Frankfort Kansas And Public School Textbook Rentals

While your faithful blogger is digging up posts from the past, concerning public schools, here is another oldie but goodie. This one is about textbook rentals.

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it is, of course, another matter; but Frankfort has no legal business charging any parent 50.00 for its moth eaten, outdated, information-challenged tomes that are seldom even read by students.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 Was it written and compiled by authors whose contributions to the subject matter have been superseded by better authorities?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.

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 significance 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.

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

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.

Not Only A Troll, But A Liar

Here's what nonthinking frankfurter moron said I said:  I don't think its fair to bring her daughter into this matter. You are wrong about her daughter not being sick, she has seizures and needs someone to take care of her.

And here's what I actually said: Her mother tried to buy home confinement and an ankle bracelet by paying $50,000 toward restitution, and there were some greatly exaggerated claims about an illness on the part of a family member who supposedly needs Monica's care, (ha! that's simply not true) but the judge gave her prison time, anyway.

The post about which frankfurters are having psychotic attacks is this one, about Monica Smart and her theft of half a million dollars. Anyone wishing to see what I actually said can read the above copied sentence, in which I mentioned a relative of Monica Smart, and discussion in court about the relative's need for ongoing care from Monica because of a medical problem. Did I say daughter? No! Did I say seizures? No! While the Marysville Advocate and the Topeka Capital Journal did say daughter and seizures, I did not, because it's not anyone else's personal business, and it's not part of the story or the situation at hand. The reason I mentioned it is because it sounded to me as if Monica Smart was using her child as a bargaining chip in court, in order to avoid the problem she faces of having the laws apply to her, just like the laws apply to people from other parts of the country.  And I think that's really low. If Monica was really terribly concerned about caring for anyone with medical problems, it seems to me that a life of crime was contraindicated. As in: "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime." But Monica, after the manner of other under-socialized, Midwestern Americans of Anglo-Saxon and Germanic descent, thought she was too white to go to jail. Or that the prosecution couldn't really be serious about consequences. Or that mommy could buy her way out of prison. Or that Jesus would save her......or something like that. When none of those things turned out to be true in her case, she used one of her kids as a pawn. But; disgruntled frankfurter troll: I did not reveal the adult child's identity. THAT WAS YOU!

Then, my troll went on to say this: I have not personally attacked you and I would be willing to bet that Monica's daughter has not done so either.

It would not surprise me in the slightest if this non-thinking, sappy, unbalanced, emotional little troll was out gossiping about me, and my family, right now. The troll actually had a contorted notion that I made a statement I didn't make, and even in the presence of the printed words that I actually DID write, reacted as if I wrote what she thought I wrote, instead of what I wrote! Can anyone see why the inbred population of long term, under-socialized, silly-assed residents in this community annoy me so much? Not all of them; but definitely the ones connected to the school, and the ones who maintain friendships that surround the school. I didn't even mention the specific relationship of the family member whom Monica Smart was using as a "Get Out Of Jail Free Card".

I should probably remind my troll, whose signal did reach me from somewhere very local to the teeming metropolis of Frankfort, that inbreeding is against the law, too. You won't go to prison for it, like Monica Smart, but dagnab.......if everyone could comprehend and think critically, instead of interpreting data the way you do, the world would be a much better place.

Update On The Morals Taught By Frankfort Kansas School

Not too long ago, I mentioned the spouse of a teacher at the small public school in Frankfort Kansas, because she embezzled a bunch on money from her employer, an insurance company, and from her clients. About half a million dollars. On Monday, January 13, Monica Smart was sentenced in federal court to twenty-one months in prison. Her mother tried to buy home confinement and an ankle bracelet by paying $50,000 toward restitution, and there were some greatly exaggerated claims about an illness on the part of a family member who supposedly needs Monica's care, (ha! that's simply not true) but the judge gave her prison time, anyway. Sometime within the next month or so, Mrs. Smart will get notified that there is space at one of the womens' prisons in the country, and she will be chained up and flown to it, unless it happens to be within driving distance. That's simply not supposed to happen to frankfurters! Especially Christian frankfurters.......Jesus is supposed to protect them from getting caught when they commit crimes!

There are several reasons why this bothers me. First of all, not only Monica Smart, but her husband, Larry Smart, a public school teacher, was found to be compromised in the investigation. At this writing, he does not appear to have any charges lodged against him, but he is the subject of civil complaints connected to his wife's conduct. While she is serving time in a federal prison, he will obviously maintain sympathies toward someone who held others in contempt by stealing half a million dollars from them. If she escapes or fails to report to federal marshals, and becomes a fugitive, federal marshals will rip through everywhere to which she has a connection, in desperate and feverish pursuit. The first places they normally check, in those situations, are the family residences of fugitives. If her big poofy blond head is not found at home, they will probably try to find her husband. They may or may not care about the fact that Larry is employed at a school. I, personally, would not want a teacher to put some fugitive's interests and well being ahead of any child's, but Larry Smart is married to a convicted felon.

The moral message passed along to students is disturbing, as well. Frankfort School has had run-ins with the ACLU and federal agencies in the past concerning the disturbing habit of interfering with the cultures and religions of others; only to try, unsuccessfully, to argue that forcing religious activities is "teaching morals". Is the Smarts' complicity in embezzling, and the act of welcoming the Smarts and their crime, with open arms and no caution, an example of "teaching morals"? They used their stolen money to pay for expensive school trips and other frills that I could not afford for my children. My daughter, unaware of the embezzling, truly thought that she was not loved by her family because we do not embezzle or steal to gain such an advantage. Why would the school even play along? Why did teachers and school administration tell my children that if I loved them, I would have enough money to pay for vehicles for all of them and for trips, just as the Smarts and other teachers? (yes, the Smarts' ample provision for their childrens' luxuries was thrown in my face by angry children more than once.....only my angry children didn't realize how deeply criminal their community can be, at times) Some of the teachers at Frankfort, as well as the principal, have gone out of their way to make sure that all of my childrens' classmates knew that while others can occasionally work freely and happily from home at freelance projects, it was morally wrong for yours truly to do so. For me to take advantage of such an option made me lazy, and put my life in the category of welfare fraud, (even though I have never been on welfare) according to the frankfurter folks, and that's exactly what the sixth grade teacher told my children! It seems that being a stay at home mom is something that is afforded to those sweet Christian women who usually have open legs to go along with their open bibles; but not to me. It's not okay with Frankfort Kansas if I stay home and take care of my children. But it is okay with Frankfort Kansas if an insurance agent steals half a million dollars. She is, after all, doing something to benefit her family!

On Monday, a relative of Alice Jones, the library director who lets children bring booze and illegal drugs into the library, was still defending the Smarts. I can only guess that this woman was not a victim of the fraud and embezzling; however, speaking of Alice Jones, perhaps Monica's motive was to keep up with the Jones's. But to keep up with these particular Jones's, stealing half a million dollars needn't have been Monica's special crime: she could have just hired some high school students via Heartland Works and let them come to work drunk, straight from school, and bring some recreational prescription pills with them, right Alice Jones? Safety in the school is compromised by the husband of a convicted felon on the premises, and teaching the whole disgusting lesson that violating federal law is acceptable, as long as one gets away with it, is simply wrong. This is not the kind of example teachers should set.

In a rather glaring example of dereliction of duty, Laura Johnson-McNish attended the sentencing hearing, rather than attending to the duties of the office of Marshall County Prosecutor. She did not prosecute this case, and lost the only case she ever tried, all by herself, before a jury. Had the citizens of Kansas actually been forced to rely upon the legal expertise of Johnson-McNish, Smart would still be robbing insurance customers blind. Johnson-McNish is only effective when a defendant who has been caught red handed is willing to cop a plea, and even then, she is only marginally effective. Why did I, as a taxpayer, have to pay her salary for a day's galavanting as a spectator in proceedings to which she had no viable contribution? Taxpayers should not have to pay for Laura Johnson-McNish to satisfy her curiosity any more than they should have to pay for her to go to the movies. And why did Laura Johnson-McNish address the press on this matter?

"I would like to thank Chief Todd Ackerman, the Marysville Police Department, FBI agent Scott Gentine, and Christine Kenney, attorney with the U.S. attorney general's office, for their efforts in securing justice in this case."

Not only did she have the gall to thank those who actually are qualified to practice law and dispense justice as if they had actually done her a personal favor; she does not, and has never, cared about securing justice. No one should be fooled by McNish's pandering. Her position, as county attorney, is elected.

Another Judge With His Frankfurter Up His Anus

A couple of weeks ago, in Montana, Judge G. Todd Baugh announced that he intends to stay on the bench, despite public outcry and demands for his resignation. The reason for all of the protest is quite simple: in 2008, a teacher at a Montana high school, Stacey Dean Ramboldt, had sex with a fourteen year female old student. The judge insisted upon acting as if the student, rather than the teacher, was on trial. He even stated that the fourteen year old had "control" of the situation. Eventually, the girl committed suicide, eliminating herself as a witness and clearing the way for the defense to garner a very light sentence for Ramboldt......thirty days in jail. Judge Baugh's dingbat apology can be heard in the video below.

Another fourteen year old student was abused in the Midwest. A Frankfort Kansas guidance counselor, by the name of Tom Schroeder, abandoned a female high school freshman along the highway, four miles south of the school and the town of Frankfort. When she got lost, attempting to find her way back to school, she stayed lost all afternoon. Tom Schroeder did not notify law enforcement, or even call the parents. He proceeded to look for her by himself, unsuccessfully. Some young men eventually happened upon the missing high school freshman and brought her back to Frankfort a few hours later. Despite the fact that contracts for teachers in Kansas prohibit the commission of any crime while employed as a teacher, Tom Schroeder's Frankfort parents and other community connections have mattered much, much more than the safety of the children in his charge. The local unified school board, USD 380, went ahead and "unified" into an action to retain the services of Tom Schroeder despite his ineffective presence at school. Because kidnapping and unlawful restraint are very serious crimes, and because Tom Schroeder admitted to the local school board and to the superintendent that he did, in fact, leave a fourteen year old alongside the highway by herself with no authority to do so, (how would any teacher gain authority to do a thing like that?) his contract as an educator was breached. At the very least, he should be terminated as a school employee, and we all know that anyone whose parents did not donate large amounts of money to the unified school district would probably have been charged with criminal actions and tried.

All of the "Frankfurters", and others from surrounding towns who make up USD 380, who are on the school board, or who teach or work in administrative positions at the school, have a mandatory responsibility to alert Child Protective Services when someone recklessly endangers or kidnaps a child, and also when someone neglects a child. Child Protective Services, however; had not heard about the incident involving the abandonment of the fourteen year old freshman until her parents made the report. So we know, for a fact, that those who work at USD 380 do not do their jobs completely unless they "feel like it". Judge G. Todd Baugh, in Montana, had a responsibility, as well, to alert the appropriate authorities, especially when he discovered that a child had been sexually abused. Instead, he blamed the child. Even the Frankfurters in Frankfort Kansas blamed the high school freshman for not knowing the area! (she had but recently moved to Kansas) Unfortunately, the list of things that these two travesties have in common does not end at the age of the victims and the reactions of the justice system, but extends to the fact that both teachers are still free to endanger children, with the Frankfurter Kansas specimen benefitting from employers who deliberately cover for him, a crime in and of itself.

Dalinghaus Say "Bye-Bye, Money!"

 

After my decision to enroll my children in a different school than the local public school, I got this letter:

"The Board of Education of USD 380 approves and supports the intent of KSA 72-1113 which recognizes that regular school attendance is essential to the complete education of each student. Truancy is defined as any three consecutive unexcused absences, any five unexcused absences in a semester or seven unexcused absences in a school year, whichever comes first. Since we have received no records for A, B, or C, they in turn have seven unexcused absences since the beginning of  school. We have received records requests for D and E. If A, B, and C have been enrolled in another school we need a records request from that institution, or if you have decided to home school them, you will need to register with the Kansas State Department of Education. If you choose to do neither, the truancy report will be continued by the county attorney.

Once a report is filed with the county attorney, an investigation shall begin. If the county attorney
determines that your child is not attending school as required by law, the county attorney shall prepare and file a petition alleging that your child is a child in need of care. If, during the investigation, the county attorney determines that a criminal investigation is necessary, the county attorney shall commence the same. If there is anything we need to know about their attendance, feel free to call me at the school to discuss it at 785-292-4486. Dean Dalinghaus, Principal"

My, my. Dean Dalinghaus is really having a hard time saying "Bye-Bye" to the money which was brought into the school by the enrollment of my six children. I went ahead and corrected his spelling errors and his grammatical errors, but left his badly punctuated sentences as he wrote them. I also substituted the names of my children with sequential letters of the alphabet. I guess I should begin the rebuttal of Dalinghaus's nonsense at the beginning, in the first sentences. I agree that regular attendance is essential to complete education, but so is presence, and when my daughter was missing, rather than present, for a whole afternoon because the guidance counselor abandoned her alongside a highway four miles south of the school, then failed to tell anyone when he could not find her, Dalinghaus was not at all concerned about my daughter's absence. Why is he so concerned about anyone's absence now? We all know the answer to that: enrollment dollars! Dean Dalinghaus is an enrollment dollar whore! But the truth is, my children have not been truant or absent at all, because they attend a different school. Their transcripts were obtained via the superintendent before school started, because no one cared to countenance the sight of Dean Dalinghaus and his silly and annoying et els at Frankfort School, especially after seeing friends, family and others over the summer, who are nicer than Frankfort School staff and do not look and act like carbon copies of each other.

The second silly-assed notion entertained by this principal is that he ought to file a report with the county attorney about our choice of a different school! While the county attorney, sure enough, hates my guts, (hahahahahaha!) she has her own problems with the Kansas Bar Association, at the moment. Chances are, she did not share that information with Dean Dalinghaus, but investigating yours truly for failing to commit a crime is probably not on her agenda, and probably not the best career move for our county attorney, at this time. Not that such a thing would ordinarily stop her, but she may wish to hang on to her ability to practice law!

The idea that a parent is obligated, by law, to use a public school is incorrect. A parent may send children to boarding school, private school, correspondence schools, internet schools, private tutors, or home school. When one tries another brand of toothpaste, the marketers of the former brand do not harass the consumer over the new preference. When one trades in a vehicle, and purchases a different make, there are no threats of arrest from the makers of the old vehicle. One is even free to change cable companies, buy a different cell phone, or go elsewhere for medical care! Dean Dalinghaus's opinion that I owe my patronage to his sorry excuse for a school is akin to MSN trying to tell  customers that they MUST stick with Windows 98, no matter which computer is selected! I don't have to send my children to Dean's racist, substandard institution, where bullies rule and teachers serve beer to students at their homes! (two teachers of whom I personally know, although the number is probably higher) I also do NOT have to send my children to a school where the guidance counselor buys cigarettes for children on field trips. Yes, folks, that actually happened. And as for the guns that go into the building or wait in vehicles belonging to students during hunting season.......yes, it happens at Frankfort.........no loving parent knowingly exposes a child to that!

Seriously; the best thing Dean Dalinghaus can do for Frankfort School is resign, after making a recommendation of permanently closing it to the school board. The best thing he can do for himself is to get over himself, stop harassing customers who have taken their business elsewhere, relax, and say "Bye-Bye, Money" to the funds which would have been earmarked for his institution, had he chosen to treat me with respect.

 

 

Enroll A Child In School With No birth Certificate

Want to know where you can still enroll a child in school with no birth certificate, despite federal law, requiring that a school see a valid birth certificate prior to enrollment? Frankfort, in Frankfort Kansas will do this for you! Actually, you do not necessarily even need to prove that you have legal custody of a child, or that you are, indeed, one of the child's parents in order to enroll! Dean Dalinghaus, the principal at Frankfort, is so bent on harvesting all the dollars he can harvest for enrolling as many children as possible, while providing as little classroom instruction as possible, that he will enroll anyone under four feet tall! He will probably enroll dogs, cats, and parakeets if he can find inactive social security numbers or other identities for them!

I wonder which class Frankfort found for this new student.