A Reminder About Enrollment Fees In Frankfort, Kansas

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.

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.

Abbie Hoffman Moment

Jeff Sessions Won't Respond To Jerry Moran About Immigrant Children

There has been a lot of talk about the separation of families at America's southern border, lately. Those who support Trump and hate anyone who isn't of western European descent seem to want to believe and argue that there is nothing wrong with taking the child of someone who lawfully seeks asylum (not a crime) or someone who unlawfully crosses the border (a misdemeanor) and sending the child to an unknown location, and in some cases, never giving the child back. Yours truly wrote to her representative in Congress, Jerry Moran, (R) for an answers. Jerry Moran's aide made some statements to the effect that Mr. Moran thought "faith based organizations" in Kansas should help, but was unable to supply an answer outlining any help that "faith based organizations" could give that would reunite children and parents. While "faith based organizations" are more than capable of assisting in efforts to traffic children illegally, yours truly has never seen a faith based organization in Kansas offer to assist in finding attorneys for such children. "Faith based organizations" are usually much better at providing horny priests than they are at providing actual assistance. Reuniting families is simply not the goal, here. Neither is granting any of these children legal representation.

Jerry Moran wrote a letter to Jeff Sessions in early July about the all of these children, including the nine known immigrant children who were placed in Kansas. Some of Mr. Moran's constituents also wanted to know what would happen to the children whose parents had been deported, leaving them behind. Jeff Sessions ignored Mr. Moran, and all of his Kansas constituents, and never bothered to answer the letter.

Tears On Summer Solstice

Usually, your blogger celebrates happily on Summer Solstice, as it is a day to celebrate the work of the God, and his love for our beautiful planet. This year, however; happy celebrations did not seem appropriate. Instead, there is work to be done in the way of taking our world back from those who seriously feel it is appropriate to snatch nursing babies from the arms of their mothers.

What the hell is wrong with some people? We all should care.

Private Message

This post is for someone specific, and that person will know exactly who she is when she sees it. To everyone else, thank you for indulging me, and please excuse the tone of this post. My outrage is only intended for one person.

You know, if you really cared about child abuse in Kansas, you would never have stolen that twenty dollar bill out of the wallet of a child, here in Kansas. That child actually worked for the money you stole from her, and you have never worked a day in your life. You can also stop lying about contact with Kyron Horman's family, because you have never had any; and you can explain exactly what you were doing in Kansas City when Lisa Irwin disappeared. Also, remember Kimberly Hakes, in Oregon? You never did explain your proximity to that crime scene. You also never told me what you were doing at the lighthouse in Umpqua State Park in the spring of 2013, when a woman your age got murdered. Remember how you called me and told me you were lost, and needed me to somehow help you, from Kansas, to get a ride out of there? I called the Coast Guard, because I didn't know who else could help you, and when I called to tell you that I had done that, you responded by shutting off your phone! You didn't really want help, did you? In fact, it appears that the only knowledge you have of these matters involves complicity, not a desire for justice.

I am not defending the way Kansas deals with child abuse cases or with missing persons cases, but geez....every time I've observed you, either in or out of Kansas, you have managed to become part of the problem, rather than part of the solution. There are many ways by which Kansas can better its responses to the needs of children, but none of them have been suggested or promoted by you, my oversized hitchhiker. Have you ever even stopped attempting to con people long enough to tape a poster of a missing child up on a bulletin board? It is a humble job, but many missing persons, both children and adults, are located by photo recognition, rather than by the likes of you, pretending that you know things you do not actually know. Yes, your statements were forwarded to the proper authorities, and we were assured that you are pointless and absurd. Another question for you, here: do you remember when that county attorney in Kansas; who paid you to testify falsely against an innocent person; allowed her own child to drive drunk, resulting in a crash? She passed us, en route to the scene, where her child was belching his boozy breath, after destroying someone's property. I would never have known that the speeding and red light-running SUV was hers, had you not informed me. Did you ever pick up your mobile phone and dial child protective services to report that Kansas county attorney who had allowed her child to drink, underage, and drive in that condition? I am going to remind you that you did not, thereby rendering you not only pointless and absurd, but also a hypocrite, when you condemn others for maltreatment of children. You've obstructed justice and contributed to abuses of children many times.

One more thing, you smelly thief; Lisa Irwin disappeared from Missouri, not from Kansas.

Trump Administration "Loses" Almost 1500 Children

How does one "lose" a child? The federal government, under Donald Trump, has separated many, many families detained by ICE, but their current tactic is to send the parents home without their children. No kidding. At this point, there are over 1400 children of whom the United States has "lost track", and Jeff Sessions is claiming that the United States is not responsible. That simply isn't so. Whoever has custody of a child is responsible for the child's whereabouts. Just ask the stepmother of Lucas Hernandez, Emily Glass.

Is Donald Trump selling children of immigrants in order to support his family's shopping habits?