Plano Independent School Board

The Plano school board handled its usual business. Approving working within the state laws regarding security at each school along with other education question, such as when the screening for dyslexia begins.

Time was spent on how to have the district do as well as it could with the state grading system. The board talked in public about this but what is clear is that they wish to exceed state standards, and in understanding the whole student, not just their achievement on a test score.

The Board then possibly grew bored when a couple of citizens from the public discussed the book situation in the libraries. The second speaker Shannon Ayres – the Educational Division Lead for Citizens Defending Freedom in Collin County (ironic name for a book burning association) stated that she has been trying to get books removed for two years and that the process to remove the books is inadequate. She then proceeded to read from one of the books with deemed sexually explicit by her. She kept her rant going even though she was twice informed that she ran out of time. She was physically removed. She seems to have failed to gain the greater public attention she was desperately seeking. The problem in my household is the note taker for this meeting did not state the book she read from. My teenagers want to know, so they can check the book out. She is inspiring people to read.

Collin College

Collin College is under investigation for Civil Rights violations under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Several of the web pages were deemed in violation of the law. As one who teaches a little there are many programs that will help you comply with the law by pointing out your issues. Collin College apparently does not know about these as 13 webpages were in violation, including The Deaf Blind Exemption Program page. (I am serious, I could not make that stuff up) The specific violations were not specified. The investigation has apparently been going on for a year.

In a radio interview Dr. H. Neil Matkin, Ed.D. stated that Collin College tries to keep politics out of the classroom. He implied that they do not care for one’s politics as long as the student learning is the center of the educator’s agenda, as it should be. This does not align with incidents in the previous years, under his administration, of letting go of educators who politics differed from board members. Keeping politics out of a classroom teaching history or government is like going to a Tex Mex restaurant and only getting chips. No queso, no salsa. Why are you even there? It does not make sense.