AM

Anonymous said...

Copied from another Blog


Jerome Roberts has said nothing about this his spokes-person Muhammed long time Leisner backer and recipient of thousands of dollars in donations for Boys II Men from the city covered up by calling it The Pathways program to the newspaper. The fact is my taxes should go to pay city services. The schools should handle their own Alternative School. The students should either be expelled or kept in a public school with trained professionals.
It is another Leisner cover-up and Jones was talked to by Gillespe to get out.

Gillespe is on the park board and is funneling money back to Leisner to pay for his over budget park programs.

Roberts should have never been allowed to use a district contractor address.

1/23/11 11:27 AM

Anonymous said...

It's interesting that the City of Aurora has so much money to give to Boys II Men since they have made so many cuts in all the City's other programs.

The City of Aurora cut the schools sports programs. The City of Lights competitions which include all the schools sports teams in Aurora were cut by the city. The schools themselves have done what they can to keep the competitions going but they are not getting the support from the city.

In short, there are coaches who are volunteering their time to keep the City of Lights Tournaments running.

Someone should be fired if they cut the city's legal sports programs while supporting Claytons illegal fraternity.

Anonymous said...

From The Beacon.

AURORA — In an open letter Friday, Alderman Rick Lawrence called for the resignation of the entire Aurora Housing Authority board, citing an ongoing disagreement between the board and the city regarding the future of the Jericho Circle site.

But Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner has already set the ball in motion to bring changes to the board.

Gerry Jones, who served on the Aurora Housing Authority board since 1995 and most recently as chairman, said Friday that he is no longer on the AHA board.

“As of two weeks ago, my term was up and the mayor declined to reappoint me,” Jones said.

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