Posted on 01/23/2008 6:51:55 AM PST by wintertime
Snow days, kids and school officials have always been a delicate mix.
But a phone call to a Fairfax County public school administrator's home last week about a snow day -- or lack of one -- has taken on a life of its own.
(snip)
It started with Thursday's snowfall, estimated at about three inches near Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke. On his lunch break, Lake Braddock senior Devraj "Dave" S. Kori, 17, used a listed home phone number to call Dean Tistadt, chief operating officer for the county system, to ask why he had not closed the schools. Kori left his name and phone number and got a message later in the day from Tistadt's wife.
"How dare you call us at home! If you have a problem with going to school, you do not call somebody's house and complain about it," Candy Tistadt's minute-long message began. At one point, she uttered the phrase "snotty-nosed little brats," and near the end, she said, "Get over it, kid, and go to school!"
Not so long ago, that might have been the end of it -- a few choice words by an agitated administrator (or spouse). But with the frenetic pace of students' online networking, it's harder for grown-ups to have the last word. Kori's call and Tistadt's response sparked online debate among area students about whether the student's actions constituted harassment and whether the response was warranted.
Kori took Tistadt's message, left on his cellphone, and posted an audio link on a Facebook page he had created after he got home from school called "Let them know what you think about schools not being cancelled." The Web page listed Dean Tistadt's work and home numbers.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
People in the north can keep driving in the snow because they’re prepared for it - the roads get regularly de-iced and plowed. In the south, it’s just more treacherous... Also, snow is more likely to turn into ice when the temperatures are closer to 32 degrees than when they are 10 degrees. In any place that isn’t prepared for snowfall, a little bit can cause a HUGE problem.
May we both get employees who more than exceed our expectations, in positive and profitable ways. I love living in Tampa. ;-)
Used to live, and was born in, Alexandria. And , I know,I know, Southern drivers are incapable of handling any snow, and don’t seem to realize the bridges freeze first. But three inches? And a school bus? They creep around neighborhood streets. I never see them on freeways here in Cleveland. The folks in Buffalo and Erie gotta be crackin’ up over this story!
Also, the women of “The View” discussed it as well...
The wife would be a fool to pursue legal action.
I still say that this kid is a snotty-nosed brat and the woman had every right to be angry. Has our society become so PC as to disallow righteuos anger?
“But this would have blown over if the wife hadn’t overreacted.”
Ok. Let’s go back.
This is ‘in the news’ because the MEDIA is the boat that is keeping this story afloat.
But.... blame the wife.
Or... we could blame the kid.
Or.... we could butt out of a personal phone call.
“My friends and I used to call the principal’s home at 5AM and say “Hi, my name is [chosen target of the week], are we having school today?””
Ahhh...the days prior to *69 were much more fun weren’t they?
Candy definitely has issues with hubby’s schedule. Now the whole nation knows about it. Paging Dr. Phil!
Are you in NC? this happened to us yesterday (schoolbuses “parked”). I am a teacher, and I was furious that we had no delay in classes, and all sorts of accidents were happening on the roads. I lived and drove in Sweden for years, as well as learning to drive in snowy weather, and I ran off the road twice yesterday. The thing is, in the south, we don’t have the money put aside to pay for salting down roads and to pay for snow plows, so the roads are a mess whn there is any bad weather. (That’s something that those who scoff at our reports of accidents with two inches of snow don’t seem to understand!)
You’re right about the snow being more treacherous in the south. I think it is because the ground may be warmer and when the air is cold the snow flakes freeze into a black ice.
I never used to believe that there was a difference but I do now. A few years ago I was driving up from Charleston in the freezing rain, pooh-poohing the southerners who had warned me not to drive. All of a sudden I saw that all of the big tractor trailors were pulling off the road. Every one of them pulled off. Truckers know.
It would have blown over if the kid wasn’t such a brat and posted it on his myspace or facebook page.
Presdient Bush is always blamed for global warming. Thus, the snowstorm of last week made Dave Kori freak out because of the unpredictable weather conditions nowadays. Thus, the media will soon blame Bush for this Fairfax phone call fiasco.
BLAME BUSH FOR EVERYTHING!!!
Huh... Really...? Guess he should QUIT then...
So I guess when he calls a school teacher at home that's harassment now too?
What a load.
“I’m gonna file this under “there’s more to this story.”
Yes. Isn’t there always more...?
I say respect for privacy includes personal phone calls of U.S. Citizens.
Remember the issue on bugging international phone calls with suspected terrorists?
But, It’s OK to spread the personal call between Legal U.S. Citizens at their homes across the Front Page News?
No ... posting their phone numbers on an internet chat site with instructions to call, and given what actually happened as a result of the boy's doing so (the number was called hundreds of times) that is what I called "harassment."
I'm sure that, were it your number being called at 4:00 am, you would call it harassment, too.
bump
So you can post a transcript or a recording of the message that the kid left on the answering machine?
The person left a voice mail... This was not a recorded conversation.
i.e. There is no expectation of privacy if the person chooses to leave a message.
I'm sure that you, too, would call it harassment if somebody posted your phone number on a website, with instructions to call ... and hundreds of people did so.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.