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- Thomas Jefferson
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night. -
Steve Martin
Education is unique among consumer products;
when it fails to work as advertised, it's the customer that gets labeled as
defective. - Kevin
Killion
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Courage is the most important of all
the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other
virtues consistently. You can't be consistently kind or fair or
humane or generous, not without courage, because if you don't have
it, sooner or later you will stop and say, "The threat is too much.
The difficulty is ...too high. The challenge is too great. ~ Maya
Angelou
Photo
of sign on Westlake High School
Campus
GUNS
ON YOUR CHILD'S CAMPUS?
WHY DIDN'T THE DISTRICT RELEASE THE
ENTIRE PRIDE SURVEY?
July 11,
2008 -
Recently,
Eanes ISD
released a
few pages
from the
2007 Pride
Survey
indicating
that our district’s drug and
alcohol use exceeds the national
average.
However,
during a recent review of the
full 1500-page report, we
stumbled across some
additional results that to
our knowledge have not been
released or made public in any
other way by the district.
The Pride Survey includes
references to
students
bringing
guns and
other weapons to our
high school
and middle
school
campuses.
The
Pride
Survey
report
for
Westlake
High
School
included
Table
2.5:
Percentage
of
Students
at
Risk.
Under
the sub
category
of
Guns
At
School,
the
percentage
of
students
at risk
was
identified
as 4%.
23.8% of
the
students
responding
to the
survey
were
reported
at risk
for
trouble
with the
police.
18.8%
percent
of at
risk
students
reported
threatening
to hurt
a
student
by
hitting,
slapping
or
kicking,
while
3.7%
reported hurting
a fellow
student
with a
gun,
knife or
club. 6%
of our
students
reported
they'd
been
threatened
with a
gun,
knife or
club
while 4%
claimed
to have
been
actually
hurt by
a
student
with a
gun,
knife or
club.
One
portion
of the
report
states
that 17
Westlake
High
School
students
responded
on the
survey
that
they
had taken
guns
onto theWestlakeHigh
Schoolcampus;
some
more
than 6
times.
The list
goes on;
we
encourage
you to
review
this crucial aspect
of the
Pride
Survey
Report,
available
only on
Keep
Eanes
Informed.
Remember, survey
participants generally
underreport on
surveys. It is our understanding that only
20% of the Eanes secondary student population was surveyed
in the
2007
Pride
Survey
because
of the
high
expense
of
surveying
all
students.
How were
the 20%
who
participated
selected?
Did the Eanes ISD leadership choose AP English classes as
the target group to participate, for example? This
important
information,
relevant
to the
results
of the
survey, has also not been
released by our district.
From:
susan bushart [mailto:sbushart@austin.rr.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 5:01 PM
To: nwellman@eanes.k12.tx.us; trustees@eanes.k12.tx.us
Subject: response from TEA to Eanes Pride Survey results re:
concealed weapons
September 24, 2008
TO: Eanes
Superintendent Nola Wellman, Eanes ISD Board of Trustees
FROM: Susan Bushart
RE: Concealed
weapons: Pride Survey Results
To date, I have not
received a response from Eanes ISD leadership to my
correspondence dated July 8, 2008 expressing concern about
concealed guns brought to our high school and middle school
campuses. The issue of campus security, concealed guns and
other weapons brought to school by students, has not been
placed on the school board agenda for discussion. To my
knowledge, no meetings with the community to discuss these
findings have been scheduled. As a result of your apparent
indifference to the concerns presented, I sought assistance
from the Texas Education Agency in addressing the results of
the Eanes Pride Survey. I am forwarding their response for
your consideration, with the continuing hope that you will
pay special attention to their opinions and offers to help.
I encourage you to choose a course of action that will make
these safety concerns a district priority for public review,
discussion, and the development of a meaningful plan to
increase campus security.
I received your
message about the concerns you have related to the published
results of the Eanes ISD student survey referred to below.
The reported results are a serious concern and certainly
would be important information for the school district staff
and school board to consider in planning for improving and
implementing new procedures that would impact the over all
school safety program to protect staff and student from
violence while at school. The concerns you have expressed
are reasonable and appropriate. It is
important to know that there have not been any serious
violent gun situations inTexasschools
that have resulted in any harm to staff or students in
recent times. Current Federal and State laws firmly provide
protection of staff and students from fire arms, weapons,
bombs, multi-hazard emergencies and violence at school.
Local school boards have authority to establish any
additional policy and take any measures necessary to protect
staff and students while at school.
The Texas Education
Agency has worked with other State agencies and the
Governor’s office to establish even more assurances that
school safety and health are top priorities while
maintaining on going communications with schools and
communities as to how TEA can better contribute to school
safety concerns.
I do not know of any
hearings or community meeting associated with theEanesIndependentSchool
Districtstudent
survey. The Texas Education Agency is glad to support and
assistTexasindependent
school district school boards and staff in acquiring
information and training to promote safer schools.
Contact me if you
have questions about this message or other questions about
education, 5120-463-9982.
Regards,
Leslie Smith; Program Specialist
TEC Chapter 37/Safe
Schools
Leslie Smith
Program Specialist
Texas Education
Agency
1701 North Congress Ave.
Austin,Texas78701
September 11, 2008
Dear Ms. Smith,
I am a taxpayer and
parent of four students who have attended public schools in
theEanesIndependentSchool
District.
Recently, I had the opportunity to review the results from
the Pride Survey administered to approximately 20% of the
students on the high school and middle school campuses. I
was alarmed to see documents indicating 17 students atWestlakeHigh
School,
and an additional 8 middle school students reported bringing
concealed guns to their campus. The documents I am
referring to can be found at http://www.keepeanesinformed.com/guns_on_eanes_isd_campuses.htm
On July 8, 2008, I
contacted the Eanes Superintendent Nola Wellman and Eanes
Board of Trustees with my questions and concerns about these
startling statistics. I have included a copy of this
correspondence for your review attached to the bottom of
this letter. To date, I have not received a response, nor
has this item been placed on the school board agenda for
consideration. Subsequent to the gravity of these concerns
as they relate to the safety of the students attending
schools in Eanes ISD, and the apparent lack of attention to
this matter as illustrated by the district leadership's lack
of response, I am contacting you for assistance. It is my
understanding that you are the DAEP Program Specialist at
Texas Education Agency. What if any plans for action to
address the presence of concealed guns brought by students
toTexaspublic
schools, have been developed by state and/or local public
school agencies? Will there be any opportunities in the
near future for public hearings and testimony relating to
this issue and if so, could you please provide me with the
date, location and time of those hearings?
I appreciate any
assistance you can provide in responding to my concerns.
This video was made to present to the PTA and the faculty of my school. The principal said it was "TOO GRAPHIC" and that the agenda was already done for tonight's meeting. Well now I have decided to share my GRAPHIC life within the walls of her Middle School with others. Help make a difference by standing up and speaking out about school violence. I am allowing all comments to prove a point that there is cyber bullying as well. Victims portrayed in this video are not students of Udall Road School. Please keep the comments clean this is for children around the world. Anyone may use this video as long as the creator Patrick Kohlmann is given credit for it.
