Beware The Flu

There is a move afoot to bombard the new DeKalb County School Superintendent and the Board with emails demanding that the Super and/or the Board allow communities, Dunwoody included, to foot the bill for alternative per-school accreditation. Permission is needed because the accrediting agency will need access to school resources to perform their audit.

Unfortunately neither our recently un-elected Board, nor Thurmond, nor Tyson (who is actually running the show) give a shit what anyone in the community and particularly in Dunwoody wants. For them Dunwoody has been a pain in their ass for far too long and right now they don't have to listen to anybody, except maybe Elgart. And as long as they send Thurmond out on tour to say he's listening, to say "parents are the most important" part of the equation it doesn't matter that he is isn't listening and doesn't even believe what he's saying.

Our Superintendent For Life is special--he operates on epiphanies--he has "Aha! Moments". As it turns out now is a singular time, offering a unique opportunity for the parents of children in Dunwoody's schools to bring rapture to the Super, to catalyze his epiphany and bring him to an important "Aha! Moment".

It appears that we are right smack dab in the middle of CRCTs. Apparently these started this past Thursday and continue until Tuesday (day after tomorrow). As it so happens we are also in the midst of a mini-flu epidemic and it seems to be hitting kids the hardest. Particularly susceptible are those children under stress and what could be more stressful than a four day test? What indeed.

Now all parents know how important these tests are...how they are critical for their children to achieve their potential...to having a fair chance at the college of their choice...how the Super intends to trot out some cherry picked results to a resounding chorus of "How Great We Art...so no one, especially not anyone in The Other Dunwoody would dare suggest that parents might put their child's health ahead of this all important test. Folks outside The Other Dunwoody sure as hell would though. And to their point, a responsible parent would never send a child to school when they suspect that child might be ill or worse yet contagious. And with this flu going around parents all across Dunwoody are asked to be extra vigilant and if their child shows even the faintest sign of illness to keep them home.

The test can wait.

As it turns out this is as true as it is key to parents getting their issue heard. Should the flu result in extraordinarily excessive absenteeism then the re-test[1] will of necessity see a large increase in takers. Barring another bought of flu. While only a few weeks of delay, this gives the Super time to bring his Rapture Road Trip back up to the 'Wood for some listen and learn. Now that parents have his attention of course. In full listen mode we can bring him to the still, healing waters of epiphany and pray with him as he has his "Aha! Moment". Then we can celebrate with one voice as he puts pen to paper offering a testimonial and an iron-clad guarantee that parents in Dunwoody can seek GAC accreditation prudently, payerfully, but with all due haste.





[1] Whenever there is a "high stakes test" anyone who might be penalized based on the results works to ensure there is at least two bites at the apple. Wouldn't want anyone to look bad based on any objective measure.