An open letter to June Doe

No Trespass (0.00 / 0)

A blogger in Amherst has received the No Trespass treatment, so it can happen:

http://onlyintherepublicofamhe...

(search on the page for the term "trespass" ... there are several posts on the topic)

This particular blogger is a bit more incendiary and deliberately provocative than Brian, but the principle in play remains the same.

---

by: stebivule @ Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 11:38:43 AM CDT

Full disclosure (0.00 / 0)

Post your letters to Ms. Doe and her repsonses.

---

by: my1984 @ Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 13:39:50 PM CDT

Not the issue (0.00 / 0)

This isn't a matter of "full disclosure," and we've already been over why I'm not posting the full text of our exchange.  However, since you are persisting in this, I'm going to highlight one of the Wall Street Journal's new rules for how their reporters should deal with social media like blogs:

* Let our coverage speak for itself, and don't detail how an article was reported, written or edited.

I happen to think that particular rule is misguided, and that journalists are not some special class that should hide behind a veil of secrecy.  I don't have a problem talking about what I do or how I am doing it, to a degree.  I also checked the comments on the stories the Globe and the Transcript have written about this topic, and I don't see you making the same demands of them.  I think I've gone well beyond them already in disclosing my methods and actions.  

myDedham.org - a community since 1636 and online since 2007!

---

by: Brian @ Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 13:59:56 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

still not transparent (0.00 / 0)

Posting one document from one side of the story along with some personal comments is not transparent or enlightening.  Journalistic coverage is not a summary of thoughts or feelings - it is a disclosure of facts and documents.  Black out any individual names and post your email and letter correspondences.

"Don't talk about the pain, show me the baby."
-Bill Parcells

---

by: my1984 @ Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 14:14:33 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

don't you wish . . . (0.00 / 0)

. . . that everyone had to obey you?

Or that Brian were a public official whose documents by law belonged in the public domain?

---

by: kei-o-lei @ Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 21:58:40 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

http://www.succeedsocially.com/sociallife (0.50 / 2)

How to Make Friends And Get a Social Life
Getting a social life isn't as complicated as it may seem, although it can require some patience. The thing is that most people make and keep friends without really thinking about how they do it. They just picked up the skills automatically as they grew up. If you've always been more of the shy, loner type than you'll probably appreciate some pointers.

Basics to have covered:
Pretty much any one can have a group of friends if they want to. You more or less need to have these broad factors in order though. People who have trouble making friends often go wrong somewhere here:

A fairly decent personality and social skills
This one's obvious. The more rewarding you are to be around, the more easily you'll make friends. You can be far from perfect though. Even people who most of us would consider annoying often have a social network.

Knowledge about how to make friends
That's what this article will cover. Most people have this knowledge instinctively. I had to piece it together bit by bit, even the stuff that seems really obvious.

Enough guts to invite people out fairly easily
This one has held me back personally. I'd want to invite someone out, but I'd always have some reason to decide against it. I was hardly a nervous wreck, but I'd be just slightly anxious enough that it would make the different between inviting someone out and not.

Enough internal desire to have a group of friends
Some people want a group of friends in theory, to ease their feelings of loneliness, but at the same time they're a little indifferent to the concept. Some of us aren't as naturally social as others. When your whole heart isn't into the idea of having a group of friends, your efforts can stall out, or be very start and stop.

You like other people
Seems too obvious to write, but I used to be quite negative towards other people. I always had a reason to not want to be friends with someone. I've read lonely people in general tend to be a little more harsh in their judgments of others.

Here are my thoughts on how to get a group of friends together:
Don't be too hard on yourself over your current lack of friends
That's easier said than done of course. It's not totally rare for someone to have to start from zero. People who move to a new area have to do it all the time. People who get out of long term relationships, or who outgrow their current social circle also commonly have to rebuild their social circles.

Get an outside life on your own
You don't have to be a hermit while you're pulling your new social life together. Go see some live music, go check out the local bars and have a drink or two by yourself, go see some stand-up comedy, go to a sports bar and watch the game, start going to a rock climbing gym, take some classes, if you're in college then join some associations and clubs, walk around interesting neighborhoods, go to any interesting local events advertised in the paper, if you're going to read or play on your laptop you might was well go to a coffee shop to do it, etc., etc., etc.,

Doing these things will take the edge off of any loneliness and boredom you may feel. They'll will also fill your head with knowledge of things to do and places to go when you are hanging around people. Also just being in situations where there are people around, even if you're not interacting with them all that much, gives you some of the feelings of having a social life. And through doing all these activities there are plenty of chances to actually meet people too of course.

I got into more detail on this topic here: Ways To Improve Your Social Prospects Before You Try Meeting Anyone

Draw on your current contacts
This won't apply to people who have just moved to a new area and don't know anyone, but often you'll already have the seeds of a social life around you. You don't necessarily have to go out and meet ten strangers to have one. It's a lot easier to start turn existing contacts into full-fledged friends than it is to meet new ones.

There are probably a handful of people you already know who could end up becoming part of a new social circle. I'm talking about people like:

Acquaintances you're friendly with when you run into each other, but who you never see otherwise.
People at work or in your classes who you get along with.
Friends of people you know who you've gotten along with.
Someone who has shown an interest in being your friend but you never really took up the offer.
People you very occasionally hang out with, who you could see more.
Friends you've gradually lost contact with who you could call up again.
Siblings and relatives close to your age.

You just have to take the step of doing more social activities with them than you usually do. More on that below.

Meet some new people
Getting more out of your current relationships can go along way, but it doesn't always work. Sometimes you're at a point where you need to meet entirely new people. Not having easy access to potential new friends is a big barrier for many people in creating a social circle. I go into more detail here: Places And Ways To Meet New People.

Overall, I'd say the easiest things to do are:

Meet one or two cool people and then get to know all their friends. If you hang out with fifteen people, you shouldn't have to have met them all individually.
Having a specific interest you want to build your social circle around and then actively seeking out others who share it. This can be as simple as joining a team or club (which you'd want to do anyways, just to take part in your hobby).
Being in a situation where there are lots of your peers around and then getting to know some of them through your day-to-day interactions. Work and school are the two big ones.
Do your best to accept every invitation
If someone invites you to do something, then you should go. Why turn down a free chance to get out there with people?

If you're more of an shy or solitary person it's easy to mull over the invitation and rationalize that it won't be that fun and that you don't want to go. Ignore those thoughts and go anyways. You never can be sure how fun something will be until you show up and see how it is for yourself.

Sometimes you'll have to inconvenience yourself for the sake of your social life. You may get invited to a movie you don't particularly want to see, or someone might call you up on Friday evening as you're about to go to bed, asking if you want to go out. Whenever you have two or more people in the equation, you're going to have to compromise sometimes. Again, just being out there outweighs these minor annoyances.

Invite potential friends to do something with you
Ask the people you get along with to hang out. Give them a call, or ask them if you see them around in person. Invite them to go out to do something (See: Activities People Do When They Hang Around Each Other for some really basic thoughts on this topic).

This is the most important step in my experience. You can meet all the people you want, and they can think you're great, but if you don't take any actions to do something with them in the future, then you won't form many new relationships. People will stay as the guy you talk to in class, or the girl you chat to at work in the break room.

This is basic stuff, but lonlier people often hit a wall here. There may be someone they joke around with at work, or chat to in one of their classes, but they won't take the step of inviting them out and taking the relationship to the next level.

If you hit it off with someone get their contact information
If you meet someone cool don't assume that you'll run into them again. Get their phone number or maybe their email address. If you're shy this may take a small amount of nerve the first few times, but it's one of those things that ceases to seem like a big deal at all once you're used it. You can also get used to the odd rejection quite quickly. Also make sure people have your contact info in case they ever want to invite you along somewhere.

Have a basic grasp of how to make plans
Depending on what works for you, you may want to do something one-on-one with someone or go out in a larger group. If you know a bunch of people, plus your potential new friend, are going to do something anyways, you can also ask if you can come along.

Making plans can be tedious and unpredictable at times. Try your best to get used to it. It personally helped me to accept this wasn't a situation where I could perfectly control and arrange everything ahead of time. I had to come to peace with the uncertainty of trying to organize something with one or more other people.

If inviting people out and arranging plans all seems like a big hassle, it also probably feels that way for them at times. They shouldn't always have to step up and organize things for you. Do some of the lifting yourself at times.

More details here: Advice On Making Plans With People

Don't be picky about who you hang out with at first
Your initial goal is to just get some sort of social life going. So hang out with whoever you get along with and who seems interested in doing things with you. The first people you meet may not be your 100% ideal friends. The benefits of just being out there as opposed to moping around at home outweigh this. At the very least, it's easier to make further friends when you've already got a few. Also, if you're forming your first-ever group of friends, you probably don't totally know what you like or want in other people. You have to see what different types of people are like in a friend capacity firsthand, and if you get along with them.

I also give this advice because lonely people tend to be more negative about people in general. Less naturally outgoing types can also be more picky about who they choose to spend their time with. If you naturally tend to be down on everyone you meet you need to make an effort to consciously override these feelings. Plus, don't have an unrealistic self-image that demands you can only hang out with a certain caliber of people. Be realistic about yourself and your circumstances.

If you don't totally like yourself, you may also be averse to hanging around people who you see as too similar to yourself, as it can act as a mirror that reflects your shortcomings back at you. This may be justified if you have some irksome traits and understandably want to avoid other people who have them, but often you may be turning away legitimately good people who just happen to have some characteristics that hurt your pride a little.

As a general rule, if you more-or-less get along with someone, actually become friends with them first, and then decide if want to be friends. If you're picky, you can come up with reasons not to befriend just about anyone ahead of time. But when you're already hanging out with someone, and you've skipped over your pickiness, you often find you like their company, even if they wouldn't have been good 'on paper' in your mind beforehand.

Don't feel making friends is super tricky
If you're inexperienced with making friends, you may see the process as being more drawn-out and complex than it really is. Often all you have to do to make a friend is meet someone you naturally click with and hang around with them enough. You also don't have to know them for months before applying the 'friend' label to them. On characteristic of more social people is that they'll throw the word friend around pretty loosely when describing their relationships with people. But it almost becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy in a way. Sure, if you've just met someone it may not be a deep, intimate relationship, but you can still hang out with them and have a good time.

If you want a social life, you've got to make it happen for yourself
Being too passive is another big error. If you want to get a group of friends, assume you'll have to do all the work. Don't just wait around hoping someone will invite you out on the weekend. If you want to go out then get on the phone and organize something.

Don't worry too much about seeming desperate or needy. Take the attitude that it's about you and you'll do what needs to be done to make some friends. Who cares if a handful of people think you're a bit too eager along the way if it all eventually works out?

Don't take it personally if people seem indifferent to you
Other people are often harmlessly thoughtless and preoccupied in the sense that they'd be happy if they hung out with you, but they wouldn't think to ask you themselves. Sometimes you have to take an interest in them before you appear on their radar.

Similarly, some people are more lax and laid back than you'd like about returning your emails or calls. They're not consciously trying to reject you, they're just a little more loosey-goosey than most.

Be persistent and try not to get discouraged by setbacks too easily
Sometimes you'll join a club or be introduced to your friend's friends and hope to meet a bunch of great new people. Then you get there and the experience is disappointing. You may feel like you don't click with anyone, or like they're ignoring you in favor of making in-jokes with each other. Give these groups a few more tries, often you're limited in how much you'll connect with others on the first meeting. You may warm up to each other before long.

If someone refuses your invitation because they're busy or not sure if they can make it out then don't give up. Try again another time. Don't automatically jump to the conclusion that they hate you and you're fundamentally unlikable. Assume the best. Also, even the act of making an invitation sends the message that you like someone and want to hang out with them. They may be unable to meet that one time, but now see you as someone they could possibly have fun with in the future.

When you meet potential friends be realistic about your importance in their lives and how long it may take to become buddies with them. They probably already have a social circle and their world won't end if it doesn't work out with you. As such, don't get too discouraged if they're not knocking down the door to hang out with you a day after you met them. They may be busy and your plans may not pan out for another few weeks.

Sometimes it just won't work out with someone. You'll get along at the time, and they may express an interest in hanging out in the future, but for whatever reason things don't materialize. It happens to everyone and is nothing to get too down about. Keep the bigger picture in mind and continue meeting people.

The whole 'taking initiative and don't give up too easily' thing can be a missing piece of the puzzle for people, but sometimes it still seems that no one is interested in you. You may want to check this out: When People Don't Seem Interested In Being Friends With You

Once you know some people, build on this foundation
Once you've made a regular friend or two you've got a good base to work from. If you're not super social in nature, one or two good buddies may be all you need to be happy. At the very least, it should be enough to get rid of any desperate lonely feelings you may have.

Sooner or later you'll end up meeting your friend's friends. If you hit it off with them then you can start hanging out with them as well. You can also become a member of the whole group with time. This is also a good reason not to be too picky about who you associate with. You may feel lukewarm about a particular person but find you really hit it off with the people in their social circle.

You can continue to meet entirely new people. Having friends will make this easier as they'll do things like invite you to parties or keep you company in places where there are new people to potentially meet.

Maintain your friendships
Keep in regular touch with friends through the phone, email, MSN, Facebook, etc. Hang out with them on a regular basis. Every friend and acquaintance has a right amount of time you need to spend with them. Some relationships are more casual and you only hang out every month or less, other people will wonder if you've died if you they don't see you every week. Common sense will tell you what these amounts are.

Don't be needy and pester one friend too much and rely on them to meet all your social and entertainment needs.

You may not have a problem with meeting people and hanging around them once or twice, but you may run into trouble in the long run. Don't fall out of touch with your new friends and acquaintances. Various traits can get you at this stage:

You can feel insecure. You'll convince yourself your new friends don't really like you and drop contact with them in response to this imagined slight.
Your lower need to be social may cause you to not want to hang around with them as often as you need to keep the friendship going.
Shyness may make you too wimpy to call them up and make plans.

If you haven't talked to someone in a while it's not really a big deal. You can still get back in touch and catch up. It's not even that awkward. Don't think you automatically have to throw the friendship away.

Be patient
Building up a good social life takes time so stick with it. It may take a while before you get a chance to meet some people you're compatible with. After that, it may be a few months before you're consistently hanging around with each other. It may be a year or more before you feel like you're really, really friends with them. It often takes time to go from having no plans, to having plans with the same person every third weekend, to having plans with a variety of people three times a week.

On the other hand, sometimes you can get a social life going quite quickly. Joining a club or team may give you an instant social circle. Also, if you're extremely outgoing, you can literally go out to some bars and just introduce yourself to people. Overall though, don't get discouraged if things are a little slower than what feels ideal.

---

by: my1984 @ Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 13:53:51 PM CDT

Copyright (0.00 / 0)

I've explained this several time before, but I understand not everyone knows all the ins and outs of copyright law.  The non-lawyers version is essentially this: You can't copy and paste whole texts of someone elses work without permission.  I quickly glanced at the website whence it came, but couldn't find a copyright policy.  However, if the author asks me to, I will remove this comment.

You can use small portions of a text under the fair use doctrine.  I'm sure whoever wrote that very insightful text worked hard at it, and he deserves not only the credit for it, but also the advertising revenue he derives from his website.  I'm sure you meant no harm, but your posting the whole text is not only illegal, it is also also wrong.

myDedham.org - a community since 1636 and online since 2007!

---

by: Brian @ Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 14:08:44 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

permission (0.00 / 0)

Do you need permission to post copies of your emails and letters to Ms. Doe?
Is a response letter from her copyrighted?
60 Minutes does not seem to have a problem posting letters that they use in their stories.
No one is asking you cut and paste another's journalistic work.  

---

by: my1984 @ Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 14:32:08 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

No (0.00 / 0)

No, I don't need anyone's permission, but I've already explained to you several times now why I am not going to post them.  I can also assure that you don't see every letter 60 Minutes writes.  How can I be sure?  For one thing it is 60 Minutes, not 60 Hours.  

More concretely, because I used to work for CBS News.  Dan Rather himself reported facts that I researched.  You didn't see my name on any of it, and you didn't see any of the e-mails I wrote to the Florida Secretary of State, to give one example.  (It was Katherine Harris - remember her?)

The Florida story was one of the more interesting stories that I worked on there.  Voters passed a Constitutional amendment ensuring that pregnant pigs had to be kept in cages big enough for them to turn around in.  It ranks up there with the crazy guy running for US Senate in Alaska, and covering oral arguments at the Supreme Court in a case involving the Klu Klux Klan.  You didn't see anything I wrote for any of those stories on TV either - just the reporter's final product.

myDedham.org - a community since 1636 and online since 2007!

---

by: Brian @ Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 15:46:52 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

How journalism works (1.00 / 1)

It makes no sense to ask a reporter to post all documents relating to a story before the story is complete.  

I think what my1984 is trying to do is to make it appear that Brian is the story..... guys like him are just meddlesome, they love to cause problems for the people who make this country great, blah blah blah.  It reminds me of some of the Bush/Cheney distraction tactics.

I'm glad Brian's looking into this.  Investigative journalism is a worthy endeavor.  And the Transcript does such a wretched job.  It seems like a vehicle for people in power to shape the story however they want; its articles are just strings of quotes from town leaders. Very weak, in a journalistic sense. It seems that Dedham badly needs at least one intrepid reporter, and Brian's all we've got right now.

---

by: Easting @ Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 18:48:19 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

zzzzzzzzz (0.00 / 0)

---

by: DYNAYH @ Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 19:40:50 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

zzzzzzzzz (0.00 / 1)

---

by: DYNAYH @ Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 19:39:21 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I don't understand (0.00 / 1)

the connection.  What does this have to do with anything?  

---

by: hammy @ Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 21:44:29 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Misdirection (0.00 / 0)

The issue concerns removal of sped personnel from the classroom NOT confidentiality, Brian's letter concerns June's actions and petty reactions, not his school entry conduct, once again the June camp has managed to turn the issue around to keep things away from the real issue, mistakes and cover ups from the administration.  Can we afford to have a public policy of approving executives who are so petty in their dealings with the press and the public?

---

by: greenlodge78 @ Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 19:20:14 PM CDT

Tutor Gate: Act 14 (0.00 / 0)

Stebi - every time I start to wonder about you, you always come through with a brilliant and pithy comment.  I wholeheartedly second it, though I'm not sure "tool" is a strong enough word.  But let's get back to reality... I really don't have the energy to engage the trailer trash these days.  It's interesting that June Doe is trying to stonewall Brian every step of the way and is now threatening him with bizarre and irrational trespass orders.  I also think it's interesting the way in which the ethics report was worded:

Flatley highlighted special investigator Katherine Gallant's determination "that the matter does not require presentation to the (Ethics) Commission for official action. This decision is based on our understanding that the superintendent was not involved in the issue affecting your child," Gallant wrote in her letter, dated April 27.

What I've heard around town was that the Superintendent was DIRECTLY involved in this decision.  Is it possible that Flatley spilled the beans to Gallant and June is heating up because more fingers are pointing back to her office?  Listen, Stebi has always said that Joanne acted ethically and I think I pretty much agree with this point... but all the facts presented seem to question June Doe's ethics and her behavior towards Brian only seems to strengthen that possibility.  (By the way, is the report that the Transcript quoted public record?)  We're not done with this story yet and we might not be done with it until June comes clean and answers the questions that have been floating for months now... maybe she should self refer to the Ethics Department like Joanne did.  Brian don't let her behavior get you down and don't let the "tools" on this blog bother you either.  Remember, this is about a classroom of children who were denied legally required services.... In my book, that's worth fighting for!  

---

by: quincy71 @ Tue Jun 02, 2009 at 08:26:32 AM CDT

Not a public document (0.00 / 0)

The statute establishing the Ethics Commission places just about everything they do in the realm of a confidentiality exemption to the Public Records Law.  They only release documents in certain and extremely limited circumstances.  If the papers got a copy of it then I am sure it came from Joanne, not from the Commission.  

myDedham.org - a community since 1636 and online since 2007!

---

by: Brian @ Tue Jun 02, 2009 at 10:12:39 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

I would like (2.50 / 2)

to see the exact questions/ request for records that Brian is looking for.  We all assume that these are easy documents to compile, but we won't know for sure till we see the questions/requests.

---

by: JM @ Tue Jun 02, 2009 at 11:58:16 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Much tougher than it needed to be (0.00 / 0)

I originally tried to simply ask questions.  When she wouldn't answer, I had to go the public records route.  As an example, early on I asked something like "Did any employee do X?  If yes, who was it and why did they?"  The answer I got back was, essentially, "I'm not required by law to answer that, so I'm not going to."  

It was then that I decided to take the route of asking for public documents.  This is a much more time consuming process for the School Department and much more expensive for me and the Sunshine Fund Donors (thank you all very much again).  It didn't have to be like that, and I wish it wasn't.  It's not how I would have preferred to proceed.

myDedham.org - a community since 1636 and online since 2007!

---

by: Brian @ Tue Jun 02, 2009 at 13:54:55 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Is June Doe good for Dedham? (0.00 / 0)

Ms. Doe's reaction to  Brian is...interesting.  To me, her reaction says that she has something to hide.  If she did nothing wrong, I would think she would be willing to answer Brian's questions.  Instead, she is using her standard diversion tactics to divert attention from the real issue.  (The students who didn't have a teacher for several weeks.)  Her first diversion tactic was the confidentiality bit and her latest is threatening Brian with a no trespass order.  

Greenlodge78 asks a good question.  

Can we afford to have a public policy of approving executives who are so petty in their dealings with the press and the public?

I have heard some of you sing June Doe's praises, but I'm not comfortable with a superintendent who appears to be hiding things from the public.  In my opinion, she has also threatened Brian.  Stop asking questions or I will have you banned from school property.  I sincerely hope that Brain is able to find the answers he is looking for.

---

by: Concerned_in_Dedham @ Tue Jun 02, 2009 at 18:11:50 PM CDT

June is getting bad advice! (0.00 / 0)

Don't you think somebody would have told June by now just get the facts out there!!!  The story has become the obstruction of information more than the removal of a teacher to tutor another student. As far as I know only a superintendent has the authority to reassign a teacher outiside of a school. So it is interesting that Joanne's letter stated that no wrongdoing was done unless the superintendent was involved. hmmm

Also schools are public and supported by the taxpayers of Dedham. As long as visitors adhere to the sign-in /sign-out policy and have a purpose in visiting why should they be barred entry?

I think if more people knew all the great things happening in the schools, they would feel much better about the Dedham Public Schools!

---

by: maginnis @ Tue Jun 02, 2009 at 19:44:32 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Semantic Point (0.00 / 0)

The text of Joanne's letter from the Ethics Commission:

This decision is based on our understanding that the superintendent was not involved in the issue affecting your child

Your text:

it is interesting that Joanne's letter stated that no wrongdoing was done unless the superintendent was involved.

I find those to be two very different statements with very different meanings.  

---

by: stebivule @ Tue Jun 02, 2009 at 20:55:00 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

it's a package deal (0.00 / 0)

Think for a few minutes, away from the hubbub, about all the things that we expect a Superintendent to do and to be really GOOD at doing: operations manager; CEO; curriculum leader; public spokesperson; advocate for the schools; rainmaker, etc.

When I add all those up, I get a job description that it would take a superhuman (or an Obama) to do well.

That's why I tend to look at the School Committee and the Superintendent as BOTH responsible for what the schools do and for what the Superintendent tackles.

YES, June Doe is good for Dedham and has been a good educational leader.

I'd also say that she's weak in "communication during a crisis", and that makes me wonder why the SC seems OK with her retaining the lead for thagt portion of the work.

Even for those who perceive Ms Doe to be doing exactly the right things during the last few months - and there is a reasonable fact based case that she is not doing the right things - there is continuing perceptual harm being done to the Dedham schools, and it's hard for me to see what the SC is doing to repair that damage.

---

by: kei-o-lei @ Wed Jun 03, 2009 at 14:45:48 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Speak up June Doe - Don't make it worse than it is (0.00 / 0)

This should be put to rest.  It has gone too far.  So many people want answers. I would like to know the truth about what is going on in our schools.  By stonewalling, June Doe gives the impression of guilt or having something to hide. No one is perfect. If she made an error in judgement, she should admit it.   Let's be done with it. Don't make it worst than it is.

Threats against Brian, being barred from schoool property, is petty, picayune and contemptible. Brian is not the villain here.  

Somebody in her position should have the character, moral and ethical quility and integrity, to own up to her bad judgement, if she made a bad judgement.  What kind of an example and lesson is the Superintendent of Schools teaching our kids?

---

by: johanna @ Wed Jun 03, 2009 at 14:33:18 PM CDT

Around and around we go (0.00 / 0)

Yesterday I got a copy of a letter sent by June to the state that said she would be complying with my request.  Today I got a packet in the mail with answers to many of the questions I asked.  Several were very good answers.  Others, to which I have asked previously and was trying to get a more definitive answer, continued to be vague.  I don't know how much more clearly I can ask the question, but I'll try.  

Still others she refused to answer.  The burden of proof on why something is not a public document is on the record keeper.  It is assumed, unless it can be proved otherwise, that a document is public.  She did not cite an exemption for all of the documents she is withholding, so I'll be contesting those.  I also don't believe that the exemptions she cited for several documents are applicable, so I will be contesting those as well.  Finally, in one case a document had been destroyed, and so now they can't provide a copy to me.  

I am sorry to say that this is going to be dragged out even longer now.

myDedham.org - a community since 1636 and online since 2007!

---

by: Brian @ Wed Jun 03, 2009 at 15:41:39 PM CDT

Battle of wills... (0.00 / 0)

Hang tough Brian-don't let them wear you down.

---

by: Pink Princess @ Wed Jun 03, 2009 at 16:24:06 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Cowboy Up (0.00 / 0)

Please post your letter(s) and her response(s).  
Let the forum see the questions asked and how she responded.  Let's stop dragging it out and see where we are today.  It is starting to feel like the questioner is the one not being forthright.  Maybe not but that is a perception.

---

by: my1984 @ Wed Jun 03, 2009 at 18:42:46 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Tenacity vs. insanity (0.00 / 0)

I'll give you this, my1984 - you are tenacious.  That's a trait I admire, and I like to think I possess it myself.  However, I also have a favorite definition of the word insanity: repeating the same action over and over again and yet expecting a different result.  

myDedham.org - a community since 1636 and online since 2007!

---

by: Brian @ Wed Jun 03, 2009 at 20:45:36 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

. (0.00 / 0)

However, I also have a favorite definition of the word insanity: repeating the same action over and over again and yet expecting a different result.

 
sounds like BK vs JD

Posting your questions and her answers should put this to rest.  I am not the only one interested in seeing the paper trail.

---

by: my1984 @ Thu Jun 04, 2009 at 12:33:17 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Nope (0.00 / 0)

This is nothing like BK vs JD.  I'm making progress.  I'm getting the documents I want.  Its taking a lot of extra time, expense, and effort, but I'm getting somewhere.  

Believe you me, no one wants to put this to rest more than me.  I can't even begin to tell you the number of hours I've spent on it.  I wish it were put to rest a long time ago.  That could have happened with just a little bit of cooperation from the School Department.  

If you are serious about wanting it to be put to rest, why not call one of your School Committee members and ask them to instruct the Superintendent to stop fighting me?  Then again, I don't think that's what you really want.

myDedham.org - a community since 1636 and online since 2007!

---

by: Brian @ Thu Jun 04, 2009 at 12:58:04 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Telephone numbers (0.00 / 0)

If you want to call a School Committee member I should add that you will need to look in the phone book.  In the School Committee's letter to the editor of the Dedham Times on April 3 they claim that their numbers were listed on their website.  That wasn't true then and isn't true today two months later.

myDedham.org - a community since 1636 and online since 2007!

---

by: Brian @ Thu Jun 04, 2009 at 13:02:51 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

one ringee dingee, two ringee dingees (0.00 / 0)

call one of your School Committee members and ask them to instruct the Superintendent to stop fighting me?

This is not my fight.  It is yours.  Asking for you to clearly show your resolved and unresolved issues in an outward manner does not seem unreasonable.  Maybe if you could clearly show (ie post your letters and email queries and Ms. Doe's responses) what has and has not been addressed to your satisfaction, then you could elicit some help.  Just saying that your investigation is being obfuscated is not the same as showing it.  Transparency is a two sided street.  Your being more open would probably help your cause.  Leadership by example.

---

by: my1984 @ Thu Jun 04, 2009 at 15:25:47 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

paper trail? (0.00 / 0)

isn't it odd that myDoubleSpeak isn't asking the schools to produce a paper trail?

---

by: kei-o-lei @ Thu Jun 04, 2009 at 15:09:55 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

query (0.00 / 0)

June Doe et al are the inquitistees not the inquisitor.

it doesn't matter what the content is of Brian's request; his questions can be breathtakingly insightful or heart-rendingly stupid

He who asks is he who posts.  No whine before it's time.

---

by: my1984 @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 17:18:37 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

and consistent, too!! (0.00 / 0)

OK for public employees w/hold info

private people must release all

they don't call him/her "myDoubleSpeak" for nothin'!

 

---

by: kei-o-lei @ Thu Jun 04, 2009 at 08:59:38 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

I agree with 1984 (4.00 / 1)

I would like to see the questions/requests that Brian is sending to June's Office.

We are just assuming that they are valid requests, but if he is looking for personnel or student information and getting denied then June is doing her job.  But all we hear is that she is stonewalling poor Brian.  Do we have we get a copy of all Brian's requests from June's Office or is Brian stonewalling 1984 on full discloser.  

---

by: JM @ Thu Jun 04, 2009 at 11:02:17 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

who is really responsible? (0.00 / 0)

what's odd about JM's post is that he's appearing to hold a private person to a higher standard of disclosure than a public official!

it doesn't matter what the content is of Brian's request; his questions can be breathtakingly insightful or heart-rendingly stupid

the issue here is simple: public officials are legally responsible for complying with FOIA requests and the schools have been slow to respond to Brian

if the documents are protected from disclosure - things like personnel or student records - the schools STILL have a responsibility to respond in a timely manner with that information

after the response occurs it will ALL become public record

---

by: kei-o-lei @ Thu Jun 04, 2009 at 11:22:14 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

keep it simple (0.00 / 0)

Show questions.  Show answers. Show non-answers.  Formulate opinions.  Discuss.

---

by: my1984 @ Thu Jun 04, 2009 at 15:28:51 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

even simpler (0.00 / 0)

1- Brian asks for public info
2- Schools send Brian info he's requested
3- we all look at the whole thing

myDoubleSpeak, what you are demanding is classic one-sided gamesmanship: pretend that one party in this Two Part Kabuki dance doesn't exist

but, then again, you aren't really interested in the whole story now, are you

---

by: kei-o-lei @ Fri Jun 05, 2009 at 09:18:47 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

so simple it's... (0.00 / 0)

Today I got a packet in the mail with answers to many of the questions I asked.  Several were very good answers.  Others, to which I have asked previously and was trying to get a more definitive answer, continued to be vague.

*[new] even simpler (0.00 / 0)
1- Brian asks for public info
2- Schools send Brian info he's requested
3- we all look at the whole thing

Now we are getting somewhere.
1)  BK asks questions
2)  BK gets answers
3)  BK shares questions and answers
4)  Will all discuss and fun ensues.

---

by: my1984 @ Fri Jun 05, 2009 at 09:47:41 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Questions (0.00 / 0)

What's your hurry? Is little Timmy going to drown in a well if we don't wait for Brian to obtain all of the documents?

---

by: stebivule @ Fri Jun 05, 2009 at 10:47:25 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Timmy knows not to fall in wells (0.00 / 0)

BK sharing his documents showing the questions asked and documents(s) with answers received will facilitate and end this drawn out exercise.  It will allow the townspeople and blogledites to see where we are in getting answers.  Maybe BK has the answers and is being unreasonable expecting more.  Maybe BK could garner support of others if further answers are needed.  Showing the questions and answers to date does not force anyone's hand and it should not proclude getting any additional information.  

---

by: my1984 @ Fri Jun 05, 2009 at 13:38:55 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

You're Sure About That? (0.00 / 0)

Showing the questions and answers to date does not force anyone's hand and it should not proclude getting any additional information.  

That's where I jump off. Let Brian make that judgement.

---

by: stebivule @ Fri Jun 05, 2009 at 13:48:31 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

not quite! (0.00 / 0)

sorry, should have read further
I take back what I said about leaerning; you are back to your old tricks.

when myDoublceSpeak said . . .

BK sharing his documents showing the questions asked and documents(s) with answers received will facilitate and end this drawn out exercise.

. . . he got it wrong.

A key part of what will "end this exercise" is when the schools fully comply wiht BK's request.

myDS's insistence on getting part of the story will generate more half truths about the Situation.

So exercise inner calm, Grasshopper, and wait patiently in the fullness of time for all to become clear.

Because your "pushing the river" is a bit too transparently "pushing an agenda" :-)

---

by: kei-o-lei @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 14:04:31 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Questions (0.00 / 0)

Brian has said throughout this whole issue that once he has all the information he needs to write a story, he will write it. You didn't see all correspondences from the Globe or the Transcript when they talked to June Doe and other school employees, why do you expect Brian to post every bit of information that he has obtained right now? On May 13th Brian wrote

"I'm going to report and publish this story or die trying, but I haven't and won't publish a word until I have the whole story, or at least as much as I can legally obtain."

Since no story has been published, assume that his investigation is not complete. I'm just curious, why do you want to see the questions so bad? It seems as though you think Brian is asking questions that are totally ridiculous and out of line, and that is why they haven't been answered. But I've seen the questions, I donated money to Brian's cause and received a copy of the letter he sent to June Doe, they are not out of line. The summaries that he has posted here on the blog are accurate summaries of the questions. I'm sure that once Brian completes his research and subsequent article that he will be more willing to post the questions. Bombarding him with insistent requests to see the questions right now is not going to make him more willing to post them.

---

by: amber @ Fri Jun 05, 2009 at 14:13:54 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

where are we? (0.00 / 0)

80-90% on the answered meter?

---

by: my1984 @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 13:08:31 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

that is RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!! (0.00 / 0)

you finally got it

after #2 is done we will all get #3

and #2 isn't done yet

myDoubleSpeak, you're not a quick learner, but a learner, nonetheless!

---

by: kei-o-lei @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 13:58:08 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Is that necessary? (0.00 / 0)

I could be wrong but I think if Brian requested information about a specific teacher or student it would be an easy answer for June Doe. She has made it clear privacy is an important issue so she would just publicly say I'm sorry I am protecting ___'s right to privacy.She wouldn't have to make him jump through hoops or refuse to give him documents.

---

by: maginnis @ Thu Jun 04, 2009 at 18:55:42 PM CDT

[ Parent ]