APS resolute in their ban on monkeys

Not just monkeys, but skunks, bats, raccoons, and turtles will feel the sting of being banned by the School Board through their Policy.

As per past practice in APS banning policies/letters, the board is free to use their publicly funded private police force; their Praetorian Guard to arrest if necessary, any primates sans sphincters, that might stray onto school board property.

The "banning letter" for monkeys and their disease carrying cohorts is hidden among forty-one pages of other policy changes and re endorsements, link.

It is more than three years now, link, since School Board Member David Robbins put the re-institution of the Role Modeling clause in the School Board's Code of Conduct, on the table for open and honest public discussion.  Unfortunately, he hasn't been seen or heard on the issue, since.

The Board doesn't have the character and courage it takes to hold open and honest discussions about their obligations as role models of the standards of conduct they establish and enforce upon students; model and promote the Pillars of Character Counts!; nationally recognized, accepted and respected "higher standards of conduct".

No way, no discussion, ever.

Policy Committee Chair and coward David Peercy tabled Robbins' motion, link, and then, in blatant disregard for Roberts Rules, allowed the item to be removed from the future topics agenda without a vote.

Peercy can't find time to talk openly and honestly about executive and administrative standards of conduct and their obligations as role models of student standards of conduct, but, he can find the time to ban monkeys.

They're both up for re-election.
School Board election; Feb 5.




photos Mark Bralley

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To whom does the public record belong?

It depends upon who you ask.

If you ask politicians and public servants, and they were inclined to candor, most would admit that effectively speaking, the record belongs to them.  It is their prerogative to decide which records will be made available for immediate inspection, and which will not.  There is no personal penalty in the law, for their deliberate delay in the production of documents according to their personal interests.

Why is the redaction of public records in the hands of people who might well benefit from the redaction?  How much more egregious must a conflict of interest be, before the end is put to it?

Allowing potentially corrupt and incompetent policy makers and administrators to redact the public record of their own public service is utterly indefensible.  It is an abhorrence created and maintained by corrupt and cowardly politicians and public servants serving their own self interests.  There is no culture of corruption where there is no spinning of the truth.  Falsifying the public record is a criminal offense. hiding the public record for personal gain, is every bit as harmful to the public interests.

The redaction of the public record must be an impartial and timely process, carried out in accordance with the spirit of the law.  Timeliness is essential; in as much as "justice delayed, is justice denied" - truth delayed, is truth denied.


Among the most egregious offenders when it comes to hiding their public record, are the APS School Board and Superintendent Winston Brooks.

Don't believe it? ask him for the findings of at least three investigations into felony criminal misconduct by senior APS administrators and the leadership of the APS Police force.

All we have to do to end the culture of corruption and incompetence in the leadership of the APS is to elect four board members who are willing to tell the truth; the foundation upon which honest standards are built and real accountability is so utterly dependent.




photo Mark Bralley

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What do you want to happen in February?

Do you want to authorize $368M in mill levies and bond issues?

Are you looking for more of the the same old, same old in new board members?

Potential voters don't yet know it, because it is yet to be published by the establishment press, but because a majority of the board is up for election, there is an opportunity to actually change the direction APS will take for the next four years.

There are at least two paths; one is the one we follow now.

We simply surrender control over our power and resources to
a handful of people, and trust that they will spend both in our
best interests.  So far, that has not worked well.  The record of
their spending is so disgraceful, they have to hide it, link.

The fundamental flaw in the path we now follow, is its lack of
transparent accountability in spending and administration.  It is
a poorly lit path.

There is another path; government of, by, and for the people.
It begins with the illumination of government, transparency
limited only by the law; the expressed will of the people.

It is the people who decide what will and will not appear on
the public record, not our servants.  It is we the people who
will determine the limits on speech during public forums.

The terms of public service are the prerogative of the people,
not of their servants.  Fundamental among those terms;
public servants are accountable to the people by means of
transparency and accountability to meaningful standards of
conduct and competence, at least for the eight measly hours
a day that we must "trust" them with the control over the
wielding of our power and the spending of our resources.

That is your choice in February.

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