Insectman Home
Presentations
Contact Us
My Testimony
Articles
Our Links
Get Saved
Exodus Mandate
The Lie: Evolution
 

EXODUS MANDATE-WV


2017 WEST VIRGINIA SCHOOL NEWS

THE FOLLOWING HEADLINES ARE SIMILAR TO HEADLINES FROM THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.  THE SAME (OR WORSE) WILL HAPPEN NEXT YEAR! THESE INCIDENTS REPRESENT ONLY A TINY FRACTION OF WHAT REALLY GOES ON IN THE SCHOOLS OF THE SMALL "BIBLE BELT" STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA! MANY OTHER SERIOUS INCIDENTS ARE NOT MADE PUBLIC.

SADLY, WHAT HAPPENED TO THESE CHILDREN CANNOT BE CHANGED. DO YOU WANT TO TAKE THE CHANCE THAT YOUR CHILD WILL MAKE IT UNHARMED? EVEN IF A SERIOUS EVENT DOES NOT SHATTER YOUR CHILD, THERE IS NO WAY TO AVOID EXPOSING YOUR CHILD TO THINGS THAT WILL HARM HIM/HER EMOTIONALLY, MENTALLY, AND/OR SPIRITUALLY.

If you think that your school is an exception you are willingly blind.

THERE IS AN URGENT NEED TO GET OUR CHILDREN TO THE SAFETY OF HOMESCHOOLS OR CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS. THE DANGER OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAS CONVINCED A LOT OF NON-CHRISTIANS TO ABANDON THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. CHRISTIANS HAVE THE BIBLICAL MANDATE TO EDUCATE THEIR CHILDREN ACCORDING TO DEUTERONOMY 6:7 AND COLOSSIANS 2:3. 

WE MUST RESCUE OUR CHILDREN!

"Christian parents are _commanded_ to place their children under godly and Christian teaching, not neo-pagan or humanistic instruction. Whether we acknowledge it or not, only two choices remain-- obedience or disobedience to God’s commands. (See Col. 2:8; 2 Cor. 10:3-5; Deut. 6:1-9; Mal. 4:6; 2 Cor. 6:14-19 along with Luke 6:40. Matt. 22:37-38 and Eph. 6:4)" E. Ray Moore.

In the governor’s own words
From Governor Jim Justice’s 2017 State of the State Address: (bold font added) “Let me go to education. Guys, I'm a coach. I'm in the school all the time. We've proven how to be dead last…So I think we need gigantic education reform…I have put in my budget a 2 percent raise for all classroom teachers, and I am ashamed -- I'm ashamed that we can't do more...Now, as far as testing…If we were knocking it out of the park -- you see, I'm all results oriented. If we were knocking it out of the park, you could argue with me we're doing the right thing. But for crying out loud, we're dead last. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out. We got to be doing something wrong.” Karl’s comment: PLEASE see previous speeches. It does not take a rocket scientist to see that public schools are a failure and parents keep getting suckered!

WE MUST RESCUE OUR CHILDREN!!

“The difference between insane asylums and our public schools is that in the insane asylum you have to show some improvement before you can get out.”
Anonymous

Please look at the school news below as well as for other years (along with my articles) for documentation about why tax-payers should “just say NO!” to pouring more money down the government school rat-hole.

Among these headlines you can easily follow common threads of drug abuse, sex (including teachers with students and promotion of sexual perversion), lack of disciple, violence, poor academic standards, crime, anti-Christianity, and wanting more and more money “for the kids”.

Sex crimes in the education system are rampart and traceable to the decay of society which is closely connected to humanism taking over “public” schools. Parents in Kanawha County warned of this in 1974. Now, we are simply reaping what is sown.

The sin of sexual abuse is inexcusable, but the fact is that it is rare that church personnel molests a child. That is not so with school personnel. You will be amazed at the reports of school personnel sex with students throughout the WV School news headlines. See the comments on this issue on the main WV News page. Also, teachers, unlike preachers, do not get scandalized for their adultery and other sex escapades with adults. See the March 26, 2009 headline “W.Va. teacher charged with sex assault of teen” for a sad, but pertinent point.

The moral sickness in the school system goes all the way back to 1977--a couple of years after the Kanawha County Parents sounded the alarm.

(Note: Some of the links are closed by the media outlet after a period of time. Several of the headlines came from Charleston Daily Mail and Gazette on-line searches. All articles can be found by contacting the news source.)

THE TEST THAT TELLS THE TALE OF TRUTH: “The Nation’s Report Card” National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) from the National Center for Education Statistics.

“The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas.” (http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/) Webster defines “proficient” as “good at doing something.” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proficient)

New results will be posted when they are available.

Informative links:

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states/
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/mathematics/
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/reading/

Be sure to see the 2013 REPORT OF WEST VIRGINIA PUBLIC SCHOOL TEST PERFORMANCE. The 2013 report is on November 7 of 2013. New data will be posted when it is obtained.

(Note: Some of the links below are closed by the media outlet after a period of time. All articles can be found by contacting the news source.)

Mixed reviews for West Virginia in analysis of Every Student Succeeds Act plan 12-31-17
http://wvmetronews.com/2017/12/31/mixed-reviews-for-west-virginia-in-analysis-of-every-student-succeeds-act-plan/
Will West Virginia parents gain a clear view of West Virginia’s educational achievement from the Every Student Succeeds Act? (KC: No! They will get shucked and jived.) The federal program, which takes the place of No Child Left Behind, is meant to provide more flexibility for states while still being overseen by the U.S. Department of Education. (KC: It is still federal government dominated.) West Virginia’s submission, like many states’, received feedback last week from the federal agency, which wanted clarification and further development of some aspects of the plan. But what should community members expect as they try to judge whether local schools are up to par?... (KC: Ah, that is the million dollar question.) The Collaborative for Student Success, in partnership with Bellwether Education Partners, assessed the proposals of all 50 states. The organizations sought out a diverse group of peer reviewers with a range of political viewpoints and backgrounds, asking them to review each state’s accountability plan. Spoiler alert: The results, overall, produced the headline “Opportunity Wasted: Second-Round ESSA Plans Get Largely Lackluster Reviews From Independent Experts.”…West Virginia’s rankings tend to be in the middle of the spectrum… (KC: What does that mean? Is the “middle” good?) The state receives kudos, right off the bat, for its vision to change West Virginia’s economic landscape by significantly increasing the percentage of graduating students who are well-prepared for college and career… (KC: It is a vision in the sense of a hallucination.) “One problem with reviewing  everything in these plans—and a reason, we suspect, why neither report did—is that they’re basically big, complex compliance exercises,” Fordham wrote. “They comprise lots of blather and paperwork that culminate in pretty words across many realms, words that often don’t amount to much. The trick, then, is to pluck, analyze, and evaluate the parts that  do matter. (KC: I could not have said it better.” Karl’s comments: See the “KC inserts above then search these WV News pages for test reports.

WV High School Teacher Arrested for Inappropriate Messages with Students 12-20-17
http://www.wowktv.com/news/crime/wv-high-school-teacher-arrested-for-inappropriate-messages-with-students/884533194
A Wyoming County High School teacher has been arrested after deputies said he was inappropriately messaging students on social media.  Wyoming County Deputies arrested Zachary Cox on Tuesday, December 19.  Cox is charged with 4 counts of use obscene matter with intent to solicit a minor.  Deputies said Cox is a teacher and baseball coach at West Side High School. He allegedly contacted four students on social media and sent them inappropriate messages and pictures …Cox is being held in the Southern Regional Jail on a $60,000 bond.   Karl’s comment: You can easily follow the thread of school personnel sex with students throughout the WV School news headlines. Also see the comments on this issue on the main WV News page and the June 1, 2008. JUST CHECK THIS YEAR ALONE!!!

Multiple Logan County schools on lockdown for alleged weapon threat 12-18-17
http://www.wowktv.com/news/education/multiple-logan-county-schools-on-lockdown-for-alleged-weapon-threat/883042577
Multiple Logan County area schools are on lockdown this afternoon after officials received allegations of a weapon found at Logan County High School. According to Logan County Schools Superintendent Patricia Lucas, law enforcement is conducting an extensive search of the school. Karl’s comment: Over reaction? TICK, TICK, TICK.

State Police: Two students charged after gun found at Scott High School 12-13-17
http://wchstv.com/story/state-police-student-charged-after-gun-found-at-scott-high-school
West Virginia State Police said two students are being charged after an unloaded pistol was found at Scott High School in Boone County…State Police said one boy brought the gun the school and gave it to another student in exchange for a video game…School was on lockdown as a precaution. Karl’s comment: Over reaction? TICK, TICK, TICK
.

Teacher named, terminated by Putnam County Schools after allegations of inappropriate relationships 12-11-17
http://www.wowktv.com/news/crime/high-school-law-enforcement-teacher-accused-of-inappropriate-conduct-with-student/879390516
When you send your child off to school, you place all of your trust into the men and women who are supposed to be keeping them safe…An instructor at Putnam County Career and Technical Center is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with at least one of his students.  The class he teaches at the school is hard to believe- law enforcement.  Putnam County deputies said allegations like these hit home.  Many of them are mom and dads themselves.  So in terms of investigating, they said they didn't waste any time.  Hayzlett said, "As a parent, you're a parent, I'm a parent.  This is scary.  You send your kids off to school and really, they spend the biggest part of their day with someone who isn't their parent. Karl’s comment: Will parents ever wake up?!!


Logan Teacher Under Investigation
12-9-17
http://www.wowktv.com/news/education/logan-teacher-under-investigation/878411109
The Logan County Board of Education is investigating a Chapmanville High School teacher accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a student. The investigation was prompted after a student's parent reached out to the school concerned their child and a teacher began an inappropriate relationship when the student was 17. Karl’s comment: You can easily follow the thread of school personnel sex with students throughout the WV School news headlines. Also see the comments on this issue on the main WV News page and the June 1, 2008.


More college-going students in WV need remedial classes
12-7-17
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/education/more-college-going-students-in-wv-need-remedial-classes/article_5c5bc8f5
-3985-50fd-8a38-21e1f7408873.html
A growing percentage of high school graduates in West Virginia who attend the state’s public colleges need to take remedial classes to be ready for entry-level college classes. That’s according to a new report presented Thursday to the board that oversees West Virginia’s two-year colleges. About 31 percent of college-going students who graduated in the spring of 2016 had test scores low enough that required them to enroll in a remedial class when they went to college, the report showed. That rate is double in a handful of the state’s most southern counties…“We’ve got to stop making it easy to get a high school education requirement,” said Delegate George Ambler, R-Greenbrier. “There’s a lot of reasons why graduation statistics went up, and I’d venture to say it wasn’t because of the quality of education that kids were getting, it was the programs that were offered…In Kanawha County, where 759 students from the class of 2016 went on to study at a public college in West Virginia, about 35 percent enrolled in some sort of remedial class. About 28 percent enrolled in remedial math, and almost 18 percent enrolled in remedial English…

The state’s public colleges have largely redesigned this system in the past four years, opting to call it developmental education, instead of remedial classes. Corley Dennison, vice chancellor for academic affairs at the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, said community colleges pushed in 2013 for a change, to make sure every student needing remedial classes got that remediation in a credit-bearing course. In practice, this means professors squeeze remedial education into an entry-level course.
Karl’s comment: This is NOT new! Just check these WV School News headlines. “Educators” can try to excuse it by crying “poverty” or "lack of communication.” “Educators” can hype smoke and mirrors programs they are doing to help the kids do better. The bottom line is that government schools are a failure. That should be enough to get parents to rescue their children, but there are other much more important reasons.

Parents Return to Wetzel County Board of Education Meeting About Magnolia Football Coach 12-2-17
http://www.theintelligencer.net/news/community/2017/10/parents-return-to-wetzel-county-board-of-education-meeting-
about-magnolia-football-coach/
Two weeks after parents and community members approached the Wetzel County Board of Education about alleged conduct by a Magnolia High School football coach, two concerned mothers returned to the board to plead that the matter not be “swept under the rug.” At the Oct. 2 board meeting, a delegation appeared before the board with claims of Magnolia High School football players being bullied by a coach. Karl’s comment: And the beat goes on.

Middle school guidance counselor charged after meth found inside car 11-28-17
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Middle-school-guidance-counselor-charged-after-meth-found-inside-car-460596903.html
An employee with Kanawha County Schools is facing a drug charge…Matthew Anderson, 42, of South Charleston, is charged with misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance. According to the criminal complaint, officers received a call about a vehicle accident at the River Walk mall early Tuesday morning. Officers on scene noticed a man driving the car who was screaming at a female passenger. When officers made contact with Anderson, they saw two bags of a white substance lying inside the driver's side door. The bags contained more than 2 grams of meth inside…According to the Kanawha County Schools website, Anderson is listed as a guidance counselor at East Bank Middle School. Karl’s comment: You should search these WV School News pages for more items on this subject.

WV public school enrollment drops for 5th year straight 11-11-17
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/education/wv-public-school-enrollment-drops-for-th-year-straight/article_e00f2255-5440-555b-a293-55c29234763d.html
West Virginia’s public schools lost about 2,460 students from last school year to this one, dropping the total number to 270,708 and making 2017-18 the fifth straight year of enrollment decreases. Generally, the state school aid funding formula automatically decreases dollars for county public school systems that lose enrollment. Enrollment numbers from the current school year are used to set funding levels for the following fiscal year… Last school year’s statewide public school enrollment was 273,170, a drop of about 3,970 students from the year before… During last week’s state Board of Education meeting, Amy Willard, executive director of the education department’s Office of School Finance, provided an early estimate that there will be a $5.9 million drop in state school aid funding next fiscal year… State education officials didn’t provide information during last week’s meeting on where those students went — whether it was out of state, into homeschool or elsewhere. Karl’s comment: This is good news, but beware. Because of the $$$ situation they may come after the home and Christian schools. I pray those are the places many of the children went.

Muslim students in WV talk how to overcome bullying in schools 11-11-17
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/education/muslim-students-in-wv-talk-how-to-overcome-bullying-in/article_62254d15
-e8e7-52d0-93a9-1faa273a34bf.html
Just about every student at the Islamic Association of West Virginia on Saturday said they’ve heard the terrorist jokes in school. And they’re not just coming from students. “There’s a lot of racist teachers, and they don’t try to hide it from you,” said Maryam Rawash, a student at George Washington High School… Rawash said the best course of action for her is to try to educate people on the realities of the Islamic faith… Karl’s comment: Hmm. Speaking of getting to know about the Muslim religion, maybe those Muslim dis shouldsee this list.

WV proposes reducing required high school credits, making 90-100 an A 11-8-17
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/education/wv-proposes-reducing-required-high-school-credits-making--/
article_7255b695-43af-5335-9f7c-826531d46e9b.html
The West Virginia Board of Education voted Wednesday to put out for public comment proposals to reduce the state’s required number of credits for high school graduation from 24 to 21, further change social studies requirements and change the non-weighted course grading scale. The existing board Policy 2510 says 0-64 is an F, 65-74 is a D, 75-84 is a C, 85-92 is a B and 93-100 is an A. The board’s proposed changes to 2510, the central state education policy that mandates which courses students must take and other statewide minimums, would make 0-59 an F, 60-69 a D, 70-79 a C, 80-89 a B and 90-100 an A. Karl’s comment: This will likely pass. It is proof postive that the government system is failing, so they are lowering he standards.

Principal stops by bus stop after kids reportedly don't make it to school 11-9-17
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Bus-incident-investigated-after-kids-allegedly-dont-make-it-to-school-456275343.html
Video captured from a bus camera shows more than 40 students getting on bus 1206 at the corner of Park and Central avenues. Several parents have expressed concerns about the issue. These parents also say no one at the stop was picked up Wednesday. On Thursday, Larry Bailey says 33 students boarded the bus…The county's transportation director says the video that shows more than 40 students at this stop on that particular day is double the number that is supposed to be there, which he said is potential trouble on two fronts. "It could be a passing car, the kids are there waiting on a bus and someone gets pushed out into a lane," he said. "It could also mean more students on a school bus than what is considered safe."… A mother who was at the bus stop Thursday tells WSAZ says this has been going on since the beginning of school. Karl’s comment: Par for the course.

Student arrested for "terroristic threats" at Charleston high school 10-31-17
http://www.tristateupdate.com/story/36728011/student-arrested-for-terroristic-threats-at-charleston-high-school
A Capital High School student was arrested Sunday night after making a threatening post on social media…The student is currently facing terroristic threat charges. Karl’s comment: TICK, TICK, TICK.

Stepped up police presence reported in Clay County as alleged school threat investigated 10-30-17
http://wchstv.com/news/local/stepped-up-police-presence-reported-in-clay-county-as-alleged-school-threat-investigated
Clay County Schools said law enforcement provided stepped up security at Clay County High School Monday morning after a student apparently made a comment on social media directed toward the safety of the school…Clay County Schools takes every threat of this nature seriously, regardless of the intent of the individual making such a threat. Karl’s comment: TICK, TICK, TICK.

Winfield Middle School student charged with having weapon on school property 10-23-17
http://wchstv.com/story/winfield-middle-school-student-charged-with-having-weapon-on-school-property
Capt. Kevin Young, the police resource officer at Winfield Middle School and Winfield High School, said a vice principal on Monday morning found the gun, which had a bullet in the chamber, in the 11-year-old boy’s backpack. Karl’s comment: TICK, TICK, TICK.

State Police: 14-year-old student accused of making terroristic threats 10-17-17
http://wchstv.com/news/local/state-police-14-year-old-student-accused-of-making-terroristic-threats
West Virginia State Police in Boone County said a 14-year-old student has been charged with making terroristic threats. The student had made threats of gun violence at Scott High School on social media. Karl’s comment: TICK, TICK, TICK.

CAMC trains W.Va. school nurses to ‘Stop the Bleed’ after injury 10-16-17
http://wvmetronews.com/2017/10/16/camc-trains-w-va-school-nurses-to-stop-the-bleed-after-injury/
West Virginia school employees are taking part in a nationwide campaign that teaches them how to control an injured person from bleeding to death…In today’s world, acts of terrorism and mass shootings are all too common. Doug Douglas, trauma nurse clinician with CAMC, said school employees need to be prepared for these types of incidents because they are first on scene. “We need to train the immediate responders. The immediate responders are those that are on the scene before EMS or law enforcement gets on the scene, so in a school situation it’s the teachers, the students, the faculty,” Douglas said. Karl’s comment: TICK, TICK, TICK.

Assistant principal arrested for DUI on night of homecoming dance 10-11-17
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/School-administrator-arrested-for-DUI-on-night-of-homecoming-dance-450442493.html
A school administrator is facing a DUI charge after investigators say he was pulled over on his way home from Wayne High School's homecoming dance…(Joe) Brumfield is the Assistant Principal at Wayne High School. According to the criminal complaint, 911 at approximately 9:37 p.m. about a reckless driver. The caller said the driver was speeding and "all over the road way" along Route 152 in Lavalette, West Virginia … He says the car was sitting for a long time at a green light before crossing the center line and crossing into a construction zone, almost hitting a barrel … In addition to showing physical signs of intoxication and a scent of alcohol, Selbee says there was a half empty small bottle of vodka in the passenger seat inside a paper bag. Karl’s comment: Another great example for the students. Search these WV News pages for many more.

Washington Irving Middle School teacher arrested for disorderly conduct 10-6-17
http://wvmetronews.com/2017/10/06/washington-irving-middle-school-teacher-arrested-for-disorderly-conduct/
A Washington Irving Middle School teacher is facing charges for disorderly conduct, following an incident that occurred during the school hours Wednesday…According to  criminal complaint filed in Harrison County Magistrate Court, Officer Justin M. Moore of the Clarksburg Police Department responded to the call, and upon arriving on scene, Moore was guided to the principal’s office. (Ashleigh Lynn Airhart, 35, of Clarksburg,) appeared to be upset and then walked out into the hallway yelling and cussing. Airhart was advised to stop cussing and was escorted out of the school. While outside, she continued to yell and cuss and was advised several times to stop and calm down. Moore said in the criminal complaint that Airhart advised she was on medication. Airhart was given a field sobriety test to see if she would be able to drive, and she failed. She continued to yell and cuss and was detained. Airhart was advised to calm down and go home, or she would be arrested. She requested a ride to her residence. Moore said that as soon as Airhart was let out of the cruiser, she began to cuss while approaching her residence. Airhart then turned toward the officers, continued cussing and flipped off the officers. Airhart was advised a third time to stop cussing, in which she refused, and she was arrested for disorderly conduct. Airhart is the gifted education teacher at Washington Irving Middle School. She has been employed by the Harrison County Board of Education for the past 10 years. Karl’s comment: Another of many sad situations documented in these WV News pages and there is no way I can catch them all.
A children’s literature expert added: “So verbal cussing is problematic, but hundreds of F-Words in kiddie books is educational.”

Your tax dollars paying for a new virtual school, even though you've already been funding one 10-4-17
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Your-tax-dollars-paying-for-a-new-virtual-school-even-though-youve-already-
been-funding-one-449480003.html
Kanawha County is starting an online schooling program. The state already has one, though, one that has been funded for the last 17 years…Kanawha County schools (approved) a new job opening: Executive Director Virtual Instruction Program. Their own pay schedule shows qualified applicants are starting at more than $85,000, and more experience could mean up over $100,000. “Students…can participate in sports, activities, that way they can access the counseling services. But they might be a full time online student taking virtual classes." The schools said those in the home schooling community and those students who are medically homebound have been some of the most vocal in support…Several members of the West Virginia Home Educators Association tell WSAZ that most in the home school community have no desire to return to the public school system, deal with Common Core standards or be subject to oversight by any district. Karl’s comment: I’ll ignore the implication of the headline and get to a more important point. The state wants the kids in their on line school for two reasons: (1) Money (2) Indoctrination. There is a contradiction in the article about the response from homeshool families. I hope the statement by WVHEA is accurate, but that is a secular group.

Students at center of 'criminal investigation' at Boone County high school 10-2-17
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Students-at-center-of-criminal-investigation-at-Boone-County-high-school--449128893.html
Troopers were at Scott High School Monday afternoon. They say the allegations are "potentially criminal." Troopers say they are releasing limited information due to juveniles being involved. "We just want to be very careful," West Virginia State Police tell WSAZ, to protect the victim and accused. The investigation allegedly involves several students. State police would not specify how many students are involved but say no faculty or adults are accused in the incident. Karl’s comment: Without Bible based standards things like this will happen more.

Counselors ready to help students deal with Las Vegas tragedy 10-2
http://wvmetronews.com/2017/10/02/counselors-ready-to-help-students-deal-with-las-vegas-tragedy/
High school counselors deal with traumatic events in three ways including acknowledgement of the trauma, create a support system to help them through the trauma and show them there is light at the end of the tunnel… Promoting that community and making those connections with students,” he said. “That allows us to implement effective academic and behavioral practices and help students, parents and teachers alike build some of those resiliency skills to help them through this situation.” Karl’s comment: Will they allow the students to pray?

Wood County Schools says nearly all teaching positions filled 9-22-17
http://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/local-news/2017/09/wood-county-schools-says-nearly-all-teaching-positions-filled/
The 2017-18 school year started at the end of August, with the Wood County Board of Education meeting weekly during the summer months to fill positions throughout the county. (Personnel Director) Francisco said about 10 positions remain open, but some will be filled when the school board meets again next week… Francisco said that he plans to review the district’s substitute teaching positions in the coming month to determine if there are any shortages. In the past, Wood County Schools has had trouble finding enough substitutes to meet demand. Karl’s comment: This is a common issue in "public" schools.

Former softball coach at Mussleman High accused of sexually abusing player 9-29-17
http://wvmetronews.com/2017/09/29/former-softball-coach-at-mussleman-high-accused-of-sexually-abusing-player/
A former assistant softball coach at Musselman High School is being accused of sexually abusing one of her players last season. According to the Herald Mail, (the woman), 22, of Bunker Hill was arraigned yesterday on one count of sexual abuse by a parent, guardian, custodian or person in a position of trust to a child. A complaint filed against (her) accused her of engaging in a sexual relationship with a teenage student between April and June. Court records show (she) reportedly admitted to having an intimate relationship with the student on June 2, just a day after the victim’s mother told police she found videos and photographs of (the coach) and her child engaged in intimate and sexual contact. Karl’s comment: Wake up! This is not rare!! Rescue your children!!!

Kanawha County schools will hold lockdown drills 9-22-17
http://wchstv.com/news/local/kanawha-county-schools-will-hold-lockdown-drills
Kanawha County schools will be holding lockdown drills next week. On Monday, Sept. 25, lockdown drills will be conducted for elementary and pre-schools, said Briana Warner, spokeswoman for the school system. Lockdown drills will be held Wednesday, Sept. 27, for middle and high schools. The drills will last 30 minutes and will be routine drills. Warner said the times when the drills will be held will be staggered, and they will not be announced in advance. “In a real-life, lockdown, emergency situation, you don’t know in advance,” Warner said. “Every school will do it at a different time.” Karl’s comment: Lock dons are mainly for armed intruders. They do not drill for something that cannot happen. Rescue your children!

Two former Boone County Schools board members indicted 9-20-17
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/WVSP-investigating-Boone-County-Schools-embezzlement-case-413869173.html
Two former Boone County School board members are facing multiple charges after indictments were unsealed on Wednesday. Mark Sumpter and Danny Cantley are both charged with multiple counts of "gifts to public servants prohibited." Karl’s comment: See the 3-8 entry below.


State Police investigating allegations of physical violence toward student
9-18-17
http://wchstv.com/news/local/state-police-investigating-allegations-of-physical-violence-toward-student
West Virginia State Police are investigating allegations that a substitute teacher became physically violent toward a student in Mingo County.  The teacher is accused of grabbing the student in a forceful manner at Lenore K-8 school. Karl’s comment: Just another day in Prison Schools.

Capital High School Closed for Remainder of Week to Clean 60 Classrooms 9-18-17
http://www.tristateupdate.com/story/36394265/capital-high-school-closed-for-remainder-of-week-to-clean-60-classrooms
Capital High School will be closed for the remainder of the week. Students will not have to make days up at the end of the school year. Teachers will be allowed back into their classrooms to remove items that could be damaged by the cleaning process. Karl’s comment: Imagine if this was a Christian school. The criticism would be loud and long.

Christian Parent Upset After Middle School Students Are Shown Pro-Homosexual Video During Class 9-16-17
http://blackchristiannews.com/2017/09/christian-parent-upset-after-middle-school-students-are-shown-pro-homosexual
-video-during-class/
A conservative Christian parent in West Virginia has voiced concern after a middle school teacher showed her class a suicide prevention music video that featured two male high school students in bed together and a sex toy…The plot of the video follows a gay African-American student as he struggles to gain society’s acceptance of his sexual orientation. In one scene, the student visits a male classmate’s house and has dinner with the classmate and his parents. The next scene shows the classmate’s dad catching his son in bed with the male student. In another scene, the African-American student opens his gym locker to find a dildo affixed to the inside of the locker door as an anti-gay joke. Karl’s comment: It is a relentlessprocess of indoctrinating children with the homosexual agenda.

WV average ACT score decreases, but participation up again 9-16-17
http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-education/20170916/wv-average-act-score-decreases-but-participation-up-again
West Virginia sophomores, juniors and seniors who indicated they were scheduled to graduate in 2017 had a 20.4 average composite ACT score, down from 20.7 for the 2016 graduating class and from 20.6 for the class that graduated five years ago. The class of 2017’sdata, released this month, is possibly the fullest view of student performance through this test that the state will ever see. The state Department of Education announced last week that it has picked the SAT, not the ACT, as the new statewide standardized test for high school juniors, starting this spring.

The estimated percentage of Mountain State graduates taking the ACT increased from 67 percent in the class of 2016 to 69 percent in the class of 2017…The participation increase for the class of 2017 may have meant more poorer-performing students took the test than in the 2016 graduating class.

In future years, the state’s ACT participation rates and average composite scores may look far different from the past results. The ACT has been more popular in West Virginia than the SAT in the past, but it hasn’t been provided for free to the vast majority of public school students, like the SAT will now be, and high schools haven’t been held accountable by the state for their students’ ACT performance. The education department’s decision means high schools will be held accountable for SAT performance.

Despite the SAT choice, education department Communications Director Kristin Anderson wrote in an emailed response to questions, including why the composite ACT score had dropped, that “Under the new school accountability system, we do anticipate seeing gains among our students, because the system will deliberately pinpoint areas where improvement is needed within schools.” “Resources and support will be customized to help schools improve in the areas where they need it most,” she wrote.

Earlier this year, state lawmakers passed and Gov. Jim Justice signed a law (House Bill 2711) that dumped the Smarter Balanced end-of-year standardized tests and effectively forced the state to replace Smarter Balanced with either the ACT or the SAT in high school. Rather than actual graduating class sizes, ACT uses estimations provided by Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education reports. For the past several years, ACT used a report issued in December 2012, but for the class of 2017 estimation, it used a report from December 2016.

Ed Colby, senior director of public relations for ACT, an Iowa-based nonprofit, said the change in reports for estimating graduating class sizes means it’s fair to take the one-year participation rate changes with a grain of salt. But he noted there was also an increase in the sheer number of West Virginia students taking the ACT from the class of 2016 to the class of 2017, from about 11,700 to 12,000.

The nationwide ACT participation rate dropped from 64 percent for the class of 2016 to 60 percent for the class of 2017. In a report, ACT said the national percentage of graduates “ready for college coursework in three or four subject areas” rose slightly from the class of 2016 to the class of 2017, but said these “gains can be explained largely by the reduced number of states administering the ACT to all students compared to last year — particularly in Michigan and Illinois, where average scores rose substantially.”

The national composite ACT score rose from 20.8 for the class of 2016 to 21 for the class of 2017, but the national and state figures are hard to compare. West Virginia and 33 other states didn’t require most public school students to take the ACT, Colby said, and states that do have that mandate generally have their average scores weighed down by the poorer performances of students who aren’t planning to go to college. The ACT reports also show the percentage of W.Va. students taking what the ACT defines as a “core curriculum” has dropped 11 percentage points, from 81 percent in the class of 2013 to 70 percent in the class of 2017.

ACT defines this core as taking at least four years of English and at least three years each of math, natural science and social studies. The composite ACT score for West Virginia students who weren’t taking at least the core was 18.6, compared to 21.2 for those students who did. Colby said students report this data themselves and course name differences can impact this reporting, “so those data should be interpreted with some caution.”

Also, a sophomore could be counted as taking the core despite not having yet taken all the core classes…

The ACT reports also show that the state’s black students tested in the class of 2017, when they represented only 4 percent of the tested students but still were the largest minority, had an average composite ACT score of 17.5, compared to the 20.4 average for all students. Black students’ average composite score was down from 17.7 in the class of 2016, but was the same as five years ago.

To receive the state’s signature Promise Scholarship, students need at least a 22 composite ACT score, which is on a scale of 1-36. The composite score combines the test’s separate English, reading, math and science subject sections, but not the optional writing section. They also must get a 20 on each of those ACT subjects, excluding the writing portion, and must have at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale, or what is considered a B average, in both core coursework and overall coursework. Students can submit SAT scores instead of ACT scores.
Karl’s comment: There is lots of smoke and mirrors involved here. I bold faced some admissions. The ACT composite score of 20.4 is down, but still considered OK. It means the average is higher than 50% of national test takers (http://blog.prepscholar.com/what-is-a-good-act-score-a-bad-act-score-an-excellent-act-score). It will be interesting to follow the future test repots until they change to something else.

State Board of Education member reportedly charged with DUI 9-8-17
http://wvmetronews.com/2017/09/08/state-board-of-education-member-reportedly-charged-with-dui/
A Monongalia County native and member of the West Virginia State Board of Education is charged with DUI following an accident early Friday morning. The Dominion Post reported early Friday evening that Francis S. Vitale, 43, of Morgantown is charged with DUI and leaving the scene of an accident. Vitale reportedly apologized and told the paper that “it will never happen again” and that he would “never have gotten behind the wheel” if he thought he was impaired. Karl’s comment: Sad incident.

Kanawha high schools see double-digit increases, drops in test proficiency rates 9-5-17
http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-education/20170905/kanawha-high-schools-see-double-digit-increases-drops-
in-test-proficiency-rates
The percentage of public school students deemed at least “proficient” in math on statewide standardized tests has increased at about the same rate in Kanawha County as the rest of the state: up 4-5 percentage points over a three-year period leading up to last school year. And the fact that Kanawha had about the same English language arts “proficiency rate” last school year as it did in the 2014-15 school year tracks with the three-year statewide trend, which saw the English rate grow only 1 percentage point over that time.

Looking just at high school juniors statewide, their English proficiency rate has increased just 3 percentage points since 2014-15, to total 50 percent last school year. The statewide increase in juniors’ math proficiency rate over that time has only been 2 percentage points, to total 22 percent last school year.

County-and school-level results for last school year are posted publicly online at zoomwv.k12.wv.us. Education experts say socioeconomic characteristics like family income are the biggest factor in how students score on standardized exams.

For Kanawha’s juniors, their English proficiency rate has increased 4 percentage points over that time, to hit 57 percent last school year, while the math proficiency rate improvement mirrored the statewide 2-percentage-point gain, bringing that math rate to 25 percent in Kanawha last school year…

Of Kanawha’s high schools, Herbert Hoover has seen the biggest percentage point increase in English from the 2014-15 school year to last school year: 13 percentage points. Its 69 percent English proficiency rate last school year ranked it No. 3 among Kanawha high schools, behind St. Albans’ 71 percent and George Washington’s 73 percent

Riverside and Capital tied for the biggest percentage point gain in math from 2014-15 to last school year. Each grew 6 percentage points. Riverside’s 15 percent math proficiency rate last school year still ranked it No. 6 among Kanawha high schools, exceeding the 12 percent proficiency rates at both Sissonville and South Charleston. Capital, with a 26 percent math proficiency rate last school year, tied Hoover for No. 4 and No. 5…

That lowered Nitro’s English proficiency rate to 43 percent, only higher than Capital’s 42 percent.

A state law passed in this year’s legislative session bans Smarter Balanced from being the statewide standardized test and also requires the state to use either the ACT or SAT as the new statewide standardized test for high schoolers…

Sissonville’s 55 percent English proficiency rate last school year tied with South Charleston’s rate for the fourth- and fifth-highest English rate among the eight high schools…

Capital’s 13-percentage-point gain in math from 2015-16 to last school year was the largest one-year gain in math. Capital’s 26 percent math proficiency rate last school year tied it with Hoover for the fourth- and fifth-highest math proficiency rates among the eight high schools. George Washington’s 16 percentage point drop in math from 2015-16 to last school year was the biggest one-year drop in math, though its 42 percent proficiency rate last school year was still the highest among Kanawha high schools. (Bold font added.)

Karl’s comment: The headline to this article is not too bad, but a typical reader will focus on “ double-digit increases”. Another report listed these smoke and mirrors items:

> KCS improved its math proficiency schools from 2016-2017 in six out of seven grade levels tested.
>Three year thrends (sic) show KCS up two percentage point in ELA and up seven percentage point in math since 2014-2015.
(http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/KCS-Smarter-Balanced-Test-Scores-released-442826023.html)

The Gazette-Mail report above focuses on Kanawha County which proudly resisted teaching science truth about evolution and bravely fought Christian parents who wanted to protect their children .

See my comments under the 8-31 entry below regarding the percentages compared to report card grades. After the 8-31 post, I found the definition of “proficient” used by the West Virginia Department of Education. According to an official of the Office of Assessment (via email) proficiency is “ the percent of students who scored at Level 3 or 4 on ELA and math.” (ELA is English Language Arts.) There are four levels.

Looking at the link he provided to the West Virginia Assessment Report Results Educator Toolkit I found the four levels at best would be on an A-D report card scale. I actually would rate them as A, C, C-, and F. That is assuming the actual standards are not dumbed down. Here are the Mathematics and ELA Achievement Level Descriptors for Grades 3-5 (page 3 of the document):

Level 4 The student has exceeded the achievement standard and demonstrates advanced progress toward mastery of the knowledge and skills in [content area] needed for likely success in future coursework.
Level 3 The student has met the achievement standard and demonstrates progress toward mastery of the knowledge and skills in [content area] needed for likely success in future coursework.
Level 2 The student has nearly met the achievement standard and may require further development to demonstrate the knowledge and skills in mathematics needed for likely success in future coursework.
Level 1 The student has not met the achievement standard and needs substantial improvement to demonstrate the knowledge and skills in mathematics needed for likely success in future coursework.

Grades 6-8 and 9-11 differ very little mainly referring to college prep.

After commenting on the state-wide testing report (8-31 below) I did some research about the Smarter Balanced test. It is based at the University of California, which is certainly not known for valuing the values of most of America, and the Smarter Balanced Test is aligned with Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The test is taken on computers or tablets and is set up so that if a student answers a question correctly he gets a harder question. If he misses a question, he gets an easier question.

Due to resistance to CCSS, one of the federally funded groups (The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium) that developed the tests is seeking to unite with college admission tests (ACT or SAT) to make a blended test. It is really about market share and financial viability.

The root of the issue is the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) which is entangled with CCSS. The ESSA has the potential to drastically change testing nationwide. As I have reported elsewhere in these WV News pages , the ivory tower “thinkers” come up with some new pie-in-the-sky program periodically, give it a buzzword name (such as New Math), and rake in the money while students suffer. I list more of these federal (from both parties) boondoggles in my speech about the need to rescue our children. These scams involve billions of dollars!

Sources:

http://www.smarterbalanced.org/about/
http://www.smarterbalanced.org/assessments/testing-technology/devices-and-browsers/
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2017/02/smarter_balanced_looks_to_combine_common_core_college_entrance_tests.html
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/01/04/states-districts-still-wrestling-with-flexibility-on.html?intc=EW-QC17-
TOC&_ga=1.106531844.606114338.1447276416

Logan teacher arrested after accused of sending explicit photos 9-1-17
http://wchstv.com/story/logan-county-teacher-arrested-after-sending-explicit-photos
A Logan County High School health teacher was arrested Friday after she was accused of sending numerous explicit photos to male students over the course of several months…(T)he Logan County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by the school’s administration Thursday with a concern of the possibility that (she) had sent nude photographs of herself to several male students, according to a news release from the sheriff's office. Administrators advised they were made aware of the situation when one of the students disclosed they had pictures of the teacher saved on his phone, the release said. Sgt. Nick Booth, the school resource officer, interviewed (her) and another student after being informed of the situation by the school’s principal. (She) confessed to her actions and said most of the photos were sent through Snapchat, the release said. She also told police that she did not recall the number of pictures sent and that she had sent and that she had possibly sent them to as many as five different students… The initial investigation found that numerous photos were sent to several students over the span of several months. Karl’s comment: You can easily follow the thread of school personnel sex with students throughout the WV School news headlines. Also see the comments on this issue on the main WV News page and the June 1, 2008.

Former Putnam County elementary school secretary charged with embezzlement 9-1-17
http://wchstv.com/story/putnam-county-elementary-school-secretary-charged-with-embezzlement
Former Confidence Elementary School Secretary Malinda Legg has been charged with embezzlement and falsifying accounts. A criminal complaint said she confessed to taking cash collected at the Confidence Elementary School Carnival in October 2016. That money would have been used for field trips and classroom supplies, but Legg said she used it to pay for a scam she got caught up in. Legg told investigators she covered up the theft by altering financial reports and bank statements. An audit by Putnam County Schools shows $8,368.77 was missing from the school's bank account. Karl’s comment: The Ten Commandments have been banned from public schools so stealing is of no consequence unless you get caught.

Four WV school systems see double-digit gains in math proficiency rate 8-31-17
http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-education/20170831/four-wv-school-systems-see-double-digit-gains-in-math-proficiency-rate
The Doddridge, Mingo, Taylor and Wayne county public school systems have seen over 10 percentage point increases in the portion of their students in grades three through eight and 11 scoring at least “proficient” on math standardized tests since the 2014-15 school year. The statewide math “proficiency rate” gain was about 5 percentage points over that three-year period.

Doddridge…saw its math proficiency rate increase to about 44 percent last school year on the end-of-year, statewide standardized tests, which are only given in math and English language arts. (deleted customary bragging)…Doddridge’s math proficiency rate now is the third-highest in the state, behind Putnam County’s 44 percent and Monongalia County’s 47 percent.

Kanawha’s math proficiency rate was 36 percent, ranking it 11th out of the state 55 county school systems, last school year…Wayne’s school system has not only managed a 12 percentage point increase in its math proficiency rate since 2014-15, to reach 36 percent last school year, it has seen its English proficiency rate increase 10 percentage points to reach 48 percent…The statewide English proficiency rate has only increased from 46 percent to 47 percent since 2014-15…Kanawha’s English proficiency rate hasn’t increased since 2014-15. It’s 46 percent, about the state average. (deleted customary bragging)…

The 2014-15 school year was the first time the Smarter Balanced tests, which represent most of the state’s standardized tests in math and English language arts, were given to students statewide. The West Virginia Board of Education ended math and English testing in ninth and 10th grades last school year…Because statewide math proficiency rates have been generally lower in the high school grades than in lower grades, removing consideration of the ninth and 10th grades from the 2014-15 and 2015-16 data generally makes math countywide proficiency rates look better. Putnam’s 44 percent math proficiency rate is up 4 percentage points from 2014-15, while its 55 percent English proficiency rate is the same as in 2014-15. (Bold font added)
Karl’s comment: The headline would be funny if the situation was not so serious! Taxpayers, and parents, read it and think the report is a good one. The truth is that it is pure propaganda. Take a look at an obvious admission. They removed the bad scores of grades 9 and 10. That made the scores look better because the longer kids are in the system the dumber they get. Bragging about improving from terrible (24%) to a little less terrible (36%) is laughable. The last time I checked, the West Virginia grading scales was : A = 93 to 100 B = 85 to 92 C = 75-84 D = 65-74 F = 0-64 Look at the percentages from the test report and see if you would be happy if your child brought home those grades.

Since West Virginia no longer uses a nationally normed test, West Virginia students cannot be compared to students across the nation.  The "Nation's Report Card" (NAEP) is the best indicator of how West Virginia students are performing.  There you can find how West Virginia students score

Graduation rates are a joke.  It is common knowledge that students are pushed through the system. The amount of college "bonehead" courses used to be a way to see the lack of academic preparedness of “public” school students.  Since colleges are likely dumbing down, this source is becoming less accurate.

Maybe I have missed it, but I have not located a clear definition of "proficient" for the West Virginia tests.  Webster defines "proficient" as:  well advanced in an art, occupation, or branch of knowledge.  (Bold font added.) I doubt that is accurate for the West Virginia report.  Even if it is, the percentages are pathetic as demonstrated by the normal grade scale above.

The NAEP provides a clear definition: Proficient. One of the three NAEP achievement levels, representing solid academic performance for each grade assessed. Students reaching this level have demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter, including subject-matter knowledge, application of such knowledge to real-world situations, and analytical skills appropriate to the subject matter.

The testing report of West Virginia students is intentionally confusing to the average citizen.   Following are some examples from the Smarter Balanced website.  I added the bold font.

Achievement levels are defined by Achievement Level Descriptors, the specifications for what knowledge and skills students display at each level (i.e., Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4). We refer to these categories as Levels, but each Smarter Balanced member state refers to them in different ways, such as “novice, developing, proficient, and advanced.”

Although Achievement Level Descriptors are intended to aid interpretation of the four categories, they are less precise than scaled scores for describing student growth or changes in achievement gaps among groups of students since they do not reveal changes of student scores within the four levels.

In other words, achievement levels should not be interpreted as infallible predictors of students’ futures. They must be continuously validated and should be used only in the context of the multiple sources of information that educators have about students and schools.
(
http://www.smarterbalanced.org/assessments/scores/)

Look at a bar graph from the West Virginia Department of Education on a scale of 0-100 and you will see the truth about the terrible academic performance of “public” schools.

Also, see the 8-9 comment in the news entry below.

Putnam County teacher arrested on DUI charge 8-31-17
http://wchstv.com/story/putnam-county-teacher-arrested-on-dui-charge
A former Poca High School principal who was recently hired to teach at Buffalo High School has been arrested for driving under the influence…Deputies received a call that a man was passed out behind the wheel at the Rock Branch First Sentry Bank in Nitro. When deputies arrived they said the engine was running, Knell had appeared to have urinated on himself and they could smell alcohol on his breath. Deputies performed a field sobriety test and placed Knell under arrest for driving under the influence. The deputy later gave him a breathalyzer test which showed Knell had a blood alcohol content of .088. While searching the vehicle, Deweese said deputies found a prescription bottle of Klonopin, which Knell admitted to taking before driving. The bottle had a warning that the medication could cause drowsiness… Knell is currently on probation. He had been charged with felony computer fraud for the unauthorized use of school credit card. Karl’s comment: That is a sad situation.

Dispute over Pledge of Allegiance surfaces at Spring Valley High School 8-30-17
http://wchstv.com/news/local/dispute-over-pledge-of-allegiance-surfaces-at-spring-valley-high-school
A couple of dozen students are suspended at Spring Valley High School. They say they were protesting because "one nation under God" was left out of the Pledge of Allegiance…Spring Valley High School Principal Tammy Forbush says she made a mistake when saying the Pledge of Allegiance Tuesday morning. "I left out the line that says 'and to the republic for which it stands', because I was concentrating on not leaving out 'one nation under God', said Forbush…"We were sitting in the commons today. She said herself I was debating on whether to put one nation under God in the pledge," said Brianna Frye, a student at Spring Valley High School…"We got suspended for two days and we wanted to talk like civilized people with her and she refused," said Frye…"I think it's very unfair. My daughter was suspended for two days. As of yesterday my daughter was told not to bring a Bible to school," said Misty Maynard, a parent of a student at Spring Valley High School. Parents tell us the incident is far from over. Many say they are planning to be at the next Wayne County School Board meeting, and some are seeking legal advice. Karl’s comment: The real outrage is the parents wasting time at board meetings and seeking legal advice instead of rescuing their children!

Shirt sparks dress code controversy at Berkeley County high school 8-30-17
http://wvmetronews.com/2017/08/30/shirt-sparks-dress-code-controversy-at-berkeley-county-high-school/
A 15-year-old student at Musselman High School is at the center of a controversy surrounding the school system’s dress code policy. School officials asked the boy to cover the “Last Stand” decals on his “Dukes of Hazzard” shirt last week by turning it inside out. The shirt in this featured a “Rebel Cross” which is part of the controversial Confederate battle flag. Berkeley County Schools Superintendent Manny Arvon…said the dress code policy is in place to avoid potential classroom distractions…The goal, Arvon said, is to avoid any situation that could deteriorate a great learning environment for students. Karl’s comment: Will they band a student whistling Dixie next?

Serving as Jefferson High’s resource officer, Sgt. Williams aims to impact student culture 8-28-17
http://www.journal-news.net/news/local-news/2017/08/serving-as-jefferson-highs-resource-officer-sgt-williams-aims-
to-impact-student-culture/
Dressed in a black commando-style police vest with a handgun and taser, Williams is no undercover cop here. He is watchful and ready for any possible hormone-fueled action that walks his way. But an important part of his job description is simply to listen and be a positive role model. Part counselor, part teacher, part patrolman, Williams is the first police officer assigned to work full time in a high school in Jefferson County. With a $20,000 federal matching grant, Williams’ position is funded equally by the county government and the county board of education. Berkeley County Schools has deployed police officers in its public high schools for several years. Until Williams started his new position last week, however, Jefferson County’s school district was the largest in the state without an in-school security officer… Earlier this month Williams participated in the extensive security provided for a first-degree murder trial at the Jefferson County courthouse. The trial dealt with four young men who had recently graduated or were still enrolled in Jefferson County’s two high schools when they were involved in a drug-related killing of another former county high school graduate. Karl’s comment: He wears a “ black commando-style police vest with a handgun and taser ”! Students “ involved in a drug-related killing”! Police in schools! RESCUE YOUR CHILDREN! GET THEM OUT!!


Clay County opting for moment of silence instead of prayer before school
events 8-28-17
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Clay-County-opting-for-moment-of-silence-instead-of-prayer-before-school-events-442050503.html
There will no longer be a pregame prayer read aloud over the speaker. Instead, there will be a moment of silence. The county plans to adopt this general rule before all school events. Clay County Schools Superintendent Joe Paxton tells WSAZ the decision came after one person spoke to the school board…Paxton said the district then made the call to move toward a moment of silence, citing the Supreme Court ruling that prayer at school is unconstitutional. "This is a situation that is unfortunately out of our hands. The U.S. Supreme Court is the supreme law of the land," Paxton said. Several people in the community plan to stand and pray in unison during the moment of silence at football games. Karl’s comment: It is amazing the county was even still doing it. Too bad those folks who plan to pray aloud will likely eventually fizzle out, but they will have a good feeling about themselves despite leaving their children in the Devil’s Department of Ed.

Fayette County school administrator arrested again on new sex charges 8-23-17
http://wchstv.com/story/fayette-co-educator-arrested-again-after-ongoing-sexual-abuse-investigation
 An assistant principal in Fayette County charged in May with sexually abusing a student 20 years ago when he was a teacher at another school was arrested again when another former student came forward with new allegations…The complaint charged (him) with nine additional felony counts of sexual abuse by a parent, guardian, custodian or person in a position of trust and six felony counts of first-degree sexual abuse…(He), who the sheriff's office said is an assistant principal at Valley High School, was arraigned in Fayette County Magistrate Court and released on a $100,000 bond. "Based on the information developed during this ongoing investigation, we strongly believe that there are additional victims in the community who have not yet come forward," Sheriff Mike Fridley said…At the time of the alleged incidents, (he) was a teacher at Nuttall Middle School and the alleged victim was a student at the school…Almost immediately following (his) initial arrest on these charges, a second alleged victim contacted the sheriff's office and claimed she was abused by (him)while he was a teacher at Nuttall Middle School and she was attending school there, the release said…The two females are of different ages and did not attend school at the same time. Karl’s comment: Be sure to search “Fayette” at the WV News Pages especially the Wayback Machine and see my comment under the 8-17 entry below.

Student arrested after meth found in Kanawha County schoo l 8-22-17
http://www.tristateupdate.com/story/36189400/student-arrested-after-meth-found-in-kanawha-county-school
A student has been arrested after school personnel found methamphetamine at Riverside High School earlier this morning. According to the Kanawha County Sheriff's Department, deputies were contacted shortly after a gram of meth was found. Karl’s comment: You can easily follow the thread of school personnel using illegal drugs throughout the WV School news headlines.

More than 1,200 iPads unaccounted for in Kanawha schools 8-18-17
http://wchstv.com/news/local/more-than-1200-ipads-unaccounted-for-in-kanawha-schools
The Charleston Gazette-Mail reported the Kanawha County Board of Education learned Thursday that 1,269 out of about 15,000 iPads were not recovered. Officials said the county sees about a 2.8 percent annual loss, with the largest source coming from student transfers…Starting this year, the tablets will include a new feature allowing the county to pinpoint the location of the device, she said. Eventually, the location of the missing tablets will be given to authorities. Karl’s comment: What a mess! Now, the government will intrude more into the privacy of the students (honest and dishonest).

Randolph County teacher faces felony charges 8-17-17
http://wvmetronews.com/2017/08/17/randolph-county-teacher-faces-felony-charges/
A Randolph County teacher is facing felony charges, following accusations of soliciting a minor. (He), 37, is a shop teacher at Randolph Technical Center who allegedly contacted several students through Snapchat. According to the criminal complaint, a juvenile female told Patrolman A.M. Wyshyvanuk of Elkins Police Department that (he) had attempted to initiate a relationship using Snapchat. The complaint also says that (he) asked the juvenile female to help put away tools in the closet, and after the door shut, he tried to pull her close to kiss her. Karl’s comment:You can easily follow the thread of school personnel sex with students throughout the WV School news headlines. Also see the comments on this issue on the main WV News page and the June 1, 2008. Note: This happened in an area where I spoke a few years earlier. After I finished a man (teacher?) stood up and claimed that what I said did not happen in their schools. FYI: This is not the first incident I have noted about that area of the state.
From
http://www.theintermountain.com/news/local-news/2017/08/randolph-county-teacher-arrested/: She also said she had been required to come to the school to take a final exam on June 2. When she arrived for the exam, she was told her exams would be in three parts – the first part was showing up and the second was that she “remove her underwear in the bathroom” and give them to (him), according to the complaint. After she refused to perform the second part, she did not find out what the third part was…Wyshyvanuk spoke to Randolph Technical Center administrator John Daniels, who said the alleged victim had a grade of 100 percent for a final exam, but he was unable to find a physical copy of the exam. He also told police the alleged victim should not have been required to take a final exam due to her good attendance records in (his) class…A second alleged victim, a 17-year-old girl, was interviewed and provided a signed written statement, which said (he) had grabbed her buttocks three or four times and sent her a Snapchat picture of his genitalia during the last month of school, the complaint states…The second alleged victim also said another student had told her she had met with (him) outside of school and the two had sex… Wyshyvanuk interviewed a fourth alleged victim — who is now 18 years old –who said she had been contacted via Snapchat by someone using an account “that was ‘bigdaddy,’ followed by numbers, which she thought was 1998,” court documents state. She added she received an “obscene” photograph from the user but deleted it, the complaint states.

Trial date set for ex-GW counselor’s suit against Kanawha school board 8-17-17
http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-education/20170817/trial-date-set-for-ex-gw-counselors-suit-against-kanawha-school-board
The trial between a George Washington High School counselor suing the Kanawha County Board of Education over defamation claims will begin next week…In their response to the lawsuit, lawyers representing the school district said Eller failed to report an alleged sexual assault, and that was the cause for her suspension. Karl’s comment: I wonder how many sexual assaults occur at that prestigious Kanawha County school.


FBI armed intruder training at Kanawha County school 8-10-17
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/FBI-armed-intruder-training-at-Kanawha-County-school-439740023.html
Some teachers went through an intense training session Thursday morning about how to handle an armed intruder situation. The FBI created a mock school shooting scenario at Kenna Elementary School. "The decisions that are made by the staff of an organization or teachers at a school can make a difference between life and death," FBI agent Murry Streetman said Thursday. The agents fired off blank shots around the school and gave teachers tips for spotting threats…All Kanawha County faculty members are required to do armed intruder training, but this FBI session was just an enhancement to that training. Karl’s comment: They do not practice for something that is not possible to happen.

Classmates team up to make 'buddy bench' to help bullied students
8-11-17
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Classmates-make-buddy-bench-439868953.html
Adysen and Abbigail are going into the 5th grade at Chamberlain Elementary in Charleston. The two girls have come together to make a "buddy bench" at their school. Adysen says the bench is for people who are feeling lonely or being bullied. They can go over to the buddy bench and sit down and somebody can go over and talk to them and invite them to play with them. Karl’s comment: This is sweet propaganda. “Bullying” is code for the homosexual agenda. Bullying has always been around. It is something that does not exist in a home school. See the next item.

9-year-old bullying survivor shares his story 8-10-17
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/9-year-old-bullying-survivor-shares-his-story-439772673.html
The bullying started when Gage was just 7 years old. The bullies not only called him names and would write on his body and clothing, but also physically assaulting him. Gage's mother, Amber, says her son was assaulted five different times -- one time being slammed into the side of the bus. "He didn't want to get out of bed, he really went into a deep depression," Amber Simon said. "We were riding in the car and he said, 'Mom, I don't even know why I exist... I feel like God made a mistake, why am I even here?' “That was six months ago -- and the start to 9-year-old Gage's homeschooling. Karl’s comment: Praise God that they rescued their child!

Final Smarter Balanced test results released 8-9-17
http://wvmetronews.com/2017/08/09/final-smarter-balanced-test-results-released/
Math scores improved in grades 4-8 and 11 but students are still testing at about 33 percent proficiency, according to Dr. Lou Maynus, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning… Proficiency in English language arts (ELA) is around 50 percent but most grades didn’t show the gains that math did. Proficiency was 45 percent in grades 3, 6 and 8 to a high of 50 percent in grade 11. Science proficiency levels were around 39 percent, the numbers showed. Last spring was the final testing period for Smarter Balanced after the state lawmakers passed a bill to get rid of it. The state School Board is expected to choose a new form of testing later this year. Karl’s comment: They keep changing tests, but the results are the same—lousy. Just search for “tests” in these WV News pages for proof.

Report: West Virginia has 3rd-worst school system in US 8-1-17
http://www.tristateupdate.com/story/36020301/report-west-virginia-has-3rd-worst-school-system-in-us
An analysis that included pupil-teacher ratio, dropout rates, and median standardized test scores showed West Virginia’s school systems are the 3rd-worst in the US… West Virginia is also ranked as 17th in spending, causing them to be classified as a high spending and weak school system. Karl’s comment: Counting DC, West Virginia was 49th out of 51 and only 0.67 above number 50 in total score. See the report at https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-the-best-schools/5335/#main-findings. This pie chart (http://www.budget.wv.gov/reportsandcharts/appropriations/Documents/tot18app.pdf) from the West Virginia Government website shows that 43.5% ($1992.8 BILLION) of the state budget will go to public education ion 2018! Other years can be found at http://www.budget.wv.gov/reportsandcharts/appropriations/Pages/default.aspx by clicking on each year’s “Total Appropriations for General Lottery and Excess Lottery Funds”. Homeschoolers educate their children MUCH better for MUCH less.


Group of Kanawha County churches hosting luncheon for teachers
7-27-17
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Group-of-Kanawha-County-churches-hosting-luncheon-for-teachers-437085563.html
Teachers from Flinn Elementary, Sissonville Elementary, Sissonville Middle School and Sissonville High School are invited to a luncheon on August 11 at Aldersgate United Methodist Church. The luncheon will start at noon. As a way to help the teachers out, the churches are also collecting school supply donations. Anything ranging from binders, pencils, crayons, glue sticks and markers. The donations are being accepted at Aldersgate United Methodist until August 7…North Hills Baptist Church, Maranatha Baptist Church, Lighthouse Worship Center, Calvary Nazarene and Humphreys United Methodist are all assisting in the luncheon. Karl’s comment: “We have met the enemy and he is us.” (Pogo) This is akin to Rabbis hosting a diner for Concentration Camp guards and giving the victims pen and paper to write home with.


Bridgeport football coach arrested, charged with attempting to seduce minor
7-21-17
http://wvmetronews.com/2017/07/21/bridgeport-highs-football-coach-arrested-charged-with-attempting-to-seduce-minor/
The head football coach of Bridgeport High School is facing two felony charges Friday afternoon following the execution of search warrants by the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department at Liberty High School and Bridgeport High School. (He), 34, of Bridgeport, is charged with one felony count each of soliciting a minor via computer and use of obscene matter with intent to seduce a minor…In addition to his coaching responsibilities, (he) teaches Physical Education at Liberty High School…As coach, (he) led Bridgeport to three state titles in three years before the streak was finally snapped last December.
From a 7-24 report: (He), 34, of Bridgeport, is accused of distributing obscene matter to a 14-year-old victim over a two-and-a-half month period from May 1, 2017 through July 18, 2017. The complaint further states that Nicewarner sent a video of himself “simulating masturbation” to the girl. Additionally, the complaint said Nicewarner “asked the victim to send photos of herself in various stages of undress and/or simulating sexual acts.”
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Criminal-complaint-Bridgeports-Nicewarner-knew-alleged-victims-age-436314383.html
Karl’s comment: You can easily follow the thread of school personnel sex with students throughout the WV School news headlines. Also see the comments on this issue on the main WV News page and the June 1, 2008.

Skylar Neese making positive impact five years after death 7-6-17
http://wvmetronews.com/2017/07/06/skylar-neese-making-positive-impact-five-years-after-death/
Bubbly, sweet, energetic and shy, all wrapped up into one. That’s how Dave and Mary Neese remember their daughter Skylar, now five years after she was tragically murdered by two high school classmates. On July 6, 2012, 16-year-old Skylar snuck out of her home in Star City and met up with two friends, Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy, who later that night stabbed Skylar to death. It wasn’t until December, that Shoaf confessed to authorities that she and Eddy had planned and carried out Skylar’s murder. Karl’s comment: It did not happen at school, but I guarantee you it was connected to school.

Really Improving W.Va. Public Schools 7-2-17
http://www.theintelligencer.net/opinion/editorials/2017/07/really-improving-w-va-public-schools/
Clearly, what Mountain State public schools have been trying for many years has not been working. In comparison to students in many other states, West Virginia boys and girls do not perform well in various measures of academic quality…Real change is needed. State legislators and, more important, their constituents, have demanded it. Let us hope state school officials have a change-plan ready. Karl’s comment: The Wheeling editor admits the problem, but clings to the fruitless hope that the state can fix it.


Education reform starting to pay off for WV
6-27-17
http://wvmetronews.com/2017/06/27/education-reform-starting-to-pay-off-for-wv/
Efforts by educational leaders in West Virginia to increase the number of students passing college entry level math and English classes are starting to pay off, according to the Higher Education Policy Commission. The HEPC met earlier this month and announced their findings, they believe the change is in part due to recent efforts to reform college’s remedial education programs. In the past, one in four West Virginia students at colleges have been required to take a remedial math or English class because of their high school grade point averages or entrance exam test…Remedial classes regularly offer no credit towards a degree, which can lead to a lack of motivation and dropouts…The new format, known in the education world as a co-requisite model, provided students who have low GPAs or entrance exam scores with extra help. That help comes in the form of required tutoring, extra lab classes, or even two teachers to one class so students get more individual attention…The new model also wiped out remedial classes that students received no credit for taking and replaced them with co-requisite classes. This allowed students to complete college level coursework that counted toward their degrees, while also getting the help they needed in any weak areas. Karl’s comment: The point is that the students lave the government school system unprepared for college. This just gives them an incentive to learn what they did not learn in the previous 13 plus years of government “education.”

WV state school board considering no-labels school accountability plan 6-16-17
http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-education/20170616/wv-state-school-board-considering-no-labels-school-accountability-plan
Following its abandonment of two “summative” labeling systems in three years, the West Virginia Board of Education is now considering a new school accountability system that would no longer give any overall labels to entire schools. For the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school years, the board’s “Accountability Index” labeled entire schools with words like “success” and “priority.”… After dumping that and having no summative labeling system for 2014-15, the board gave entire schools A-F grades for their performance in 2015-16… Karl’s comment: You can be sure they will continue to cloud the conclusion that the results are crummy.

Teen pleads guilty to bringing loaded gun to high school football game 6-13-17
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Police-say-man-took-loaded-gun-to-high-school-football-game-400179131.html
A teen who carried a loaded gun to a high school football game last fall pleaded guilty Tuesday. Alexander Haynes, who was 18 at the time, was arrested in November at a St. Albans football game. Police say they smelled marijuana. After police confronted Haynes, he told them he had a gun in his backpack. The gun was loaded with eight rounds. Karl’s comment: TICK, TICK, TICK.


Putnam school board suspends 3 employees 6-6-17
http://myinforms.com/en-us/a/463320507-putnam-school-board-suspends-3-employees/
The Putnam County Board of Education voted during its regular meeting Monday to suspend three school system employees without pay. The board voted unanimously to suspend professional employees Sarah Black and Karen Absten, and service employee Bryan Morrison. The board voted to suspend Black, who is listed as a teacher at Hurricane High School on the West Virginia Department of Education website, for four days — effective May 26. Absten, who is listed as a special education teacher at Poca Middle School on the state Department of Education website, was suspended for 15 days — effective May 24. The board approved to suspend Morrison, who is listed as an aide at Winfield Elementary School, for 18 days — effective May 9. Putnam County Schools spokeswoman Micah Osborne said after the meeting that the school system could not comment on personnel matters. Karl’s comment: HMMMMM. The union would not put up with that unless it was a case of indisputable evidence. If it involves children the information should not be hidden. I wonder how often this happens in every county.


FBI event at Putnam school trains teachers how to respond to shooting
6-2-17
http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-education/20170602/fbi-event-at-putnam-school-trains-teachers-how-to-respond-to-shooting
The scent of gunpowder seeped into Room 30 at Scott Teays Elementary School on Friday morning — active-shooter training had begun. It started with about 40 teachers and a handful of local deputies and special agents. The Federal Bureau of Investigation organized the event to familiarize teachers with the sound of gunfire inside a school. Authorities fired blank rounds of ammunition from handguns, rifles and shotguns…Jim Wisniewski, a special agent for the FBI, said…You’re the students’ parents for most of their day, really,” he said, addressing the faculty and staff. Wisniewski said most shooters are focused on raising the death toll from the first shot to the time police arrive. A barricaded door might deter an attacker who is pressed for time, he said. Teachers also are encouraged to turn off their cellphones if they stay in a classroom. The shooter might break through a barricaded door if he or she knows people are inside.

Other teachers may decide the class needs to run instead of hide. Kindergarten teacher Kathy Chadwell tried to open a window during the training. Chadwell realized the window in her classroom only opened half way, making it hard for some students to make an escape…“A tactical team shows up, both from local law enforcement and the FBI,” he said, describing the aftermath of a shooting. “That will probably happen within 30 to 40 minutes ... an eternity.”…(Teacher) Aurelio attended similar training, minus the live-fire sessions, at Rock Branch Elementary School in 2016. Per school policy, she keeps her door locked at all times, unlocking it only to let students leave and return…In 2014, Charleston Area Medical Center’s Teays Valley Hospital provided medical bags to every school in Putnam County. The bags contain more than the average first aid kit, including a stethoscope, gloves, splints and trauma dressing. Speakers at Friday’s program encouraged the teachers to familiarize themselves with the medical bagOne unlocked door or an unused sign-in sheet could make way for disaster. Karl’s comment: Folks, PLEASE rescue your children. They do not put all of this effort into something that cannot happen! (I bolded some key parts for your reading attention.)

Nearly $2,700 missing from safe at West Virginia high school 5-31-17
http://wchstv.com/news/local/nearly-2700-missing-from-safe-at-west-virginia-high-school
Authorities are investigating the theft of nearly $2,700 from a safe at a West Virginia high school. Ohio County Schools Superintendent Kim Miller told media outlets the theft occurred from an office at Wheeling Park High School. Miller said the county sheriff's office is investigating. Karl’s comment: Since the Ten Commandments have been banned, no need to heed number 8.

Nicholas County BOE Secretary Arrested for Assault, Disorderly 5-30-17
http://www.tristateupdate.com/story/35549588/nicholas-county-boe-secretary-arrested-for-assault-disorderly-conduct
The Executive Secretary for the Nicholas County Board of Education has been arrested and charged with assault and disorderly conduct… Kim Belletto, 42, of Canvas approached the man on the road with the juveniles and began yelling at them. Belletto started saying expletives at one of the juveniles, and then proceeded to punch one of the windows in the car that one of the juveniles was sitting in with her fist.  As the car pulled away from Belletto, she continued to yell foul language and give inappropriate hand gestures to the occupants of the vehicle.  Karl’s comment: She was just reflecting behavior that occurs in a typical government school.

AFT President denounces Trump cuts during McDowell County school tour 5-22-17
http://wvmetronews.com/2017/05/22/aft-president-denounces-trump-cuts-during-mcdowell-county-school-tour/
The national president of the American Federation of Teachers union says the Trump Administration’s proposed budget cuts to education are “cruel” and would be “catastrophic” for West Virginia schools, particularly in rural McDowell County…“I cannot believe that anyone who works with children would put forward a budget that cuts the programs that work here,” she said…The program is designed to provide academic support through a variety of services at the school including an after-school program, mentoring, dental cleanings, mental health counseling, free meals, robotics coding and yoga classes. The after-school program runs four days a week for two hours per day…Christine Campbell, president of AFT-West Virginia, joined Weingarten on the tour…McDowell is one of the poorest counties in America with a 100 percent poverty rate, according to Cruey. Student enrollment has dropped significantly…“In the last year, the county has lost over 200 children,” she said. Weingarten said a lot of that has to do with the loss of jobs due to the downturn in coal…The loss of funding to McDowell County would mean cutting 13 teacher positions or ending professional development programs for nearly 100 teachers. Karl’s comment: It sounds like the teacher union cares, but it is all about $$$ for teachers and government control of families.

Camera found in Clay County Middle School locker room 5-22-17
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Investigation-underway-after-device-found-at-Clay-County-Middle-School-423664104.html
Superintendent Joe Paxton confirms to WSAZ a camera was found in a locker room at Clay County Middle School. Paxton says they did not find footage of students on the camera. School officials learned about the camera Friday and law enforcement was called to the school. Karl’s comment: No one can know how often something similar has happened.

West Virginia schools rethink sex ed 5-21-17
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/west-virginia-schools-rethink-sex-ed/
These teachers and administrators in Beckley, West Virginia, are learning how to teach students comprehensive sex education. Part of their day is spent role playing how to answer students’ tough questions…“How do you know if you’re ready to maybe have sex?” Local education officials, frustrated by the state’s teen pregnancy rate, started this initiative three years ago…Since the 1990s, teen pregnancy rates have decreased across the United States. But in the mid-2000s, West Virginia’s rate spiked in the opposite direction. Today, it has the 6th highest teen birth rate of the 50 states…  Of every eight babies that were born in West Virginia, one was born to a teen mother. Karl’s comment: The science is behind Abstinence.

West Virginia teacher charged with two counts of sexual abuse 5-18-17
http://www.localdvm.com/news/west-virginia-teacher-charged-with-two-counts-of-sexual-abuse/716551007
A former vocal teacher who was charged with sexual abuse was indicted on Wednesday in Berkeley County. (The) Thirty-year-old (man) was charged with two counts of sexual abuse by a person in a position of trust and internet solicitation of a minor. Karl’s comment: You can easily follow the thread of school personnel sex with students throughout the WV School news headlines. Also see the comments on this issue on the main
WV News page and the June 1, 2008.

Investigation underway after police officer arrests high school student in school 5-17-17
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Investigation-underway-after-police-officer-arrests-high-school-student-in-school--422849014.html
The incident in question happened Wednesday in the hallway of Logan High School. Logan City Police confirm to WSAZ that the officer involved in the incident is a Logan City Police officer. According to police, the school's vice principal gave the 16-year-old student instructions and he ignored them, so the vice principal asked the acting school resource officer for help. Logan Police tell WSAZ the student was "unruly," and the officer asked him to go to the principal's office several times. Police say the student refused. The officer then took the student into custody and called for backup, according to police. Karl’s comment: Another day on cellblock A.

Family credits home schooling for success 5-16-17
http://wchstv.com/news/local/family-credits-home-schooling-for-success
The number of students being home schooled is on the rise. According to the West Virginia Department of Education for the 2015-16 school year, more than 11,000 students were home schooled, which is up from 7,000 just five years before… Arianna Smith graduated high school a year early and is now going to West Virginia University majoring in Chinese with a triple minor. Those are accomplishments she attributes to home schooling. (Her brother) Christian recently graduated from The Citadel, a military college in South Carolina. Karl’s comment: See more GOOD NEWS.

Policy makes sexual assaults difficult to track in WV schools 5-13-17
http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-education/20170513/policy-makes-sexual-assaults-difficult-to-track-in-wv-schools
When K-12 school officials in West Virginia learn a student may have been sexually assaulted at school, officials at the Department of Education lump those reports in with other reports of bullying and harassment, making it nearly impossible to know how many sexual assaults there are each year…Schools are the second-most common place where students are sexually violated by their peers and, when at school, students are far more likely to be sexually assaulted by their peers than by teachers, the investigation found. “This is an issue we tend to sweep under the rug,” said Jim McKay, the state coordinator for Prevent Child Abuse West Virginia…People have a hard time believing it’s occurring with the prevalence that, unfortunately, it is.” Using a combination of data from state education departments and law enforcement agencies, the AP found there were roughly 17,000 official reports of sexual assaults by students (nationally) during the survey time period. The state’s Department of Education received 757 reports of harassment, intimidation and bullying during the 2015-16 school year, the year for which the most recent complete data is available. The state received 740 reports in the 2014-15 school year, and 588 reports in the year before that…Kanawha County Schools received 151 complaints of sexual harassment during the first three nine-week periods of the current school year, according to Briana Warner, a spokeswoman for the school system. Karl’s comment: It just keeps getting more alarming! I added bold font to help you see. The WV School news headlines over the years cry loudly, “Parents, RESCUE YOUR CHILDREN!”.

West Virginia first-grader brings unloaded handgun to school 5-12-17
http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-cops-and-courts/20170512/west-virginia-first-grader-brings-unloaded-handgun-to-school
Officials are investigating after a first-grader brought an unloaded handgun to school in Harrison County.Harrison County school Superintendent Mark Manchin told The Exponent Telegram in Clarksburg that the girl apparently brought the gun to show classmates at Norwood Elementary. Manchin said children were never in harm’s way. Karl’s comment: The children are ALWAYS in harm’s way—academically, morally, physically and spiritually.

WSAZ Investigates: Innocence Exposed 5-11-17
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/WSAZ-Investigates-Innocence-Exposed--422048173.html
Sexting and revenge porn have been a problem in school for years. Law enforcement says group exchanges being set up between students, some as young as elementary school age, are posing a new threat to students…West Virginia State Police say they are seeing the dangerous trend more frequently in Cabell and Wayne County schools. Grose says she receives calls from those districts every week. Teens and pre-teens are the biggest offenders, but Grose says she has seen students as young as the fourth grade involved in the new trend. Karl’s comment: Even in my day (been retired over ten years) teachers intercepted obscene notes. Wake up, parents and RESCUE YOUR CHILDREN!

Kindles Replacing Textbooks At Edison High School 5-7-17
http://www.theintelligencer.net/news/community/2017/03/kindles-replacing-textbooks-at-edison-high-school/
Edison High School continues to incorporate 21st century learning as technology slowly replaces textbooks in the classroom. Students have been utilizing Chromebooks and other high-tech tools as they gain their education, and now Kindles have been added to their curriculum…The Kindles were purchased through a grant received last year from the Mary L. Snider Trust, which was named for a Jefferson County woman and distributed to local school districts to promote literacy. The grant provided $28,000 over a period of three to five years and similar updates were made at Stanton and John Gregg Elementary schools. Many English classes in grades 7-12 have access to the technology…The junior high students will also be using the Kindles on a daily basis for vocabulary as there is a full dictionary included,” Granatir added. “We are replacing old dictionaries with these electronic editions.” Principal Matt Morrison said the addition of the Kindles is part of a larger plan to enhance how students learn today and in the future. “We will have all the common core recommended books per grade level uploaded on our Kindles at EHS by the end of the year.” Karl’s comments: I call on my Christian colleagues.

A children’s literature expert: I would like to address the actual issue here on another email, but for now I just want to address one quote: “We will have all the common core recommended books per grade level uploaded on our Kindles at EHS by the end of the year.” Are these the same people who kept assuring us that the books listed on the Common Core site were nothing more than recommendations?  ...that the teachers wouldn't really be using this list?   

A technology expert: We already know that there is a mindset- the goal of what they want to achieve in government education. It isn't to instruct and fill students with valuable skills and information, but to create a certain mindset and personality that is a benefit to a global work force under a socialist system headed towards a humanist world view. Electronics = tracking. Parents buy into it because they are told all the benefits of accurate data and there kids being on track. Kids on computers, tablets, kindle, means every single thing can be tracked, and IS being tracked. These devices can easily trace so many things the average parent won't give any thought to.

An on-line education expert: Our program features very minimal time online outside of class time.  For example, we have implemented a grading system for math assignments.  The students must work each and every problem on paper.  They enter their answers into Canvas for immediate feedback (score) BUT they must attach the handwritten work to receive any credit.   Relying on Kindle or other forms of electronic books removes the parents from the equation and puts the control of available literature and contents into the hands of the producers of these electronic readers.   This I see as a step to eradicating books that do not fit into the globalists approved list.  It would not be hard to imagine the many valuable books that will fade away for future generations.  Censorship, I believe, is the appropriate term.

Ohio County Sheriff Wants More Officers In Elementary Schools 5-5-17
http://www.theintelligencer.net/news/community/2017/04/ohio-county-sheriff-wants-more-officers-in-elementary-schools/
The Ohio County Sheriff’s Department wants to place a prevention resource officer in each of the county’s public elementary schools…“Every school matters — no matter how small,” Howard said. “You saw what just happened in California. … It can happen anywhere,” he said, referring to Monday’s shooting at a school in San Bernardino, Calif., that left a student and teacher dead before the gunman killed himself. “It has been a major goal of ours to protect our children.” The new PROs would be employees of the sheriff’s department, and would be in addition to three PROs already employed as deputies with the county. Two of the deputies are placed at Wheeling Park High School, and would remain there under the plan. Karl’s comment: WAKE UP PARENTS!!!!

Middle school teacher arrested for having firearm on school grounds 5-5-17
http://www.journal-news.net/news/local-news/2017/04/middle-school-teacher-arrested-for-having-firearm-on-school-grounds/
A Charles Town Middle School teacher was arrested Tuesday for possessing a loaded firearm on school grounds…According to a criminal complaint, police spoke with Vogel about the firearm, and he said he had forgotten he had the gun inside his vehicle on several occasions and brought it to school grounds. During the interview, Vogel said he was unsure if the gun was in his vehicle on Tuesday. Vogel consented to let police search his vehicle, and a fully loaded .357 caliber revolver and a box of ammo with an additional 20 rounds for the gun was located inside the center console. Karl’s comment: If he is a responsible gun owner, he should have had the gun inside the building.

St. Mary’s brings GoNoodle exercise program to Rock Branch Elementary School 5-3-17
http://www.putnamreview.com/article-/20170503/st-marys-brings-gonoodle-exercise-program-to-rock-branch-elementary-school
Rock Branch Elementary School students gave a moving presentation to visitors at the Nitro school on April 27. As in moving by jumping, gyrating, wiggling (with a smattering of giggling) and dancing. And all of the ferocious motion entailed learning at the same time. Specifically, students in Lori Perry’s second-grade class demonstrated the GoNoodle initiative, a set of online movement and mindfulness videos to get them moving vigorously, by running, jumping, dancing, stretching and practicing moments of mindfulness beside their classroom desks… The students also expressed their thanks to St. Mary’s Medical Center during the afternoon demonstration. The Huntington-based facility is underwriting the GoNoodle program for all Putnam County elementary schools, as well as those in Cabell, Lincoln, Wayne and Mason counties and Lawrence County, Ohio. St. Mary’s Medical Center is contributing $80,000 a year for three years to GoNoodle… RBES Principal Beth Scott said the GoNoodle initiative started in a couple of RBES classrooms three years ago. Interest spread until the entire student body of approximately 230 children in kindergarten through fifth grade has become actively (literally) involved. Last week’s event served as a showcase of GoNoodle programs for the public, Scott said… RBES kindergarten teacher Ruth Dent said this is the first year her class has employed GoNoodle programs at RBES, but it is already paying dividends. For example, a recent Earth Day study of the water cycle was abetted by a GoNoodle video performance of rappers and dancers, she said… In West Virginia, more than 26,000 students in 81 elementary schools in six counties are moving more with GoNoodle’s in-classroom physical activity movement and mindfulness videos, Sheils said. Worldwide, GoNoodle is used in more than 600,000 classrooms by more than 12 million children each month. Karl’s comment: T he article contains photos of smiling children.  I would have not read the article and assumed it was just another education boondoggle good for publicity more than anything elase.  However, the print copy inserted a heading above the top photo that said "MOTION & MINDFULNESS".   That got my attention! "Mindfulness" is a sneaky way of inserting New Age religion into government schools. Taxpayers (especially parents should Become Mindful of Mindfulness . Satan is excellent at mixing poison with some harmless (or even "good") stuff.  Like I say in my insect presentations, insecticides only have a minute amount of actual poison, but they are deadly! Here is one of the GoNoodle videos that is blatantly New Age religion.  The end of the video makes it clear that it is all about “mindfulness”.  The “Find Peace” video teaches children to find peace from within. This is a step along the path to getting a Spirit Guide (i.e. demonic attack). You can see many more videos on the right side of where these are located. No matter how many political battles we win, we will ultimately lose if we give our children to the enemy.

West Virginia State Police say students involved in Summers County High School B&E 5-3-17
http://wchstv.com/news/local/west-virginia-state-police-say-students-involved-in-summers-county-high-school-be
West Virginia State Police said criminal charges will be pursued against nine senior students at Summers County High School who were involved in a destruction of property incident at the school that caused thousands of dollars in damage. State Police investigated the incident Monday at the school, where damage estimated at $8,000 to $10,000 was done to the interior and exterior of the high school. Karl’s comment: Speaking of school property damage, be enlightened by searching the word “vandal” at this Textbook War Page.

Kindergarteners among youngest schoolhouse assault victims 5-2-17
http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-election/20170502/kindergartners-among-youngest-schoolhouse-
Monroe County Schools Peterstown, West Virginia, 2016
The 6-year-old stepped off the school bus on a cold January day with his coat open. A relative waiting to pick him up offered to fasten it. Instead, the kindergartener wanted help zipping and buttoning his pants, explaining that an older student had been playing a “doctor” game on him. In an interview with a child-abuse examiner, the boy said he had been forced into oral sex and fondled several times by the older student, then age 16. Police reviewed the bus”s surveillance camera footage and corroborated at least one sexual assault against the boy, along with other suspicious behavior by the other student, according to his family”s lawsuit. The district did not contest that in its legal response or that another child had provided a statement describing the older student”s conduct. Younger and older bus riders were supposed to sit separately, but the driver failed to enforce that policy, the Monroe County district acknowledged.

The student was expelled a year later, prosecuted as a juvenile and sentenced to a rehabilitation center, according to the family”s suit. He had a disciplinary history in Monroe County and another district, including a suspension for “indecent behavior.” Monroe County knew about that record and that its buses were having safety problems. According to a 2013 superintendent”s memo, there had been two allegations of “inappropriate sexual touching” of elementary students and three students were expelled for “inappropriate sexual behavior.” The memo said the superintendent told the transportation department to create seating charts for buses and keep boys and girls from each other “to reduce the opportunity for sexual misconduct." Karl’s comment: This makes me want to cry. There is no way I can find all of the horrible incidents that happen in government schools.  Remember, WV is arguably "the buckle of the Bible Belt", so no state is without serious problems.  The headlines at WV School News (or in any state) should easily be enough to move rational parents to RESCUE THEIR CHILDREN. 

Kanawha County students getting new iPads 5-1-17
http://wchstv.com/news/local/kanawha-county-students-getting-new-ipads
When Kanawha County Schools started its five contract with Apple in 2014, there was a provision that allowed the county to trade in their equipment after three years for new equipment. Although students are getting new iPads, the school system is still paying the same price as before, 2.9 million dollars. The county gets that money from state and federal grants…This new deal also extends the contract with Apple until 2021, and is also going to give every 5th grader in the county an iPad too. 5th graders are not going to take theirs home…"In a lot of classes we do all our work on iPads,” added (7 th grader)Tolliver-Hughes. Karl’s comment: From a 2014 Chicago Tribune article (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-school-tablets-privacy-met-20140928-story.html): “For better or worse, the new school model has the potential to upend how school is organized, how lessons are delivered and even the concept of homework, since assignments can be turned in long after the school building has closed. But it also raises new questions about how much freedom students should have to use their devices, and how much responsibility the school has to monitor them.” The article also mention students accessing pornography and “playing war games or shopping online during class.” A lawyer “advises school districts to put in place strong parent notification policies to warn families they should not expect any privacy concerning the devices.”…” While school officials often say they are not watching what the students do with their devices after school — they encourage parent supervision — some contract with companies like Gaggle that monitor content that students email or post.” This moves me to poetry: If you trust the school you are a fool.

Better Education? Try School Inc. 4-28-17
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/opinion/neal-mccluskey-better-education-try-school-inc-daily-mail/article_9eba8a62-
b18e-5fdb-aaee-0b61413db5a5.html
American education produces a lot of frustration, but too little learning, because public schooling — schools funded and run by government — curbs the freedom of parents and educators. Indeed, research suggests that the more competition a public school faces from for-profit institutions, the better the public schools do. Though the intentions behind public schooling are very much the opposite, the top-down, bureaucratic system stifles innovation and accountability, and keeps great teachers from taking excellence to scale. It’s likely a big reason that, for instance, inflation-adjusted, per-pupil spending in West Virginia rose from roughly $8,000 in the 1989-90 school year to nearly $12,000 in 2013-14, but state reading scores on the federal National Assessment of Educational Progress have been almost totally stagnant in roughly the same period. Karl’s comment: This is about a documentary based upon he question “Why does American education make so little progress?” All they needed to do was check the headlines in WV School News. The longer it goes on the more obvious it is that taxpayers are gullible (or, maybe, suckers).

Anti-bullying speaker hoping to make difference for WV LGBT community 4-27-17
http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-community/20170427/anti-bullying-speaker-hoping-to-make-difference-for-wv-lgbt-community
The speaker, Dr. Scout, was talking about how lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth are at higher risk of bullying…During the voluntary assembly at Capital High School, some, like the student Chestnut overheard, weren’t receptive. But most of the students were attentive, and many were active participants in the discussion. First, Scout shared his own story. After his mother came out as a lesbian when he was 12, religious conservatives set out to save him. At a summer camp, a counselor was assigned to him. “I just thought that she was my friend,” he said. They tried to send him to a religious high school, so he wouldn’t have to live with his mother.“Let me be clear,” he said. “They were really nice to me.” “You’re amazing,” they told him. “We’re sorry to say though, that your mother is going to Hell.” “I spent my high school years being a bigot,” he said. Later, he realized that he identified as transgender and bisexual. “I hated myself,” he said. “I had been taught to hate myself, aggressively. I tried to kill myself — several times. I still have the scars on my wrists.”…But the school also has one of the longest running, if not the longest running, Gay-Straight Alliance clubs in the state…“I am very proud of Capital High School,” said Paula Kerner, GSA’s faculty sponsor, “but I think we have a long way to go.” Karl’s comment: There is no possibility the school will allow a “voluntary assembly” for a speaker to respond to this blatant attack on Christianity. As I have said for years, “Bullying” is how the Perverted Propaganda is perpetuated in “public” schools. Fat and poor kids are the ones who are bullied.

West Virginia authorizes online public schooling 4-27-17
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/west-virginia/articles/2017-04-27/west-virginia-authorizes-online-public-schooling
West Virginia has authorized its county school boards to offer virtual school, where students in kindergarten through high school can learn online. Under the law approved by the Legislature and Gov. Jim Justice, a county board or a multicounty consortium can create a virtual instruction program and contract with online education providers starting July 1…The law requires counting eligible students in the school district's enrollment for determining state aid and subjecting them to the same state assessment requirements as other students to receive a diploma. It allows them to participate in school sports and other extracurricular activities as well as "blended programs" with both classroom and online learning. Karl’s comment: From a friend who is a former teacher:
“There can be no saving the anti-god, government school system.  It is all about social engineered behavioral modification.  This will permit counties to develop their own (county controlled -Ha!) virtual classes so that a child may take all classes online but may participate in extra-curricular activities. First, the GOOD.  This will eliminate the requirement of a child being a physical prisoner in a brick and mortar building and their time/schedule being controlled by the school.  That is, IF the courses are posted for the student to take at his convenience, NOT if the courses consist of online/chat/whiteboard set-time meetings.  I've had both types of college-level courses and, while the latter allows interaction and discussion in real time, I think it defeats the idea of giving the student flexibility in his schedule.

"Now, the BAD.  The student will be completely tethered to the state's (i.e. the government's) computer system where every keystroke will be monitored (to obtain his learning style and adjust the course accordingly; to learn his values and attempt to change them to more acceptable ones; to discover his family's habits, possessions, etc. and who knows what will be done with that information!) and this information will be saved (in that huge "dossier in the sky") that will be part of his permanent record that follows him from school to the workplace and beyond. See the definition of the Chinese "dangan" here:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_records_in_China".

State police investigating allegations of sexually explicit photos involving teacher 4-27-17
http://wvmetronews.com/2017/04/27/state-police-investigating-allegations-of-sexually-explicit-photos-involving-teacher/
 State police are investigating sexually explicit photos being shared among students at Buckhannon-Upshur High School, a Thursday news release from the agency said. The Upshur County Prosecutor’s Office referred the case to troopers Wednesday. According to the news release, “Allegedly, the photos being shared were of a teacher at the school.” Karl’s comment: After I finished speaking at a church near there in 2007, a teacher stood up and said the things I described did not happen in their area. NOT TRUE! PLEASE see the 11-21-15 and 8-5-15 entries. PLEASE see the 7-7-14 entry. PLEASE see the 3-26-09 entry. You can easily follow the thread of school personnel sex with students throughout the WV School news headlines. Also see the comments on this issue on the main WV News page and PLEASE the see the 6-1-08 headline!!!

Valley High School football coach, teacher arrested on drug charges 4-26-17
http://wchstv.com/news/local/valley-high-school-football-coach-teacher-arrested-on-drug-charges
A teacher and football coach at Valley High School in Fayette County was arrested Wednesday on drug charges. Larry Macon McCommack, 38, of Boomer has been arrested and charged with four counts of the felony offense of delivery of a controlled substance, according to a news release from the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department. Karl’s comment: You can easily follow the thread of school personnel using illegal drugs throughout the WV School news headlines.

Parents and students react after Nitro teacher tweets 'ban Islam' 4-20-17
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Parents-and-students-react-after-Nitro-teacher-tweets-ban-Islam--420019034.html
A Nitro High School teacher is in the center of controversy after she took her passionate opinion on religion to social media. Foreign language teacher Sheri Sapp posted a tweet to her Twitter page saying "Ban Islam. Imagine how much more peaceful the Middle East and the entire world would be with no Muslims." Karl’s comment: The “ban” is hyberbole, but what did she get wrong with the rest?

Parents Outraged over Boone County Teacher's Jacket 4-17-17
http://www.tristateupdate.com/story/35170330/parents-outraged-over-boone-county-teachers-jacket
A picture was taken by a student in Cheryl Judy's art room at Sherman Junior High School. The top line reads "TUCK" and the lower line reads "FRUMP" with the curse word highlighted in white lettering. This has Boone County parents and students outraged, but the teacher says it's taken out of context…Students told 13 News they're fine with a teacher sharing a political message, just not one with curse words. "I just know if I wore something like that I would get suspended pretty bad," 11th grader Braxton Harless told 13 News. Judy's students say this jacket isn't the first time she's made her anti-Trump sentiments known. "We've talked about politics more in her class than a lot of others, but I just know she does not support Trump whatsoever," Harless added. Karl’s comment: She admits to being a liberal, but claims she did not flaunt the jacket on school property. Putting aside the obscene part, the comments from the kids say enough to convict her.

West Virginia law authorizes opioid antidotes at schools 4-14-17
http://www.tristateupdate.com/story/35151813/west-virginia-law-authorizes-opioid-antidotes-at-schools
A new state law authorizes school nurses and other trained and authorized personnel at West Virginia schools to administer drugs to counteract opioid overdoses by students without having to first contact parents. Karl’s comment: They can also help girls get abortions without parental knowledge.

Elementary school teacher charged with DUI, driving on revoked license for DUI 4-11-17
http://wchstv.com/news/local/elementary-school-teacher-charged-with-dui-driving-on-revoked-license-for-dui
A teacher at Kanawha City Elementary School was arrested after St. Albans police said she was driving erratically and could not complete several field sobriety tests. (She) was charged Monday with DUI and driving while license revoked for DUI, according to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court. In March, she was named 2017 Elementary School Math Teacher of the Year by the West Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics, according to the Kanawha County Schools website. A photo of the teacher also is posted on the Kanawha City Elementary PTA Facebook page. St. Albans police and a spokeswoman at Kanawha County Schools confirmed she is a second grade teacher at the school…Police said they saw the car at the intersection of Walnut Street and Grant Avenue and it was swerving and crossed the center line. The vehicle also was braking erratically for several blocks. Police said the driver in the vehicle also was moving around and bouncing back and forth, leaning in the passenger side of the vehicle. The officer turned on his emergency lights and stopped the vehicle in the 2300 block of Kanawha Terrace. He said the driver, who police identified as Freeman, had red and watery eyes and could not sit still and was moving erratically. Police said Freeman was asked to step out of the vehicle multiple times before she finally left the car. The officer said Freeman was not able to do several field sobriety tests because she could not stand still, and she said she was nervous. She currently is being held at South Central Regional Jail awaiting arraignment. Karl’s comment: This is seriously sad. (The TV report indicated it might have been a drug issue.)

Police say Monroe County student brought gun to school 4-7-17
http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/20170407/police-say-monroe-county-student-brought-gun-to-school
An 18-year-old Monroe County high school student faces criminal charges after allegedly bringing an unloaded gun to school Friday…”Earlier Friday, several JMHS students alerted the deputy who works as the school’s resource officer about the gun. The sheriff called those students courageous. As a precaution, additional deputies stayed at the school the rest of the day Friday. Karl’s comment: TICK, TICK, TICK.

Bill passed to require drug programs in all W.Va. public schools 4-6-17
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Bill-passed-to-require-drug--418529643.html
A bill has been passed by Legislature to require drug awareness and prevention programs in all West Virginia public schools…Students must have at least sixty minutes of instuction (sic) on the dangers of opioid use, their addictive characteristics and safer alternatives to treat pain. Karl’s comment: If there was not a drug problem in the schools there would be no need for this.

Police: Substitute teacher charged after providing alcohol, hosting parties for students 4-3-17
http://wchstv.com/news/local/police-substitute-teacher-charged-after-providing-alcohol-hosting-parties-for-students
A substitute teacher in Kanawha County has been charged after police said she provided alcohol to students at her house on multiple occasions. Karl’s comment: This is not the first time. One another one, see Ex-Monroe teacher pleads no contest to delinquency charge 4-22-15.

K-9 Unit Sniffs Around Elkins Middle School 4-1-17
http://www.theintermountain.com/news/local-news/2017/04/k-9-unit-sniffs%e2%80%88around-elkins-middle-school/
The Inter-Mountain photo by Tim MacVean West Virginia State Police Cpl. J.R. Wince, not pictured, along with several officers with the WVSP K-9 Unit perform a routine check of Elkins Middle School Friday morning. Wince said the search of all classrooms, students and staff had been planned for several weeks, and noted nothing was found during the routine check. Karl’s comment: The photo with the article showed a law enforcement officer that looked the same as what you would see on a drug raid in a drug house. This is practice for what they know is a real possibility.

Logan County Schools bus driver arrested for DUI after completing morning route; name released 3-27-17
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Logan-County-bus-driver-arrested-for-DUI-after-completing-morning-route--417192043.html
A Logan County Schools bus driver arrested on the job Monday morning was arraigned later that day on DUI charges…. West Virginia State Police troopers say Kraus had driven students ranging from pre-K to 12th grades to their respective schools before he was arrested. Troopers say Kraus provided two breathalyzer samples, yielding a .111 level on one and .107 on the other. They say he failed a horizontal vision test. Kraus told troopers he had drunk about six beers on Sunday night, prior to sleeping about five hours before reporting to pick kids up for school. State Police say they were contacted by the Logan County Board of Education Monday morning about a driver who was possibly impaired. More charges against Kraus are possible, troopers say. Kraus was taken to the South Central Regional Jail.
(Update 3-28) One Logan County mother says her son experienced a frightening bus ride Monday morning, thanks to a school bus driver who is accused of driving drunk… "He could smell alcohol," she added. "He said he was all over the road. He said it was the scariest bus ride to the school he ever had."…(T)he last few years, she says things started getting out of control with fights, bullying and Kraus cussing at the kids.
(http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Logan-County-bus-driver-arrested-for-DUI-after-completing-morning-route--417192043.html)
Karl’s comment: This story speaks for itself and it shouts to parents, “YOU MUST RESCUE YOUR CHILDREN!”

West Virginia Senate votes to end Common Core tests 3-24-17
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/ap/ap_region/west-virginia-senate-votes-to-end-common-core-tests/article_4052940b-
0a62-5899-9158-60590c749a5e.html
West Virginia's Senate on Friday narrowly passed legislation to replace the state's standardized tests aligned to the Common Core curriculum with other tests that would be subject to lawmakers' approval. Karl’s comment: Opting out of Common Core is like unarmed soldiers on the front line turning their backs on an enemy that is advancing with tanks.  It is also useless to fight Common Core until we have a powerful army. Common Core, at best, will only be renamed.  For the sake of discussion, if it could be removed, our children should not be in "public" schools.  I am a retired teacher and unequivocally proclaim that there is no hope for America as long as Christians and conservatives allow our children to be indoctrinated in the pagan schools. 

Steven Paine, former West Virginia superintendent of schools, gets top job again 3-23-17
http://wchstv.com/news/local/steven-paine-former-west-virginia-superintendent-of-schools-gets-top-job-again
On Thursday, the state Board of Education named Paine, who served as West Virginia’s 25th superintendent of schools from 2005-2011, as its new superintendent…“I am committed to ensuring that our education system provides all children the opportunity for a world-class education and I look forward to working closely with the State Board, Governor Justice, our lawmakers and educators to prepare the students of the Mountain State to be successful in life.” Karl’s comment: It is simply a same song, next verse—all versus the same as the first--scenario. Suckered tax-payers should sob. I am snickering, but slightly short of a ROTFL situation. The ONLY changes in West Virginia government schools will be more $$$$ and less success.

School leaders discuss bullying 3-20-17
http://www.journal-news.net/news/local-news/2017/03/school-leaders-discuss-bullying/
Dr. Bondy Shay Gibson, superintendent of Jefferson County Schools, and Elice Gregory, assistant director of student support services in Berkeley County, explained what bullying looks like in the Eastern Panhandle and what schools are doing to end it. In Berkeley County, 13 percent of intermediate students report being bullied two or more times a month, which is lower than the 20 percent national average. In middle school, 10 percent of students reported being bullied more than two or three times a month, lower than the 15 percent national average. In high school, 10 percent of students report being bullied two or three times, which is average compared to the national percent. Karl’s comment: Government schools are dangerous places. Rescue your children, PLEASE!

Spring Valley Students Charged After Viral Video of Attack 3-17-17
http://www.tristateupdate.com/story/34941259/spring-valley-students-charged-after-viral-video-of-attack
Three Spring Valley High School students are facing charges after a video of an attack in a bathroom went viral on social media…One juvenile has been charged with Assault, Battery, and Conspiracy. Two other juveniles have also been charged with conspiracy. Karl’s comment: This is similar to what happens in jail houses.

Boone school employees arrested on embezzlement charges 3-8-17
http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-education/20170308/boone-school-employees-arrested-on-embezzlement-charges
Two employees of the Boone County Schools Transportation Department were arraigned Wednesday for allegedly stealing more than $20,000 through fraudulent purchases. Karl’s comment: These non-teachers must have missed seeing the Ten Commandments (#8 is “Thou shalt not steal”.) in the school buildings. Oh, wait, those have been banned for many years.

West Virginia Board of Education to waive "A-F" system for accountability 3-8-17
read:http://wchstv.com/news/local/west-virginia-board-of-education-to-waive-a-f-system-for-accountability
West Virginia public schools will not be receiving "A-F" grades in 2017, following a Wednesday vote to waive the accountability system by the West Virginia Board of Education … “The Board has listened to various stakeholders throughout the state, including educators, who overwhelmingly ask us to reexamine our statewide accountability system,” Campbell said in the release. “We understand an accountability system is necessary, but want to take time to evaluate the best solution for our schools and communities.” Karl’s comment: Perhaps they were being forced to give too many F’s. One thing is certain, whatever system they use, it will be watered down.

ACLU, CAIR seeking information on alleged harassment of Muslim student 3-1-17
http://wvmetronews.com/2017/03/01/aclu-cair-seeking-information-on-alleged-harassment-of-muslim-student/
The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia and the Council on American-Islamic Relations announced Tuesday a request for an investigation after a Muslim student said he was harassed by students and one teacher at a Raleigh County high school. According a letter sent to Woodrow Wilson High School Principal Ron Cantley II and Raleigh County Schools Superintendent David Price, senior Ishaq Jafary was harassed by students on school grounds. Incidents include students calling Jafary a “suicide bomber” and chanting “Allahu Akbar.” When Jafary confronted the students, a fight broke out, resulting in Jafary and the harassing students each receiving a two-day suspension. Karl’s comment: If the ACLU is involved the situation is suspect. If it is legitimate, it is just another black mark on government schools.

Judge throws out age discrimination, keeps defamation claims made by GW counselor 2-24-17
http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-cops-and-courts/20170224/judge-throws-out-age-discrimination-keeps-defamation-
claims-made-by-gw-counselor-
Mary Eller was 73 years old in August 2015 when she filed the lawsuit in Kanawha Circuit Court against Principal George Aulenbacher and the Board of Education over allegations that she had been wrongly suspended for a month earlier that year and then made the subject of an email disseminated by Aulenbacher that consisted of personal information and accused her of mishandling student information…The judge denied Cagle’s request to amend the lawsuit to try to keep the age discrimination claims intact. Eller has worked as a counselor at GW for more than 30 years. She has worked for Kanawha schools since 1965…According to her lawsuit, Aulenbacher showed up at Eller’s office, along with two vice principals, and told her she had been suspended. When she asked why, he didn’t know. School board lawyers have written in documents in response to Eller’s lawsuit that she was suspended for not reporting an alleged sexual assault. Karl’s comment: Ignoring the drma, the focus should be on the sexual assault of a student.

Teacher vacancies reach crisis level 2-20-2017
http://wvmetronews.com/2017/02/20/teacher-vacancies-reach-crisis-level/
West Virginia State School Superintendent Dr. Michael Martirano says the teacher shortage has reached the “crisis” stage.  “Right now we have 718 teacher vacancies across the state,” Martirano said. “That means our young people are not receiving the quality education they deserve by a quality teacher.”…One of the reasons West Virginia has trouble filling the teaching slots is the payKarl’s comment: They are admitting the students are getting a bad education. I know, as a veteran teacher, that a degree in “education” is not needed to be a good teacher.

Cabell Midland High students found selling and buying suspected pot brownies 2-17-17
http://www.tristateupdate.com/story/34534472/cabell-midland-high-students-found-selling-and-buying-suspected-pot-brownies
The school resource officer at Cabell Midland High School told us a 14 year old female student was recently caught selling marijuana brownies on campus. Sgt. Roman Thompson said at least nine 15 year old freshmen students admitted to buying or being given one or more brownies. Karl’s comment: Since academic performance in “public” schools is not high (moving toward the dope level), this dope may help the students cope.

Lawsuit: School didn't protect teen girl from bullying 2-17-17
http://www.tristateupdate.com/story/34533430/lawsuit-school-didnt-protect-teen-girl-from-bullying
A teen girl and her mother are suing the Monongalia County Board of Education and the sheriff's department over alleged bullying. The Dominion Post reports that the lawsuit was filed Thursday. It says the 16-year-old suffered persistent race-based discrimination, harassment and bullying that led to a knife attack during her freshman year at University High School. According to the lawsuit, the child is African American and white and was 15 years old when the incidents occurred. The lawsuit says that neither the school nor the school resource officer took appropriate steps to protect the teen. Karl’s comment: Just another day on cell block “public” school
.

Nitro High Showcats perform 'Salem Witch Trials' on stage 2-16-17
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Nitro-High-Showcats-perform-Salem-Witch-Trials-on-stage-414024633.html
If you have been following Tony Cavalier's winter show choir tour, then you have enjoyed some uplifting themes on stage as performed by some the region's top show choirs. But this week's show choir showcase steps out of the box and tells a sinister story in American history when witches and devil worship were the scourge of society. Karl’s comment: I have not seen the production, but I wonder if the musical points out that “a local doctor, William Griggs, diagnosed bewitchment” and that, along with preachers. magistrates, the governor, and judges were key people involved in the hysteria of that event? (http://www.history.com/topics/salem-witch-trials) I wonder if the musical was an attack on bible believing Christians.

EHS bomb threat leads to evacuation 2-15-17
http://www.theintermountain.com/news/local-news/2017/02/ehs%E2%80%88bomb-threat-leads-to-evacuation/
For the fifth time this academic year, Elkins High School was evacuated Monday morning after a message was discovered in a bathroom indicating there was an explosive device at the facility. “Our officers responded, along with the (West Virginia) State Police, and conducted an investigation,” Interim Elkins Police Chief J.C. Raffety said.  “Basically, handwriting was left in the bathroom, similar to what’s happened in the last five to six times this school year.” Randolph County Superintendent of Schools Pam Hewitt confirmed there was an  “incident”  that took place at the school which forced a Code Yellow situation and subsequent evacuation. “We had an incident at Elkins High School this morning and it required the evacuation of the students and the staff,” Hewitt said Monday. “Law enforcement came up and assisted us in going through the building. They made sure the building was safe and, at that point, our students and staff returned to the building to carry on with their normal daily activity. The students were out of the building for about 40 minutes or so.”… No explosive devices or components of explosive devices were located during the search,”  Raffety said. “Just an over-abundance of caution because of the threat and, obviously, in today’s world we need to take threats seriously to the point that we can determine whether they are serious or whether, as in this case, they are just a possible hoax. We have to treat each incident in it’s own right and have to be cautious.…Hewitt added the students were placed on buses and taken to nearby Orchard Hall due to cold temperatures. Karl’s comments: This cannot be blamed on the Kanawha County Textbook Protesters.

High schools with 90 percent or higher graduation rates honored at Capitol 2-10-17
http://wchstv.com/news/local/high-schools-with-90-percent-or-higher-graduation-rates-honored-at-capitol
West Virginia high schools with graduation rates of 90 percent or more were recognized at the state Capitol Friday. Seventy out of 116 high schools from across the state had a graduation rate of 90 percent or greater for the 2015-16 school year. Last year, 47 schools achieved the high graduation rate. Karl’s comment: Graduation does NOT equal education. Just check the college remedial classes for freshmen. That being said, let’s do some simple math: 70/116 = 60%. That is a failing grade on even the most watered down “public” school grading scale.

High school students suspended for not going back to class after scheduled protest 2-9-17
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/High-school-students-suspended-for-not-going-back-to-class-after-scheduled-protest-413320673.html
The Nicholas County Sheriff's Department says 15 to 20 high school students have been suspended after they refused to go back to class following a scheduled protest. The protest was scheduled between 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday regarding consolidation of schools. According to the department's Facebook page, several students stayed past the allotted time and refused to go back to class. No students were suspended for participating in the protest. Karl’s comment: It appears they were out of class (that is a problem in itself) then, (a major problem) they defied school authority.

Students study WWII topics 2-7-17
http://www.theintermountain.com/news/local-news/2017/02/students-study-wwii-topics/
Students at Elkins Middle School were introduced to press coverage in a recent class assignment. Charlotte Snider, an English/language arts teacher at EMS, asked that her eighth-grade students complete a book report in newspaper format. The projects focused on the students’ current lessons: “The Diary of Anne Frank” and World War II. Snider’s students were expected to choose a book based on World War II, read it and complete their project. “Slaughterhouse Five,”  “A Boy at War” and  “The Hidden Girl” were some of the books students chose. Karl’s comment: A Children’s Literature expert informed me of the anti-Christian content of Slaughterhouse Five. “ One major philosophy presented in Vonnegut's novel is that of Christianity. The novel discusses topics within Christianity in terms of fate and free will Billy Pilgrim experiences and applies those principles. Although the novel discusses the philosophies of Christianity, the novel discusses a different sort of Christ figure or a different personality to the one that already exists… The desire for a 'human' Jesus is not the only Biblical topic discussed in the novel.” Read more at https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slaughterhouse-Five#Religion_and_philosophy.

Horace Mann Middle has new acting principal 2-7-17
http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-education/20170207/horace-mann-middle-has-new-acting-principal
Horace Mann Middle’s vice principal said this week that she’s been serving as the school’s acting principal since Jan. 25, and she and other Kanawha County public school officials didn’t provide information on why Principal Jonathan Anderson isn’t currently leading the school. “This is a personnel matter and I am in a capacity of acting principal,” Shandon Tweedy said. “And really, that’s all I’m at liberty to tell you.” Karl’s comment: Hmmmmm.

Upshur student charged in disturbance 2-4-17
http://www.theintermountain.com/news/local-news/2017/02/upshur-student-charged-in-disturbance/
An Upshur County student who was suspended from school and alleged to have caused a disturbance by bringing a gun on the property has been formally charged…According to a criminal complaint filed in Upshur County Magistrate Court, on Jan. 24, Jarrell went to the Fred W. Eberle Technical Center when he was not allowed on school grounds due to disciplinary issues. While at the school, Jarrell had a weapon that witnesses told Cpl. R.C. Hebb, of the West Virginia State Police, looked like a .38-caliber pistol, police said…The weapon was later found and identified to be a CO2 cartridge BB gun, according to the complaint. Karl’s comment: : A CO2 BB gun may not be lethal, but it sure is dangerous. It could have been a .38 as thought. Search these WV School News pages for “ TICK, TICK, TICK” and “gun”.

Disturbing--Violent fight at school raises questions 2-4-17
http://www.theintermountain.com/opinion/editorials/2017/02/disturbing/
In the past two weeks, no less than three fights have occurred at schools in Elkins. While this is disturbing, many chalk these incidents up to nothing more than teenage angst and growing pains. On Thursday, however, a particularly violent altercation between two students took place in the halls of Elkins High School. By late afternoon, a cell phone video of the fight was circulating among students. The footage, about a minute in length, shows one male student attack another male student, knocking him to the floor. The aggressor then repeatedly punches the other student in the head as he lays near motionless and curled up on the floor in a defenseless position. A female adult is heard shouting throughout the video as she attempts, by herself, to break up the fight. Her cries of distress were as alarming as the graphic footage itself. Even more disturbing, no other adult — or even student — is seen quickly coming to the assistance of the woman or the felled student’s assistance. Elkins High School Principal Russ Collett said,  “It was a typical fight, and it was turned over to authorities.” …(I)f this is typical behavior, then an extensive investigation is needed into the safety and security of the students at Elkins High School. Karl’s comment: The above is from an editorial. Here is a clip from a news report: Elkins Middle School also had an incident this week, which Assistant Principal Eric Lucas said was a  “run-of-the-mill fight”  that was broken up almost immediately. Lucas said the students involved had minor injuries, which were checked out by the school nurse before the students were sent home. (http://www.theintermountain.com/news/local-news/2017/02/student-fight-prompts-rumors/) In my “nice neighborhood” middle school I saw several fights and some were vicious with vile cursing. I am 6’ 3” and over 200 pounds and still had to roll in the hall to break up a violent fight. You can easily follow the threads of violence in these WV School News pages.

Suit Filed Against Mingo Central Principal for Allegedly Assaulting Student 2-1-17
http://www.tristateupdate.com/story/34402530/suit-filed-against-mingo-central-principal-for-allegedly-assaulting-student
The suit alleges that Daniel Dean, principal of Mingo Central High School, struck a female student and knocked her to the ground.  The incident occurred on January 20th, 2017 after the victim was involved in an undisclosed incident with another female student. According to witnesses, the victim was taken into Dean's office. He then became verbally aggressive, began talking down to the girl, and then struck her.  Marcum says one witness described Dean's actions as "[going] way too far." Karl’s comment: Another day on cellblock PS (public school).

Parent raises concern about student discipline in Fayette 1-27-17
http://www.register-herald.com/news/parent-raises-concern-about-student-discipline-in-fayette/article_4d3dbd5d-c9b1-
5e35-9734-6ff54d4e0c23.html
A Fayette County parent is claims her son was disciplined inappropriately at Collins Middle School on Jan. 24. Christina Thomas said her son laughed at another student and was made to sit in a chair with his face covered and sound-muting headphones on his head to demonstrate "he doesn't have to be the center of attention." Thomas said a student took a picture of her son in the chair, and she didn't know it existed until she saw it on Facebook. She again shared the image, in which it is unclear if the boy's face is covered with construction paper or a box. It has been shared more than 200 times and is raising concerns among area residents and parents. Friday, Fayette County Schools Deputy Superintendent Gary Hough said he is aware of the image on Facebook…Thomas said her son was disciplined in clear view of other students and teachers. He is scared to return to school, she added. Karl’s comment: I hope she homeschools her child.

Ex-West Virginia teacher accused of 40 counts of sex abuse 1-26-17
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/ap/ap_region/ex-west-virginia-teacher-accused-of-counts-of-sex-abuse/article_6bc4aed6-
6636-596a-a5e1-7f90e07b380c.html
West Virginia State Police say a former McDowell County teacher has been charged with 40 counts of sex abuse involving children. Police tell the Bluefield Daily Telegraph that (the) 60-year-old (man), of Northfork faces charges from abuse involving one victim in 1985 and another in 2006. (He) was a longtime teacher in elementary middle schools, and the children were between the ages of 12 and 15. Trooper M.D. Brooks says the abuse occurred on school grounds. He says the investigation began after the first victim came forward and led to the second victim. Brooks said he believes there could be more victims. Karl’s comment: You can easily follow the thread of school personnel sex with students throughout the WV School news headlines. Also see the comments on this issue on the main WV News page and the June 1, 2008.

Former Poca High School student accused of trying to sell meth at school 1-26-17
http://wchstv.com/community/putnam-news/former-poca-high-school-student-accused-of-trying-to-sell-meth-at-school
Authorities said an 18-year-old Putnam County man has been arrested after he was accused of trying to sell crystal methamphetamine at Poca High School. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Enforcement Unit said Jacob B. McComas of Liberty was arrested Thursday by members of the unit Thursday after an incident that occurred at the school on Jan. 11. McComas is charged with possession with intent to deliver crystal methamphetamine. He was enrolled as a student at the high school, but he has since been expelled. Karl’s comment: It is well documented in these WV News pages that the drugs are there. Rescue the children!

Schools Superintendent: WV Facing "Education Crisis" 1-25-17
http://www.tristateupdate.com/story/34348830/schools-superintendent-wv-facing-education-crisis
Dr. Martirano said his biggest concern right now is getting quality teachers running classrooms within the Mountain State.  It's something he calls a "Crisis." According to an infographic showing West Virginia professional educator positions for 2016-2017, there are 718 positions currently filled with short-term or long-term substitutes. Karl’s comment: They will want more $$$$$$$. Just check how long this con has went on by searching these WV News pages. Homeschool parents provide instruction quite well for MUCH less money.

Putnam school board proud of how reported threat handled at Hurricane High 1-23-17
http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-putnam-county/20170123/putnam-school-board-proud-of-how-reported-threat-
handled-at-hurricane-high
Putnam County Board of Education members say they are proud of how the school district handled a potential threat to Hurricane High School last week. Superintendent John Hudson said Putnam County Schools received information from a student that there may have been a threat to Hurricane High School Friday. The school district, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and Hurricane police began immediately investigating the threat…However, Friday morning multiple parents expressed concern over the announcement on social media, saying that it was vague and that their children would be staying home from school…School board member Rob Cunningham said he was impressed by the student who reported the threat. He said it reflects the district’s work. Karl’s comment: TICK, TICK, TICK.

Extra security at Wayne High School after recent reported threat 1-23-17
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Extra-security-in-place-at-Wayne-High-School-after-recent-reported-threat-411547255.html
Extra security was at Wayne High School on Monday after a reported threat that happened Friday, the Wayne County Sheriff's Department reports. Deputies were at the school early Monday "out of an abundance of caution," Wayne County Sheriff Rick Thompson tells WSAZ. Several units responded after a picture was shown around school of a juvenile with what appeared to be a gun in his hand. There was no allegation of a gun actually being in the school, according to Thompson, and no gun was found. Karl’s comment: TICK, TICK, TICK
.

TVHS coach's music leads to BOE probe 1-19-17
http://www.theintermountain.com/news/local-news/2017/01/tvhs-coachs-music-leads-to-boe-probe/
A Tygarts Valley High School coach announced Wednesday he had been suspended indefinitely from his duties, but the Randolph County Superintendent of Schools insists the coach has not been suspended, though he is being investigated by county officials. TVHS head football and track coach Chris Dorminey, who is also a teacher, told The Inter-Mountain he was suspended indefinitely by the Randolph County Board of Education Wednesday, pending an investigation into his Christian rap music videos on YouTube. “I was informed that I was suspended over my recent song ‘Amber Alert,’ but I began having problems when I wrote the song ‘Trump for President’ this past August,”  Dorminey said in an interview Wednesday afternoon.   “I feel I have the right to artistic expression as a Christian conservative, and as a father. I believe Jesus is the way, Trump for president, and I certainly believe in the U.S. Constitution.”...Contacted after Dorminey’s interview, Randolph County Superintendent Pam Hewitt said Wednesday she had met with Dorminey earlier that day, after hearing concerns from parents and community members about content he had posted online. However, he has not been suspended, she said. “In not one of my songs has there been a curse word yet,”   he says in the video.   “I’m not out to cause anybody harm. I’m simply out to express myself, create music and be able to freely express it to you. But you see I’m trying to be silenced and I need to get the word out. Karl’s comment: Sad situation.

Mercer school board, superintendent sued over Bible classes 1-19-17
http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-education/20170119/mercer-school-board-superintendent-sued-over-bible-classes
The Freedom From Religion Foundation and a member of the Wisconsin-based nonprofit who’s a parent of a student at a public Mercer County elementary school filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday seeking to declare unconstitutional a Bible classes program in Mercer’s public school system. The lawsuit — filed against the Mercer school board and Mercer schools Superintendent Deborah Akers in the Bluefield Division of the federal court system’s Southern District of West Virginia — alleges the “Bible in the Schools” program is active in 15 elementary schools, one intermediate school and three middle schools, serving about 4,000 students. The lawsuit alleges the classes are held for half an hour a week in elementary schools and 45 minutes a week in middle schools, during the regular school day. While the lawsuit states that the school system calls the classes “voluntary,” it alleges that the “overwhelming majority of students participate” and that “upon information and belief, students at many schools have not been receiving alternative instruction.”…The lawsuit alleges the bible classes include “Creationism instruction” that involves “having students imagine that human beings and dinosaurs existed at the same time.” It quotes one lesson as saying “So picture Adam being able to crawl up on the back of dinosaur! He and Eve could have their own personal water slide! Wouldn’t that be so wild!” The parent, only identified as “Jane Doe,” said in the lawsuit that she’s an atheist who is suing individually and on behalf of her daughter, called “Jamie Doe” in the document. Jane Doe said in the document that she wishes to raise Jamie Doe, who is in kindergarten, “without religion.” The lawsuit says Jane Doe wishes for her daughter, when she enters the first grade, to not have to participate and also to not “be ostracized by other students or staff” for not participating. “Jamie will either be forced to attend Bible indoctrination classes against the wishes and conscience of Jane Doe, or Jamie will be the only or one of only a few children who do not participate,” the lawsuit says. “Jamie will therefore be made conspicuous by absence, and essentially be identified as a non-Christian or nonbeliever, subjecting Jamie to the risk of ostracism from peers and even school staff.” “This program advances and endorses one religion, improperly entangles public schools in religious affairs, and violates the personal consciences of nonreligious and non-Christian parents and students,” the lawsuit states. The lawsuit asks a judge to declare that the program violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and Article III of the West Virginia Constitution…Mercer has provided Bible classes in its public schools since 1939, said Teresa Russell, a data and information specialist with the school system who answered questions on behalf of the school system Thursday. Karl’s comment: The so-called "Freedom from Religion" group are fanatics who evangelize for their religion of humanism.  As far as their fervor to censor any truth about evolution (they call it "creationism"), evolution is more impossible than the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, and the Headless Horseman. See http://originalitythroughouttheuniverse.com/life-science-trial/ for a list of bluffing evolutionists. That said, I predict the program will be shut down. 

AFT hosts public education unity events at W.Va. schools 1-19-17
http://wvmetronews.com/2017/01/19/aft-hosts-public-education-unity-events-at-w-va-schools/
Public education is the key to success of all children in the Mountain State, according to Christine Campbell, president of the American Federation of Teachers in West Virginia. “We really need to promote our children’s well-being, support powerful learning and foster collaboration. That’s what pubic education should be about,” Campbell said. AFT-WV held statewide events at schools Thursday to promote public education. Community members and parents joined with union activists and teachers to stand up for public education and local students. Karl’s comment: If the ACLU is involved it is evil at the core.

Gov. Justice looks to change education system 1-18-17
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Governor-Justice-looks-to-change-education-system-411126305.html
West Virginia's new governor is looking to change education throughout the state. Gov. Jim Justice came down hard on the system during his inauguration speech…At one point during his inauguration speech, Justice held up a copy of his education plan. All of the details of the plan have not been released, but Senate President Mitch Carmichael is already giving the plan a thumbs up…Justice also said West Virginia's teachers need to be paid more. Karl’s comment: BWAHAHAHAH! If it wasn’t so funny I’d cry! It is the same old you-know-what. Simply look back throguh these West Virginia News pages and OPEN YOUR EYES. Tax payers are suckers and parents are negligent.

West Virginia Board of Education considers new testing methods 1-12-17
http://wchstv.com/news/local/west-virginia-board-of-education-considers-new-testing-methods
The West Virginia Board of Education is considering a plan to replace the current Smarter Balanced assessments with end of course exams tied to a student's final grade. Media outlets report that the Board voted Wednesday to put out the end-of-course exams policy for public comment for the next 30 days. The Smarter Balanced exams, which are aligned to the Common Core math and English language arts standards, don't count toward students' grades or graduation. State officials have said they are concerned about a lack of effort by high schoolers on the exams. The end of course exams would affect students' grades and their ability to graduate. They would be developed by West Virginia teachers and administrators. Karl’s comment: They run scams with testing. They will likely say this eliminates Common Core. The will say it is “for the kids.” Individual teacher tests are only as good as the individual teacher. Look through these pages for NAEP, Nation’s Report Card, and the keyword “test” to see how poorly West Virginia government school students do. For example, in September 2014 (See the 10-7-14 WV News item.)

Incidents of reported bullying remain constant in W.Va. schools 1-11-17
http://www.register-herald.com/news/incidents-of-reported-bullying-remain-constant-in-w-va-schools/article_e172de2f-71a6-
52e0-86f5-419df581867a.html
West Virginia Department of Education data show the number of bullying incidents reported across the state's 55 school districts has remained constant over the last three school years…She said there were 240,387 discipline reports filed digitally through WVEIS (the state Education Information System). Of those, 3,507 (1.5 percent) were flagged as incidents of harassment or bullying. That's between 19 and 20 incidents of bullying reported across the state each school day…Stalnaker said many students reported for bullying were also reported for other infractions such as disruptive or disrespectful behavior (50 percent), failure to obey rules or authority (27 percent), tardiness/truancy (11 percent) and aggressive conduct (10 percent). The data also show that 21 percent of reported incidents were at elementary schools, 47 percent at the middle school level and 32 percent at the high school level. Reasons behind the bullying were reported to be sexual orientation (5.5 percent), disability (6 percent), gender (6 percent), physical appearance (10 percent) and other reasons (60 percent). Karl’s comment: There is no doubt that WV government schools are dangerous places. Just check the headlines over the years in the WV School News pages.

Tweets get Huntington teacher suspended 1-10-17
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/tweets-get-huntington-teacher-suspended/article_6b256161-7c9f-5816-8043-47ae9ef0228d.html
A social studies teacher at Huntington High has been suspended with pay following the discovery of several racially charged tweets shared through her personal Twitter account over the span of more than a year, a school official said Monday…In one tweet dated July 18, 2015, Durstein said, "#cashinIn #WakeUpAmerica #viewcrew Who cares if we offend Muslims at least they keep their heads on tact. They're the enemy!" In one of her most recent tweets, dated Jan. 5, 2017, Durstein responded to a tweet that said "Can you imagine how many riots we would have around the country if the terrorists were white?" The tweet contained a photo of four black people, two males and two females, with the caption, "Imagine if these were 4 white people torturing a special need black kid!" In her response, Durstein tweeted, "this could have been Obama's children." She also retweeted posts that condoned deporting Muslims and spoke ill of those who support the Black Lives Matter movement…As professionals who interact with students from all backgrounds, Smith said the school system holds its teachers to a higher standard. "We expect the same conduct on social media that we do in the classroom," he said. "We don't want to deny teachers the access they can have to the Internet or Facebook and all the other stuff they want to have, but they need to be cognizant of who they are speaking to. And when what they say interferes with the educational process, it becomes a problem." Karl’s comment: Huh? What was racists about speaking the truth?

No bomb found after threat made at St. Albans High School 1-7-16
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Bomb-threat-at-St-Albans-High-School-409979155.html
The all clear has been given at St. Albans High School after a bomb threat was found Saturday morning. The Kanawha County Sheriff's Department Bomb Squad swept the school as a precaution, but their crew on scene says there was no bomb found in the school. Karl’s comment: They cannot blame that one on the Textbook Protesters.

BACK TO WEST VIRGINIA NEWS