Let’s Change It Up A Bit, Indeed

In an article about the school district’s decision to not sell it’s expensive old paintings, there’s a little chestnut about the controversy last year when the school district declared October Gay & Lesbian History Month.

There were no parades or forcible gay indoctrinations planned; no, it was just a few words on a piece of paper that happened to be “October.” But that didn’t stop parents from complaining and a Daily News columnist from supporting them.

At last night’s School Reform Commission meeting, a parent complained again. (Even though, ah, who would be looking at October’s calendar page now?) And Commissioner Martin Bednarek came up with an idea:

Also yesterday, a long-standing controversy over the district’s decision to include gay and lesbian history month on its school calendar surfaced again. After a resident complained about its inclusion, Commissioner Martin Bednarek suggested that the district designate that month for breast cancer awareness this year.

“I just think we should try breast cancer awareness month. Why not change it up,” he said.

Nevels said the calendar’s content is a decision for the staff, not the commission.

I kind of like my plan better: Take it off the calendar, but start teaching tolerance for all people in school. It might piss off the parents in hilarious way after hilarious way again. It’s a win-win!

Or, they can not print it on next year’s calendar, to show the kids that if their parents go to a school board meeting and boo lesbian high schoolers and bash gays, you can get what you want.

No auction for Phila. School District’s works of art [Inquirer]

High School Principal To Fight Old Men

Council Rock South 10th grade principal Nick Indeglio will be returning to his roots as a wrestler tonight. He’ll be fighting Samu, who is 43. All the proceeds go to charity, etc.

Other wrestlers on the card include:

• King Kong Bundy, age 49
• Sal Bellomo, 55
• Afa (The Wild Samoan), 64
• Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, 63

No doubt, this will be the highlight of the year for Bucks County.

Buxco High School Principal Re-Ignites Pro Wrestling Persona [KYW 1060]

Kids Get Day Off Due To Incompetence

With the temperatures hovering around 10 degrees this week in the morning, the news media is jumping on any sort of story possibly involving the cold it can. (This is normal. It’s okay, it should pass soon enough.)

So comes the tale of the students stuck on the frigid schol bus. The news stations had it yesterday, I think, and the Daily News has it this morning. (And now I have it. See, everyone’s guilty.)

The school bus broke down at 9th and Dickinson in South Philly yesterday at around 8:15. The students were apparently in the bus for a little less than three hours; they were only moved to a nearby school after a student called 911. (Way to go, adults in charge!)

Eventually, students called their parents from the other school. Here’s how the DN describes the ordeal of Vikera Wilkins and Aikiem Maxie, two nine-year-old brothers. (Uhh, how does that work?) The boys’ mother, Latasha Signil eventually got a call.

About 12:30 p.m., Signil took her children to their own school, Folk Art Charter, and they picked up their homework.

Then it was home for dinner, homework, a warm bath and bed.

Wait. Those kids got to go home just after noon? Screw the cold, I bet those kids are as happy as they can be. Three-day weekend! (And a warm bath to boot!)

Bus snafu leaves pupils in the cold [Daily News]
Cold start today [Philly Weather]

Corzine To Force Schools To Teach Kids About Memorial And Veterans Day, Material They’ll Promptly Forget

To the surprise of no one, Jon Corzine said today he will issue a conditional veto on a bill that would lift the requirement to teach kids about Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

As usual, the rhetoric was over-the-top. “We run the risk of having future generations take for granted the freedoms all of our veterans have secured for them,” said Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose. “As a military wife, I know the sacrifices of veterans and their families have been far too great and many to leave this to chance.” No, Assemblywoman McHose — McHose? — I’m pretty sure we already take the freedoms and whatever else for granted.

Of course, not every veteran is being remembered by New Jersey. From the AP story:

Other holidays about which schools no longer would be required to teach include Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, Arbor Day and Commodore Barry Day, which commemorates Revolutionary War hero John Barry. But Coley said Veterans Day and Memorial Day are Corzine’s primary concerns.

You hear that, John Barry? Jon Corzine just said, “Screw you, Father of the American Navy!”

Corzine to veto bill on veterans commemorations in schools [AP/Philly.com]

Keystone Cops: Why Not Easy Buttons?

Keystone Cops is a look at police, crime and public safety news.

• Twenty Montco schools will respond to the Amish school shooting and the Springfield suicide by getting panic buttons. Yes! Panic buttons! They’ll be able to communicate with police and such, too, so I suppose it’s all good. [Doylestown Intelligencer]

• A former Camden County volunteer fire chief has been convicted of arson. It’s always the one you most suspect. [KYW 1060]

• A Widener College student has been arrested for allegedly beating a dog to death in the woods. The dead dog’s name is not known, but he’s sure to get just as many letters as Barbaro did. What? A dead dog can read just as well as a live horse! [NBC 10]

• A Bensalem 14-year-old who allegedly wrote bomb threats on the walls of Bensalem High has been arrested and charged with threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction. This is coincidentally the same charge used to invade Iraq. Who knew? [AP/Philly.com]

• And they appeared to have caught him now? I think? But last week Fox News reported police in England were contacting Atlantic City cops to see if there were any links between the two cases. Uh, yeah. [Fox News via Philly Confidential]

Running And Gunning

It appears that, when it comes to school violence, the young men and women of Philadelphia are way ahead of their counterparts in Delaware. (Duh.)

From the Associated Press:

Wilmington police said a 12-year-old Kuumba Academy student brought a pellet gun to school. The student was charged with possession of a weapon in a Safe School Zone. Around 7:40 a.m., officials at Shue-Medill Middle School in Newark found what appeared to be a handgun in the bag of a 14-year-old student, who was sent to the principal’s office for acting strangely. The device was later determined to be a starter pistol.

Eh, maybe there’s something to be said for this. In Philadelphia kids are killin’ each other, while in Wilmington they’re just starting the 3200 meters.

Police: 2 Boys Bring Guns To School [AP/NBC 10]

Keystone Cops: I Don’t Think This Is What They Mean By A Press Defense

Keystone Cops is an occasional look at crime, public safety and police news.

• Former Temple hoops star Pamela Balogh — the school’s all-time leading scorer — was arrested for allegedly molesting a player while she was basketball coach of Somerville’s Immaculata High School. John Chaney continues to look more and more awesome every day. [NBC 10]

• Prosecutors argued yesterday they should be able to use Christopher Kornberger’s rap lyrics in his capital murder trial. The 21-year-old, who has also confessed on videotape, received this impassioned defense from his mother: “He was a typical boy. He didn’t have murderous thoughts. If he had those thoughts, don’t you think he would have come to his mother?” Don’t answer that. [Camden Courier-Post]

• In the continuing Week of Weird School News, Newtown Elementary School was closed today because 190 kids had been sickened with a stomach virus. The outbreak started Wednesday, coincidentally the same day as the “mystery toxic sludge lunch.” [KYW 1060]

• Police were called to a meat packing plant in Souderton after there was a work stoppage after employees were upset about bonuses being delayed. The bonuses, of course, were for the company’s championship football team that defeated the Pottsville Maroons last weekend. [AP/6 ABC]

Keystone Cops: School Daze

Keystone Cops is a roundup of law enforcement/crime/public safety news that runs occasionally, since yesterday, on Philadelphia Will Do.

• It’s apparently weird-shit-happening-at-school-week, as a Burlington County teacher had her class quarantined this morning after having an allergic reaction to a white powder. Everything’s okay — well, the teacher is in the hospital — while a bomb scare at a Chester County (?) school turned out to be shoes. Of course. [Inquirer]

• While still facing charges, a woman in Ewing is being treated at the psychiatric hospital after allegedly trying to kill her father by burning down the house. She also believes that “she’s pregnant with God’s baby and is the devil, prosecutors said yesterday,” so treatment seems to be the good idea here. [The Trentonian]

• An 18-year-old in North Philly was shot outside an elementary school. Presumably not one he’s currently attending. [NBC 10]

• And, hey, the alleged screwdriver attacker from West Philly is in custody! Hooray! [6 ABC]

Kids Nowadays Can’t Even Get Their Stupid Psychopathic References Correct

After Tuesday’s tragic suicide of a student at Springfield (Montco) High School, two students from other Montgomery County schools had a bright idea yesterday: Hey, how about we threaten to blow up our school!

The two schools in question are Soudertown High and Springford High. Soudertown was locked down after someone found a note referencing Columbine and Tuesday’s incident. Springford officials discovered a bomb threat in the bathroom, but Limerick Township police say a 16-year-old junior has confessed to writing the note.

In addition to being, uh, stupid, it’s also incorrect. Tuesday’s event was a suicide, not a school shooting. The correct reference here is not Columbine, but Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy.” (Or, if you want, the newspaper article that inspired the song. Thanks, Wikipedia!)

I know the kiddies aren’t quite into the Pearl Jam these days, but, c’mon, do a little research people. You don’t want to look even stupider.

Two Montco Schools Receive Threats [KYW 1060]
Tuesday: Student Shoots Self At Montco H.S., School District Posts Note On Website And Moves On

Leftovers: Boulevard Brouhaha

• City Council debated on how to fix Roosevelt Boulevard yesterday, and Brian O’Neill wants to shut the middle six lanes entirely. I guess the theory is, if traffic’s bumper-to-bumper all day, nobody can drive fast enough to hurt any pedestrians too bad. (The Daily News has a little more.) [Inquirer]

• The Daily News‘ David Gambacorta has more on Larry McGuigan, who shot a dancer in a strip club and then himself. The stripper, Harmony, is expected to make a full recovery. [Daily News]

• Camden’s principal was suspended (with pay, natch) over allegations he influenced grades for players on Camden’s 7-3, playoff-qualifyin’ football team. A student’s grandfather on a meeting he had with principal Al Davis: “He just kept chewing tobacco and wouldn’t listen to me.” [Camden Courier-Post]

• The Philly Park casino has no idea when it’s opening. [Bucks County Courier Times]