Black-Focused Schools within the System??

CARLOS OSORIO/TORONTO STAR
Donna Harrow, left, and Angela Wilson say black-focused schools are available, as a right, if only the board follows its own alternative schools policy

Black Schools in Focus....

Royson James-Toronto Star Columnist:

There's a good chance that a mug shot of a young, black male will be on the pages of this newspaper this weekend – another victim of gun violence and public retribution that flows from the gang-and-drug culture. Almost immune, Torontonians spend little time connecting the dots between blood on the streets and failure at school. Until, maybe, when a stray bullet hits an innocent bystander like Jane Creba* in a public space.

*Jane Creba was a 15 year-old, on a Boxing Day shopping (a holiday after Christmas Day, Dec. 26, 2005) when she was fatally hit by a stray bullet fired during a running gunbattle between gangs of Black Youths, right on the busy downtown Toronto Streets.
Angela Wilson and Donna Harrow, both black parents have connected the dots and asked the Toronto District School Boards this summer to experiment with the black-focused schools as way of reaching at -risk students before they become thugs.
The Proposal ignited a fiery debate, that even the Premier toss his own Two Cents’ worth.
Donna Harrow, a grandma and runs a downtown community program has these to say:

The kids are killing each other. If we don’t take this as sympton of something, we are remiss as adults. It’s not going to fix itself.

Common estimate of Blacks dropping out of school at 40% and at age 16 more than half fell far behind in the Public School system that the only option is to quit.

'I can count more people who died from violent crime in Flemingdon Park than graduated from university'---MICHAEL COTEAU, school trustee.

Yet, Premier Dalton McGuinty says he's uncomfortable with an alternative school that aims to reach such kids. It upsets his sensibilities – along with those of many middle-class blacks – because it would be race-based.

The Toronto board has 33 alternative schools, created for all kinds of reasons – some pressing, like fear of physical attacks on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students; others merely philosophical, such as parents wanting a looser, less formal and structured school environment for their kids. Or one that stresses performing arts. Or year-round schools, of which there are an additional four. In all, 4,852 students attend alternative Toronto public schools.

This debate will get heat up, depending and how the pages of the dailies turn up with more mug shots of young Black Males victims of the night before and mug shots of Young Black males wanted for killings...or like Royson James wrote, when another stray bullet hit another innocent bystander in the Public Space like Jane Creba, that wakes up the consciousness of the whole city that there is a problem that’s needed some fixing, whatever it takes.... Check the pages of the Toronto Star for more details....
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Voices:

"This is a program that we need. I'm in the system. I'm a teacher. This is not the ultimate solution. But we take what we can get." -Kevin Cato, teacher

"There are important things to work through – content of curriculum, discipline, approaches to learning and navigating the differences in class, race, culture and differing immigration experiences of blacks. That doesn't mean it's not worth a try. I'm curious to see where it goes." "I'm trying to figure out why the angst. This is the fourth or fifth time this has surfaced. If it's about the achievement of black students, we should be willing to try what's possible. We need a curriculum and a school program that responds to the needs and expectations of students who are black." - Carl James, professor of education and sociology, York University

"You're talking about a 40 per cent failure rate. If this were any other community, something would be done. They would get on the stick." - David Watkins, teacher

We don't want a school where the first call is a call to the police; that has to stop. People are going to be teaching the children who are academically bright, capable, disciplined. We know they can learn. I've seen them in Africa, the Caribbean, in England. I've seen black schools where children sit and listen to their teachers and it can happen here as well. There are no guns. There is no need to beat them up." - Winston LaRose, Jane-Finch Concerned Citizens

"It must be funded by the government. It must be monitored by the best minds in our community and the broader society. What do the best minds mean? People who are trained with the sincerity and the morality and the understanding and the pride in our people. Not just see them as a number who come and because they come with a hood and a baggy pants, you pass judgment. You must love to educate. And ultimately, the Safe Schools Act that brings the police in and kick them out of school – there must be a way to respond to that, so we can show the world that we are about excellence and we are about education. - Dari Meade, concerned citizen
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Ontrario Vote Countdown -- Three more days to go...

Ontario Vote Countdown – Three more days to go...

Parties Platforms: start with governing party, the Liberals to Conservatives, the official opposition and the New Democrats, the other party in Government. The Green party, although has candidates in every riding is not included as it has to win a seat yet.

Liberal Party Platforms: * Continue levying health tax up to $900 per person.

Begins measuring emergency room wait times.

100 new medical school spaces.

Free PSA test for men and fertility test for women.

Electronic health records for every citizens by 2015.

Progressive Conservatives:
* Phase out Health tax over four years.

Electronic health care records by 2014.

Send out Premier John Tory to the U.S. to lure more than 9000 Canadian Doctors working there. (Come home sis and bro-in-law).

Allow more Private Clinics but only if Ontarians would be able to pay for care with OHIP cards (our health care cards, all residents have one)

Allow private sectors to build more modern Health-Care facilities.

New Democrats:
*Reduce health tax for people earning less than $80 thousands and eliminate it under $48 thousands.

Raise price of cigarettes by 17% to encourage smokers to quit.
Resume health care coverage for optical care, physiotherapy and chiropractic care removed by the current Liberals.

Minimum of 3.5 hours of personal daily care of residents of nursing homes.

Note: the NDP platforms look so good, but chances of winning the government is quite dim.

On Education:

Liberals:
**Expand kindergarten to a full day.

Ban trans fat from school cafeterias and require healthy menus.

Introduce on line Homework help.

$300 “textbook and technology” grant for post secondary students.

$10 Millions to prepare school to deliver Autism Therapy (I like this one).

Review school funding by 2010.

Conservatives: **$400 millions to extend funding to all Faith based schools following the Ontario curriculum and hiring accredited Teachers.

Annual Review of school funding formula.

Frequent standardized testing of students.

Limit homework to TEN MINUTES per grade level each night.

$75 millions annually to expand Autism therapy into classrooms. (Even better).

New Democrats: **$800 million to expand kindergarten to a full day.

$100 million to improve services for children with autism. (much better than the Liberals).
Roll back and freeze University and College tuition to 2003 level.(University and College fees are not fully funded, but subsidized to up to 60 % and student loans are available to qualified post secondary students).


$75 Millions more for School supplies so Parents would no longer to have to hold Bake Sales (True: some parents do hold bake sale to supplement their children school supplies).


I just post the platforms for two of the most important issues in our society. To check the rest regarding the Environment, Poverty, Economy, and download to Municipalities and Cities you may check the complete list at this PDF files..Political Parties Election Campaign Platforms here...

My comments: The polls show that the Liberal is still leading three days going into the polls. Polls survey give the Liberal 43%, Conservative 32% and the New Democrats 18%. The rest are for the Green party and other independent candidates. You may check the complete polls surveys by several polling agencies,surveys here.

The Conservatives going into the Campaign as the favourite to unseat the Liberals. But their Trojan Horse that may bring back the Liberals is the Promise of Public Funding to all Faith based schools that the Public is not quite ready to embrace yet. Although party leader John Tory, did a “wee bit” of backtracking that if elected Premier, he will allow a Free Vote on the issue. Maybe a little too late, because the issue even caused fragmentation within the Party Caucus.

On Matter of Referendum..Note; the parties are not allowed by law to campaign on referendum issue:

The YES VOTE: Allowing Mixed Members Proportional(MMP) Representations in Provincial Parliament. Explanation: if carried, the Parliament will be adjusted to 129 members from l07 by 2012, 90 of which will be elected directly by voters in 90 ridings and the other 39 from the Party List in proportion to their Popular votes..

The NO VOTE: Maintain the Status Quo or First Past the Post ( or a simple majority votes).

My Prediction: the NO Vote will carry the day. Voters, minority of which would like to see other parties, like the Green or even Communist Party get representations in the Parliament, the Majority still prefer the old system where Members are Accountable to both their Parties and the Voters of every riding. Most voters feel comfortable meeting their representatives face to face and talk about the issues of the day and that is not possible for party list members that represent no riding and only accountable to their parties and the chance of representatives nominated by their parties not acceptable to the General Public...I will vote a Big NO.

For Ontarians of voting age, no matter how you vote, Please go out and Vote this Wednesday, October 10, 9:00am to 9:00pm. Plenty of time before and after work. Or make sure to remind your employer that a THREE HOURS window is in effect and it is the Law. And even if not registered go to your polling station, (the list is available from Election Ontario) and register right at the Polls. Bring at least two ids with photo. Do not let others speak out for you... Vote...

Shattered HAVEN!!!

Jordan Manners, 15 shot and killed inside his school, Wednesday afternoon, by an unknown assailant, the first to happen in the City.

Shattered HAVEN!!!
Today headline, today’s high 26Celcius; Front Page, "Don’t Die Jordan"... his best friend pleaded . His eyes opened but unseeing. And without saying a word Jordan collapsed at the Floor at the bottom of the stairwell inside their school in the pool of blood.

It was 2:30 PM Wednesday, May 24, the Coroner confirmed that Jordan Manners, just turned l5, a gifted student in Arts and Drama, had been felled by single gunshot to the chest and two hours later was pronounced dead at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, his mother collapsed outside when told of the dreadful news.

Toronto now has the ignominious distinction of having its first fatal shooting inside a school.

There are too many sides to the story of why this sad and tragic incident happened in a place where Children are supposed to be safe. The Police is not giving much information about the motives and the prospect of an arrest for the slaying, but here are some of the accounts from classmates, neighbours, relatives and eyes witnesses leading to the Crime, and some statements from the Police Authorities.
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/217623

Also from the Star columnist Rosie Dimanno:
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/217619

Some will suggest that thorough check will be done on schoolchildren backpacks, but there is already a case about to be Decided by the Supreme Court regarding an appeal by the Crown of the Decision by Lower court that the Police dog snipping of a Student backpack charged of possession of elicit drugs was Unreasonable invasion of Privacy.

The courts has been consistent that the Police can not search a person or property without reasonable ground and discovery of such search is illegal and had no force of law.

Until the Courts finally decide that checking of weapons or any other banned materials on schoolchildren or students bags or backpacks is a reasonable limit of rights to freedom from unreasonable search, some of our children will continue bringing guns and knives and drugs in schools, and we may see another incident like this one.

But one thing we have in our side, this is an isolated case, the Very First to happen in our City and we believe that all parties, our leaders, our school officials and police services and social services agencies and parents will again put their heads together and spare no efforts and money to make sure that such will never again Happen.

We mourn with the Jordan's Family and Classmates and Schoolmates and we also encourage anyone with information that they believe will be useful for the police investigations, not to withhold any.

Update:May 28. Toronto Police made an Arrest of one suspects in the slaying of Jordan and another suspect surrendered, after his name and photo was published under judicial authority as the suspect is a minor. Both suspects, 17 are charged of First Degree Murder and both go to the same school. Under the Young Offenders Act, the suspects can not be named and the authorization ended with the youth surrender.