Front page; 15 Jan 2016 issue; Year in Review: Complex issues impact schools, town, candidates in 2015; reported by Meg Coker.
Third paragraph down; talking about our schools:
"In the months leading up to the state takeover, a citizens' group formed and petitioned State Superintendent Dr. Cary Wright to remove Tunica County Superintendent Steve Chandler. The group alleged that Chandler was creating a hostile work environment and organized a sick out for teachers, administrators and staff within days of starting the new semester."
This group is the Educational Improvement Committee. The committee is made up of Tunicans who are willing to stand-up and be counted for our children. Additionally, we realize that the very first thing a prospective business owner looks at is the local public school system. Any citizen of Tunica County is welcome to join as long as you are willing to work for the betterment of our public schools.
To say that this group "organized a sick out for teachers, administrators and staff within days of starting the new semester" is false.
Please print a retraction in your next issue.
A request for a retraction has been sent via email to the Publisher of the Tunica Times: Brooks Taylor.
UPDATE: Evening of 14 Jan 2016
In response to my request for a retraction from the Tunica Times, I received the following article from Meg Coker. Hmmm, it looks like this isn't the first time the Educational Improvement Committee has been cited for organizing the sick out at our schools. As you can see, Robert Hall was mentioned in this article. If some committee member(s) helped with the organization of this event, it was not done with the permission or under agreement of the committee. I have spoken to more then a few committee members and they were not involved with the sick out event either. However, most of the members do not take the Tunica Times nor do they make an effort to read the Tunica Times.
But hey guys, I'm not the Tunica Times Police. I don't like some of the stuff they print either but I still read it. Don't count on me to do all of the rebuttals. Just because I didn't catch this the first time doesn't make it true in the recap.
My response to Meg Coker:
"Because I did not remember the article from Jan 16, 2015, does not make the statement true then or now. Please print the retraction."
Here's the article:
Printed in the Jan. 16, 2015 edition
MEDIA RELEASE January 9, 2015 RE: Rosa Fort High School & Tunica Middle School “Green Flu” Sickout
To All Media Outlets We were just informed that the Faculty and Administration of Rosa Fort High School and Tunica Middle School, 1100 Rosa Fort Drive, Tunica, MS 38676 are staging a “Green Flu” sickout today, Friday 01/09/2015.
The teachers and administration of the Rosa Fort High School and Tunica Middle School are “sick and fed up” with Superintendent Bernard Stephen Chandler for the following reasons:
1. Superintendent Chandler’s insane protocols are preventing the teachers from teaching the children in a manner to guarantee high academic performance.
2. Superintendent Chandler cursed and ridiculed the Rosa Fort High School teachers and administrators at the Tuesday, 01/06/2014, Professional/Staff Development Meeting.
3. Superintendent Chandler continues to abuse and berate the teachers at the Rosa Fort High School and Tunica Middle School through many unprofessional acts.
4. The teachers and administrators at both schools have tried to tell the public about the harsh, hostile, and toxic education learning environment that Superintendent Chandler has created in the Tunica County School District with a special emphasis on Rosa Fort High School and Tunica Middle School.
5. The teachers and administrators feel threatened by Superintendent Chandler’s unprofessional, unethical, and terrorist behavior that is not conducive to the learning environment.
For more information, please contact the spokesperson for the “Green Flu” @ Tunica County Committee for Educational Improvement in Tunica County, MS: Robert Hall 901-487-5891 or email us back.
UPDATE: Evening of 14 Jan 2016
In response to my request for a retraction from the Tunica Times, I received the following article from Meg Coker. Hmmm, it looks like this isn't the first time the Educational Improvement Committee has been cited for organizing the sick out at our schools. As you can see, Robert Hall was mentioned in this article. If some committee member(s) helped with the organization of this event, it was not done with the permission or under agreement of the committee. I have spoken to more then a few committee members and they were not involved with the sick out event either. However, most of the members do not take the Tunica Times nor do they make an effort to read the Tunica Times.
But hey guys, I'm not the Tunica Times Police. I don't like some of the stuff they print either but I still read it. Don't count on me to do all of the rebuttals. Just because I didn't catch this the first time doesn't make it true in the recap.
My response to Meg Coker:
"Because I did not remember the article from Jan 16, 2015, does not make the statement true then or now. Please print the retraction."
Here's the article:
Printed in the Jan. 16, 2015 edition
"In the remaining months of a four year term, Superintendent of Education Steve Chandler is fighting battles on several fronts.
In December, the Tunica County Committee for Educational Improvement in Tunica County, MS petitioned the Mississippi Board of Education, State Superintendent Dr. Carey Wright and the Mississippi Department of Education to remove Chandler as Tunica County Superintendent of Education. And last Friday, as the district’s spring semester was just getting underway, an undetermined number of teachers and administrators at Tunica Middle School and Rosa Fort High School staged a “green flu” sickout organized by the same committee.
Spokesperson Robert Hall, a retired public school teacher, said about 40 teachers and administrators from the high school and middle school participated in the sick out, about half of the faculty from each campus, he added.
A media release from the group last Friday states, “The teachers and administrators are sick and fed up with Superintendent Bernard Stephen Chandler,” saying Chandler “cursed and ridiculed” RFHS teachers and administrators during a staff development meeting last Tuesday, January 6.
“The teachers and administrators at both schools have tried to tell the public about the harsh, hostile and toxic education learning environment that Superintendent Chandler has created....
“The teachers and administrators feel threatened by Superintendent Chandler’s unprofessional, unethical and terrorist behavior that is not conducive to the learning environment,” the release continues.
Students and teachers returned to district classrooms last Wednesday, January 7, from the holiday break.
In statements last week to Memphis media, Supt. Chandler said he holds teachers, parents and students accountable and that he is making the school system better. Chandler points to a rising graduation rate and the district’s kindergartners’ recent ranking as #2 in the state in preparedness.
The sick out follows on the heels of a petition drive mounted late last year that asked state education officials to remove Chandler from office and “temporarily appoint a highly qualified, experienced, knowledgeable, educated, compassionate, stable education team building person.”
The group claims to have garnered 1,000 signatures to its petition, which was submitted by committee members Ernest “Gu” Redman, Beat 5 Slate, District #5; Robert Hall, Concerned Citizens for a Better Tunica County, District #1; Barbara R. Tuchel, Tunicans for Transparency in Government, District #2; Dollie Hudson, Beat 5 Slate, District #5; Mildred P. Conley, Tunica Teens in Action, District #4; Mark E. Hudson, NAACP-Tunica County, District #2; Pastor Evelyn Hubbard, community leader, District #1; Ashley N. McKay, Tunica Teens in Action, District #1; Joe Eddie Hawkins, community leader and activist, District #5; Damien Jackson, student president of Rosa Fort High School District #3; Carolyn Steele, Tunica County retired staff, District #2; Bertha Watson, Tunica County business owner, District #4; Yulanda Harris, Tunica County business owner, District #4; and Melvin Young, Concerned Citizens for a Better Tunica County, District #1.
The petition drive was drawn up under Section 37-1-7 of the Mississippi Code, which states, “for continued neglect of duty, drunkenness, incompetency or official misconduct, the state board of education may remove a county superintendent....”
Hall said he was not sure if the latter and petition had been submitted to the state officials yet or the exact number of signatures collected countywide.
The law also states that the officer would have ten days’ notice of the charge and the opportunity to make a defense.
Chandler is expected to seek re-election this fall. He has already drawn two opponents for the post, Dr. Valerie Davis of Tunica and recently ousted high school principal Derrick Dace. At presstime, however, Chandler had not filed paperwork to qualify to run. The deadline to file is Feb. 27."
Meg Coker
Tunica Times Managing Editor
662-363-1511
******
UPDATE: 5 FEB 2016
I asked for a copy of the Press Release that was sent to the Tunica Times about the Green Flu. To me the Press Release is confusing and after having read it, I would have taken the information just as the Tunica Times did. I have highlighted the first paragraph because it does say the Educational Improvement Committee had just been informed. I have highlighted the last paragraph because it states that the Spokesperson for the organizers is Robert Hall who is also a member of the Educational Improvement Committee.
In actuality what really happened was that the teachers and administrators organized the Green Flu. Because they were afraid of being retaliated against by then Superintendent Chandler, they reached out to former teacher Robert Hall to speak for them. Robert Hall does not have email. Therefore, he reached out to another member of the Educational Improvement Committee to write a media release. The Media Release was written on the Educational Improvement Committee's letterhead. Further, the contact info was stated as the Educational Improvement Committee...again because Robert Hall doesn't have email.
Again, the entire membership of the Tunica County Educational Improvement Committee was not involved in the organization of the Green Flu. However, I can certainly understand why the Tunica Times thought this was the case.
Here is the Press Release:
Tunica County Committee for Educational Improvement in Tunica County, MS
Post Office Box 2249 Tunica, MS 38676
Telephone: 662-363-1228 Fax: 662-357-0412
Email: tunicaeducationalimprovement@gmail.com
MEDIA RELEASE January 9, 2015 RE: Rosa Fort High School & Tunica Middle School “Green Flu” Sickout
To All Media Outlets We were just informed that the Faculty and Administration of Rosa Fort High School and Tunica Middle School, 1100 Rosa Fort Drive, Tunica, MS 38676 are staging a “Green Flu” sickout today, Friday 01/09/2015.
The teachers and administration of the Rosa Fort High School and Tunica Middle School are “sick and fed up” with Superintendent Bernard Stephen Chandler for the following reasons:
1. Superintendent Chandler’s insane protocols are preventing the teachers from teaching the children in a manner to guarantee high academic performance.
2. Superintendent Chandler cursed and ridiculed the Rosa Fort High School teachers and administrators at the Tuesday, 01/06/2014, Professional/Staff Development Meeting.
3. Superintendent Chandler continues to abuse and berate the teachers at the Rosa Fort High School and Tunica Middle School through many unprofessional acts.
4. The teachers and administrators at both schools have tried to tell the public about the harsh, hostile, and toxic education learning environment that Superintendent Chandler has created in the Tunica County School District with a special emphasis on Rosa Fort High School and Tunica Middle School.
5. The teachers and administrators feel threatened by Superintendent Chandler’s unprofessional, unethical, and terrorist behavior that is not conducive to the learning environment.
For more information, please contact the spokesperson for the “Green Flu” @ Tunica County Committee for Educational Improvement in Tunica County, MS: Robert Hall 901-487-5891 or email us back.
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