The Return of Stand Up Clark County

This blog was originally created to combat corruption in our school board. As anyone who followed it knows, it was extremely effective. From then until now, the political arena has deteriorated significantly. Whether on a national or local level, the only way to weed out the bad actors is to hold them accountable for their actions. Accountability is the one thing an entitled, self-serving person cannot abide. They will resist it at all costs. Even a simple private apology is too much for the “Karens” in the world.

There are people who betray the public’s trust, but there are also those who serve. There are good people in Winchester. They aren’t recognized enough. We need to celebrate the good as we root out the bad. Clark County stood up and expressed themselves at the polls. There was zero tolerance for the entitled taking advantage of a good man. That’s what I love about Winchester. You go to bat for others. For the good, the bad, and everything in between, let’s stand up again.

Kudos To Kuduk For His Handling Of Tonight’s BOE Controversy

When Dr. Michael Kuduk became the board chair he made it clear that a major priority will be improving the district and community relationship. He certainly demonstrated his commitment tonight. Even though tonight’s board meeting meets Kentucky Open Meeting regulations that was not enough for Dr. Kuduk. He has higher expectations. He does not want a board willing to meet the bare minimum of the law. Instead, he seeks a board that embodies the “spirit of the law“. That spirit is how the board carries out KRS statute 61.805 which states that the public must have ample notice regarding any meeting that will be discussing public business. Dr. Kuduk made clear  someone had failed to put the public’s best interest first and he was not happy about it.

To remedy the situation, Dr. Kuduk announced the board wouldn’t be taking action on any agenda items tonight. Instead, the public would be made aware of what was going to be discussed so they may attend the next meeting if they desire. He went on to say the board would continue with presentations from superintendent search organizations in attendance but there be no board vote on it until the public had an opportunity to comment.  What is likely not a surprise to anyone,  Judy Hicks objected.

Judy determined that because one of the agenda items was the acceptance of Superintendent Elaine Farris’s  resignation they shouldn’t hear any presentations until the resignation had been formally accepted by the board.  Judy seems to be laboring under the misconception that Elaine’s resignation is questionable. Dr. Kuduk pointed out that Elaine publicly announced her resignation to the board at the last meeting and it has been posted on the  district’s website.  He concluded that it would be a tremendous waste of time for the organizations prepared to pitch their services to now be denied because someone on our part dropped the ball.

In her typical passive-aggressive style, Judy continued to verbally spar with Dr. Kuduk, who was having none of her nonsense. Then in a shocking move, Judy attempted to undermine Dr. Kuduk by soliciting the opinion of board attorney Henry Rosenthal. Rosenthal agreed with Dr. Kuduk, stating it was common knowledge Elaine resigned and the vote to accept her resignation was formality because Elaine couldn’t be forced to work at a job she quit.  Discussion over.

The importance of the exchange between Dr. Kuduk and Judy Hicks cannot be ignored. Judy claimed only to be asking a question to get clarification. Yet, there was no confusion. It had been established that Dr. Kuduk was acting in accordance with the law and that Elaine had made her resignation public.  Despite these glaring facts Judy continued to press the issue.

Dr. Kuduk is the chairman of the board which technically makes him Judy’s boss. In what other job would an employee be allowed to continue protesting the instructions of her boss and not be insubordinate? Insubordination is grounds for automatic dismissal in the working world. While Judy’s behavior is up for interpretation, it certainly raises some questions. Is she having trouble relinquishing control of the board to Dr. Kuduk? Was she challenging Dr. Kuduk because she personally resents him? Is there a deeper, more sinister motive of which we are not privy?

It’s important to keep these questions in mind. If Judy is on a personal mission it is the responsibility of the board and the community to seek her removal from the board. It is also our responsibility to give Judy an opportunity to demonstrate that she is willing to work with the new board for the betterment of Clark County students. At this stage we can’t determine for certain what is taking place so we should carefully observe her behaviors and attitudes in the future.

In the mud of all the legalities, petty differences and personal agendas one thing is absolute. A new era has arrived in Clark County. Change is marching in and taking no prisoners. Dr. Michael Kuduk is taking the board of education in a new direction. People are talking about how, under his leadership, the board is more focused on priorities. As more energy, enthusiasm and zeal tear through the board the public celebrates its readmission into education.

Stand Up Clark County and give kudos to Kuduk.

Related articles

• KY’s 2nd Largest Newspaper Accurately Reports CCPS News (standupclarkcounty.wordpress.com)
• Our Answers Only Hours Away (standupclarkcounty.wordpress.com)
• Board Of Education To Finalize Restructuring (standupclarkcounty.wordpress.com)

Lets Start A Petition Because The Writing Is On The Wall

Today a petition was posted on Change.org seeking to make Patti Columbia stop bullying Elaine Farris. Needless to say it has been the biggest laugh of the day. The petition has been beneficial, though. It reminds us of the caliber of people we are dealing with. It also reveals the desperation of Elaine and her “supporters”. And by supporters I mean family and others she has forced to pretend to be her supporter. 

The petition was, of course, started under a fake name. Elaine and her camp like to swing from the dark because they lack the integrity, honesty and basic courage to do anything else. They hide behind fake names and threats because they have nothing else.

But Elaine has certainly learned one lesson – don’t mess with Patti Columbia. In the beginning of this Elaine and the board were so arrogant. Elaine laughed in Patti’s face when Patti tried to reason with her. Judy Hicks used the guise of friendship to lure the Columbia’s into a meeting. Repeatedly, they counted Patti out as stupid, weak and irrelevant. Elaine said it didn’t matter if Patti told the community what was happening because people would only talk about it a day or two. She could not have been more wrong.

Elaine’s downfall rests in the hands of Patti Columbia and everybody knows it. The person Elaine felt was the least threat to her has now become her single-minded focus. Elaine wakes up every day dreading Patti’s next move and goes to bed every night trying to figure out how to save herself from the mess she’s made. 

If you can’t beat them, join them the saying goes and Elaine has adopted that mentality. Elaine took stock of the situation and realized Patti has stolen her thunder. Elaine’s only hope now is to follow in Patti’s footsteps. Elaine now claims she is a victim of bullying. When Patti requested prayer on Facebook Elaine asked for prayer at multiple school functions. Her fear of Patti was greater than her fear of being sued for separation of church and state. Patti started a petition asking for Elaine’s resignation and low and behold what pops up today.

The name on the petition against Patti is Simon Peter. That’s a Biblical name that refers to one of Jesus’s 12 Disciples. Well, Elaine I have the perfect Biblical passage for you. It’s commonly referred to as the writing on the wall.

“Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin. Here is what the words mean: Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Peres: Your kingdom is divided.” Daniel 5:25-26.

Stand Up Clark County for the writing is indeed on the wall!

    

 

Proficient & Ready To Work

It has been an extremely difficult two years for our school administration. The redistricting alone would have put an extraordinary strain on average school systems. Add to that the mess created by having Elaine Farris as our superintendent and it’s a recipe for disaster. Yet, that’s not what happened at all.

By now, you’ve seen the numbers and know that Clark County Schools are proficient. George Rogers Clark is no longer a focus school. Superintendent Paul Christy accomplished in only two years what Elaine Farris never could in nearly four years. AND….he did it while redistricting, rebuilding and revitalizing. He managed to get better test scores even while testing more students.

There has been a lot of focus placed on college and career ready students. Several years ago, the previous administration even adopted the motto of having every student college or career ready. Yet, they never could hit the mark. In 2012, 167 students were college ready. A 166 were in 2013. But in 2014 the number swelled to 186! Even more staggering was the jump in career ready students. From 2013 (a year attributed to Elaine Farris in the testing world) to 2014 the number of career ready students more than doubled. That is a tremendous accomplishment considering in past years the number of career ready students has increased/decreased by only one or two points.

Several things can impact these numbers, not the least of which is the overall morale of employees and students. It is impossible to ignore what a huge increase came with the change of superintendent and board members. Leadership will clearly make or break a system. This county has undergone changes most schools systems would find unimaginable and could cause a significant setback to students and staff. But Clark County weathered the storm and came out stronger than ever.

Our students are reaping the rewards of a united community and school system with improved leadership. Students who are career ready, leave school, enter the workforce and improve our community. Students who are college ready, go on to higher education, return and improve our community. We are at last in a situation where we all win. Stand Up Clark County and applaud the superintendent, board of education, employees and students of Clark County Schools.

Campbell Jr. High Bullying Video

Recently, a video was posted on Facebook showing a brief altercation between two students at Campbell Jr. High School. The video was taken and posted by a student who was tired of seeing a fellow student bullied. The video shows a girl, Trinity, standing next to an unnamed male student. In the background students can be heard encouraging the students to fight. As the frenzy grows Trinity suddenly grabs the boy in a headlock and drags him off.

There are multiple problems in this situation. The trigger point for parents was the lack of Campbell staff. Superintendent Paul Christy stated it was “a small area” in front of a large school. He also stated that a minimum of 10 teachers and 2 administrators are always present during dismissal, when this video was shot. Even with the noise of dismissal I can’t imagine how that many employees could miss the sounds of a brewing fight.

According to Trinity’s mother, April, Trinity is special needs. However, she states the school has labeled Trinity a behavior problem. Trinity does not have an IEP (Individual Education Plan) in place, that all special needs students have.  Because Trinity’s disabilities don’t create a learning deficit, an IEP wasn’t needed. However, based on information provided to me, a 504 would have been appropriate.

A 504 refers to Section 504 of the 1973 Federal Rehabilitation Act. It essentially states that no one with any type of disability may be discriminated against. A 504 in place would have meant the school recognized Trinity as being special needs and certain protections, such as an escort to the bus each day, could have been secured. It is extremely interesting or highly questionable, depending on how you look at it, that Trinity did not have a 504 in place at the time of this incident.

Citing privacy issues Christy couldn’t specifically comment on this issue. He did explain steps he has taken to help curb this type of behavior in the future. High school students will no longer be allowed to exit the bus at Campbell. Buses will be assigned specific parking spaces so they are in the same spot each day, keeping students from wondering through the crowd. The most effective prevention however, has been in place for a year.

Affixed inside the front of every bus are two phone numbers. One to the Clark County Sheriff’s office (745-0290) and the other to Winchester Police (355-7443). A student or parent may call either and provide bullying information anonymously. According, to Christy this is the 2^nd year the numbers have been available with only a single phone call going into them. With all the bullying allegations why is no one calling?  I hear repeatedly how the schools don’t do enough to stop bullying. This is your way to bypass them and go directly to law enforcement. Parents instruct your child to report bullying to the school first. But if he/she isn’t comfortable with that, or the school doesn’t respond then call one of the numbers listed above and get it stopped.

Here is where the story takes a turn. Prior to the altercation, April had been informed that the district was filing legal papers to have Trinity removed from Campbell citing she was out of control. The posting of the fight video changed everything. When I met with Christy he was clearly angry over the video being shared online. He had contacted Facebook to have the video removed but Facebook declined, saying it didn’t violate their terms of use. According, to Christy he wanted the video removed because “innocent students” were caught in the middle. I saw and shared the video because students circling around and encouraging others to fight are not innocent. Furthermore, you would be hard pressed to identify anyone by the video alone.

The video was allegedly used as a bargaining chip in a meeting between April, Christy, Campbell Principal Dustin Howard and Assistant Principal Mike Menchen. According to April school officials agreed to remove legal filings forcing Trinity from Campbell Jr. High into the Phoenix Academy, if April would remove the fight video from YouTube. April agreed.

The student alleges that she was “forced” by Christy to remove the video from her Facebook page. By doing so it would remove it from everyone’s page who shared it. The moment I received word of this I sent a text to Christy asking him about it because quite frankly, I didn’t believe it. But when he failed to respond I knew chances were high he did. Why else would he not respond?

I then contacted Board of Education Chair, Dr. Michael Kuduk, who, unlike Christy, will respond to inquiries even if he doesn’t like them. Kuduk was in agreement with Christy that the video should not have been online. However, Kuduk stated that Christy had no authority to “force” this student or any other to remove something from his/her personal Facebook page.

It is a shame that Paul Christy resorted to such excessive lengths to have the video removed. This could have been a post about the positive changes he made regarding bulling but instead we are left to wonder why Christy would invest so much time and energy into trying to get rid of a video everyone has already seen? It begs the question, what is he getting rid of that we haven’t seen? Let us hope, nothing. Because the First Amendment of the US Constitution is nothing to be trifled with.

In the future, Superintendent Christy, allow me to save you some time. I always download, save and back-up any video that comes into Stand Up Clark County. So, if I’ve seen it, all your efforts in the world won’t make it go away

Stand Up Clark County for free speech and downloaded videos.

All That Glitters Isn’t Golden – Final Lawsuit Resolution

It has been nearly three years since Paul and Patti Columbia and I were sued by former school superintendent, Elaine Farris. It has been three years filled with laughter, tears and an overwhelming amount of disillusionment with the justice system. Our attorney accurately labeled the fiasco when he called it a spite suit. Filing a lawsuit was a last ditch effort at shutting us up and it worked….for a while.

When the community realized all they did not know about the inner workings of the board of education they responded with disgust at the voting booth. They ousted every board member, including long-time incumbent, Debbie Fatkin, who was up for re-election. Two of the three people endorsed by Stand Up Clark County won seats on the board. At last, a new era finally was born, as opposed to being something just stamped on a hat. But that was the crux of the problem. The former administration lacked the ability to understand that strategically placing pretty, pacifist words in key locations never convinced the community they were true. Through actions and in their own legally obtained emails, the former administration presented themselves as people who thought too highly of their own opinions and not enough of the community’s. In essence, they were the makers of their own demise.

While leadership had changed hands it was only a battle won. A war was still very much underway for the Columbias and me and years of our lives were being stolen. Despite being the one to initiate the lawsuit, Elaine and her attorney, Dale Golden, seemed less invested in winning than in dragging the case out. From our perspective, Golden’s single-minded purpose was to see how long he could keep us from actually obtaining a court date. So, rather than allow the case to proceed naturally before a jury Golden employed every delay tactic at his disposal.

I lost track of the number of times we showed up in court only to discover the case had been put off. Or we would be notified that a delay tactic had been initiated only hours before we were to appear in court. All the while your tax dollars were paying for these incessant delays, and Elaine never to show up.

The final stall defense came when Golden, knowing a court date was imminent, called the judge asking for yet another delay. His desperation was evident when his reason was because he thought the trial was in Madison County. Considering the case was filed in Clark County and to my knowledge no one even mentioned Madison County, much less actually gone there, he had no reason to be of that frame of mind. Conveniently enough, when the judge refused, someone from his office, stood up in the courtroom to make her appearance known. Golden may have thought he was very cleaver but his ruse didn’t work. A court date was set and within hours of receiving a March trial date, Golden contacted our attorney to dismiss the case.

All of the accusations made against us, all of the time invested and all the tax dollars spent have all been for naught. Farris held a public office paid with tax payer dollars. Those dollars have the right to be represented, challenged and accounted for. To us, it is a huge travesty of justice to allow someone to sue the very people they are supposed to defend and waste the tax dollars they were entrusted to manage. It’s behavior that screams poorly orchestrated leadership and narcissistic behavior, at best.

Regardless of what it has been, the point is what it is now – and that is over. With the dropping of the lawsuit so goes the facade of victimhood. For the only thing Elaine Farris was ever victim of was herself. That is just extremely sad. Yet, today is not a time to mourn but to celebrate. The vice that has strangled this community’s educational system has been released. Stand Up Clark County has fulfilled our promise to this great community. We have ensured that the public is at last back in public education and proven all that glitters is not Golden.

Misinformation Regarding New GRC Football Coach

George Rogers Clark Principal, David Bolen and a hiring committee he selected, recently named Mike Riddle as head football coach. On June 3, the Winchester Sun ran the story about the hiring stating Riddle lettered for four season (1995-1998) at the University of Kentucky. According to the University of Kentucky that is not true. A listing of UK Lettermen lists Riddle as lettering in only 1998. A phone call to the University of Kentucky confirmed the information.

This is not believed to be an error of reporting on the part of the Winchester Sun. The information can be found in Riddle’s bio. It is the same bio information reported when Riddle was hired at Georgia State. Most notable about that position is that Riddle was hired by his former UK Coach Bill Curry. Considering Curry coached at UK 1990-1996 he would have been well aware that reports of Riddle lettering four years were incorrect. Curry’s role in the incorrect information being widely reported in Georgia is unknown.

What is known, is that as principal David Bolen has the final call in hiring. It is his responsibility to verify all information regarding prospective employees. It took less than 30 minutes from the time the information was reported to Stand Up Clark County until it was verified. This event raises questions regarding the hiring and firing practices at GRC.

Superintendent Paul Christy has been notified of the discrepancy. It is now up to him as to how he will handle Bolen and Riddle. One thing is certain. Christy absolutely cannot ignore this. This community, our schools and our players deserve transparency from our school administrators. We demand thorough background checks, biography confirmations and every reference checked for every potential school employee, every single time. We will not be deceived. 

Stand Up Clark County and demand immediate action in this matter.

 

Resources

http://www.georgiastatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12700&ATCLID=1515564

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/hou/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/week_gastate.pdf

http://www.centralkynews.com/winchestersun/sports/high_school/grc/riddle-hired-as-new-football-coach-at-george-rogers-clark/article_df198819-5262-5fc7-82c9-f1574b8cf84e.html?mode=print

http://billcurry.net/biography

Integrity Matters Regardless Who Is In Office

Some have the misconception that Stand Up Clark County was formed only to fight the previous administration.  That is absolutely incorrect.  Stand Up Clark  County isn’t a club.  It is a movement.  It is a citizen’s group committed to fighting and righting all sorts of wrongs, both in and out of the school system.  When information is brought forward, it is investigated and determined to the best of our ability if it is credible or not.  If it is, it does not matter who is on the other end of the wrong.  It will be brought out so that the citizens of this great community can make appropriate decisions.

That being said, this instance does, in fact, have to do with the school system —-AGAIN!  Considering our past, citizens are significantly less tolerant of misdeeds.  Therefore, they will be aired here at first instance.      

Let us be perfectly clear about what the citizens of Clark County expect from their school administration.

1.  Integrity of the highest level.  

2.  Extreme work ethic.

3.  No good ole-boy networking

4.  Superiors hold those in their charge accountable for the FIRST wrong & allow them a chance to correct it.

5.  Acceptance that your job is for the education and betterment of this community first and you second.

Stand Up Clark County takes the position that it is always best to keep in mind that you are not getting away with what you think you’re getting away with.  Someone is always watching, and the truth is always revealed.

Stand Up, Clark County, and accept nothing but the absolute best for our kids. 

Winchester Sun Article On Collins Firing

Winchester Sun Article On Collins Firing

Clink the red link above  to read Winchester Sun Sports Reporter Keith Taylor’s article on the on the firing of GRC Head Football Coach Steve Collins.  Stand Up Clark County would like to salute Keith Taylor as a great, reporter with integrity and thank him for all he does for our community.

GRC Principal David Bolen Releases Football Coach Steve Collins

George Rogers Clark High School Principal David Bolen, has removed football coach Steve Collins of his duties.  Collins has been the subject of extensive controversy since taking the position as coach two years ago.  Bolen and other officials afforded Collins significant leniency in the face of multiple allegations.  That leniency stems from the fact that Collins was inserted as coach during a significantly controversial time.  However, since that time Collins has fallen short of what many expected him to do.

Within months of his arrival allegations surfaced of Collins and/or his staff bullying players, cursing them and at one point calling one a F#$%ing retard.  That led to a firestorm of emotion from parents of players and the special needs community.  Collins was never criminally charged or reprimanded by the school system, in response to those allegations. Months later Collins attempted to repair his image by lobbying for improvements to the football field but those efforts never got off the ground.

Collins’s inability to win on the field and the constant rumors and allegations off the field combined to become his ultimate demise. Preserving and repairing the image and integrity of GRC must be Principal Bolen’s first priority.  He is in a new building, with a new board and superintendent.  He is acutely aware of the community’s overwhelming desire and strong commitment to replacing failing programs, leadership and other venues that hold our students back.  This community is greatly invested in the overall improvement of every school in our county.  And they have proven they are in this for the long-haul.

It should never be underestimated what a grass roots effort of a very concerned community is willing and capable of doing for the benefit of our students.  Stand Up Clark County for giving ample opportunity but never being willing to settle for second best.

(Once again, I must remind all readers that this blog is considered an opinion piece.)

Rolling Stone Magazine Report Includes Stand UP Clark County

UPDATE: Now that the lawsuit is over, I want to add context. Deric Lostutter was never a part of Stand Up Clark County. He contacted me and I told him I had no need to be anonymous because it wasn’t in my core values. Rolling Stone never fact-checked. There is no credit to be given to Lostutter or Annonymous they did absolutely nothing.

Stand Up Clark County has been receiving a lot of attention lately from various media sources, including national outlets. The latest comes from Rolling Stone Magazine. Rolling Stone did a lengthy piece on Deric Lostutter, the local man at the center of a federal investigation involving KY Anonymous hacking allegations. The article outlines Lostutter’s claims of assistance to various groups, including Stand Up Clark County, which was already reporting on the school board issues when Lostutter got involved. Read the full article here. http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/anonymous-vs-steubenville-20131127

Criminal & Civil Are Not The Same Elaine

In the multiple pages of documents filed by former superintendent Elaine Farris, there was mention of only one specific. Farris stated that Patti and Paul Columbia, and I filed false criminal charges against her niece, Tiffany Davis. The charges against Davis stem from an incident during a board meeting when Farris was still in charge of Clark County Schools.  Patti filed criminal charges against Davis after Davis walked by Patti and nudged, kneed, kicked, pushed, or whatever verb you prefer to use. Neither Paul nor I had a hand in filing those charges. I, however, was listed as a witness due, in part, to a snippet of video captured on my phone. Davis denied all of the charges, and Farris filed her civil lawsuit within a day or so of Davis being criminally charged.

In October, Davis and her attorney met with Clark County Attorney Brian Thomas. After months of delaying, Davis’s trial resolution finally came. In a plea bargain, Davis agreed to a peace bond. While it doesn’t necessarily indicate Davis is admitting guilt, it certainly makes the statement that she opted not to take her chances before a jury trial. The peace bond functions as a type of restraining order in which Davis agrees to stay away from the Columbias and, therefore, avoids further court appearances and possible jail time.

Why did you not read this in the Winchester Sun? I asked the same question. The Sun’s response was that since Davis didn’t live in Clark County, they didn’t report on it. Yet, the crime occurred in Clark County, the trial would have taken place here, and the plea deal was struck by our tax-paid county attorney, thereby providing a stake in the case to every tax-paying citizen in Clark County. The Winchester Sun is filled daily with car accidents, crimes, and other stories regarding individuals who do not live in Clark County. So, we must ask ourselves why the Sun has “rules” that apply to some but not all. Then again, considering comic books are larger than the Winchester Sun these days, I don’t think it matters much.

Stand Up Clark County and demand truth and disclosure.