Blair HS principal reported daily absentee avg. rate of 24% out of 3,220 students this month at PTSA meeting last night. 700-800 students absent a day?! Blair principal did not opt for virtual option.
— Parents' Coalition (@PCMC1) January 19, 2022
Showing posts with label Renay Johnson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Renay Johnson. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Blair High School Students to Participate in Student Walkout Jan. 21st
Monday, July 6, 2020
The Kids ARE alright, it’s MCPS that’s NOT alright.
By A.J. Campbell.
After a week where students who have been victimized on MCPS campuses have come forward to tell their truth on Instagram about abuse, harassment, predation, and rape, we need a moment to reflect on how we are going to approach and honor the victims. I choose to do so by standing up, reading their stories, and hearing their pain.
Others have chosen to deride and dismiss the students' statements by standing up for predators whom one person alleges might be falsely accused. Our students are screaming out in pain because no one is listening. Skeptics needs to sit down and listen.
There are not two sides to this.
Some students have been forced to take down their posts because of harassment, threats of legal action, and intimidation. We have to stand with the students who are moving their stories from one Instagram account to another. Trying to keep their stories alive.
Supporting victims is not denying accused predators of their rights, it just means they can use their First Amendment rights to speak about their experience. An accused right to due process is the role and the duty of the state and has nothing to do with a victim speaking out.
MCPS has to take ownership of any action that they have taken or not taken that has caused these students to believe that coming forward might result in further trauma, or that they would not be taken seriously, or that the accused would just be given a few days off. Sometimes victims are further victimized on social media for reporting. This is hard work and uncomfortable conversation. MCPS must own their role in all of this.
As a reminder, some of the incidents have been reported to MCPS already. I don’t recall a single statement where MCPS says that all of these incidents are new. I will happily apologize if I am wrong. But some of the student statements on social media do say that students have reported. This student says, she reported, and MCPS did nothing.
One student talks about a freshman boy who
sold nude photos to the boys on the basketball team. At a time when porn is easily accessible,
this transaction among young men was about power and predation.
We blame victims for speaking out while
forgetting that the perpetrators have had access to the internet, to spread
child pornography, and misogyny for some time now.
Here is another story from a survivor who did
report and a teacher did nothing but bemoan that Boys will Be Boys. Read the room, this thinking should be left
in a classroom that still had inkwells.
MCPS has had massive problems with predator teachers preying their students. Every time it happens MCPS says that they had no idea, but that only worked the first 20 times or so. Will MCPS post on this page that they want to find out who this creepy AF teacher is so they can show them the door?
Some people, including candidates for the Montgomery County School Board, choose to take an All Lives Matter approach by standing with the predators and calling for due process, I refuse to do so. The accused will always have their due process rights, MCPS assures that they do. I don't need to advocate on their behalf.
We need to have strong leadership at MCPS who puts the victims first.
We can see by some of the comments directed towards Principal Renay Johnson, that she has, through her actions or inactions, fomented animosity by current and former students, who are organizing against her, forming action committees, circulating petitions. Leadership matters on the school board or with the principals.
Here are just some of the posts that have accused Principal Johnson at Montgomery Blair High School of not taking action. These kids knew there was a problem:
After a week where students who have been victimized on MCPS campuses have come forward to tell their truth on Instagram about abuse, harassment, predation, and rape, we need a moment to reflect on how we are going to approach and honor the victims. I choose to do so by standing up, reading their stories, and hearing their pain.
Others have chosen to deride and dismiss the students' statements by standing up for predators whom one person alleges might be falsely accused. Our students are screaming out in pain because no one is listening. Skeptics needs to sit down and listen.
There are not two sides to this.
Some students have been forced to take down their posts because of harassment, threats of legal action, and intimidation. We have to stand with the students who are moving their stories from one Instagram account to another. Trying to keep their stories alive.
Supporting victims is not denying accused predators of their rights, it just means they can use their First Amendment rights to speak about their experience. An accused right to due process is the role and the duty of the state and has nothing to do with a victim speaking out.
MCPS has to take ownership of any action that they have taken or not taken that has caused these students to believe that coming forward might result in further trauma, or that they would not be taken seriously, or that the accused would just be given a few days off. Sometimes victims are further victimized on social media for reporting. This is hard work and uncomfortable conversation. MCPS must own their role in all of this.
As a reminder, some of the incidents have been reported to MCPS already. I don’t recall a single statement where MCPS says that all of these incidents are new. I will happily apologize if I am wrong. But some of the student statements on social media do say that students have reported. This student says, she reported, and MCPS did nothing.
Here is another story from a survivor who did
report and a teacher did nothing but bemoan that Boys will Be Boys. Read the room, this thinking should be left
in a classroom that still had inkwells. 
MCPS has had massive problems with predator teachers preying their students. Every time it happens MCPS says that they had no idea, but that only worked the first 20 times or so. Will MCPS post on this page that they want to find out who this creepy AF teacher is so they can show them the door?
Some people, including candidates for the Montgomery County School Board, choose to take an All Lives Matter approach by standing with the predators and calling for due process, I refuse to do so. The accused will always have their due process rights, MCPS assures that they do. I don't need to advocate on their behalf.
We need to have strong leadership at MCPS who puts the victims first.
We can see by some of the comments directed towards Principal Renay Johnson, that she has, through her actions or inactions, fomented animosity by current and former students, who are organizing against her, forming action committees, circulating petitions. Leadership matters on the school board or with the principals.
Here are just some of the posts that have accused Principal Johnson at Montgomery Blair High School of not taking action. These kids knew there was a problem:
We can't defend or decry due process and
pretend these predators don't get their full measure of rights while our
students who are victims don't get any protection. Many are forced to go back to school after
the predators get a stern talking to and a few days off of school. I am sorry but this is not a two-sided
argument. I will never align myself with
the teen Harvey Weinsteins of the world.
I stand with the victims.
Friday, June 26, 2020
In response to Tweets concerning Sexual Assault of Students, Blair Principal Appears to Have Blocked Accounts
...On Twitter, some students asked Principal Renay Johnson to respond to the allegations made against her students, or to voice her support for the victims. Johnson did not respond.
Instead, she appears to have blocked several people, many of whom are currently students at Blair, preventing them from viewing her profile.
According to MCPS’ “social media best practices,” staff members who use a social media account “in a professional capacity should not block users or delete comments on their own initiative.”..
Thursday, December 6, 2018
Board of Education Allows MCPS Staff to Block Parents on Social Media. Then Administrators use Social Media to Send Out School Notices?
My daughter's school Montgomery Blair High School @blairprincipal has a bomb threat and the principal who is blocking me sends out mission-critical information by Twitter which I don't have access too. @MCPS @mocoboe @PCMC1 @ggwash @wamu885 This has gone too far. pic.twitter.com/OIoSfZ1C3h— CampbellWriter (@CampbellWriter) December 6, 2018
Monday, August 15, 2016
Steamy Times at Blair High
Its August 15. Most of us in Montgomery County are enjoying the last few days of a very hot summer before school begins.
Unless you play high school sports.
Yes, the sports teams are back - and we have the pictures! Here is a picture of Blair's football team taken last Friday, August 12.
But, you may ask, isn't it hot on the fields? How hot? On Friday, Reagan National reported a high of 99 degrees and a low of 93 degrees between noon and 6 pm, with 50 percent humidity.
And on the artificial turf? Here is a picture recorded of actual field temperatures.
Our not so very sophisticated weather gauge on the left indicated that at a little after 3 pm, the air temperature was 98 degrees, while the temp on the Blair artificial turf field was a sizzling 151 degrees.
How would our regular grass fields fare in the heat?
A few minutes later, our weather gauges recorded a more modest 84 degrees on the natural grass surrounding the Blair field.
What a difference (a few) chemicals can make.
MCPS supposedly is enforcing rules related to the heat on the fields. According to the webpage:
If you calculate the heat index from the rubric on the webpage, the heat index on Friday at Blair HS was an outstanding 113 degrees! Factor in the artificial turf, and ouch - it was really hot on that field.
Did Blair's football coach really hold a practice OUTSIDE when the heat index was 113 degrees? And on a turf field that registered 151 degrees?
Blair HS is known for its brains, not its athletic abilities, but it seems as if neither is back from vacation just yet.
How hot is it on your MoCo football field?
Parents - Its not just football that is subject to the restrictions when temperatures go soaring. Pay attention, and let your coaches know you are monitoring the heat index over the next few weeks.
For those of you lucky/unlucky enough to have an artificial turf field - watch out or your student may find themselves burnt out before school begins.
And good luck to all the Blazers sports teams - assuming you don't wilt in the heat!
Unless you play high school sports.
Yes, the sports teams are back - and we have the pictures! Here is a picture of Blair's football team taken last Friday, August 12.
But, you may ask, isn't it hot on the fields? How hot? On Friday, Reagan National reported a high of 99 degrees and a low of 93 degrees between noon and 6 pm, with 50 percent humidity.
And on the artificial turf? Here is a picture recorded of actual field temperatures.
Our not so very sophisticated weather gauge on the left indicated that at a little after 3 pm, the air temperature was 98 degrees, while the temp on the Blair artificial turf field was a sizzling 151 degrees.
How would our regular grass fields fare in the heat?
A few minutes later, our weather gauges recorded a more modest 84 degrees on the natural grass surrounding the Blair field.
What a difference (a few) chemicals can make.
MCPS supposedly is enforcing rules related to the heat on the fields. According to the webpage:
Schools shall monitor prevailing weather conditions, including the current heat index, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and make appropriate practice and activity accommodations. The heat index on the Athletics webpage applies to the 20877 zip code, the most central site in Montgomery County.And once the heat index is calculated, coaches are instructed to follow the following guidelines:
Temperature Guidelines
Heat Index Restrictions 0-90° F Normal practice guidelines and restrictions 91–104° F Exercise caution; observe players carefully; frequent water breaks;
limit time in which players are wearing full equipment105° F + No outside activities; activities limited to air-conditioned school facilities
Did Blair's football coach really hold a practice OUTSIDE when the heat index was 113 degrees? And on a turf field that registered 151 degrees?
Blair HS is known for its brains, not its athletic abilities, but it seems as if neither is back from vacation just yet.
How hot is it on your MoCo football field?
Parents - Its not just football that is subject to the restrictions when temperatures go soaring. Pay attention, and let your coaches know you are monitoring the heat index over the next few weeks.
For those of you lucky/unlucky enough to have an artificial turf field - watch out or your student may find themselves burnt out before school begins.
And good luck to all the Blazers sports teams - assuming you don't wilt in the heat!
Monday, January 4, 2016
Blair's Silver Chips Off Their Game, Prints VA News Instead of MCPS
That would be a news worthy piece if it applied to Montgomery County, Maryland, however the article was discussing the superintendent selection for Montgomery County, Virginia.
With the loss of the Gazette, parents, guardians and citizens will increasingly be looking to student newspapers to report on local school news. Let's hope Silver Chips gets back on their game in the coming year.
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Blair Principal Disputes Police Report and Video, Finally Sends Letter Home to Parents
From ABC7 - Full video of Blair High School brawl referenced in above news story. According to the Blair Principal, there are only 10 students involved. Watch the video and post in the comments how many students you can count in this video that are involved in this first period event (class had already started.
Video is on left side of page at this link:
http://wjla.com/news/local/only-on-7-gang-rivalry-sparks-massive-brawl-at-silver-spring-high-school
Monday, December 22, 2014
Second Candidate for Graduation Fee Extortion - Montgomery Blair HS
Montgomery Blair HS in Silver Spring MD charges its students to walk down the aisle and receive their diploma.
Really.
Here is the information sheet, straight off the school website:
In 2010, when my child graduated from Blair, the fee was a bit higher - but the fee covered items such as the senior picnic, the honorarium for the speaker, and other"graduation venue related costs."
The bus fee is another example of extortion. Parents and families have to travel to the graduation venue, why make the kids pay for a bus? Metro is cheaper. Most of the students leave the venue directly to continue the celebration with their families - so they essentially are subsidizing transportation without receiving a benefit. And what about those magnet families that don't live in the area?
Great job, Mrs. Johnson. At least you aren't collecting fees this year for a graduation speaker!
Really.
Here is the information sheet, straight off the school website:
In 2010, when my child graduated from Blair, the fee was a bit higher - but the fee covered items such as the senior picnic, the honorarium for the speaker, and other"graduation venue related costs."
The bus fee is another example of extortion. Parents and families have to travel to the graduation venue, why make the kids pay for a bus? Metro is cheaper. Most of the students leave the venue directly to continue the celebration with their families - so they essentially are subsidizing transportation without receiving a benefit. And what about those magnet families that don't live in the area?
Great job, Mrs. Johnson. At least you aren't collecting fees this year for a graduation speaker!
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Senior Fees - Still Illegal and Still at Blair HS
The Administration at Blair HS must be slow learners.
Several years ago, I know I told the administration at Blair that you can't charge students to participate in graduation.
Yet, charge away they do. For buses, programs, and flowers. With a convenience fee if the student pays by credit card.
Last time I checked, Blair HS had great access to public transportation. Why the bus? Why ask students to come to school and ride a bus downtown. Can't they carpool or go with their parents? What if they only want to travel one way? Do they get a discount?
Flowers? Flowers in DAR Constitution Hall? Can't the school share with the other schools using the facility?
Here is information for MBHS Seniors, class of 2015.
Parents at Blair and other MCPS high schools remember - your child is entitled to a free public education. Use public transportation and skip the flowers. But - don't let the school administrators shake you down for additional cash.
Several years ago, I know I told the administration at Blair that you can't charge students to participate in graduation.
Yet, charge away they do. For buses, programs, and flowers. With a convenience fee if the student pays by credit card.
Last time I checked, Blair HS had great access to public transportation. Why the bus? Why ask students to come to school and ride a bus downtown. Can't they carpool or go with their parents? What if they only want to travel one way? Do they get a discount?
Flowers? Flowers in DAR Constitution Hall? Can't the school share with the other schools using the facility?
Here is information for MBHS Seniors, class of 2015.
SENIOR FEES TO INCLUDE BUSAnd the cap/gown rip off? The school makes money off every cap/gown they sell to you. How many other schools use RED gowns? Black is so much simpler, and easy to recycle.
TRANSPORTATION/PROGRAMS/FLOWERS
All students are required to ride the bus from MBHS to Constitution Hall. $20
The last day to pay for graduation expenses is December 12, 2014.
Make checks payable to MBHS. The money will be collected by Ms. Fus in
the attendance office and Ms. Norris in Room 232 during 5th and 6th
period. Please have exact change.
*There are no additional fees for graduation.
Credit Card Payments can be made online at:
http://osp.osmsinc.com/montgomeryMD/ (3.75% convenience fee added)
*Order forms may be found in the main office, Rm. 232, and online.
Parents at Blair and other MCPS high schools remember - your child is entitled to a free public education. Use public transportation and skip the flowers. But - don't let the school administrators shake you down for additional cash.
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