False Accusations May Bring Punishment for Students
Submitted by Allen Gwinn on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 06:59.
By KENT FISCHER / The Dallas Morning News
Dallas public school trustees and teacher representatives want to amend the district's student code of conduct to allow schools to punish students who falsely accuse teachers of inappropriate behavior.
Policy is waste of time
The district does have a policy of investigating false accusations, however, they do not follow it. Instead they send people to investigate that do not have the required TECLOS training, nor will they abide by CPS's findings.
Writing a new policy that is never enforced is a waste of time, because the students are well schooled in making false allegations on when to do it, what to say, getting their story straight, etc. thanks to the host of talk shows on the boob tube. Too bad they don't spend as much time on their studies as they do in coming up with these schemes. Law enforcement officials were even on national TV stating that they do not investigate and prosecute false allegations of inappropriate behavior of any kind, because of man power shortages. So the only way teachers can protect themselves is to get out of the profession.
There was even an incident whereby the principal withheld critical evidence, sent the students off to get their story straight, and attempted to use a false allegation as a personal vendetta. It was the students that came forward and ratted out the principal including one student that was supposedly a witness. One DISD attorney worked in concert to ruin a DISD employee's career, withheld records, and even consulted with the interim superintendent. So go Beck and nail him, because personally I think he should have been disbarred a long time ago. I may even contact your attorney to show precedence of retaliation with documents and tape recordings and the depths these people will go to once you cross their paths in attempting to do what is right.
In another incident, two students used the exact same story printed on the Internet. Unfortunately, the employee ended up in the custody of ICE.
So first the adults have to use integrity and honesty in their dealings with all parties involved. Second, a simple lie detector test would eliminate any problems, yet for some reason DISD will not agree to such testing. Third, the fall out from such accusations are devastating in terms of financial, relationships and every day living. The students involved just walk away and without remorse, because they are psychopaths that cannot comprehend that each false allegation makes any valid complaint seen as crying wolf or worst that an innocent person can end up with life in prison. But when they turn 18, public disclosure of their deception will haunt them the rest of their lives. Pay backs are heck.
Trustees, Hypocrites
Shouldn't the "Trustee(s) (aka hypocrits) state: Dallas public school trustees and teacher representatives want to amend the district's (Trustee) code of conduct to allow punishment of (Trustee(s)) who falsely accrue tax funding for self profit and inappropriate or unethical behavior?
[Ed Note: Oooh... Scathing. And I know who this is aimed at. But I do want to say that Jack Lowe is one of the most ethical people we could have as a trustee. He is a true philanthropist and genuinely wants all students to succeed and excel. I don't believe that Jack would ever knowingly and purposefully personally benefit from his relationship or position in DISD.
Also, for the sake of clarification, Jack lives off of a fixed retirement. He makes no more money, nor less money whether or not TD Industries gets contracts with DISD or not. Jack has built his life around service to others, and he doesn't have to do what he does--for TD Industries or DISD.
I'll also say that I don't always agree with Jack. I've been on the receiving end of Jack's wrath on more than one occasion--and I think he believes this District would be better off without my comments and this website. Put another way: he's no fan of mine and he doesn't like what I do--not at all, not even just a little.
But I'll tell you this: it doesn't matter who or what you are. Jack has a strong conscience and a deep commitment to every kid in this District. He has a strong will to see every kid succeed, and I think it tugs at his heart strings when he sees failure.
All that being said, I believe that a stronger ethics policy is absolutely positively needed. Because, one day, we're not going to be dealing with a Jack Lowe. And if we don't do something about it now, we'll have yet another scandal to deal with later.]
Policy That Needs To Be Changed
TAKS results for Dallas ISD are in. This year as in the past, there are many students that will not be participating in their graduation ceremonies because Dallas ISD does not allow students that have not passed all parts of the TAKS to "walk the stage." At this point many of the students have already sent out invitations, ordered their cap & gowns and many family members have requested vacation time and/or made travel arrangements that in many cases can not be changed. How humiliating it has to be for the students to contact everyone that they have sent invitations to and announce that they will not be graduating after all.
Is there anyone that is upset about this policy other than me? Parents it's time for us to mobilize and let the Trustee's and Dr.Hinojosa know that Disd should not in the business of humiliating students and their families.
We need to attend the school board meetings in the next school year and be on the agenda to speak about this issue each and every month. We can not wait until May 2009 to demand a change in policy.
Not all school districts ban students who fail the TAKS from graduation ceremonies. Arlington, Coppell, Duncanville, Frisco, Grand Prairie, Hurst-Euless-Bedford and Richardson students are permitted to "walk the stage."
But school districts in Allen, Carrollton-Farmers Branch, Dallas, DeSoto, Garland, Irving, Lancaster, Mansfield, McKinney, Mesquite, Plano and Wylie do not allow their students to participate.
Parents of the upcoming 2009 graduating class, especially those of students that did not pass all parts of the Exit Level TAKS,I hope that you are ready to come out in large numbers for CHANGE!! I hope you are ready to demand that No Child Be Left Behind!
I know there are many Dallas ISD high school teachers that read and post on this blog. How many Class of 2008 Seniors will not be able to "walk" from your school?
Exception to "Walk" Rule
There is an exception to this rule - Dallas ISD does not allow students that have not passed all parts of the TAKS to "walk the stage." . If a student is SPECIAL ED, did not pass the TAKS, still needs credits to graduate, classified as 12th grader and SPENT at least FOUR YEARS IN HIGH SCHOOL, the student is allowed to 'walk the stage'. Lucky special ed kids - they can walk the stage with their class even if they are not graduating. But poor Juan who works so hard to pass all classes, he's not special ed, but failed the Math TAKS test. Tough to be a normal student in a public school and in DISD.
Not so "Special" exception
You are correct, there is an exception, and that is for the PROFOUNDLY handicapped kids, not just *any* kid who is classified as "Special Education."
In the past, that was true for ALL SpEd kids, but now, lucky us, we can only exempt ONE PERCENT of our SpEd kids from the TAKS. At Bryan Adams where I teach, that means that all of our FLS kids, the ones with Down's Syndrome, Fragile X or Cerebral Palsy, they are exempt. I had EIGHT SpEd kids take my 10th grade TAKS test this year, because while they are classified as SpEd, they are able to learn and graduate.
I think that ONE PERCENT is ridiculous, that it should be higher, but for those kids who are in FLS, we always cry when we see them graduate. Yea, they are getting a diploma, but they have completed what the law requires of them.
So, now would you consider that an "advantage"? Nope. The "regular" kids don't either. In fact, they cheer loudly for our FLS grads!
No Sympathy for Non-Walkers
You will not get sympathy from many people. Students in high school are given multiple opportunities to pass the tests over more than one year's time. Tutoring and mentoring and coaching are made available at no charge on almost every single campus (at all levels) across this district. As a teacher it is not my intention to humiliate anyone but I am a firm believer in students having to deal with the consequences of their actions.
You probably will not get very far with central administration. They are concentrating an enormous amount of time, money, and manpower to becoming the best urban school district by 2010 and winning a prize for it. Your comment about no child being left behind is also off target because some of the tenets of the legislation are that students pass these exams in order to be promoted to the next grade and graduate.
Perhaps everyone would be better served if we weren't so concerned with the TAKS test scores. Maybe parents and the general public need to re-examine what it is we're doing by having so much ride on test scores. If we really took a critical look at testing as it is now with no political or personal agendas, what might we find?
I submit it isn't just about the kids who can't pass a basic skills test in order to graduate. I argue that we're narrowing the curriculum, teaching to the test, ignoring gifted students, ignoring those who it's felt can't pass it, and still not preparing students for the real world.
No Pass, No Walk
No, "demples," students who do not pass TAKS, therby not graduating, should NOT walk across a stage with those who have met the standard.
The days of "everyone's a winner" are over, and frankly, those parental overdoses of love and fear of offspring failures are what got us where we are: a nation of whiners and complainers who want something for nothing.
Should colleges allow dropouts or failures to walk across a stage? What about the wash-outs at Officer Candidate School at Ft Benning? Should they get their gold bars anyway? I know, let's fast forward to January 20th, and let BOTH candidates for President get sworn in, just so as not to hurt anyone's feelings at LOSING an election.
Seniors in DISD who fail TAKS their JUNIOR year are told --in no uncertain terms-- to get a grip and pass the test! They are told to study over the summer. They can retest in July, but most actually choose NOT to come! They are GIVEN--FREE--GRATIS-- any and all help they need to meet the MINIMUM standard we call TAKS.
I watched at my high school this year as some seniors busted their butts to pass, and they did pass. Others blew off tutoring. That really pissed off the teacher who VOLUNTEERED to help them at ADDITIONAL cost to herself. (She had to pay extra for a caregiver for her ill mother.)
You called it "walking across a stage." That is not what it is at all. It is called "Commencement" or "Graduation." It has MEANING. It has a purpose. In fact, why should kids who worked hard, did the right thing and met the standard even have to wonder if the kid next to them also met the standard? Wouldn't that make the whole thing a farce? I mean, would you spend money to watch kids merely dress up in a gown and PRETEND to graduate?
Get real. You want to mobilize parents? Great! Get them to tutor the failing juniors all summer so they can pass the July or October or December or February or April tests! (That's right, folks, they get FIVE more chances.)
Graduation Walk
And assuming you're a parent of a child who is not graduating on time, are you just now expressing concern about your student's failing the TAKS? If I remember correctly, if your child took the TAKS as a senior, that means he/she didn't pass it as a junior. Were you concerned when your child didn't pass the TAKS in the earlier years? Did your child's grades not indicate there was a problem during the school year - both this year and in previous years? Have you kept up with your child's studies, activities, etc. over the school years? Please don't blame the teachers and the schools. Most, if not all, schools offer tutoring before and after school. Did your child take advantage of this offer? How big a role in achieving the graduation walk did you and your child play?
Please. Don't even hint that somehow teachers are responsible for your child not graduating.
Graduation Walk
I am sure you know what they say about assumptions!! My child happens to take AP courses, is on the honor roll, passed the TAKS with commended on 2 parts and is currently in the process of deciding which college he wants to attend. HE IS ON TOP OF HIS GAME!
My child is very well rounded and has had a two parent support structure just as my other three TAAS & TAKS passing children had. I do not have a child graduating this year but as long as my child continues to excel educationally there is no doubt that he will get to participate in his graduation.
I do know that there are some children that try very hard during the school day, attend tutoring before and after school and study at home and still do not succeed in their efforts to pass the TAKS test. Last year one of my kids did have to take one part of the test again during the summer and during the school year. I watched him agonize over the TAKS test. He went to tutoring sessions anytime they were offered, he slept with his practice tests under his pillow and he prayed that God would help him to pass his TAKS. It was very difficult as a parent to see the fear in his eyes when he thought that TAKS would keep him from being able to get his diploma. When it was all said and done he passed (commended) and graduated with his class.
My husband and I have played a huge role in making sure that our children do well in school! We are the type of parents that attend the parent trainings about TAKS and that try to encourage our kids to do their best at all times. We are involved in the school and do not wait until parent teacher conferences to find out how our kids are doing.
I think that the vast majority of the teachers in Dallas isd love teaching and do their best on a daily basis however; I certainly hope that you are not insinuating that there are no teachers that let student’s fall through the cracks.
My concern is for all the children that did try to do all that they could to pass the test and still fell short. I agree that some efforts need to be made by more parents to ensure that their children take advantage of all the extra help that is provided for TAKS.
TAKS
@ Demples:
You say:
"My concern is for all the children that did try to do all that they could to pass the test and still fell short. I agree that some efforts need to be made by more parents to ensure that their children take advantage of all the extra help that is provided for TAKS."
There is no possible way a child could "try to do all that they could to pass the test" and still fall short. The TAKS test is very very VERY basic. It is the MINIMUM a student should know before going on to college. As a recent high school grad, I admit that standardized testing is a poor means of educating our children. It holds the really smart kids back, and forces teachers to cram the kids' heads with BORING material, all for the sake of "school recognition".
That said, I must reiterate that the TAKS test is so simple, that if your child doesn't pass, not only should they not walk, they should not even receive a diploma. If you cannot pass the TAKS test, it basically means you are NOT ready for college by any stretch.
Kids who don't pass TAKS are LUCKY they even get to graduate at all. The walk across the stage is trivial at this point.
Again, you basically have to be brain dead during all four years of high school not to pass TAKS. Get a grip. Dot-to-dot puzzles are more difficult.
Re: walking at graduation
For what it's worth, it hurts me to see a student who is not going to graduate because of an inadequate test score. I saw this the other day in my class and I felt helpless because it was in another subject area than mine so there was not much I could have done to help this student. But you know what? I think it's really important that we fully prepare our students for TAKS until the day that test is mercifully gone...and then realize they will still have to pass tests to graduate. There won't be a single entity called TAKS anymore, but the expectation will still be the same. This is the age of accountability and if you don't like it, stop voting for all the politicians who put these tests on your kids' backs...more likely, stop abdicating your right to vote as far too many of us do.
No Pass, No Walk
When I was a senior in high school, many moons ago, I had a falling out with my English 4 teacher. She ended up refusing to take my senior research paper because it was 3 minutes late. As a result I did not graduate and I had to face the humiliation of canceling all those invitations I sent out and to face my mother whose only child wasn't going to graduate.
Course at that time of the year I placed all of the blame on the school district and this mean ole teacher who failed me because she was a mean hateful woman. The principal couldn't over rule her, the school board wouldn't listen so I was destined to summer school and a summer school "graduation".
But now that I have matured a few years I look back and realize that I can place the blame on anyone I choose to and hate those people forever. But the long story short is that I failed to meet the graduation requirements and as a result did not get to walk across the stage.
Why should we allow these seniors, who have not met ALL of the graduation requirements by not passing the TAKS test, walk across the stage with all of those hard working students who did meet all of the requirements? What are we teaching these students who worked their butts off to ensure that they had everything needed to graduate?
I might be more forgiving if the students were given the TAKS test one time their senior year and it was make or break. But these students start taking this test in the 10th grade and are given many opportunities to pass this exam. There are tutoring sessions, extra classes, and teachers willing to go the extra mile all in regards to passing the TAKS.
So stand up at the next board meeting and see if we can't add more things to the list of "questionable practices" within the Dallas ISD. While we're at it....vote no on the bond too..(oops sorry had a flashback)
Who knows....maybe that slight failure helped shape who I am today....
My name is JTF and I approve this message.
[Ed Note: Almost sounds like a commercial!!]
No Excuse
Your teacher wouldn't take your paper because it was 3 minutes late, and you appreciate the character-building experience?
This was idiotic behavior on the part of your teacher. Did you complete your paper correctly? Did it have substance? What did you learn by developing your research paper?
The point of education is the growth of the individual. Your teacher's behavior was freakish and controlling.
I've frequently heard abused children brag about the lessons they learned from the beatings they took. Your example fits the same bill.
If 5% of seniors in DISD didn't get to graduate because they failed the test, that might be due to laziness, inability, or carelessness. But the seniors represent the surviving 50% of their freshman class. When 10-20% of that group at some schools fails repeated attempts at the test, maybe there are other severe issues that need to be examined.