Abbie Hoffman Moment

How To Help Harvey Victims

Hurricane Harvey, now a tropical storm, has affected many people in southern Texas. In addition to all of the services the Red Cross typically provides during a disaster, this storm has necessitated the need for long term shelter for people who now have nowhere to live. To donate to the Red Cross, you can call 1-800-REDCROSS, or to make an immediate $10.00 donation, you can text "Harvey" to 90999.

Pictured below, is what those affected by the storm do not need. Donald Trump visited Baton Rouge last year, after some serious flooding displaced a large number of people. He was convinced that they needed Play Doh. He is scheduled to visit the Houston area on Tuesday. Hopefully, he will not make the same mistake again.

New Tipline Number For Kyron Horman

The tipline phone number for Kyron Horman, who disappeared from his school in Oregon, in 2010, when he was seven years old, has changed. It is 503-988-0560. If you think you see Kyron, please call 911.

Through The Lens Of Siriunsun's Camera

Abbie Hoffman Moment

I Hope You Heard This, Laura McNish

I hope, Laura McNish, county attorney of Marshall County, Kansas, that you have been paying attention to recent events. Do you remember when you advised the principal of a public school here in Marshall County, Kansas to tell one of my children that she wasn't welcome in school because she might "ruin the culture"? Even though all the other children from my community ARE welcome there? My child, unlike most of the children who attend public schools in YOUR county, had no criminal history, had never used illegal drugs, and had never even tasted alcohol. You just wanted to hurt her feelings. She did not accept your monetary offer to render false information in court, like a couple of other people did, in that case that you LOST back in 2013, so you requested that she be the victim of discrimination. 

Guess what? The nation is starting to see people like you more clearly. Not only are you racist; you favor bigots who offer you money over honesty and truth. The combination of modern technology and the First Amendment to our Constitution have conspired to make this a very awkward time in history for you to continue your crap. Your racist and white separatist goals were never good for any part of Kansas, and certainly have no place now. Equality and love are what I have always taught my children, and it looks as if I might not have been alone, after all.

I really hope you have noticed all the recent developments. Oh, by the way, was your son ever publicly held accountable for driving one of your vehicles over someone's cornfield in Marshall County, Kansas, in the summer of 2013? You know....the same way OTHER young people would have been held accountable? Or is accountability only for other people, and not your children?

Just resign, Laura. No one needs your racism, favoritism, and filth.

First Day Of School In Frankfort, Kansas

It's that time of year again in Frankfort, Kansas, and this story will appear once again on this site, because the school here in Frankfort has not seen fit to come into compliance with safety standards observed by schools in other parts of Kansas, and has not come into compliance with federal law concerning the presence of weapons on school property, bullying, or student safety. The only change made is that credit shall be granted where it is due: the name of the errant and uncorrected guidance counselor who has been granted carte blanche to endanger children is Tom Schroeder.

Anyone who's listening, I will tell you a story. It's a true story, and it happened in October of 2009. Thankfully, it had a happy ending.

My oldest daughter used to be quite the avid cross country buff when she was thirteen years old. She was good at it, too. But one day, while she was at practice, and I was at home, just assuming that all was well, her coach drove past my house, stopping to talk to my eight year old son. Mr. Coach wanted to know if Mr. Eight Year Old had seen his older sister. Mr. Eight Year Old had not. No one had seen my daughter in over two hours. She was lost. Why was she lost? Because her coach had dropped her off by the side of a highway, four miles south of the town we live in, by herself, and just left her. It was part of cross country practice. No supervision. If she had been stung by a bee, had tripped and hurt herself, or had some other medical emergency, no one would have been there to help her. (at this juncture, you should know that I offered to volunteer to help with cross country, but since I do not attend a Christian church, my offer was rejected. The school staff thought it better to take chances with a child's safety in the way I just described) When my daughter realized that she did not know her way back, she started to wander on a side road, hoping it would bring her to a house, or another person. This area has a lot of commercial farms, and there were no houses or places my daughter could go to for help.

Back to my eight year old son.......Twenty minutes went by. While he did not realize the signifigance of his conversation with Mr. Cross County Coach, (also Mr. Guidance Counselor) he did realize that no one knew where his sister was, and it was getting later and later, and no one was looking for her. So he told me about it. I looked all over town, called all her friends, searched the school (why was the school left unlocked after everyone had gone home?) and finally started home to call the police, when a couple of senior boys drove up with my crying daughter in their car. It was still within a few minutes of when I found out she was missing, but this cross country coach had known all afternoon, and had not called the police, or spoken to me. Why? I guess whatever he cared about, it WASN'T my daughter. Well.........I actually DO care about my daughter. Nowhere else have I met a teacher that did NOT care, at least a little, about the children he teaches, but I think that is what the problem is with Mr. Cross Country Coach/ Guidance Counselor.

Suppose it was not young men from her school who found her, but a dangerous person? I have been told time and time again by the people who live in this small Kansas town that "those things don't happen here", and "there ARE no dangerous people here", but there was a sex offender whose address was within half a mile of where my daughter was abandoned. The police were quick to point that out, but the principal only argued his harmlessness as a sex offender with them and the school board is not worried about the incident.

My children no longer participate in cross country at their school. It isn't safe

Abbie Hoffman Moment

Another Word About Public School Enrollment Fees

Textbook Rentals. That's what someone from the superintendent's office at Vermillion, USD 380, in Kansas told yours truly about the unlawful tuition that Dean Dalinghaus, the principal of Frankfort School, in Frankfort, Kansas, charges the parents of the unlucky children who attend his institution. According to federal law, there is no such thing as a "textbook rental" in a public school for a required course. If a student loses or destroys a textbook, it is, of course, another matter; but Frankfort has no legal business charging any parent 50.00 for its moth eaten, outdated, information-challenged tomes that are seldom even read by students.

Prior to paying for a "textbook rental", each parent should inspect the property for which the unlawful tuition is purported to pay. Is the textbook torn up or missing pages? Was it published in 1953? Was it written and compiled by authors whose contributions to the subject matter have been superseded by better authorities? If so, the school should not charge, in the name of state and federal government, for the use of the published material.

The savvy parent should also call the publishing company used by the school and inquire about the actual prices paid by the school for these textbooks. Have the books already been paid off, many times over, by parents who have paid "textbook rentals"? If so, it is very inappropriate and legally questionable, even in cases wherein such a fee is legal, to force a parent to pay for such a thing. How much would the publishing company charge a parent for a new or used textbook? Shouldn't the parent have this information, up front, before paying rental fees? One would not rent a car, or a home, without knowing the actual cost of purchase, so why not find out how much a used book would cost?

USD 380 and Dean Dalinghaus should stop charging tuition for public school. If Dalinghaus wishes to charge parents more money than the actual value of his product, he should attempt to pimp his product in the private market for childhood education, and find out, there, the actual value of his services and textbooks.

Public Schools And Enrollment Fees

Here are some words that appeared on this site a couple of years ago, and as it is almost time for public schools in Kansas to open their seldom locked, unsecured doors again, this message is appropriate for parents who do not wish to pay more than they already pay, via their property taxes and mill levies, for a substandard product. If your childrens' school is charging these unlawful enrollment fees, you do not have to pay. Refuse to be intimidated.

Some of the public schools in Kansas have taken to the unlawful practice of charging "enrollment fees". This is against federal law, and every time a case concerning enrollment fees has gone to court, brought by either the school or parents, the parents have won because the practice of charging for public education is unlawful. The American Civil Liberties Union has gotten involved in a few cases involving this issue, as well.

It appears that the (ahem) school, and I use the word "school" very loosely here, in Frankfort, Kansas is up to their usual unlawful stunts again in regard to extorting money from parents. The "tuition" charged this year for each student is $50.00. This does not include activity fees. There is no information revealing the purpose of the fee, or what is actually covered by it. Frankfort does, after all, garner state and federal dollars, in order to pay staff to yak on their cell phones most of the day, or surf the internet. Why is it all-encompassing to charge money that is legally not allowed to be charged?

In the past, when yours truly sent children to school in Frankfort, she refused to pay the "enrollment fees", stating emphatically that her "fees" were already covered by the mill levy and property taxes she pays each year. This would naturally bring on threats from the principal, promising everything from refusal to admit students to crying to a collection agency. The principal discovered that he cannot refuse to enroll any student in his district, regardless of fees; and that legitimate collection agencies are loth to intervene in matters wherein the so-called obligor owes nothing.

Through The Lens Of Siriunsun's Camera

Abbie Hoffman Moment

Something To Consider

No Bond For USD 380 Vermillion

USD 380 Vermillion, which includes two public schools in Northeast Kansas, Frankfort and Centralia, attempted to get voters to vote for a 8.5 million dollar bond for them, this past Monday, August 1. Overwhelmingly, the people voted no; 698 to 263. That included about three fourths of registered voters in both towns. The school board is disappointed and the superintendent thinks that folks do not care about the schools, according to the Marysville Advocate. This is a little unfair; if the school board actually listened to constituents and analyzed data, perhaps such gross comments would not make their way into the newspaper.

The reasons given by the school board for desiring 8.5 million dollars were updates to the buildings, and a new gym at the Centralia locaction. USD 380 straddles three counties, Marshall, Nemaha, and Pottawatomie. Centralia is in Nemaha County. Should those who live in the other two counties see their mill levies and their property taxes increase for a gymnasium that their children will never get to use? Why is a school district with declining enrollment straddling three different counties in the first place?

The other reason given for such a large amount involved security measures. Frankfort and Centralia want keypad locks on their doors, rather than the traditional locks and keys. Not only is this an expensive initial option for a tiny school, it requires upkeep that the school district would not be able to fund, even with the bond. Every time a building with such a lock changes its schedule and itinerary, a technician must visit the building to change the pass-code information. This is at least two hundred dollars per visit, and both schools host sporting events and parent teacher conferences, which would necessitate many visits from a technician. In the case of USD 380, old fashioned locks and keys will still work as desired, if the building is actually locked when not occupied. Another item desired is a metal detector. The problem had by USD 380 concerning guns is mostly in Frankfort, and that involves a failure on the part of school administration to sanction those who bully and bring weapons into the building. If the proper reports are made to the FBI each time a child takes a weapon, drugs, or alcohol to school, even if it is the child or grandchild of someone who donates a lot of money via the booster club; and the child in question is sanctioned according to federal law, these problems will abate. Frankfort has not attempted to follow the law, and expects a metal detector to cover up that problem. Finally, both schools want cameras at all entrances, which is reasonable. Cameras for two tiny schools will not cost 8.5 million dollars. A word of caution, however; Frankfort has consistently rejected the use of a sign-in sheet in the office for adult visitors to the school. The staff does not wish to monitor those who enter and exit the building. A camera will do no more good than an unused sign-in sheet if the principal is truly unconcerned about what goes on inside the school. Also, as long as teachers are not held accountable when they "lose" students off of school property during the school day, key pads, metal detectors, and cameras will not accomplish anything. Tom Schroeder and Dean Dalinghaus, I'm looking at you, here!

The populations of Frankfort and USD 380 have been on the decline since 1910. At present, the population of Centralia is about 500 people and the population of Frankfort is about 690. That is fewer people, altogether, than attended your faithful blogger's alma mater at the time of her graduation. Why should taxpayers fund an 8.5 million dollar bond for schools that will probably shut down and consolidate with other, more viable schools, within the next ten years? The bond would take twenty-five years to pay off.