Minnesota is officially NUTS

[NewHummerGuy]

I cannot believe this story. You MUST be kidding me.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/01....ap/index.html

[K9sH3]

and we wonder why we have the racial attitudes in this country.

Fruck them all!

[DDWH]

nice....................

[RuggedH2]

Minnesota is like a howling Moonbat barometer.

Apparently the moonbats there have lost all sense of reality.

When the howling moonbats suffer any kind of catastrophe, all bets are off, (ie. New Orleans). Political correctness doesn't work when normal channels are disrupted, the expenses become astounding for everyone else.

That should be a clue. We as a nation, will soon be forced to intervene on their behalf also.

[mdoyle]

I think the blame falls on the parent, no school district is going to change ridership without telling anyone. While I question the merit of the program, I doubt the school kept it a secret. I've got two kids in school and there is a flood of info to keep up with but as a parent that's one of your responsibilities.

Once again the media get's it wrong and everyone that just scans headlines goes off on a rant. The kids weren't being punished for speaking English, the stupid parent probably ignored the notices about a route change resulting in a minor family crisis, not national news.

Why didn't the unbiased media interview the Principal and bus company officials or at least cite where they declined an interview? Because it would have killed the story that's why.

Now we'll get to listen to all the drive time talk shows rambling about this and all the morons that call up and parrot back what the host says because they're incapable of forming their own opinion with a little research.

[mdoyle]

Here's a direct quote from the article:

"The Armstrongs also learned that when they moved last year, they landed outside of Phalen's attendance area. Armstrong said she was told her kids would have to transfer if they wanted to keep riding a bus, "or I'd have to find my own way to get them to school."

WHAT A SHOCKER! You mean you moved somewhere and didn't check the school boundries and now you blame school officials for not catering to you?

Why again is this national news?

[NewHummerGuy]

Originally Posted by mdoyle

Here's a direct quote from the article:

"The Armstrongs also learned that when they moved last year, they landed outside of Phalen's attendance area. Armstrong said she was told her kids would have to transfer if they wanted to keep riding a bus, "or I'd have to find my own way to get them to school."

WHAT A SHOCKER! You mean you moved somewhere and didn't check the school boundries and now you blame school officials for not catering to you?

Why again is this national news?

My only question to you then is....

WHY IN THE HELL WOULD YOU BE SEGREGATING CHILDREN???? WOULD'NT IT BENEFIT THE NON ENGLISH SPEAKING STUDENTS TO BE AROUND THOSE WHICH DO SPEAK ENGLISH??????

Just seems completely idiotic for them to even begin something like this.

[ree]

Originally Posted by mdoyle

Why didn't the unbiased media interview the Principal and bus company officials or at least cite where they declined an interview? Because it would have killed the story that's why.

The local media did talk to the schools.

http://www.startribune.com/462/story/930193.html

CNN just didn't copy the entire article up to their website, big surprise.

Regardless, it does sound like the bus driver used their fluency in English as a factor somehow when describing why the kids wouldn't be allowed. We don't know if he said "you can't ride because you speak English" or "you can't ride because this route is for a school that caters to poor English speakers...since you speak so well, you must not be one of the kids I'm supposed to take." Typical journalism. I can't decide whether to be angry or not because I'm not sure what the driver said, only what the reporters said the parent said the 8 year old said the driver said.

Originally Posted by NewHummerGuy

WHY IN THE HELL WOULD YOU BE SEGREGATING CHILDREN???? WOULD'NT IT BENEFIT THE NON ENGLISH SPEAKING STUDENTS TO BE AROUND THOSE WHICH DO SPEAK ENGLISH??????

As far as segregation, that's a tough one. There are a lot of pockets of non-English speakers around here (probably everywhere too).

Now the urban per-pupil cost of education is extremely high. Why? Because the general enrollment public schools say they have to handle all types of students. Disabled, handicapped, non-English speakers. Does this warrant a per-pupil cost of $13-15,000 per year for the students that aren't "challenged?" Probably not. So what if we take a load off the general enrollment schools by farming out the "challenged" students to specialty schools, for at least as long as it takes to get these students up to speed. You stand to make huge dents in the massive school budgets and allow general enrollment schools to focus on your average pupil.

I do acknowledge that this can create a segregation effect if, to be non-PC, certain classes of individual correlate as the "challenged" ones. But should we continue to give the public schools excuses for exorbitant budgets when the private sector or even public sector charter schools can step in and specialize on the students with "special needs?"

If these Hmong kids, whose parents refuse to assimilate, can be trained primarily to speak English and then kicked over the the public schools, every one might be better off. Otherwise, Johnny has to sit and twiddle his thumbs because half or more of his class is holding his class back because they don't understand the language.

The only risk here is cultural balkanization. These specialty programs have to:
a) make sure kids don't stay in their programs indefinitely, and
b) not put up with non assimilative behavior
I know that's a pipe dream. Just food for thought.

[mdoyle]

My beef with the article is they oversimplified a complex issue and made it appear kids were stranded for speaking English.

That's not the case if you read the whole article.

It was also stated the parents moved without checking the school boundries and are now complaining about transportation for their children.

I'm a parent and I make damn sure I know what's going on at our school, and in our community. If this parent was halfway vigilant there would have been no crisis or stupid headline. Of course its proven they aren't even aware of the attendance boundries so I doubt they have a clue what's going on with language programs.

[ree]

Originally Posted by mdoyle

My beef with the article is ...

X2

[CO Hummer]

Does this mean I'm no longer allowed in 7-11s and Taxis?

[ree]

Originally Posted by CO Hummer

Does this mean I'm no longer allowed in 7-11s and Taxis?

No. Just taxis and busses. That's how the foreigners plan to take over here. Don't let the natives use public transportation and then let the roads crumble away.

BTW, I don't think we have any 7-11's here any more. I think they banned those from here too, those crazy Minnesotans.