Posted on 05/19/2002 5:20:46 PM PDT by Vigilantcitizen
David and Terry Knight once lived a normal middle-class life in Lawrenceville. Two of their children attended Grayson Elementary, two attended McConnell Middle and one was in South Gwinnett High School.
In 1999, as the Gwinnett County school district prepared to implement its own specially designed standardized test, the Knights got involved, as good citizens should. In their case, they joined the Concerned Parents of Gwinnett, which opposed the Gateway test.
CPOG quickly became a thorn in the side of the Gwinnett school board and its superintendent, J. Alvin Wilbanks. Wilbanks in particular seemed intent on using Gateway to establish himself as a leader in the nationwide standardized testing movement, and he didn't take kindly to parents who dared question either his wisdom or his test.
In April 2000, things escalated sharply after a copy of the test was stolen and mailed to the news media. The school district's own police force, which reports to Superintendent Wilbanks, launched a criminal investigation. Terry Knight and other members of CPOG became its chief suspects.
The usual duty of school police -- or "resource officers," as they're called -- is to protect children and teachers, to guard against drug use and to counsel students. They are hired for their ability to communicate and negotiate, to be the good cop, not a bully with a badge.
However, they are also certified police, with full powers to seek warrants, subpoena records and arrest suspects. And in their investigation of the Gateway test, Gwinnett school police misused those powers in ways that raise serious questions about their competence.
Even more chilling, their behavior raises the specter of a police force being used as a tool of political intimidation.
The officer in charge of the case was undoubtedly an intimidator. Jim Keinard talked freely of sending a lot of people -- mainly CPOG members -- to jail. According to interviews with several CPOG members whom he interrogated, Keinard claimed to have ironclad evidence against "suspects" that two years later he has yet to produce. He warned that families could be destroyed, and careers ruined.
When Keinard interrogated Terry Knight and her husband, the Knights tape-recorded the session. In the recording, Knight is told repeatedly of evidence that placed her in the middle of the theft ring. She is told that fellow parents in CPOG were going to jail, and if she didn't cooperate, she would go to jail as well.
In the ultimate threat to a mother, Keinard tells Knight more than once that if she doesn't cooperate, her children could be taken from her. Knight responds, as she does throughout the tape, by saying she knows nothing about the theft.
Suddenly, near the end of the tape, things take on a tragicomic air. Keinard, it now appears, may have gotten a little mixed up. It seems he has threatened, badgered and intimidated the wrong "Terry."
Dennis Foster, Gwinnett's director of school safety and thus Keinard's boss, was present at that botched interrogation, but he will not comment on what happened. He doesn't remember whether Keinard had performed well or crossed the line, nor does he remember if there turned out to be another "Terry."
He does say, however, that he felt no pressure on the case from the superintendent.
Foster and his 16 school resource officers certainly have a big job. They provide security and protection for 82 elementary, middle and high schools, a far-flung "city" comprising 117,000 students and 14,000-plus employees. So it seems odd to have added a two-year, multistate investigation to that workload when other police agencies could have handled the task.
In addition, if Foster and his officers ever find a real suspect, they would face troubling questions in court about the independence of their investigation. During trial, defense attorneys would get to question their motives, and a jury could be presented with reasons why a politically motivated investigation came to the conclusion it did.
Danny Porter, the Gwinnett County district attorney, says that if asked, his office would be willing to take on the Mystery of the Stolen Test. "We're better equipped to handle complex criminal investigations than a school resource officer," Porter notes.
And while Porter would not comment directly on how the Gateway case has been handled, he did offer a more general observation:
"In 20 years of law enforcement, I have found that except in the most extreme circumstances, people don't respond well to threats."
Today, David and Terry Knight no longer reside in Lawrenceville. They fled Gwinnett County because they were afraid of the school police, and now live in Enola, Pa., where David's employer agreed to transfer him. They say they felt that Keinard had lied to them, and if the police will lie, what else might they do?
Meanwhile, Wilbanks has been appointed to a committee to draft federal regulations for state standards and testing, the only district school superintendent in the country given that honor.
Georgia ping..
Guys, Anybody have any knowledge of the whereabouts of the test or copies?? I bet dollars to donuts that the questions are mostly subjective rather than objective with unoquivocable answers. These folks love questions without answers. they can "evaluate" the students to fit any mold they like to "better serve the state". Peace and love, George.
Who's this guy's political sponsor? If it's Representative Barr, let's get him in here on the carpet, right now, front leaning rest!
Good question. I believe that's Mckinney's district.
Put that statement along with the other where the police officer threatens the mom with taking her children away, and that is the ultimate goal of government schools. Brainwash them, remove them from the family and use them for the good of the state.
When informed parents take the school to task, they are treated in much the same way the left treats the right in this country....overreaction, hand-wringing and threats. The children learn from this and voila....propagation of more little goose-stepping liberals and the cycle continues.
This is crap, pure and simple. Why the Knights didn't sue the "bleep" out of Gwinnett County, the School Board and the gestapo police is beyond fathom. And Wilbanks gets what he wants in the end.
The ending to this novel needs to be re-written!
Actually m'am, Gwinnett county and Lawrenceville are middle class suburbs, with no extraordinary crime and some of the highest ranked schools in the state.
Located 30 miles northeast of Atlanta
County seat located in Lawrenceville
Current population is 614,500 with 1.2 million projected by the year 2025.
Managed by County Administrator who oversees day-to-day operations
Encompasses 437 square miles
Governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners: one full-time county-elected chairman and four part-time district-elected commissioners
11 executive departments
Rush, as always, you have outdone yourself..........Thanks!
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.