More on Pendleton County School Bus Fatality

1 Dead, 12 Injured In Pendleton Co. School Bus Crash
Dozen People Sent To Hospital

FALMOUTH, Ky. -- One student was killed and a dozen more people were injured in a northern Kentucky school bus crash.

The crash happened Thursday morning shortly after 7 a.m. when the Pendleton County Schools bus and a dump truck passed each other on state Route 22 near Ballinger Road.

Authorities confirmed that 15-year-old Danny Wood was killed in the crash...

Pendleton Co. School Bus Crash
9 A.M. Live Report From Bus Crash Scene
Raw Sky 5: One Killed In School Bus Crash
Raw Video: 10am News Conference On Bus Crash
Images: Pendleton Co. School Bus Crash Scene
Noon Coverage: Pendleton Co. Crash Kills 1, Injures 12
Ground Video: School Bus Crash Scene

This from the KyPost.com:

Parent: Crash "A Tragic Ordeal"

Ricky Maxwell was sitting at the kitchen table of his Pendleton County home Thursday morning when he received a call that no parent ever wants to get.

On the line was his 15-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, who his wife had just dropped off to take the bus to Pendleton County High School.Over the phone, Elizabeth said the bus had been in an accident.

Maxwell, wearing only pajamas and a bathrobe, jumped into his car and headed to the scene.

He's been a paramedic for 14 years and thought he could help.When he arrived on the scene, he saw a triple-axle dump truck on its side. Down the road was the school bus with the rear portion of the driver's side of the vehicle heavily damaged.Ten injured students were in a nearby house and police were evaluating their conditions as life squads were heading to the scene...

This from KyPost.com:

State To Investigate Crash

The fatal school bus crash in Pendleton County will be examined by state education officials to ensure there are no shortcomings in state transportation safety standards.

Kentucky Department of Education transportation safety officials were en route to Pendleton County Thursday to talk with the driver of the bus involved in the fatal crash and school officials, according to department spokeswoman Lisa Gross.

She said such reviews are routine after a serious school bus accident and that they helps the department know if standards for buses need to be reexamined, [o]r if there are problems with bus routes or other concerns to be dealt with at the state level.She said the department does not keep a central database on bus accidents around the state but that the state’s bus safety record is good.

She said the last death stemming from a school bus accident occurred some four or five years ago in western Kentucky in a crash in which the school bus rolled over and a student was ejected...

...Gross said the Pendleton County accident could prompt calls for seat belts on school buses -- something not required in Kentucky. She said the commonwealth follows the federal recommendation on seat belts, which is to not equip school buses with them...

Hat Tip to Brad @ KSBA:

JCPS bus drivers struggle to control fights, other dangerous behavior

2,763 bus referrals through the first 70 days of this school year,

"Every time it happens, it's a big deal."

--Michael Raisor

This from WDRB:

When Adniana Harris first heard that disruptive student behavior in Jefferson County Public Schools was causing some teachers to resign, the longtime bus driver wasn't surprised.

Harris, a 23-year JCPS veteran, said she’s seen bullying, cursing, spitting, fights and assaults –– often while she's trying to monitor traffic signals and navigate around pedestrians and other cars while driving a 38-foot-long bus that weighs more than 20,000 pounds.

“The kids are out of control – the behavior is worse than it’s ever been,” she said. “It doesn’t surprise me one bit that teachers are resigning because many bus drivers are leaving, too. We’ve had so many quit over the past few months.”

Fights on buses have soared this school year, according to a WDRB News review of district data. At the same time, officials are struggling to fill dozens of jobs held by bus drivers who have resigned or retired – all while 130 drivers call in sick each day.

Since August, WDRB has spoken with hundreds of JCPS teachers, parents, students and other staff members who say they are frustrated with the disruptive behavior and what they consider to be a lax response from district officials.

Combined with the data obtained under Kentucky’s open records law, a picture emerges of increasingly disruptive bus system. There have been 306 student fights on buses since school began – averaging more than four per day – a 31 percent increase from the same period last year.

Meanwhile, the number of suspensions have remained essentially flat, as have the number of “referrals” for unacceptable student behavior.

“Harsher punishments – we need harsher punishments for these kids,” said David Germann, who has been a JCPS bus driver for five years. “I have been assaulted. I have been cursed at. I’ve had kids threaten me. One kid told me his father was going to come to the bus stop and gun me down.”

Michael Raisor, chief operations officer for JCPS, said the district transports 70,000 students to and from school daily. He says the vast majority of students behave while riding the bus.

“I don’t like it being portrayed that we have unsafe buses in Jefferson County,” Raisor said. “The safety of each and every one of our student is important to us, but everything has to be put into the proper context. We are talking about isolated incidents, isolated situations.”

“This is a problem we can get our hands around,” he said.

When a serious problem happens on a bus, Raisor says a team consisting of district security, administrators and police will respond to the incident.

In the past, bus drivers said police officers responding to disruptions on buses would sometimes remove children from the bus and transport them home or back to school. 

But last week, Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad sent JCPS Superintendent Donna Hargens a letter clarifying his department's responsibilities. 

“What we're going to do when we get there is make sure that we ensure order and make sure that everybody on that bus is safe and protected,” said LMPD Lt. Jamey Schwab.

“We want to make sure we ensure the safety of those children,” Schwab said. “But there are certain things that we are legally not able to do and it does fall back on the school system to provide some of those assurances and protections.”

‘It’s always the same kids’

Each year, JCPS bus drivers write thousands of student referrals for unacceptable bus behavior – ranging from relatively minor incidents such as repeatedly turning around in the seat to more serious incidents such as fighting.

There have been 2,763 bus referrals through the first 70 days of this school year, compared to 2,797 referrals written during the same time period as last year, according to data obtained by WDRB under Kentucky’s open records law.

The data shows there have been 1,069 bus suspensions so far this year – down from the 1,076 bus suspensions during the same time period last year.  Officials say the average suspension from riding the school bus lasts about three days.

And while the majority of students “straighten up and fly right” after receiving one or two referrals, Raisor said about a fourth of the 501 students who have received a referral this year are repeat offenders.

“We have 125 students who have five or more referrals,” he said. “We are going to name and claim them and develop a plan with the bus driver for those students.”

But parents like Loretta Self and Tatianna Pearson tell WDRB they are tired of hearing excuses.

“Since she has been riding the bus, there has been nothing but chaos,” said Self, whose daughter attends Westport Middle School. “She’s been smacked in the head, bullied and threatened. She is so stressed out that she wakes up in the middle of the night throwing up.”

Pearson’s daughter was on a Crosby Middle School bus on Monday when two fights broke out, resulting in one student being transported to the hospital.

“It's always the same kids,” Pearson said. “They will kick them off the bus for a day or two and then they get right back on there and do the same thing.”

Fights are a ‘daily occurrence’

More than a dozen bus drivers who were interviewed for this story told WDRB that student fights on the district’s buses are a “daily occurrence.”

Indeed, through the first 70 days of this school year, JCPS data shows that there have been 306 student fights on buses – a 31 percent increase from the 234 student fights on buses last year.

“They are yelling and screaming, fighting each other and I’m trying to drive down the road,” Germann said. “Trying to control a busload full of kids who are out of control and won’t listen to you – it’s just too much. It’s dangerous.”

The bus drivers say they have to pull off to the side of the road in an attempt to regain order and maintain the safety of all those on board.

“No one in the district wants to admit they have a problem,” said John Stovall, president of Teamsters Local 783, who represents all of the district’s 1,100 bus drivers. “They get them out of the school, put them on the bus and tell us to get them home. They don't want to acknowledge it.”

Stovall said drivers are “constantly getting threatened, kicked, head-butted, spit on and bottles thrown at them.”

“A lot of times, the kids are threatening the drivers with their parents,” he said. “And some of our drivers are women – they are pulling up to a bus stop when it’s dark.”

“You are by yourself on a bus, you don't have luxury of having a classroom or security guard and others to protect you,” Stovall said. “You are on an island by yourself.”

When asked what happens when the union goes to JCPS with concerns, Stovall said it’s “kind of like a card game.”

“This side blames this side, that side blames that side....you get token responses that they will look into it but nothing changes,” he said. “Violent behavior on the bus needs to be stopped…but for whatever reason the district chooses not to deal with it.”

Stovall said many drivers are leaving the district over what he calls JCPS’ “lax disciplinary policy.”

Raisor says he regularly meets with Stovall and that the district is “addressing the issues.”

Ninety bus drivers have left since July, Stovall said. Of that number, 26 retired – the rest either resigned or were fired, according to district officials.

Another problem? District officials say about 130 bus drivers call in sick every day.

On Tuesday, JCPS held a transportation job fair, looking to hire drivers and bus monitors, hoping to find at least 20 drivers to fill the district's current vacancies.

‘You hope and pray that nothing else happens’

Back in March, Germann was driving Bus No. 830 to Buechel Metro High School – a route he had just picked up days before after the district combined routes to combat a driver shortage.

“I noticed a white car approaching out of an alley,” he said. “Next thing I know, I see a gun being pulled out and they started shooting.”

Nine months later, Germann is still shaken as he recalls the moments the bullets ripped through the back of his bus where one of his students usually sat.

“Something didn’t feel right that day, I could tell when he got onto the bus so I told him to sit behind me,” Germann said. “The shooter knew exactly where he sat on the bus. If he had been sitting in his regular seat…I don’t even want to think about what could have happened.”

Harris said there have been many times she has had to pull off to the side of the road to deal with student behavior.

"Earlier this year, I had a kid getting into a fight and came up to the front where I was and he pushed me," she said. "My leg hit the side of the seat and got a little cut on it. They were fighting right beside me while I was driving."

Harris said she radioed for assistance and pulled over to the side of the interstate, where she waited for about 45 minutes until JCPS security arrived on scene.

"You basically sit there and hope and pray that nothing else happens," she said. "There is nothing else you can do. You can't put your hands on them."

On Nov. 13, the driver of Bus No. 415 was driving students home from St. Matthews Elementary School to the Park Hill neighborhood when suddenly, a fight broke out. The driver made an emergency stop on an interstate off-ramp and radioed his bus compound for help.

LMPD arrived within five minutes, but declined to remove the student at issue. It would be another 45 minutes before JCPS security arrived to remove the student and his sibling and take them home.

All remaining students were delivered home by 6:15 p.m., more than two hours from the time of the incident.

"Clearly that is unacceptable for a bus driver to wait 45 minutes for help to arrive," Raisor said. "We will evaluate those situations, investigate them and make recommendations on how we can improve."

But Stovall says a long response time "happens all the time."

"Some drivers are sitting out there for over an hour with a bus full of kids waiting on security to arrive," he said.

Bus monitors on all buses?

Disruptive student behavior on buses has been a problem the district has been trying to combat for years.

Three years ago, JCPS spent $2 million to install digital video cameras on each of the district’s school buses. At the time, officials said they hoped the cameras would cut down on the number of referrals and bad behavior.

Earlier this summer, experienced bus drivers were offered incentives to take one of 50 “challenging” routes that had been identified by the district based on a school's number of discipline referrals.

But only 13 drivers with the qualifications to pick up the incentive bid on the “challenging” routes.

The left over routes were assigned to less experienced drivers, some of which have bus monitors, district officials say.

JCPS school board member Chris Brady has asked the district to inquire about the cost of putting a bus monitor on each bus – or at least each of the “challenging” routes.

Officials have estimated that could cost as much as $3 million.

And while Stovall says an extra adult would be welcome on the bus, he says not much will change unless the district follows its disciplinary code of conduct and parents step up to the plate.

“We need the district, we need the parents, we need the community to help us solve this problem,” Stovall said. “Every child and bus driver in this district deserves to have a safe ride to and from school.”

More than 10,000 Children Involved in School Bus Crashes Annually in Ohio

New findings underscore importance of lap-shoulder belts on school buses

COLUMBUS, OH, July 09, 2007 — Each year in the United States, 25.5 million children travel an estimated 4.3 billion miles on school buses. New research findings by investigators in the Center for Injury Research and Policy (CIRP) at Columbus Children’s Hospital emphasize the large number of children involved in school bus crashes each year.

According to the new study, there were approximately 20,800 children younger than age 18 years, who were occupants on a school bus involved in a crash in Ohio during the two-year period, 2003-04. “This high frequency of children involved in school bus crashes – more than 10,000 per year in Ohio alone – reinforces the need to provide the best occupant crash protection possible to children on school buses, which is a lap-shoulder belt for most school age children,” said Gary Smith, MD, DrPH, director of CIRP at Children’s Hospital and a faculty member of Ohio State University College of Medicine.

In November 2006, this research group was also the first to use a national sample to describe nonfatal school bus-related injuries to children and teenagers treated in hospital emergency departments across the country. Following the release of that study and a number of tragic school bus-related crashes earlier this year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) held a public meeting on July 11, 2007, to discuss the issue of seat belts on large school buses.

The previous study from CIRP, published in the November 2006 issue of Pediatrics, found that from 2001 through 2003 there were an estimated 51,100 school bus-related injuries nationally that resulted in treatment in U.S. emergency departments. That equals approximately 17,000 injuries annually. In addition, that study showed that traffic-related crashes are the leading mechanism of nonfatal school bus-related injury to children in the U.S., accounting for 42 percent of injuries. Current federal regulations use a strategy known as “compartmentalization” as the main method for protecting children in crashes on large school buses.

Compartmentalization uses tall padded seat backs on closely spaced seats to provide protection in a crash. However, in the new study examining school bus crashes in Ohio, 23 percent of the children were involved in a side-impact or rollover crash, when compartmentalization offers no protection to child passengers. Compartmentalization also fails to prevent injury from sudden swerves and when children are out of their normal seated position. Lap-shoulder belts keep children in their seats and offer protection during swerves and crashes of all types. In addition, lap-shoulder belts can improve student behavior by keeping children in their seats, which results in less driver distraction and thereby lessens the chance of a crash.“

Compartmentalization may have been the best that could be offered 30 years ago, but this concept is no longer state-of-the-art,” said Dr. Smith...

This from Center for Injury Research and Policy (CIRP) at Columbus Children’s Hospital press release.

Fayette County Board of Education to consider new school start times for 2007-2008

In an effort to minimize long bus rides, late bus drop offs and early morning bus pick up times, the school board will consider adjusting start and dismissal times at every school in the district. The possible changes – 15 minutes or less for most schools in the county – are designed to improve bus service for kids and better utilize transportation resources.

Every day the more than 150 school bus drivers employed by the Fayette County Public Schools travel nearly 15,000 miles with the goal of providing our students with safe and efficient transportation from home to school and back. The mission of the transportation department is to provide on time delivery at school and home, with reasonable ride times and safe, comfortable loadings.

For the past several years, new housing developments, increased traffic congestion, expanded service demands and the local effects of a nationwide bus driver shortage have created an increasing problem with school bus transportation. Our current system of four start times with 30 minute intervals was developed more than eight years ago and simply does not provide enough time between sessions for our school bus drivers to run the 480 routes needed to transport students throughout the county.

As a result, bus pick up times have had to be moved earlier, bus routes have had to be extended, and buses are late dropping students off at school and taking them home in the afternoon far too often. To fix the situation, the school board is discussing a proposal to adjust school start and dismissal times at every school in the district. The board is expected to vote on the changes at its action meeting on May 21.

The recommendation was developed after more than two years of study and review, which included input from community, parents and staff. We tried to postpone making these adjustments as long as we could, but the situation has reached a critical point. Our goal was to find a solution that would improve bus service for students while avoiding disruption to families as much as possible. For 47 percent of students in the school district, the start and dismissal time change would be just 5 minutes. For 41 percent of the students in the district, the proposal is a 15 minute shift. For 11 percent of the district’s students, start and dismissal times will change by 25 minutes. And the biggest change affects less than 1 percent of the students in the district who attend a special program.

More information is available in the following documents:
Presentation about the start time proposal (Microsoft PowerPoint document)
List of proposed start times showing how the proposal would affect your child's school (Adobe Acrobat document)

Questions about the proposal can be directed to Mary Browning at 381-4165, your school principal, or Superintendent Stu Silberman at 381-4000.

Written questions will also be accepted via email.

The Very Worst Thing

"Near the back of the bus,
the freezing water closed around the waist of William Leedy, 13,
who said he blacked out briefly after the bus struck the wrecker.

In the mounting chaos, the boy made his way to the rear emergency
door and, after turning a handle, kicked it open" ...

One boy, Bucky Ray Jarrell, 14,

"was with us back there, but he went back up front

to get his sister and didn't come back," Donald Dillion said."

All over the bus, brothers and sisters

were trying to find each other, Ezelle Copley said.

Others reported seeing terrified small children

huddled together in seats, hugging each other...

This from the Floyd County Times:

A documentary on the 1958 school bus accident that claimed the lives of 26 children and the driver of the bus is scheduled to premiere at the Mountain Arts Center on Feb. 19.

“The Very Worst Thing,” directed and produced by Michael Crisp, of Georgetown, revisits the tragedy that left a permanent scar in the history of Floyd County by including interviews with several people whose lives were personally affected by what is known as the worst school bus accident ever in the United States.

On Feb. 28, 1958, a school bus carrying 48 students left the road and crashed into the Big Sandy River. The actual cause of the accident was never officially determined, although an automobile in the ditch around a curve and a wrecker attempting to pull it out is believed by many to have led to the driver of the bus swerving and losing control. It took over two days to locate the bus.

Martha Burchett, one of the 22 students who survived the accident, is one of the people interview in the documentary. Also interviewed is John Crum, a student who was supposed to be on the bus but decided to stay home. Crum witnessed the bus crashing into the river.

Along with recounts of the accident by those who were there, and from those whose lives were changed forever by the tragedy, the documentary also includes original photographs taken during the recovery effort, including many that have not been seen by the public. A radio broadcast from the rescue scene recorded just hours after the accident is also played, giving viewers an auditory window to what it was like during a time of immense grief, panic and heroism from the volunteers involved.

This from WLEX:

The documentary is set to start at 7:30 p.m. and will be immediately followed by a question and answer session with the filmmakers and cast. The tickets for the event are priced at $8 and can be purchased by calling the Mountain Arts Center at (606) 889-9125.

The story from RootsWeb:

Prestonsburg. The morning of Feb 28, 1958 was cloudy and cold, but the pavement on old U.S. 23 above Lancer was dry. About 7 AM, bus driver John Alex DeRossett began his usual route from Cow Creek to consolidated schools in Prestonsburg, stopping to collect students in the communities of Sugar Loaf and Emma. The bus would never reach the schools. It would plunge into the Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River, killing 26 students and the bus driver...

"We just couldn't believe something as big as a school bus
could be in the river and we couldn't find it," said
Floyd County Judge-Executive John M. Stumbo,
who was a member of the school board.

Quotes from Sharon Young at RootsWeb.

Officials stressing student safety on buses

Soon the annual flood of yellow school buses will pour onto local roads as thousands of children begin their daily transport to and from school.

Last school year brought headlines about a handful of dangerous school bus incidents in Kentucky and Ohio that area school officials say have prompted them to stress student safety this school year.

"Our bus drivers steer a 38-foot-long, $70,000 vehicle loaded with the most precious cargo on earth - our children," says Tracey Carson, spokeswoman for Mason schools in Warren County (OH).

"The first and last people our students see to and from school is their school bus driver. These drivers are an integral part of our formula for successful schools," Carson added. "Our drivers' desire for safety is paramount, and they spend countless hours training and maintaining our fleet. We're very fortunate to have the drivers we do."

But as more than 1.6 million students in Ohio and Kentucky climb aboard for the start of the school year, education officials advise parents to make their children aware of some simple rules and practices to make sure their ride is safe and pleasant.

Eighty percent of Ohio students ride school buses each school day, and nearly 17,000 bus drivers, mechanics, secretaries and supervisors are dedicated to providing safe transportation for your children, according to J.C. Benton, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Education.

Benton says national studies show school buses are the safest method for transporting young people - 30 times safer than passenger cars. And recent reports by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Academy of Sciences have reconfirmed that statistic.

"However, accidents can happen. Most student accidents involving school buses occur in the 'danger zone,' a 10-foot perimeter around the bus, especially near the front and the right rear tire," Benton says.

Lisa Gross, spokeswoman for the Kentucky Department of Education, says more than half of the state's 650,000 students ride about 9,800 buses each school day.

"School buses are some of the safest modes of transportation," Gross said. "With the intensive training and monitoring by this agency and local school districts, school bus drivers are experts in maneuvering their large vehicles in urban traffic, suburban streets and country roads. School transportation is a key to learning - if you're not at school, you aren't being taught." ...

This from the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Governor Beshear Announces Federal Stimulus Funding for Clean School Bus Emissions

ARRA Dollars to help lower diesel emissions

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Gov. Steve Beshear and the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet’s Division for Air Quality (DAQ) announced that DAQ will be administering at least $1.73 million in funding for Clean School Bus programs through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.


“This is an example of how President Obama’s three pillars of education, economy and environment can come together in one initiative,” Gov. Beshear said. “The Clean School Bus programs will create more than 30 jobs, benefit air quality, and reduce student absenteeism due to allergies and asthma. I encourage all of our school districts to apply for this funding.”


While school buses are the safest way to get students to and from school, the DAQ is working to ensure that school buses are also the cleanest way to transport students. In Kentucky, 9,883 school buses carry 447,000 students to and from school each day, driving 102 million miles and burning 13 million gallons of diesel fuel. The Clean School Bus program, when implemented by each district, will reduce school bus pollution through a combination of idle reduction policies and bus retrofits.


Ultimately, student absenteeism rates are reduced due to the reduction of asthma and allergy triggers produced by diesel fumes.


Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Len Peters said the funding will play an integral part in helping school districts protect children’s health and the environment. “The links to diesel fumes and children’s health can no longer be ignored. Diesel fumes are linked to increased rates of asthma and allergies, especially in children. I encourage all school districts to take an active role in improving children’s health across the commonwealth.”


Interested school districts can view the grant application online at http://www.air.ky.gov/ beginning April 21. The deadline for applying for the funding is May 29, 2009.



SOURCE: The Gov

‘Neighborhood schools’ sound good but are not panacea

This from Carol Brandon Timmons at the Louisville BizBlog:

A bill that addresses several education-related topics, including charter schools and so-called “neighborhood schools” is expected to make its way through the Kentucky General Assembly during the short session that convened this week.

One part of Senate Bill 3 sets forth rules that would enable Kentucky students to attend a “neighborhood school” — defined as one nearest their home.

The concept of “neighborhood schools” sounds good. But is it really in the best interest of students?

The term “neighborhood school” gets used these days as if it is some cure-all for what plagues public education.

And why would anyone oppose “neighborhood schools”?

That would be akin to speaking against apple pie and motherhood, wouldn’t it?

I mean, can’t you see Beaver Cleaver strolling down the sidewalk of his neighborhood on his way home from school. It’s the American way, right?

Well, in my book, the “neighborhood school” concept is about as relevant today as black-and-white TV with June Cleaver wearing a dress, heels and pearls as she fixed dinner.

While I do not think there is anything wrong with going to a school in one’s neighborhood, I think it has nothing to do with assuring children a good education.

But riding a bus for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon has got to be detrimental to a child’s development, you say?

Well, both of my kids did it through elementary school, and they turned out quite well. In fact, odd as it may sound, their school bus pals provided a good source of socialization.

Back in the day, we chose to have our children attend Lincoln Elementary, located on East Main Street downtown.

Our daughter started there in 1992 — the first year of Project Renaissance, in which parents could choose a school from a “cluster” of about six schools.

She had passed the test to be in the Advance Program, which still was available for first graders then.

Lincoln, as it turned out, was the only school in our cluster that offered the Advance Program for first graders. So we decided to give it a shot.

I admit that, at first, the long bus trip was disconcerting. And I admit that on the first day of school, I followed the bus that picked her up in our neighborhood to the place where she had to get onto another bus and then followed that bus to school.

Lincoln turned out to be a terrific school with dedicated, engaged teachers back then. It was evident that they believed they were on an important mission when it came to educating children.

And the school was only a mile away from my office, which made it convenient to visit the school for lunch and programs.

In that same era, friends of ours had their three children attending their East End “neighborhood school” that was just down the block from their house.

The mother, who picked her kids up at school every day, told me with chagrin that their eldest daughter’s teacher would, without fail, tell her how many days until the next holiday or day off or end of the school year every time she saw the teacher.

That’s just one illustration of how disgusted she was with this burned-out teacher’s lackluster effort.

Since they didn’t want their two younger children to encounter that teacher, our friends pulled their three children out of the public school and enrolled them in what is now Whitefield Academy — located on Fegenbush Lane, a good 30 minutes from their house. So much for that “neighborhood school” experience.

Granted, the school situations I’ve related date to the 1990s. But I think they indicate that just going to the school closest to your home is not a panacea.

So, I hope our legislators will think through the reasons why this part of Senate Bill 3 is essential.

And the legislators, most of whom do not live in a large, urban area, need to understand the implications the law would have on the Jefferson County Public Schools system, which is an enormous, complex organization that has operated under the rulings of federal court orders related to desegregation orders for much of the past 35 years.

I hope that legislators who are proponents of this bill can articulate the reasons why they believe the “neighborhood school” law is a necessity. Because I don’t get
it.

Sure, the new student assignment plan introduced by JCPS this year has flaws that need to be addressed.

But mandating the “neighborhood schools” concept is not the answer.

Student Killed in Pendleton School Bus/Dump Truck Crash

This from the Enquirer, Photo by Patrick Reddy:

1 killed in school bus crash

PENDLETON COUNTY - A teenage boy was killed this morning after a dump truck sideswiped his school bus on Ky. 22 around 7 a.m.

The accident occurred on a rural stretch of Ky. 22 near Ballinger Road.

Residents of the area said the westbound dump truck hit the end of the eastbound school bus in a curve in the rural, two lane road. The rear driver's side of the school bus suffered extensive damage.One student on the bus was killed. The 10 other students on the bus were taken by ambulance to St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Grant County. Their injuries were described as minor. Both drivers were also taken to the hospital. All had been treated and released by 10:30 a.m.

Christa Moore, spokesperson for St. Elizabeth, said the children ranged in age from 5 to 16 years old." Any time you're dealing with children, there is a lot of emotion that goes into it," Moore said. "They were all scared."

During a news conference this morning, Pendleton County Sheriff C.W. "Craig" Peoples declined to discuss details of the accident and would not confirm that the person who was killed was a student on the bus. He said both the bus driver and dump truck driver will be tested for drugs and alcohol, which is standard procedure in accidents of this nature....

...Dina Dennie heard the crash while she and her kids were getting ready in their house around 7 a.m. Her 17-year-old daughter Sadie ran outside and was the first person on the scene. She brought the injured children inside their house while her mother called 911 and the school, Dina Dennie said.

"I could feel my body go weak. I heard the kids screaming, 'Help me! Help me!'," she said...

Should School Buses Have Seatbelts?

Money and Enforcement Issues Add to the Safety Question

Ever wonder if the present compartmentalization system is safe enough for school children on school buses? No seat belts. No side protection. Children in padded seats spaced close together, like eggs in a carton.

When a former Grant County bus driver was sentenced to 22 years in prison for a near fatal wreck (while she was under the influence of drugs) many Kentuckians saw the video taken by the bus camera. Students were shaken violently and several were seriously injured.

Aside from safe vehicle and a sober driver can the busses that carry school children be made safer?

Some have suggested seat belts for all children but there is reason to believe that might even produce more - and more serious - injury to children. Texas recently required seat belts and shoulder restraints on their schoo busses.

Check out the crash test video and compare for yourself the present compartmentalization system, seat belts and seat belts with shoulder restraint.

This from Edmunds.

Should children use seatbelts on school buses? Think this is a no-brainer? Not so fast. Some experts say yes, others say no, and the government's highway safety agency hasn't been able to make a decision.The government agency involved, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), invited all points of view to be heard at a roundtable in July 2007.

Here's what we found out:
Safest Form of Transportation
First, school buses, the big yellow variety, are incredibly safe.
According to NHTSA, of the 23.5 million school children who travel an estimated 4.3 billion miles on 450,000 yellow school buses each year, on average, six die in crashes. At the summit, Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters asked, "How can we make this number lower still, so that no parent ever has to hear...that the cherished child they sent off in the bus...is never coming home...even if it requires opening up old decisions and challenging old assumptions?

"In 2002, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) found an additional 815 fatalities related to school transportation per year. But here's the difference: 75 percent of those school children were traveling in passenger cars, not school buses, and just over half of those were teenagers driving themselves to school. Another 22 percent of the 815 fatalities occurred during walking and bicycling.

Only 2 percent were school bus-related — referring to children who were hit by buses.

Robin Leeds, spokesperson for the National School Transportation Association, which represents private school bus contractors, says, "The focus on seatbelts ignores the fact that we lose 800 children going to and from school in some other mode. Our challenge is not to make kids in school buses safer. Our challenge is to make kids safer, and the way to do that is to put them in school buses."

Can Buses Be Made Safer Still?

Fatalities aren't the only measure of safety. A NHTSA crashworthiness study of large school buses found that properly used lap/shoulder belts would mean fewer head injuries compared to unbelted passengers. (Lap belts alone, though, showed some potential to cause head and spinal injuries to young children.)

In 1977, federal regulation mandated that large school buses must have strong, closely spaced seats with energy-absorbing seatbacks, a built-in protection called "compartmentalization" that is based on the way crash forces are distributed. The buses were exempted from carrying lap belts. But the government required that small buses (with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less) carry lap belts, because the design and weight of the smaller vehicles would not offer protection similar to large ones.

Despite these measures, government accident studies from the 1980s say that passengers are still endangered in large school buses when they crash with an even bigger or heavier vehicle, such as a loaded tractor-trailer truck, or if they roll over an embankment....

Eastern Ky basketball player claims Harassment during Lex Cath Tournament

"Hey No. 3, I hear you're a faggot."

-- Unidentified Bryan Station player

Bryan Station Players Accused of 'Gay Slurs'

This from WYMT:

Officials for two Kentucky school systems say they are investigating after an article detailing a gay Eastern Kentucky high school basketball player's account of being outed and harassed by an opposing team was posted to a sports blog.

Dalton Maldonado

The story about Dalton Maldonado, a senior at Betsy Layne High School, made headlines last week after told his story to national blog Outsports, which is part of the website SB Nation.

It wasn't until the story involving the teen went viral on April 1st that school leaders in Floyd County and Fayette County's Bryan Station High School learned about the alleged incident. Administrators with both school systems told our sister station WKYT that they are investigating the claims.

In the article, Maldonado said the incident happened in December during a high school basketball tournament being held at Lexington Catholic High School. During the tournament, Betsy Layne lost by 32 points to Lexington's Bryan Station High School.

The teen told Outsports that he was verbally harassed on the court and the harassment continued when players for the opposing team followed his team to their bus.

After being questioned by his teammates, Maldonado told Outsports, "I finally stood up and said, 'I'm gay, I'm gay, okay?'"

"Reflecting back to this moment I realize that there was nothing I could do about it. My coach came back in and said, 'one of our players is in pain, you all need to be there for him'," Maldonado told the blog about how the incident prompted him to come out to his teammates.

As the Betsy Layne players got back on their bus to go to the hotel, the article says some of the Bryan Station players continued to shout gay slurs and got in their cars to chase the bus.

Maldonado spoke with WKYT Wednesday evening. He said the players were yelling gay slurs as the Betsy Layne players boarded their bus to go to their hotel. Maldonado included a picture that he says shows the Bryan Station players shouting as the Betsy Layne players boarded their bus. He said some of the Betsy Layne players' parents and other bystanders got those players to leave, but that's when he says they got into their cars and began to follow the bus. Maldonado said the players followed closely behind the bus as they headed back to their hotel. He said his mother called 911. Eventually, Maldonado said the bus turned around and went back to Lexington Catholic where their coach spoke with the Bryan Station coach.

Lexington police spokesman Sherelle Roberts told WKYT that no official police report was made. However, Roberts said the department was contacted by a Betsy Layne coach who was concerned. He told police one of the opposing players said "We know where you're staying," during the post-game handshake. Roberts said an officer spoke with the coach at the hotel.

Officials with Floyd County Public Schools and Fayette County Public Schools said they were unaware of the details of the incident until the article was posted.

"When the story appeared and raised allegations of harassment and discrimination directed toward a single player, we were shocked and began an investigation," said Mike Henderson, principal of Bryan Station High School. "We're still gathering information but we have found several gross inaccuracies that cast doubt on the legitimacy of the story."

Henderson told WKYT the results of that investigation would be released upon completion.

When asked about the story involving Maldonado, Lexington Catholic Athletics Director Brad Carter said there was "an unfortunate incident between two visiting teams." He described it as "bad sportsmanship" and words exchanged between players on and off the court.

The Kentucky High School Athletics Association, which governs high school sports in the state, says it was also not aware of the incident until the article was posted four months later.

"The KHSAA has asked the school district to assist in determining the accuracy of any accusations, and if school officials believe any KHSAA rules were broken or involvement by our office is necessary. While this Association strongly believes that discrimination of any kind should not be tolerated, it is important that our member schools be given the first opportunity to deal with specific situations and determine both the veracity and remedy for any situation that occurs," said Joe Angolia, KHSAA communications director, in a statement released to WKYT.

Maldonado said he went public with the story in hopes of helping other people who might be struggling with their sexuality. He said he didn't want to bring negative attention to the opposing players.

WYMT has also reached out to Dalton to share his story on Issues and Answers, and that invitation is still open.

This from Outsports:

"Hey No. 3, I hear you're a faggot."

It was the last thing Dalton Maldonado expected to hear as he and his team lined up to shake hands at a Kentucky high school basketball tournament last December. His Betsy Layne High School team had just gotten thrashed by an opposing team by 32 points. The opposing team was a staple of the state's top 25 this year; Maldonado and his team just couldn't hang with them that game. The Betsy Layne starters - including Maldonado - had sat most of the fourth quarter, given the blowout. When the game clock hit zero, tempers were low.

As Maldonado turned to see which of the opposing players called him out, he noticed several people staring at him awaiting a response to the slur. Some of them had suspected Maldonado was gay. Others had heard rumors. Only two teammates had ever heard it from his mouth.

Maldonado shot back with all the wit he could muster.

"Yeah baby, can I have your number?"

It was the perfect response - smart and biting. Maldonado had defused the moment, taking the power out of the player's slur. "Put up a strong front," he told himself. "Don't let them know they hurt you."

Inside, he was devastated.

Moments later in the locker room, Maldonado broke down. He had struggled with his sexual orientation for years, confiding in just a small group of people including one of his best friends and teammate McKenzie Akers. He had just that week told his parents that he was gay. While they weren't sure how to take it, they said they still loved him no matter what.

Away from the court with only his team in the locker room, Maldonado slammed his fist against a locker, fell onto a bench and cried.

"I sat back down and realized that I had just came out, and it was definitely not the way I wanted to. Reflecting back to this moment I realize that there was nothing I could do about it. My coach came back in and said, 'one of our players is in pain, you all need to be there for him.'

"My teammates asked what was wrong, and what he had said to me. McKenzie told them to stop questioning me, but they kept asking and asking. It just built up this pressure in me.

"I finally stood up and said, ‘I'm gay, I'm gay, okay?'"

Maldonado hadn't wanted to come out while he played sports at all, a byproduct of years of subtle messages about gay men not being capable athletes. Moments after feeling the crush of the gay slur, Maldonado had - in a fit of emotion - come out to his entire team.

"If you weren't there, it's hard to describe how emotional Dalton was," Akers said. "He was crying so hard he was shaking. Like, physically shaking. I felt awful."

It was about to get worse.

After collecting their clothes and bags the team headed to the bus, where some of the opposing team had assembled. They were yelling at the "faggot," ordering him to stay out of the bus and face them. When Maldonado boarded, the opposing team proceeded to pound the nearest window of the bus with their fists as they yelled more gay slurs. When a couple opposing players tried to board the bus to get to him, Maldonado's teammates and coaches forced them back. Once the Betsy Lane team was inside, the bus pulled away.

The opposing team wasn't done. Several of the players got in their cars and pursued the bus. Whether they actually wanted to assault Maldonado or not, they certainly wanted to scare the hell out of him.

"They were making gestures like they were trying to shoot at the bus," Akers said. "And they kept yelling bad things at Dalton. It was scary."

Maldonado's team called the police and school administrators. They were, unbelievably, in a car chase with another basketball team pursuing them because one of their players was gay. As the bus was chased down the streets of Lexington, the opposing coach stepped in and calmed his team as the police met the Betsy Layne team at their hotel and defused the situation.

The team and Maldonado were safe but shaken.

Yet the problems weren't over. They were in the middle of a four-day Christmas tournament, and they had games left on the schedule. The hotel was put on "lock down," with only the Betsy Layne team allowed access to a particular floor. Tournament organizers and school athletic directors were called. The team leaders had known or suspected Maldonado was gay, and they were shaken by the gay slur and ensuing chase that so clearly had an effect on their starting point guard. They still had a couple games left in the tournament, so the question was whether to stay and play the rest of the games or go home.

They would leave it entirely up to Maldonado.

*  *  *

The story sounds unbelievable, something out of a movie. Yelling gay slurs and trying to attack a player because he's gay? Getting into your car and chasing down a school bus?

When Maldonado contacted Outsports to share his story we were a bit skeptical. There had to be some embellishment. In 2015 it seemed at least 20 years past the point when something like this was possible.

"It's all true," Betsy Layne assistant boys basketball coach Brandon Kidd assured us. Kidd has known Maldonado for many years and played at Betsy Lane a decade ago. Maldonado also sent us photographs of the incident.

"They kept yelling that word," Akers said, wary of saying "faggot" out loud. "They wanted to get to Dalton. It was intense."

The name of the opposing school has been left out of the story because the school is on spring break and administrators were not able to answer emails and phone calls to the principal and athletic director.

While it was a soul-shaking experience for the entire team, in the end it was deeply affirming for them. Kentucky is one of the increasingly shrinking number of states where same-sex marriage is illegal. Only a third of the people in Kentucky support marriage equality.

Yet even in rural Kentucky, the Betsy Layne team rallying around Maldonado is becoming more the norm than the actions of a handful of athletes from the Lexington-area opposing high school. The people of Vicco, a Kentucky city of only a few hundred, recently voted an openly gay man as their mayor and passed a non-discrimination ordinance. Morehead, a town of a few thousand, has adopted the same.

"To this day I haven't lost a friend over coming out," Maldonado said. "I've actually become closer to them. In fact, the one person in my school and on my team I was scared to tell sung the song ‘Same Love' to me as he told me he would always be here for me and was proud of me.

"It was then that I realized how truly blessed I was."

While we at Outsports were shocked by the anti-gay behavior of one team, many may be surprised by the support of another. High school is a trying time for many, and acceptance of kids who are "different" can be a struggle. Those outside of Kentucky assume the locale makes it twice as bad. While Maldonado is Puerto Rican, he said he has not experienced any harassment about his ethnicity since he entered high school. Since he's come out, it's been all roses.

Despite the public perception of sports as a deeply homophobic institution, sports have long been the ultimate equalizer. Yes, there are still big problems in sports. LGBT people like Michael Sam face powerful discrimination. What we at Outsports have found for years - even in 1999 when we started the Web site - is that when athletes come out to their teams, teammates and coaches rally around them far more often than they reject them. Even in Kentucky.

"He's one of my players," Kidd said. "And we treated him just as good as anybody else on the team. I didn't look at him being a gay player, he was just my starting point guard."

*  *  *

After an hour of slurs, car chases and physical threats, Maldonado chose to finish the tournament.

"If we would've went home it would've looked like I was ashamed of who I am, and I'm not ashamed of who I am. I can stand up for myself, and I had my teammates and coaches by my side. I knew we would be okay. God wouldn't let anything happen to us. We had come three hours to a tournament and we were finally playing as a team and coming together."

While some of the younger players - the school is so small that eighth graders play varsity - did choose to go home, the core group of veterans stayed. With one of their teammates under fire, they wanted to make a statement.

For the rest of the tournament, the team had police escorts to and from their hotel and the basketball court. The opposing team was kept well away from Betsy Layne High School. When opposing players tried to do a shoot-around at halftime of a Betsy Layne game, they were quickly removed.

Maldonado's team, which was ranked as high as No. 17 in the state at one point last season, came together over the episode. They rallied around their gay teammate who had been the victim of the worst explicit hate most of these young student-athletes had ever seen. Instead of rejecting their teammate, finally knowing he was gay bonded the team like never before.

"The other starting four even asked me to move into their room on the trip after this," Maldonado said. "This brought us closer together, and after this trip I felt more close to them than I felt in my whole life."

The shift in the team dynamics after the incident was palpable. While Maldonado was the target of the attack, it was the entire team that absorbed the blows.

"After that incident our team really came together," Kidd said. "Dalton had often hung out with the younger players. After that happened the senior boys really took to him and they accepted him for who he was. It was one of those stories, where they all bonded together. They didn't look at him as gay or straight, they just looked at him as their brother."

One particularly meaningful moment came a few games later. Unbeknownst to most of the players, Betsy Layne was playing against another team that happened to feature Maldonado's ex-boyfriend. During a rough play, Akers knocked the opposing player to the ground. When he helped the player off the floor, Maldonado shot him a dirty look. At the next timeout, Akers asked him about it.

"I don't want you helping him up," Maldonado said. Their relationship had not ended well and there was animosity on both sides. "Would you like it if I helped your ex-girlfriend?"

The team got a chuckle out of that. Maldonado loved that they could laugh about it. On top of it all, Maldonado's team beat his ex-boyfriend in the game.

"That felt amazing."

Word of the gay basketball player spread like teen gossip so often does. Other schools quickly got wind of the news. During one game in particular, Maldonado heard the opposing band chanting "fag-got fag-got."

The word simply didn't affect him like it had weeks before. With his team by his side, he had renewed confidence.

"I felt like I didn't have anything to hide anymore, and the fact that they accepted me made it all better!"

All of the support has not come without some internal struggle for various players. Growing up in rural Kentucky, in a town of about 7,000 people, two hours from the nearest city of Lexington, the rule of the Bible can be as powerful as the rule of law. Gay people are few and far between, and local doctrine demands a lack of acceptance of homosexuality.

"It's been hard sometimes," Akers admits. "But Dalton is my friend. I've known him since we were kids. He's always been there for me when I needed him. Now it's my turn to be there for him."

Maldonado has likely played his last game of organized scholastic basketball. He will probably attend Div. 1 Eastern Kentucky University in the autumn. Maldonado, who played varsity basketball in eighth grade and started his final two seasons, is a good player but he's not that good.

While his basketball shoes will stick to pick-up games, he wanted to share his story now because of what he's learned. If he knew his coaches and teammates would have his back the way they did, he would have come out years ago.

"It was so much easier playing my senior year because I didn't have to worry about my parents or teammates finding out because I had already told them. I feel like this can help other young athletes, help them come out. My freshman year I didn't think I would ever come out.

"Now here I am telling the world. "

You can follow Dalton Maldonado on Twitter @d_maldy23 or on Instgram @dmaldy23.

Kentucky High School Coach Gets Players Baptized

This from ABC News:

Coach Scott Mooney's Actions Questioned

After Field Trip Includes Baptisms

The actions of a Kentucky high school football coach have been questioned after he took nearly two dozen players on a field trip to an evangelist church service where nearly half the kids were baptized.

Breckinridge County High School Coach Scott Mooney last month used a public school bus to transport the kids approximately 35 miles but arranged for a volunteer driver and promised to pay for the gas himself, according to Superintendent Janet Meeks, who attended the service and witnessed the baptisms of her public school students.

"It was completely voluntary," Meeks told ABCNews.com, noting that of the team's 46 players, about 20 elected to go on the trip. Of those attendees, nine were baptized.

"They didn't get anything for attending," she said. "They didn't get anything for not attending."

The mothers of one of the baptized boys has said publicly that she was upset to learn her son had been baptized without her consent on a trip sponsored by a public school employee...

The Courier-Journal reported,

[Player] Robert Coffey, said Coach Scott Mooney told him and other players that the Aug. 26 outing would include only a motivational speaker and a free steak dinner.

“He said it would bring the team together,” Robert, a sophomore, said in an interview.

Two other parents, however, said in interviews that their sons told them that Mooney had said the voluntary outing to Franklin Crossroads Baptist Church in Hardin County would include a revival.

Mooney, contacted by phone, said school district officials instructed him not to comment.But Superintendent Janet Meeks, who is a member of the church and witnessed the baptisms, said she thinks the trip was proper because attendance was not required, and another coach paid for the gas.

An attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, told C-J that the trip would appear to violate Supreme Court edicts on the separation of church and state — even if it was voluntary and the school district didn’t pay for the fuel.

“If players want to attend the coach’s church and get baptized, that’s great,” Friedman said. But a coach cannot solicit player attendance at school, he said, noting, “Coaches have great power and persuasion by virtue of their position, and they have to stay neutral.”

The Associated Press reported,

Forty-seven people at the Southern Baptist service were submerged in water, an act of obedience symbolizing one's acceptance of Jesus Christ as savior and "rebirth" in faith....

School Superintendent Janet Meeks, also a member of the church, said Tuesday in a statement on behalf of school employees that the coach's use of the school bus after school hours for an outside activity was allowed. He asked to take about 20 players to the church on the bus, the fuel cost was donated and a volunteer drove.

It is not known if the Breckinridge County Schools allow other citizens to use school buses without fees, so long as they pay for gas and provide a driver, or if this was a special privilege only afforded members of the superintendent's church.

A constitutional attorney in Kentucky said the coach and the school system broke the law.

"A school cannot promote an endorsed religion," said Edwin Kagin, a constitutional lawyer in Kentucky who focuses on religion cases with atheists. "Doesn't matter if it's poor judgment, it's a crime."

Lisa Gross, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Education, said most school districts in Kentucky have a policy that allows the use of school buses for extracurricular activities.

"There's nothing inherent in state law that would prohibit" a trip like the one the team members took aboard a school bus.

Gross said the department is aware of what happened but does not plan to investigate the trip.

Gross, went onto tell the AP that state law bans "adult-led religious activities," but only in a school setting.

More from WLKY.

Sex-Bias Remedies Upheld

...The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously last month that Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is not the exclusive means for suing districts over sex bias.

The justices ruled that the 1972 statute called Title IX does not bar victims of sex discrimination in schools from pursuing claims under the federal statute known as Section 1983 - a Reconstruction-era law that allows plaintiffs to sue any individual who violates their civil rights. Analysts believe the statute may offer wider protections than Title IX, which bars sex discrimination in federally financed schools and colleges.

"We conclude that Title IX was not meant to be an exclusive mechanism for addressing gender discrimination in schools, or as a substitute for Section 1983 suits as a means of enforcing constitutional rights," Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote for the court on Jan. 21 in Fitzgerald v. Barnstable School Committee (Case No. 07-1125).

During the 2000–2001 school year, the daughter of petitioners Lisa and Robert Fitzgerald was a kindergarten student in the Barnstable, Massachusetts, school system, and rode the bus to school each morning. One day she told her parents that, whenever she wore a dress, a third-grade boy on the school bus would bully her into lifting her skirt.

Lisa Fitzgerald immediately called the school principal, Frederick Scully, who arranged a meeting later that day with the Fitzgeralds, their daughter, and another school official, Lynda Day. Scully and Day then questioned the alleged bully, who denied the allegations. Day also interviewed the bus driver and several students who rode the bus. She concluded that she could not corroborate the girl’s version of the events.

The Fitzgeralds’ daughter then provided new details ofthe alleged abuse to her parents, who relayed them toScully. Specifically, she told her parents that in additionto bullying her into raising her skirt, the boy coerced herinto pulling down her underpants and spreading her legs. Scully scheduled a second meeting with the Fitzgeralds to discuss the additional details and again questioned theboy and other students.

Meanwhile, the local police department conducted anindependent investigation and concluded there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against the boy. Based partly on the police investigation and partly on the school’s own investigation, Scully similarly concluded there was insufficient evidence to warrant discipline.

Scully did propose remedial measures to the Fitzgeralds. He suggested transferring their daughter to a different bus or leaving rows of empty seats between the kindergarteners and older students on the original bus. The Fitzgeralds felt that these proposals punished their daughter instead of the boy and countered with alternative proposals. They suggested transferring the boy to a different bus or placing a monitor on the original bus. The Barnstable school system’s superintendent, Russell Dever,did not act on these proposals.

The Fitzgeralds began driving their daughter to schoolto avoid further bullying on the bus, but she continued to report unsettling incidents at school. The Fitzgeralds reported each incident to Scully. The Fitzgeralds’ daughter had an unusual number of absences during the remainder of the school year.

School News from Around Kentucky

U of L suspends education dean search: Saying a good fit could not be found, University of Louisville officials announced Wednesday they are halting their current search for an education dean, and will begin a new search in the fall. The candidates have strong resumes “and were coming from good universities…but we are looking for a good fit for the school and the community,” said U of L Provost Shirley Willihnganz. Former Oldham County Superintendent Blake Haselton, who has served as the interim dean at the College of Education and Human Development since June 2008, will remain in that position until next summer, when the university hopes to find a permanent dean, she said. (C-J)

Bullitt teachers plan Monday rally over state budget: Teachers in Bullitt County plan to hold a rally Monday to draw attention to the state budget and how it could affect education in the county and state. During the rally, which begins at 3 p.m. at Bullitt Central High School, educators will ask state legislators to pass a budget that provides districts enough funding to meet students' needs, provide adequate health care for school employees and pay for two more instruction days, said Brenda Hutchison, president of the Bullitt County Education Association. (C-J)

Union Co schools chief violated school statutes: The superintendent of the Union County school district violated Kentucky revised statutes and other school laws when making changes at schools in his district, a report released last week found. The Office of Education Accountability, an independent government organization, began investigating Joshua Powell after 20 allegations that he exceeded his statutory powers were made by an unidentified party. The Union County school board was also mentioned in the report as having agreed to a policy that countered state law and a decision by the Kentucky Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Powell, who was named the Kentucky Association of School Administrators' 2009 Administrator of the Year, criticized the agency's findings. "Let me say that all of OEA's allegations and findings are a travesty and the manner in which OEA conducted itself in the Union County Public School district is in direct conflict with federal and state laws and initiatives," he said. (Gleaner) And...

The OEA's findings: In the report, OEA defines 20 accusations made against Superintendent Josh Powell. OEA primarily deals with allegations of violations relating to the policies and protocol of site-based decision-making councils. During the regular school board meeting on Monday night, Powell defended himself and the employees of UCPS against all 20 allegations, of which 12 instances were found to be in violation of statute. Of the 12 violations, many stem from the alleged misuse of power over SBDM councils and principals beyond the scope of statute. Others involve alleged impropriety in hiring practices, including the hire of the UCMS principal and Director of Special Education before they were certified and the installation of Curriculum Specialists in all schools without SBDM approval. A separate report was filed for UCMS Principal Holly Keeney and Director of Special Education Brian Lovell in relation to Superintendent Powell’s action. (Union Co Advocate)

120 teachers at 6 troubled JCPS schools to be transferred: Some were merely disappointed. Others were so distraught that they had to be consoled by their peers. In all, 120 teachers at six struggling Jefferson County public schools were given the news Thursday they wouldn't be coming back next fall -- part of a district plan to help turn around the schools by replacing up to 60 percent of their faculty. The plan will replace 26 to 60 percent of the teachers at Frost and Western middle schools and at Fern Creek, Shawnee, Valley and Western high schools. (C-J)

Prichard Committee recognizes Representative Moberly for service to education: The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence has recognized state Rep. Harry Moberly, D-Richmond, with its Award of Excellence for his commitment to Kentucky education. Moberly's "insight, determination and intellect have steered the state on a course toward educational excellence," the committee said in recognizing the veteran legislator, and "his life of public service has made a positive, lasting change for thousands of Kentuckians and has helped ensure a brighter future for individuals and the state as a whole."Moberly is retiring after serving 30 years in the Kentucky General Assembly. (Prich)

House, Senate leaders say budget compromise likely - Special session to consider compromise: House and Senate leaders say there is enough support in both chambers to pass a proposed state budget compromise unveiled by Gov. Steve Beshear last week. A special legislative session on the budget is scheduled to begin Monday. After weeks of haggling, the House and Senate could not come to an agreement on a budget compromise before the legislature adjourned on April 15. Senate President David Williams said Tuesday that the Republican-controlled Senate can support Beshear's $17.1 billion two-year proposed budget, which includes 3.5 percent cuts in the first year and 4.5 percent cuts in the second year. House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, said some concerns still need to be worked out, but he said he thought the Democratic-controlled House could support most of what Beshear unveiled last week as a compromise budget. That plan includes less severe cuts to key areas of the budget, including K-12 education, higher education, Medicaid, state police and prosecutors and public defenders. The proposal would not cut the main funding formula for schools, but it would have school districts pick up the cost of one school day. Beshear's proposal included the Senate's cuts but did not include construction projects sought by the House, with the exception of about $5.6 million to replace the state's worst school buildings, commonly called Category 5 schools. (H-L)

High school science teacher ousts long-time State Rep. Charlie Siler: The third time proved to be a charm for state representative candidate Dewayne Bunch. The Whitley County school teacher ousted long-time 82nd District Rep. Charlie Siler in Tuesday’s Republican primary election by 123 votes. (The Times-Tribune )

Alleged threat brings attorney to school board: An attorney representing the mother of a Corbin Middle School student spoke before the Corbin Board of Education Thursday night, alleging that the school and district failed to properly handle a situation involving a threatening note. According to attorney Chris Haden with Bahe Cook Cantley & Jones of Louisville, Evelyn Williams’ daughter found a threatening note in her middle school classroom on March 25. The note had been found after class was dismissed, lying near the classroom recycling bin.“The note specifically threatens to kill her,” Haden told the board. “The troubling aspect of this for me is the specific language of it.” (The Times-Tribune)

Mom says School Bus Driver Made Fun Of Girl For Gay Parents - JCPS Officials, Kentucky Equality Federation Investigating: A mother said a Jefferson County school bus driver made fun of her child for having same-sex parents. A Jefferson County Public Schools spokeswoman said an investigation is under way, but the mother wants the bus driver fired. WLKY's Carissa Lawson spoke exclusively with the mother about what she said happened. The mother said the bus driver made the comments on March 31 to her middle school-aged daughter and since it has been over a month with no resolution she is now making her complaint public. "Someone used the word 'fag' very loudly and she thought it was coming from the bus driver," the mother said. (WLKY)

School News from Around Kentucky

Beshear warns state deficit will top $1.5 billion: Gov. Steve Beshear warned Tuesday that state lawmakers will face a deficit of more than $1.5 billion as they craft a two-year state budget, despite better-than-expected revenue estimates released last week. Beshear said ballooning costs for Medicaid and debt payments will add at least $600 million in new spending to the state's next budget. Already, lawmakers must find an extra $890 million over the next two years just to continue spending $9.1 billion a year from the General Fund...But Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, said after Tuesday's news conference that he believed Beshear's dire budget projection was a scare tactic designed to strong-arm the legislature into passing expanded gambling at the state's racetracks, a measure that failed during a special legislative session this summer. Williams also said the state should look at cutting more, including personnel. (Herald-Leader)

8 steps to understanding Kentucky's budget crunch: Although the economic recession, which has brought double-digit unemployment to Kentucky, is the major factor behind Kentucky's budget woes, their roots run much deeper. Here's an eight-step primer in advance of the 2010 General Assembly, which begins Jan. 5. (H-L)

Teacher uses superhero studies to engage students: A Kentucky special-education teacher says a classroom unit about superheroes helps engage and focus his students in academic learning. Middle-school teacher Jeremy Belcher says that creating background stories for superheroes helps with writing skills, while graphs and charts detailing the heroes' powers help with science and math. "We go full class periods with them totally focused and into what they're doing," Belcher said. (Courier-Journal)

Clark Schools look at staffing guidelines: Clark County Schools is not adhering to its own staffing guidelines according to a comparison study done by School Board Management Associates. The study was commissioned by the Clark County Board of Education and presented by Dr. Bob Arvin to the board at its meeting last week. The study was done to see how the district’s staffing compared to six others across the state: Elizabethtown, Henry, Franklin, Shelby, Simpson and Trimble counties. According to the study, Clark Schools had 283.7 certified positions, 12.2 above the board-approved allocation guidelines for the current school year.
Superintendent Elaine Farris said the issue had to be addressed, even if it meant changing the guidelines. “We have not stayed with the guidelines, for whatever reason. But we cannot continue to have a guideline and staff over it,” said Farris. “If we’re going to, if we think we need to do something differently with our personnel, then we need to revise and amend the guidelines, because right now, we are not staying with the guidelines we have on the books.” (Winchester Sun by way of KSBA)

Charter schools not part of Ky.'s Race to Top: Advocates for charter schools had hoped the lure of federal funding might force Kentucky lawmakers to allow the alternative schools in coming months, but state education leaders say they have no plans to push the idea. Kentucky law doesn't allow charter schools — publicly funded schools that operate outside traditional state regulations — but advocates were banking on Washington's $4.35 billion Race to the Top program to change lawmakers' minds. President Barack Obama's program offers federal grants to states that can demonstrate efforts to boost student achievement. States with charter schools, which backers contend can boost achievement because they often embrace innovative teaching methods, will have a leg up in the competition for money, Obama has said. The chance of cashing in has prompted some states to consider allowing charter schools and others to raise caps on the number of such schools, but Kentucky is not likely to follow suit. State Education Commissioner Terry Holliday said last week that Kentucky's application for Race to the Top funds will be filed next month without any provision for charter schools. That omission could make Kentucky's application less attractive to federal officials. (Herald-Leader)

Mason & Lewis schools await new state standards: It's a waiting game for area school districts as state officials consider making changes to public education standards.According to Lisa Gross, spokesperson for the Kentucky Department of Education, the adoption of new common core content standards for English and math is practically guaranteed at a Feb. 9 meeting involving the state Board of Education, the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education and the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board. Gross said each has stated its intention to adopt the new standards."We will have higher, clearer standards," Gross said. "There may be fewer, but we think better." (Ledger Independent)

NCES Predictions: [The National Center for Education Statistics makes annual predictions.] The federal agency each year releases education data and predictions, based on surveys, population patterns and other demographic changes. Policy makers, from legislators to school district treasurers, use such numbers to make decisions about districts and schools... Across Ohio, the number of high school graduates is projected to be nearly flat by 2018, while Kentucky's grads will grow by 13.2 percent, the center predicts. Nationally, high school graduates will increase by 11 percent. Meanwhile, education spending nationwide is expected to grow 36 percent by the 2018-19 school year to $626 billion, the report states, using inflation-adjusted dollars. That averages $11,600 per student. The report didn't break out states. State web sites show Ohio taxpayers spend $10,184 per student and Kentucky taxpayers about $8,839 per student. (Enquirer)

Minority grad rate expected to worsen: While one in four of the nation's public high school students fail to graduate on time, minority students are more than twice as likely to drop out as non-minority students. The problem will get more obvious in the 2010-11 school year, when new federal No Child Left Behind rules change how states and school districts count and report graduation rates. The changes are likely to result in lower graduation rates than those previously reported by many districts and states, experts said. And for the first time the rates will specify graduation rates for minority and other disadvantage students. (Enquirer)

UK professor raises privacy issues with state test results: A University of Kentucky business professor says it's all too easy to figure out standardized test performances of minorities at schools across the country using publicly available data and a little bit of math. That, essentially, would violate federal laws that require individuals' test scores remain private, said Krish Muralidhar, a professor of decision science and information systems at UK's Gatton School of Business. (H-L)

Film on Floyd bus tragedy set to premiere: A documentary film about the worst school bus tragedy in the nation’s history will make its debut near the place where the tragedy occurred. The debut will take place just a few days before the 51st anniversary of the accident.“The Very Worst Thing,” a film focuseing on details and memories of a Feb. 28, 1958, school bus crash which left 26 children and their driver dead in the Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River, will premiere at the Mountain Arts Center in Prestonsburg at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19.Director Michael Crisp said strong emotions remain evident for everyone who was touched by the crash of Floyd County school bus No. 27. (Daily Independent)

OEA requires Training for LaRue School Board member: A LaRue County School Board member is being required to complete extra training in his role after state investigators determined he violated state law. Norbert Skees, who is in his first term of representing the first district, was investigated... [for]attempted to interfere in personnel issues...The complaints included Skees questioning the transportation director about the rotation schedule of bus drivers; "harassment and intimidation" of the band's color guard director; stating that a letter of nonrenewal should be sent to the band director; requesting that school-related trip sponsors be allowed to choose the bus driver they wanted for the trip; and requesting applications and resumes of all applicants for a maintenance position. (LaRue County Herald)

School board on grant bandwagon: A memorandum approved by the Caldwell County Board of Education could indirectly help the state receive up to $170 million in federal stimulus funds. The school board, meeting in regular session Monday, approved a memorandum of understanding with the Kentucky Department of Education in support of the Race to the Top grant project. The project involves $4.35 billion in federal funding for education agencies... Holliday’s goal, Boyd said, is to use the Race to the Top funds to offset the cost of implementing the new testing system when it takes effect. Each school district’s superintendent, board chairman and education association president are being asked to sign a memorandum of understanding supporting the grant application. “We’re being asked to trust our commissioner,” said Boyd, adding that most districts are choosing to do so. (Times Leader)