Government Schools - Jim Crow, Pedophilia and Racism

Item 1. In Louisiana, the law firm of Blackwell and Associates is sending threatening letters on behalf of teacher's unions to small private schools, threatening to sue them and prevent Louisiana students from leaving public schools under a voucher program that lets children leave failing schools. (You can contact the law firm at the link.) From the Pelican Post:

The letter goes on to insist that each school inform the Department of Education that it will not accept funding through the voucher program until the legal challenge has been resolved. Failure to do so by Friday, July 27 at 4:00 P.M. will result in the union instituting litigation against the school.

Clint Bolick, Vice President for Litigation at the Goldwater Institute in Arizona, has argued and won landmark cases in state and federal court on behalf of school choice programs around the nation. “In over two decades of school choice advocacy, I’ve never seen thuggery of this magnitude. What the unions can’t accomplish in the courtroom, they’re trying to achieve through bullying schools whose only offense is offering educational opportunities to children who need them.”

The teacher's have already lost the first round of this case in appeals court, this tactic, is intended to slow the program down "by any means necessary," according to the threatening letter. As the WSJ points out, it used to be slave holders and later Jim Crow that sought to prevent black children from learning to read, now its the teachers unions.

Item 2. In New York City a teacher in Queens had a sexual relationship with a 13-year old girl and sent her inappropriate messages through email and Facebook.Of course, he wasn't fired for this offense merely removed from the classroom. It may be many years before the taxpayers stop paying his salary.

Another example from 2007: Teacher William Scharbach was found to have inappropriately touched and held young boys. "Respondent's actions at best give the appearance of impropriety and at worst suggest pedophilia," wrote the arbitrator—before giving the teacher only a reprimand. The teacher didn't deny the touching but denied that it was inappropriate.

Why does this happen? The teacher's unions insist on arbitration for all allegations of teacher misconduct including sexual predation. With arbitrators beholden to the unions for their pay, teachers will be sitting in jail before they are ever off the payroll.

Item 3. In Tennessee, the State Board of Education overruled the Nashville's board of education denying Great Hearts Academy authority to open a charter school. The reason for the initial denial is rooted in race based politics; Critics said Great Hearts’ schools would lack diversity and some of its potential students would not have transportation to get there. (Source: The Tennessean) Race based decision making has no place in America, but we are a long way off. The public education system continues the most backward part of government.