Where Your Children Are Miscellaneous, new york

Who benefits from online classes?

emptyschooldark

New York City entered and remained (and to some degree, still remains) in a strict lockdown earlier this year in an effort to “flatten the curve” of the huge COVID-19 outbreak there. Mayor Bill DeBlasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo have already released plans for the reopening of schools in the fall, which include alternate-day schooling to minimize the number of students in the city’s already-overcrowded buildings. “Make no mistake,” the district website assures parents: “New York City students will still be learning 5 days a week.” Sure, they will.

But in the struggle to transition to online learning during the 2020 Spring Semester, when lockdowns were quickly put into place and schools shuttered for months on end, many students fell behind, making it necessary to attend virtual summer school, which, unsurprisingly enough, they are also failing. Rachel Forsyth, a director at Good Shepherd Services, a nonprofit helping such students attempt to succeed, said, ““For our students who have already been at the margins of education … education is not really happening.” I’d argue that’s the case for more than just those at the “margins of education.”

Many students blame their lack of achievement in summer school courses on their lack of rapport with teachers they’ve never met before. Teachers will say the same, also citing difficulties with communication and the provided curriculum. Technology issues have further complicated the situation.

The problem with stories like these are that they convince many families that the only way to get back to “real,” “effective” learning is to bring teachers and students back to the classroom. But when COVID-19 safety protocols mandate social distancing, mask wearing, contact tracing, and regular disinfections, one wonders how much time is left for learning, especially on top of the already-existing standardized testing, “character education” disguised as indoctrination, and other nonsensical intrusions into the day.

NYC students already behind in class struggling in virtual summer school

 

Where Your Children Are florida, new york

Former elementary school principal sentenced in child porn case

rickbeyer1997
1997 file photo of Rick Beyer as principal of Seymour Elementary School

Another “pillar of the community” has been exposed as being nothing more than a pedophilic dirtbag. And, hey: he served the education community for nearly 40 years! But that could never happen in your neck of the woods, right?

Frank Richard Beyer, 75, known to most as Rick Beyer, named National Role Model by Minority Access in 2018 and a longstanding campaigner of LGBTQ+ rights – and, oh yeah, former elementary school principal – was sentenced on Monday to 97 months in prison in a Fort Lauderdale court after pleading guilty in March to possessing child pornography that included images of boys under age 12 engaged in sex acts and exposing their genitals.

Beyer was uploading vast quantities of videos and images of man-on-boy and boy-on-boy sex acts via Dropbox and using a Gmail account, which alerted authorities.

In April 2019, Google noticed a subscriber uploaded a picture of “a nude prepubescent child laying inside a tanning bed with an erect penis” to the account linked to rickbefll@gmail.com. Dropbox already had sent two Cybertip reports that rickbefll@gmail.com had uploaded 20 files of child pornography, including a video of two boys performing oral sex on each other. (source: Miami Herald)

Beyer was also making use of Mega.nz, which is apparently a cloud storage site that pedophiles love to store their sick garbage on because it’s outside of the United States and fully encrypted.

Authorities obtained a search warrant for Beyer in November 2019 and a perusal of his home led to more images and videos, because what else was he supposed to do retired for 17 years in Florida: fish? Since then, investigations have yielded over 1,200 videos and 4,000 pictures depicting child pornography. It was also found that he communicated with another person via an encrypted chat program and shared some of his “wealth” with that individual.

Beyer graduated from St. Lawrence University in 1966 and worked for Syracuse School District in Syracuse, NY from 1967 to his retirement in 2002, when he moved to Florida. During that time he worked in district offices, as a sixth grade teacher, and as an elementary school principal. Investigators are now asking for more information about Beyer’s teaching career (and potential victims during that time).

Two schools where Beyer is said to have worked include Seymour Elementary School (where he was principal) and Lincoln Middle School, both of which have high minority populations and a large percentage (90% or more) of students from low-income families.

‘Role Model’ Teacher Sentenced to 8 years in Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

A Retired Principal Spent 35 Years In Schools. He’ll Do 8 Years In Prison For Child Porn.

Retired Syracuse principal charged with having cache of child porn in Florida

Retired principal, 75, pleads guilty to federal child porn charges

Seventy-Five Year Old Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Pornography

Seymour Dual Language Academy (GreatSchools)

Lincoln Middle School (GreatSchools)

 

Where Your Children Are new york

Middle school displays racially insensitive images, teachers

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photo courtesy of Arthur L. Mackey Jr.

Roosevelt Union Free School District in Long Island, New York is facing some intense scrutiny from parents and professionals alike after it came to light that teachers at Roosevelt Middle School included pictures of nooses in a collage, which referred to them as “back to school necklaces.” The hashtags “Yes” and “Ha-ha” were also to be seen on the collage, near the pictures.

In what is being referred to as a “personnel matter,” the district insists it is investigating, but will not comment further on the actions it will take to rectify the problem. Meanwhile, students continue to attend a school where teachers make light of the struggles their ancestors have endured. If we can put racism aside (and really, in a situation like this, how can we?), when is it ever okay to have pictures of nooses in a middle school, especially with the words “ha-ha” anywhere near them?

The truth is, the school and district may never have noticed the college or its offensive material, had it not been for an unnamed teacher bringing it up with pastor Andrew L. Mackey, Jr. of Mount Sinai Baptist Church Cathedral in Roosevelt. He publicized the image and issued a call to action. It’s good to see someone standing up for the children in this school.

The school serves nearly 300 students in grades 6 and 7, almost all of whom identify as minorities. The principal himself is African American. Greatschools reports that test scores in both reading and math fall well below the state average, and the school’s homepage shows student notices are published in both English and Spanish. This is obviously a low performing school whose students may ultimately choose not to attend, if they feel threatened or marginalized.

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“important message” on Roosevelt Middle School’s homepage

A video on the school’s website (linked below) shows a local news station’s recent profile of the school, and the positive sentiments expressed about the school’s future. Perhaps academically it could improve, if given a more positive atmosphere. Still, one needs to laugh, or else they might cry, at hearing the reporter stress that the school focuses also on “social and emotional learning.”

Noose photos labeled ‘back to school necklaces’ by middle school teachers outrage parents

Noose photo displayed in New York classroom draws action from school district

Classroom Collage With Nooses Labeled ‘Back to School Necklaces’ Roils NY District

Roosevelt UFSD – Roosevelt Middle School

Roosevelt Renaissance (video)- CBS News

GreatSchools.Org – Roosevelt Middle School

 

Where Your Children Are new york

New York teen is arrested for threatening to open fire at high school

somershighschool_ny

“Violence only happens in inner city schools. OUR neighborhood schools are different,” says every white snob trying to justify sending their children to these cesspools of depravity. Well, read on, privileged and non privileged alike, because you’re about to see that this is most certainly not the case.

Westchester County, NY teen Luke Visser was arrested today after threatening to shoot up his high school. The 16-year-old had apparently sent threatening texts to a fellow student that included pictures of him holding a rifle. No word on if he was targeting this particular student or the student body in general.

Somers High School in Lincolndale, NY is among the best schools in the state. It’s located in a well-to-do neighborhood, right next door to an elementary school and across the road from a golf club. Two parks are just down the street. Trees are everywhere. Lincolndale is made up of over 96% white residents, to boot.

Think of almost every mass shooter of a public school. Guess what: they were white, and usually from families of decent socioeconomic status (after all, guns and ammo ain’t cheap).

So before you begin to say that school violence could NEVER take place in YOUR neck of the woods, think again.

Westchester Teen Charged in School Shooting Threat

Niche.com – Somers Senior High School