John Marshall Petition

[asta2]

This concerns everyone of you in OKC! With or without kids. Get involved. This school will not change unless we step up. The parents at the school don't seem to care too much. I do. I live down the street. My children are afraid to go there. I should not be forced into paying private school. This affects all of us. Get Involved!!!!


PARENTS FRUSTRATED BY DISTRICT’S FAILURE TO FULFILL PROMISES

OKLAHOMA CITY (February 23, 2007) – Parents and concerned citizens who for the past few years had looked forward to the long awaited opening of a new, safe, exceptional high school in the far northwest quadrant of Oklahoma City have seen their hopes dashed as they witness the news of the events taking place at the New John Marshall High School.

At a meeting held late last night, prospective, former and current parents of the New John Marshall, together with other individuals, gathered to discuss how to turn the new school around before it’s too late or before someone gets hurt beyond the injuries sustained by an Oklahoma City police officer earlier this week.

The group has been informally meeting prior to the passage of MAPS for Kids and has continued to meet with more and more people becoming involved.

Those attending last night’s meeting were disheartened with the direction of the school and frustrated that they are now having to seek education at private schools or having to uproot their families to move to other school districts.

As a result of last night’s meeting, the group plans to circulate a Petition to residents affected by and/or with children feeding into the new school and to all Oklahoma City citizens and taxpayers. The Petition demands immediate action of the Oklahoma City School Board, Oklahoma City Council and MAPS for Kids Trust to remedy the problems that are already negatively affecting the children and the community.

Lesli Massad, a spokesperson for the group said, “Our primary purpose for organizing and circulating this Petition is to get the attention of decision makers at the district, city and state levels. We want them to know that what is going on at the New John Marshall is totally unacceptable. We want to see the school succeed and we want to help in those efforts. Something must be done and it’s time for the district and others to step up to the plate and fix the problems now.”

Another spokesperson for this citizen group, Lyn Watson, whose daughter attended the New John Marshall for its first four days stated, “We are frustrated parents and taxpayers who do not have a safe neighborhood school in which to send our children. We are taking a proactive approach to show our board, city and state that their constituents are not happy and are willing to press the issue until dramatic improvements are made at the New John Marshall.”

Anyone interested in signing and/or circulating the Petition can contact the group at popgroup@sbcglobal.net.

[Easy180]

Forgive me for being too lazy to research this, but how is it the school's fault that apparently there is a large group of thugs going to school there?...Not able to weed out any undesirables like private schools can until they actually do something

New building doesn't change the students living in that district...New windows and paint doesn't translate into better behavior

Are you wanting more police on duty?...Not sure what you are wanting from the school board

[bandnerd]

Also, a new building but the same crappy teachers and admin won't change anything.

A lot of the kids at my school grow up in the same situation as the JM kids...and we get some of the kids from that school occasionally...and we are able to work wonders with them here because we have a good, caring, qualified faculty and involved admin. Makes all the difference in the world.

[asta2]

Originally Posted by Easy180

Forgive me for being too lazy to research this, but how is it the school's fault that apparently there is a large group of thugs going to school there?...Not able to weed out any undesirables like private schools can until they actually do something

New building doesn't change the students living in that district...New windows and paint doesn't translate into better behavior

Are you wanting more police on duty?...Not sure what you are wanting from the school board

No we don't want to have more police on duty. We want to eliminate the need for police. We want the school district to be held accountable for not implementing the new policies of the New JM at the OLD JM years ago. The 10-12 grades will be coming to the New JM next year. They will be held accountable and in uniform. Why aren't they being held accountable now? Whey aren't they in uniform now? These kids have never had anything expected from them. Why is it that there is not but a few kids in the surrounding neighborhoods that attend there? They are afraid to go. They have never been to school with Gang kids or to a school where the parents were not extremely involved. I saw first hand the extreme lack of concern by the majority of parents at either JM. I assume they think it's not their job to help educate their kids. I live down the street and I want my kids to go to that brand new school. It's not fair that we are forced out and we pay the majority of the taxes in that area. The school district just moved a bad school into a new building and gave it the same name. All the kids there deserve a safe school where they can learn. I want the school changed to a Charter School where parent involvement is mandatory. Where the kids have to maintain their grades and behavior or they are out. I want my neighborhood school out of the hands of people that don't care.

[bandnerd]

Isn't John Marshall a public school? Most public schools around here don't have uniform policies, just dress codes.

A lot of people were concerned about the whole moving of JM thing, and that simply moving a bad school to a better neighborhood wouldn't solve the problems. It seems those concerns weren't unfounded.

You still have free options, but you'll have to travel. There are several great charter/magnet schools in this area, and they accept kids from the entire metro area. I know it's not the answer you're looking for, but it is a possibility you may not have looked into.

[Karried]

When I was 12 my single mom bought a house on side of town that was gang-ridden (unbeknownst to her). I went to a Junior High that was terrifying to me. I had never encountered being the 'minority' and was now thrown into a situation that I didn't understand.

Suffice it to say, I learned to keep my mouth shut, walk without accidently bumping into anyone, never bring any lunch money or extra money to school, or make enemies of any kind. It was horrible and I hated it. Luckily I joined a few clubs and made friends but it was very segregated. ( This was in San Jose, Calif).

People ask me why people chose to live in Edmond. Why we would knowingly pay more money for a home when I could get so much more 'house' somewhere else. Memories of my early school years are what motivate me. I don't want my kids to go to a school such as described above. I don't want them to feel scared or be bullied or beat up. I don't think any child should have to experience this type of educational experience.

The parents are the source..but when that fails as it has, there should be zero policy. Zero tolerance for bullying, gang activity, harassment, verbal/sexual/physical abuse....no excuses.

[John]

How about the parents get involved? That's what makes a school 'go'.

[Easy180]

I went to the upscale Southeast and thoroughly enjoyed myself...Definitely in the bad part of town, but never felt scared at all...Few fights here and there, but you just learn to stay away from those types of situations

Would I want my kids to go there if I ever have any?...Probably not, but if I couldn't afford to send them elsewhere they would have to just enjoy the ambiance...Be good for them

[Karried]

Yeah, but the difference now is that the 'ambience' sometimes has a weapon involved.. the days of fist fights are long gone.

I think the parents should be held accountable when their kids get in trouble.. make them do community service along with their kid.

[Easy180]

Originally Posted by Karried

Yeah, but the difference now is that the 'ambience' sometimes has a weapon involved.. the days of fist fights are long gone.

Very true karried....Glad all students now carry those bulletproof textbooks!!

[CMSturgeon]

I agree with the parent thing, although it does stink in some situations. A coworkers daughter was defending herself, no doubt, and her daughter had to do community service for it and my coworker had to pay a hefty fine. I'm sure the kid was running her mouth though but she is only 12. In 7th grade, fights weren't at all serious to me. I never even got in a fight in 7th grade. To another point, when the hell do people get mad enough to fight anyway? They shouldn't have time to at school.

[TomGirl]

One week after they completed the new lights at 122nd & Portland, just on the East corner of John Marshall, I noticed 2 pairs of sneakers hanging from the lines. They are still hanging there.

Originally Posted by TomGirl

One week after they completed the new lights at 122nd & Portland, just on the East corner of John Marshall, I noticed 2 pairs of sneakers hanging from the lines. They are still hanging there.

Means Gang territory.

[asta2]

New John Marshall update:

DISTRICT ANNOUNCES PLANS TO FORM COMMUNITY TASK FORCE TO CONDUCT BROAD ASSESSMENT OF THE NEW JOHN MARSHALL HIGH SCHOOL


Former Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk Humphreys will lead effort


NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – MARCH 5, 2007 - The Chairman of the Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education, Cliff Hudson, announced plans today to form a community task force to conduct a “broad and comprehensive” assessment of the new John Marshall High School in order to determine how the new school can best serve the students and patrons, and achieve its mission consistent with the original MAPS for Kids plan.

“We must take a deeper and wider look into what we are doing at the new John Marshall in the wake of recent occurrences at the school. Even though the occurrences were perpetuated by a handful of students, they nevertheless are cause for concern and we cannot remain idle,” commented Hudson. “We need to admit we have issues at the school and we need to move ahead to identify them so they can be addressed. We cannot allow these occurrences to overshadow the progress made district-wide on the academic front the past three years. Members of the new John Marshall community are justifiably concerned. It is time to look at a possible new game plan.”

Hudson, who commended the administrators, teachers and staffs at the new John Marshall for their expedient efforts the past two weeks, said we need to review the tenets outlined as part of the MAPS for Kids plan entitled “Building a Learning City” put forth over five years ago. He said that initiative succeeded in large part because it was developed by a diversified group of community and business leaders. “We need to identify the issues, listen to the community and accept and study a variety of ideas and thoughts as we consider ways to enhance student learning and parental engagement at the new John Marshall. We must work together to create a clear pathway to ensure academic achievement and a strong foundation for success at the new John Marshall going forward.”



In making the announcement, Hudson said he has asked former Oklahoma City Mayor and business leader Kirk Humphreys to help organize and lead the community based initiative. “Kirk is uniquely qualified to help us organize this effort, which in many respects is very much like the successful “Skirvin Solutions” and the “Building a Learning City” MAPS for Kids initiatives he put forth while he served as the Mayor. I am pleased Kirk has agreed to serve in this capacity which calls for outlining the objectives, scope of work, expectations and composition of the task force.”

Hudson continued, “Kirk and I have discussed this important initiative and one thing is for certain; it will be an open, inclusive and collaborative process and the task force will be composed of a variety of constituents with diverse thinking who care about the future of new John Marshall and public education.”

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said he fully supported today’s announcement and commended the district. “I support MAPS for Kids, and pledge to continue to support the district, but changes need to be made at John Marshall. Today’s action represents an opportunity for us to engage the community to take a serious look at where we are at the new John Marshall and, even more paramount, where we are headed. The economic future of our city and state hinges on making sure students are ready for college and the workforce when they graduate. To that end, it will be beneficial for us to engage in a process driven by a desire as a community to do what is best for the neighborhoods, the students, and their futures.”

In response to today’s announcement, Humphreys noted, “I am pleased to assist with organizing an effort to truly assess where we are at the new John Marshall and to open up a community dialogue as part of determining the best direction for the school. We need to do some constructive and productive thinking and possibly even some rethinking as it relates to the future of the new John Marshall. It is obvious the status quo at the new John Marshall is unacceptable. We will launch the effort with an open-mind and a shared goal to look for ways we can improve the teaching and learning environment at the new John Marshall to allow students attending the school to succeed academically and become productive citizens contributing to our City’s economy and quality of life.”

Humphreys, working with members of the board of education, will develop a working plan showing the organization of the task force and its goal. Before the organizational plan is finalized, inputs will be sought from community members, school officials, school patrons and organizations involved in the educational process.

“This will be a process and it will be thorough and collaborative,” said Humphreys. “We will work diligently to ensure we have the right structure and people in place to proceed forward in a focused way with this important assignment. The fact we are moving forward to engage the community in this process to find the right pathway forward for the new John Marshall is a major step in the right direction. I commend Chairman Hudson and the Board for their foresight to proceed with this type of an initiative.”

For more information contact: John Cox, 405/752-8653

[bandnerd]

Gee, why can't every school in OKC get that kind of special treatment?

[bigjkt405]

Originally Posted by bandnerd

Gee, why can't every school in OKC get that kind of special treatment?

LOL.......

thats a good question...... probably won't be answered truthfully but I know the answer....

[bandnerd]

Frankly, if a school needs a friggin' task force just to make it operate properly then it's possibly already too far gone.

Most schools function just fine without having an entire task force including ex-mayors help them along.

Why they didn't foresee this problem is beyond me. Most teachers/administrators I know saw this coming as soon as they proposed the school.

The problem isn't the kids, not completely. I've said it so many times before...I teach kids from similar backgrounds and a lot of the time we have no problems whatsoever, because the teachers and administrators take an active interest in the kids' lives in a positive way.

GRRRRRR! That's it. Grrrrrrrrrr.

[jbrown84]

The only solution is segregation. Let's go back to that.

[bandnerd]

Oh yeah, that'll work

Again, it's not the kids. It's not diversity that's the issue here. It's crappy people in charge.

Sure, the kids need to be held responsible for their actions; however, the fact that these things happen is a testament to the poor leadership at this school. every high school is going to have fights, there will be discipline problems. Teenagers are inherently rebellious. It's how the situation is handled after the fact that deters future fighting and other bad incidences from happening.

The parents have to be involved, the teachers have to be more than just qualified, the administrators have to be involved and not just in it for a paycheck.

[asta2]

I feel diveristy isn't the issue either. The issue for me has more to do with the old John Marshall and Hoover Jr. High. The district has known for a long time this new school was coming and these were going to be the kids that fed into it. I just can't understand why the district did not start implementing the dress codes, codes of conduct, and an expectation of learning in those schools years ago. For example I was at the New JM on the second day during lunch. I was cleaning off an area for young girl to sit down. She asked me why I was doing that. I said because I want you to have a nice clean place to sit. She looked at me like I was nuts for a second then just said "Thank you". Of course the only parents there helping that first week were all and I mean all from Quail Creek. There was not one parent there from a black family. I think at that time there were maybe 30 caucasion kids there. That told me volumes about the school I was about to send my child. Quail Creek has kids of every color and they are all great kids. But as with every school there are only a hand full of parents that do everything. The rest just sit back and let us do all the work for them. That's the main reason I want JM to be a Charter School so that parents don't have that option. I work full time, have 3 kids and a husband that travels. I make time because I care. What's everybody else's excuse?

[asta2]

PUBLIC IS INVITED TO SIGN PETITION

OKLAHOMA CITY (March 8, 2007) – Oklahoma City residents and taxpayers are encouraged to come and sign a petition demanding immediate action to remedy the problems occurring at The New John Marshall. Supporters of this effort will be stationed at Party Bazaar located at 9600 N. May Avenue this Saturday, March 10th from 10am-2pm.

“Our goal is to collect 10,000 signatures to show the Oklahoma City School Board, City Council and MAPS for Kids Trust there is a large faction of taxpayers who have been ignored and misled.” states, Lyn Watson, a spokesperson for the group.

The sole goal of the petition is the fulfillment of promises of Project Kids and Maps for Kids passed in August 2001.

Lesli Massad, a spokesperson for the group said, “The petition has been circulating for two weeks and the response has been overwhelming. It is in stores and restaurants in this district and we cannot keep up with demand. That is the reason for the public signing, so everyone has an opportunity to have their voice heard.”

Anyone interested in signing and/or circulating the Petition can contact the group at popgroup@sbcglobal.net.

[Easy180]

Originally Posted by asta2

For example I was at the New JM on the second day during lunch. I was cleaning off an area for young girl to sit down. She asked me why I was doing that. I said because I want you to have a nice clean place to sit. She looked at me like I was nuts for a second then just said "Thank you". Of course the only parents there helping that first week were all and I mean all from Quail Creek. There was not one parent there from a black family. I work full time, have 3 kids and a husband that travels. I make time because I care. What's everybody else's excuse?

So you formed your opinion on the school based on what race's showed up to volunteer at the school?...Seems a little presumptious to me to make that kind of decision based on the color of the volunteers helping out in the lunchroom

It is great you and the other white parents were able to schedule time off to help out, but I wouldn't hold it against the other parents that didn't...May just mean some parents are more overprotective than others

[Spartan]

Easy, I want to pick at your first post in this thread. You said that paint and new windows don't translate into better behavior. Well, it's supposed to. How can you act respectfully when the school you attend is a dump?

And at other Maps for Kids schools, most notably Douglass, it's worked. I don't think that there can be any doubt that Maps for Kids isn't working. But this needs to be dealt with by the school district because this is their PR that we're talking about. They need to find an answer to the problem at JMHS before the mayor's office has to.

The PR flap we see here could greatly affect PR for Maps III. We need to solve this problem ASAP if you ask me.

[Easy180]

I went to a craphole SE graduating in 1990....Very few fights or disturbances my four years there

As teenagers you don't really care too much about ambiance or shnazzy light fixtures...New school does very little to change behavior imo...Still have the same upbringing and/or bad parenting at home

[bandnerd]

^^ Agreed.

Do you want me to go into the conditions where I work and where my students attend school? I have about half the lights working in my room (a common problem) holes in the ceiling in my hallway, the hallways are dim, half the lockers don't work properly, the auditorium is missing lights and curtains, half the time the heat/air conditioning doesn't work properly, there are rodents now and then, leaks when it rains/snows in the library, and some NW Classen kids keep spraying grafitti on our school.

I can't recall any fights this year.