REMINDER: TOWN HALL TONIGHT ABOUT THE SORRY STATE OF OUR SCHOOLS

dont forget to go to MMS tonight and speak out.

we need a new administration who actually listens to us.

keep the bullies out of our schools.

keep the guns out of our schools.

keep the gangs out of pour schools.

keep teenage sex offenders out of our schools.

no more bureaucratic nonsense.

school should be a safe space.

everything is NOT ok.

goodjob said:
dont forget to go to MMS tonight and speak out.
we need a new administration who actually listens to us.
keep the bullies out of our schools.
keep the guns out of our schools.
keep the gangs out of pour schools.
keep teenage sex offenders out of our schools.
no more bureaucratic nonsense.
school should be a safe space.
everything is NOT ok.

Bullies: Anti-bullying laws in NJ are very strict. If a parent files a complaint, ideally with legal assistance, the district must take action.

Guns: Not sure what the district can do. Metal detectors do not seem warranted at this time.

Gangs: What exactly is the gang presence in town and schools. I'm not going to debate whether or not there are gangs or gang elements in M-SO. But somebody needs to define the impact. It doesn't seem to be like some cities where gangs enforce strict control over areas of town.

Teenage Sex Offenders: Overly broad term. Unwanted touching should be dealt with promptly and effectively. However, I don't see the value in grouping kids who, in at least cases, need some proper supervision in with more serious types of sex offenders.

Everything is NOT ok: I must be jaded because I have come to view dealing with weeks like last week the way I view weeding a garden. It is a never-ending task that requires constant vigilance. But I think that for most kids in the district, things are pretty much OK.

I thought about attending tonight because I care about our schools (parent of a high school student) and I want to support thoughtful conversation about how we navigate these kinds of situations. However, if this is more about shrill fingerprinting and blame, then it's not what I have in mind and I don't think it's helpful. Everything I've read and heard tells me that our administrators, in both buildings, did exactly what they should have done given the circumstances. I am interested in working towards better monitoring/supporting of kids who are prone to violence, but, if tonight's meeting is going to be about angry grandstanding, then I'll pass. Just one mom's opinion...

sunnybrook said:
I thought about attending tonight because I care about our schools (parent of a high school student) and I want to support thoughtful conversation about how we navigate these kinds of situations. However, if this is more about shrill fingerprinting and blame, then it's not what I have in mind and I don't think it's helpful. Everything I've read and heard tells me that our administrators, in both buildings, did exactly what they should have done given the circumstances. I am interested in working towards better monitoring/supporting of kids who are prone to violence, but, if tonight's meeting is going to be about angry grandstanding, then I'll pass. Just one mom's opinion...

I will not be attending. I am sure that the administration is taking all of this very seriously. I think the meeting is going to be an awful affair with hundreds of experts in public school administration taking the actual administration to task for their failings, real or otherwise.

Three separate issues have blown up recently - fights at CHS, a student bringing a gun to school at MMS and unwanted touching at MMS. Of the three issues, the only one where it seems that the school administration was slow to react was the unwanted touching issue.

sunnybrook said:
I thought about attending tonight because I care about our schools (parent of a high school student) and I want to support thoughtful conversation about how we navigate these kinds of situations. However, if this is more about shrill fingerprinting and blame, then it's not what I have in mind and I don't think it's helpful. Everything I've read and heard tells me that our administrators, in both buildings, did exactly what they should have done given the circumstances. I am interested in working towards better monitoring/supporting of kids who are prone to violence, but, if tonight's meeting is going to be about angry grandstanding, then I'll pass. Just one mom's opinion...

Your comments +1

Given the nutcase commentaries we have seen from some of the posters here (see OP), I suspect that the angry grandstanding will be the more productive part of the meeting.

Agree, tjohn, admin has been way too slow to address the 'unwanted touching' issue.

+1

sunnybrook said:
I thought about attending tonight because I care about our schools (parent of a high school student) and I want to support thoughtful conversation about how we navigate these kinds of situations. However, if this is more about shrill fingerprinting and blame, then it's not what I have in mind and I don't think it's helpful. Everything I've read and heard tells me that our administrators, in both buildings, did exactly what they should have done given the circumstances. I am interested in working towards better monitoring/supporting of kids who are prone to violence, but, if tonight's meeting is going to be about angry grandstanding, then I'll pass. Just one mom's opinion...

I'm with you 100%. I anticipate a live version of the hysteria we've been seeing here (see the OP).

Id like to have a town hall to discuss the sorry state of some of the people who live here.

Call me naive, but doesn't that guarantee a mess if all the non-hysterical parents stay away?

Tonight is the final concert of the school year for The Unaccompanied Minors, the wonderful CHS a cappella group....just one of many, many examples proving the OP's wording to be unfortunate and off the mark. I will attend the concert. I am sure the auditorium at CHS will have many other parents there, many who I know to be very concerned, very involved, and non-hysterical. I'd rather spend my time with them, supporting the students.

I think everyone's selling some folks a bit short... is there not room for a middle ground?

The gun issue has folks understandably (albeit in cases irrationally) nervous, and while some may take it to extremes (metal detectors, etc) this can be a venue to quell some fears for those that are open to it. On a somewhat related note, this may be a good place to be open and honest with the public regarding gang activity and/or affiliation in CHS-- to what extent it exists and what's being done about it, and provide comfort to those concerned about what they hear. Not everyone knows where to gather this info from the public record, particularly the MPD's analysis of it.

That there are numerous (define as you will) fights is less about the immediate issues of late, IMO, than the pattern, and more so the uncaring or confrontational approach of some toward figures of authority. A helpful discussion of any potential future changes from a discipline angle, and/or programs to support those tending toward this unacceptable behavior over what we already have, would be welcomed from where I sit.

The groping is serious. It needs to be dealt with. But first it has to be acknowledged, and a meeting may be worthwhile if only for that, though clearly a plan for addressing this a bit less haphazardly across the various schools may be a good basis for conversation.

For every person that is deemed an OTT reactionary, there is one with their head in the sand... no question about it. Bits and pieces of each side's more centrist views can form the basis for a rather beneficial meeting and food for thought for the BOE. OTOH, the rumor mill is rampant, and not all of it is untrue. This meeting can also serve to dispel the blatant untruths (whatever they are--I'm sure the BOE has heard their fair share the past week or two) and enable focus on what IS at issue.

Coffeegretchen said:
Call me naive, but doesn't that guarantee a mess if all the non-hysterical parents stay away?

I have to agree with this. I think the folks with more moderate viewpoints need to be represented and provide a counterbalance for the crazy crowd. If I had a child in the schools, I would attend to show the BOE and administration that not everyone is calling for their heads and not everyone wants a police state.

I would also be very interested to see what those who are responsible for running the schools have to say about what happened and the district response and, most importantly, the plan going forward. Or is none of that on the agenda?

not attending. If it was just members of the administration addressing the community, I'd consider going. But not to listen to people vent.

I urge people to attend tonight so that there is some semblance of balance in the discussion. I would go if I had a babysitter tonight, but I think it's in the whole community's interest to show support for students and hear directly from administrators. There's no need to intentionally boycott the event because of the prospect of hysterics.

jersey123 said:
I urge people to attend tonight so that there is some semblance of balance in the discussion. I would go if I had a babysitter tonight, but I think it's in the whole community's interest to show support for students and hear directly from administrators. There's no need to intentionally boycott the event because of the prospect of hysterics.

Agree. I think it is a bit of a disservice to the district and administration to not attend solely to avoid hysterical parents ranting in a non-productive way.

the title of this thread pretty much tells you all you need to know about what you're likely to hear tonight. This hearing is a response to demands by parents that the administration listen to them. It's all well and good that people want to vent and be heard. And commendable that administrators are putting themselves out there for what will likely be a very uncomfortable couple of hours for them.

but no work will be done tonight, no recommendations made, no guidelines set. I don't think moderate and reasonable voices need to be there tonight to present their POV. I'm going to have faith that the administrators themselves will be the counterbalance to whatever hysterical voices are raised tonight.

im sorry for caring about our community. you people can go back to the cloud you live in where "everything is ok" and "the administration is doing their job".. too much glad-handing on this board.

if this happened to your kid im sure your tune would change. if your kid was beaten down by someone or had a gun pulled on them i can guarantee you would be the first person to start the witch hunt. or do we have to wait for the next Columbine to happen here?

and regarding the "sex offenders" comment. i get it, theyre just kids, so they get a pass? HELL NO. being cornered and felt up by a bunch of boys isnt traumatic at all, right? this is why theres a culture of misandry and misogyny in the American culture. we will just keep it going with your relaxed attitudes.

goodjob said:
im sorry for caring about our community. you people can go back to the cloud you live in where "everything is ok" and "the administration is doing their job".. too much glad-handing on this board.
if this happened to your kid im sure your tune would change. if your kid was beaten down by someone or had a gun pulled on them i can guarantee you would be the first person to start the witch hunt. or do we have to wait for the next Columbine to happen here?


and regarding the "sex offenders" comment. i get it, theyre just kids, so they get a pass? HELL NO. being cornered and felt up by a bunch of boys isnt traumatic at all, right? this is why theres a culture of misandry and misogyny in the American culture. we will just keep it going with your relaxed attitudes.

this is an example of why I'm not going.

goodjob said:
im sorry for caring about our community. you people can go back to the cloud you live in where "everything is ok" and "the administration is doing their job".. too much glad-handing on this board.
if this happened to your kid im sure your tune would change. if your kid was beaten down by someone or had a gun pulled on them i can guarantee you would be the first person to start the witch hunt. or do we have to wait for the next Columbine to happen here?


and regarding the "sex offenders" comment. i get it, theyre just kids, so they get a pass? HELL NO. being cornered and felt up by a bunch of boys isnt traumatic at all, right? this is why theres a culture of misandry and misogyny in the American culture. we will just keep it going with your relaxed attitudes.

IMHO, you only seem to care about seeing your name on the board, since you have made ZERO effort to understand what has, and has not, been done in reaction to these incidents.

As to first-hand exposure to these incidents, how do you know who has, or has not, been immediately exposed? You don't, so get off your high horse and open your eyes and ears.

Regarding "sex offenders", you're right, they are just kids. NOBODY is minimizing the issue, just trying to eliminate some of the hysteria surrounding it, much of it due to your rantings.

Bottom line...you are doing far more harm to your cause with your wild and hysterical ravings. Calm down, get a grip, and discuss issues with at least a modicum of thought.

ml1 said:

goodjob said:
im sorry for caring about our community. you people can go back to the cloud you live in where "everything is ok" and "the administration is doing their job".. too much glad-handing on this board.
if this happened to your kid im sure your tune would change. if your kid was beaten down by someone or had a gun pulled on them i can guarantee you would be the first person to start the witch hunt. or do we have to wait for the next Columbine to happen here?


and regarding the "sex offenders" comment. i get it, theyre just kids, so they get a pass? HELL NO. being cornered and felt up by a bunch of boys isnt traumatic at all, right? this is why theres a culture of misandry and misogyny in the American culture. we will just keep it going with your relaxed attitudes.

this is an example of why I'm not going.

That's the OP. S/he has been emoting irrationally all over MOL. It helps to remember this is only one person, and s/he does not seem representative of the rest of the posters.

But I do agree that it would be painful to hear in person. Hopefully, there's a time-limit and # of times allowed to speak limit at the meeting.

goodjob said:
im sorry for caring about our community. you people can go back to the cloud you live in where "everything is ok" and "the administration is doing their job".. too much glad-handing on this board.
if this happened to your kid im sure your tune would change. if your kid was beaten down by someone or had a gun pulled on them i can guarantee you would be the first person to start the witch hunt. or do we have to wait for the next Columbine to happen here?

and regarding the "sex offenders" comment. i get it, theyre just kids, so they get a pass? HELL NO. being cornered and felt up by a bunch of boys isnt traumatic at all, right? this is why theres a culture of misandry and misogyny in the American culture. we will just keep it going with your relaxed attitudes.

If you have figured out how to preemptively identify school shooters, I am sure that administrators from all over the country will beat a path to your door. What, for example, could Sandy Hook Elementary have done different short of having a SWAT team on the premises all of the time.

Regarding your insistence on grouping gropers in with rapists and pedophiles (i.e. sex offenders), I suppose you could offer up a list of people who think that these boys should get a free pass. I just don't think that most of them are rapists or aspiring rapists and can be dealt with effectively first by being dealt with at all and, for subsequent offenses, being suspended, expelled or charged in the juvenile justice system.

Or we could all be like Eeyore.

As posted in another thread. Update from Principal Aaron on status at CHS:

"Two students involved are no longer in school.

"Several others are being recommended for long-term suspension and/or other placements as suit their learning and emotional needs. We are working with their families to make sure they are resourced and supported."

Perhaps some should read this before going off tonight.

it's not just one person. I've tried to post reasonably here, and a number of people have taken my words out of context to twist them into making it sound like I'm callous and clueless about what's going on. I don't feel the need to get up in front of the same people in person.

Jude said:
As posted in another thread. Update from Principal Aaron on status at CHS:
"Two students involved are no longer in school.
"Several others are being recommended for long-term suspension and/or other placements as suit their learning and emotional needs. We are working with their families to make sure they are resourced and supported."
Perhaps some should read this before going off tonight.

Saved me a trip.

Experts: How should N.J. community react to back-to-back school gun scares

http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2015/06/experts_how_should_nj_community_react_to_back-to-b.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

I once saw a woman shout and almost faint at a TC meeting. The subject was parking in the village.

I can't even imagine what tonight will bring.

I'm not going near the place.

meandtheboys said:
http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2015/06/experts_how_should_nj_community_react_to_back-to-b.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Very helpful.