Friday Open Thread
This is one of many reasons why I am marching tomorrow for March for Our Lives. No mother or child should have to have this discussion. Starts at 10 am at Cal Anderson Park.
Director Community Meetings
Burke (please note that the time was improperly noted on the district website and Director Burke updated it at the Board meeting): 3:30-5:30 pm at Greenwood branch library.
Pinkham - 3-4:30 pm at Northgate branch library
Disturbing news: school staffs received notification from the district yesterday that the district is now going to enforce Board Policy 6810 and teachers and staff are to remove all personal items that require power. These would include microwaves, fridges, space heaters and any type of lighting, particularly hanging lighting.
One parent at Soup for Teachers had this additional information.
What's on your mind?
Director Community Meetings
Burke (please note that the time was improperly noted on the district website and Director Burke updated it at the Board meeting): 3:30-5:30 pm at Greenwood branch library.
Pinkham - 3-4:30 pm at Northgate branch library
Disturbing news: school staffs received notification from the district yesterday that the district is now going to enforce Board Policy 6810 and teachers and staff are to remove all personal items that require power. These would include microwaves, fridges, space heaters and any type of lighting, particularly hanging lighting.
One parent at Soup for Teachers had this additional information.
I had a conversation with our school custodian after xmas break. He said the fire marshall had inspected all the schools and that is also when the energy audit was done. 2 separate things. According to our custodian, the fire code specifies nothing within 18 inches of the ceiling and no extension cords. Lights and small appliances are ok as long as they are not on extension cords.
The energy audit was done separately by a team from SPS. I'm thinking we could request the report from the energy audit but I don't know who to request it from.I will ask the district about the energy audit and this issue in general. I do know that for many teachers having a mini-fridge and/or microwave saves them time in not having to go to the teachers' lounge for lunch. As well, the ability to not have to depend just on the overhead lighting helps with students with sensory issues.
What's on your mind?
Comments
The school board needs to pay attention to EDUCATION not things pulled in outlets.
I just don't understand the purpose of having a school board if they can't see the BIG PICTURE!
Growing tired
https://www.seattleschools.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_543/File/District/Departments/School%20Board/Policies/Series%206000/6810.pdf
"It is the policy of the Seattle School Board that the District wisely manage the use
of natural resources and maintain programs that support conservation of energy
and other natural resources. The goal of this policy is to create and maintain
sustainable, healthy school environments through a long-term resource
management plan.
Seattle Public Schools will model environmental stewardship by instituting a
resource conservation management plan, to:
Reduce the use of energy, water, and other natural resources and
encourage recycling
Educate students, teachers, and staff about the importance of conserving
natural resources
Lessen environmental damage attributable to natural resources
consumption."
Its a bit bizarre to interpret this as meaning no personal electric appliances of any sort in the classroom.
If the fire marshal says no extension cords, then no extension cords.
They should just supply teachers with powerstrips with the appropriate lenght of cord.
Gee Whiz
- Just Curious
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/24/us/pennsylvania-school-students-armed-rocks-trnd/index.html
Let's tell the NRA we love our kids more than they love guns.
Oak
Not strident in the least.
- Just Curious
Kids before guns. Every single time.
Please explain.
March on
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_school_massacres_by_death_toll
With that said I don't believe anyone can definitively prove that autism caused either shooter to act out.
The Florida shooting is extremely disturbing due to the vast amount of data showing the shooters intentions to kill others up to 14 months before the actual event. Any reasonable person would have acted to stop the shooter after the first threat was posted.
Of all the evidence I've read or listened to it's the 911 call that reports the shooter has started to buy real guns and is making death threats that for me questions the motivations of every single level of government. Who ignores these types of threats?
Just facts
No Guns
I think it's significant that two of the worst school shooting events where committed by people from a very small group, less than 1.2% of the population and I absolutely believe autism played a role in both the Newtown and the Florida shootings.
Now back to the subject of the march.
Consider this ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beslan_school_siege
Seems to me that your side ( I assuming you're a liberal) want's to let anyone and everyone in to the US, so just taking Beslan in to consideration can you understand why many people might want to be armed. I suppose you don't believe in the reality of the attacks already committed by Islamist here in the US?
We are very lucky a Beslan type event hasn't happened in the US. No, I don't trust our government to protect my family because relaying on the government sure didn't work in Florida.
March on
"The research examined a population of 239 killers who had murdered at least three people since 1985, when there was a dramatic increase in the recognition of autism. Of that number, 133 of the mass killers did not appear to suffer from any neurological disorder, but a “significant proportion” did: 28 percent had “definite, highly probable or possible” autism, while 21 percent had sustained a “definite or suspected head injury.” And of those 106 killers, more than half experienced some “psychological stressor” such as physical or sexual abuse."
I don't think possible is a good substitute for absolute. It also should be noted that there seems to be a almost vigilante effort by various groups to destroy anyone attempting to study any links between ASD and mass murders.
It's strange that no one seems interested in why Cruz would want to shoot his classmates. Could they have possibly brought this one by bulling and harassment?
--JB
2) Cruz seems to be an example of a perfect storm of issues. He had issues with his own family, he had issues at school, both with classmates and staff. He had recently become an orphan which I would have thought would been a signal at his school. He was clearly on the radar of many people and yet no one could quite get to the point of truly getting him help.
Would it have mattered if the FBI had followed thru? Maybe but it is hard to know.
But knowing autism, I believe it had little to do with it. Mental illness probably did.
Here’s the reality. Autistic people are over represented as gun victims. Autistic people are less likely than others to be violent or to be perpetrators in the 38,000+ annual fatalities due to guns. BUT in the relatively narrow case of “mass shootings “, research has demonstrated that Autistic people are conservatively 8 times more likely than others to be responsible for these incidents, usually with comorbid complications. Personally I know of at least 5 threats, several very recent. That’s just me. Are they just kids talking? Probably. Do we arrest people for threats or violent ideologies? No we don’t. Think Trump.
The href doesn’t seem to work. Here’s a piece of evidence. Pretty easy to look up yourself with google also.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00223980.2016.1175998
No Guns
“Crucially though, the majority of mass/serial killers with ASD who were included in our review also had experienced other psychosocial risk factors for criminal behavior (e.g., physical or sexual abuse), suggesting that it is usually a complex combination.
“However, despite media speculation, surveys suggest that individuals with ASDs may be no more likely than the general population to engage in violent crime, and in fact, may be less likely (Mouridsen, Rich, Isager, & Nedergaard.)
And, in the discussion in this research, only Lanza had been professionally diagnosed with autism. There is a spectrum of autism so many, many people could be called “autistic” but that does mot make them violent or killers.
Lanza and Cruz was/is autistic this is not debatable.
Data shows 2 of the top 5 worst US school shootings ranked by the number of fatalities were committed by autistic boys.
For a group representing less than 1.5% of the population they committed 40% of the worst school attacks in US history.
It appears (as pointed out) it's most likely not a simple case where autism was the driver for the events, but surly it could be the catalysis.
Just facts
Right, as I said above. People with Autism are LESS likely in general to be involved with gun violence. Think about the much more prevalent gun crimes, robbery, gang violence. These crimes require a degree of planning, social competence, premeditation, not normally associated with Autism. This isn’t a ding on Autism, but simply common sense.
Truly, nobody needs a gun to have a good life. Most especially, people with Autism don’t need guns. That is beyond obvious.
No Guns
--JB
JB, that might be but again, there are mental health issues (which autism is not) plus family environment that are more likely to be the triggers.
HP