Lee's Summit R-7 School District

Officials Warn That Scores to Decline - The Missourian: Union

Our school board is not elected because of the great job that they are doing.  They are elected because they line up early on the first day that candidates can declare and get their names on the top of the ballot.  Candidates that are at the door and sit in the cold don't get their names on the ballot first.  It is the candidates that arrived early and sat in their warm cars and waited for the doors to be unlocked. The voters of this city don't research before they vote.  They just vote for the first names on the ballot.  They don't understand how important it is to have an objective board that is working for the students.  It seems people do little to no research when they vote.  The article below will tell the story. Oh, if you happen to get votes a district employee will just strike it up to you being a woman.  Whatever that means. Martin, the district's autism education specialist, says the close election results aren't caus...

Stop Bullying | Eric Schmitt We Need Your Help “The Senate has unanimously passed the anti-bullying bill that will help protect so many Missouri children from emotional, physical, and cyber bullying. Now we need your help to tell the House to pass it. Sign up on this page to show your support for ending bullying in Missouri! Thank you for doing your part.” - Senator Eric Schmitt Candidate for Missouri Treasurer

Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) for Students with ASD - West Palm Beach Autism & Education | Examiner.com It is hard to get districts to do this in the right way.  I know that Lee's Summit rarely does and it is not in accordance with proven guidelines. The problem behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are among the most challenging and stressful issues faced by schools and parents. The current best practice in addressing and preventing undesirable or challenging behaviors utilizes the principles and practices of positive behavior intervention and support (PBIS). PBIS is not a specific intervention per se, but rather a set of research-based strategies that are intended to decrease problem behaviors by designing effective environments and teaching students the appropriate social and communication skills needed to achieve social, emotional and academic success. The objective of PBIS is to decrease potentially problematic behavi...

Exploring the Paths of Missouri’s Special Education: A Study | KBIA It shouldn't matter if it is a rural school or a rich suburban school.  In fact, the rich suburban school rarely provides the education that a special education student needs and only caters to advanced students.  But inclusion isn’t actually written into the law. Instead, schools are required to provide a free, appropriate education in a least restrictive environment. But what’s appropriate? What’s restrictive? The answer- it depends. The state, school district, or the parents define these terms. Dr. George Giuliani is the executive director at the National Association of Special Education Teachers. He said understanding the definition of least restrictive environment comes down to the child. “It’s the requirement that children with disabilities must be educated with those without disabilities to the maximum extent that it is appropriate for that particular child,” Giuliani said. He s...

Schools Warned On Pushing Families Into Due Process - Disability Scoop Lee's Summit has a history of forcing parents into due process.  Families are forced to hire attorney and spend tens of thousands of dollars and then they lose.  They don't lose because their cases aren't good.  They lose because the hearing panel hasn't ruled in favor in families for three years.  They system is corrupt.   Here is what Jerry Keimig told OSEP when I turned to them for help.  He welcomed me to file due process.  He knew that I wouldn't win even though the district was out of compliance. "We would welcome an opportunity to present the district view to an independent panel either through a DESE child complaint or a due process hearing." Federal education officials are warning school districts to think twice before forcing parents into potentially long and costly due process proceedings. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, families may ...

Volunteer fired, head coach resigns amid disparaging comments | Education | Lee's Summit Journal Pam Smiley, a volunteer track and field coach at Lee’s Summit High School, fought back tears as she tried to relay why she thought she was let go off her duties. Earlier Wednesday, Smiley was told by administrators at the school that a decision by track and field head coach Karen Sanders to relieve Smiley off her duties as sprint coach would stand. Smiley alleges – and a group of track athletes at the school concur – that Sanders told her last week the only reason some minority members of the team were having successful track seasons was because Smiley was African-American and the athletes could relate to her. Smiley said she was appalled by the assertion, as were parents of some of the athletes who heard Sanders repeat the remark. Sanders, who was unavailable for comment, resigned from her position Wednesday. Scott Wilkinson, a...

Lee's Summit High School track coach says she was fired with a 'racist text' from head coach - + KSHB.com A volunteer track coach was relieved of her duties after she said the head coach sent her a racist text message informing her of her removal.    Pam Smiley ran track for Wisconsin and has coached in some capacity for 16 years. She decided to volunteer as an assistant this year at Lee's Summit High School where her daughter runs on the team as a freshman.    Smiley said she was stunned when she received the following text message from head coach Karen Sanders on Sunday: "When a coach on my staff breaks a rule and doesn't see it as wrong, and also brings in other coaches as being responsible for breaking the rule, which they were not, I have a hard time letting that coach continue being part of my staff. Pleas turn in your coach's shirt and jacket to the office and I will get it from them. Your skin does deem you untrustworth...

Our district is sending out mass emails to their patrons trying to convince them that this bill should be passed.  It is not in the best interest of students for this bill to become law.  Section 213.065 RSMO of the Missouri Human Rights Act that since April of 2012 has been used to protect children in schools. In the Doe Subia v. the Kansas City Missouri School District case on Appeal, the courts determined that Schools are Places of Public Accommodations and that just as adults are protected from sexual harassment in the workplace (and all other protected categories listed in the MHRA) so are children protected in schools. HB 1019 has been promoted as an Employment Discrimination Bill but that is only part of the application of that law. This law protects disabled students too, who are bullied at a 50% higher rate than non-disabled children. After reading this research and article below it seems very unfair that disabled students, who are already at a di...

Schools must embrace the power of parents | EdSource I wish that Missouri would do this.  Our system is far more damaged and corrupt than California's is.  Our district won't even let parents on the committees that make decisions. The fifth anniversary of California’s parent trigger law, the ascent of national advocacy groups like MomsRising and parents posting their political views on everything from Common Core to the merits of schools vaccinations raises the question – have we reached the age of parent power? As my own mother might say, the proof is in the pudding. We certainly may have opened doors for parents to wield more influence in schools. The spread of parent empowerment laws like the Local Control Funding Formula support this fact. We’ve also even seen greater attempts from districts to engage parents within public schools through parent advisory boards and hiring committees. However, setting the table for parents to get involved is ...

Students' Race Affects How Teachers Judge Misbehavior, Study Says - Teaching Now - Education Week Teacher

Parents angered over discrimination in schools | Essence.com Many parents of students at Lee's Summit North High School in Missouri are angry after discovering that their children were victims of racism. The principal of the school, David Ulrich, allegedly sent letters to parents regarding low standardized test scores, which according to the school's data, "consistently reveal a significant gap between the overall achievement of the school and our African-American students.” The parents who did receive the letter were asked to attend a meeting regarding the low test scores. Ironically, the letters were only sent to parents of African-American students, regardless of their test scores. However, parents of non-Black students who did receive low scores did not receive any notification about the matter. The District Diversity Consultant and the school's counselor, who are both Black, agreed with Ulrich's decision to notify the parents and invited th...

Parents call Lee’s Summit track coach’s comments derogatory, demand resignation | fox4kc.com The parents say their daughters want to quit the track team because the kids overheard their white head coach tell the assistant black coach that she’s only relatable to the black students because she’s black. “There’s not room for racism. We live in a racially diverse community, and there’s no room for that,” Heather Hays said. The girls raised their hands on Monday, saying that last Friday their head coach told them the only reason they relate to the black coach is because she’s black. “On the track team we relate to her because she’s a good coach. When she said that a Caucasian student says I relate to her too, what does that say about me?” Breanna May said. The Lee’s Summit School District says officials have been made aware of concerns from parents and they are investigating those concerns. “I think she crossed the line,” said Kim Smith. Parents say the coac...

Substitute teacher accused of hitting, choking third-grade students | fox4kc.com INDEPENDENCE, Mo – Parents in Independence say their third-graders were hit and choked by their substitute teacher on Friday. Now their kids say they’re afraid to go back to school. Officials with the Independence School District confirm that the unidentified substitute was escorted from Spring Branch Elementary on Friday after a 9-year-old ran from his class, saying he had been choked. Officials would only add at that this is an ongoing investigation at this point. FOX 4 talked to the 9 year old on Saturday. He says the substitute started attacking him as he was taking a spelling quiz. “It was hurting me,” said the visibly shaken third grader, whose identity is being kept private. “He hit me with a piece of paper, then with his hand then with his fist. Right after that he choked me.” The boy says he started crying and the substitute finally let go. Parents allege that ...

Restraint And Seclusion Mandate Advances In Senate - Disability Scoop A plan to rewrite the nation’s primary education law is set to go before the U.S. Senate and it now includes a provision related to restraint and seclusion in schools. The Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee unanimously approved a bill Thursday to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The bill now heads to the full Senate where it is expected to be considered this spring. Tucked in the bill is an amendment requiring states to put policies in place to prevent “any physical restraint or seclusion imposed solely for purposes of discipline or convenience.” While many states already have policies on the issue, not all do , and federal efforts to regulate the practices — which research shows disproportionately affect students with disabilities — have stagnated. (Read all of Disability Scoop’s coverage of restraint and seclusion ») “The facts tell us that locking ki...

Lee's Summit R-7 School District: BULLYING AND SUICIDE LAWSUITS

Former Student Sues School For Bullying Harassment | Advocate.com A recent high school graduate in Kansas has filed a lawsuit against the school district alleging that school officials failed to protect him from bullying and harrassment he suffered due to his perceived sexual orientation, reports KCTV5.com . The lawsuit filed by the unidentified man, who graduated from Blue Valley High School in 2010, states, "Fellow male students repeatedly assault (the plaintiff) in the school locker room and shower, such as rubbing against him, nude, in the shower in a sexually aggressive manner, pulling down his pants, exposing his genitals to other students, snapping him on the buttocks with towels and spraying a full shampoo bottle of urine on him while in the locker room shower." KCTV reports "the graduate is suing the district, principals, vice principals and other district employees. According to the lawsuit, the young man attended Overland Trail Middle School ...

Are Bullying Lawsuits on the Rise? - Law and Daily Life Are bullying lawsuits on the rise? Parents and teachers everywhere have become more aware of the dangers of bullying and cyberbullying in both the classroom and on the Internet. Many parents are now turning to the law to try to ensure their children's safety and welfare . In turn, it seems that the number of bullying lawsuits filed in court is on the rise. While there aren't any hard and fast statistics about the number of bullying lawsuits, the General Counsel for the National School Boards Association, Francisco Negron, says that "anecdotal evidence shows an obvious increase," USA Today reports. One bullying lawsuit centers on the tragic case of Jon Carmichael. Jon was only 13-years-old when he committed suicide, which his parents believe was spurred by bullying. After his death, his parents,...

New Jersey Student Sues School Districts Over Alleged Bullying A New Jersey teenager is suing two local school districts for not doing more to stop the relentless bullying he allegedly endured from fourth grade until high school, the Hunterdon County Democrat reports. Brian Cige, an attorney for the student, told the news outlet that his client was bullied by both students and some school employees . The cruelty the teenager encountered is said to have included incidents of " pantsing ," speculation over his sexual orientation and cyber bullying through Facebook. Cige is arguing that the school districts are liable for not having done more to stop this behavior. Visit NJ.com for more details about the lawsuit . Though there aren't hard statistics on how frequently lawsuits grow out of bullying incidents , USA Today previously reported that such cases have grown more common in recent years. One attorney, for example, told the news outlet that he processed ...

Minn. school district settles bullying lawsuits | Fox News COON RAPIDS, Minn. –   Minnesota's largest school district on Monday voted to settle a pair of lawsuits over a policy that was criticized for failing to protect gay students from bullying. The Anoka-Hennepin School Board approved the settlement 5-1 at its meeting Monday evening. The district agreed to a long list of measures to help prevent and address sex-based harassment at its middle and high schools, including hiring consultants and working with federal authorities to ensure the district complies with the terms. The district's insurance carrier will pay the six current and former students named in the lawsuits a total of $270,000, and the district will tap about $500,000 of its own funds to implement the agreement. Superintendent Dennis Carlson told reporters the agreement "helps us move forward as a district to a better day for all students. When we have f...

BULLYING AND SUICIDE LAWSUITS In Minnesota this year, two eighth-grade girls hanged themselves together and left suicide notes. They were best friends, and one reportedly had been bullied and had been expelled from school for defending her friend in a fight at school.  Reports did not disclose whether personal injury lawsuits are planned in connection with those deaths. In a Houston-area case, the parents of an eighth-grader who shot himself to death last year filed a personal injury lawsuit against the school district, alleging that he was bullied at the school, in part because he was gay. As the Rutgers case shows, a suicide resulting from bullying can lead not only to a personal injury lawsuit but also to a criminal charge.  That case is not unique.  Recently five teens in Massachusetts pleaded guilty to charges that they had bullied a 15-year-old girl who had hanged herself.    It remains to be seen whether or not personal injury lawsuits ...

#IWishMyTeacherKnew Reveals the Untold Story of Underprivileged Children at School

Withholding Recess as a Punishment Declines - Education Week

I received the following email from a mother that is in fear for her child's life.  No child should be afraid to go to school.  My son was psychologically bullied until he dropped out.  It was the adults that bulled my son. Hi my name is ____ and I need Help. My son is being bullied at school so bad that today I got a call that I was to meet my kid and a officer at Crittenton school because my kid had been attacked again and was wanting to kill his self. He has now been placed there for up to 3 days if not longer after they talked to him. He is on suicide watch and he says no one at the school will help him. I try to do my best but it's gone too far and I need more help.  Hi I'm writing you again because I didn't get to tell you everything. My son is on an IEP plan for school for learning disabilities. The bullying has been on going for two years at this school. My son has been bullied to the point of self defense. The school is doing nothing ...