'Relocating' children - Hundreds of Oklahoma kids carted away from school grounds

The American Thinker ^ | March 29, 2012 | Jason McNew

[Gennie]

'Relocating' children

March 29, 2012

It's 11AM. Do you know where your children are? Hundreds of Oklahoma kids carted away from school grounds without parental consent or knowledge.

Jason McNew

Recently, there has been a disturbing nation-wide trend of parental rights being trampled upon by public school officials, from bag-lunch inspections to electronic bracelets being used to spy on overweight kids. This week brings another example of complete disregard for parental rights, this time from Grove High School in Delaware County, Oklahoma.

Grove High School transported 699 kids away from school property without first notifying parents of their intent to do so, nor obtaining the parents consent. Parents were only told, by way of this nondescript robo-call, that there would be a "drill":

"This call is to inform you that Grove Public Schools will be conducting an emergency exercise on Tuesday, March 27, 2012. The drill's purpose is to extend the school's preparedness in the event of a real emergency. Please be aware, this is only a drill. Thanks and have a good evening."

[esopman]

I am a former public school teacher and a homeschool mom. Please believe me that German and Chinese will do no good for a child who has been psychosocially and morally damaged by public schools.

In all kindness, there are ways for children to learn more esoteric subjects at home, and homeschool parents figure this out everyday.

Blessings,
Mrs. Esopman

[netmilsmom]

>>Just out of curiosity, what was the highest level of mathematics that you ever took and passed?<<

Ooooo, let me answer!!!!
Junior high pre-algebra.

But I’m not teaching math to my kids. These people are...
http://saxonpublishers.hmhco.com/en/sxnm_home.htm
http://www.khanacademy.org/

And if they don’t get it, another homeschooling parent or student helps them out.

There’s this thing. It’s called “the internet”. It’s a wealth of information. In fact, there is a site called “Free Republic” with a “chat” forum. I can’t tell you how many Algebra problems I’ve popped up on there and gotten TONS of people helping out.

But my kids don’t hang out with the crossdressers and gay couples like their “Public School” friends. That’s actually quite alright with me.

[upchuck]

Reason number 627 to immediately remove your kids from government schools. Homeschool them or send them to a private school.

We are rapidly approaching the point where sending your kids to government schools could be considered child abuse.

[Malacoda]

I'll answer your questions with a couple if my own.

What, exactly, would parents comply with if their children were essentially held hostage? What would you give up to have your children returned to you?

[netmilsmom]

Yikes! I have to correct a fact.

Michigan pays 7,500 per student. It’s 15,000 for the two kids.

I pay 300.00 per year.

[JenB]

ANOTHER REASON TO HOMESCHOOL

This ping list is for the “other” articles of interest to homeschoolers about education and public school. This can occasionally be a fairly high volume list. Articles pinged to the Another Reason to Homeschool List will be given the keyword of ARTH. (If I remember. If I forget, please feel free to add it yourself) The main Homeschool Ping List handles the homeschool-specific articles. I hold both the Homeschool Ping List and the Another Reason to Homeschool Ping list. Please freepmail me to let me know if you would like to be added to or removed from either list, or both.

[LomanBill]

[There is a lot of good in public schools, although I wish more conservatives would teach there and help them to resist liberal, anti-Christian, pro-socialism values lessons.]

Yep.

I particularly like this public "school"...





...where the writing on the wall is a little more literate than the usual graffiti work-product commonly associated with public edumatational facilities these days.

[moovova]

If there is an emergency at my kid’s school, I fully hope AND expect the school to make EVERY effort to protect my children should I not be able to get there.

If that means transporting them to a local OR long distance location that offers safety, with OR without my permission...so be it.

I would also appreciate that the school’s admin is PRACTICING this maneuver so their efforts, in a true emergency, would go smoothly.

What’s the alternative? The school staff drops everything and runs...leaving the kids behind?

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

-—.Most are ‘in denial’ because it is so scary and so expensive to face. But it is worth it.-—

People measure this decision in a worldly way, seeing only the cost of tuition or the loss of a second income. What does it profit a man to gain the world, but lose his soul? But there are countless earthly blessings to homeschooling as well.

How much would you pay for grounded, happy, conservative, religious children, who will be a blessing to you throughout their adult lives, as opposed to having troubled, unhappy, liberal, religious children?

Of course, I’m painting with a broad brush. There are exceptions. But my conclusion derives from observing 20, now adult, nieces and nephews of practicing Catholic parents, and from my general observation of government and homeschooled kids.

People cringe when I tell them I have teenage girls. But they couldn’t be easier to deal with or more fun to hang around with.

[Gennie]

This was not a REAL emergency, this was a PLANNED event. Big difference. In a planned event, parents should know where their kids are going to be in case of their OWN emergency, as well as piece of mind and because well, they being the parents. This was handled poorly. The superintendent's argument was that because the children were to remain on school buses the entire time during the drill, which is considred "school property", they did not need parental consent even though they physically moved the children from one location to another, unbeknownst to the parents.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

Modern compulsory schooling has little to do with the lessons on the blackboard.

http://www.newciv.org/whole/schoolteacher.txt

Where did you learn that training in a foreign languages is important, and that the inculcation of morality is relatively unimportant? (Yes, that’s what you said, in so many words.)

[mykroar]

All your kids are belong to us.

[moovova]

...uh...maybe that’s why it’s good to practice these scenerios...to work out the problems.

(Reference my original comment: “I would also appreciate that the school’s admin is PRACTICING this maneuver so their efforts, in a true emergency, would go smoothly.”)

I stick by my original post.

[BlatherNaut]

This was handled poorly.

Bottom line.

[Gennie]

I am trying to understand why, in a planned scenario which is not a crisis, you think the parents should NOT be notified as to where their children’s physical bodies would be if they are not in the school or at least on school property like the parents are assuming? What would the harm be in notifying and gaining parental consent? A true emergency is just that, an emergency, parental consent and knowledge would not hinder a drill as most would be aware and say “sure!”.

[Wonder Warthog]

"A good public school, and there are many, can teach French, German, Spanish, and perhaps even Russian and Chinese better than most of us can. A good public school can teach science better than most of us even know so many different fields of science, writing better than we can teach it, and math beyond what most adults remember or perhaps ever learned. What it cannot do is teach values, and parents need to talk with their public (or private) school kids daily and correct or clarify any moral lessons that the schools messed up (whether intentionally or inadvertently). There is a lot of good in public schools, although I wish more conservatives would teach there and help them to resist liberal, anti-Christian, pro-socialism values lessons.

That may have been true "once upon a time", but it is no longer so. My great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother all taught in public schools. I'm a product of same. But that was fifty years ago. Public education has largely been destroyed and replaced by political and politically correct brainwashing. I keep up with what is happening through relatives with children still in school, and have watched the deterioration progress to its current abysmally low level.

[annieokie]

You are correct, imo, in that this was a planned event and should have had the parents consent before transporting.

What I would like to know: What is the Emergency they are planning on??? Does anyone see a real Threat on the horizon? Name it, then tell the parents what it is.

What is Obama up to now, and why pull this off in some out of the way place in Okla? Maybe because the media won't be out in force to ask questions?

This whole thing is very disturbing and weird.

[Pollster1]

Where did you learn that training in a foreign languages is important, and that the inculcation of morality is relatively unimportant? (Yes, that’s what you said, in so many words.)

Morality is by far the most important lesson. I simply believe that kids will be exposed to good and bad morals no matter what. It is comparatively easy for involved parents to correct moral lessons that the schools get wrong - if parents try - but impossible for most of us to teach languages (and many other subjects) well.

[gr8eman]

I continue to be amazed by the writings of people whose thinking is “pre-internet”. You can get access to practically EVERYTHING on the internet. If you really wanted your son or daughter to learn a foreign language at home, say German, all you have to do is get an online language course, listen to German radio online, watch German TV shows online (they have great kids shows with no leftist indoctrination), podcasts, online chat...etc! My biggest problem is having to sit in front of the computer for too long, but printers are also fashionable these days!

[moovova]

I'll say it one more time for you...maybe it will sink in:

"...uh...maybe that’s why it’s good to practice these scenerios...to work out the problems."

Here's a hypothetical staff meeting AFTER the recent PRACTICE relocation drill:

Principal says: "Staff, any one have any suggestions as to how we can improve our next relocation drill?"

Staff members suggest:
"A bus ran out of gas. Make sure there is enough gas in each bus."
"Have a couple of big RubberMaid tubs of snacks and drinks ready to go with each bus."
"Make sure each bus has a walky-talky."
"Have maps in each bus showing alternative routes."
"Oh yeah...please, please, please...let's notify the parents by mail, robo-call, and student notes WELL IN ADVANCE of the event. Remember all the parent calls we got?"

Principal replies: "ALL good suggestions...especially the one about notifying the parents. We should also get permission slips signed."