I'll follow the lead from a blogger on a previous post.
On to more positive and relevant postings!
What a great article in the Beacon today!
East Aurora High School visionary retires!
Anyone who has been involved at EAHS has heard of Commander.
I know when he brought the high school students to Waldo, where my children were 8th graders, he made a very positive impression. His pitch about the NJROTC sold my son and many others, immediately that year, on joining NJROTC in their freshman year. I was in the booster group for a short while and I was very impressed with how Cmdr. appeared always in control. He seemed to not expect anything less than the best from the cadets, and they gave it to him.
A great teacher, mentor and role model-he will be missed.
72 comments:
Rayanne,you seem to be a breath of fresh air in District 131. How do I get tickets for Commander McNabb's Retirement Party?
From Navy man to Navy man, congratulations to Paul McNabb for getting out of a sinking ship!District 131 is a sad sad place. It's no wonder why it is the laughing stock around the western burbs.
I am so glad that the teachers in my school district have enough class and intelligence to worry about what is important. East Aurora has been sinking for years and if this blog is any indication of the focus of the people who are working there, then it will continue to sink.
How about spending your time worrying about your pitiful academic rates on the state tests? How about spending your time worrying about the number of teachers who leave because they find better places to be? Sad graduation rates? High drop-out rates? Pregnancy rates? Outdated curriculum? Gang involvement as early as elementary school? Parental involvement that is probably zero to none? No tax base with businesses in the district? Outdated curriculum? I could go on and on.
I attended one of your board meetings and there were about 50 people there. Of those 50, 45 were kids and families getting awards not people who came to be an active part of the educational process. In fact, the Board Meeting only last 20 minutes after that including the Board Members yapping about their personal lives and things that really don’t matter (one of the ladies just rambled about geese or something). I even think I saw the Superintendent nod off a few times. You can't get a seat in our board meetings because we have staff and a community who gives a care. I can only imagine what the rates are for PTA meetings and conferences and those things that are supposed to matter.
Furthermore, there were three adults in the back row who continuously talked throughout the entire meeting. I later introduced myself only to find out that these were the union presidents. It symbolizes a staff who has misplaced priorities and seriousness about getting those test scores up to standard and increasing your graduation rates.
East Aurora Schools and this blog have become fodder for the teacher training programs because of this. Did you know that they use this blog as an example of ineffectiveness in education in graduate classes in the area? My daughter is getting her masters for administration and forwarded me this link about a month ago because her class used it and they couldn’t believe it. Not only does this make people look down on East Aurora, it also makes good teachers never want to come there.
You people in Aurora, well East Aurora, because I don’t see Aurora West District, Marmion District, or Waubonsee Valley District being so petty, are focusing on little issues and try to make them big because you really can’t handle the big issues and make them little like your dismal graduation rates, drop-out rates, and very importantly those test scores. Just do a comparison of test scores and you should be ashamed.
Unlike the regular posters, I don’t have a small focus or personal vendettas. I get my weekly Sunday comedy from reading this blog and then lament for the kids who lose because of small-minded administrators, teachers, and staff members who really don’t care or even know how to handle real education or even know what it looks like. Keep traveling east!
When I want to know what real education is like, I just look at what we are doing in District 203 and 204 and thank Jesus that I don’t have to live in your sad sad district.
-Charles Strotten
The board and administrators alowing illegal activities to happen in this district is a slap in the face to Commander McNabb and every other decent law abiding teacher and administrator in this district.
It really makes people wonder exactly how Rayanne got out of her legal troubles last year. The situation was just dropped. I sure she had to give something in return for that favor. I think we are now seeing what it was.
Mr. Strotten tells us to "keep traveling east".
Several people from the Service Center traveled east last week--all the way to Spain--to hire 7 teachers.
An expensive, unnecessary trip on our dime.
Rayanne states that people need to step forward to report the laws that were broken. People did step forward. The illegal activities were reported to the ROE and the states attourney. Both agencies stated that it was the boards responsibility to enforce the Illinois State Code in regards to their employees. The last board chose not to enforce the law in regards to the illegal fraternity.
There is no question that an illegal fraternity exists. Clayton in his own words and ignorance went to the Beacon and several articles were written about how he modeled Boys II Men after gangs and fraternities. He detailed how the boys select their own members and that there is not a standard criteria so that all individuals could become members. He further stated that the group was for select ethnicities (Black and Hispanic).
The law is being broken. The only question is whether or not the new board will be law abiding or will we continue the same way we have been under the old guard.
I am hopeful that there will be a change but listening to Rayanne's comments on this blog are leaving me with little faith that the needed change is coming.
Mr. Strotten,
The public is invited to a retirement ceremony for Lt. Cmdr. Paul McNabb @ 7p.m. Wednesday, hosted by EAHS NJROTC. The ceremony will be in East High's field house. The ceremony is free and open to the public.
If you have little faith the board will do anything contact the States Attorney since Clayton is breaking the law. You can make an inquiry about it and they can tell you if the States Attorney can do anything.
Or why not when the new board gets seated have the people that keep complaining address the board.
I looked at other districts minutes of their board meetings and I didn't see on any of theirs that the board made comments like ours did. I think this is the way they have done it for many years and just keep doing it.
I do believe the ISBA has a service where they will come and access the board about how it is run and if they are following rules which would be a good idea for this board.
I been listening to Rayanne complaining for two years about how she wants to bring about positive change for this district and how the old guard board members have been blocking her attempts.
Most of the old guard is gone. She now has the opportunity to start by showing the community that the new board wants to follow the law and she's tripping over her own feet backpedaling away from any confrontation with the administration.
It's very dissappointing.
The issue of last week with Clayton has nothing to do with the last issue of Boyz2Men. Therefore a new complaint would have to be made. This is why I believe Rayanne made the statement she did.
Mr. Strotten,
I am a community member that goes to meetings. You are right about the 3 talking but wrong about all being prsidents of the union. The man that talks and disturbs everyone around of those 3 is the president of the union. One of the women is a viceprincipal in a middle school I believe and the third person is not always the same and sometimes it is just the president of the union and that viceprincipal. Also, it is hard for the some of the members on our board to get things done, as the old guard ones thwart them at their every turn or try. Since you state you go to our meetings, then I do not need to point out who the board members are that are trying to make a differnece for the students. You are right about the attendance at the meetings. After the excellence awards are given out the parents that have come for their children are told they can leave if they want to as the rest of the meeting is boring. None are never encouraged to stay. Old guard members tactics as the old guard is afraid that these parents might learn something. Remeber that no ones world or little universe is exempt from things happening in theirs.
Rayanne, a blogger on here is simply asking for you, as a board member, to follow the laws of Illinois and you call them the "Fraternity Fanatic"? You resort to name calling? This doesn't sound like the Rayanne I have known for years. I am not saying that the other person is right (although they do make several valid points) but it sounds to me like you need to do some self reflecting because you are not doing yourself or this district you represent any good acting this way.
As a board member, you need to at least pretend that you possess a little dignity.
No the old guard is not gone yet until the end of the next meeting. It isn't the old guard members but the Superintendent and Administration and the power they think they have because their board goes by committee. In looking around at the other districts that have committees anything they decide or want to do in the district has to come before the board before any action is taken but not with this board. They have had lazy members that don't want to take the time to read up on the information they are given. We don't need to just have new members on this board we need to have the board and administration follow the rules that most districts have.
Another post on here said something about the ISBA having something where they come in and look how the board is performing and I think that would be a good thing because unless someone else comes in and comments about how bad this school board is it will be a long process to get things changed. You can be sure the Superintendent, administration and probably the two returning school board members will do their best to make the others look bad.
So as you sit and complain why not try to come to some meetings and give the new board support as they try to change things.
Here's wishing Commander McNabb the best. I didn't have any children in the NJROTC mine had graduated way before the program started. Thanks for giving your best to the children of our district.
I think some of the posters mean IASB. This is a good source of information even for the community of how a district should run. Take the time to look at the information on the website to see how things should be done.
Mr. Strotten makes some good points. Remember we had a board president that said after the awards that what came next was the boring part and the people could leave. Shouldn't they have said now comes the part where the board makes the decisions for your children's education and you should stay and take part in this.
I do believe that we have teachers that have class and intelligence to worry about what is important but the administration doesn't listen to them.
I think we try a little to get the parents to get involved but we have a sanctuary city here where the city helps this district in there decline.
As someone stated that some in the administration went to Spain to get teachers for what reason to enable the ELL not to learn English. I have heard that there are some Hispanics that don't like how the district enables the children not to learn English because they get more money for it.
Most of our administration and our Superintendent don't live in this district and it is not a requirement but do you think they would put up with this in their districts I think not.
Maybe some focus on the little issue because it is a start to tackle the big issues.
Charles Strotten maybe your daughter and her classmates since they read this blog as you state and use this blog as an example of ineffectiveness in education in graduate classes in the area? My daughter is getting her masters for administration and forwarded me this link about a month ago because her class used it and they couldn’t believe it. Not only does this make people look down on East Aurora, it also makes good teachers never want to come there.
Maybe they can do a study and publish it to make this district have a wake up call.
Parents and the citizens of this district if you want change then stand up for it. Take your complaints and go to the board meetings and let your voices be heard. Don't hide behind the fences and expect someone else to do it for you. Get together with the community to stand up to this district. Just like they do when they want a referendum get a group together to stand up to the board and the administration. Where are all the PTA and PTO members of this district? They should be standing out there asking for change. Word of mouth is good enough to get people together to make a stand. Ask and you will receive.
Most of the problems in this district can be traced directly back to the administration. Whether it's illegal fraternities, a superintendent who refuses to live in the district, or tens of thousands of $ being wasted on trips & hotels--these issues all involve administrators, not teachers, parents, or students.
Now that we have some new School Board members, maybe some improvements can be made.
The decisions are made by administrators but approved by the board. The administration can do very little without at least the tacet approval of the board.
I too, wondered why Rayanne seems to be so one sided on the Boys II Men issue but another poster wondered how Rayanne got out of her legal problems last year. I do recall that Rayanne's and Clayton's legal problems were both dropped at about the same time.
It may be reasonable to assume that there was some sort of back room deal that if Rayanne dropped the Boys II Men issue, her legal problems would also be dropped.
Business as usual in District 131.
And don't forget, we can thank the administration for the "new improved" East High band. Administration that clearly did NOT and does NOT care about what the community thinks, or about what is in our childrens' best interests.
It makes sense now, it didn't at the time. The union was so ticked at the time and pressing charges against Rayanne and then the whole situation for no apparent reason was just dropped.
Now we're all one big happy family. I should have known there were shady backroom deals happening. It makes perfect sense now. Things in this district will never change, will they?
It does explain why Rayanne's position on Clayton and Boys II Men has done a 180 degree turn in the past year or so.
We'll see how long it is before the new board members we just elected are also corrupted.
To: April 26, 2009 11:07 AM
Let's assume that what you are saying is true and that the board can act on nothing unless it goes through the chain of command. Let's further assume that the problem is a corrupt administration. How does the board resolve issues concerning a corrupt administration if it is being blocked at the administrative level?
If the board is aware of an illegal situation, they have an obligation to address and remedy the situation. They do not have to wait for community members to do the work for them.
It's the difference between being proactive and reactive. We want a forward thinking proactive board and administration that solve problems before they happen. A reactive board and administration do nothing positive. The simply respond when the community is angry or in other words do nothing except cover their A$$.
It is time for a positive change from this board. They can start by simply following and enforcing state laws.
I would never believe Rayanne made a deal. If you attend meetings she & Dee continue to bring issues up. But it is a 7 person board and we right or wrong live in a democracy. The board can go to Roberts and ask questions if they did not witness this act themselves. What do you think his response will be.
Lets not forget the problems Rayanne had before when she meet with staff at Waldo. So we need to wait and see. I guess it all starts Monday the 4th. Rayanne is not the only board members start contacting all the other members.
How do you explain her 180 degree turn on Clayton and the Boys II Men issue?
She did not support this illegal activity before her legal problems.
If Rayanne is as wonderful as you make her out to be, why is she supporting a group that is illegal under Illinois Law?
As a board member and a law abiding citizen she should want to uphold the law at every opportunity. Anything less makes a person an accessory to criminal activities.
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. He hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest citizens came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a heavy load. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand!
Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
You silly peasants, while one of us is trying to push a boulder, others are kicking dirt. Get a grip.
Who do you think would want to label me a “deal maker?” Speculate on that one if you will.
Those who were truly my supporters knew when the charges were dropped and why.
You who supported me when you wanted me to join your anti-fraternity crusade-You know who you are. I will not put your name out here. You can comment from many angles as anonymous, but I recognize you. Since I am not campaigning your cause you try and slander my name.
I will forgive you now, as I am sure you will realize how wrong you have been about me.
In solidarity,
Rayanne
Lets face it. The only reason East won accolades for its ROTC program is because the state had it rigged. The district is so poor in every other category they had to recoginze the worst performing school district in the entire state with something and this was it.
So to King Rayanne, we are now "Peasants" needing the "King's" absolution?
Instead of some made up fable, here is a true story.
In ancient Greece only the educated and wealthy could serve in public office and the term was for only six months. All expenses related to that office were paid for by the person serving.
At the end of the six month term the public servant and the community met at one of those large stone buildings and reviewed the job that had been done by the wealthy man. If the town agreed that the person had done an honorable job. The man and his family were held in high regard and prospered for many years.
If however, they found that the public servant had been corrupted and used his office for personal gain, the man was stoned to death. It goes without saying that there was little public corruption in ancient Greece.
Our current system has no such deterent. It is obvious that corruption has become very prevalent in our current system.
I am not saying we need to go back to the ancient Greek way of public service but it is obvious that there needs to be more accountability with our leaders and public servants.
We elect leaders to lead and solve problems, not to place boulders in our way and lecture us poor little "peasants" on their conception of the world.
That's all that has been requested of "King Rayanne" is that Illinois Law be followed. I believe that us "Peasants" have a right to question why, when our "King" is taking the position that they are supporting lawlessness.
Oh what a feeble jester to think the story was liking thyself to the King. Doth a boulder have to fall upon thee to bring some light into thine eyes?
I must admit, we have a very common thread. To bring accountability to all levels of government.
Contact me sometime. This is something we can exchange some thoughts. We may truly share more views in common than we do not.
Really people you need to learn what a board responsibly is. If anyone is to fault here it is Dr. Roberts and his administration. Who was it in the administration that went before the board and said even though it was illegal for a fraternity to be in a school they where going to let it go. I don't know who voted on this but I bet all the old guard members did. If you really look into how a district works when the board hires the Superintendent he has a lot of power and since they renewed his contract early it will be a hard road to get him and most of his administration out of there. They are the criminals here.
Rayanne is only one person and I have never heard her make any statement about the fraternity. She is only one person and can't stop what is going on by herself. Just because someone contacted her about this doesn't mean she has the power by herself to do anything. You sound like she is the only one who has the power to do anything but in fact when this happened Carol should of demanded more information from the administration. She is the one that let the ball drop. In fact if you read about the powers of the board if she did then that would be out of order and the whole thing could be dropped.
Where are the parents in this. If they don't like it they need to make a stand.
I have inquired about the fraternity thing as was told as long as the board voted for it the State or Regional can't do anything about it so if you want to blame someone blame them.
You have the right to ask why and you have the right to go through the proper channels to get these things to stop. What if anything have you done to help stop this. As long as you have parents and teachers turn the other way nothing will be done.
If you think this board is not following the law contact the States Attorney and I'm sure that someone will be glad to help you.
Anonymous said...
Lets face it. The only reason East won accolades for its ROTC program is because the state had it rigged. The district is so poor in every other category they had to recoginze the worst performing school district in the entire state with something and this was it.
April 27, 2009 4:27 PM
How shallow you are to take from this program. I didn't have children in it but have heard from some that have. They all respected Commander McNabb. You are part of the problem here and what Charles Strotten says is so true. So in saying that you disgrace the children that where in this program and went to Iraq or some other place to protect your freedom. May God have mercy on your soul.
4:27 pm, would you like us to also believe they rigged the National competition ?
Why is it that people are only blasting Rayanne when we have had a dysfunctional district for so long. She did reach out to people to help this district get better and maybe not in the way she should have but at least she tried. This blog has been around for while and just now someone is blasting her. It seems to me that maybe some of the board members that are leaving or some administration doesn't like the change that is happening. I'm not standing up for Rayanne I'm standing up for change in this district. We all complain but these posting on the blog is making this district look bad and it isn't the people that post on here regularly. It seems that some don't like the changes that might come they like how the things are going now and it isn't om the best for our district. The one thing that our district needs to do is to make sure that all our children of our district is getting the best education possible. In reading the recent post you can see that some in this district are trying to distract the problems we have. You might think that you can stop this blog but we will start another one. But your efforts into making this district a good district. I will say that we need to follow the School Law and not to let some misuse it.
If anyone is to blame for an illegal fraternity continuing to be sanctioned in this district, it is Dr. Marin Gonzalez. Read the Board Bits from last year--it was she who supposedly looked into it and declared that it was acceptable.
As many others have stated, the administration in this district is corrupt.
The problem is that until situations like Boys II Men (this group is just a very public symbol of the corruption in this district)are dealt with, the board and administration will have no credibility.
Criminals and those that enable criminals to continue their illegal actions never have any credibility. Everyone knows that this group is illegal. The only question is for how long will the board and administration allow this illegal group to function in our district.
Ending Boys II Men will by no means end all the problems this district needs to address but it would show that the leadership is taking steps in the correct direction.
Is this district doing anything to address the swine flu that is so prevalent currently. The swine flu is coming from Mexico. We have a large Mexican population in this district. I am sure students and/or their families take regular trips to and from Mexico.
It would be appropriate if the district took a few precautionary steps.
1)Send a letter or use the mass caller and ask that any student who has had contact with a person who has recently come from Mexico not attend school for at least the 48 hour incubation period for the virus.
2)Any student returning from a recent illnes should be sent to the nurse and questioned to determine if they had any flu like symptoms.
3)If a student exhibits any flu like syptoms, they need to be quarantined and directed to the proper medical authorities and determinations made to decide all possible contact with others.
4)Janitorial staff should be prepared with the proper cleaning techniques needed to reduced risk of spreading a possible virus.
I am sure that further steps could be needed but these would be proactive steps to reduce the risk of an extensive outbreak in this area.
This is not a situation where we should cover our A$$ after an outbreak.
From D131-OCR 11;30pm
Monday, April 27, 2009
Dear East Aurora Community:
You may have heard or seen the recent media coverage concerning Swine Influenza in the States and Mexico. To date, no cases have been reported in the Kane County or Illinois, but we want to provide you with information about Swine flu and, more importantly, how to help prevent and control the spread of infection.
The symptoms of Swine Flu in people are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu in humans and may include:
Fever (greater than 100 degrees F or 37.8 degrees C)
Sore throat
Cough
Stuffy nose
Chills
Headache and body aches
Fatigue
Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting
At this time, the most important measures one can take to prevent infection is:
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
If you get sick with influenza, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
In addition, people who are experiencing symptoms consistent with swine flu and have traveled to an affected area or have been exposed to someone possibly infected with swine flu, during the last 7 days should report their illnesses to their health care provider immediately and inform them of their recent travel.
Please review the above preventive measures with your student. At this time there are no other recommendations for schools. We appreciate your efforts to help us reduce the possibility of infections in our schools. Please contact your doctor if you have questions or concerns.
Other available Health Care resources:
Aunt Martha’s Clinic number - 896-7900
Visiting Nurse Association – 892-4355
We hope this will help in caring for your children and decrease the risk of infection in the classroom.
Source: Illinois Department of Public Health and http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/
7:50 Yep! Just like the City of Aurora was placed as one of the top 100 places to live by People magazine a few years back. Most things are rigged if you get down to it.
I hope to see all of you tomorrow night as we pay tribute to someone with a vision and gratefully brought that vision to our community. Commander McNabb you will be missed in our school and our community.
Please put your anger aside and take this opportunity to show everyone that here in District 131 we appreciate committment and people that believe in our students.
So in other words, here is some basic cold information but the district is doing absolutely nothing proactive regarding the swine flu.
It's OK I am sure they are already coming up with the story they'll use to help cover their A$$es.
I am still waiting for the district's recognition of Kevin Kaisershot and Kate Kielty.
9:17, so am I.
But meanwhile, let's acknowledge Cmdr. McNabb's awesome contributions to this district. Our NJROTC program is one of the bright spots at East High, thanks to him!!
Take in a musical before going to honor Cmdr. McNabb
Allen Elementary School
Drama Club will present High School Musical, April 29, 2009 @9:15 a.m., 1:00 p.m., or 6:00 p.m. in the school’s gym.
The public is invited Admission is free. Donations are always appreciated.
For more information, Allen Elementary @ 630.299.5200.
I have ventured into the 21st century and joined Twitter.com. I was never comfortable with myspace or facebook and never ventured into those venues. After receiving an invitation from Mr. Muhammad stating D131 would be posting information I am going to give it a try. I hope many of you will go check it out so far it has been pretty simple. This will give you another link to what's happening in our schools and an opportunity for you to give direct response to issues.
I hope to see many of you there!
I feel better now. We have swine flu, illegal fraternities and wasteful spending in District 131 but we have twitter so al will be alright now.
What a joke.
Dee, I just signed up to follow D131 on Twitter, too. It sounds like it'll be another way to access current information about our district. Although I'm not so sure about giving responses to issues via Twitter--I don't think it's possible to do so anonymously, and in this district people have legitimate concerns about retribution.
I heard 2 students went home towards the end of school a with fever, headache, and dizziness.
Oswego and Joliet have closed there schools for tomorrow. Lets hope our district is paying attention because this is very close to home.
Why is it we can be one of the first district to be on Twitter but we can't figure out how to get our test scores up? Let's encourage people to rack up phone bills so they can keep up with what is going on in this district.
I don't know if anyone read the article in the Beacon about how Kane County is on a Poverty Watch and this district is encouraging people to go on Twitter if they do it on their phones and get high phone bills for useless information.
Please make sure that the administration and others in the schools are paying attention to any child that is sick. Lets not be the first district to ignore symptoms and have many children getting sick.
Three schools closed May 1 as a precaution
May 1, 2009
Three District 308 schools will be closed on Friday, May 1, 2009 due to probable cases of Influenza A-H1N1 (swine flu). Two of those cases are currently under review by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Conclusive results are expected within the next few days.
Fox Chase Elementary School, 260 Fox Chase Drive North, and Thompson Junior High School, 440 Boulder Hill Pass, both in Oswego, and Bednarcik Junior High School, 3025 Heggs Road in Aurora will be closed to students, staff and the public on Friday. The buildings will also be closed to weekend activities and rentals.
Parents can expect to be notified Sunday evening via the district’s phone alert message system of the status of school for next week. Updates will also be posted on the district Web site.
Although not required, District 308 has voluntarily undergone the preventative measure of closing affected schools until conclusive test results are obtained.
Parents are urged to assist the district in keeping our schools safe for learning by keeping sick children at home and reporting any flu-like symptoms to the school.
Questions regarding this strain of flu are best addressed by a medical provider or one of the following agencies: Kendall County Health Department (630-553-6314; www.kendallhealth.org); Kane County Health Department (630-208-3315; www.kanehealth.com); and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (800-232-4636; www.cdc.gov).
I would like to see the next school board meeting moved to another place instead of the Service Center. This is an important meeting and with limited seating and close quarters and with all that is going on it would be nice to have some place more roomy to have it. As time goes by with the swine flu going on I think it would make more people feel better if they weren't all crammed into a room where hopefully not someone was sick.
13,000 kids from Mexico and not 1 case yet of swine flu? You know someone is covering something up. Either the parent who doesn't want their name going to some federal agency who is going to end up deporting them or the district for whatever purpose it serves them.
Kids have gone home in the past few days with flu like symptoms. Has the district followed up with any of the kids or do they expect the parents of these kids to do the right thing and inform them of such an illness?
We have a teacher who brought a child to school at Allen because their school in Oswego was closed due to flu. Another teacher voiced a concern to principal that perhaps that child should not be here as the purpose of closing that school was to discontinue contamination. Allen's principal said he was aware of the situation and was monitoring the class.
Allen also had a teacher request the office to make a phone call home yesterday to inquire about a child's health (a child who has NEVER been absent & was out for 2 days)--the staff member was told that we cannot possibly take the time to call to inquire after every absent student.... Yet we are keeping a close eye and taking every precaution to ensure the safety and health of our students and staff.
(How can CPS take the time to call and inquire but not 131?) Claytons email said that if we have a possible case in the district we would close the school --apparantly if we ask no questions of parents/students then we know nothing and can report nothing.
What do you expect.
We all already know we have piss-poor administrators who don't give a damn about the students or teachers.
The purpose of closing the Oswego school was to isolate the kids in their homes and stop the possible spread of the swine flu. Every child there is a potential risk. If only the sick child was a risk they would have isolated just that one child. They are isolating all of the children to determine just how far the risk has spread.
A teacher/parent brings her child from a closed Oswego school who may have been exposed to the swine flu to Allen where her child who may have been exposed to the swine flu is now potentially exposing every child at Allen to this threat and the administration approved this.
So much for the district's public statement that the safety and wellfare of the children is first and foremost.
In addition, even though a teacher specifically requested that a particular child's parents be contacted, the administration is deliberating avoiding calling any parent to follow up on their child's illness.
If you have a child in 131, you better determine what is the best course of action for the safety of your child because the district is not going to do it for you.
Shouldn't that be something that the district is required to tell the parents about.
I mean if the district is going to make a decision that puts the children at greater risk of contracting the swine flu. I as a parent would want to know and determine for myself if I want my child exposed to such threats.
It is no wonder that the people of this community have little or no faith in this districts leadership. They make one poor decision after another after another....
There where no schools closed in Oswego yesturday put there is today.
EMERGENCY ALERT: 5/1/2009 12:00:00 AM
AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE, three District 308 schools will be closed on Friday, May 1, 2009 due to probable cases of Influenza A-H1N1 (swine flu). Two of those cases are currently under review by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Conclusive results are expected within the next few days. Fox Chase Elementary School, 260 Fox Chase Drive North, and Thompson Junior High School, 440 Boulder Hill Pass, both in Oswego, and Bednarcik Junior High School, 3025 Heggs Road in Aurora will be closed to students, staff and the public on Friday. The buildings will also be closed to.
If what you are saying about a child being sick I'm sure by now the parents have taken that child to the Dr. since this flu makes you very sick and that Dr. will report it and the district will be notified.
What are parents supposed to do with their (healthy) child, if the schools are suddenly closed? Almost everything would have to shut down--businesses, stores, etc.--so parents could stay home & watch their kids (I'm sure daycare centers wouldn't want the extra risk either).
Maybe our district is trying to keep schools open to show some concern for families who wouldn't have a backup plan to have a family member available for childcare. This is FLU, people--not the plague! I'm hearing from other districts that kids who supposedly have swine flu are feeling fine 2 days later.
Frankly, I'm not all that worried. I'm going about my daily routine as usual--just washing my hands more frequently.
Maybe our district is trying to keep schools open to show some concern for families who wouldn't have a backup plan to have a family member available for childcare.
If you feel that way why not have year around school so parents have someone to watch there kids in the summer also.
With any kind of flu some might get sicker than others so don't say the kids are feeling better in a couple of days that is not true. What happens when they don't shut down and clean the school up and you have so many kids and teachers out there aren't enough to teach the children.
This is a new strain of flu and the reason there is concern is because noone knows how severe it may be. It was just the flu in 1917 that killed more than 20 million people.
If the health department says that there is a danger and the kids need to stay at home. How does the district over ride the county health officials and allow a student the had been ordered home from his own contaminated school and allow that person to have contact with district students.
If I had a kid at Allen and they now end up with the swine flu, you can be damned sure I'll be calling a lawyer and sueing the district.
To: May 1, 2009 11:07 AM
Let me get this straight. You believe it's acceptable to put thousands of children at risk of disease and death because you wouldn't want to be inconvenienced with finding child care?
That may be one of the most ignorant comments ever made on this blog and there have been many very ignorant comments made here.
That may just be the epitome of lazy parenting. Your childs life may be at risk and you don't want to be inconvenienced and have to find a babysitter.
I can't believe that the principal of a school would break district policy and allow a staff member to bring their child to work when that child represented a health threat to the almost one thousand students in that building.
Allen is now one cough or sneeze away from their own swine flu epidemic. It was very irresponsible, first by the staff member in bringing their child and secondly by the principal for allowing it. I guess it is easier than finding a sub for the teacher.
Oswego did not have any schools closed yesturday so no child was in danger.
I would like to see something like this from our Superintendent like District 129.
School Dist. 129 health officials are closely monitoring this situation. Supt. Jim Rydland is asking parents to help prevent the spread of swine flu by:
· Keeping sick children home from school, and
· Providing specific details of a child’s illness when reporting an absence from school.
Oswego has three schools shut down today 5-1-2009. The teacher and her child are at Allen right now. I don't know why you are bringing up yesterday.
12:35 p.m., can't you read English?
11:07 specifically referred to a healthy child, not a sick one.
Maybe you should just stay home & go nowhere--who knows what horrible germs might be lying in wait to contaminate you?
You're like Chicken Little:
"The sky is falling"!
May 1, 2009 4:17 PM
You can't spell and you talk just like our High School students. Glad to see where they get it from.
Here is what the Centers for Disease Control have to say about school closures and the swine flu. It is very extensive so I placed the section that should be focused on at the top and you can read it in context if you read the entire news release.
"Neighboring schools to those that dismiss students should also consider preemptively dismissing students from schools without current laboratory-confirmed cases. Issues to consider include geographic proximity and extent of mixing of student populations among area schools. "
Update on School (K – 12) Dismissal and Childcare Facilities: Interim CDC Guidance in Response to Human Infections with the 2009 Influenza A H1N1 Virus
Page last updated May 1, 2009 4:35 PM ET
These recommendations are based on current information and are subject to change based on ongoing surveillance and continuous risk assessment.
Background
Based on new information on circulation of a new influenza A (H1N1) virus among people in the US and Mexico first detected in April, 2009, this document provides updated interim planning guidance for State, territorial, tribal, and local communities. This guidance includes recommendations on school dismissal for K – 12 schools and closure of childcare programs and facilities and updates previously issued guidance on community mitigation interventions for this disease (April 28, 2009, http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/mitigation.htm). School dismissal and childcare closures are an important part of a comprehensive, layered mitigation approach aimed at reducing disease transmission and associated morbidity and mortality during the 2009 H1N1 virus outbreak in the US.
The goals of these strategies are to slow the spread of the disease in a community to 1) delay the peak of the disease in order to “buy time” for the production and distribution of a vaccine against this new virus, 2) decrease the number of people who get sick from this virus in a given community, thus reducing the “surge” on healthcare systems, and 3) reduce the total number of people who get sick or die.
It is prudent for communities to act based on available information to protect their citizens. These community mitigation interventions are scalable and flexible so that local public health authorities, working with their partners in a given State or community can use these tools based on the local situation. As public health officials in the United States learn more about this emerging virus, CDC will be reviewing these findings on a daily basis and updated guidance will be issued in conjunction with our State, local, tribal and territorial partners.
Schools play a critical role in protecting the health of their students, staff, and the community from contagious diseases such as H1N1 influenza. Children are very susceptible to getting this new virus and schools may serve as amplification point for spread of this new virus in a community. The reason for closing schools during this H1N1 outbreak is to try to reduce the spread of the virus. However, little information is available on what the effectiveness of a school closure might be in preventing further community spread of this new virus. In addition, the risk of severe illness from this virus is not yet clear.
The authority for decisions regarding school dismissal and childcare closure may vary and resides in different sectors of State and local government including School Superintendents, Mayors, Governors, emergency management officials, and public health officials.
Recommendations When 2009 H1N1 Virus is Confirmed in a School, School District, or Community
CDC recommends that affected communities with laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza A (H1N1) virus infection consider activating school dismissal and childcare closure interventions according to the guidelines below. “Affected communities” may include a U.S. State or proximate epidemiological region (e.g., a metropolitan area that spans more than one State’s boundary). These guidelines address a flexible and scalable approach that States and local jurisdictions can use based on the situation in their communities (e.g. number of cases, severity of illness, affected groups).
Recommend Scalable and Incremental School Dismissal and Childcare Facility Closure in Affected Communities:
School districts must work closely and directly with their local and State public health officials to make sound decisions and implement strategies in a coordinated manner keeping in mind:
Decisions to dismiss students and close childcare facilities and subsequent implementation of those measures should be made based on the extent and severity of illness;
That local authorities decide whether or not to dismiss schools or close childcare facilities; and;
That authority for decision-making may reside in multiple sectors of State and local government; these entities must be well coordinated.
Interim Recommendations
Sick people (students, faculty and staff) should stay home unless they need to seek medical care and stay away from schools regardless of whether schools and childcare facilities are operating normally or have dismissed students or closed, respectively.
Dismissal of students in a school and closure of childcare facilities should be considered in schools with one or more laboratory-confirmed or non-subtypable influenza A case among students, faculty or staff in order to decrease the spread of illness in the community.
Dismissal of students from schools and closure of childcare facilities should be considered for not-yet-affected schools and childcare facilities in the same area (e.g. a feeder school network or a geographic area) if more than one school or childcare facility in that area has confirmed or non-subtypable influenza A cases among their students, faculty, or staff. This would include preemptively dismissing students from schools in that area, including schools without current laboratory-confirmed cases.
Neighboring schools to those that dismiss students should also consider preemptively dismissing students from schools without current laboratory-confirmed cases. Issues to consider include geographic proximity and extent of mixing of student populations among area schools.
If a school dismisses students or a childcare facility closes, school or childcare-related gatherings should also be canceled. Parents and students should be encouraged to avoid congregating in large numbers outside of the school setting.
If a school dismisses students or a childcare facility closes, schools and childcare facilities should close for up to 14 days depending on the extent and severity of the illness and in close consultation with local and state public health officials (additional guidance on duration of school closures will be provided no later than May 8). This length of time is recommended because children are likely to be infectious for about 7 – 10 days after the onset of illness. Schools, in consultation with local and state public health officials, should evaluate daily the need for possible extension of the dismissal/closure based on local influenza surveillance information and the occurrence of new infections and severity of illness in the community from this virus.
To reiterate an important point, decisions regarding school dismissal within these communities are being left to the appropriate authorities but must involve consultation with local and State public health officials, taking into account the extent and severity of H1N1 disease in the community. Schools (K – 12) and childcare facilities should also consult with their local or State health departments for guidance on re-opening schools. When schools re-open, keep commonly touched surfaces such as stairway railings, elevator buttons and door handles clean by wiping them down with detergent-based cleaners or EPA registered disinfectants that are usually used in the school setting. These products should be used according to directions on the product label. Additional, extensive cleaning of schools by wiping down floors and walls prior to reopening is not necessary as it is unknown whether this would be helpful in decrease the spread of influenza.
If students are dismissed from schools, they should be encouraged not to re-congregate outside of school in large numbers. If childcare facilities close and there is a need for childcare, families could plan to work together with two to three other families to supervise and provide care (using the same caregivers each day) for a small and consistent group of infants and young children while their parents are at work (studies suggest that childcare group size of five or fewer children may be associated with fewer respiratory infections).
Schools and childcare facilities in unaffected areas should begin to prepare for the possibility of school dismissal or childcare facility closure. This includes asking teachers, parents and officials in charge of critical school-associated programs (such as meal services) to make contingency plans. Parents should plan for caring for children who may be dismissed from schools, as these decisions may be made very quickly based on emerging disease in the community.
For more information see: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1/
In short the Centers for Disease Control recommend schools be proactive and close their doors if there is a suspected case in a school building or even within a reasonable geographic area.
They consider it vital to the nation to slow the spread of the disease to allow authorities a chance to study this new virus and give pharmaceutical companies time to manufacture more flu vaccines.
Allowing students from infected schools to come into the East Side schools runs counter to what the CDC is recommending. Our district should be considering closing buildings as there are many suspected cases of swine flu in the Kane County Area.
Wow! What's the matter with you people? This blog was intended to honor and praise Commander McNabb. Can't your small minds focus on one topic at a time? Or did you catch a dose of ADD from your little rug rats.
Actually this blog was intended to discuss District 131 issues and give those who normally have no voice in this district a podium upon which to share ideas.
I don't believe it was ever meant as one more way for administrators and board members to silence the community.
I am sorry if your one track mind can not handle multiple issues.
February is normally the worst month for sick students taking days off of school. I know in my building there are twice as many students absent this week as there were this past February. This is a simple number to monitor.
Students are sick. Administrators are aware that students have gone home with flu like symptoms this week and have deliberately not followed up with even a simple phone call to find out if the child is getting medical attention and how their condition has improved or worsened.
It appears to be a district wide concerted effort to remain ignorant about whether there is swine flu in our buildings.
Your story about the teacher is something you are making up. Even though I have concerns about the administration in this district I do not believe they would let something like this happen and if it did why are you posting this on the blog and not reporting it to someone. As a parent and a teacher I would not take my child with me to my school even if there school was shut down because of this because I have enough sense to know that even if my child isn't sick someone in my class could be and infect me and my child. You want us to believe all this happened in a short time today I don't think so.
I think there are some in the district that doesn't like this blog and want to post stupid stuff like this. It makes you look bad not us. I think some might not like the change that will be coming but some will and stand up and let people know what is happening knowing that there are some in the district will finally stand behind them.
Believe what you want. It did happen. However within an hour of it being posted on this blog the principal changed his position and asked the teacher to remove his child.
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