Learning about the federal civil rights investigation

Klanders65 said "But, how do you explain that after evaluating the program and discovering that this was happening that nothing further was documented? The Hodge Road SES evaluation is of the first year of a 2 year program. Why would they not have a report explaining how this was corrected the second year?"

That's easy to explain.  There is no real question about this.  E&R is not in the business of protecting children.  They are in the business of hiding/distorting/confusing things that might make the school district look bad.  Parents are expected to have to protect their children themselves, and without information.

Everything we learn shows this to be the case.  Look at the charts that so clearly show the linkage between 8th grade algebra and the ability to take honors and AP classes and compete for class rank.  Where were those charts?  Outside of being freely distributed to the parents of AG students at special sessions - almost as a coaching guide for a few favored groups for working the system - where were they posted?  Parents are on their own to learn things that matter the most, including which WCPSS programs the district already knows will damage your child.

But its not like WCPSS did nothing after they learned that children were being damaged in the Hodge Road evaluation.  It looks to me as if they clearly moved swiftly and decisively to structure the situation so that the damaging remediation was thereafter directly arranged for between the SES program tutors and the still uninformed parents of students who might well be damaged by that remediation.  It looks to me like they acted to insulate the school district from charges of being knowingly complicit in this particular crime.  Then it became important to do no further evaluation because it would have further documented what was going on.

This is why Holdzkom was so pointed in the recent board meeting about pointing out that there had been no need for further evaluations.  He said that the feds evaluated the SES implementations (huh? not LOCALLY!).  But much more likely is that there were no follow up evaluations because WCPSS had taken firm steps to remove itself from the chain of accountability (as if that was possible).

It looks to me like WCPSS made the uninformed parents themselves the one's who "chose" to damage their own children by putting them into remedial services based on the notice given to them (probably very carefully worded) about their child's eligibility - the notice the school district almost certainly gave them without mentioning that these remedial services had been documented to damage children who did not need them.

I assume the eligibility notice had to be carefully worded because by then E&R already KNEW THESE SERVICES WOULD DAMAGE THE CHILDREN who were going to receive them when they did not need them.  This is what needs investigating - whether there was willful negligence resulting in damage to children.

I think its fair to suggest that this is a TYPICAL mode of operation for these people - this is a good example of how the district has been run in recent years. 

What's hard to explain is why this action is much different from turning a blind eye to child slavers operating in the district AFTER documenting that a problem exists.

Speaking of that covert and knowingly complicit stance, take a close look at the Hodge Road report.  Not only does it have E&R's trademark obtuse writing, but every time you turn around it is confusedly citing the original study it is based on.  One gets the distinct impression that E&R never wanted an evaluation documenting this damage in the first place and that they wrote THIS report to cover up how bad the original (presumably suppressed) report made things look.

You don't know the law. The law says the funds must be spent on F&R kids, not that it has to be remedial services. It is perfectly legal to spend the funds for enrichment for Level 3 and 4 F&R kids.

It is not uncommon for schools to mistakenly think that F&R and Title 1 funds are equivalent to remedial. But the law does not say the funds must be spent on remedial services--only that they must be spend on F&R students.

The 60 Minutes story -   WCPSS  charged with misappropriating funds.  Funds intended for remedial assistance to bring F&R students up to grade level used for enrichment programs for smart kids. Could you imagine the general outcry claiming  waste and abuse.

What you say here is ludicrous. It almost seems that you have mistaken smart kids for non-F&R. I am not sure. The storyline would be: Tedesco reveals that funds mistakenly thought to be exclusively for remedial services for F&R students are actually for whatever services are appropriate for F&R students. Tedesco gets WCPSS to stop providing remedial services to Level 3 and 4 F&R students and instead provide them with appropriate services that will help them instead of damage them.

WCPSS has not yet moved away from thinking all F&R students are below grade level and need remedial services. 

Not only do I wonder why information like this is so hard to get -- I also wonder why this isn't front page news. Tedesco's Facebook comments apparently warrant an article but this doesn't.