Reposted..to protect the innocent!

[lmel...@optonline.net]

Laurie,

Your points are heard and it's nice to see you are concerned. We
all need
to be involved and get this wagon rolling! I do think I personally
need to
clarify a few things to you and maybe to others who have the same
thoughts.
Many of these things will be addressed at Wednesday's meeting. Being
that
you and I are Amanda's mother and father and have known each other for
about
12 years now, let me address your concerns. Hopefully you will
listen
objectively as I am sure some of these items can be taken personally.
However, they are not intended to be such an attack:


First: NO ONE IS LOOKING FOR BAD PUBLICITY. We are all aware of the
effects
of negative publicity. No one here is an irrational child throwing
temper
tantrums! We are CONCERNED PARENTS! That is why we have spent
countless
hours trying to remedy a situation which should not even be to this
point!!!
The media is to be used to get the information out to the public,
especially
the affected children's families. Everyone is in an uproar because
the
handling of the situation was terrible and they are now scrambling to
solve
this problem that has been out there for more than 9 months at the
11th
hour. I believe we can all agree to that. No one here is a
professional
activist. There is no witch hunt. We are simply concerned parents for
every
child in that school system. It goes way beyond just our own child.
Of
those few parents who are aware of the situation (again, the school
never
did a good job notifying anyone - you said it yourself), these parents
are
emotional and concerned. Of course as angry, upset and concerned
parents we
are going to throw ideas out and make suggestions whether they are the
right
choice at the time or not. Some call it emotional response, others
brainstorming, and some people will probably tag it so that it seem
like
nothing more than a group of villagers with pitchforks and torches.
However,
that is why we are having organized, rational, sensible meetings! We
can
clarify the situation and reach a common platform to propose to the
district. However, everyone needs to know about this and we need to
pick
and choose our strategy wisely. That is the only way to be heard when
the
existing system put into place to protect your child or children has
hurt
them. We are all here to help!! That is what we are doing. I will
again
*REALLY* suggest you attend the meeting this Wednesday night. The
media is
to be used for coverage. We have been communicating by phone, email,
websites and in face to face encounter and all agree that there should
be
media from there from the start to:


1. Get the word out to parents that this *IS* an urgent situation.
Didn't
you personally tell me that you could not believe how bad the
situation was
at Thursday night's meeting after you spoke to our daughter's
principal only
hours earlier? You were not even going to attend the meeting Thursday
night
because he told you everything was under way and ok. You are an
informed
person in the education system nearby and typically a voice that
speaks out
when it affects you directly. Based on what you have learned, imagine
how
other parents who know less about this than you do will react. I am
sure
they think everything is "ok" too as you were told and you and I
discussed
otherwise. That is why I urged you to the meeting which you attended.
It
may be ok for Amanda, but what about the other 337 kids? Parents
need to
know!
2. We suggested and have contacted the same newspaper and reporter to
be
there throughout the process. We want them to show good things are
coming
and that the bad stuff will be gone. Changes are being made!


3. The media can help us document the rights and what the parents are
doing
to help make Jackson less of a tyrannical district, have better
working
conditions that are less hostile, and offer better packages. The
newspaper
is meant to be a device to communicate to everyone. Not everyone has
a
computer or attends meetings. And not everyone even reads the
newspaper, but
plenty do and will spread the word. That's what we are counting on!
Let's
be realistic: It's NOT the one newspaper article in the Local Section
of the
Ocean County ONLY paper you saw that has OT's running. One parent
told me
on the phone today that OTs in a district a few towns away have spoken
how
they would not work in Jackson for any amount of pay. Based on the
newspaper article (you can read it again on this discussion group), do
you
think it really gave that impression?? I doubt it. It was hardly
negative at
all. As a matter of fact it might have seem more "pro-Administration"
than
anything else. Information like that is passed from OT to OT, and word
of
mouth from the people who were subjected to the problem.


4. Have a follow-up story that shows that Jackson is a MUCH BETTER
place to
be.


This is our plan and no one has argued this. I am concerned that
people
(such as you and I have discussed more than once) consider this a
witch
hunt. There's nothing farther from the truth! We want the situation
remedied
ASAP and never to happen again. When your child's future is at stake
and
someone invokes harm into it, you react....sometimes passively and
sometimes
aggressively. Either way, we need the information passed out to
parents.
Since the school's have either denied or not responded to pass out
information from the Parent Information Network, you have to find
other
avenues. We all have jobs and need to put food on the table. We can't
be
handing out flyers all day. So what do you do? You look for other
avenues
to help. In this case the situation is so bad that not even the
President
of the teacher's union was aware of it fully until Thursday night!
You
already know all of this as we discussed on several occasions. This is
not
news to you. Again, everyone please attend the meeting and be heard.


Second: We are using this situation to our children's benefit! We
are
reaching out to the state and media, parents, teachers, therapists,
administration, legal consultation, other organized groups and such to
make
the necessary, POSITIVE changes. How do you think that the email from
Allison Erwin got started? It wasn't done because parents asked for
it
politely. They demanded it! Parents at Tuesday night's meeting caused
such
a fuss that someone listened!! You can write all of the letters you
want,
make all of the polite phone calls you need, but you must
collectively
organize to show that you are a group that will not stand for these
conditions anymore. In this situation and in the 11th hour, you cannot
wait.
Every day that passes of missed OT is another day that they have to
fight
even harder for their rightful place in this world to have a "normal"
life.
Of course we have to work with the Administration and school system.
That's
obvious. However, we cannot do it on "their terms" any longer. They
already
blew this one. It's time now for them to understand they as a group
need to
be better prepared and work collectively and not bully others around.
Not
everyone in that group is a bully, but as a representative to that
department, you are grouped in with them. Do you forget so quickly
that you
live in a country that was founded on speaking out against people who
would
otherwise have held them back? People have died for our freedom and
rights.
They fought and died for the people who supported them, those that
didn't
and those that may not have even taken an interest in the situation.
Are
the families of these children and the children themselves not
entitled to
caring parents to organize and speak out and assume all means to get
this
situation remedied? We will work with an administration that is
willing to
make a difference. Right now they have lied, deceived, and have
conducted
ILLEGAL activities. Credibility is lost. Do you think they are a
credible
as a group at this point? Who will trust them? Because Dr. Pollock
says
she is at fault and accountable does not fix anything. At this point
it
seems to be a means to quell what may best be known as a "parental
thunderstorm". A weekly email is a start but NOT a solution. We
recognize
that. Now we as parents need to spend our own personal time and money
to
make sure they do their jobs. Many people I understand knew what was
happening but unfortunately the avenues taken were not enough. As a
parent
who's daughter is involved in the situation, I will not wait any
longer.
They need to show us in more than a weekly email dispersed to a
fraction of
the affected parents what is being done. How do we do that
efficiently and
productively? How about you form a voluntary group of parents that
will send
the information to all parents and keep them up to speed? Of course!
Why?
Because their own children are involved. That makes it credible and
constructive!!These parents will not hide these poorly handled
situations.
Everyone is entitled to their own form of protest. That is why we
ask
everyone to "Please attend the meeting."


Here's some information you might consider: Do you know that the
school has
still NOT reached out in a better manner to every parent that has a
child in
school that requires OT? I personally spoke to Allison Erwin last
Thursday
and they believe this was the right means to do it. She has admitted
that it
was not received as expected. So why not do it again but do it right
this
time?? I suggested they call every parent to inform them. I bet not
one has
been called since my call to her last Thursday. They sent an email to
less
than half the parents out of 338 students. And those emails were sent
only
to those parents that attended the meeting AND signed the email form.
Not
everyone has a computer! People seem to forget that in this day and
age
that not everyone uses a computer or even has one. Only a small
section of
this OT population attended the meeting because of the poor quality
of
information and the even poorer delivery mechanism. You yourself said
the
letter they distributed was vague and useless. When I asked you for it
the
other day you told me you threw it away like most parents did. It was
poor
communication on their behalf. We know this and have accepted this.
Again
everyone, "Please attend the meeting!"


Third: It is easy to cause a negative impact on the district. No one
wants
that!!! This has been said over and over but apparently some choose to
keep
bringing it up as if it was never discussed. You and I discussed this
many
times over the phone. We want our schools to be a positive foundation
for
learning and culture. But when it is poisoned by the very people sworn
to
protect it, people have every right to be concerned and react!! The
need
to put a constructive headline into any story the media has written is
a
given. However, to put a positive spin on a terrible situation in
order to
cover up the existing mess is a lie and deceiving to those that may
choose
to work there and an insult to every honest person out there Exposure
is a
very strong means to get the corrupt to the forefront and not allow
them to
hide. Why do you think they have reporters whose specific job is to
track
down those that think they are "above the law"? An organized,
productive,
non-witch-hunting group is what we have formed. Again, we ask
everyone to
"Please attend the meeting" and learn for yourself instead of making
assumptions on 15 emails you may have seen in the last 4 days.


Fourth: This goes way beyond your and my own daughter. This is a
global
problem we are addressing. You attended one meeting under advisement
from
me. You have spoken to one principal in the matter. Your points are
heard,
but you are bringing up what are old issues to the rest of us who
have
actively been involved in the last few days spending countless hours
trying
to mobilize into a productive collective. You are responding to emails
on
Sunday that were written on a Friday. 2 days have led to many, many
ideas
and many actions are in place to better the situation and help make
Jackson
a more comfortable, non-hostile, desirable place to work. We all know
what
the situation is now. The way we better it is up to us. I will say
again,
"Everyone please attend the meeting. "


Date: 2/6/08
Time: 7pm
Location: Jackson Elks Lodge, 1059 E Veterans Hwy, Jackson, NJ
08527, (732) 363-4101
Contact: Lou Melograna (848) 459-4171


PLEASE ATTEND!!!!!!! WE NEED YOU!! YOU CAN MAKE A
DIFFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


SPEAK UP FOR THE CHILDREN THAT CANNOT SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES!!!!!!!!!!!