Posted on 04/08/2006 5:35:41 PM PDT by the anti-liberal
Monday is national illegal alien day. (List of events here.) Some schools are suspending students who walk out, but not here in the People's Republic of Montgomery County, Md. They're going to earn school credit for skipping school and protesting enforcement of our immigration laws (via WaPo):
The Montgomery County schools' decision to grant students community service credit for attending Monday's immigration rights protest is raising concern among some parents as well as activists who say officials should focus on education, not political advocacy.
Montgomery is the only Washington area school system offering students credit for taking part in the event, to be held on the Mall -- a decision Superintendent Jerry D. Weast said is consistent with how the system has operated.
"This is nothing new,'' schools spokesman Brian K. Edwards said about the decision. "Advocacy is allowed."
But in the superheated atmosphere surrounding the immigration debate, the decision is drawing sharp criticism from many quarters. Yesterday, school system offices were flooded with angry phone calls as word of its action circulated among conservative radio hosts.
In a memo sent to Board of Education members, Weast said that "callers were abusive to school system staff, using derogatory ethnic comments in expressing their views." He added, "This is not the first time the national debate on immigration policy has engendered harsh commentary for the school system and staff as a target for political purposes."
Edwards said students will receive service learning hours for participating in the rally as long as they do so under the supervision of a community group that has been approved by the school system.
Student participation in the event is being organized by CASA of Maryland Inc., a Silver Spring-based group that works with the Latino community. It is CASA's role -- as organizer -- that has some questioning whether the school system is allowing an outside group to push its political agenda on students. "I do understand that CASA offers some worthy services to immigrants and that's noble, but it's a stretch to allow students to protest for a particular side of an issue,'' said parent Melissa Andersen. "I'm taken aback by it. I think it's poor judgment."
CASA of Maryland is a taxpayer-funded, open-borders organization whose leader made headlines in February when he threatened the children of pro-immigration enforcement advocates:
An article published yesterday by the Sean Sands of Maryland Community Newspapers Online quoted Casa de Maryland’s Executive Director Gustavo Torres saying “We are going to picket their houses, and the schools of their kids and go to their work. If they are going to do this to us, we are going to respond in the same way, to let people know their neighbors are extremists, that they are anti-immigrant. They are going to hear from us.”
Will the Montgomery schools give credit to schoolkids who participate in counter-rallies held by the Minutemen or other pro-immigration enforcement advocates?
Contact info for the Montgomery County superintendent's office:
Office of the Superintendent of Schools Carver Educational Services Center 850 Hungerford Drive, Room 122 Rockville, MD 20850
Fax: 301-279-3205
Ms. Suzanne Peang-Meth
Administrative Manager for the Superintendent
Phone: 301-279-3381
Mrs. Valerie Jardine
Copy Editor/Administrative Secretary
Phone: 301-279-3381
Mrs. Juliette G. Treviño
Secretary
Phone: 301-279-3381
Ms. Reginette Schafer
Administrative Secretary I
Phone: 301-279-3381
Reason number 112,765 to homeschool...
Makes one wonder how the whole Fair Tax thing would effect this sort of thing.
"The second nasty surprise? Just before the committee approved the bill on the evening of March 27, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) offered the "DREAM Act" as an amendment. It passed on a voice vote.The DREAM Act is a nightmare. It repeals a 1996 law that prohibits state universities from offering in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens. The principle, of course, is that no illegal alien should be entitled to receive a taxpayer-subsidized benefit that out-of-state U.S. citizens can't get. But the committee's bill allows illegals to be treated better than those U.S. citizens on tuition."
I can't believe Durbin is still in office - we should've sent him to GITMO a long time ago.
Why not? According to George Milhouse Bush, the illegals should no longer live in the shadows.
My question. Do they? They get free everything an in-state tuition in Arizona.
This is the only explanation I can come up with for our President's behavior on this issue.
He needs advisors who are genuinely in touch with the everyday aspects of life wwwho can clue him in to the fact that we are being 'covertly' invaded - not just by Mexico, but also by Muslims.
My guess is that the group would be vetted and approved by the School Board.
With public meetings laws this means that the public can attend.
Public attendance guarantees that the officers of the local teacher’s union and the most active members of the union will be in attendance.
So there you have it, the approval of these groups will be political. School Board a political body and the Teacher’s Union a political power house, working together to vet which groups will be approved.
Not to be a wet rag on the session here, but Schools in Montgomery County, Md are ON SPRING BREAK next week.
The credit is for community service, and we can argue over whether this is community service (kids in my county in virginia can get community service for passing out republican fliers on weekends -- so the definition is pretty liberal). But this is NOT about getting out of school.
Michelle should have know this, living in the area.
We sound smarter when we have all the facts. Telling kids to "stay in school" on spring break will not impress them.
BTW, Michelle has the correction on her web site.
The one bright spot can be found in:
"With public meetings laws this means that the public can attend"
This means that those who can (get away from work, etc...) attend these meetings can sound a clarion call and or make a stink, making it harder for these nutcases to make their cases for particular groups with particular political agendas.
But considering how much money goes into Teacher's Unions and even into the School Board, I'd say prospects for the average individual to make a positive impact on this whole thing is rather slim, imo.
They are still giving them credit for advocating breaking the law, which is not something I think schools should be doing - they should be teaching children a healthy respect for the law.
The hard part would be knowing that approval of a group is on the agenda.
You either are going to attend every meeting of the School Board or make a point of stopping by the School board office every month to see what is on the agenda.
Even if you do those things you will have to also watch the news papers for announcements of special meetings. They are only required to give a days notice of special meetings.
I refuse to bend over and take it up the...
I'm no longer referring to them as 'Pro-Illegal'. I now see them for what they really are... Anti-American.
Hey, isn't this week the start of Easter Vacation?
It is WAY past time to defund the left.
Beginning at the schools the public should refuse to subsidize i.e., pay taxes to fund this foolishness.
Since the lefties are so fond of strikes, let's give them one.
This way the school system still gets paid for providing the students with a day's "education." You see, in most school systems unexcused absenses cut the school's payroll. The more students in attendance, the more money. If a school counts these absences as truancy, they lose money. It's generally about the money.
Support our Minutemen Patriots!
Be Ever Vigilant!
"Maryland's Ithaca"
That sums it up beautifully!!
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