Orlando Buffalo Posted July 23 Posted July 23 13 hours ago, Big Blitz said: Teachers Unions during COVID: We can do this online. All in this together Oklahoma: Bet. And we won’t need you and we’re going to save tax payers millions This is not that big a deal, FL has 200k kids in our Virtual School. It is a great option if your local school sucks. 1
Orlando Buffalo Posted July 23 Posted July 23 9 hours ago, The Frankish Reich said: Hey, I thought online schooling was the ruination of a generation of COVID kids? Throw in a little MAGA and I guess it's ok. Whatever. No intelligent parent would ever sign a kid up for this. The majority of people using it in FL do so because the local school is not up snuff. The FLVS platform offers a lot of options and if my child was being bullied I would likely choose it. It was been used widely here for at least 8 years. Your comment of "intelligent parents" is as far from the truth as possible because those I know who use it, which is 4 sets of parents, all do it for ability of having a flexible schedule to travel and help their kids in other endeavors.
Roundybout Posted July 23 Posted July 23 1 hour ago, JDHillFan said: I don’t know what it is. Maybe they talk about American hegemony. You know, the idea that you have shown interest in within these very pages. I imagine what interests people in this online school as much as anything is keeping their children away from delusional and dangerous people that believe men can be women and that elementary school is a good place to learn about anal and oral. That last bit seems a little pedophilic doesn’t it? Nobody is telling you not to be afraid of this. By all means carry on. A long paragraph of deflection and non sequiturs. You are nothing if not consistent!
JDHillFan Posted July 23 Posted July 23 4 minutes ago, Roundybout said: A long paragraph of deflection and non sequiturs. You are nothing if not consistent! You saw yourself in my post and apparently didn’t like it. I don’t blame you. You are having a rough morning. Fingers crossed that “patriotic education” includes a module on US flag code. I know that’s a big one for you. 1
Roundybout Posted July 23 Posted July 23 1 hour ago, JDHillFan said: You saw yourself in my post and apparently didn’t like it. I don’t blame you. You are having a rough morning. Fingers crossed that “patriotic education” includes a module on US flag code. I know that’s a big one for you. Well we all know it won’t include anything like those pesky civil rights movements
The Frankish Reich Posted July 23 Posted July 23 (edited) 3 hours ago, Orlando Buffalo said: This is not that big a deal, FL has 200k kids in our Virtual School. It is a great option if your local school sucks. https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/arizona/districts/american-virtual-academy-79461-104962 If your local school sucks, why not move your kid to an online school that sucks? I get it if there's safety issues at physical school, etc., but this is not a ringing endorsement of American Virtual Academy: 31% of students test proficient in math, 38% in reading. This is my problem with school choice. In general, I support it. I think parents need options, particularly in a lot of school districts that simply aren't getting the job done. But how do we ensure we're not just sending taxpayer money to a private option that is just as bad - or worse - than the public option? If we require the private schools to show adequate performance, what is the performance standard? At least 31% graduate "proficient" in math? That's just setting in stone the miserable "success" rate of the public option, and just transferring money from a bloated public school bureaucracy to a profit-seeking private option. (Note: even if ostensibly a non-profit, a lot of these private administrators pay themselves quite handsomely.) So a serious question to you @Orlando Buffalo, since you know and care about these things: how do we do it? What's a good starting point? Edited July 23 by The Frankish Reich
Orlando Buffalo Posted July 23 Posted July 23 1 hour ago, The Frankish Reich said: https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/arizona/districts/american-virtual-academy-79461-104962 If your local school sucks, why not move your kid to an online school that sucks? I get it if there's safety issues at physical school, etc., but this is not a ringing endorsement of American Virtual Academy: 31% of students test proficient in math, 38% in reading. This is my problem with school choice. In general, I support it. I think parents need options, particularly in a lot of school districts that simply aren't getting the job done. But how do we ensure we're not just sending taxpayer money to a private option that is just as bad - or worse - than the public option? If we require the private schools to show adequate performance, what is the performance standard? At least 31% graduate "proficient" in math? That's just setting in stone the miserable "success" rate of the public option, and just transferring money from a bloated public school bureaucracy to a profit-seeking private option. (Note: even if ostensibly a non-profit, a lot of these private administrators pay themselves quite handsomely.) So a serious question to you @Orlando Buffalo, since you know and care about these things: how do we do it? What's a good starting point? I appreciate the questions truly, and I have thought a lot about it because sometimes the kids are simply going from one dump to another and the only way it truly gets fixed is make the parents be part of the situation. If you want to move your kid to another place you must be involved. The government is not real effective at determining what makes a good school, outside of test scores, and is poor at pushing through any system that works. Local control is all that I can see working with involved parents. I will point out that my concern is less about who is wasting the money, private or public schools, and more about the child not being given a decent chance. The online school you linked to I am not familiar with but FLVS is much more stable then what you linked to. 2 1
sherpa Posted July 23 Posted July 23 15 minutes ago, Orlando Buffalo said: I appreciate the questions truly, and I have thought a lot about it because sometimes the kids are simply going from one dump to another and the only way it truly gets fixed is make the parents be part of the situation. If you want to move your kid to another place you must be involved. The government is not real effective at determining what makes a good school, outside of test scores, and is poor at pushing through any system that works. Local control is all that I can see working with involved parents. I will point out that my concern is less about who is wasting the money, private or public schools, and more about the child not being given a decent chance. The online school you linked to I am not familiar with but FLVS is much more stable then what you linked to. A thoughtful and informational response to a serious issue. 1
Orlando Buffalo Posted July 29 Posted July 29 We are actually at this point with education that the bottom 10% hurt the other 90%. If that 10%, truly in my case 5%, knew they could be in actual trouble for the stuff they pull it would likely stop. I had a black kid who repeatedly used the N word in class to refer to other students, and it took me writing him up multiple times to even get a detention. Once he got a week of detentions it stopped. Every time he used the word the other students would lose focus and it would detail the the lesson for several minutes. 1
All_Pro_Bills Posted July 29 Posted July 29 (edited) 17 minutes ago, Orlando Buffalo said: We are actually at this point with education that the bottom 10% hurt the other 90%. If that 10%, truly in my case 5%, knew they could be in actual trouble for the stuff they pull it would likely stop. I had a black kid who repeatedly used the N word in class to refer to other students, and it took me writing him up multiple times to even get a detention. Once he got a week of detentions it stopped. Every time he used the word the other students would lose focus and it would detail the the lesson for several minutes. What I'd like explained is the thought process at work with teachers that need to deal with disruptive students in the classroom without any support from school administrators that generally support liberal causes that discourage and prohibit the imposition of any negative consequences on distracting and bad behavior? Is it simply go along just to get along because any teacher daring to deal with discipline problems will be punished by the district and the other teachers and the union don't have the stones or will to back them up? Edited July 29 by All_Pro_Bills
The Frankish Reich Posted August 6 Posted August 6 On 7/23/2025 at 12:54 PM, Orlando Buffalo said: I appreciate the questions truly, and I have thought a lot about it because sometimes the kids are simply going from one dump to another and the only way it truly gets fixed is make the parents be part of the situation. If you want to move your kid to another place you must be involved. The government is not real effective at determining what makes a good school, outside of test scores, and is poor at pushing through any system that works. Local control is all that I can see working with involved parents. I will point out that my concern is less about who is wasting the money, private or public schools, and more about the child not being given a decent chance. The online school you linked to I am not familiar with but FLVS is much more stable then what you linked to. Thanks. I missed your response here when you posted it. I've mentioned that I'm a fan of school choice. But I worry about profiteering schools jumping in to get a chunk of that money without really raising standards or improving education. Studies so far are difficult to interpret since it's hard to separate selection effects (the best performing charter schools tend to get the children of the most involved parents) from actual teaching effectiveness. I do know that most of what we're doing today in most places just isn't working. On 7/29/2025 at 5:41 AM, Orlando Buffalo said: We are actually at this point with education that the bottom 10% hurt the other 90%. If that 10%, truly in my case 5%, knew they could be in actual trouble for the stuff they pull it would likely stop. I had a black kid who repeatedly used the N word in class to refer to other students, and it took me writing him up multiple times to even get a detention. Once he got a week of detentions it stopped. Every time he used the word the other students would lose focus and it would detail the the lesson for several minutes. Do you think we need to do more "tracking" in schools? Separate out the serious/committed students from the ones who really aren't even trying?
Orlando Buffalo Posted August 6 Posted August 6 13 minutes ago, The Frankish Reich said: Thanks. I missed your response here when you posted it. I've mentioned that I'm a fan of school choice. But I worry about profiteering schools jumping in to get a chunk of that money without really raising standards or improving education. Studies so far are difficult to interpret since it's hard to separate selection effects (the best performing charter schools tend to get the children of the most involved parents) from actual teaching effectiveness. I do know that most of what we're doing today in most places just isn't working. Do you think we need to do more "tracking" in schools? Separate out the serious/committed students from the ones who really aren't even trying? I will start with the concept of " profiteering" I just found out that the GEO dept at my school will average 170-180 kids per teacher and the lower schools will average under 120, some apparently under 100. I don't get paid more then those teachers so as long as it parents choice I am not going to worry too much about it because a poor performing charter only survived for a short period while the Chicago schools have been terrible for 50 years. As for the second part I think you are correct, we spend too much time on kids who just want to be shelf stocker at Publix, which is not something that should be shamed. We are starting to do a good job with the Trades in OCPS, and many of my "average" students see a 10k investment for a $80k salary as a good deal. Separate the college bound from non college interested at about age 14 based on their desire. Too much Federal money is based on graduation rate, which for my school was around 99%, and it should never top about 92% if you have a real standard. 1
The Frankish Reich Posted August 6 Posted August 6 3 minutes ago, Orlando Buffalo said: We are starting to do a good job with the Trades in OCPS, and many of my "average" students see a 10k investment for a $80k salary as a good deal. Separate the college bound from non college interested at about age 14 based on their desire. I was walking out of court recently watching a father berate his son (apparently the kid just took a plea to a minor offense) about getting his life together. The kid was maybe 20. Obviously not in college, not doing anything useful. Dad: You live at home with me for a few years. You start working at UPS. You get your CDL. You'll be able to put away $20K a year with no living expenses. By the time you're 25 you'll have a down payment for a house and you'll be set up for a good life. (I got the sense that the dad had done something like this himself.) Kid wasn't really listening. I like the idea of tracking/vocational training as long as we leave a route open for the late bloomers. The 14 year old kid tracked into more vocational training who still gets a diploma and later can restart at community college, etc, if he wants to be a teacher or an accountant or something that isn't a traditional trade.
Orlando Buffalo Posted August 6 Posted August 6 3 minutes ago, The Frankish Reich said: I was walking out of court recently watching a father berate his son (apparently the kid just took a plea to a minor offense) about getting his life together. The kid was maybe 20. Obviously not in college, not doing anything useful. Dad: You live at home with me for a few years. You start working at UPS. You get your CDL. You'll be able to put away $20K a year with no living expenses. By the time you're 25 you'll have a down payment for a house and you'll be set up for a good life. (I got the sense that the dad had done something like this himself.) Kid wasn't really listening. I like the idea of tracking/vocational training as long as we leave a route open for the late bloomers. The 14 year old kid tracked into more vocational training who still gets a diploma and later can restart at community college, etc, if he wants to be a teacher or an accountant or something that isn't a traditional trade. I agree with the"late bloomer" which is something community college is there for, not just kids who are not stellar students but people who once were terrible students but care now. 1
Orlando Buffalo Posted August 8 Posted August 8 Actually had a conversation today about this with our "head maintenance guy", I simply don't know how else to describe him. He is a smart guy who diagnoses a lot of the problems with our school buildings and solves them, he also has a lot of connections across our country and everything he has told me in the past has happened. Today he was staring that the shrinking of the schools in the blue areas of our county are getting bad because of school choice. People no longer want to send their kids to dangerous schools when they can choose better options. My school is actually growing as are several others in the county but the growth vs shrinkage is crazy to me. 1
Big Blitz Posted August 8 Author Posted August 8 (edited) Woo boy…. Abortion scandal at a school in Fairfax County schools in VA: From November 2021 - 2 students who were minors at the time claim that their school arranged and paid for their abortions. School did not inform the parents. A violation of law. Per the former students - They were arranged by the social worker and ok’d by the principal of the school at the time. 1 student fled the abortion clinic and confided in a teacher - that is corroborating their story - named with permission in the article below. Further reports from other students say that the school was trying to get students to “bait” that teacher into making infractions that could lead to her termination - https://dailycaller.com/2025/08/07/virginia-school-district-probes-allegations-staff-arranging-student-abortions-behind-parents-backs/ FCPS is now investigating the claims - in response to the question “has the county ever arranged for a student to get an abortion?” They said “not to their knowledge.” See the news clip. Story broke online yesterday. It’s national now after Laura Ingraham and DC News picked it up. She lives in the county so expect this to be followed by her very closely. This investigative online journalist is a Walter Curt - he has apparently done a ton of research. He has written and audio statements from the students, their parents, other students, and the teacher that the one girl confided in after this: Fairfax County’s Centreville High School is staring down a potential criminal firestorm. Two female students—both minors—say school officials arranged and bankrolled abortions at Fairfax Healthcare Center without so much as a phone call to their parents, a direct break with Virginia’s parental-notification law. One girl underwent the procedure at 17; the other, five months pregnant and pleading to keep her baby, bolted from the clinic after social worker Carolina Díaz allegedly told her she “had no choice.” Principal Chad Lehman, the girls insist, knew—and taxpayers footed the bill. A handwritten statement from the first student, translated for clarity, lays out how Díaz scheduled the appointment, paid the clinic’s fees, and swore her to secrecy. The girl, an 11th-grade ESOL student, says the abortion took place in November 2021—while she was still seventeen—making the concealment a straight-line violation of state law. A second Centreville minor, five months pregnant and wavering, was allegedly told by the same social worker that she “had no other choice.” The girl, terrified, ultimately bolted from the clinic rather than go through with the procedure. She later confided in her teacher, Mrs. Zenaida Perz, who allowed her name to be used on the record and provided The W.C. Dispatch a recording of the family confirming that no one at the school had ever informed them of the intent to terminate their daughter’s pregnancy. I have reviewed the audio in full and verified its content, it’s heartbreaking. Both incidents, sources say, were green‑lighted by Principal Chad Lehman and financed—again, allegedly—through school funds, meaning taxpayer dollars may have underwritten clandestine abortions carried out on minors without parental knowledge. https://www.wcdispatch.com/p/bolted-doors-and-broken-laws DC News: More to come…..another massive school controversy in a gubernatorial election year in VA. As of now - nope. And they won’t. They think minors don’t have to notify parents Edited August 9 by Big Blitz
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