PG County Executive violating the law willfully after thousands of dollars in excess contributions review shows

PG County Executive Angela Alsobrooks is violating the law willfully after she received thousands of dollars in excess contributions review shows

Largo, Maryland; (Reform Sasscer) – Prince George’s county Executive Angela Alsobrooks took in $1,232,712.63 in campaign contributions. However, she has not yet filed for rerun as a county Executive for 2022 campaign season. Some of the cash donated so far is an excess contribution from political action committees, individuals, developers and others during her current campaigns, according to a review of her campaign finance reports which is criminal violation of law. Alsobrooks’s campaign failed to answer calls concerning the excess donations and to answer important questions about ethics. Just recently, Alsobrooks went after some Board members in the county for ethics violations until they ran scared for their dear lives as their political future was on the line. However, she is violating the law and her administration is engaged in violating peoples rights using the court system to punish some personnel in the school system and others opposed to their illegal schemes using lawyers tied to them, records show.

Angela is one of several officials in Maryland who took in combined excess PAC money since former county Executive Jack Johnson went to jail for violating campaigns laws and other violations starting in 2002 elections until running amok in 2011. During that period, Alsobrooks was engaged in an illicit affair with him (former county Executive Jack Johnson) according to several witnesses familiar with the situation.

This year, county Executive Angela Alsobrooks is fighting for her political future in an election against Attorney Tonya Sweat, a well-known name in Prince George’s county politics. Other known candidates who have declared interest for the county executive seat in Prince George’s county are, Mr. Leigh Bodden, Mr. Billy W. Bridges, and Mr. Sherman R. Hardy.  It will be interesting if Ms. Angela Alsobrooks is going to run after all what is happening in Prince George’s county pertaining to public corruption which has been ongoing for sometimes affecting the county schools.

Alsobrooks has fueled her effort, in part, by raking in contributions from the developers, political action committees, which have delivered thousands of dollars on behalf of corporations, trade groups, unions and others. So far she has racked in more than $1,232,712.63.

But an examination of Alsobrooks’ campaign filings shows that, to defeat the other candidates, she has blown well past the $6,000 legal limit for total PAC contributions in a legislative election. Alsobrooks continues collecting PAC money even before declaring whether she is going to rerun for the Prince George’s county executive or not.  

“When people see that you have a top County Executive and a former county prosecutor making $218,998 a year and they break laws like this, you have to send the message that this will not be tolerated,” Mike Thompson said, a Prince George’s county voter. “Angela Alsobrooks should be very concerned about breaking campaign finance laws. “This is not something that she should dismiss.” The county citizenry should be calling the law enforcement community and others to demand answers, stated one candidate currently planning to running for public office.  Whether falling under the label of political cronyism, crony capitalism, political party cartels, oligarchy, plutocracy and even kleptocracy, widespread patterns of private and public corruption construct social systems that are rigged in the private interest as seen in this case. Citizens with strong ethical principles (and citizens who lack significant funds, connections, favours to dispense, “hard power” over others such as guns or private enforcers) lose representation, influence and power.

There are penalties outlined in the Campaign Finance Reporting handbook for the State Board of Elections; the penalties range from hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on the finance violation. It’s also unclear just how many times the state has actually enforced the penalties on the books.

“The state has dropped the ball. The federal government has dropped the ball on this and it’s time for elected officials to be held accountable for their actions,” Thompson said.

According to the campaign filings, Angela Alsobrooks is failing to uphold the rule of law and is engaged in criminal behavior by encouraging these willful violations. No one should be above the law. All people are ruled by the law. Law enforcers, the government and judges must adhere to the law without bias or prejudice. The court system is the arbitrary body that is made up of law enforcers, and its responsibility is to resolve disputes in a fair and public manner. Law officers are expected to remain impartial when deciding how a case should be determined. The court should never be used to violate other people’s rights as it’s happening in the county under her reign.

The rule of law is fundamental to maintaining the freedoms of individuals in a society, and for the protection of people’s rights. You cannot ask the county citizenry and their kids to obey the law when you are violating it in many ways willfully yourself”, one parent who did not want to be identified said.

When corruption pervades the justice system, people can no longer count on prosecutors and judges to do their jobs. The powerful may escape justice. And citizens, especially those with few resources or few powerful allies, may be unfairly accused of crimes, deprived of due process, and wrongly imprisoned.

There must be constant vigilance by “we, the people” to ensure that our constitutional rights are defended!

(See some of Angela Alsobrook’s contributions from PACs from the Maryland campaigns contributions database.)

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From: Jared DeMarinis -SBE- <Jared.DeMarinis@maryland.gov>
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Cc: Campaign Manager <fieldops@tonyasweat.com>; campaignmanager@tonyasweat.com; treasurer@tonyasweat.com; Mequanenet Abaineh <mekue.tafesewerq@maryland.gov>
Subject: Re: Campaign Finance Violation

Thank you for your complaint.  It will be reviewed.  

Jared DeMarinis
Director – Division of Candidacy and Campaign Finance
Maryland State Board of Elections
151 West Street, Suite 200
Annapolis, MD 21401-0486
Phone: 410-269-2853

****Read more >>> Police in DC, Prince George’s Co. team up against repeat carjacking PGCPS teens and others.

Read more >>>Prince George’s County father speaks out after PGCPS teenage son shoots, kills mother, brother

>>> PGCPS Student charged with manslaughter in fatal shooting of 16-year-old in Oxon Hill area, police say

>>> PGCPS Teenager killed in Greenbelt shooting identified

>>> PGCPS Students Say They Were Threatened Not to Testify About Proposed Closure of Alternative Schools

>>>PGCPS New board member is Madeline LaSalle

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PGCPS New board member is Madeline LaSalle

Madeline LaSalle, LCSW, Ed.S courtesy Arlington Public Schools

Largo, Maryland: (Reform Sasscer) – Burroughs’ resignation from the school board left a vacancy that has now been filled.

Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks released a statement announcing Madeline LaSalle as the new member of the county’s school board.  Madeline LaSalle will serve the remainder of former board of education member Edward Burroughs’ term, which runs until December 2024.

LaSalle currently works for Arlington Public Schools in Virginia as the coordinator of the Academic Academy, an alternative program serving students within a trauma-sensitive framework. As a first-generation college graduate, LaSalle’s passion includes social justice work, trauma-informed care and restorative practices. A licensed clinical social worker, LaSalle also is a 2011 fellow of the National Hispana Leadership Institute, the Center for Creative Leadership and the Harvard JFK School of Government Leadership Consortium. She holds a bachelor of arts degree and master of social work from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College in New York City, as well as an education specialist degree and education leadership and administration certificate from George Washington University’s School of Education in Washington, D.C.

LaSalle is the founder and current chair of the board for Latinas Leading Tomorrow, a non-profit that serves young Latinas in middle and high school.

“We are so proud to welcome Ms. LaSalle to the Prince George’s County Board of Education,” County Executive Alsobrooks said. “We remain heavily invested in the education of our children, and we are excited to have Ms. LaSalle join us in our efforts to continue to move our school system forward. Our goal is to ensure that our children can grow and thrive for years to come, and we believe that her experience in both education and social work, along with her passion for children, will make her a great addition to our board.”

Ms. LaSalle appointment comes at a sensitive time, when corruption, in particular in Prince George’s county has become a state capture, leading to polarization among county citizens: those in support of corrupt regimes (because of kickbacks and handouts) versus those opposed to them. In the presence of diametrically opposed groups in society, compromise and reasoned discussion has diminished in many ways. As a result, Policies are judged not on the basis of ideology or a project’s inherent merits, but on who the policy proponents are and what benefits competing networks can reap such as within the Board itself and elsewhere. We hope the situation will be positively changed for the better soon and not the other way around.

We are #PrinceGeorgesProud to introduce the new Board of Education Member for District 8, Madeline LaSalle. Check out this video to learn more about her background and why we believe she is an excellent addition to our Board. https://t.co/jtZtqJLQWa

— County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (@CEXAlsobrooks) February 3, 2022

Current Board members are shown above.

Read more >>> Police in DC, Prince George’s Co. team up against repeat carjacking PGCPS teens and others.

Read more >>>Prince George’s County father speaks out after PGCPS teenage son shoots, kills mother, brother

>>> PGCPS Student charged with manslaughter in fatal shooting of 16-year-old in Oxon Hill area, police say

>>> PGCPS Teenager killed in Greenbelt shooting identified

>>> PGCPS Students Say They Were Threatened Not to Testify About Proposed Closure of Alternative Schools

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Major Drama as Fights Break Out at Suitland High School and others.

Suitland High School is a public magnet high school located in the Suitland census-designated place in unincorporated Prince George’s County, Maryland, United States, near Forestville. It is a part of Prince George’s County Public Schools. It is long regarded for its Visual and Performing Arts magnet program.

Suitland – (Reform Sasscer); Suitland High School of Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) was on lockdown recently after multiple fights took place in the school. The school is known to be the epicenter of fights spreading uncontrollably in other high schools in PGCPS such as Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro, Gwynn Park High School in Brandywine and Friendly High School on Allentown, Fort Washington. There are other schools in the county which have had major fights recently during the covid-19 pandemic which have led schools among other issues to close early.

Cell phone video surfaced on social media shows an officer with the county schools Department being hit by a student with a fist during the many brawls recently to the dismay of onlookers nearby. It all happened while multiple fights were breaking out in several of these schools.

“They just said it was a fight that broke out in the cafeteria between two students. A chair was thrown, and then multiple fights got to breaking out,” said parent who wanted to remain anonymous.

In a recent viral video circulating on social media, a woman identified as Prince George’s County, Suitland High School administrator Eileen Mayfield can be seen on the ground in the school building tugging on a student in a gray shirt, yelling “I’m going to kill y’all” and attempting to grab what looks to be a hair weave component.

“There is a thing called fight Friday” students in various schools plan various fights on this day either at school or outside these schools. Many students in the county are aware ahead of time concerning such fights and are usually ready for them. However, there is little response from the county police rushing to the scene or school security to stop these outside fights among other issues.

No serious injuries have been reported. Personnel for this blog obtained a video of a young woman student apparently knocked out and another student was shown to have been hit hard to the ground.

“Every day since school (has) been in, it’s been ongoing. Fight, people getting ready to fight others. They fight all day in the schools. Parents bring other kids up here to fight kids. It’s out of control,” said parent who did not want to be identified.

Some parents are upset at how the situation was handled. One mom, who dropped everything when she saw all the flashing blue lights, says being able to get to her son was a huge relief, especially after hearing about how officers tried to get everything under control.

“My baby called me and told me that she couldn’t breathe and that she was on the way to her next class and they pepper-sprayed her,” said Ms. Johnson.

Although no one was badly hurt, another parent says her student will not be returning to class.

“They are not allowed to come back here anymore, (because) they can’t control the school,” Ms. Johnson said.

A quick search on LinkedIn about Ms. Eileen Mayfield, is listed as an assistant principal for PGCPS, however, it is unclear if she is still with the school system and or how long she has been a PGCPS employee.

Further research on Twitter shows that, students and alum of Suitland High School have been raising concerns of toxic behavior and tension between both students and Eileen Mayfield for over a decade.

Because the administrator has on a mask in the video and Charles Flowers High School C/O 2024 president confirmed on Facebook that this situation in question was from the week of Dec. 6, 2021, it is unclear as to what has really been going on in the PGCPS schools during in person learning. This way, there is a plan during a global disease to protect the overall mental and physical safety of the students, staff in regard to the pandemic, physical, verbal, and emotional abuse or exposure to it.

As of Dec. 17, 2021, CEO Monica Goldson made an announcement to close all schools until mid-January 2022 to students due to the increase in COVID-19 numbers. However, CEO Goldson has advised teachers that they still must come in the building even though the buildings need a proper clean up. She appears powerless with no clue to reality as just last week scheduled a Christmas party in the middle of the school day. After criticism from the staff on social media, she cancelled the said virtual party.

Additional photos show the growing number of fights in PGCPS with or without school system employees around as indicated above. The poor leadership of CEO Monica Goldson who was selected under cloud of public corruption is all there for all to see.

We must demand more transparency from PGCPS in regard to incidents like the one that included Eileen Mayfield and others. This is very triggering and traumatizing to the students, parents, and community to watch.  While we would never want to see a teacher, student, or staff member assaulted, it is very disturbing to hear an administrator confidently threaten to kill all of the students in her reach especially if she’s been in the county over a decade. This incident confirms a lot of parents’ allegations about the PGCPS employees that have been employed for years confidently and boldly having no regards for human life or accountability of their actions. A school system is not the place for that mindset. Parents, students and staff must have peace of mind as they perform their roles.

There is no record of PGCPS, Monica Goldson, or County Executive Angela Alsobrooks addressing this incident as of Dec. 19, 2021. We have had enough. Enough is enough! We demand immediate actions to help save lives.

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Ms. Eileen Mayfield, is listed as an assistant principal for PGCPS. She is said to have yelled, “I’m going to kill y’all” and is seen attempting to grab what looks to be a hair weave component.

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Holding Elected leaders accountable and holding their feet to the fire.

Former Prince George’s County Executive Mr. Rushen Baker now running for Maryland Governorship facilitated major public corruption in Maryland which is ongoing.

Largo, Md. (Reform Sasscer): To liberate a society from repression, exploitation and subjugation, we must use verifiable FACTS and historical and scientific DATA-not VOODOO, or MYTHS. Tyranny thrives in ignorance, secrecy and silence. Confront charlatans, despots and their surrogates with UNVARNISHED TRUTH.

The main problem facing Prince George’s County and Maryland in general is public corruption. In Prince George’s county, corruption and BAD GOVERNANCE has become pervasive. Theft of public resources, human rights abuses and other forms of repression are BY-PRODUCTS of bad governance. To make Maryland and Prince George’s county prosperous, united and tranquil, we must rid ourselves of DESPOTS and KLEPTOCRATS. We must make elected leaders accountable and hold their feet to the fire.

Beginning this week, we are going to make a series of exposé and the role some key lawmakers in Maryland have played to create chaos and cover ups in the county and the county schools.

The drama begun earlier but reached a major point during 2013 Maryland general assembly session in the last days of the session to advance corruption and cover ups rather than fix the issues. All states have laws against bribing public officials in order to weed out public corruption. There are also federal laws against bribery. … Most bribery laws target the giver of the bribe, but it is also illegal for a public official to accept or solicit anything of value in exchange for a particular action.

For Marylanders and Prince George’s County residents in particular to forgive Despot Rushern Baker, and co-perpetrators of crimes against humanity, they must PUBLICLY apologize and be tried and punished to the full extent of the law. A society built on crime, violence and conmanship will never be united and prosperous.

Stay tuned here as we explore the issues in a series and the players tied to the problems who appear unconcerned. The issues they caused starting with the interferences of the courts have had major consequences throughout the region. This is one reason the author of this blogger sought audience with the Speaker of the Maryland general assembly last week, without much success. We will share a separately post on that, in the coming days.

Jolene Ivey – District 5 County Council Member appear unconcerned with the issues. She was a key player to introduce HB1107 LAW in the Maryland General Assembly.

Del. Dereck Davis, pictured, of Prince George’s County and the acting Maryland Treasurer introduced HB1107 LAW.

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Prince George’s County Board of Education Meeting 12/09/21

The Board meeting for 12/9 includes an agenda item for the annual ethics report. However, the ethics reports means nothing if the hyena is in charge of the meats.… We demand a transparent investigation of the issues we have raised repeatedly on this blog. The board members must learn from failings of their colleagues and adjust accordingly. It’s the young people in society who lead the change without fear or favor and can—and often do—make a serious impact on the world.

Hyena with a piece of meat at Maasai Mara National Reserve.

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Maryland Lawmakers Elect Prince George’s County Del. Dereck Davis State Treasurer

Del. Dereck Davis, at right, marks his secret ballot in the General Assembly’s election for state treasurer on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Reform Sasscer) — Maryland lawmakers elected Del. Dereck Davis on Thursday to be the state’s treasurer.

The General Assembly held the vote at the end of its four-day special session on redistricting to redraw the state’s congressional map.

Davis, a Prince George’s County Democrat, has been a member of the Maryland House of Delegates since 1995 and has served as chairman of the House Economic Matters Committee.

While we as authors of this blog have our reservations about Del. Dereck Davis candidacy as Maryland treasurer, we have to respect the decision of the lawmakers. Even though there are issues and violation of rights, we can work those as time progresses in Prince George’s County and in Maryland as a whole. If Dereck Davis and his friends do not resolve our grievances, God almighty will take care of our issues on our behalf. There is a greater power out there! We will continue to work hard in everything we do. Our humble opinion is that, the Maryland State Treasurer role should be elected by the voters statewide and not by close connected friends who can easily be swayed with money. At this point, no one knows where Delegate Dereck Davis stands on improving the Beltway in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties and other issues. Maryland voters must raise up and demand changes to the old status quo and request for their voices to be heard on this important position directly in the ballot.

The essence of democracy is majority rule, the making of binding decisions by a vote of more than one-half of all persons who participate in an election. However, constitutional democracy in our time requires majority rule with minority rights. Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States, expressed this concept of democracy in 1801 in his First Inaugural Address. He said,

All . . . will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect and to violate would be oppression.

In every genuine democracy today, majority rule is both endorsed and limited by the supreme law of the constitution, which protects the rights of individuals. Tyranny by minority over the majority is barred, but so is tyranny of the majority against minorities.

There are reports by fellow lawmakers that, he would have made a truly great speaker of the Maryland General Assembly. That is one reason why he got the offer to be state treasurer so he would no longer be a threat to be Maryland speaker Adrienne Jones. The speaker was very scared by Dericks influence in Maryland and had to find a golden parachute for him. We will keep our folks informed as time progresses.

“I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to Delegate Dereck Davis on his selection as the next Maryland State Treasurer,” said Gov. Larry Hogan in a statement. “Throughout his nearly 27 years in the House of Delegates, Dereck has served the people of Prince George’s County, and our entire state, with integrity and distinction.”

“Dereck and I have always had a great relationship. I look forward to welcoming him to the Board of Public Works, and working with him to continue changing Maryland for the better,” the governor said.

The treasurer holds one of three seats on the state’s Board of Public Works, along with the governor and comptroller.

The treasurer also leads several key state boards and financial planning committees, including the Maryland State Retirement and Pension Systems.

Davis was elected to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of longtime Treasurer Nancy Kopp.

 Maryland House of Delegates chamber after Del. Dereck E. Davis (D-Prince George’s) was elected as Maryland’s next state treasurer.

state senators cast their secret ballots in the Senate chamber, and then Senate Secretary Nicole Xander carried the ballots across the hall to the House of Delegates, with a small contingent of lawmakers and senate staffers.

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Charlene Dukes to Retire Amid Corruption Allegations And Self Dealings.

Dr. Charlene Dukes, endorsed wrongful terminations after she was awarded about $10 million to start a charter school within the Prince George’s County community college by Dr. William Hite Jr as part of quid pro quo.#DespotsMustFall

LARGO, Md. (Reform Sasscer) Dr. Charlene Dukes President of Prince George’s County Community College is retiring ahead after her public corruption syndicate was exposed by this blog recently, Reform Sasscer Movement blog has confirmed.

Dukes submitted her retirement plans and issued a press release letter Wednesday to the Board of Trustees office and the community. The retirement will become official in June 2020, according to the information received and a senior aide familiar with the Duke’s decision.

Duke, became the institution’s eighth and first female president on July 1, 2007, is expected to be sued for public corruption anytime this year for conspiracy and other related charges in the United States. Dukes’ abrupt departure will spur a special  initiation of a national search for the ninth president of the College. Duke has been President for community college since 2007.

Duke has been accused of misusing the office of the community college to benefit her friends and family and interconnected offices including abuse of office ever since she was the President of the Maryland State Board of Education.  Dr. Charlene Dukes, tenure as the Maryland State Board of Education facilitated public corruption which is ongoing and endorsed wrongful terminations after she was awarded about $10 million to start a charter school within the Prince George’s County community college when hearing concerning PGCPS corruption was in progress.

These malicious activity was part of quid pro quo due to a reward to her by conspirator Dr. William Hite Jr among others. A Motion to recuse her due to many conflicts of interests requesting her to step aside was presented to her and she refused in 2012.

In addition to these allegations, there are numerous violations which involves the unions in Prince George’s County and other counts tied to her and corrupt legal officials in Maryland. There is evidence that Dr. Thornton’s role is driven by dirty politics in order cover up misconduct within the Prince George’s county public schools and in Maryland. Long before County Executive Alsobrooks made the announcement for Mr. Thornton to be the new PGCPS new Board Chair, this troubling revelation was already known. Dr. Thornton has links to the President of Prince George’s County Community College, Dr. Charlene Dukes.

One of the most pivotal moments in the unearthing of her shenanigans actually, is when Dr. Hite and Dr. Dukes engaged in a scheme and awarded 10 million dollars to start a charter school in Prince George’s County Community College to “assist students with double diploma”, in the latest twist in the ongoing public corruption.

Dr. William Hite (seen here) and Dr. Dukes engaged in a scheme and awarded 10 million dollars to start a charter school in Prince George’s County Community College to “assist students with double diploma”#DespotsMustFall

Read more here>>> ‪ https://pgcpsmess.wordpress.com/…/facilitator-agents-of-un…/ ‬ #Despotsmustfall

Below is the full news release Published: October 30, 2019

After serving as president of Prince George’s Community College for 13 years, Dr. Charlene M. Dukes announced her retirement effective June 30, 2020.

A champion of teaching, learning, and student success, Dr. Dukes guided the realignment of organizational structures and program offerings to create connections between and among the three key components of the 2019-20 Strategic Plan: student success, regional impact, and organizational excellence.

President Dukes will leave an everlasting legacy at Prince George’s Community College.

To read the full press release -> https://bit.ly/2JAIWOV

Read more >>> Prince George’s County Corruption Continues and Must End ASAP.

Dr. Alvin Thornton is facilitating the worst misconduct in history within the Prince George’s county public schools. He needs to resign at the earliest opportunity before he is arrested #DespotsMustFall

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Whitehall Update: Perturbed CEO Goldson finally withdraws changes under pressure!

Dr. Monica Goldson current CEO for Prince George’s County advanced corruption for years! Since the exposure of her illegal activities, Goldson has since scheduled three meetings where she only takes notes, she did not respond to the concerns expressed by employees, parents and others in the last two meetings. They say it was a listening session. #DespotsMustFall

LARGO, Md. (Reform Sasscer) In what is turning out to be a comedy of errors, Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) CEO Dr. Monica Goldson has finally withdrawn an illegal procedure she enacted without consulting the community or Board members. This deliberate blunder led to an outcry in the community of Whitehall and surrounding areas. Goldson who has surrounded herself with sycophants lately in order to enact a systematic scheme, is causing untold worry in the community. There is clear evidence of personnel known to each other who are out to abuse power. They are running the entire school system under a cloud of corruption. These violations of law which have been willful in nature were reported years ago. Furthermore, CEO Goldson herself has an active case within the United States legal frame work and others are pending, a clear piece of evidence which furthers the scale of public corruption which is ongoing concern.

Local Board of Education member for the area Ms Raaheela Ahmed on Tuesday was quoted in part as stating the following “…But in my opinion, this item is not an FYI. For an item like this, input needs to come from the community BEFORE a proposal is made. Housing audits should be complete BEFORE a boundary change is confirmed to present. Proposals need to be complete, sensible, accurate, and stand up to questioning. Central office needs to listen and ACT when the PTA has reviewed the proposal and expressed concern over it days before it came to the community as a whole. That’s not what happened here, and that’s the problem,” she added. We previously covered the story here.

We reprint the report by The WUSA9 News below.

BOWIE, Md. — The CEO of Prince George’s County Public Schools changed course Tuesday after parents fought back against the proposed re-zoning of Whitehall Elementary.

The district had proposed shifting more than 200 students to four other nearby schools in 2020 to solve the long-standing overcrowding problem at Whitehall.

After multiple parents complained, the CEO announced Tuesday that she would be withdrawing the proposal at Thursday’s school board meeting in favor of creating a task force.

“My son would have ended up going from one of the best performing schools in Prince George’s County to one of the worst, and my wife and I were not going to do that,” said RiShawn Biddle, the father of a kindergartner who just started at Whitehall.

In his mind, Whitehall is the best and Northview is the worst.

“The way that they rolled out this proposal is just in poor taste,” Emebet Booker, parent of three, said. “People made a big investment. I mean, we’re paying a premium to live in the school zone that we’re in.”

Booker has children in fourth and first grade at Whitehall, and one in pre-school. She said if the changes would have gone through, she would have had to take her kids to three different schools.

The CEO of PGCPS wrote a letter announcing she would be withdrawing the rezoning plan Thursday after violating due process rights in the community.

Packed cafeteria at Benjamin Tasker Middle School as @pgcps parents get ready to voice concerns about new boundaries that would reassign students to elementary schools other than the high-performing Whitehall. @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/Hn5q37Z4RR

— Jess Arnold (@JessArnoldTV) October 16, 2019

• Read more Facilitator agents of Union Crime and Public Corruption in Maryland.
• Read more >> Prince George’s County Corruption Continues and Must End ASAP.

Dr. Alvin Thornton is facilitating the worst misconduct in history within the Prince George’s county public schools. He needs to resign at the earliest opportunity before he is arrested #DespotsMustFall

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Facilitator agents of Union Crime and Public Corruption in Maryland.

Dr. Monica Goldson current CEO for Prince George’s County advanced corruption for years! Since the exposure of her illegal activities, Goldson has since scheduled three meetings where she only takes notes, she did not respond to the concerns expressed by employees, parents and others in the last two meetings. They say it was a listening session. #DespotsMustFall

LARGO, Md. (Reform Sasscer) Nearly fifty years after John F. Kennedy first condemned corrupt leadership in the American labor movement, it is still plagued by rampant corruption, embezzlement, racketeering and influence from numerous organized crime organizations. From penny-ante theft to multi-million dollar embezzlement schemes, labor leaders continue to violate the trust of the members they claim to represent.

The labor movement is nothing but the sum of its many parts—millions of working Americans who have entrusted union leaders to spend a portion of their hard earned salary for the benefit of the collective good. Financially speaking, the sum of the movement’s parts total more than $10 billion dollars annually in mandatory dues and control another $400 billion in financial assets in strike funds, pension plans, and health care benefits.

In fact, in just the last five years, hundreds (maybe thousands) of labor leaders at all levels of the movement have been convicted of embezzlement, corruption, racketeering, or engaging in organized crime. The problem is rampant, getting worse, and yet the unions seemingly refuse to address it.

Mr. Christian Rhodes who is the current Chief of Staff for PGCPS is involved in numerous conflicts of interests involving PGCEA where he was an officer and other unions facilitating criminal activities. He makes more than $215,000 a year #DespotsMustFall

Here in Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS), Mr. Christian Rhodes, who is the current Chief of Staff for PGCPS, facilitates public corruption within the Prince George’s County Schools via various union representatives. Some of these individuals were his colleagues at his former employers the Maryland State Education Association (MSEA) and Prince George’s County Education Association (PGCEA) who are well connected.

James E. Spears Jr., who is a Field Services Director facilitates crimes within PGCPS under ACE-AFSCME Local 2250 #DespotsMustFall

In ACE-AFSCME Local 2250, corruption is facilitated and covered up by James E. Spears Jr., who is a Field Services Director and a former colleague of Mr. Rhodes, Mr. Daniel Besseck at MSEA, and Mrs. Theresa Mitchell Dudley. They coordinate willful violation of the law with Mr. Damon Felton, the attorney for MSEA and PGCPS Human resources personnel tied to them, in order to blackmail union members and PGCPS staff. The willful violations of civil rights and cover ups by these individuals, including County Executive Alsobrooks office, is an ongoing concern and others tied to PGCPS CEO Dr. Goldson.

In the past, the PGCPS working in conspiracy with MSEA and PGCEA used services of former MSEA attorney Mr. James Whattam. Whattam was promoted in an organized scheme to become PGCPS labor relations director.  An investigation about Mr. James Whattam and Mr. Rhodes who have extensive ties to AFSCME Local 2250, PGCEA, MSEA and others need to be investigated and exposed.

Dr. Alvin Thornton is facilitating the worst misconduct in history within the Prince George’s county public schools. He needs to resign at the earliest opportunity before he is arrested  #DespotsMustFall

There is evidence that Dr. Thornton’s role is driven by dirty politics in order cover up misconduct within the Prince George’s county public schools and in Maryland. Long before County Executive Alsobrooks made the announcement for Mr. Thornton to be the new PGCPS new Board Chair, this troubling revelation was already known. Dr. Thornton has links to the current President of Prince George’s County Community College, Dr. Charlene Dukes, who endorsed wrongful terminations after she was awarded about $10 million to start a charter school within the Prince George’s County community college when hearing concerning PGCPS corruption was in progress. This malicious activity was part of quid pro quo. A Motion to recuse her due to many conflicts of interests requesting her to step aside was presented to her and she refused. Dr. Thornton has strong links too with the Maryland State Education Association officers who interfered with arbitration and the lawyers whom employees had hired to represent them but were compromised during County Executive Alsobrooks tenure as the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney.

Dr. Charlene Dukes, endorsed wrongful terminations after she was awarded about $10 million to start a charter school within the Prince George’s County community college by Dr. William Hite Jr as part of quid pro quo. #DespotsMustFall

It is very interesting that former PGCEA teacher’s union director, Lou Robinson, became Labor Relations Director and prior to that a PGCEA Uniserv Representative, Susan Lesscer, began working in the PGCPS Labor Relations Office—both of whom were under the supervision of former PGCEA President, Kenneth Haines and a close friend of Mrs. Theresa Mitchell Dudley, who was allegedly conspiring with PGCPS leadership instead of supporting teachers which is why, he was ousted.  Many of us have heard in a corrupt system, the corrupt are promoted meaning people who will engage in wrongful behavior if told to do so will apparently be promoted. This is wrong and a violation of employee rights.

Mrs. Theresa Mitchell Dudley (pictured here) is a real thug based on many observations. She is currently serving two masters and should resign one position due to conflicts of interests in politics. She is also engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity in PGCPS.  #DespotsMustFall

Many violations in this county involve the use of the Unions including Prince George’s County Education Association (PGCEA) and Association of Supervisory & Administrative School Personnel (ASASP). Both organizations are advancing public corruption and cover up under Mrs. Theresa Mitchell Dudley and Ms. Doris Reed close friends of County Executive Alsobrooks and Dr. Monica Goldson. Mrs. Dudley, as the President of PGCEA has played several illegalities in allowing public corruption in the county schools and cover ups after she rigged her election in order to remain as President of PGCEA. She has also used union dues to hire outside activists to help hide major violations within the county schools. We have evidence and witnesses of these violations.

Ms. Doris Reed has facilitated misconduct involving two past presidents who abused employees willfully. Some teachers where impregnated as part of abuse of power through the union without recourse. #DespotsMustFall

Please note that, Mrs. Dudley engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity when she advanced the selection of the current Board of Education Chairman Dr. Alvin Thornton.  During  a campaign meeting in PGCEA in the spring of 2018 to support Ben Jealous, a candidate for governor in Maryland, Mrs. Dudley was working with Dr. Thortorn and others (omitted parts which were highlighted concerning public corruption in Maryland involving the unions in PGCPS after presention of issues to the group). When notes were made to circulate in the social media, these items involving public corruption which we raised were no longer there. A member of PGCEA forwarded information concerning a double standard in pay increase in which Mrs. Dudley was accused of benefiting while calling out Dr. Kevin Maxwell and Mr. Christian Rhodes, who were advancing the same. Mrs. Dudley later retaliated against these issues due to the exposure.

If you want to know the source of most of monetary woes, public-sector unions are a good place to start — not just in Prince George’s County, but anywhere a local or state government is faced with stratospheric labor costs and corruption.

Call your Elected officials now and the media. Demand an end to this charade by the county officials!

ORGANIZE! MOBILIZE!

Never give up. Never surrender. Never compromise.

#DespotsMustFall

Read more >>> Prince George’s County Corruption and predictions

County-Executive-Angela-Alsobrooks covered up public corruption and promoted Dr. Goldson to be PGCPS CEO when she knew about corruption she was engaged in. #DespotsMustFall

***

Prince George’s County Corruption Continues and Must End ASAP.

Dr. Monica Goldson current CEO for Prince George’s County advanced corruption for years. #DespotsMustFall

LARGO, Md. (Reform Sasscer) When a small clique of crooks have imposed themselves, plundered the county’s resources, created zombies through substandard education, dirty water and food and committed crimes and subverted democracy for too long, a lot of citizens believe tyranny is normal.

When tyranny is normalized, citizens start finding justifications why they are poor, homeless and hungry while the despots, con-men and con-women have everything. Citizens begin to hurl abuse at freedom fighters because they feel impotent. “God created rulers and made us poor,” they say.

“If you can’t beat them, join them,” they yell, not understanding that “joining them” means becoming their slave and accepting the subhuman condition that they have institutionalized. Those yelling such nonsense are too scared to admit that “joining them” only means surrender. Accepting that you are a slave.

After despotism, conman-ship and criminality have been normalized and institutionalized the way they are in Prince George’s county, it is a duty of all self-respecting patriots to fearlessly, consistently and ruthlessly do everything within our power to uproot that system of bad governance. Use all means necessary.

According to a concerned parent who was in a meeting at Laurel High School about Prince George’s County Public School (PGCPS), she stated that, “…The system is REALLY broken: curriculum, under-staffing of teachers, overcrowding with students, old buildings, supplies, late buses, HVAC problems, resources, rezoning & very underfunded. The children deserve better. I believe there is corruption,” she concluded.

“Corruption” is just one symptom of a more serious societal illness. The GERM that causes the illness is the CULTURE OF IMPUNITY which creates the belief that one is above the law and protects those who commit serious crimes like murder, steal elections or loot public resources.

To significantly reduce corruption we must first and foremost remove from positions of power and authority those who believe that they are above the law. We must punish to the full extent of the law all criminals, thieves and those abusing power STARTING with Dr. Monica Goldson.

Shouting or singing about the “fight against corruption” while expecting the DEAN OF IMPUNITY like Dr. Monica Goldson to be the one leading that fight is like a fox guarding a chicken house. Those disobeying court orders, bribing attorneys, court officials and subverting the Constitution cannot fight impunity.

This last week, we filed our case to the US Supreme Court and more is being done elsewhere. After we wrote to the county executive Angela Alsobrooks concerning the violations on September 4 and on October 4th, 2019, she arranged a series of meetings including yesterday, October 21, 2019, in order to help with the cover ups currently in progress in Prince George’s County led by PGCPS CEO Dr. Monica Goldson. There also been a variety of public relations exercises involving the despots in order to derail justice. We are demanding a proper federal investigation on these issues.

The despots and their collaborating con-men and con-women don’t care about you. They believe that you and many of us in the struggle are not human beings!

It’s now time for the opposition, the clear and level-headed in the democratic and republican parties – if such still exist – businessmen and women and the tax-paying and law abiding in Maryland to demand that an end be brought to this charade.

We need leaders who can lead – who are willing to lead – because they’re capable and we need these leaders to inform the mobs that they will not succeed in turning the Prince George’s county into another chaotic and mindless county, a failed county with a failing school system being used as a cash cow, purely because it’s their right to do so.

There are only so many taxpayers, there is also only so much that they will bear and that needs to be firstly addressed.

The corruption, the crime and general neglect of the county, together with the pampering to the whims of the masses, are turning Prince George’s county into a quagmire of racial, class and economic disharmony which the real owners and drivers – the taxpaying citizens who enable the county to grow and prosper – will eventually turn their backs on.

Call your Elected officials now and the media. Demand an end to this calamity by the county officials!

ORGANIZE! MOBILIZE!

Never give up. Never surrender. Never compromise.

#DespotsMustFall

View this document on Scribd

View this document on Scribd

County-Executive-Angela-Alsobrooks covered up public corruption and promoted Dr. Goldson to be PGCPS CEO when she knew about corruption she was engaged in. #DespotsMustFall

Read more >>>Prince George’s County Corruption and predictions

***

Prince George’s County Corruption and predictions

Dr. Monica Goldson current CEO for Prince George’s County advanced corruption for years. #DespotsMustFall

LARGO, Md. (Reform Sasscer) As a long suffering resident of Maryland focusing on Prince George’s County who has seen numerous superintendents promising reform, here are my predictions:

1. The scandals in PG County schools will continue and Wapo will write about them (regularly) as time goes.
2. At the end of her contract, PG schools will be performing no better than they are today. If the past is any guide, they will be worse. Reforms in PG County usually make things worse.
3. The new superintendent will leave her job under a cloud of corruption/incompetence. Mega corruption is already underway and no newspaper or blog has published anything because of fear.
4. More corrupt elected officials will either resign on their own or be arrested for ongoing mega corruption involving the school system or other county agencies.
5. “pay-to-play” culture at Prince George’s County will continue at higher rate with political donations from real estate developers seeking county approval for their building plans.
6. Bribery, kickbacks and extortion schemes involving elected officials and others tied to the Prince George’s County development will continue flowing like water.
7. Union Executives will continue to facilitate organized schemes to derail justice while paying off attorneys but this time will be arrested.
8. Well connected politicians will continue to give bribes as charitable or political contributions.
9. Developers will continue to seek opportunities to make the country more corrupt so they could cash in. But in the right circumstances, they’ll either decide to jump ship or simply have no choice but to tell the truth. It’s already happening, and there’s nothing county Executive Angela Alsobrooks can do to stop it.
10. Board members who have embraced public corruption and have been compromised will not win another term. Eventually they might be arrested for accepting bribes and jailed for being in bed with corrupt executives.
11. At the end of the day, PG schools will still be the worst in the state of Maryland (with the possible exception of the city of Baltimore.)

Delegate Dereck Davis – Chair, Economic Matters Committee Maryland General Assembly advanced corruption in the Maryland and used PGCPS as an ATM Machine to advance his shenanigans which are well known. #DespotsMustFall

County-Executive-Angela-Alsobrooks covered up public corruption and promoted Dr. Goldson to be PGCPS CEO when she knew about corruption she was engaged in. #DespotsMustFall

Ardra O’Neal of the O’Neal Law Firm helped facilitate public corruption at the beckoning of the Maryland and county officials and the corrupt union executives.  #DespotsMustFall

***

Push PG NAACP to do right thing at its meeting Thursday, 7 pm in Hyattsville

Bob Ross ~ PG NAACP President is under fire and accused of  facilitating cover ups.

Greetings activists,

PG NAACP and  MD NAACP, Which side are you on?

Neither organization — NAACP PG, nor NAACP MD issued any strong statement of protest about ten police officers who killed Mr Shand.

This is the question to ask the PG NAACP at its annual meeting Thursday 7-9, in Hyattsville.

So far PG NAACP has put out only a mild statement (and this was done as a reaction to being misquoted by WTOP).

I urge members and others to bring up our issues at PG NAACP’s meeting this Thursday, October 17, 7 pm in Hyattsville.  Invite at bottom of this email.

Attend the meeting to encourage PG NAACP to demand or even favor:

*  Repeal MD’s Officers’ Bill Of Rights LEBOR

*  Insist that Police Use Body Cameras

*  Police departments use milder ways to corral suspects.

*  Effective training of police.

*  Question trusting the Prince George’s Police Dept.’s investigation unit to do a rigorous and fair investigation.

Supporting info:

*  Repeal MD’s Officers’ Bill Of Rights LEBOR

Here is the 2015 Baltimore Sun article on LEBOR by the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland.

Reform Maryland’s Officers’ Bill Of Rights

https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/bs-ed-aclu-leobr-20150117-story.html

*  Insist that Police Use Body Cameras

The PG police and the first Hyattsville policeman at the killing were not using body cameras.  The use of body cameras by Hyattsville policemen is discussed in “Police story of Leonard Shand’s death called into question by [Hyattsville City Councilor Joseph Solomon]” at 

https://route1reporter.com/2019/10/02/police-story-of-leonard-shands-death-called-into-question-by-city-offial/

I recommend reading entire article.

Prince George’s County says there’s no money for body cameras because the cost is 2 million dollars.   But:

The Prince George’s County Government spent just over $2 million Tax Dollars from December 2018 thru July 31, 2019 defending Racial Discrimination and Retaliation under County Executive Alsobrooks.

Dr. Rashawn Ray, Associate Professor of Sociology, Executive Director, Lab for Applied Social Science Research, University of Maryland, also Brookings Institutionposted:

“I just want to note that my colleagues and me at the Lab for Applied Social Science Research (LASSR) at the University of Maryland conducted a study on body-worn cameras in Prince George’s County. We found that residents across race/ethnicity and social class overwhelmingly support the county having body-worn cameras.  …

The link to the published study is below. ”

http://rashawnray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Can-Cameras-Stop-the-Killings.pdf

*  Police Departments Use Milder Ways To Corral Suspects.

Like An Argentinean Cowboy Roping A Cow With A Bola:

The BolaWrap has an eight-foot kevlar tether which can wraps itself around a man’s chest and arms or around his legs.  If deployed correctly, it can de-escalate a situation between police and a dangerous offender.  See video on TV news at

https://wtkr.com/2019/10/11/edenton-police-department-becomes-first-in-north-carolina-to-carry-new-pain-free-compliance-device/

Also, see video in this BolaWrap advertisement on the web:

Wrap Technologies, Inc. [NASDAQ: WRTC] | BolaWrap® | Policing Today

https://wraptechnologies.com/policing-today/

“The Problem

American police are rethinking their training, procedures and non-lethal tools, specifically to handle encounters with the mentally ill.

The Police Executive Research Forum, an independent research organization devoted to improving policing, reports that handling encounters with the mentally ill is a national crisis.

A Washington Post investigation [of]fatal shootings by the police in 2015 [found that] nearly a quarter of the incidents involve a person who was mentally unstable.”  (Emphasis added.)

Cheryl Fellenz posted:

An intervention of officers coming up behind an individual with protective gear and enveloping him is called by officers ” a wrap”.

Anyone who watched the video could see with their own eyes that the officers did not look like they knew what to do.

*  Effective Training Of Police.

I’m concerned about the recent lowering of standards for new police hires noted in

“Having Eight On-Leave [Hyattsville Police] Officers Adds To Staffing Shortage (Updated 10/3)”

https://hyattsvillelife.com/eight-on-leave-hcpd-officers-adds-to-staffing-shortage/

Excerpt:

“Over the last year or two, according to [Public Information Officer and Acting Lt. Zachary Nemser], the HCPD has had to adjust their hiring standards to address the shortage. Successful officer applicants were required to score 70% or above on each section of the National Police Officer Selection Test(Standard & Associates, Inc.). Officer applicants now need just a 70% average on the whole test.Physical agility requirements have also been relaxed. And if an officer makes a lateral transfer, they no longer need to pass either the written or agility tests,”

How much less do the new hires, who did not meet the 2015 requirements, know and how much less can they do than the police hired in 2015.  Were they provided with additional training to bring them up to the 2015 standards?

A score of 70% indicates mediocre knowledge; this is low-level tolerable for high school and college courses.  Policemen should be required to have serious knowledge of policing.   (I do not know how rigorous the police exams are.)

 *  Question Trusting The Prince George’s Police Dept.’s Investigation Unit To Do A Rigorous And Fair Investigation.

Prince George’s County,  “Washington’s Ferguson Next Door”

“…the intervention of the U.S. Justice Department has been most responsible for bringing any meaningful change [to Prince George’s County’s Police].”
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/09/washingtons-ferguson-next-door-110707.html#.VWafakLvZUR

Much more change still needed:         

“County Police Officer, Guilty of Second Degree Assault for Assaulting a Citizen Who Was Handcuffed  //  Officer Repeatedly Punches Man In The Face While Handcuffed Behind His Back [And Secured With A Seat Belt In The Front Seat Of Police Car].”                            August 8, 2019                    More info at https://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?aid=1510&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
Prince George’s Officers of Color File Federal Lawsuit Challenging Widespread Race Discrimination, Retaliation by PGPD            December 12, 2018

https://www.washlaw.org/news/795-prince-george-s-officers-of-color-file-federal-lawsuit-challenging-widespread-race-discrimination-retaliation-by-pgpd

“Racial Discrimination In The Prince George’s Police Department”

“Racial discrimination in the Prince George’s Police Department is discouraging the reporting of abuse committed by PGPD officers because Latinx and Black officers in the department experience retaliation for speaking out about it, spurring a lawsuit. New leadership in the county must take firm steps to enable full compliance and accountability in the department in order to end abuse of citizens by police.”

From the blog posted Jan 3, 2019 on the Progressive Maryland website at:

https://www.progressivemaryland.org/racial_discrimination_in_the_prince_george_s_police_department

 <><><><><><><><>< 

Other notes: 

“ACLU: Hyattsville Police Shooting Part Of Troubling Pattern”

https://route1reporter.com/2019/10/06/aclu-hyattsville-police-shooting-part-of-troubling-pattern/

Excerpt: Jay Jimenez, a Legal Program Associate for the ACLU of Maryland, What we’ve seen is that most of these police deaths in Maryland, especially involving people of color with disabilities could could have been avoided.”

According to Jimenez, preventing these deaths requires a reevaluation of the validity of current police de-escalation training and the use of less-than-lethal tools, such as tazers, pepper spray and beanbag shotguns.

“I’ll just be clear: The use of tasers, OC sprays, flashbang grenades, or other methods of less-than-lethal force are not the same as de-escalation,” said Jimenez. “Based on the video footage that we’ve seen, this actually had the opposite effect in the shooting of Leonard Shand.”

More from“Police story of Leonard Shand’s death called into question by [Hyattsville City Councilor Joseph Solomon]” at 

https://route1reporter.com/2019/10/02/police-story-of-leonard-shands-death-called-into-question-by-city-offial/

“Hyattsville City Councilor Joseph Solomon has called into question major aspects of the police narrative surrounding last week’s fatal police shooting of Leonard Shand by 10 officers from Hyattsville, Prince George’s County and Mount Rainier police departments.”

“Solomon’s recollection of this aspect of the video footage he has reviewed was backed-up by a participant in the Oct. 1 meeting who told city officials she was present when police first encountered Shand, and who said she did not see knives in his hands during those first moments of Shand’s police encounter.”

June White Dillard foreground and members of pg county chapter of Naacp must rise up to the occasion and do what is right. They must avoid being seen as facilitators of corruption in the county affairs and address issues in a fair manner.

PGCPS Principal on leave for saying non-citizens would be barred from White House field trip

The North Portico of the White House (Oliver Contreras/For The Washington Post)

By Arelis R. Hernández

A Prince George’s County elementary school principal has been placed on administrative leave, a school system spokeswoman said Friday, after distributing an unauthorized permission slip that said fourth-grade students who are not citizens would not be allowed to go on a planned field trip to the White House.

The school system said Ashanti Foster will not be returning for the rest of the school year to Thomas Stone Elementary School in Mount Rainier, Md., where a majority of students are Hispanic and the children of immigrants.

Prince George’s schools have long arranged White House visits through a National Park Service program, said schools spokeswoman Raven Hill. While the May 28 trip had been approved, the document sent to parents last month by the school was not. The White House tour was canceled as a result of the errant permission slip, and an alternative trip visiting other national monuments and memorial parks in Washington will take place.

“The issue here was whether school staff took appropriate steps to ensure that all students could participate in a meaningful way,” said schools superintendent Monica Goldson in a statement on Friday. “That did not happen.”

The schools chief said she is making “personnel changes” to improve the school’s climate, placing the principal on administrative leave and reviewing the circumstances surrounding the field trip. She named assistant principal Patricia Crosson as acting principal.

Foster did not respond to a request for comment. But in a letter to parents Wednesday, the principal said the “permission form did not reflect our values as a learning community, and for that, I apologize.”

The controversy — first reported by the Route 1 Reporter news site — erupted publicly when Rocio Treminio-Lopez, mayor of nearby Brentwood, Md., posted a copy of the permission slip on social media asking for help explaining its meaning.

The document — written in English and Spanish — sought information including students’ full names, birth dates, country of birth and citizenship status. Students who were not citizens were supposed to provide a passport number.

“If a scholar is not classified as a U.S. Citizen, they will not be able to attend the field trip,” the permission slip said in bold letters at the bottom.

The questions on the form appear to match what congressional staffers ask when arranging free White House tours for constituents, according to an image of that internal application provided to The Washington Post.

A U.S. Secret Service spokesman confirmed that the questions on the permission slip are required of all children seeking a “boarding pass” to the White House. Children who are not citizens must bring a valid passport with them once cleared.

School officials said the problem was not with the identification requirements, per se, but the wording at the bottom of the permission slip Stone sent out.

Prince George’s school officials would not have approved any form or activity that “excluded students based on citizenship, race/ethnicity, sexuality, religion or ability,” the statement said.

Prince George’s County Council member Deni Taveras (D-District 2), whose district includes Stone Elementary, said the planning for the trip was insensitive and could easily have appeared threatening to families in the United States illegally.

Constituents had complained to her office in the past about the school, she said, including a lack of sufficient bilingual staff and a requirement that parents show a government-issued ID to accompany children to class on the first day of the academic year.

Foster later apologized for the ID requirement.

With the field trip permission slip wording, Taveras said, “instead of stopping and thinking, ‘This isn’t a good idea,’ they went forward and created more division.”

Via Washington Post

PGCPS Principal Dr. Ashanti Foster on leave for saying non-citizens would be barred from White House field trip

Brentwood Mayor Rocio Terminio-Lopez drew attention to the errant permission slip on social media. (Hamil R. Harris/The Washington Post)

***

Former PGCPS Executive Shawn Joseph Forced out of Tennessee dotted with legal, ethical issues – ties to local corruption

former PGCPS Executive and current Metro Schools Director Dr. Shawn Joseph

One of the former PGCPS Executive and current Metro Schools Director Dr. Shawn Joseph who helped cover up corruption through Dr. Lilian Lowery and transferred the same shenanigan in Nashville, Tennessee has been forced out of the job.

On or around June 2011, Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) in conspiracy with Association of Supervisory & Administrative School Personnel (ASASP) headed by Dwayne Jones Principal of Laurel High School engaged in a widespread scheme involving high level executives at Sasscer. The scheme involved Dr. Monica Goldson and other external parties led by O’Neal Law Firm of Ardra O’Neal affianced in a wide ranging plot and bribery to defeat justice for employees. Dr. Shawn Joseph who later joined the PGCPS District at the beckoning of Dr. Lilian Lowery was also part of the mix in the same scheme.

The fraudulent scheme and conspiracy involved Office of the legal counsel and Thatcher Law Firm in which a transcriber company was hired to sabotage the hearings of employees at the systems Headquarters at Sasscer.  Transcripts for the hearings involving employees where changed and omitted major facts to advance the shenanigans and protect Dwayne Jones. Some of the omitted facts even acknowledged extra marital affairs involving Mr. Dwayne Jones and Debrah Toppins. Shortly after the hearings, any lawyer who tried to represent these employees was bribed after the Thatcher Law Firm was given a “no bid contract” for more than $5 million dollars. Many local employees are not getting the justice they deserve due to public corruption in Prince George’s County ties to discrimination. The public corruption in Prince George’s county public schools starts on an administrative level and is interconnected to local lawyers with ties to some local politicians, which has been an ongoing concern for many years.

In retaliation for exposing their shenanigans in this blog, the current interim CEO Dr. Monica Goldson ordered this blog to be blocked in the PGCPS network and other parts globally on or around November 2018 in order to minimize their expose of their illegal agenda.

Shawn Joseph’s departure from Tennessee, due to similar issues and public corruption fiasco connected to Maryland and Denver, Colorado is a wake up call in Maryland. While major issues are interconnected, local issues are playing out around this case. The recent indictment of Gregory B. Craig, President Obama’s first White House Counsel shows that while Robert Mueller’s investigation may be over, its effects will continue to ripple outward across the Washington DC metro area for a long time. Paul Manafort’s prosecution was a wake-up call for Washington lobbyists and Craig’s indictment is sounding the alarm for attorneys engaged in a widespread bribery using unaccountable money meant for public schools in a town full of them.

Attorney Ardra O’Neal is involved in criminal undertaking of defrauding employees while working closely with employers including PGCPS in malicious undertaking. Employees and other citizens be aware of her shenanigans. She is involved in Self-dealing and fraud. Self – Dealing may involve misappropriation or usurpation of corporate assets or opportunities.  Anyone who has been a victim of her mischief is asked to report her fraudulent schemes to the law enforcement agencies at the earliest opportunity. In addition, she needs to be reported to the bar counsel ASAP!

Monica Goldson (seen here) The culture of corruption which began in Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) under Dr. Monica Goldson as part of an organized scheme promises to be a disaster according to the reports from Tennessee. The well connected individuals saw several executives transfer to Tennessee in high level corruption. The current fiasco currently in progress in Prince George’s County in which millions disappeared has ties to Tennessee. Corruption erodes trust in government and undermines the social contract. Tennessee citizens just like Maryland citizens are demanding for Transparency,  accountability and sanctions to the corrupt executives after state and Federal laws were broken willfully in both states.

We reprint the report by newschannel-5 article below:

Metro Schools Director Dr. Shawn Joseph

By: Phil Williams

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It’s the end of the road for Metro Schools Director Dr. Shawn Joseph — a road dotted by legal and ethical potholes.

Under the terms of his buyout deal with the school board, Friday, April 12, is his last day.

But Joseph’s journey as Nashville’s first African-American director of schools began in July 2016 amid high expectations — with the school board essentially giving him a blank check.

“I think that Dr. Joseph needs to do whatever he needs to do to make sure that we are successful,” then-chair Anna Shepherd said.

Within months, there were ethical questions.

When NewsChannel 5 Investigates asked about the qualifications of the people he brought with him from Maryland, Joseph directed staff not to answer those questions – saying the district should wait and attack the reporter’s methods.

A school maintenance worker was also directed to work on Joseph’s house.

An email showed he would be “on the clock,” working at taxpayer expense. Joseph blamed his assistant.

“I hold myself to the highest level of integrity,” the schools director told NewsChannel 5 Investigates in October 2016.

We asked, “So where did she get the idea that he would be on the clock? Did that come from you?”

“No,” he insisted, “and that’s what I corrected it in an email.”

Joseph still ordered the man’s supervisors to allow him to modify his work schedule to work at the director’s house.

That fall, our investigation caught the schools director using a bus driver to chauffeur him around town — including for personal errands — with taxpayers paying for the driver to wait and wait .

But when we tried to show him the video, he walked out of the interview.

“This is one of the few districts where I’ve ever worked where the number of vacancies goes up instead of down,” former Metro Schools administrator Mo Carrasco told NewsChannel 5 Investigates in December 2017.

“People are leaving. People are not happy. And we keep saying to people that everything is great and we’re making progress. We are not making progress.”

Those comments come just before Carrasco, one of the director’s longtime friends, resigned amid a sexual harassment investigation.

On his way out, Carrasco raised questions about how Joseph was spending the district’s money.

“I made a statement one day to some of the executive staff that we have too many contracts, too many consultants in the district,” he added.

“They are running into each other, and I don’t think that was taken very well.”

Our investigation later discovered Joseph’s team had hired consultant friends , sometimes without contracts, sometimes without getting the required board approvals .

When two school board members, Jill Speering and Amy Frogge, requested an independent audit last April, Joseph lashed out, accusing them of behaving inappropriately and risking a potential lawsuit.

“It’s a lawsuit when you are inappropriately pointing people out and making comments that are not appropriate,” he argued.

Frogge responded, “I am doing my job, and I am not inappropriate.”

Last summer, two Metro Schools employees went public with horrific sexual harassment allegations against principal Sam Braden .

The district’s own files showed there was lots of evidence.

Still, Joseph’s team did nothing until after our investigation aired and then only under pressure from school board members.

After repeated interview requests were declined, NewsChannel 5 Investigates tracked down the schools director.

“Did you drop the ball?” we asked.

“I did not drop the ball,” he answered, refusing to answer any specific questions.

To try to calm the controversy, Joseph later convinced the school board to sign a $100,000 contract with a Nashville law firm to review the district’s Human Resources Department.

Then, a secret recording caught him hinting to school bus drivers that they should vote against vice mayor candidate Sheri Weiner, potentially in violation of state law.

In September 2018, new school board member Fran Bush had questions about Joseph’s continued use of a school bus driver as a chauffeur while a bus driver shortage left kids sometimes waiting for long periods to get home from school.

Our investigation discovered that Joseph’s account of how he used the driver did not match records provided by his office.

“I clearly think, at this point, learning about this information, we need to open up an investigation,” Bush told NewsChannel 5 Investigates.

As Joseph’s relationship with a few board members continued to sour, our investigation uncovered new questions about his ties to a company that got a $1 million, no-bid contract in violation of state law.

The district bought the student assessment software, then did not require schools to actually use it.

Then, NewsChannel 5 Investigates obtained the law firm’s confidential HR report, which warned the district is facing a morale crisis that threatens its ability to attract and keep good employees.

And a group of teachers decided to go public, suggesting that Joseph’s discipline policies were making their jobs harder.

“Students are in school and they are disruptive and they are running through the halls and they are using profanity and hurting other students,” guidance counselor Constance Wade said during a Teacher Town Hall.

Through it all, the schools director never took personal responsibility for any of the controversies.

In fact, he blamed NewsChannel 5 Investigates of trying to create hysteria over the sexual harassment issue.

“Let me tell you, what I don’t respect about you, my friend, is that you like to try to create unnecessary narratives on very important topics to try to create this hysteria,” Joseph told us last year.

“You should be ashamed of yourself.”

More recently, he had suggested to support employees that they should not be airing the district’s business in public — a lesson he said his mother taught him as a child.

“I told you about my mom with her little belt thing,” Joseph said during a town hall hosted by the Service Employees International Union, Local 205.

“She said, ‘I wish you would tell somebody our business outside in the streets. We handle stuff right in this house.'”

Via NEWSNEWSCHANNEL 5 

 

 

 

***

Update: Teachers in Fear after PGCPS Administration covers up racism at Laurel area schools.

Dwight D Eisenhower Middle School

By Reform Sasscer Staff:

Some teachers at Dwight D Eisenhower Middle School, claim the district is trying to find the sources of information to our blog in order to oust them for speaking out against unfair practices. Teachers who did not want to be identified for fear of retaliation called the claims against them “nonsense” and said the district is trying to oust anyone for speaking out against deceptive practices. However, one teacher who wanted to remain anonymous said, the teachers at Dwight D Eisenhower Middle School were happy the truth was finally out.

Some of the teachers who did not want to be identified said they repeatedly raised internal concerns about teachers allegedly advancing racists tendencies on school grounds and the district leaders reportedly violating students’ civil rights by placing them into disciplinary action in some cases without proper due process.

However, Mr. Ronald Dortch who is the PTA President at Dwight D Eisenhower Middle School appears to be out of touch with reality. He was said to be unhappy when the story broke out. There are reports he engages external parties to raise money or other items and was afraid the school was looking bad. He was said to be upset with the exposure concerning racism at the school hence the reasons to make up wild allegations against the student whistle blower. While PTA members are not school employees, they are part of the school community. The alleged misconduct of pointing fingers by Mr. Dortch is deeply disappointing and betrays the trust the Dwight D Eisenhower Middle School community placed in him. Mr. Dortch must learn not to take public issues personally as victims of various shenanigans tied to racism have families too and deserve justice. Across the country, there have been many PTA Presidents or members of PTA with ties to the unions who have been arrested and charged for violating trust involving money and other issues tied to schools improvement.

Conflict of interest

At Dwight D Eisenhower Middle School, there are concerns that, Mr. Jonathan Mayhew who is a husband to Mrs. Laura Garon Mayhew, who also works as a Technology teacher at the school might have conflicts of interests. Situations involving conflicts of interest within the school system in Prince George’s County and the entire Maryland system are widespread. Allegations of cronyism, wasteful spending and other misconduct are roiling the entire school district including single source contracts which was reported widely in the media to be more than $78 million dollars.

“I believe that there are several factors which have contributed to the administration’s desire to retaliate against a student who blew the whistle in the first place and find sources of information in order to discipline teachers who have spoken out,” said a teachers who wanted to remain anonymous. “In my opinion, none of these factors are legitimate or reasonable. The fact remains that, there many issues which are being swept under the rug to the detriment of the entire system,” she added.

District’s claims

According to Mr. Dortch, he truly believes that we are damaging people’s lives without all of the facts. He stated in part that, “ALL of your stories appear to be one sided. You and the parent should be sued after these people are cleared of all charges. Did this parent tell you that her so called innocent daughter is accused of bullying students at DDEMS? But I guess since she is a black student bullying other students its ok. Are we now saying that a White Teacher can’t teach Black History? Are we now saying that a Black Teacher can’t teach students about Cinco de Mayo? If people would also educate their children and STOP thinking that education is only done at school, then students would be able to tell the difference between someone teaching them and someone trying to embarrass them. Parents need to stop treating school like it is a daycare. As long as their child is out of the house so they don’t have to deal with them. I challenge any adult to visit a school and just try to make an open announcement to the students and see just how disrespected they will be treated. I am in no way defending anyone that is a racist, but I have know Mrs. Mayhew and the staff at DDEMS and LHS for seven years and I know that what you said about both of these schools are NOT true……..” statement stated in part.

Widespread Fraud involves the Unions and Laurel Area Schools

On or around June 2011, Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) in conspiracy with Association of Supervisory & Administrative School Personnel (ASASP) headed by Dwayne Jones Principal of Laurel High School engaged in a scheme. The scheme involved Dr. Monica Goldson and other external parties led by O’Neal Law Firm of Ardra O’Neal engaged in a wide ranging scheme and bribery to defeat justice for employees.

The Fraudulent scheme and conspiracy involved Office of the legal counsel and Thatcher Law Firm in which a transcriber company was hired to sabotage the hearings of employees at the systems Headquarters at Sasscer.  Transcripts for the hearings involving employees where changed or omitted major facts to advance the shenanigans and protect Dwayne Jones. Some of the omitted facts even though acknowledged involved extra marital affairs involving Mr. Dwayne Jones and Debrah Toppins. Shortly after the hearings, any lawyer who tried to represent these employees was bribed after the Thatcher Law Firm was given a “no bid contract” for more than $5 million dollars. Many local employees are not getting the justice they deserve due to public corruption in Prince George’s County with ties to racism. The public corruption starts on an administrative level and is connected to local politicians which has been an ongoing concern for many years.

Employees’ protection

Employees enjoy protection from retaliation under the law for a host of actions in the workplace. State and federal laws protect employees from retaliation for complaints of unlawful discrimination, for seeking reasonable accommodations for disabilities, for taking protected family and medical leave, and from whistleblowing or refusing to engage in illegal activities. The web of legal protections from retaliation is comprehensive and fact-specific, and you should contact a qualified employment attorney if you believe you are being retaliated because of your legally protected activity at work.

You Have Rights to Protect You from Workplace Retaliation

Workplace protections from retaliation can be very broad. Not only do laws against retaliation protect employees from termination, but usually also provide protection from an employer taking an adverse action that would “dissuade a reasonable employee” from complaining about their legal rights. As a result, adverse actions can include termination, refusal to hire, denial of promotion, unjustified negative performance evaluations, or other threats or harassment.

Under civil rights laws, an employee engages in protected activity by opposing unlawful discrimination or harassment, or participating in an employment discrimination proceeding. An employee opposes discrimination when they complain about unlawful discrimination or harassment, threaten to file a complaint, or refuse to obey an order they reasonably believe is discriminatory. An employee participates in a proceeding when they file a complaint of unlawful discrimination or harassment, cooperate with an internal or external investigation of discrimination or harassment, or serve as a witness in an investigation or litigation. Each of these can amount to “protected activity” for the purposes of retaliation under county, state, and federal anti-discrimination laws, such as the District of Columbia Human Rights Act, Montgomery and Prince Georges County Human Rights Acts, Maryland State law, The Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”), the Civil Rights Act of 1866 (“Section 1981”), and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

In the disability setting, employees can engage in “protected activity” by seeking accommodations for disabilities. Similarly, employees can gain protection from retaliation under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) by seeking or taking protected FMLA leave.

The number of laws protecting against retaliation for protected “whistleblowing” is very extensive. Those laws include the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989, the False Claims Act, the Sarbanes–Oxley Act, the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and a host of other laws. State laws in the District of Columbia and Maryland also protect against retaliation in a variety of settings. Employees are protected from retaliation for collectively complaining about the terms of conditions of employment under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Importantly, public employees may not be retaliated against for exercising their rights to free speech under the United States Constitution. Employees are also protected from retaliation related to asserting their rights for health insurance or benefits provided under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009.

Theresa Mitchell Dudley, president of the Prince George’s County Educator Association (PGCEA), who was recently elected as the first African American branch director from Prince George’s County of the National Educators Association (NEA) should show proper leadership and help address the local issues affecting staff at the area Laurel Schools. If there was any place to show proper leadership at the union level, it is here.

More to come!

Read more >>> PGCPS Teacher Under Fire Over Slavery Lesson – Administration is accused of cover ups.

Read more >>> Complaint From a Former PGCPS Employee

PTSA president Ronald Dortch for Dwight D Eisenhower Middle School (Shown here) has no idea on hostile work environment currently in progress at Laurel schools. The community should be concerned he is acting like a Principal while protecting illegal behavior currently in progress in the many PGCPS Schools. There are also worries that, he has been making wild allegations concerning a student without proper review of the issues affecting staff and students on rolling basis at Dwight D Eisenhower Middle School and at Laurel High School. Picture Courtesy Doug Kapustin / For Baltimore Sun Media Group

Dr. Monica Goldson is the current interim CEO and she is an unexperienced administrator in matters which involve hostile environment in a large school district. There are confirmed allegations of cover ups of many issues in progress in PGCPS.

***

PGCPS Teacher Under Fire Over Slavery Lesson – Administration is accused of cover ups.

Laura Garon Mayhew

By Reform Sasscer Staff: 

Kids and parents say this Prince George’s County Public School (PGCPS) teacher needs a lesson — in racism.

Dwight D Eisenhower Middle School teacher Laura Garon Mayhew shocked and traumatized children in her social studies class when she singled out black students and told them to pose as slaves to serve as a visual representation to the three-fifths rule. She had 5 students go to the front and told them that 3 of them equaled one slave master. The other Social Studies teachers did not act out this scenario.

Later, Ms. Mayhew was asked by a student why they were not celebrating Black History Month and she mentioned that she was not celebrating it until everyone had a month and that it’s ridiculous to single one culture out,” students and a staffer said. A different student mentioned to another teacher that she mentioned wanted to have white history month. 

Fast forward to March, according to the students and staff in the school, she has the students doing a project celebrating Women’s Month and Irish History Month. 

For the insensitive comments, the principal recently sent out a letter to her 6th-period class, apologizing to the parents for the incident. This was after the principal required her to complete an incident report. (See below the letter sent out to the parents).

There are reports, this past Friday, Dr. Briscoe, made the teacher to verbally apologize to the students as well. Students and staff are not sure if she went out on leave, but they are doubtful of it.

There are confirmed reports that, this teacher has a history of berating black students because she was reported calling 2 students “niggers” under her breath. The statements were given to last year’s Instructional Director and nothing happened. The staff familiar with the situation believe it was because these were students who caused a lot of trouble within the building.

Students said Mayhew, who is white has been at Dwight D Eisenhower for over 5 years. She’s taught different subject areas in the past but now teaches social studies. Mayhew pulled the insensitive stunt in middle school grade classes as part of a unit on the infamous Middle Passage, in which Africans were kidnapped and brought to America as part of the slave trade. The population of slaves would be counted as three-fifths in total when apportioning Representatives, as well as Presidential electors and taxes. The Three-Fifths Compromise was proposed by James Wilson and Roger Sherman, who were both delegates for the Constitutional Convention of 1787.

Kids and adults in Dwight D Eisenhower Middle School, where the student body is 54.77% black, Hispanic 37.37% and 3.32% white and just 2.68% Asians, were horrified by the offensive lessons they said occurred in her class roughly two weeks ago.

“It was a lesson about slavery and the Triangle Trade as well as visual representation to the three-fifths rule,” said one of Dwight D Eisenhower Middle Schools’ students, who asked to remain anonymous.

“She picked the black kids,” the boy said, and instructed them to pose as slaves to serve as a visual representation to the three-fifths rule in front of the class. “She said, ‘You see how it was to be a slave?’ She said, ‘How does it feel?’ “

Dwight D Eisenhower Middle Schools’ ill-conceived lesson isn’t the first time a school teacher has grabbed headlines for giving offensive instruction involving slavery.

In 2013, two teachers from Manhattan Public School 59 taught a lesson that used killing and whipping slaves to teach subtraction and multiplication.

Those teachers weren’t disciplined, but they did receive training in cultural sensitivity, Education officials said.

In recent past, teachers who have displayed racism have been heavily disciplined.

However, in neighboring PGCPS Laurel High School, Principal Dwayne Jones who advanced misconduct and racism with Deborah Toppins is still on the job due to his connection and cover ups with ties to Monica Goldson who is the interim CEO.

In the Maryland  legislature this year, House of Delegates voted overwhelmingly to censure Delegate Mary Ann Lisanti over her use of a racist slur during an after-hours gathering with colleagues in which she called Prince George’s County “a nigger district”.

There are reports that, there are racial issues at Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School and this has caused many of the former teachers at the school to leave the school or the profession altogether. Majority of the administrators are not strong instructional leaders in this school and they heavily lean on IB Coordinator Stephen Mellen, who happens to be white, but runs the school.  Some of the students believe this their real principal and ignore the current one. This is based on information received. “That being said, it causes for a hostile work environment because the current Principal favors the majority of the white teachers who are empowered to treat our minority children and teachers the way in which they do,” the staff member who wanted to remain anonymous said.

Many staff members hope that the school would receive the help that it deserves. “I am surprised that this situation is happening in PG County,” the staff member stated. “Teachers and staff have been thrown out for less in that building,” the staff member emphasized. “They have been put out of the school for selling candy and/or making inappropriate comments,” the staff member added.

“It is very unfortunate that my journey here at Eisenhower has been filled with disproportionate consequences and opportunities among staff. The vast variety of disciplinary procedures, professional development opportunities, and leadership roles appears to all be based on either race, who you know, or who the principal is scared of instead of giving all staff equal opportunities,” statement issued anonymously stated. 

“I just want someone to help out our building because we are suffering in silence”, the staff member concluded.

We reached out to the teacher Ms. Mayhew for a response to these allegations and by the time of publishing, she had not yet responded.

A parent found out what happened at Ms. Mayhew class and this is what she emailed the teacher. 

My name is ——  and I am the mother of —-. Explain to me in full detail why you thought it was appropriate to have my African-American daughter and another student pose as slaves to serve as a visual representation to the three-fifths rule. Your discernment as an educator is cause for concern as that behavior is intolerable, insensitive and abhorrent. Making African-American children relive the trauma of discrimination that is a symptom of white supremacy is an act of violence. And you, a white woman inflicting harm on African-American children is a clear indication that you should not be allowed around our children, much less in a position of authority over them. Do you re-enact the Holocaust in your curriculum? Do you re-enact the Trail of Tears in your curriculum? My guess is no. So, why in a school where the majority of students are African-American did you commit this heinous act with no regard for the emotional trauma it would result in? Also, Black people were NEVER slaves. Black people were ENSLAVED. There is a big difference that impacts how our children view themselves. Everybody was born free. Black people were stolen, hunted, murdered, discarded and forced to perform inhumane, physical labor. We were enslaved by colonizers. I would appreciate that you teach our children the accurate history of their origins instead of cracking at their self esteem with the notion that they were born inferior. Additionally, my daughter came home to tell me that you said you weren’t celebrating Black History Month until everybody has a month and that it’s ridiculous to single one culture out. As an African-American studies major from the first university to teach African-American studies as an academic discipline, let me share this helpful piece of information that you should know; Black history IS American History. You are not singling out Black culture when you celebrate Black History Month. In fact, you’re re-inserting it into the fabric of America.

The principal sent out this letter and had her distribute it to one of her classes but it never went to the entire school.

View this document on Scribd

Principal John P. Mangrum, Dwight d Eisenhower middle

Dr. Briscoe, made the teacher to verbally apologize to the students as well.

Dr. Monica Goldson is the current interim CEO and she is an unexperienced administrator in matters which involve hostile environment in a large school district. There are confirmed allegations of cover ups of many issues in progress in PGCPS.

 

***

DMV rapper fatally shot and PGCPS student in double tragedy in Prince George’s County Friday, police say

Goonew, a successful rapper in the DMV area, was shot and killed in Prince George’s County. He was 24-years-old.

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. — Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD) is investigating a shooting that happened Friday in District Heights that left a rap artist from the DMV area dead.

Police identified the person killed in a statement as 24-year-old Markelle Morrow. The press confirmed with Morrow’s family, that the District Heights native, known to fans as “Goonew,” is a talented rap artist.

Prince George’s County police say officers responded to the first shooting about 4:50 p.m. in the 6300 block of Maxwell Drive in the Camp Springs area. In that shooting, a Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) student Keith Aaron Wade of Suitland and who was an upcoming rapper artist was shot dead.

Less than an hour later, gunfire erupted again in the 3400 block of Walters Lane in District Heights. That’s about a 4-mile drive from the first shooting scene.

Officers responded about 5:40 p.m. and found a man suffering from a life-threatening gunshot wound, police said.

He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead at 7:30 p.m., police said.

He was identified as 24-year-old Markelle Morrow of Washington, D.C.

Police didn’t immediately say whether the shootings could be related.

WUSA9 spoke to Goonew’s family Saturday about the impact the artist had on his family and the community. 

It’s not real for them. That someone would shoot her son and their brother in the back. One shot that would ultimately kill Markelle Morrow, better known as GOONEW. Tonight at 11 on @wusa9 we hear from his family about the sudden & tragic loss. pic.twitter.com/wvrlvzBw1h

— Megan Rivers (@MegMRivers) March 19, 2022

“I don’t believe this,” his mother, Patrice Parker Morrow said, looking at images of her late son. “I really don’t. My baby’s gone.”

Parker Morrow was surrounded by her daughters, all of whom were grief-stricken. 

“All he wanted to do is try to get his family out the hood,” Parker Morrow said. “He had a heart bigger than his body, when they took him, they took me.”

Goonew was killed blocks away from the neighborhood where he was born. His mother says he was killed when he was on his way to give his sister a birthday gift, but never made it.

“I heard … screaming that Markelle got shot down the street and my daughter ran straight out and I couldn’t move I this was shaking really bad my mouth starts shivering really bad,” Parker Morrow said. “I just couldn’t move for a long long time.”

In the parking lot where he was shot, a memorial sits. Goonew’s mother says it was ultimately a bullet to the back that killed him.

“They wanted my son dead because he gave it up. They took his chain. They took his watch. He gave it up and they still shot him in his back,” Parker Morrow said.

The Washington Post described Goonew’s artistry, saying the rapper “seemed to understand that time is not uniform, and he proved it with astonishing style, his nuanced flows becoming closely associated with the DMV, influencing rappers in neighboring Zip codes and overseas.”

Goonew told Vice News in an interview he started rapping in 2017. He has an average of 35,500 monthly Spotify listeners, more than 158,000 Instagram followers, and three of his music videos respectively have about 1 million views on YouTube.

PGPD is still looking for anyone connected to Goonew’s death and is offering a $25,000 reward for information that can possibly lead to an arrest or conviction. 

Anyone with information about the shooting should call detectives at 301-516-2512. People can also call the Prince George’s County Crime Solvers with anonymous tips at 1-866-411-8477.

Goonew’s mother has a message for her son’s killed. 

“I forgive you,” she said. They took my son, hope they got what they wanted.”

(PGCPS) teenager 19-year-old Keith Aaron Wade of Suitland who attended Dr. Henry wise High School in Upper Marlboro was killed Friday afternoon.

POOR LEADERSHIP OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM

At least 10 juveniles were killed last year in Prince George’s County, Maryland which was the worst year for teen violence in the county since 2008.

County Executive Alsobrooks engaged in crimes herself has recently implored the community to come together to “disrupt the cycle of violence that is growing again.”

According to Alsobrooks, for example, there have been 162 carjackings in Prince George’s County. She acknowledged on or around January 11th that, juveniles are responsible for 96 of them.

“And so this tells us a lot about where we’re headed. And we must do something right now to disrupt it,” Alsobrooks said.

Dr. Monica Goldson a CEO for PGCPS who was selected through public corruption has never spoken publicly about the out of control fights and public corruption sweeping quietly through the school system. These willful violations include closing down schools ready for real estate option, paying off lawyers, siphoning money off to friends and family etc. Prince George’s county citizens must raise up and demand answers without delay. These out of control fights and other purposeful disregard are not fair to county residents, their families and United States.

More and more violent behavior from students these days, the students need help and they are NOT getting it! More needs to be done to safe lives. To be effective, violence prevention programs require community-wide collaborative efforts led by school system leader that include students, families, teachers, administrators, staff, social and mental health professionals, law enforcement, emergency response personnel, security professionals, school board members, parents and the businesses. The school system leader takes an active role to effect change and not hide in the closet and wish these problems away. Dr. Monica Goldson “Goldson” has failed to provide proper leadership style for sometime! It’s time to advance changes without fear.

PROTECTING INVESTIMENTS

“All the investments we make in education become irrelevant if children aren’t safe at school,” stressed Jaime Saavedra, Global Director for Education, World Bank. “Preventing violence is not an easy public policy. It requires the complex interweaving of actions at the school, community, and national levels. To underpin this undertaking, it is essential that countries, the states and counties have the political will to drive change. The evidence from the Investment Case and collective action from partners will be key in driving this change.”

Violence in schools is pervasive, but rigorous evaluations of a range of interventions show that it can be reduced through innovative programs not coverups and retaliations. Many tested programs have high benefits-to-cost ratios. 

Ending violence in schools is possible, a smart investment, and there are proven interventions to do it. The court system must do what is right and not cover up the issues. When the court system fails, people take issues to the streets. We need to create a movement to make change happen, and Safe to Learn is there to catalyze and support action at scale.

It is about time that long-term and ongoing public corruption involving judges in Prince George’s county is ferreted out and exterminated from our judicial system. Every judge who has interfered with by the Executives and lawmakers and placed on the bench should be immediately impeached and barred from serving/practicing in the judicial system for life. This would apply from the PG Court house on upwards.

***

PGCPS Wise High School Teen is Killed in Separate Prince George’s County Shootings: Police says.

Detectives with Prince George’s county Homicide Unit are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred Friday in Camp Springs. The victim is a Prince George’s county Public School (PGCPS) teenager 19-year-old Keith Aaron Wade of Suitland who attended Dr. Henry wise High School in Upper Marlboro. He was killed yesterday according to Facebook postings and was also a promising local musician. 

There has been outpouring of grief in the community after his death. In what appears as a never ending violence affecting the Prince George’s county schools. Reactions on social media about Wade’s death have been swift. Here is a sample….

“When will we stop killing each other if Black Lives Matter do they matter to Black people this is so sad,” wrote Phyllis Wright

“So sad to hear this!! He had a special place in my heart!”, Shannon Fulmer

Sending my thoughts and prayers to the family and all who knew him. May The Lord comfort you all, wrote Shawanda Luvs JadenandJaniyah

“Another one of our babies taken too soon!  Prayers to his family “said Nikki Stevens on facebook.

“Condolences to all who knew him. God give his family, friends and school family strength. ” Sistah Nubia wrote.

“My daughter told me about this she was really sad,” said Tia J Carter

“…………Maybe the crisis team should remind the school staff how they should respond after a crisis such as this. I know for a fact that there has been no ongoing support since Quincy’s death…it just seems it’s just business as usual. You’re absolutely right, everyone grieves differently and it seems that the school systems response to a child who is grieving is suspension or sending them to an alternative school. A lot of these children were already grieving before these two tragedies. We seem to forget that they basically were in the house for almost two years, some children probably lost parents and family members. Some children had to go get jobs because their parents lost jobs during the pandemic. Some children may be facing homelessness soon now that the moratorium has ended. However, the school seems to not care about any of this. These children are facing and dealing with things that a child should never have to face or deal with and instead of the school system teaching them how deal with their emotions and allowing them to grieve…they punish them when it comes out the wrong way. Now, two young lives are lost from the same school; within months of each other. If this is not handled properly…these children are going to start shutting down”, said Veronica L. Myles

“Also keep in mind that the crisis team is comprised of specialists from all over the county who specialize in crisis management. They have to return to their respective locations once they’ve provided support to the school in need,” said Roshanda Shon Sandy a pgcps staff member at Wise.

“Roshanda Shon Sandy no, that’s not what I’m saying. What I’m saying is these kids are clearly in crisis and the schools are handling it wrong. I will send you a message directly because I do not want to turn this post into my personal rant,” Veronica L. Myles responded.

A reward of up to $25,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case. 

On March 18, 2022, at approximately 4:50 pm, patrol officers were called to the 6300 block of Maxwell Drive for a report of a shooting.  They discovered the victim in a parking lot suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead on the scene. 

Detectives are actively working to identify a suspect(s) and a motive. 

If anyone has information relevant to this investigation, they are asked to please call detectives at 301-516-2512.  Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477), or go online at www.pgcrimesolvers.com, or use the “P3 Tips” mobile app (search “P3 Tips” in the Apple Store or Google Play to download the app onto your mobile device.) Please refer to case number 22-0013225. 

At least 10 juveniles were killed last year in Prince George’s County, Maryland which was the worst year for teen violence in the county since 2008.

County Executive Alsobrooks engaged in crimes herself has recently implored the community to come together to “disrupt the cycle of violence that is growing again.”

According to Alsobrooks, for example, there have been 162 carjackings in Prince George’s County. She acknowledged on or around January 11th that, juveniles are responsible for 96 of them.

“And so this tells us a lot about where we’re headed. And we must do something right now to disrupt it,” Alsobrooks said.

Dr. Monica Goldson a CEO for PGCPS who was selected through public corruption has never spoken publicly about the out of control fights and public corruption sweeping quietly through the school system. These willful violations include closing down schools ready for real estate option, paying off lawyers, siphoning money off to friends and family etc. Prince George’s county citizens must raise up and demand answers without delay. These out of control fights and other purposeful disregard are not fair to county residents, their families and United States.

More and more violent behavior from students these days, the students need help and they are NOT getting it! More needs to be done to safe lives. To be effective, violence prevention programs require community-wide collaborative efforts led by school system leader that include students, families, teachers, administrators, staff, social and mental health professionals, law enforcement, emergency response personnel, security professionals, school board members, parents and the businesses. The school system leader takes an active role to effect change and not hide in the closet and wish these problems away. Dr. Monica Goldson “Goldson” has failed to provide proper leadership style for sometime! It’s time to advance changes without fear.

PROTECTING INVESTIMENTS

“All the investments we make in education become irrelevant if children aren’t safe at school,” stressed Jaime Saavedra, Global Director for Education, World Bank. “Preventing violence is not an easy public policy. It requires the complex interweaving of actions at the school, community, and national levels. To underpin this undertaking, it is essential that countries have the political will to drive change. The evidence from the Investment Case and collective action from partners will be key in driving this change.”

Violence in schools is pervasive, but rigorous evaluations of a range of interventions show that it can be reduced through innovative programs. Many tested programs have high benefits-to-cost ratios. 

“Ending violence in schools is possible, a smart investment, and there are proven interventions to do it.  We need to create a movement to make change happen, and Safe to Learn is there to catalyze and support action at scale,” emphasized Howard Taylor.

***

Fiona Apple Wants to Hold PG Courts Accountable

Our courts also have a big corruption problem starting with prince George’s County court House in Upper Marlboro. For years, County Executives use it to deny justice to people they do not like by interfering with the state court system willfully.

Court-watchers in PG County have a musical advocate who is amplifying the need for advocates to see what’s going on inside courtrooms.

Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Fiona Apple came to prominence during the 90’s era of empowered women demanding to take center stage with their voices and concerns. And she’s now urging others to raise their own voices and join her as a PG County court watcher.

**LANGUAGE WARNING**

Like Fiona says, contact Chairman Clippenger at (301) 858-3488 about HB0647 and Chairman Smith at (301) 858-3634 about SB0469 and demand that they advance this crucial piece of legislation. pic.twitter.com/g4XNxjKIqa

— MAKE COURTS ACCESSIBLE! (@courtwatchpg) March 17, 2022

The legislation Apple is advocating for Marylanders to pass is Senate Bill 0469 and House Bill 0647, which guarantees public audio-visual virtual access to all criminal & civil proceedings. Maintaining remote access to courtrooms, according to the folks using the slogan Keep Courts Virtual say it just makes sense to keep the same rules that already allowed remote put in place for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The group that sparked Apple’s activism is Court Watch PG, an organization founded by two Black women who have experienced incarceration. The organization offers training for people who will monitor court proceedings. It isn’t a requirement to live in PG County.

OPINION

It is about time that this long-term and ongoing public corruption is ferreted out and exterminated from our judicial system. Bravo!! Every judge interfered with by the Executives and lawmakers and placed on the bench should be immediately impeached and barred from serving/practicing in the judicial system for life. This would apply from the PG Court house on upwards.

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PGCPS 13-Year-Old Girls students Found After Being Missing for 10 Days

Alaiya Robinson and Jeniah Clayton-Bowman, 13, have been found and are safe, according to Prince George’s County Police.

DISTRICT HEIGHTS, Md. — UPDATE: Prince George’s County Police say two 13-year-old girls who had been missing for more than a week were found and are safe Friday. Prince George’s County Police shared the news in a tweet early Friday morning.

https://twitter.com/PGPDNews/status/1504689199181701121?s=20&t=ADyuDBZUafxOfGETXsIQ5Q

The families of Alaiya Robinson and Jeniah Clayton Bowman had been begging the community for help to find two teen girls since last week.

The girls were found after a citizen saw them walking around after midnight and called the parents and guardian, Reform Sasscer Movement secretariat has learned.

They had been last seen by their families on March 7 when they went to middle school in Forestville that morning.

Police said the two girls spent three nights at a friend’s house and were spotted at other locations after that.

But the fact that they hadn’t come home had police and their families worried.

“I’m concerned; I have had some not-so-good days, you know,” Jeniah’s aunt Jalesa Clayton said while the girls were missing. “Sitting by the phone, by the door; she has her own key, and I have been leaving the latch off so she can walk right in.”

Clayton has full custody of her niece. She said the 13-year-old got into some trouble at school and was suspended. She thinks Jeniah might think she’s in more trouble than she is.

“I think they made a dumb decision, but I do feel that they need us right now to come get them from wherever they are,” she said.

Police had classified their disappearance as a critical missing case due to the length of time they were away from home.

At least 10 juveniles were killed last year in Prince George’s County, Maryland which was the worst year for teen violence in the county since 2008.

County Executive Alsobrooks engaged in crimes herself has recently implored the community to come together to “disrupt the cycle of violence that is growing again.”

According to Alsobrooks, for example, there have been 162 carjackings in Prince George’s County. She acknowledged on or around January 11th that, juveniles are responsible for 96 of them.

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Two PGCPS teens missing after being last seen in school at (PGCPS) Drew Freeman Middle School.

(PGCPS) Drew Freeman Middle School (courtesy photo)

There are two missing 13-year-olds in Prince George’s County Public schools (PGCPS) based at Drew Freeman Middle School.

Prince George’s County Police are looking for Jeniah Chi’Ann-Bowman and Alaiya Maria Robinson, both are students at PGCPS – Drew Freeman Middle School.

Jeniah was last seen getting off a school bus stop Penn Southern Apartments walking to Ashton heights Apartments.

Alaiya Maria Robinson was last seen at Drew Freeman Middle School around 3:00pm on March 7th, 2022.

Police describe Jeniah as a 5’5 and 145 pounds, she was last seen wearing black polo shirt, oversized “Tan” hoodie with khaki pants and grew boots.

Police describe Alaiya as a 5’3 and 140 pounds, she was last seen wearing black polo shirt, khaki pants, grey sneakers and grey “Nike” zip up hoodie.

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Conservatives: On the Wrong Side of History Again

Leonard Pitts Jr., a columnist for the Miami Herald, opines that conservatives have always been on the wrong side of history. They fought the civil rights movement. They fought women’s rights. Now they’re fighting gay rights.

He writes:

They have never once been right.

Did you ever notice that? Do you ever think about it? Never once.

Oh, in matters of, say, foreign affairs or military strategy, one might contend that conservatives have had their moments, made arguments that, arguably, made sense. But on matters of social evolution, they’ve compiled a remarkable record: They’ve never been vindicated by history. Rather, they’ve always been repudiated by it, always been wrong…

Barry Goldwater once saying that he had nothing against a woman running for vice president, “just so she can cook and get home on time…”

Nor are the right’s wrongs limited to matters of human freedom. Every art form that ever dared deviate from status quo — music, film, books, comic books — has had to run a gauntlet of conservative opprobrium. As far back as the 1920s, they were up in arms over a new music called jazz.

It’s a history that provides a jaundiced context for the latest right wing crusade. Meaning the one against LGBTQ kids. Florida’s Legislature passed its obnoxious “Don’t Say Gay” bill last week. Gov. Ron DeSantis, evidently determined to leave no principle untrampled in his hoped-for march to the White House, is expected to sign it….

Which brings them into conflict with conservatism’s reflexive terror of anything that does not fit inside the white picket fence of its imagination. That tendency to look ever backward toward an imagined better past, that timorous inability to face the future — heck, to face the present — and the challenges of change, is what had conservatives at odds with everyone from Louis Armstrong to Martin Luther King to Gloria Steinem.

Now it has them standing between children and their teachers and doctors. It is cold comfort to know that these acts of invasive cruelty will one day stand condemned by history, but they will. We’ve seen this movie too many times to doubt it. You’d think that would matter to conservatives; you’d think they’d think about it. Then you remember that fear and thought are incompatible; it’s almost impossible for them to exist in the same space.

So LGBTQ kids and their allies can only put their heads down, work for change and take such satisfaction as they may find in the fact that, where social evolution is concerned, conservatives lost the 20th century.

Now they’re about to lose the 21st.

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PGCPS Students going home hungry, refusing to eat cafeteria meals

Suitland, Maryland (Reform Sasscer)  — Many parents throughout Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) District are “disheartened” at their student’s complaints about the food after returning to schools. Most parents are upset and frustrated with the food on their kids’ lunch trays, or lack thereof.. They say their kids’ school breakfast and lunch include bad foods, spoiled produce and chips too spicy to eat.

Lately, however, some parents say lunch items are so bad that, they are inedible.

Photographs posted to the various Facebook group pages showed a school lunch with what appears like a rotten cheese stuck on the plate and another with tangerine that had begun to rot and mold around the stem.

“And this is why I still have to complain and call my congressman. They provide my kids with bad breakfast and lunch…. this is what the school is packing and delivering,” Michelle Thompson wrote. “Yeah ok and I’m not supposed to say anything with this messed food. Parents if you’re home, please talk to your kids and check what foods they are getting in schools and if you’re not please tell your kids to check their food for anything that’s opened or rotten. This was the last fodder for me.”

Other parents chimed in, saying they have had other problems with PGCPS-provided meals. In particular, many complained about messed up food not fit for consumption which their kids could not eat.

“I did complain to the nutrition office about the bad food,” Jeff Gorsuch wrote. “It takes parents calling, emailing, etc., to get it changed. Not sure how much control they have on what is sent to them, though, but I have not seen quite as many since school started back in January (but maybe they just pack his bag with a different flavor since I complained). I just want them to put in 2 days’ worth of milk in the 2-day bags since that is the one thing my special needs kiddo drinks every morning and it definitely helps the grocery budget.”

“Everyone needs to consider two things with looking at this photo. 1. This young man is holding a plate upside down and the FOOD is NOT moving. 2. Would you eat this? It doesn’t matter if this was all that was offered. It doesn’t matter if his mother had the option to pack a lunch or not. What matters is…what we are looking is clearly not fit for human consumption or the consumption of any animal“, wrote Veronica L. Myles.

PGCPS MESS

“I need the ppl making decisions to eat the mess. Then we’ll see soMe changes. Our children deserve better,” wrote Relle Thomas.

“My son says the lunches are absolutely horrible. Lots of mold or rotten food. Such a shame,” wrote Suzanne P Voelker.

“My son won’t eat the HS lunch and my daughter just asked me to buy a bento box so she can take real food to school”, said a pg parent on facebook.

“My son attends Bowie High and hates the school lunch. I was scolded by the front office secretary for bringing him chik fila one day because I was in the area running errands. I had to put her in her place and tell her this wouldn’t be an everyday occurrence, but he was getting that meal that day,” said Stacey Mac

“I have written countless complaints. We must demand more for our students,” said Ama Keisha Trotter Nelson.

Tiffanie Dickerson wrote, “It’s pretty sad what we have received- more than half of it is not even edible. I’m so sick of these bad foods shenanigans.”

“My high school kid doesn’t eat at school either. He takes snacks and buys from the vending machine. That food is free at school but it’s so bad, no one is eating it. I feel for anyone where school lunch is their only meal opportunity,” wrote Jennifer Thorne Whitaker.

PGCPS employee Lucy Mina Roster wrote that, “I work for the school system. Your school itself has no control over what they serve. YOU as the parent are complaining to the wrong people. Talk to Human resources and food and nutrition office. I strongly advise it”.

“This may be an unpopular opinion…but parents have every right to complain. Everyone on this post is a taxpayer, and a portion of your taxes go to the school system. Also, when you pay Federal taxes…that includes things like USDA who set the “nutrition” standards. Without taxes…the government would have NO MONEY. So, as a parent who pays into this system…I and every other concerned parent should be able to voice their opinion. The cost of groceries has increased tremendously. A pound of ground beef is now $10 to $11.00 per lb; lunch meat has increased to $5.00 and $6.00 a pack. Some parents literally can not afford to pack lunch every day of the week. The cost to order Uber eats, Doordash, etc…is astronomical. After paying delivery fees, tips and service fees…a meal that was supposed to cost $6.00 now cost you $20.00. Students aren’t even allowed to receive deliveries at the school. A lot of schools only have maybe two microwaves; so by the time you get a chance to heat up your food…lunch is over. My daughter’s school even had a problem with me dropping off lunch to her because of “safety” concerns,” said Veronica L. Myles, whose grader attends PGCPS system.

“You should be able to be comfortable with where they’re going to school and are they being fed properly,” said Dortson Watson Jr, whose 7th grader attends Martin Luther King Middle School. At the beginning of the school year, Watson’s son wanted to eat the meals supplied in the cafeteria at school, but eventually changed his mind.

“He approached me in the kitchen and said, ‘Can I pack my lunch today?’ and I said, ‘Well yeah, did you not like what you had yesterday?’… And he said ‘No, I had the bread and the chips were stale and it was gross, then I got two bites into my salad and lunch was over.”

Another parent Cheri A. Tyner who recently relocated to Atlanta from PGCPS District but has a home locally responded “yes, parents have a right to complain, but they don’t have a right to demand gourmet meals to their children for school lunch. The price of groceries is not a school issue, that issue should be taken up with the proper authority. Someone mentioned Monica Goldson saying she should be ashamed of what she’s providing students for lunch. Monica does not make the decision about meal prep for school lunches. We’ve spoiled our children into believing that lunch isn’t lunch unless it is hot…public education didn’t just start with the invent of UberEats and DoorDash, parent’s shouldn’t have to deliver lunch to their child, when did bag lunches become a thing of the past?.

Veronica L. Myles who has kids in the PGCPS system responded to Cheri Tyner that, .”...actually you do…that’s what you pay taxes for. If that’s the case, let me forgo paying the portion of my taxes that goes towards the free lunch program and I will take that extra money and do as I please. That’s like when you go to a restaurant…you expect a certain quality of food…because you’re paying for it. Furthermore, it doesn’t have to be gourmet; however it should fit for human consumption and what I’m looking at certainly is not. My dog eats better than this.”

Another parent responded, “that’s the problem. Parents believe that school lunches are supposed to be restaurant quality. It’s not supposed to be. The kids come through the line feeling entitled because mommy said that the food is nasty. You have to understand that we as food service assistant and managers have to follow protocol and procedures. We have to follow recipes to the exact step. If the food requires to seasoned then we use seasoning. If it requires us to not loosen up the Mac and cheese with milk or water then we don’t. Everything is premade upon arrival, we only heat/cool to required temperature. Y’all have to understand that PG county itself don’t have control many times with things like this. It’s Maryland as a state that make the rules”

Jessie Vitale told the other parents “Yup. Take it up with congress. They set the standards and seriously bare minimum standards at that. That’s what I was told. It’s disgusting though to me. It’s not nutritious or filling.”

In many Title 1 schools, several parents on Facebook claim that, due to the effects of the pandemic, they cannot afford to pack their child’s lunch every day. School meals are all free for the time being due to COVID-19 in some places.

Another parent Mkesia Milton Smith shared a photo that his child took at lunch, alarmed at what they were served, “Look at this my son said it was hard too.”

pgcps parent Mkesia Milton Smith said, “Look at this my son said it was hard too“

“Are we really gonna act like school lunches have ever really been nutrious? When has nutrition ever been a priority in this country enough that it would be pushed from govt to the cafeteria table. We spend time being appalled like history isn’t evident. And our current congress isnt going to care either…pack their lunch and adress things that are truly actionable. Outrage can be fruitless…this is an example”, wrote K.D. Myles.

“There’s room for error in a lot of things, but when it comes to taking care of children I don’t believe there is room for error,” said Mastina who reached out outraged by the lack of response.

“My son orders Uber eats for lunch. Has it delivered to his teacher, so they won’t say anything,” says the community has made her aware of their concerns.

“It hurts my heart, cause… We don’t want anyone to have a bad experience right off the bat because it’s hard to get those kids back if they have had a bad taste in their mouths,” said Monica Gales.

When seeing the photos, Monica Gales says the meals are “not her expectation” and encourages parents to reach out to CEO Monica Goldson directly with any concerns since she controls the money.

However, Mkesia Milton Smith who started a major public thread about bad cafeteria school foods added that, “well we had a meeting yesterday and was told our kids are not supposed to do that nor staff is suppose to support Uber eats, door dash for the students.”

Another parent raised issues of gang activity at Bowie High school, “how do you like Bowie HS? Specifically for STEM and math? Distractions? Gang activity? ….. that was a loaded question but I don’t know anyone who’s kid goes there and I live in Fairwood,” asked Lohan Leigh.

“I don’t like Bowie. My son started 9th grade in 2020. The administration staff unorganized we need another high school built. My son was in tag 2-8th grade. I haven’t seen or heard of any gang activity, but fights do occur. My son states the teachers don’t really teach they give them busy work on there chrome books. He wishes the taught more. His math teacher he hasnt had any issues. He didn’t get a chemistry teacher until December. I only found out that he had a long term sub because my son told me. No notification from school. I can’t speak on Stem. Just be proactive with the guidance counselor, teachers and you’re kid.

9th graders at the annex, 10-12th in main building,” Stacey Mac said.

Quality Food Evaluation of all foods

Another parent PGCPS parent Arthur Jackson wrote, ….” Who is the Bowie School Board Member ? My cousin is a Former School Board Member in District 6, Belinda Queen she is running for PGC Council in District 6 but she could be helpful in launching a Quality Food Evaluation of all foods in all PGC Schools by establishing a Task force in each school district which must include parents, students and school officials. Our Children deserve healthy, tasty and safe meals.”

“That’s nothing compared to what they serve at ECCs…and they are in the most need for everything in this county and no one ever mentions them. They are babies!!“, wrote Smiley Bell

“Was this all that was offered or just what he selected? I don’t have a kid in highschool but in elementary and they have a lot to choose from. I also went to Bowie and we always had a lot to choose from then but that was 20 years ago,” wrote Nicole Law

“ok so that was my question and the kids are telling me that’s all they are getting …I used to work with pg county schools and the lunches were not bad I use get salad, sandwiches they are telling me there are no choices…”, wrote Mkesia Milton Smith.

“ABC7 Has this non nutritional and questionable Bowie High School luch been reported to ABC7 News Channel? They have been covered issues in the classroom for a while,“wrote Allmondeemomma Brown.

Throughout the back-and-forth with in the various discussions, parents raised a grab bag of issues about their schools, including site-based budgets, parking-lot safety, bullying, gang activity, even dress codes and more.

But towards the end, one mom brought up her teenage daughter’s school lunches, and almost everyone in the room piled on. From schools around the district, they shared complaints about ingredient quality and dietary restrictions. Many said they’d resorted to making lunches for their kids.

PGCPS School Board Chairperson Dr. Juanita Miller had not responded by the time of going to the press. However, Parents should contact their Principal or Director of Nutrition and CEO Dr. Monica Goldson. We will follow up in several weeks to see if there any changes.

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Top Maryland Democratic Party official resigns after questioning electability of Black candidates

Barbara Goldberg Goldman, a prolific donor who was the Maryland Democratic party’s deputy treasurer, resigned on Monday.

By Ovetta Wiggins – A top Maryland Democratic Party official who questioned whether voters would elect a Black candidate for governor stepped down on Monday as calls for her departure escalated.

Barbara Goldberg Goldman, a prolific donor who was the party’s deputy treasurer, resigned on Monday. She also publicly apologized for the comments.

“We do not condone or support the comments in her email,” Democratic Party Chair Yvette Lewis said in a statement announcing Goldberg Goldman’s departure. “They do not represent the values of the Maryland Democratic Party.”

The resignation came shortly after John B. King Jr., a former U.S. education secretary, and Rushern L. Baker III, a former county executive in Prince George’s, called for her to step down.

Her remarks, which surfaced Sunday in a report from Axios, were made in a December email to party insiders about endorsing former Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez in the state’s gubernatorial primary. Goldberg Goldman wrote: “Consider this: Three African American males have run statewide for Governor and have lost. Maryland is not a Blue state. It’s a purple one. This is a fact we must not ignore.”

The state, which according to 2020 U.S. Census data is home to the most diverse population on the East Coast, has yet to elect a Black governor. That could change this year, with three Black candidates vying to replace Gov. Larry Hogan (R), who is term-limited.

Baker, who is making his second straight bid for governor, initially said that he didn’t agree but that Democratic leaders’ skepticism of Black Democratic candidates’ ability to be elected statewide was “fair criticism, understanding we haven’t seen it happen yet.” But on Monday, after he became aware of the email, he lambasted Goldberg Goldman’s comments, saying “such comments merely serve to excuse and legitimize acts of institutional racism, whether at the voting booth, in our corridors of government or our institutions of business and civic life.”

Former gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous late Sunday described her comments as racist in a tweet comparing her words to those of Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, the author of the 1857 Supreme Court decision stating that Black people were “regarded as beings of an inferior order” with “no rights which the white man was bound to respect.”

Maryland Democratic Party Deputy Treasurer Barbara Goldberg Goldman's racist comments about Black candidates are intolerable. She must step down. https://t.co/23fSW2sYLE

— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) March 14, 2022

Read more >>> Top Maryland Democratic Party official resigns after questioning electability of Black candidates

OPINION

The Democratic Party is farther gone tarnished and selective in many ways than we thought. If a private email to 20 politicos can’t ask an uncomfortable question. Evidently no recipient made a fuss when they received the email in December. It became a problem only when it became public. Just more hypocrisy and virtue-signaling. Baker in particular is racist and discriminatory after he interfered with court order and discriminatory practices within the Prince George’s county circuit court in 2012-2013 years. He should resign as a candidate for Maryland governor.

Marylanders overwhelmingly voted for Obama, so the idea that they wouldn’t vote for a black person for governor doesn’t really make sense. Baker, Brown and Jealous just weren’t good candidates. It’s coincidental that they were all black. Baker engaged in public corruption and interfered with the court system and lawyers hired by employees which continues to this day. He cannot win governorship this way. Funny thing about skin color, is that when it is cut, all skin colors bleed the same color.

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Parental choices on junk food, healthy eating influence children

It’s no surprise that young children like sugar and salt in their food and develop their preferences based on what their parents feed them, but new research suggests that how parents view their own self-regulation also is a contributing factor.

Food systems heavy in calories and light on recommended nutrition are a major factor contributing to global obesity and are a major challenge to parents of young children, says T. Bettina Cornwell, Phillip H. Knight Chair and head of the Department of Marketing in the University of Oregon’s Lundquist College of Business.

She’s lead author on a paper in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing. The research explored the underlying dynamics of parental food preferences and how they are passed along to children by parental food choices for meals.

“A parent’s preference for sugar, fat and salt in their diet influences the amount of junk food they provide children in a typical week and in turn, this influences the child’s preference for sugar, fat and salt,” Cornwell said. “We show that regularly providing 3- to 5-year-old children with junk food influences their preferences for the same tastes. It also makes them less willing to eat vegetables.”

The four-member team developed two studies to explore how rigid parents are toward strategies of growth, learning and self-control. These mindsets, or lay theories, underlie everyday ideas about behavior, she said. At play is how limited or unlimited self-control is seen and whether it is fixed or malleable.

The fried chicken is piled high at Country’s Barbecue in Columbus, Georgia. Southern cooking reigns here with specialties such as barbecue, ribs, and Brunswick Stew. (Mary Ann Anderson/MCT via Getty Images)

In the first study, researchers used self-report surveys from the parents of 81 preschool children to assess whether the frequency of exposure to junk food helps transmit parental tastes to the children. A solid connection was found, Cornwell said.

The second study dug deeper to see if parents’ mindsets influenced how often they exposed their children to junk food and what their children ate at school. Researchers drew from survey responses from 122 parent-children pairs and direct observations of preschoolers choosing vegetables during lunchtime.

Again, the researchers identified strong results. Children who were often exposed to fast and highly processed food at home were less likely to eat vegetables at preschool.

“A parent’s preference for sugar, fat and salt in their diet as well as their views of self-control come together to influence their choice to regularly give a child junk food,” Cornwell said. “Parents with a lower preference for sugar, fat and salt and with a growth mindset regarding developing self-control tend to limit the amount of junk food they provide to their children.”

The overall findings, Cornwell said, are clear: What parents do at home when it comes to meal selection influences the food choices their children make away from home.

Parents, she said, should explore their own beliefs about self-control to understand how they influence their children’s developing food preferences. Doing so, she said, may help parents improve their own diets in a way that benefits how their children eat.

There also are implications for the food industry.

Food manufacturers and brand managers, meanwhile, need to recognize that their heavy reliance on hyperpalatable products — those high in fat, salt and sugars that combine to override the ability to control consumption — often make it hard for children meet guidelines for healthy daily diets.

“Eating even a single fast food or processed meal as currently found in the marketplace makes it hard, if not impossible, for children to fall within the U.S. dietary guidelines for the entire day,” Cornwell said. “Products should be reformulated to be less hyperpalatable and new, healthier products should be developed.

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PGCPS Videos of Fights at Maryland Middle School Raise Concerns About Students’ Mental Health

By NBC4 News: Three videos of violent fights from inside of Walker Mill Middle School in Capitol Heights, Maryland, have been making their way around the student body this week.

“She said she doesn’t feel safe,” said the mother of a student involved in one of the fights. “She’s had multiple incidents where she’s been bullied.”

It was especially traumatizing as the pandemic had already impacted her children emotionally. She’s worries about other kids their age. 

“I feel like a lot of them fell into depression not being able to be around people, so it affected their social skills,” she said. “So, I think it greatly impacted all students.”

“Social media gets in the way of people dealing face-to-face,” said Dr. Ometha Lewis-Jack, a clinical psychologist and interim chair of psychology at Bowie State University.

“Anger is the be all and end all, and that’s the easy one to put out there, but underneath it we have the depression, we have the anxiety, we have all the things with kids coming back together after being away that they have not voiced and have not gotten help with,” she said.

In February, Prince George’s County Public Schools Chief Operating Officer Mark Fossett said they’ve seen an uptick in emotionally charged interaction by some students since the return to in-person learning.

“The way for us to get out of these situations is to offer students more support, you know, support around mental health, how to resolve the issues that they may have,” he said.

PGCPS has a new program operating at 146 of its 208 schools that includes social-emotional support and at least one licensed mental health clinician on staff. Lewis-Jack said those are positive steps. 

“The school has to start thinking these are our children and let’s put things in place so it doesn’t get to the next level,” said.

A spokesperson with PGCPS says they have a plan to have full-time contractual therapists in all of their schools by the 2023-24 school year.

via NBC4

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