Dear WD Directors:
As a taxpayer, and until recently a substitute teacher in
the Western Dubuque District, I have a number of questions I hope the Board can
answer satisfactorily. Some are based on research on the effects of cell phones
on concentration and focus. Please find attached synopses and references of a
portion of that research—many more studies are underway than I have cited.
Others have to do the fact that I was recently removed from
the Cascade High School sub list when a student violated my privacy, videotaped
me in a classroom handing class papers back and insisting that students correct
“your” “you’re”, the spelling of ex(c)ercise and correct punctuation (caps/periods)
leading to the first question many of us taxpayers have:
1)
Are taxpayers getting fair value for
money when 1st and 2nd year high school students have
difficulty replicating grammar concepts introduced in late second grade?
2)
What sort of contingency plans does
the district have in place in case one student violates another’s privacy,
videotapes him/her in a compromising position and posts it online? Can the
district run the financial risk of a potential lawsuit?
3)
While we do not rely on public
schools to teach morals or religious principles, does the district itself have
a responsibility to model/mentor civic virtues—responsibility, honesty,
fairness and even-handed treatment of employees, which we do expect?
4)
How many teachers have been fired, released,
surreptitiously removed from sub lists, not had their contracts renewed in the
past five years? What are their average ages?
5)
How many of these teachers have been
involved in a complaint with a student in which the student prevailed and the
teacher dismissed? Are older/retired teachers able to bringing a different,
stricter set of expectations into the classroom?
6)
Is the WD Board of Directors monitoring
conclusions and consensus of researchers on the effects of cell phones on adult
focus and concentration and assessing whether they may or may not be appropriate
for young people, more sensitive to the negative effects of “screen” time?
7)
Is the district’s cell phone policy protecting
the learning environment and the vulnerable students in it? France has banned
cell phones for children under 16 in all schools. Do you have plans to do so?
8)
Has the district met with the police,
fire, and first responders about how to handle an emergency in a school,
especially in case communication networks are overwhelmed by a large number of
students using their cell phones simultaneously?
9)
Is the district in a position to pay
a large settlement that might result from a lawsuit resulting from such a
scenario?
10) If
there are cameras in the classroom, should they not be placed there by the
authorities, the board itself, covering the widest area, gathering the most
information to insure fairness in resolving any situation that may evolve?
I am bringing these questions
up because inattention to them is resulting in a tragedy for all concerned. Businesses complain they cannot find workers
they need and must have for H1B and H2 B visas for workers from abroad. Statistically,
one in six medical doctors was trained outside the U.S. American students routinely score behind most
developed nations and some undeveloped ones. Senior citizens who want/need to
work bring a rigorous first-hand understanding of the past are systematically being
excluded.
Thank you for considering these questions. I am certain the
tax-paying community believes you will do the right things to resolve these
dilemmas.
Sincerely,
Shirley A. (Keyron) McDermott
P.S. Mr. Vander Lugt is not alleging that I singled out any
student criticism before his peers or any other pedagogical “offense.” Only that he “doesn’t want to expose me to
it.”
P.P.S. And I do not want to sub in a classroom feel free to
videotape what/whomever they want and tell a teacher, “This is Health class not
English…”
Encl:
Studies
Portfolio samples:
Dublin, Ireland Evening
Press, Des Moines Register, Cedar Rapids Gazette
“Country” Kitchens from The
Wapsipinicon Almanac
Silver City, NM edit
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