Comments on: Manassas Public Schools Welcomes The DOJ

By: Peter G.

Peter G. — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 02:10:33 +0000

No they were not. That year they went 9-1, beat Franklin County at home in the first playoff game at home then on Thanksgiving weekend they lost to Hylton at Hylton. The next year, 2006 they went 14-0 and won the state championship.

By: manassascityresident

manassascityresident — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:31:48 +0000

corr: and were the state champions

By: manassascityresident

manassascityresident — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:30:48 +0000

Anonymous said on 15 Apr 2008 at 7:43 pm:

yes, they were undefeated and the state champs

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 23:43:47 +0000

Peter G, not that it really matters, but I believe the football team went undefeated the year of the incident described on this subject. However, you are all correct that all the students involved were suspened games.

By: citizenofManassas

citizenofManassas — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:01:09 +0000

Ok, so I was provided wrong information. I still think this issue should be considered along with other issues to show the school system needs better oversight.

By: Peter G.

Peter G. — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:05:10 +0000

You are correct anon, volleyball players were suspended and the football players missed the Freedom and Woodbridge games. Woodbridge was the only loss of the regular season. No student got special treatment because of who they were, they got as much as policy allowed.
The fact that the city is being investigated by the DOJ because they spend too little on ESOL and that the ESOL kids are still learning at a high rate as compared to the other locals, tells me that the City Schools are being run well.

By: anon

anon — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:42:23 +0000

Oh for crying out loud citizenofManassas. Why can’t you let something go that happened three years ago. Peter is correct — suspensions were given and games were missed.

I am not a liberal (pretty conservative actually)–get a grip. Do you have students in the public school. By the way you are talking, I doubt it serioiusly. It is only people like you that are ignorant on facts that have to beat the “donkey” to death.

By: citizenofManassas

citizenofManassas — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:54:30 +0000

Peter,

Are you sure about that? Because I was told the football players were not suspended due to who they were and the importance they had to the team.

Of course I am not going to let it go, it is another sign of how poorly the public schools are in the City, and yet every year the libs yell and scream if there is even a hint the schools may not get all the money the board wants.

By: Bayberry resident

Bayberry resident — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:53:45 +0000

The culprit that released the info to the City was indeed the same person, female, who was arrested for embezellement. However, the info was not resquested by the city it was voluntarly turned over by the same as she filed her own overcrowding complaints as I was informed by a very reliable inspector source in the zoning department.

By: Peter G.

Peter G. — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:36:36 +0000

COM,
ALL the kids were suspended and the football players missed 2 games, so get your facts right and let it go. The SB punished as much as policy allowed. They were not satisfied with that so they changed the policy just in case anything like it happed again.

By: citizenofManassas

citizenofManassas — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:22:31 +0000

Peter,

It should not be forgotten about, since it obviously involved political strings being pulled in order to keep starters from being suspended and therefore allowed them to keep playing which saved the football season.

I’m all for having good sports teams, but not at the expense of equal punishment and treatment. What other activities are being covered up by school officials to protect “star” athletes?

I would expect that children who cost almost twice as much to educate to gain something from the experence.

By: Peter G.

Peter G. — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:44:53 +0000

Well said Happy in the City. It’s nice to hear from someone who is in the schools and sees what is going on. Thanks for the information.

Citizen,
Get off the kids having sex thing. My God man it was over three and a half years ago. One incident, let it go.

By: CJC

CJC — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:19:23 +0000

Off topic
Do our illegal aliens know that San Francisco wants them? We should do all we can to spread the word. Maybe San Francisco could work out a deal with moving companies or at least San Francisco could pay for the U-Hauls.

By: AWCheney

AWCheney — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:18:47 +0000

Perhaps, Dolph, it might have something to do with the Administration’s support of a cheap, illegal alien workforce supporting big business (and those small and mid-size businesses that have also acquiesced to the temptation of improving that bottom line…and perhaps being able to compete). The success and, more importantly, spread of local action successfully addressing the illegal alien situation must be making the White House VERY nervous…and Prince William County (generally referred to by the media as Manassas, particularly because of HSM) has been touted nationally as taking point on the issue. They’re trying to make an example of someone and Manassas may be taking the hit because they’re more vulnerable than the County…and it doesn’t hurt (for the Fed) that we’re also the closest to DC. It’s just another attempt at intimidation, and can only be successful if Manassas allows it to be.

By: CitizenofManassas

CitizenofManassas — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:18:24 +0000

Dolph,

Of course there is. I find it funny, that a couple of football players can have sex in school, they get off free, the girls get kicked out of school. We have a bunch of illegals, and the criminal justice system seems more concerned with the feelings of illegals then they do with the infamous sex in school story.

By: dolph

dolph — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 21:46:05 +0000

Why doesn’t NASA come inspect the cafeterias to see that the lunch program is nutritional.

I have never heard of DOJ doing an on-site inspection of an educational program. I would expect this to be plastered all over the news.

There must be a little more to this story.

By: Benton

Benton — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 20:41:22 +0000

“Two other rationales for this federal investigation are cited as well - the wrongful disclosure of student information to zoning inspectors in 2006, and the existence of Help Save Manassas.”

So DOJ does not see HSM as a bonus to the citizens of Manassas or PWC?

By: Happy in the City

Happy in the City — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 16:18:24 +0000

I am a parent of a child who attends an elementary school in the City of Manassas. As such, I visit my child’s classroom frequently to volunteer my time. Part of the work that I do while there involves working with some of the ESOL students on their reading and spelling assignments. These children are doing very well in comparison to the start of the year and have made visible progress. I know for a fact that the ESOL children are pulled out of the classroom for specialized instruction each day (sometimes multiple times per day), and that they are not being overlooked nor neglected. They are happy, eager to learn, and are treated with the same kindness and respect as the rest of the children. A story like this one in the Post is born of ignorance to what is really going on in the school system. Basing the analysis on monetary figures alone is ridiculous. Manassas City Schools are doing a great job with a challenging situation. My child is doing well there, as are his ESOL friends.

By: AWCheney

AWCheney — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 13:53:05 +0000

I know that you’re being sarcastic A Reader, but be careful…there are FAR too many people who want to do just that, and you might be giving them ideas!

By: A Reader

A Reader — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:20:43 +0000

Come on guys, you know we need to do more for the illegals
1. Start paying for more ESOL teacher assistants so that they can have more individualized help. (We can make cutbacks on art, music, and sports for the regular students. It’s not about taking care of our children, we need to provide for EVERYONE, you know how rich the U.S. is.
2. Hire more ESOL teachers so that the ESOL students do better than the “regular” kids.
3. Provide them with a taxi to pick them up and bring them to school.
4. Naturally they should get free breakfast, lunch, and all school supplies. But, what about Saturday and Sunday? We could open the school cafeterias to take care of the pesky weekends and school holidays.
5. Free summer school and it needs to last all day so the illegals will get free babysitting.
6. Of course we need to provide scholarships for the illegals so that they can go to college. I know it is hard for “regular” students to secure a place at a state college, but surely Americans will want to give up their child’s spot so that a needy illegal can go.
7. Provide free phone cards so that the illegals can call all their friends and relative in the “home country” so that they can get in on all that we have to offer.