Jada Vs Jaded

Jaded: Worn out, cynically or pretentiously callous.

In January 2012 Jada Williams wrote an essay that exposed the deep-seated racism that pulses through the system of education in Rochester and throughout the country. It has been nearly a year since Jada Williams was ostracized by the district, removed from her school and denied her right to freedom of speech and she still has not received the acknowledgement and compensation she deserves.

The Huffington Post quotes Superintendent Vargas, “We could have responded better,” Superintendent Bolgen Vargas said, according to WHEC-TV. “This is a situation that was definitely not handled the best way.” Vargas went on to say that while the reaction from the teachers is understandable, students should be able to express their opinions at school without fear of punishment.”

This situation wasn’t handled. Jada Williams is not in school and is still suffering from the persecution she received from exercising her Constitutional right to freedom of speech. The reaction of the teachers is not at all understandable. If Jada was a different color no one would question the fact that she was treated unfairly. If Jada’s parents were wealthy, lawyers would be beating down their door for the opportunity to represent their daughter. A young Black child was ostracized while her Caucasian teachers were supported.

Our current system of education is jaded and as we fight for education reform we must keep Jada Williams and all of the children like Jada who have suffered at the hands of mis-education, at the forefront of the battle. What Jada wrote is not as important as what happened to her because of what she wrote.

The battle to reform education is not just about testing and the unfair evaluation of teachers. Education reform must concentrate on creating a system of education that supports the gifts and talents of the child and promotes the rights and freedoms of our country.

We must reform education for the sake of the children, not the adults.

Join the Movement to Save Our Children!

Let’s Get Fired Up Before We Get Burned Out

There will be a meeting tonight at Central Office, Room 3A, at 6:30 to discuss the upcoming budget process. The first public meeting concerning the budget will take place on April 18, 2012.

A major concern is program efficiency. Commissioner Elliott noted at the special Board meeting that currently the district has set no budget for the All City High program that was recently adopted. All concerned citizens are encouraged to attend this meeting in order to become informed and involved early in the process so as not to be surprised and shut out of the process later on.

There always seems to be several pots on the stove that are boiling over in the Rochester City School District, all of which require our immediate and focused attention.

The Jada Williams incident, the superintendent search process, or lack thereof, the All City High process, or lack there of, and now the upcoming budget process. It is not difficult to understand why this community is torn apart when it is so necessary to be a united front moving toward securing an excellent education for our children.

This is a district in chaos that is grasping at straws, trying to hold on to the once enjoyed power it had to operate without scrutiny or input from parents and community members.

Unfortunately, for district leaders, they went a little too far when they attacked the Arts and Library services for our children to save themselves from the $70 million dollar deficit they created through mismanagement and poor decision making.

As a community we must all step back and look at the big picture. It is unproductive to continue running around putting out small fires when the reality is the whole house is being consumed by the flames of inefficient, ineffective, and incompetent leadership.

We cannot allow the divide and conquer strategy to work to wear us out so that we become discouraged by the distractions. Our focus must be our children! Our focus must be on what is best to insure their educational success!

Join the Movement to Save Our Children!

Decisions, Derision, Division

BILL NUMBER: S1987B
TITLE OF BILL :
An act to amend the education law, in relation to enacting the dignity for all students act

S 10. LEGISLATIVE INTENT. THE LEGISLATURE FINDS THAT STUDENTS’ ABILITY TO LEARN AND TO MEET HIGH ACADEMIC STANDARDS, AND A SCHOOL’S ABILITY TO EDUCATE ITS STUDENTS, ARE COMPROMISED BY INCIDENTS OF DISCRIMINATION OR HARASSMENT INCLUDING BULLYING, TAUNTING OR INTIMIDATION. IT IS HEREBY DECLARED TO BE THE POLICY OF THE STATE TO AFFORD ALL STUDENTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AN ENVIRONMENT FREE OF DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT. THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE IS TO FOSTER CIVILITY IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND TO PREVENT AND PROHIBIT CONDUCT WHICH IS INCONSISTENT WITH A SCHOOL’S EDUCATIONAL MISSION.

S 801-a. Instruction in civility, citizenship and character education. The regents shall ensure that the course of instruction in grades kindergarten through twelve includes a component on civility, citizenship and character education. Such component shall instruct students on the principles of honesty, tolerance, personal responsibility, respect for others, observance of laws and rules, courtesy, dignity and other traits which will enhance the quality of their experiences in, and contributions to, the community.

When was citizenship taken out of education curriculum?

We now have to pass a law in order to make people accountable for being civil to one another?

If ever there was an indictment of the extent of mis-education in America, this is it.

Unfortunately, mis-education in public schools has been a reality for many generations and those children previously mis-educated by the public school system are now the adults that sit in seats of power and decision making, and they are bullies. With the advent of the internet, we have found one more avenue to lash out against another human being without conscience.

Each day our children witness the bullying of adults. Adults bully and threaten each other and they bully and threaten children. The children of these bullies grow up to be bullies and the viscous cycle has continued until it has become necessary to legislate respect.

We cannot save our children until we change ourselves.

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Actions Speak Louder Than Words!

Everyone knows and understands that the system of education must change before our children will be properly educated. Why has it taken so long for so many knowledgeable and capable groups to come together and affect that change?

Why are parents waiting for legislation that gives them the power that they already have in order to come to the aid of their children who are failing in a system designed to fail them?

This situation is no longer the fault of the School Board or educational leaders. This community is not standing up for its children but allowing rhetoric and irresponsibility to stand in the way of real action.

We fought for the right to vote our School Board into office and with the exception of Mary Adams, Board members were re-elected. This was not done with the expectation for change.

Outside extremist have done more to further the cause and bring adults to justice in the Jada Williams case than the activist groups have right here in her own community. There were no marches on Central Office, no call for action, no petition to the State Education Department, no call tree to State Ed Commissioner John King, no 310 Appeal filed.

This community complains that the Board of Education makes decisions irrespective of its views or voice when in fact the Board makes its own decisions because the community refuses to stand together, support one another, and, in one accord, make their voice heard.

We have proven that actions speak louder than words. Those times when solidarity has awakened the Board to our cry we have been acknowledged. However, instead of pushing forward, we back off and then have to spend time regrouping for the next united effort. This is counterproductive to the cause of real systemic change and it is exhausting.

The Board of Education is not the problem here. The lack of commitment to action is the brick wall that stands in the way of our progress. Our children are dying while we discuss our next move. We must ACT NOW!

Join the Movement to Save Our Children!

Do The Right Thing

Today, March 19th from 6:30pm until 8:30pm at the Cross of Christ Deliverance Temple, 597 North Goodman Street, there will be a rally to support Jada Williams. There is a great deal of controversy concerning this issue and whether the comments this young girl made in her essay were racist. Unfortunately, the crime that was committed was lost amidst the issue of racism.

This community must realize that to support the denial a young Black girl’s civil rights is to support the denial of a mature White woman’s civil rights. Freedom of speech belongs to everyone. We do not have the right to pick and choose who gets to say what they believe or feel and who does not.

We must realize that there is no good reason to support wrong. Wrong is wrong regardless of age, race, gender, affiliation, or allegiance. Harming another human being is wrong. Denying another human being their right to speak freely without fear of retribution is wrong. Not supporting Jada Williams is wrong.

There are no shades of gray when discerning right from wrong. There are no mitigating circumstances, no reasons, no causes. To support the wrongdoing of some is to cause the breakdown of justice for everyone. Once wrong is supported for any reason, for anyone, it can be supported for every reason, for everyone.

We cannot allow this precedent to be set. What Jada’s teacher did was wrong. The principal of Nathanial Rochester School #3 was wrong when she supported the teacher. The superintendent was wrong when he supported the adults in this situation and the School Board was wrong when they supported the superintendent.

This community must realize that in order to change the problems within our system of education, our community, our nation, we must look beyond issues of race, creed, color, money, and politics and determine our course of action based on what is right. What is right for our children, our community, our nation.

Support Jada Williams! It is imperative that we teach our children that what is wrong is never right.

Join the Movementt to Save Our Children!