The board and Obeng announced that guidelines for material to be published in the Burlington High School Register are no longer in effect. Instead, the board and administration will develop a policy that is consistent with the free speech and student journalist protections under Vermont’s New Voices law, the announcement said.
It effectively scuttles a policy that BHS principal Noel Green conveyed Friday, after a dramatic week of shifting decisions over coverage.
On Tuesday, Green ordered Register editors and their teacher-adviser to remove a story from the paper’s website that detailed Vermont Education Agency allegations of unprofessional conduct against BHS guidance director Mario Macias. He denies the allegations.
Critics decried that decision as a step backward.
The statement said, “The Burlington School Board, together with its administration, looks forward to a policy-making process that is student-centered, and which involves the BHS Register and local First Amendment experts and organizations, with the aim of producing a policy that may become a model for all Vermont school districts.”
The statement noted that the New Voices law, passed last year, is “intended to ensure free speech and free press protections for public school students in order to encourage students to become educated, informed, and responsible members of society.”
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Affirmative Action is discrimination. It’s also anti-intellectual and anti-progress.
When the FOUR BHS guidance counselors QUIT in PROTEST last fall, that should have been the beginning of the end of Macias and Obeng, and Green as well. Now Obeng and Green are up to their necks in even more scandal, with even more evidence of incompetence and immorality, and nothing will happen because anybody who stands up to them will be called RACIST, just like Wick of the school board last year.
Until people care more about meritocracy, and right and wrong, more than they fear being called a racist, Obeng and his cronies will continue to get away with anything and everything, all while maintaining complete contempt for the chumps who let them get away with it.
Flashback: Burlington School Board Approves Flying the Black Lives Matter Flag
POSTED BY MOLLY WALSH ON TUE, FEB 13, 2018
It is true that race is always involved in everything in America, but I disagree with the above comment completely. First of all, seeking diversity is not “affirmative action”. It is seeking diversity, which in Burlington is overdue, Secondly, the only superintendent I thought did a really great job in the 40 years I have lived in Burlington was Paul Danyow. All the others were also white. Thirdly, three white school employees can and have done worse. ( I actually had no idea the principal was African American until I saw his picture yesterday)
We can criticize bad behavior without having to bring race into it, although in some ways I thank you for writing what you did because I am sure a lot of people were thinking it, so best to discuss it.
To get back to the main point. The school board and the administration have lost their way and the public knows it. It’s why all but one school board member up for reelection last March lost. The system needs to be rehabed. Scores need to go up and we need to focus less on bureaucracy and more or morale and results!
And before we vote on $70 million dollars we need to have confidence in the people who are going to spend it.
Young Grandma, this is a failure of governance by the previous board. They would love to have you make that argument. Porter and Seguino abdicated all of their responsibilities of oversight and drove the district into the ground in a variety of ways other than just supporting incompetent administrators.
Developing a policy consistent with the New Voices legislation is a sensible and appropriate move on the part of the district — in effect, saving the district from the principal and the principal from himself.
It’s also notable that the New Voices legislation requires every district to develop such a policy and it should have been in place prior to this fiasco.
Even more notable in reference to the intertwined issue of the guidance director’s employment status is the fact that the superintendent, the principal, and the district stood by the guidance director despite the mass exodus from the guidance department, despite the troubling testimony of long time dedicated employees, and despite the charges brought by the Department of Education after a year long investigation.
It was only the public outcry and media attention in combination with these things that led to a reasonable response: putting the guidance director on administrative leave and cancelling the principal’s policy of prior restraint through 48 hour administrative review of articles.
That media attention and public outcry were required to correct the district’s course does not inspire confidence.
My reference to “The above comment” is obviated by the placement of my comment. I was referring to “Young Grandma’s” comments about race.
Time to clean house.
Paul Danyow was a great superintendent. I also had him as a teacher or a guidance counselor at Edmunds before they changed it into an elementary school. I agree that he was the best one that I can remember.
Young grandma – do us a public service and get yourself into therapy and put out that dumpster fire inside your head.
jhilt, keep patting yourself on the back for being politically correct.
2016: “Then-principal Tracy Racicot allegedly told Obeng Macias was not trainable, but the superintendent urged her to give him one more year, the report says.”
2017: “At the time of the guidance departments mass exodus, Obeng said he stood behind Macias. And in a Seven Days article earlier this week, BHS principal Noel Green was quoted complimenting Macias stellar performance.”
2018: “On Tuesday, Green ordered Register editors and their teacher-adviser to remove a story from the paper’s website that detailed Vermont Education Agency allegations of unprofessional conduct against BHS guidance director Mario Macias.”
The law prohibits the board from taking any direct employment action against Mr. Macias. Such action is under the authority of Superintendent Obeng”