Category: Children and Families
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Public School Climate Lessons Terrorize Virginia’s Children
by James C. Sherlock A headline from the home page of Save the Children: “Climate Change Is a Grave Threat to Childrenโs Survival.โย Climate change is thus not a โchallenge.” Not a threat to children’s happiness. But rather a threat to their โsurvival.โ That is what children are being taught in many Virginia public school…
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Meet Abrar Omeish, Exhibit A in the Woke Army
๏ปฟ by Asra Q. Nomani Exclusive: In 2019, Abrar Omeish canvassed for support at a fundraiser for the anti-Semitic group American Muslims for Palestine and said she wanted to change the โnarrativeโ on Palestinians. She was elected to office and launched a tirade against the state of Israel, which she smeared as an โapartheidโ nation,…
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Virginiaโs Best-Attended School Divisions 2021-22 – Itโs Not About Money
by James C. Sherlock We often, because it is important, concentrate on what is not working in Virginia’s state and local governments.ย Occasionally it is equally important to congratulate the winners. In this report I will list Virginiaโs best-attended school divisions in 2021-21, both by all students and by sub-groups. You will be surprised by some…
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Private Hospitals show Virginiaโs State Hospitals, Colleges and Universities the Way to Efficiency
by James C. Sherlock We read far too often about funding โcrises” in government institutions and programs. The general public, me included, would be far more attentive and sometimes supportive if government would follow the lead of private companies and continually right-size itself and emphasize customer-facing services. The health care industry — or rather the…
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Black Students Disappearing from Classrooms Disproportionately in Ten of our Largest School Divisions
by James C. Sherlock For those who support local control of schools no matter what, I will offer you a โwhatโ to consider. For those who are nervous about even discussingย why some jurisdictions in Virginia have failed to ensure “an educational program of high quality is established and continually maintainedโ for Black children, that works…
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Soft-On-Crime Va. Democrats’ Offal Proposal
by Kerry Dougherty Oh look. Another garbage bill courtesy of Virginiaโs soft-on-crime Democrats! Want to see whatโs coming our way if Dems regain control of the General Assembly and Governorโs Mansion? Check out SB1080. Yep, a gaggle of Virginiaโs leading lefties pushed a measure that would classify felons younger than 21 as JUVENILES. Virginia law…
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Dems Block Bill to Maintain Safe and Effective Classrooms
by James C. Sherlock I have written earlier about a Democratic bill in this recent General Assembly with broad Democratic support that did not pass. Letโs look at another bill that did not pass, this one from a Republican, and with broad Republican support. Article VIII. Section 1 of the Virginia Constitution requires the General…
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Virginia Democrats Want to Deal With Criminals 18-20 in the Juvenile Justice System
by James C. Sherlock I received an update yesterday from the NAACP on legislation that caught their interest in the 2023 General Assembly. One bill that did not pass, but got party line Democratic support in the Senate Judiciary Committee, in turn caught my eye. It was SB 1080 Juvenile and domestic relations district courts;…
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Virginia, School Choice and Charter Schools – The National Map
by James C. Sherlock One of the most curious aspects of discussions about Virginia, school choice, and charter schools is that Virginia progressives attack both as a conservative plot. And mostly get away with it. The claim is demonstrably preposterous, but effective so far because Republicans donโt offer an organized response. I offer a map…
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Feeding Petersburg
by James C. Sherlock I have written in this space many times about the struggles of Petersburg. Petersburg is blessed in one way. The Progress-Indexโs Bill Atkinson and Joyce Chu may be the best pair of local news reporters working in Virginia. Mr. Atkinson, in a series of reports, has detailed the continuing struggles of…
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What Do We Owe To and Expect from a Special Ed Teacher?
by James C. Sherlock On February 16, USA Today published a story by Jeanine Santucci.ย That is the latest inย an excellent series of reports on the shooting of Newport News first grade teacher Abigail Zwerner. Her article, “Virginia 6-year-old who shot his teacher exposes flaws in how schools treat students with disabilities.โ raises questions that Virginians…
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Virginia Law Enables School Violence – School Board Policies Can Correct It
by James C. Sherlock In 2019, the National Education Association (NEA) published Threatened and Attacked By Students: When Work Hurts, urging lawmakers to address the crisis of unsafe behaviors in schools. Read about Chesterfield schools in that article. Unfazed, progressives in 2020 in full control of the General Assembly, led by now-Congresswoman-elect Jennifer McClellan, looked…
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Unconstitutional Viewpoint Discrimination in Virginia K-12 Teacher Evaluation Standards
by James C. Sherlock Progressives, in the fullness of their dogma, oppose the entire Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights is specifically structured to limit the powers of government, which progressives find not only unsuitable, but unimaginable. In the Golden Age of Progressivism in Virginia, 2020 and 2021, they controlled the governor’s mansion, the…
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Stop Coddling Bad Kids
by Kerry Dougherty I have a new hero. I donโt know her real name but in her Southeast Washington D.C. neighborhood, they just call her โGrandma.โ Last Friday Grandma was on her way to chemo when a 15-year-old punk walked up and ordered her to hand over her car keys. โI have a gun,โ he…
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Richmond’s Crime-Infested Neighborhoods, Terrible Public Schools and Equity
by James C. Sherlock Itโs Black History Month. Even in Richmond. As a contribution, I am going to review the facts on the ground in Richmond — in its most crime-ridden neighborhoods and its worst public schools. Which are overwhelmingly Black. And co-located. In a city with a Black mayor and a Black school board.…