I had an email forwarded to me this evening concerning an incident at Newark Charter School earlier this week. While checking to see if something happened, I found the News Journal already covered this. But what the News Journal didn’t publish was the email Newark Charter School’s Greg Meece sent to the parents about the altercation between a teacher and a student. You can see that below. But I have several dozen questions about this incident which didn’t even come up in the article. While I respect the fact that Meece can’t talk about the incident because it involves an employee, the comments on the News Journal article spin many different tales…
He said the incident was in a classroom earlier this week and involved a female high school student and teacher in a physical altercation over a cell phone. He added the cell phone did not belong to the student. Meece said neither was at school Friday, but no formal disciplinary action has been taken at this time.
Excuse me? A teacher has a physical altercation with a student and NO arrest was made? Seriously? Since when can a teacher have ANY type of physical altercation with a student? Has the student and teacher been out of school all week? Where is the due process for the student and the teacher if NO formal disciplinary action has been taken at this time? Was “informal” disciplinary action taken?
This is the definition of a physical altercation, with certain words bolded for emphasis:
A physical altercation is defined as being an argument, dispute or altercation that involves force or physical aggression. Physical altercations differ from verbal altercations because physical contact is involved. These types of disputes are sometimes referred to as fights and may legally qualify as battery.
A peaceful gathering? Maybe for the students, but according to this commenter on Facebook, the school wasn’t too happy about it…
That is a very different yarn than the one spun by Greg Meece in his email to the parents and the News Journal:
“The principal of our building spoke to the students and thanked them for their voices and being heard,” Meece said.
What happens at Newark Charter Schools stays at Newark Charter School… until a student and a teacher have a physical altercation that is. I don’t know why Newark Charter School treats itself like it is an isolated school cut off from the rest of the state. How much goes on there that the public has no clue about? If someone didn’t tip off the News Journal or myself on this, who would have known? But we see teachers getting arrested in Delaware. For more egregious things than this, but it happens. Perhaps the teacher was defending herself. But according to the above commenter, it was all a lie. If there was any physical force involved, were the police notified? The Senate Bill which minimizes when the police are called, Senate Bill 207, passed in the Delaware General Assembly this year, but it was very specific in its language to specify “between students”. It did not mention staff members. Which means Newark Charter School, if they did not notify the police, may have broken the law. Whether it was a student or a teacher, if the matter became physical, they are legally obligated to do so. Why didn’t the News Journal question that aspect of the story?
Scandals? Sweeping things under the rug? I thought NCS was this model of good behavior and nothing happened there…
It is hard to believe this particular commenter in one aspect. If this happened Monday, there is no possible way the parents could have sued the teacher in four days. They may have talked to an attorney, but nothing moves that fast. But they are absolutely right that students should have a voice. The threats coming out of the administration when students were having a peaceful sit-in could have been treated with more respect if the above commenter’s comments are true.
What does Newark Charter School’s code of conduct say about this kind of incident? It doesn’t reference this specific type of situation, but it does say this:
Referral to Police Agency is required for students who intentionally and offensively touch a staff member who is attempting to break up a fight or who is attempting to keep a student from injuring him/herself or others. Recommendation for expulsion may be considered.
But they do reference House Bill 322, which the Delaware General Assembly passed in 1997:
In addition to any action taken by school officials, the school will comply with the notification requirements of H.B. 322 which includes notification of police.
This was in a section that talked about fighting. I hate to keep beating on the same drum, but if this was an incident that was so minor, why would Meece refer to it as a “physical altercation” which has a very definitive legal meaning?
Are parents allowed to discuss this incident? On the closed to members only NCS Parents Facebook page, it was a huge topic of discussion this week until the moderator deleted all the comments about it to protect the identity of the student and the teacher. Even though all the parents already knew about it. This was reported to me by a few parents of students who belong to that page.
Newark Charter School needs to be more open and honest with parents about situations, instead of putting on an “everything’s fine” face with the News Journal. There was a lot Meece could have talked about with this article, but I’ve always been told Meece is a very smart man and chooses his words very carefully. But no public school receiving taxpayer dollars should think they can isolate themselves from transparency. They aren’t North Korea.
I’ve heard of many teachers at NCS getting fired with no form of due process whatsoever. Delaware charter schools do not have teacher unions which, in this case, would have given the teacher protection if they were fired over this. But we will most likely never know because of the isolationist mindset coming from this school…
The Season Of Myths 
I’m sure the student was upset he was taking resources from poverty stricken public schools and the Newark Charter School administration had to use physical violence to silence him into submission….
Such would fit Meece like a glove…
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meece? physical? nah.
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Okay so you literally have no idea what you are talking about. It is wrong to falsely accuse people so I’d appreciate it if you would not comment such ignorant things.
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I didn’t accuse anyone. I asked questions. Learn the difference. And read up on state law and your own handbook and what the definition of physical altercation is. Talk to your leader about making a statement like that to the press while also saying “I can’t give any information”, but there was a physical altercation, it was a female student, and it was over a cell phone that was not the teachers. What do you honestly expect anyone not “in the know” to think about that? Talk to Meece and stop complaining when people react to an article printed in the News Journal.
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First of all you read way too much into things Mr meece said. “Physical altercation” is probably the only way he could describe it with out giving specifics away and if you don’t know these people personally than you have no right to an opinion on the topic, nor a right to write an article about it. And your article was certainly accusatory towards many different people.
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I go to NCS and my sister saw what happened. The student stole the teacher’s phone and started reading her texts out loud to her classmates. The teacher asked her to give the phone back and the student simply shoved her. The teacher responded by lightly pushing her. The student was not hurt whatsoever and suffered no injuries
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As a student at Newark Charter School who participated in the sit in, I have to say that this article incredibly flawed. Being at a charter school for 10 years, I can attest that NCS is absolutely not “isolated from transparency.” Commentaries such as this greatly skew the facts and misrepresent what actually occurred this past week. Please leave this issue to Newark Charter administration, the family of the student, and the police; we don’t need commentary from outsiders with no connection to the school whatsoever.
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Thanks for asking nicely. But no…, I don’t think so.
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Clearly you have shown your ignorance in these topics anyways.
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MB, pick a name. You can’t be Mb, Xyz and Zyx. Only thing I ask.
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Breaking up fights is just too dangerous. If you don’t break up a fight, you get in trouble for not taking action…..If you do break it up and the little prick hits you, you risk knocking the mother fucker’s teeth out in self defense.
Quite frankly, if a kid puts his/her hands on a teacher, the teacher has every right to defend himself/herself. These fucking kids are getting away with murder today….LITERALLY….Just look at what happened in Howard. That girl will get off with a slap on the wrist. She should have been put down like a rabid animal.
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Josiah… I know how you feel about the Howard situation, but I had to change one word in your comment… please…
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honestly, I see nothing here that is not the norm. The public, parents, & even many teachers have little idea of all the crazy shit that every school “sweeps under the rug”. Just knowing the “half” of it is plenty!
Staff members can be (& have been) seriously injured with absolutely no police notification- it’s entirely up to the staff member to initiate legal action. Parents are left to bring charges against a student when their child is injured by a student- even when witnessed by adults.
It’s all about damage control- and denial.
on the other hand- GM has dealt with scandal- or the potential for it- as only he can.
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Look this is a personal issue that people outside of the school have no right talking about or even having an opinion about. They aren’t “sweeping it under the rug” they are deciding what’s true and what isn’t and what they are going to do about it. Parents and teachers have heard the situation but articles like this misrepresent everything and have no right to comment on the schools affairs. It’s time the press stops ruining everyone’s lives.
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You are right, it is a personal issue. Between the student, the teacher, and administration. But here you are, commenting in a public forum. As I asked another commenter, how did the News Journal even get a story on it? Obviously someone at your school leaked it to the press.
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Or maybe, like you looking at tweets and such, the press looked into affairs that are not their own. And either way, the other article was not so opinionated as this and it is wrong to try and sway others with such ignorance when you don’t have any actual connections to the school.
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Student cell phones in school? Not an issue, but why not?
We have all just contributed thousands of dollars to insure an adequate education be had by all and a major competitor for attention during this process is being ignored.
Classrooms can be like a minefield. Instances of coordinated group attacks have been planned on student cell phones. They call it “jumping”. Instant messaging and rap music in classrooms are countering our best intentions for education. State law does not address the issue. Perhaps it should.
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This was the teacher’s phone, laying on her desk. How is this all going to work when eventually all students will have 1:1 devices in schools. I thought technology was soooo important to have in the classroom. But in some schools, students aren’t allowed to have cell phones out but teachers can just leave them laying around. Hmmm….
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In one case I know of, a principal informed teachers they needed to take their cell phones with them in the event of a bomb drill so that principals could maintain in contact with all staff as they moved to a secondary location, or for the teacher to report emergency medical needs. The principal was then reminded that they had told teachers to never have their cell phones on them in school.
The school quickly realized there are professional reasons for teachers to have their cell phone during working hours.
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BooHoo! that’s BS! how about some “you don’t touch anything on the teacher’s desk”? Old fashioned boundaries.
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Just playing second fiddle here! I know I wouldn’t leave my cell phone out with a room full of teenagers!
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Fuck you. This teacher is very close with their students and no matter WHAT the student has no right to do that. If a bank leaves it’s doors open does that mean it’s okay to rob it?
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I never said what the student allegedly did was right. I think there is a huge difference between someone robbing a bank and a teenager allegedly goofing around with a teacher’s cell phone. Nice language by the way.
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^ Gee, Kevin… Hope your wife doesn’t get jealous……
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I’ve got to hand it to you, Kevin. I like how you really provided both sides of the story.
I’d also like to congratulate the NCS parent’s for getting the story right. The teacher and student were very friendly together- they talked and joked constantly. But the “physical altercation” was a friendly touch of the cheek followed with a playful “what are you doing miss”?
The student, having a bad day, told her friend that “he\she was going to get the teacher fired” (extra bonus points for whoever can find the tweet from said student that tells the student body that “he/she meant for her to get fired”). The student went to the office and explained with an exaggerated tongue that the teacher and hit them. The student was crying at this point.
Students were questioned about this event, and the question and answers that stand out to provide clarity for the event is “Did anything happen out of the ordinary?” “No”. No, meaning that nothing was unusual about that time period. No, meaning that the so-called “hit” was something that you could see, everyday, with friendly people.
When the students had come back to school the next day after the event, they were greeted with a substitute and an empty room.
The sit in was a chance for the students to face what has long been avoided at Newark Charter. It was a chance for the students to voice their opinions about what is wrong with how information is being spread. The empty room routine where the students are constantly greeted with the disappearance of teachers with lack of insight for why they were removed is what drove a majority of the sit in. So that’s where things get crazy, rumors start to spread and now they believe in things that might not even be true, just to provide solace. Newark Charter just simply needs to speak up in a truthful, legal way.
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I’ll take it. None of this, though, answers why Greg Meece called it a physical altercation in the News Journal of all places. That’s the part that stumps me. My article was more of an “asking questions” article. If this happened, then why didn’t this happen kind of deal. The whole thing is just really bizarre to me. If I had just received the email and not read the article in the News Journal, I probably wouldn’t have written anything about it. But seeing the email, the article in the NJ, and THEN the comments on the NJ article prompted me to write about it with a hell of a lot of questions. I guess some NCS parents were offended by that, but I think I’ll survive…
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Confession:
My kids will bring my phone to me if they find it somewhere in the room. Yep! MY kids at a traditional Title 1 middle school! I’ve been lucky, I know. (I am very careful at the beginning of the school year, but then often become careless with it.)
But they wouldn’t touch anything on my desk!
And the act of picking up ANY phone and “going through” it indicates a lack of integrity and personal boundaries- which is, at the very least, a red flag. A BIG red flag.
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The school continues to try to manage its public persona. Did they not learn anything from the Wells Fargo situation
From: “Newark Charter School”
Dear Parents of the Jr./Sr. High,
As communicated by Mr. Meece on Friday, this has been a difficult week for our school community. Yesterday, our students showed their solidarity and support on the issue in a peaceful and respectful way. We listened to our students and in the best way we could, we communicated our concern for all parties involved and our commitment to ensure quality instruction in the classroom. We also respect our students’ rights to peaceful protest but need your support to help our students understand that a protest cannot disrupt the educational process. Our students are having difficulty understanding that in matters related to personnel and student issues that we cannot provide answers to many of their questions. Some of our students are also having difficulty with how they are funneling their emotions and frustrations and are making poor choices on social media. I am asking for your help to talk with your student(s) to help them understand the complexity of the situation, their role as a student and their responsibility to ensure their actions reflect decorum at school, in the community and on social media. We have a responsibility to ensure a safe environment for all of our students. At Newark Charter, we pride ourselves in Excellence in Decorum and hope that you will support us to continue to have our school project this value.
We are looking forward to celebrating Spirit Week and Homecoming celebrations and hope our students are able to focus on Patriot Pride! Please see the Weekly Bulletin for the details of Spirit Week.
In sincere appreciation,
Lisa Ueltzhoffer
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Uhm, what was the Wells Fargo situation?
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I would just like to say that you should not write an article like this about something you have no real information on. I go to this school and I know that 200 students protested the punishment of this teacher. There had NEVER been a protest at this school before.so stop your nonsense about arresting this teacher
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Thanks for all your comments MB. Like I said before, the way the article gave the information and Greg Meece’s email to the parents, anyone would think something very physical happened between the teacher and the student. That was how I read into it along with MANY others up and down the state. Had that been the case (which it probably wasn’t based on the many variations of the story I’ve heard), by law, the teacher would have been arrested. But I’m guessing that didn’t happen. If the teacher did nothing wrong, why was the teacher punished? That isn’t for me to judge. But you are the first to come right out and say the teacher was punished. There is a thing in this country called due process. It’s where an investigation is done, facts are gathered, and then a determination to mete out punishment, if warranted, is given. Don’t get me wrong, if the teacher was unfairly punished, then I salute all who protested. That was a very brave thing to do and showed courage. Having a voice is important in this world.
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due process: teachers are walked out of traditional public schools on a student accusation without a question or explanation. The due “process” can take up to several days. Meanwhile, an absent teacher implies gulit to students and public alike. It seems a great injustice.
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If you don’t know all of the facts than, as I’ve stated before, you have no right to write an article like this. Many other ncs students along with myself believe you completely misrepresented the situation and would like you to take this article down as it will only bring false publicity to the situation.
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Take the article down? Absolutely not. I asked questions. I’m getting answers from all these comments. Much more than the News Journal thought to do. If everyone at the school is so angry with me for writing an article that the school let slip out, that’s on the school, not me. NCS is well aware of this blog. They knew I would write about it once it hit the News Journal.
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This is less of an article and more of an editorial. Cherry-picking facebook comments and using them as “evidence” does not make for good journalism. Mr. Meece labelled the incident as a “physical altercation” simply because this is how the student filed the accusations to the police.
This article seems laden with anti-charter bias.
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Okay, one more time for the record, I’m not the News Journal. Most blogs tend to be editorial in nature. This is the first I’ve even heard the student filed accusations to the police. I find it VERY ironic you would use the word cherry-picking KH…
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^Anti- Charter bias = good; Charters Taking money from poorer public students = bad…
We need more bias against Charter Schools…. not less.
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You seriously have the audacity to bad mouth my school when you have no idea what really happened? Fuck you. You don’t know jack shit about what’s going on and you make an article like this? This is bringing more negative publicity to the school, something we never wanted. We just wanted to keep things civil and negotiate with our admin, but you make it seem like this is some sort of mystery for you to figure out. Newsflash: it’s not. You have no business doing this. You obviously were misinformed and don’t know how to interpret information you’re given. My school, OUR school, is now going to get bad publicity because of your horseshit writing. Nobody cares what you have to say and it’s infuriating that people like you decide to give our school a bad name. I don’t know who taught you to go through other people’s business, find personal emails meant for parents and students, and judge our school’s integrity but it’s wrong. Personally, I believe students have been wronged, but things like this happen. I’m not dismissing the situation, but you questioning the values of our school is wrong. Now others are questioning it too, because this whole article (if you can even call it that at this point) is making the school look completely negative. Look at the comment by 4EQUITY2, who clearly seems to now think our school doesn’t know how to discipline its students and doesn’t teach kids right from wrong. Every school has bad kids and your school isn’t perfect. No one’s is. You can’t justify your poor writing and research skills and you can’t justify the things you’ve said in your “article.” So please never write an article about our school again. Please just don’t even look around and find answers. What you did is wrong and what you wrote is wrong. Don’t misinform others with your bullshit. Please and thank you.
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Another person rushing to the defense of a school with nasty language. Let’s be real clear here… I didn’t look for this. The email was sent to me. I was going to brush it off and then I saw the News Journal article. How did that happen? How does the largest paper in the state get ahold of a story from the usually very tight-lipped Newark Charter School? A place that is usually locked out of the public view tighter than Fort Knox? If you don’t like people reacting outside of your school to information that is in the newspaper, for everyone to see, then you should be casting blame at whoever put something in the News Journal. I wrote with the information I had. And please, spare me the righteous indignation about getting my facts right. I’ve heard more stories about what “really” happened than I can count. And most of them are different. The way the News Journal article was written and the way the email sounded, something really bad happened. I do question the values of your school based on decisions made by your head of school and the board. Step outside your school for a moment and do some research on your own. If people have a negative impression of your school, that existed long before I typed the first word on this blog over two years ago. Ask your leader about changing the age for kindergarten students to get in last year and denying the lottery to a disabled girl. Take a look at your school demographics and compare it to most schools in your area. Take a look at the five mile radius which isn’t even a true five mile radius cause some of it is in Maryland. That five mile radius and the exact location of the school was done with a very specific reason. To keep certain people out. People who are very disadvantaged in life. People who, in most situations, have less than you. Look at all your school has and then go to the area schools in Christina. See how much they don’t have that you do. And then ask your leader why he used back-door meetings to make a money-grab at Christina to take more money from them. Ask him why he allowed his school to accept money from the U.S. Dept. of Education that is designated for poor kids. Ask him how he thinks it is okay to take that money because they used all of Christina School District to make NCS look like the best school in Christina when it isn’t even a part of Christina. I have no doubt the school has very awesome teachers and students. Remember who has to do without for you to be that school. Charter schools were meant to be open for all, but NCS thought they could engineer a system so they could get who they wanted. Sure, some fall through the cracks, but they don’t have anywhere close to the issues other schools do with students from low-income and poverty, students with disabilities, or other issues, because they just aren’t wanted by you leader and the board. I pray that one day, when you are in the real world and able to see how life really is, that you will see this for what it is. If you are in NCS everything is gravy. But if you aren’t and you dare to speak out against anything coming from this school, watch out! Why don’t you ask Mr. Meece why he won’t allow the public to see their yearly tax return? Oh, that’s right, because they think they are exempt based on a very flawed loophole in IRS Tax guidance for non-profit corporations. Your school is the ONLY charter in Delaware that doesn’t file a tax return. Even though the IRS issued guidance to charters a few years ago stating they might to rethink taking that exemption. You are a public school, but the administration runs it like some elite private school. You are very quick to judge with very little facts of your own. I can’t speak for 4equity2. I have no clue how anything happens at your school because you are so closed off from the world. Do you really think parents would have shared that information with me? I highly doubt it. You go to a public school. That means transparency. I don’t see anyone commenting on the News Journal with “how dare you write about our school!” So if I have questions about what happened based on a newspaper article for all to see, I will ask them. I didn’t make this public. But I have every right to give my opinion based on the information presented to me. It’s called the 1st Amendment.
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But their slogan is…..”Excellence in Academics and Decorum”….
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applies to students only
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CSD Board Member… excellence personified!!
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You sir have no clue what you are talking about. You show your ignorance early and often. Simple fact you wrote to look at all we have. Teachers make less and students have bare basics. Less in most cases. Take athletics as example. You don’t see any athletic complex. No football team. Softball team plays on a park field that isn’t as nice as most schools practice fields. Would love to know what all it is we have. Besides the obviousk, great teachers who work for less, families involved with students education. Hard working kids. Your diatribe screams both ignorance and jealousy
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Trust me, I am not jealous of NCS. If anything, I feel bad for the students and parents who are so blinded by what is really going on. One day, you will see…
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teachers at NCS are paid according to the Christina School District schedule. and they are eligible for bonuses.
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But 4equity2, I thought charters did more with less. Isn’t that what they are known for? They can do better than traditional school districts? I’ve heard that a few thousand times…
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Oh, Kevin, you had to ask. There is no short answer. But, if one considers the cost of educating any individual student, he must acknowledge that cost is based on that individual student’s needs. When we speak of cost per pupil, we are dealing with an average. Some cost more, some less. Special needs might be placement in a special education classroom, student headphones paired with a teacher microphone, a one on one sign language interpreter, a one on one aide- for behavioral and/or instructional needs, a cool down room, a special setting with a trained professional for social and emotional needs, assistance with feeding and toileting, and the list goes on.
But what does that have to do with NCS, and other charters, you ask.
Who applies to the charter?
Parents who are dissatisfied with conditions in their child’s school, who know their options, who are involved in their child’s education, are seeking a more homogeneous environment, and make the effort to meet the deadlines of application for the following school year. these parents attend Open House, Parent-Teacher conferences, maybe PTA, and might even volunteer at the annual book fair. Many of these parents formerly applied to private schools.
That’s a lot of parents! And their kids have a lot going for them because of their level of involvement
Who does not apply to charter schools? This camp is divided. First, there are Those parents who do not feel the need to come to another Open House, don’t make parent- teacher conferences, don’t return phone calls and emails, don’t supervise homework, in short, those who do not place a high priority on education NEVER apply to charter schools.
Of course, there is also that shrinking group who remain fully committed to both the regular public schools and their children’s education. Those who are determined to stick it out in the regular public school; who want to make it work.
So when NCS has their lottery event, the names they are pulling all come from one subset of families- a similar demographic. They can’t lose.
And when 2,000 of those students flee the regular public school, in a single district, a culture shift follows. Remember who it is who leaving, and who is staying.
Parent leadership is hard to come by, PTA becomes a few overworked parents. The neediest, and the poorest soon become a majority, and resources are taxed beyond their limit.
That AVERAGE cost per pupil is not enough for the neediest, the poorest, and it’s more than is necessary for almost every charter school student.
As a teacher, you can’t fail at NCS. It’s not nethods. It’s not teachers. It sure isn’t the administration. It’s demographics.
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Clearly you have a large amount of bias against this school already. If you are so misinformed about this situation, why should we believe you about any others? We didn’t comment like this on the other article because that article stated facts, not such bias opinion. It was also focused on the sit in, which is students are very proud of. You came along and wrote an article that, to outsiders, seems quite official. But clearly you have angered everyone at our school. If you heard many different stories and don’t know which one is true, then you should NOT have written this article. I will ask, with the majority of the school behind me, that you take this article down. We don’t need any more bias idiots pretending they have a voice in what goes on with our personal affairs.
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Bias is a matter of perspective. Whose bias are you speaking of… mine or your own? Stop looking at the world through the specific lens of NCS. There is a whole big world out there. Step out of your comfort zone and tether yourself into reality.
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Concerned Student, 4equity2 knows more than you.
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Wells Fargo tried to keep under wraps the fact that they were opening accounts without the customers knowledge. They even went so far as to fire employees that tried to bring it to managements attention. Now once the truth has been found out they are being punished by the media, governments and the public.
Newark Charter has for years managed their public persona but in reality the only reason that they are doing so well is that they get a better pool of students then other schools and the teachers can spend most of their time on instruction vs discipline. As an example look at what Meece stated to the News Journal “The students, which were primarily high-school students, gathered for about an hour in the school cafeteria before school began.” but the principal in an email to students and parents says “We also respect our students’ rights to peaceful protest but need your support to help our students understand that a protest cannot disrupt the educational process.” If it was before school why is the principal saying that protests cannot disrupt the educational process. Seems to me Meece was trying to manage the truth. The protest may have started before school began but it definitely went into instructional time.
They are not the epitome of schools that they portray. They have their problems with drugs and alcohol, cheating and myriad other normal high school issues but none of that ever sees the light of day because the administration wants to have everything appear like they are an example for everyone to follow. But just like any corporation the administration is saying look how great we are we have high test scores and nothing ever bad happens here.
In reality what is probably happening is that certain administrators are trying to build their resume so that they can move on to better jobs with more responsibility. Just watch in a few years some of the administration will try to move on to jobs with the State of Delaware or other state education systems based upon the perceived results that they obtained and the High School.
It is time that Newark Charter parents and students speak up and let the public know what is actually going on at the school. In the long run it will be better for the school and the educational system in general. This incident should be a wake-up call to the school that managing your public persona might in the long run be worse than acknowledging inconvenient events as they happen. If you are humble then the world is on your side but if you try to put yourself on a pedestal then expect the onslaught that comes your way from that pompous attitude.
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Thank you for being the voice of reason with all this. It seems to be a rare thing in the comments coming from those affiliated with this school. I just hope more like you can wake up to this reality.
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This teacher was not only loved and respected but also the only teacher qualified to teach the AP level L/A classes. So they fire one of the best and most qualified teachers in the building.. They fired this teacher after a full scale investigation that lasted a whole 2 days, (thorough for sure) offense serious enough to fire this teacher in short order but no need for police? FYI – This young lady had a tweet made public that was written weeks before the issue where she stated how she was gonna get this teacher fired. Administration absolutely used threat, and showed zero support for students voicing of opinion through sit in. Promised a full, fair and thorough investigation. Teacher was fired within an hour or 2 of that statement. Whole thing stinks to high hell and am very disappointed in Newark charters administration.. If this investigation was anything less than tireless, thorough, and fair they deserve the harshest possible accountability.. Lost alot of faith and trust in this administration
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^ Every Newark student who supports this teacher should OPT OUT of the Smarter Balanced Assessment and hold to it… until this teacher is rehired…. You want to exert power?… This is how….
If all of you don’t take the Smarter Balanced Assessment…. well, you know precisely what it would do to the future career of the administrator of that school, to have that albatross around his neck for life!
Start it! Opt out of the Smarter Balanced until the teacher is reinstated… Opt out…. and don’t listen to their lame excuses… You students can all really make him burn, if you just all opt out…
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Kavips, great idea… but it won’t work. The students commenting on here are from the high school so they don’t have to take the Smarter Balanced. They take the SAT in 11th grade. I don’t picture a lot of 3rd-8th graders coming on here to comment about this. But I am willing to make a deal with the students at NCS. They want me to trash this article. I will do that… but… some conditions have to be met. More on that later!
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Apparently someone above does not realize the awful effect your NCS school imposes on public schools in our wonderful state and how much effort is expended daily to try to make up for the damage you cause, just so students not priveleged enough to be “selected” to NCS, can still learn…
What you are, is like a resident of Dachau, defending the “camp” on the edge of town because the soldiers spend money in your store and your sales are good… Saying something is awesome because you benefit without considering the horrendous cost, can be equated to someone shooting you in the head with their Glock and rejoicing because they just got a free smart phone…..
Charter Schools are very bad… no ifs, … no ands…. no buts….
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Funds follow the student. I’m other words beach student is worth say 12 grand. That is money that the local SD gets when they educate said student. Otherwise the local SD (LEA) is nothing more than the middle man. These funds aren’t taken from the LEAs they are in fact funds that follow the student. Why should Newark high get money for Johnny when Johnny is being educated at charter? Answer is they shouldn’t. Should go to the educational facility providing the education. In this case charter. What you are saying is you want the funds for kids who aren’t being educated by the LEA to go to the LEA anyway and not follow the student to his or her educational placement. It is you who needs to learn what you are talking about and you who will see the truth one day, although you seem so bias I doubt you will ever see it clearly or admit you are wrong about finding. In any case you are wrong about the funding.
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At STANE,…. The correct answer to your post is sadly that it is YOU who should learn something about charters and their fundings and I am giving you a site where you can…. Here….. When you are caught up on knowledge with the rest of us, please come back and engage…. until then, your comments come off as a joke… just saying…
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Jumping to the chase…. What I am saying is EXACTLY that the funds for kids who aren’t being educated by the LEA to go to the LEA anyway and not follow the student to his or her educational placement!
That is exactly as it should be… People pay property taxes for their local schools… They shouldn’t be paying any portion of that to a private entity on the Delaware-Maryland border.
It is also why Charters were declared unconstitutional in Washington State… because it was a mis-allocation of public school dollars….
(But of course, you being new to this argument….. wouldn’t know that, now would you?…)
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We aren’t private. Money goes to LEA, money stays there if student does. Student chooses the charter school and the money that went to the LEA now “follows” that student to his or her PUBLIC charter choice. When the LEA now has to send that money elsewhere is what you hear about as being unfair etc etc. It’s not the LEAs money, it is for the student. Student goes, money goes. He can call me a joke and you can think it’s unfair all you want, but that’s what it is and seems more than fair to me. Having said that and being called a joke (even though I’m correct) I still want to hear what we have to look around at and see how much we have as stated earlier.. What?? Most every public high school I have ever seen has twice the facilities as Newark charter. Guess saying it and then showing some or off that you are correct or are being truthful with his audience doesn’t quite fit.. Lastly, I LOVE how test scores etc are just due to taking cream of crop. Lol. Most every single kid makes or doesn’t make it into charter by 1st grade. My kids hadn’t been tested at all so they hadn’t any clue if they were genius or mentally retarded. Bottom line, school does amazing job of preparing students and there are many fewer distractions with behavior etc. Which is because the school insists on parent involvement and support. I will grant you that the ability to demand respect or to tell a student and family they need to go is the huge advantage.. Sorry that there is a school that looks out for kids doing it the right way instead of insisting kids who don’t want to do it the right way have to be able to stay a part of and eventually destroy the learning environment. Just like rest of new castle county ever since busting started which ironically became the reason charter schools were even needed to begin with
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No one can force a parent to be involved. No one. Uninvolved parents do not apply to charter schools. They are uninvolved. They stay in regular public schools. You just don’t get it
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charter schools were needed because people wanted free private schools.
call them public all you want. they are segregated, and free, private schools. and you couldn’t be happier to be part if it.
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To STANE
First, thank you for accepting you are a joke. That makes things easier. That is not meant to be deprecating. It is just that your admitting to so gives us a clearer representation as to where you are on the learning curve of the complex hydra that is Charter School Policy. We can then, talk the same language.
To clarify, our differences is not in how it works. We prefer to call districts by name instead of use LEA. What you stated is common knowledge to us. And you are right, we don’t agree that it is fair to those it leaves behind…
Here are our reasons why… You say it’s the student’s money, but if the student drops out, does he or she get a reimbursement? Of course not and that would preclude that such money is “NOT the student’s money”. It is the Christina School District’s money… which by a state law that was passed in the early 90’s, they must send out per student wherever that student wishes to choice… Our contention is prior to that law, the money was Christina’s…Correct? Post passage of that law, the money still remains Christina’s (or Brandywine’s, Appoquinimink’s, Indian River’s, etc) which it must now send out per student who leaves. Elimination of Charter Schools,.. or the forced inclusion into the residing district of all Charter schools as in making the Charter’s geographical district their prime authorizer (as is Red Clay), would again, make all that money Christina’s.
So, when a child leaves Christina for a Charter, that money which for all intents and purposes should remain in Christina, now must shifty to somewhere else… This means the district must lose over $20 million dollars this year to charters… Which means the education dollars for those children (80% majority) who do not go to charter schools, is cut short by $20 million dollars…
Assuming the charter school being “choiced” into is great (and judging from the fierce pride of those who go there, I assume NCS is)…. this policy etched into law in the 90’s, essentially steals money from the majority of students who enter the system with the least of life’s advantages, and gives it to a minority of students who for the most part, wallow in life’s advantages. None of them go hungry every night, for example.
Another way to explain why this is not the “student’s money” which can follow him around, is to point out that the funding for public schools is not entirely funded by parents… Very few parents pay upwards of $12,000 in property taxes, which could or could not be the amount spent on education at that school. No. All citizens pay school taxes. Businesses do as well. Local tax revenue usually makes up 45% of the budget, state revenue also roughly comes in at 45%…
Whereas these people could benefit somewhat if good schools increased their property value, they actually lose when that money follows a child to a charter far, far away from their taxed location. Plus their charters are private. having a private board which makes all their financial decisions. There is zero accountability to the taxpayers paying the going rate, at Charter Schools. Because of this, they are classified as private, period, though partially funded by public money… (where have I heard that before?) If they WERE public, Suburban Plaza could show up at Newark Charter’s Board meeting and complain and they would have to listen and vote on that complaint. Or a resident on Chrysler Ave in Newark could make a suggestion, and the board would have to vote on it.. That is the definition commonly associated with begin “public”… Until that happens at Newark Charter… it remains a private school that accepts public money….
Thirdly, before continuing further, I am going to need some clarification. It looks like you were writing very fast and perhaps missed some words here….
“I still want to hear what we have to look around at and see how much we have as stated earlier.. What?? Most every public high school I have ever seen has twice the facilities as Newark charter. Guess saying it and then showing some or off that you are correct or are being truthful with his audience doesn’t quite fit..
What does that even mean?
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As a student at Newark charter for 10 years who participated in the sit in, I can attest that this article is greatly flawed. Newark charter certainly does not “isolate” itself and frankly, it’s evident that the author is not in any way connected with the school. I think the manipulation of the school’s emails and the conclusion based on inaccurate information is simply a low blow to not only Newark Charter, but charter schools everywhere. Contrary to what you may believe, the police are involved in the case and Newark charter has no intention of hiding any information from the law. In fact, Newark charter administration has little power in this situation; lawyers have been hired to deal with this situation legally. Please leave this situation to Newark charter admin, the family of the student, and the police. We certainly don’t need nor want misinformed commentators (who have no connection to the school whatsoever) to form inacurrate conclusions.
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I’m a citizen of the state. When you guys get some of your rewards, part of my tax dollars pay for that. When you get to keep all the transportation money over your budgeted amount, who helps pay for that. I do. So you can be charter strong all you want. I’m up for transparency strong.
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That is an argument that people who lost use. You have no idea of the exact place that your money goes and if it bothers you that much, you can leave delaware! So stop this bullshit please
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Whoever you are MB, learn your place. When it comes to NCS, you are absolutely right. I have no idea where anyone’s money goes. How about making all that student body activity money fully transparent. That would be a good place to start. How about filing IRS 990 tax returns like the other 25 or so charters in the state already do. And don’t tell me to leave Delaware. What you are doing is perpetuating the perception most people already have about NCS around the state. It’s not about winning or losing, but I guess you wouldn’t know that MB.
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As well, be ABC or Charter Strong. You can’t be both. Pick one and stick with it. Thank you.
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Clearly these are different people. But since you just love assuming things based off of limited and bias knowledge, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
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I actually find it hysterical you are telling me who this situation belongs to and yet you freely offer information that others may not know. I believe that is called hypocrisy!
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You need to look up the definition of hypocrisy. This student said that they don’t want misinformation leaked, so here they are trying to inform. While I don’t agree with the fact that they gave specific information, I do agree that you should not pretend your opinion matters on this topic and that this should be left to the people it applies to. We wanted people to know that we are not perfect students who don’t rebel. That’s why we were okay with the other article. But we had no intention of having others look into personal business.
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I think MB belongs on the hood of a small car….. Oh, my bad…I was thinking of MG…..
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I would like some clarification.
The teacher was fired. Correct?
The students were protesting the firing of said teacher. Correct?
If, in fact, there was no physical altercation, what were the grounds for firing?
(I fully recognize that, legally, GM needs no grounds – just asking)
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(Like GM, I too need no grounds…. just coffee extract…… )
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I would simply like to inform you that there is no set decision, the administration and authorities are looking into what really happened. The students were simply showing our support of the teacher rather than the student and expressing our belief that the teacher should not be punished. That is why articles like this are completely out of line. Clearly the intended purpose of this was to bring students in the school out and inform them of all of the other things the school may be doing wrong, as though we don’t already know there are flaws. We don’t currently care about the schools other flaws though, we simply hate the misinformation being spread that may effect the outcome of this situation along with others.
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Thank you MB for that clarification. It is good to hear that there has been no hasty decision.
the students are to be commended for taking a stand in an orderly fashion.
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I have to be honest with you MB. Look at the comments on here. There is a ton of different information just from people affiliated with the school. And everyone claims to be in the know. Not sure if you’ve ever done this, but get twenty people in a circle. One person whispers something to the person on the right, and the whispering continues all the way back to the person who started it. By the time it gets back to that person, it is usually different. This sounds a lot like that. I’m sure the students in the classroom know what happened. I just hope that whatever happens, a just decision is made for all who are directly involved. I don’t like to see any teacher lose their job if it is not warranted. I’m not going to speak for the student, because I really don’t know what their intentions were. Was there possibly some errors in her methods? Based on the comments I’ve read, I would assume that. But this is the part that gets me. It was mentioned in the comments on the News Journal article that she only had one friend. Out of all the students there, only one. It kind of made me sad. I don’t know the first thing about her, but I would like to think in a school as big as NCS someone would have more. Like I said, I don’t know the first thing about her. But even knowing that, I see what she allegedly did as a cry for attention. Maybe not the wisest one, but just that. Teenage years can be very rough. Everyone is trying to fit in and find their place. It is very hard when someone doesn’t fit in. They tend to act out. I haven’t heard anyone mention that aspect of things. It doesn’t excuse her actions with the teacher’s cell phone, but I feel bad for her. Sometimes that need for attention can be channeled in better ways with support and friendship. One other voice can be a big difference. Just something I wanted to throw out there without knowing anything about the student.
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Come on Kavips, if NCS agreed and abided by ALL those conditions, you don’t think that would radically change things? (caveat: I would take it down just to see Meese do the Safety Dance at a CSD board meeting)
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The students have been VERY quiet since earlier today. I wonder if another email went out….
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To kavips.. 1st, I am far from a joke, I have presented an opinion that is (God forbid) in support of NCS and charters in general I suppose. I haven’t called anyone a name etc. That’s twice I have been called a joke (cause I disagree with you). Thats fine, anyone with a spine knows what the person who throws insults out via Internet is typically like in the real world when the communication is face to face. In any case, what you said about the money is essentially exactly what I have said. It’s just that you think it’s wrong and I don’t. If I’m such a joke and we are essentially saying same thing what does that make you? Not a joke because your opinion is to condemn it? To your drop out scenario, no, of course student doesn’t get refund, nor is it literal when I say it’s the students money. The money is designated for the student. The money follows the student. Let me try it this way since it appears you believe these kids are the have it alls stealing money from the poor kids who suffer in Christina SD.. How do you feel about a student who does something that gets he or her expelled from their school.. Example. Student brings drugs or a weapon to school. When that student is removed he still must be educated. So he is sent to an alternative program designed for students that have had some serious behavior issues in school. Now that same money is once again taken from district and sent to the alternative program.. Would that be ok? Is this student doing same damage as charter student? Exact same scenario from districts point of view. Same money goes elsewhere. In this case for a kid who is obviously not doing things the right way. Ok or not ok? Finally .. You were correct, I was writing quickly and on a phone. Sorry for mistakes then and now. But what I meant was (and this is not debatable). Comment made by writer about look around at all you have. Compared it to the local sd also I believe. NCS has less than. Not more. If you think otherwise you haven’t been there, and don’t know the school at all. That is fact. In materials that is, and the writer surely meant in material value. That’s what I meant in previous message.
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