First, I want to thank Darryl Wilie and ASJ for voting against the plan. Willie also tried to float alternatives to the plan to keep in school numbers low but was blown off by the superintendent and city attorney. It wouldn't look good, or it will be too difficult. You know won't look good and will difficult? Funerals.
Okay, now for the highlights, sorry lowlights.
Somebody needs to check on Cheryl Grymes, and I don't say that to be mean. I asked a district staff member, too, because it looked like she was having a stroke. She was incoherent in her remarks, and it doesn't help that she looks like she hasn't eaten in days.
Charlotte Joyce gave a rambling speech about equity though I can say with some degree of certainty, she has no idea what that word means.
Lori Hershey, who I like a lot, was strangely silent, maybe believing at least in this case that was the better part of valor.
Then there was Jones who just wanted families to have a choice (more on that later) but admitted, sometimes you don't know if you made the right choice till sometime later. Spoiler alert Chairman Joes, risking lives is always the wrong choice.
Andersen, I believe, rolled the dice on a throw-away line in the plan, which says DCPS could pivot to all online learning if health departments feel it is best. This is the thing, and you are going to want to read this two or three times. DCPS has not been in communication with the state DOH who is apparently not returning our calls. If by Tuesday they haven't got back to us we are going to make our own plan on when schools should be closed.
I will wait, go back and read that again.
And again.
So our plan which includes a component to close schools based on health department recommendations but we haven't talked to them, and if we don't, we're going to wing it.
Surreal.
Two times Anderson appealed to the people watching, enroll your students in Duval Homeroom. If you can, it's safer for all those involved and then voted for a plan she knows and admits is unsafe. Anderson also echoed Jone's choice comments and more on that later.
Though at the end, science and a majority of people speaking against the plan were not enough to sway them.
By the numbers.
I believe 46 people spoke, 43 against the school opening. Many of these were poignant and heartbreaking more than a few people spoke through tears.
The bus drivers and attendants were out in force, and they rocked it, talking about the dangers of just getting to school and implored the district to think about them too.
Terrie Brady implored the board to go with distance learning, and I appreciate it, citing a survey that had 2500 responses, of those only 300 wanted to go to brick and mortar where nearly 1800 wanted to go virtual.
15,000 students had signed up for Duval homeroom, doubling the numbers reported Monday.
Then after the meeting was over we find out the RNC canceled their convention which means at the same time they were saying Jacksonville was too dangerous to come to, our board was saying schools were safe enough to open. Let that sink in.
Safety first is no longer a DCPS policy.
The bottom line is the school board had when you break it down a binary choice, risk lives, or keep people safe, and they chose with a 5-2 vote to risk lives. The bottom line is I find that unacceptable. How about you?
Now go back and read about how we haven't talked to the health department again, that's some wild stuff there.
Okay, now for the highlights, sorry lowlights.
Somebody needs to check on Cheryl Grymes, and I don't say that to be mean. I asked a district staff member, too, because it looked like she was having a stroke. She was incoherent in her remarks, and it doesn't help that she looks like she hasn't eaten in days.
Charlotte Joyce gave a rambling speech about equity though I can say with some degree of certainty, she has no idea what that word means.
Lori Hershey, who I like a lot, was strangely silent, maybe believing at least in this case that was the better part of valor.
Then there was Jones who just wanted families to have a choice (more on that later) but admitted, sometimes you don't know if you made the right choice till sometime later. Spoiler alert Chairman Joes, risking lives is always the wrong choice.
Andersen, I believe, rolled the dice on a throw-away line in the plan, which says DCPS could pivot to all online learning if health departments feel it is best. This is the thing, and you are going to want to read this two or three times. DCPS has not been in communication with the state DOH who is apparently not returning our calls. If by Tuesday they haven't got back to us we are going to make our own plan on when schools should be closed.
I will wait, go back and read that again.
And again.
So our plan which includes a component to close schools based on health department recommendations but we haven't talked to them, and if we don't, we're going to wing it.
Surreal.
Two times Anderson appealed to the people watching, enroll your students in Duval Homeroom. If you can, it's safer for all those involved and then voted for a plan she knows and admits is unsafe. Anderson also echoed Jone's choice comments and more on that later.
Though at the end, science and a majority of people speaking against the plan were not enough to sway them.
By the numbers.
I believe 46 people spoke, 43 against the school opening. Many of these were poignant and heartbreaking more than a few people spoke through tears.
The bus drivers and attendants were out in force, and they rocked it, talking about the dangers of just getting to school and implored the district to think about them too.
Terrie Brady implored the board to go with distance learning, and I appreciate it, citing a survey that had 2500 responses, of those only 300 wanted to go to brick and mortar where nearly 1800 wanted to go virtual.
15,000 students had signed up for Duval homeroom, doubling the numbers reported Monday.
Then after the meeting was over we find out the RNC canceled their convention which means at the same time they were saying Jacksonville was too dangerous to come to, our board was saying schools were safe enough to open. Let that sink in.
Safety first is no longer a DCPS policy.
The bottom line is the school board had when you break it down a binary choice, risk lives, or keep people safe, and they chose with a 5-2 vote to risk lives. The bottom line is I find that unacceptable. How about you?
Now go back and read about how we haven't talked to the health department again, that's some wild stuff there.
No comments:
Post a Comment