This from the Kentucky Standard:
A former Nelson County School District student has been sentenced to a year in prison after pleading guilty to charges that he threatened former Nelson County Superintendent Jan Lantz.
According to a final judgment entered Oct. 22, Brandon Michael Board, 20, was convicted of second-degree terroristic threatening and second-degree criminal mischief.
The charges stem from an incident in March when sheriff’s deputies were notified that someone had left a bullet with the name “Lantz” written above it at Old Kentucky Home Middle School. The charges also account for an act of vandalism at Nelson County High School where an individual spray-painted graffiti containing his street name on school property...
7 comments:
I am editing out part of a comment today due to the anonymous commenter’s suggestion that someone should commit a particular illegal act. KSN&C does not condone, support or give voice to any such suggestions, even if they are intended merely as demonstrations. Neither does KSN&C wish anyone ill.
The commenter said, “This story was rather surprising. Perhaps it was posted as a cautionary piece for the growing number of people who are dissatisfied with the management style of FCPS head Stu Silberman. In this boy's case, the sentence is appropriate, however. Violence can't be tolerated in our society.”
KSN&C says: Actually, the item was posted as a news piece about an event in Nelson County that had nothing to do with Fayette Co at all. Like most KSN&C pieces, it is of interest to readers who wish to stay abreast of happenings in the schools.
The commenter continues, “With all the bad press Mr. Silberman is receiving, he needs something to attract public sympathy so that we can see him as he wants to be seen: a progressive, reform-minded superintendent who puts "kids" first and makes teachers do the jobs for which they are paid.” …
“Several months ago, Mr. Silberman did not seem to convince most of us that Board Memeber Amanda Ferguson was threatening to him, though he complained of her harassment when she questioned the legitimacy of his actions.” …
“Now, with another board member on who could be hostile, Silberman needs [to] deflect attention from the cases of Jill Cowan, Peggy Petrelli, and Brenda Allen and the fact that district test scores are not going up as much as Mr. Silberman would like them to.”
Dear Dr. Day,
I suspect my comments will be spiked, but here we go.
I have been studying the things that you gave been printing about Dr. Silberman lately. If you really feel that people are now suggesting violence against Dr. Silberman (I didn't see that in the excerpt you printed above), don't you think that you bear part of the blame?
I really think you have printed some very negative things against Silberman lately and you are trying to turn public opinion against him. In fact, it seems to be one negative thing after another. While you do print news items about other superintendents, it seems to be that you continuosly go after Silberman. Now, when people get angry, you step up to the moral soapbox and say that such comments will not be tolerated. I'm sorry: but your agenda is not pro-Silberman REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU SAY. Almost every story is cast as "news," but those of us who have studied manipulation know these stories are designed to inflame public opinion.
Spike it? Nope. You were appropriate. You may disagree with me but that’s OK. KSN&C invites differing points of view. Readers get to make up their own minds, just as you have.
In today’s political climate I am not surprised when folks think I have some objective in mind whenever I publish something negative about another person. It seems like everyone has a hidden agenda these days. And I do focus more attention on Fayette County than any other district because it’s home.
But your analysis left out one thing. Is the information true?
Do you believe the Herald-Leader was lying when it reported the settlement agreement with Brenda Allen? Should that have been kept a secret, as Silberman apparently intended? Should I not have reported problems I observed with the Hanna Report, or my suspicions, which the settlement confirmed?
When Silberman and his deputies testified on the stand, during the Petrilli trial, that principals were not marked down on their evaluations, should that have remained a secret? As a result of the revelation, FCPS has since changed their processes. Was that a good thing, or should principals have continued to be given a pass while teachers face increased scrutiny?
But a little more studying would reveal that I have also written a number of very positive things about Stu Silberman (most recently last week) - things that would probably make other KSN&C readers cringe. When I have agreed, I have said so. But when I have disagreed, I have not let my appreciation for the positive aspects of his administration get in the way of reporting his shortcomings – as I see them.
I do not advocate for his removal. I did agree with those who thought he would make a good Commissioner. I respect his ten-year commitment to Fayette County and argued at the outset that a lack of consistent leadership was FCPS’s biggest problem – a problem he has completely solved. No one I know wonders who is in charge anymore.
If my tone seems harsh at times it’s because I do not support Silberman to the exclusion of all others, and when think I see the employment rights of others trampled (perhaps illegally so) it concerns me greatly. Leadership is key; but it is not everything.
That being said, you are correct. I am not pro-Silberman. Neither am I anti-Silberman. Those who do not like to hear any discouraging words against folks they admire are likely to be uncomfortable here. Those who hope to hear me call for his ouster are likely to be disappointed. I have some appreciation for the talent and effort required to run a school district with a $300+ million dollar budget and the students, faculty and facilities that go along with that. I respect the important work Kentucky superintendents do. But I believe our schools work best when our leaders are supported AND challenged.
Credit the Herald-Leader (with whom I also disagree from time to time, but still rely on as the responsible journalists I believe them to be) with exposing Silberman’s attempt to dump and silence Brenda Allen. Credit Amanda Ferguson for speaking out in the first place. It was her concern, as a public official, that was the catalyst for my own.
I imagine I feel about the same as some other FCPS board members have said they feel. About 95% of the time Silberman is right on target. But occasionally…
You didn’t see any language that could have been construed as threatening because I removed it. Non-violence is a moral soapbox I will gladly stand upon. I also stand for freedom of thought in all of its many forms: freedom of religion; freedom from religion, academic freedom, freedom of the press.
KSN&C will continue to print the news and will occasionally dig a little deeper by doing some original reporting. I promise readers this: I will never knowingly print misrepresentations about anyone.
So...Ouch. But thanks for the comment, really.
Spike it? Nope. You were appropriate. You may disagree with me but that’s OK. KSN&C invites differing points of view. Readers get to make up their own minds, just as you have.
In today’s political climate I am not surprised when folks think I have some objective in mind whenever I publish something negative about another person. It seems like everyone has a hidden agenda these days. And I do focus more attention on Fayette County than any other district because it’s home.
But your analysis left out one thing. Is the information true?
Do you believe the Herald-Leader was lying when it reported the settlement agreement with Brenda Allen? Should that have been kept a secret, as Silberman apparently intended? Should I not have reported problems I observed with the Hanna Report, or my suspicions, which the settlement confirmed?
When Silberman and his deputies testified on the stand, during the Petrilli trial, that principals were not marked down on their evaluations, should that have remained a secret? As a result of the revelation, FCPS has since changed their processes. Was that a good thing, or should principals have continued to be given a pass while teachers face increased scrutiny?
But a little more studying would reveal that I have also written a number of very positive things about Stu Silberman (most recently last week) - things that would probably make other KSN&C readers cringe. When I have agreed, I have said so. But when I have disagreed, I have not let my appreciation for the positive aspects of his administration get in the way of reporting his shortcomings – as I see them.
I do not advocate for his removal. I did agree with those who thought he would make a good Commissioner. I respect his ten-year commitment to Fayette County and argued at the outset that a lack of consistent leadership was FCPS’s biggest problem – a problem he has completely solved. No one I know wonders who is in charge anymore.
If my tone seems harsh at times it’s because I do not support Silberman to the exclusion of all others, and when think I see the employment rights of others trampled (perhaps illegally so) it concerns me greatly. Leadership is key; but it is not everything.
That being said, you are correct. I am not pro-Silberman. Neither am I anti-Silberman. Those who do not like to hear any discouraging words against folks they admire are likely to be uncomfortable here. Those who hope to hear me call for his ouster are likely to be disappointed. I have some appreciation for the talent and effort required to run a school district with a $300+ million dollar budget and the students, faculty and facilities that go along with that. I respect the important work Kentucky superintendents do. But I believe our schools work best when our leaders are supported AND challenged.
Credit the Herald-Leader (with whom I also disagree from time to time, but still rely on as the responsible journalists I believe them to be) with exposing Silberman’s attempt to dump and silence Brenda Allen. Credit Amanda Ferguson for speaking out in the first place. It was her concern, as a public official, that was the catalyst for my own.
I imagine I feel about the same as some other FCPS board members have said they feel. About 95% of the time Silberman is right on target. But occasionally…
You didn’t see any language that could have been construed as threatening because I removed it. Non-violence is a moral soapbox I will gladly stand upon. I also stand for freedom of thought in all of its many forms: freedom of religion; freedom from religion, academic freedom, freedom of the press.
KSN&C will continue to print the news and will occasionally dig a little deeper by doing some original reporting. I promise readers this: I will never knowingly print misrepresentations about anyone.
So...Ouch. But thanks for the comment, really.
I am one teacher who would like Silberman's removal. But not a violent removal! I do not think this man cares about students as much as I hear he cares about his own ego.
He would have made a good commissioner, you say? I read your comments about Stu Silberman whom you said tried to keep the Brenda Allen settlement secret? I think a commissioner of education should tell the truth and promote transparency in government. Stu Silberman, in the act of trying to keep things from the public, lost all credibility in my view. Do you really believe a man who fired Brenda Allen would make a good commissioner? It does not make sense to me.
November 9, 2010 10:47 PM: Yeah, that's a little harder to defend now than it once was. Of course, that was all before the revelations of the Allen incident.
I did believe, however, that the commissioner's position would take Silberman out of the day-to-day operational grind and put him into the policy arena where I thought he had the heft and accumen to be effective.
As it worked out, I have been very pleased with Terry Holliday's leadership and handling of some very thorny political issues.
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