Maine Teachers Update: Help Us Make a Difference!

by Joe Katzman at February 27, 2003 6:17 PM

"Emperor Misha I" has more about the teachers harassing the children of National Guard Soldiers. This update from Worldnet Daily gives even more background. So far, at least 12 schools are involved:

"WABI reporter Alan Grover told WND that reports of the harassment had come in from 12 different schools across the state. Personnel from the Family Assistance Program collected the 12 reports after interviewing 80 Guard families. Since there are 600 such families affected, the number of actual incidents likely is higher."
As we noted previously, the state Education Commissioner's response has been equal parts denial, whitewashing, and cowardice. See SFTT for the full text of Albanese's limp advisory; and the Commissioner continues to downplay the issue rather than addressing it seriously:
"TV5 asked the general for his thoughts about the Albanese comments. Tinkham says [Education] Commissioner [Duke] Albanese skipped over a few facts. The General says the reports about insensitive educators have been steady and consistent, no matter where the family assistance officers have traveled in the state. Far from being anecdotal evidence, Tinkham says The Guard has names, dates and locations related to the incidents, but up until now has chosen not to release that information because the guard did not want to point fingers."
Here's the URL, courtesy of reader Allen Glosson.

Well, the Education Commissioner has certainly made his smarmy attitude clear. Looks like it may be time to roll out the artillery after all, General. And Emperor Misha - how about making some of those contact URLs live? (Done now)

The story is also starting to "grow legs" at the national level. The Washington Times ran an article today, for instance, and I'm getting email reports that talk-show star Rush Limbaugh has also picked it up. More will come... but it depends on finding people who are willing to come forward and speak to the media.

Trent Telenko explains the dynamics involved, and what we're doing about it, in this comment to his own post on this subject...(read on)

"To All The Best of the Web visitors:

The current cases I am aware are from friends on military affairs mailing lists I subscribe too. Neither they nor their impacted friends wants to handle this in the public.

This is a common response from active duty military parents to this sort of thing. They and their kids have to live there after the media event is over. They don't want to make waves. Especially when they will be gone in a couple of years.

Please remember public education bureaucracies don't respond well to military parents for the simple reason they are transient. They don't have the connections in the local community necessary to influence local education politics.

This makes petty vengence on military kids a very high pay off activity for the self-righteous Left in public education positions. And they have done so in the past and will do this again, once people are not looking.

The difference in Maine is that they went after military people in the National Guard. Who by definition have very deep roots in their community and won't be leaving any time soon."

Let's hope the controversy isn't leaving any time soon, either. Trent concludes with this bit about the active duty personnel from Kansas and Texas who have contacted him with similar stories:
"If the folks want to surface, that is their option. I will not force it upon them. Most public school systems are all but immune from outside reality no matter the media attention. These folks know it.

Besides, making that kind of noise is not something that is career enhancing [for the soldiers], when it can be handled privately by transferring to private or home school or simply with time by moving to the next assignment...."

Hard to argue. Still, we're gonna do our best here. If you think you can contribute, here's what we need.

They're fighting for us over there. The least we can do is fight just as hard for them over here.

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