I don't know if Garrett is right or if Greg is right. I do note
that
Greg's conclusion is based only on Asbury Park Press reports,
so I would
want another source.
I thought the State was already calling the shots at
the Board of Ed
as of late August/early September. Is that not
right?
I think the decision to keep the schools opened or closed
inevtiably
gets judged differently based upon whether something
happened.
I don't know if it is true but I heard that after Pugh was shot
some
other kids were running through the HS looking for revenge. If that
is true and they kept the school open and someone was shot there, I
have
a feeling many people criticizing the decision to close it
would now be
criticizing the decision to leave it open.
I think it is a dccision that
is going to find critics either way,
and much of the criticism is based upon
outcome, which is unfair to
the folks who have to make the decision
beforehand.
20/20 hindsight and such.
--- In [EMAIL PROTECTED]ups.com,
"Fred" <asburydogma@...> wrote:
>
> --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED]ups.com,
"bluebishopdad"
> <bluebishopdad@> wrote:
> >
>
>
> >
>
>
> I knew he was full of it. It seems
like the same old story with
this
> board they are not being told the
truth. The State should step in
> right now, take over the Schools and
the Board. I think all of
them
> are full of it they play follow the
leader but the leader doesn't
> have a clue.
>
>
>
Dear Group,
> >
> > As I read the comments on this group from
Mr. Giberson, the
> decision to
> > close schools according to
the Press was made by our Interim
> > Superintendent, Mrs. McDavid
(who, by the way, receives a hefty
> salary
> > of $13,000.00
per month plus housing and expenses in addition to
> her NJ
> >
pension) and our Board of Education. (Yes, Dr. Lewis is also
being
>
paid
> > his full salary) On the television channels covering this
story,
> not
> > once did we hear that this decision was
mandated by our State or
> County.
> > Our State and County
Educational Departments "supported this
> > decision after they heard
the reasons for it from Ms. McDavid."
I
> > do not think we are
privy to our Interim Superintendent's list
of
> these
>
> reasons, although once the confidentiality of this issue is
over,
> Ms.
> > McDavid's reasons should be made public. The State and
County did
> > not MAKE or MANDATE this decision according to the
Press.
> >
> >
> >
> > Hope Charter
School and Academy Charter, which are not run by
our
> Board
>
> of Education, remained open and handled this shooting incident
by
> taking
> > care of our city children, respecting each of them
as caring,
> feeling
> > human beings. How scary and traumatic
for our youth to be left
to
> fend
> > for themselves during
such a troubling time. We should not be
> taking
> > actions
that promote anger and disengagement of our youth. Mr.
> > Napliotani,
AP Teachers' Union president, rightfully stated
teachers
> > felt
it would be "safer for the children to be in the classroom
> > where
there are teachers and counselors." He also said he "did
> > not hear
that any teachers were going to call out." Asbury Park
is
> > lucky
to have so many caring adults in our children's lives;
however
> >
when our children needed these adults the most, schools were
shut
>
and
> > children were unable to be consoled and counseled.
> >
> > Greg Hopson Sr.
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> >
> > Asbury Park Press, 10/21/06, Bill Bowman, Staff
Writer:
> >
> > "………….Board of Education President Robert
DiSanto said the
> > school board fully supported the decision to close
the schools
for
> the
> > remainder of the week, which was
made by acting Superintendent of
> > Schools Kathy McDavid. McDavid did
not return phone calls for
> comment
> > Friday.
> >
> >
> >
> > "There's a lot of issues," DiSanto
said. "We don't know what the
> > shooting was about, if it's
gang-related, if there was something
> else
> > behind it. He
was one of our students, so we didn't know if
there
> would
>
> be any retaliation within our schools. And we're just not
equipped
> > enough right now to secure our schools."
> >
> >
> >
> > DiSanto said that the school
administration was also hearing
rumors
> that
> > many
teachers, nervous about the potential for further violence,
>
were
> > going to call out sick Thursday and Friday.
> >
> >
> >
> > "We could have opened the schools, and
the kids would have been
> there,
> > and we might not have had
any teachers there," he said.
> >
> >
> >
>
> John Napolitani, president of the Asbury Park Education
Association,
> > said he had heard from some teachers that they did
not fully
> support the
> > idea to close the district. He also
said he had not heard that
any
> > teachers were going to call
out.
> >
> >
> >
> > "From what I'm
gathering from some of the staff members, no,
they
> really
>
> weren't 100 percent in support of (the district closing),"
>
Napolitani
> > said. "There's two ways to look at it: You can be in the
schools
and
> > it's not safe, or you could be in the street and
it's not safe.
I
> think
> > their way of looking at is, I
think they felt the kids would
> probably be
> > safer in the
classroom, where there are teachers, there and
> counselors."
>
>
> >
> >
> > In the end, Napolitani said,
"that was a decision made by the
> central
> > office, and, of
course, we have to support the decisions that
are
> made
> >
by the central office."
> >
> > Monmouth County's
superintendent of schools, Eugenia Lawson,
also
> was
> >
brought in on the decision to close the district, as were state
> >
officials, she said.
> >
> >
> >
> >
Lawson said she fully supported McDavid's decision after hearing
the
>
> reasons for it.
> >
> >
> >
> > "It
was a very comprehensive approach to making that decision,"
she
> >
said. "Certainly, after hearing all of the factors and the
>
combination
> > of education and law enforcement decisions,
certainly
> >
> >
> >
> > "I thought it
was in the best interests to give them the
> opportunity to
> >
prepare adequately for how they were going to continue."
> >
>
>
> >
> > Lawson said she could not remember another time
when an entire
> district
> > had been closed.
> >
> >
> >
> > The decision has been given a mixed
reception by parents,
DiSanto
> said.
> >
> >
> >
> > "It's a lose-lose situation here because if we had
opened the
> schools
> > and a gun happened to get into our
schools, then everybody would
be
> > crying, "Why didn't you close
the schools?' " DiSanto said. "So
we
> > closed the schools, and
they're saying, "Why did you close the
> schools?'
> > Well, we
had to make a decision, and we have the children's
safety
>
as
> > our primary concern."
> >
> >
> >
> > The Hope Charter School, housed in Trinity Episcopal Church and
St.
> > George's Greek Orthodox Church, remained open after the
shootings.
> >
> >
> >
> > Peter
Cheney, the school's co-director, said administrators
wanted
>
to
> > give their 130 students "a place to talk about what their
feelings
> > were."
> >
> >
> >
> > He said that the school also serves as a day care center and
that
> > closing it would have presented "another hardship to the
families."
> >
> >
> >
> > The
school's staff was busy counseling students, some of whom
were
>
badly
> > shaken by the shooting, Cheney said.
> >
>
>
> >
> > "We had a couple of eighth-grade students this
morning that just
> broke
> > down and were sobbing for 10 or 15
minutes," he said. "Then they
> went in
> > with the counselors,
and the counselors had a talk with them.
Then
> they
> >
came back out, and they're still grieving."
> >
> >
>
>
> > Cheney said administrators believe the school community
serves
as a
> safe
> > haven for students.
> >
> >
> >
> > "We felt that we have a security
system here that keeps them
that
> way.
> > Plus the routine
that they're in helps them to kind of move away
> from
> > what
happened," Cheney said.
> >
> >
> >
> >
"When they come in in the morning, they seem to be a little bit
more
>
> sensitive because they've had time at home and they hear things,
and
> > they've had the TV and the radio on, and they hear adults
talking
> about
> > what's going on in the community. So
they do come in, and they
have
> all
> > these feelings, and
we kind of talk it through during our initial
> > contact with
them."
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED]ups.com,
GG518@ wrote:
> > >
> > > The decision to close the
schools and cancel the meeting was
made
> by
> > the
>
> > State Dept. of Education and also the County Superintendent of
> schools
> > along with
> > > the board. It made no
sense for school to be open with no
staff in
> > them. So
we
> > > did not cut any thing get the facts.
> >
>
> > > Garrett Giberson
> > > Board Member
>
> >
> >
>
