Cop takes 'midnight photos' of teacher's classroom

Times Argus ^ | David Delcore

[MineralMan]

Try entering any public school without permission of the administration and then refuse to leave if asked. Then you WILL see cops on school grounds, and in a big hurry."

On the other hand, if a parent comes to the school, and asks to see the student displays in a classroom when the classroom is unoccupied, that parent should be escorted there and allowed to see those displays. Any reasonable school administration would do this without any problem. If they do not, then it's time to raise some dickens.

Indeed, any parent should have the right to an appointment with his child's teacher and to be shown the classroom where the teaching takes place. You might have to wait a day or two for a convenient time, but you'll get to do that in any reasonable school.

Indeed, most teachers are shocked to death that a parent takes the time to talk to them about their child. It rarely happens.

Last year, my neighbor's daughter was in a school play, so my wife an I went to see the play. We were both shocked to tears. The school theater had about 20 adults in attendance, and the play, "Cats," had more people in it than in the audience.

Disgusting. If parents don't give enough of a damn to take an interest in their childrens' school activities, then I say they have no business complaining about the school. I was really ticked off at the parents of the kids in the play who didn't even bother to come and see their kids perform. What a disaster.

So, if you have a kid in school, make an appointment with your child's teacher or teachers. Ask to see the classroom. Ask about the curriculum. Go to every function your kid is involved in. How can you do less?

[Always Right]

The cop stepped over the line here. If he wasn't on official business, he has no more of a right to be in that building at 1:30 in the morning than anybody else.

Then again it is a public school and people have an absolute right to know what is going on. Parents should have the right to sit in the classroom if they so desire. Teachers are employed by the people, not dictators.

[r9etb]

Bump that. We have to take back our public schools from these socialist ideologues that will use every effort to thwart any investigation into what they are teaching our children.

We do have to do that. But not by any means available.

[Leftymasher]

Funny thing is how, in thosed parallels you are drawing, those people did not have the option to - do what they did _during regular business hours_

[Freedom2specul8]

I've raised 3 kids...we're almost finished anyway. I've almost NEVER followed that rule. (it helps that they know me--think about that too...)..but my point is that it is insulting to tell them that I'm there to see my child or his room. Puhleeze. There are plenty of opportunities during the day to take pictures in the classroom without telling anyone ahead of time.

Now I've been going on the premise that the cop in question has kids in the school..not sure of that.

[dirtboy]

no signs, no trespassing.

And what is your proof that the school was not posted? Just about every schoolyard I've seen nowadays has signs that prohibit trespassing after dark. And a cop outside his jurisdiction has no reason to be going to that school in any kind of official duty that would override the trespass posting.

[ValerieUSA]

His sworn duty is to serve and protect the public. He did not let the public down. The school did.

[f.Christian]

h ...

"I do believe that the entire reason the the Pilgrims came here, was to escape religious persecution. The Founding Fathers granted the entire concept of freedom of religion to ALL religions."

"the entire reason"

"freedom of religion to ALL religions."

fC ...

Does the constitution say separation of state and God ?

Freedom from religion ?

Does one escape a ... burning house --- to protect arsonists (( quack teachers // pyromaniacs )) ?

170 posted on 05/01/2003 3:34 PM PDT by f.Christian (( With Rights ... comes Responsibilities --- irresponsibility --- whacks // criminals - psychos ! ))

Forced atheism --- tyranny !

[r9etb]

Here and in previous comments you assume that the individual entered the building illegally and then used his position as a police officer to gain access to the room.

Mott admits that he entered the building illegally -- the fact that the door was allegedly unlocked is no excuse.

[grapeape]

RonF, stop that. It is completly rediculous for some one to have to rehash a whole argument anytime someone wants to play defense lawyer. If I said Public Buildings several times and that is what the whole thread is about, why do you have to stop and make sure that every time someone has to include the whole thing.

[Freedom2specul8]

That's awful. In our old district, we got a majority of conservatives on the board for 1 term..but we didn't have the same volunteer fighters in the next election..meaning there were less people fighting for what is right. People got tired and gave up. It was horrible. It's all about liberalism, and multi-culturalism. (oh and spending money on useless programs)

[Freedom2specul8]

Yes, that's the same reason we have in our districts. I guess I feel that extra power because we've been married 20 yrs. It does make a difference to have a relationship with the teachers etc..so they know ya.

[MineralMan]

"Bump that. We have to take back our public schools from these socialist ideologues that will use every effort to thwart any investigation into what they are teaching our children."

Indeed. So what are you doing to change the schools? Do you have a school board? Is your area's Superintendent of Schools an elected official? There's your answer. Get out there and make those changes.

[grapeape]

??? Is this a slow day at work for you? Only a lawyer with a really small case load would try to make an argument that a policeman can't wear his uniform outside of work. That is silly. To say that he represented himself as someone doing official business is not even alledged.

That is enough of this one.

[Freedom2specul8]

" we got a majority"

I embarrass myself sometimes. I really do know how to write a great term paper. sigh

[Abundy]

Treece said he’s tired of being painted as anti-American simply because he challenges students not to take what anyone...their parents...says at face value.

“I want them to understand that everybody’s got an agenda … everybody,” he said.

The minute this moron undermines a parent's authority with their child he should be fired, regardless of how he feels about Bush, the war or the color red.

The statement quoted above is the most damning part of the entire article. Screw going after the budget, the parents should be after his job - and the job of any administrator that protects him.

[RonF]

I don’t care if you’re wearing a uniform, your don’t give up your rights as a citizen when you put on a badge. You don’t give up your rights to have political opinions when you put on a badge.

No, you don't give up the right to have political opinions while you're wearing a badge, but you give up your right to act on them or express them. Try being a cop in uniform providing security to a basketball game and standing up and telling the crowd that the Police Chief is an idiot and ought to lose his/her job, or that all Democrats are fools and people should vote for a Republican candidate while controlling traffic at a political rally. During the time that you are actually wearing the badge, you give up the right to take sides in a political debate. Police authority must be exercised without regard to anything but the law.

[grapeape]

WE have people trying to rebuild the party apparatus here in Houston but the Christians keep running people off. There are really three parties hear 1 democrat and two Republican. That is why we have out-of-town-brown for two terms.

[RonF]

My late husband was a law enforcement officer who usually worked the nightshift. He routinely checked the doors of buildings after hours, including private businesses, to make sure the buildings were secure.

Did he go in and take pictures?

Did he do this to buildings outside his juristiction, as this cop did (check the article again, right in the beginning)? I bet not.

[MineralMan]

"That's awful. In our old district, we got a majority of conservatives on the board for 1 term..but we didn't have the same volunteer fighters in the next election..meaning there were less people fighting for what is right. People got tired and gave up. "

So the other side did get enough volunteers, apparently, and won. Tough thing, that. Those who will not work for their goals deserve to lose, in my opinion. It's an ongoing effort, not something you do once then forget about.

We have a great system here. If you can convince the majority to vote for your slate of school board members, you control the school. If you can't get enough people to volunteer to do this, then the other side will win. It's so simple, yet I rarely see much action. Most conservatives, it seems are satisfied with complaining about things on FR or other places, but are not willing to put their beliefs into action.

School board elections are child's play. If conservatives cannot consistently elect a school board that is conservative in nature, then they deserve what they get, in my opinion. Most people don't even care who's on the school board in a district. All it takes is some minimal effort to publicize the names of the candidates you want elected and simple name recognition will insure their election.

I'm just amazed.