Clayton County Schools Crisis (Atlanta Journal-Constitution; 3-28-08; D3)

By: Megan Matteucci

Members: Quit or stay on?

Every member of the Clayton County School Board (Georgia) says his or her first priority is the district's 52,800 students.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools plans to revoke Clayton's accreditation unles it overhauls the school system.

SACS gave the district until Sept. 1 to meet nine mandates or become the first school system in the U.S. to lose accreditation since 1969.

The first mandate is to establish a governing board that is capable of fulfilling its roles and responsibilities. To do that, all nine board members must resign, said three top officials involved with the system's accreditation.

As of Thursday, the board has removed one board member and two have announced plans to resign.

For many parents, the question remains: Why are any of them still in office?

B. Brown's comments on the situation:

There seems to be a recurring theme in Clayton County right now and it is that the people in charge of the Educational system do not know what they are doing. For the second (2nd) time in five (5) years the county has been under investigation and the possibility of losing its accreditation has been hovering overhead.

I believe that the parents of the Hip-Hop Generation in Clayton County, GA should petition for the immediate removal of the nine (9) Board Members and absolutely demand that the county meets the other eight (8) mandates as soon as possible. Numbers are the key and parents have to step-up in big numbers to let the county know that the accreditation for the county must be saved at any cost.

Many parents have stepped up and made their voices heard, but in this day and age, you must be able to effectively get your point across legally! It takes some money, not necessarily a lot and effort! Effort is the key because many attorney's and organizations will work pro-bono. A movement is needed at this time!

Parents, the next time around, please nominate and push for good (quality) candidates to run for the School Board and vote for the best candidates that will sincerely help Clayton County improve its School System and restore it to a school system of excellence as it was up to the middle 90's.

Parents, it is up to you to LOVE, TEACH & DISCIPLINE your children and then demand that your children receive the best education possible from the school system he or she attends. When a child goes to school to learn, that means they have books, paper, pens, pencils and other items that they need to actually learn and achieve! If you don't see your children with any learning materials, ask them why they do not have any books with them and then check with their teachers. Believe me when I say this, the reason school systems have problems with securing and keeping good teachers is because teachers do not want to deal with kids that cuss them out, skip their classes repeatedly and just flat out don't know how to act. Too many children do not respect adults and they get that from their parents. Once again, parents step your game up!

One Love!

State of the Black Union Address - 2008

New Orleans, LA - Morial Center

Written By: B. Brown of BREG

I had the opportunity to sit down and watch Part One (1) of the 2008 State of the Black Union Address. I had actually just got back in from jogging and I just happened to catch it when I turned on the TV.

I am always amazed when I watch forums of this magnitude because so many great ideas come out and are put to task. It makes me feel very good! I Pray that it makes you feel good too and charges you to take action. "Faith without action is dead!"

One of the topics was of course the Presidential Election that is coming fast. Obama and Clinton are in a heated campaign battle and McCain appears to have the Republican side of things wrapped up. I am personally an Obama supporter, however, I understand that it takes cooperation from both parties to actually get important issues resolved and that's the key to politics. Who can maneuver the best throughout the political landscape, be it local, national and/or international.

Healthcare is always a hot topic in the U.S. because there are so many people that do not have health insurance and basically cannot afford to get sick. It is a sad reality. Something must be done!

Education is one of the biggest issues in our country right now because recent reports have exposed cities like Baltimore, MD where only 27% of Black High School Males are graduating from high school. Let's wake up America! If young people are not even getting out of high school, then where are they going to be? Out in the communities doing what they have to do to survive. That's not good America!

At some point and time, we have to hold ourselves accountable and stop passing the buck. Our National Education System is a joke! "No Child Left Behind" sounds good, but it is definitely leaving kids behind. When a teacher has to pass a kid because they can only have so many failing students in a class is ridiculous. The kid must actually do the work satisfactory to pass the class. If we don't hold the parents and students accountable for coming to school and actually attempting to learn and behave properly, then we will continue to have the problems in our schools across the board. We must hold the students and parents accountable! As of right now, our schools are basically huge babysitting facilities!

Katrina victims still need help! This was another hot topic during the State of the Black Union Address. Let's actually teach our brothers and sisters in New Orleans "how to fish instead of giving them fish".

Our U.S. Prison System has more inmates than even bigger populated countries like China. Isn't that amazing. Young people, you must realize the system and the world you live in and stop contributing to your own demise. Drug Dealing and illegal activity is not your only way to financial success. Take pride in being intelligent and use your intelligence to learn even more so that you will be able to earn a living wherever you go.

Let me commend the Panelists that I watched this year during the State of the Black Union Address. Please continue your efforts to uplift, educate and inspire! Thank you!!!

Tavis Smiley - Founder of The State of the Black Union Address/Radio & TV Host/Author

Angela Glover Blackwell - Policy Link

Cleo Fields - U.S. Rep. - Baton Rouge, LA

Jesse Jackson - Rainbow/Push Coalition

Michael Eric Dyson - Georgetown Univ. Prof./Author

Ray Nagin - Mayor of New Orleans, LA

Naomi Churchhill Earp - EEOC

Stephanie Tubbs Jones - U.S. Congress (11th Distr. - Cleveland, OH)

Darron Boyce - Kirby High School Student (Memphis, TN)/Student & Youth Activist

Pastor Mel - Prison Ministry

Education, Sagging Pants, Goals, Behavior, etc.

By: B. Brown of BREG

A few weeks ago, Dr. Phil had a show about "Sagging Pants" and he had several guests on the show that had different opinions about the issue. One parent in particular said that he and his sons loved the style of dress and actually defended sagging your pants. The father doesn't believe there is a direct connection between people that have their underwear or shorts showing and people that may choose to do things incorrectly on a regular basis.

Let me share with you my opinion on "Sagging Pants". It is very interesting to me to know that there are a lot of parents that are actually ok with their kids having their pants hanging off of their behinds. Some of these young people let their pants come down to their thigh and knee areas. To me, it is absolutely crazy! Why, because these young people have not learned how to dress for any kind of success. They believe that they will be ok. The reality is that some of these young people will not be ok. If you look at the grades of the young people that allow their pants to hang tremendously low below their waist, you will see that the majority of them have very poor grades and their behavior is usually horrible. Go to any middle or high school and conduct a quick survey. It's embarrassing!

Grant it, you should not judge a book by its cover, but the cover is an indicator. In most cases, we all pre-judge a person upon initially seeing them, so when a person truly believes that it doesn't matter what they dress or look like, they are sadly mistaken. Go apply for a job anywhere with your pants sagging down and see what happens. Operate your own business and go visit a client or have a client come visit you and see if you continue to have them as a client with your pants sagging below your waist. I'm sorry, it's just not going to happen! Here is a way to test for yourself. Dress like you normally dress with your pants sagging below your waist, and then put on a suit or dress outfit and see the difference in how people look at you and treat you. It will be totally different.

You see, there is a certain mentality that goes along with wearing your pants below your waist. The first is a "Jail" mentality because the style began and has been perpetuated from jail. The second is "self-hate" because for you not to care about your appearance is a form of self-hate. The third mentality is a "I don't give a %$@#" attitude. This is very dangerous because if any adult or person of authority says anything to them, they will "go-off" on you! I mean cuss you out and possibly confront you. What has been going on in the 2000's has been a Nationwide shift of mentality for our young people.

Our Parents first and foremost must do their part to Love, Teach, & Discipline their children. It's not cool to be friends with your children. It's cool to be a parent to your children! It is ok to discipline your children and make sure that they go to school to learn. Learning is their #1 function and all the other craziness that they attempt to get involved with should be nipped in the bud. Children can only do what we as adults allow them to do and right now we are giving them too much rope, and they are hanging themselves.

Everyone, let's get back to basics and take pride in getting at least a High School Education. For these children to get an education, we must hold them accountable for their actions and stress to them that they are going to get their education and that we are going to support them in the process. Parents, we cannot be lazy! Prepare them for school, demand proper behavior (yes sir & yes ma'am) and demand that they attend their classes everyday. Watch the success!!!

Biblical Education & Wisdom for Hip-Hop Parents & Youth!

A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish man despises his mother.
- Proverbs 15:20

Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom for the future.
- Proverbs 19:20

He who keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.
- Proverbs 21:23

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
- Proverbs 22:6

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.
- Proverbs 22:15

Apply your mind to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge.
- Proverbs 23:12

Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.
- Proverbs 23:13

AT-RISK STUDENTS

Fulton County, GA Targets Truancy and Crime
By: John H. Eaves
Chairman of the Fulton County Commission


As the holiday season approaches, many of us who are shopping for children are thinking of recent reports of lead paint in toys, and fearing the harm lead paint could cause our babies. But there is also a lead crisis facing our teenagers, every day - coming from the barrels of guns. Too often, that gun is aimed at a young person, but it is also true that young people are too often the perpetrators. By allowing this trend to continue, we are failing young people, and failing our communities.

In this nation, there is a 50% chance that a murder victim is African-American, although we make up just 12% of the total population. And among African-American murder victims, there is a one in three chance that the victim will be between the ages of 13 and 24.

Murder is not the only crime facing our teenagers and young adults. Burglaries in South Fulton County are up 13% over the past six months, and an overwhelming number of the perpetrators are teenagers.

Youth is often a time of experimentation with risky behaviors, and we see a range of indicatiors demostrating that trend, including high rates of teen pregnancy and a rise in HIV rates among youth. However, a willingness to abandon formal education is one of the chief indicators of an individual's future criminal activity.

Last year, in the Fulton County School System, 748 students dropped out in grades 9 through 12. A small number of these students dropped out due to incarceration or involvement with the justice system. However, the majority were removed due to poor attendance - the simple act of showing up at school was apparently too much of an investment in their future.

In the mean time, taxpayers are making tremendous financial investments on behalf of high school dropouts. The Fulton County Jail is at or near capacity on any given day, costing residents $79 per inmate per day. Nationally, 43% of state prison inmates lack a high school diploma or its equivalent.

Fulton County allocated $100 million for indigent care at Grady Health System this year. High School dropouts are much more likely to live in poverty and, therefore, are more likely to receive indigent health care.

We should be concerned when we see teenagers in the community on school days. Truancy has a "double whammy" effect - not only are students not learning, but they have the opportunity to commit crime or otherwise get themselves in trouble.

This trend was tragically highlighted after three teens committed a burglary in the middle of the afternoon on Dec. 4th. While fleeing the scene, they crashed into a power pole on Bethsaida Rd. in South Fulton, killing the driver and severely injuring the other two. Despite extensive news coverage, a 16 year old committed virtually the same crime two days later, suffering minor injuries in a crash. Why weren't these young men in school instead of terrorizing neighborhoods?

The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice has predicted that the number of violent youth offenders will increase by 33% from 2007 to 2011, over the previous five-year period. the number of at-risk youths is the chief reason for this - children in foster care, single-parent families in poverty, adults using drugs and alcohol.

In 2005, nearly 10% of our nation's teenage males - regardless of race - reported having carried a gun within the previous month. In Georgia, more than 7.5% report of high school students having carried a weapon on school property. It is no wonder, then, that 8% of Georgia high school student report missing school due to fear for their own safety.

How do we solve this problem? None of us can do it alone. The teenagers themselves are prevented by biology and inexperience from understanding the consequences of their actions - all the more reason to continue our protective watch. To reverse the trend, teenagers need the support of every adult in their lives, to keep them in school, keep them safe, help them make responsible and healthy choices. Parents need help - they may not be able to achieve the task alone. Indeed, increasing rates of divorce and out-of-marriage births have led to a number of single-parent households. Despite their best intentions, single parents face an even tougher challenge, with one less adult to keep watch. Additionally, these families run a higher risk of poverty - another risk factor. More than 40% of female-headed households with children are living in poverty in Fulton County.

On Thursday, a group of Fulton County agencies will join together with law enforcement, the courts and social services agencies to map out solutions to the crisis our young people are facing. In the mean time, every adult has a responsibility and opportunity to look at the teens who are close to them and steer them on the right path.

Parents and the Hip-Hop Youth, LEARN a lesson from Sean Taylor's Death!

By: Jason Whitlock
FOXSPORTS.COM

There's a reason I call them the Black KKK. The pain, the fear and the destruction are all the same.

Someone who loved Sean Taylor is crying right now. The life they knew has been destroyed, an 18-month-old baby lost her father, and, if you're a black man living in America, you've been reminded once again that your life is in constant jeopardy of violent death.

The Black KKK claimed another victim, a high-profile professional football player with a checkered past this time.

No, we don't know for certain the circumstances surrounding Taylor's death. I could very well be proven wrong for engaging in this sort of aggressive speculation. But it's no different than if you saw a fat man fall to the ground clutching his chest. You'd assume a heart attack, and you'd know, no matter the cause, the man needed to lose weight.

Well, when shots are fired and a black man hits the pavement, there's every statistical reason to believe another black man pulled the trigger. That's not some negative, unfair stereotype. It's a reality we've been living with, tolerating and rationalizing for far too long.

When the traditional, white KKK lynched, terrorized and intimidated black folks at a slower rate than its modern-day dark-skinned replacement, at least we had the good sense to be outraged and in no mood to contemplate rationalizations or be fooled by distractions.

Our new millennium strategy is to pray the Black KKK goes away or ignores us. How's that working?

About as well as the attempt to shift attention away from this uniquely African-American crisis by focusing on an "injustice" the white media allegedly perpetrated against Sean Taylor.

Within hours of his death, there was a story circulating that members of the black press were complaining that news outlets were disrespecting Taylor's victimhood by reporting on his troubled past.

No disrespect to Taylor, but he controlled the way he would be remembered by the way he lived. His immature, undisciplined behavior with his employer, his run-ins with law enforcement, which included allegedly threatening a man with a loaded gun, and the fact a vehicle he owned was once sprayed with bullets are all pertinent details when you've been murdered.

Marcellus Wiley, a former NFL player, made the radio circuit Wednesday, singing the tune that athletes are targets. That was his explanation for the murders of Taylor and Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams and the armed robberies of NBA players Antoine Walker and Eddy Curry.

Really?

Let's cut through the bull(manure) and deal with reality. Black men are targets of black men. Period. Go check the coroner's office and talk with a police detective. These bullets aren't checking W-2's.

Rather than whine about white folks' insensitivity or reserve a special place of sorrow for rich athletes, we'd be better served mustering the kind of outrage and courage it took in the 1950s and 1960s to stop the white KKK from hanging black men from trees.

But we don't want to deal with ourselves. We take great joy in prescribing medicine to cure the hate in other people's hearts. Meanwhile, our self-hatred, on full display for the world to see, remains untreated, undiagnosed and unrepentant.

Our self-hatred has been set to music and reinforced by a pervasive culture that promotes a crab-in-barrel mentality.

You're damn straight I blame hip hop for playing a role in the genocide of American black men. When your leading causes of death and dysfunction are murder, ignorance and incarceration, there's no reason to give a free pass to a culture that celebrates murder, ignorance and incarceration.

Of course there are other catalysts, but until we recapture the minds of black youth, convince them that it's not OK to "super man dat ho" and end any and every dispute by "cocking on your bitch," nothing will change.

Does a Soulja Boy want an education?

HBO did a fascinating documentary on Little Rock Central High School, the Arkansas school that required the National Guard so that nine black kids could attend in the 1950s. Fifty years later, the school is one of the nation's best in terms of funding and educational opportunities. It's 60 percent black and located in a poor black community.

Watch the documentary and ask yourself why nine poor kids in the '50s risked their lives to get a good education and a thousand poor black kids today ignore the opportunity that is served to them on a platter.

Blame drugs, blame Ronald Reagan, blame George Bush, blame it on the rain or whatever. There's only one group of people who can change the rotten, anti-education, pro-violence culture our kids have adopted. We have to do it.

According to reports, Sean Taylor had difficulty breaking free from the unsavory characters he associated with during his youth.

The "keepin' it real" mantra of hip hop is in direct defiance to evolution. There's always someone ready to tell you you're selling out if you move away from the immature and dangerous activities you used to do, you're selling out if you speak proper English, embrace education, dress like a grown man, do anything mainstream.

The Black KKK is enforcing the same crippling standards as its parent organization. It wants to keep black men in their place — uneducated, outside the mainstream and six feet deep.
In all likelihood, the Black Klan and its mentality buried Sean Taylor, and any black man or boy reading this could be next.

What is the Purpose of True Education?

"The purpose of true education is the expanding of the mind in the form of learning new places, persons, and things; learning about things you don't know, learning how to problem solve and plan in various fields and disciplines."

B. Brown of BREG: Bachelor of Arts-English



"The purpose of true education is to use ones mind, knowledge and creative genius to become free."

Dwon Alexander p.k.a. "Cool Water": Bachelor of Science-Special Education



"The purpose of true education is to gain knowledge to improve your live and the life of people you come in contact with, to help other people. The purpose of true education is to use knowledge for the greater good.

Willie Hunter of The Sentinel: Bachelor of Arts-Political Science/Arts



"The ultimate purpose of true education is to create a more productive and civilized society."

Eric - Publisher of Grooveline Magazine: Bacherlor of Arts-History



"The purpose of true education is to educate and entertain at the same time."

Dan Silas - CEO of Nuceic Media



IMPACT - "The purpose of true educcation is the positive impact you have on yourself, your family and community in a productive way."

A.J.: Real Estate Investor



***Reprint courtesy provided by JaWar and Music Industry Connection, LLC