Seattle Schools Transportation - Towncars?
From the "Uh Oh" department, KIRO news is going to have a report at 5 p.m. about SPS transportation. They allege it includes private transportation of "hundreds" of students, some in towncars. (I knew SPS used taxis.) I'm hoping the district has a clear explanation AND the KIRO actually gives them the time to explain it.
Comments
Year 5
-Incredulous
It's KIRO - slanted and irresponsible are givens.
Also, I think homeless kids might get town car service from shelters to school.
Nor'wester
Ultimately, the use of commercial private transport like this is the real issue - not what kind of car the company is using
in the know
KIRO is pretty shameless.
(zb)
http://wanewscouncil.org/2012/08/15/washington-news-council-to-hold-hearing-on-complaints-from-leschi-school-community-against-kiro7-eyewitness-news/
KIRO will stoop as low as is necessary to get those ad rates up.
Questioning SPS overall transportation plans and policies is certainly valid. I just wouldn't expect any kind of actual facts coming from KIRO.
I hope Chris Halsne didn't report this hype.
If a state chooses not to accept federal funds for these purposes, it does not have to implement the act.
While some states are amply complying with the Act, others are falling short. The failures of states to adequately implement the act—removing barriers to enrollment and developing transportation systems—has been the subject of numerous law suits funded by The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty.
(NLCHP) was founded in 1989 by Maria Foscarinis as a non-profit corporation based in Washington, D.C. It is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3)of the Internal revenue Code, and contributions to it are tax deductible. The mission of NLCHP is to prevent and end homelessness by serving as the legal arm of the nationwide movement to end homelessness.
The McKinney-Vento Act is a conditional funding act which means that the federal government gives grants to states and, in return, the grantee states are bound by the terms of the act.
If a state chooses not to accept federal funds for these purposes, it does not have to implement the act.
While some states are amply complying with the Act, others are falling short. The failures of states to adequately implement the act—removing barriers to enrollment and developing transportation systems—has been the subject of numerous law suits funded by The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty.
(NLCHP) was founded in 1989 by Maria Foscarinis as a non-profit corporation based in Washington, D.C. It is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3)of the Internal revenue Code, and contributions to it are tax deductible. The mission of NLCHP is to prevent and end homelessness by serving as the legal arm of the nationwide movement to end homelessness.
Is it just me, or is the reporter following two kids home and interviewing their grandma just ultra creepy? If that reporter had wanted to interview me after following my kid home I would have told him a thing or two about invasion of privacy!
If parents don't start raising a bigger ruckus about the Roadmap/iBloom projects with the superintendent and the school board, there will be nothing left of our privacy to invade!
I assume most people reading here on this forum know that the district is planning to give all kinds of personal information about our kids to this Gates/Murdoch venture (which will in turn sell it to other commercial ventures), but does the average parent in Seattle know what's happening?
The word needs to get out.
-Trying to do my part
-Long gone
And yes, I believe the issue for KIRO was indeed the "type" of vehicle - SPS staff used to do this using vans, then, because of volume, and the fact there are only so many cabs, the towncar company was added - it's a service the provide in many other cities across the country. I too thought it was beyond creepy that they followed that one cab to Bothell - frankly, I'd have called the police - there may have been a domestic violence issue involved and they could have easily endangered those kids - it's one of the scenarios in which the private transportation is used.
-Also Inthe Know
But rather than turn that piece into another reason to use special education as a whipping boy, Lynne Varner wrote an intelligent and thoughtful response to the KIRO junk at http://bit.ly/12YYkZs
I'm marking this day on my calendar. I agreed with Lynne Varner today.
Also, according to OSPI, in 2011-12, both Highline and Tacoma spent more on homeless transportation than SPS did, and Kent wasn't far behind. Highline has about 18,000 students.
So, yes, to echo everyone else (late): crap reporting.
Cocoa beach
Msp town car service