Comments on: Claremont Middle School’s $8,000 locks

By: John

John — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:27:29 +0000

Replace the computers with hard copies of the Encyclopedia Britannica and the Abacus in equal numbers.

Give the computers to OUSD kids living in places with barred doors and windows, alarm systems, and viscous (family friendly) guard dog(s). A family member on parole would be an automatic disqualifier.

Pair kids living in high crime risk homes with those assigned computers. They could share everything, including their unassigned computer games.

Don’t discount the importance of computer games. Related skills are increasingly essential to modern warfare and keeping the country safe for socialism. The tank and aerial combat games are particularly germane. ‘Pack Man’ for those seeking to make their fame or fortune in Oakland, but I digress…

By: Nextset

Nextset — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:19:59 +0000

Harold – Maybe that’s true in Harold-World but here in the real world the Management of OUSD has a fiduciary duty to protect the taxpayer’s property. So OUSD building have locks and use them when the property isn’t otherwise supervised. Ditto for the Churches.

By: Harold

Harold — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:46:47 +0000

is nothing sacred anymore? Schools and places of worship, should not have to have locks.

By: Katy Murphy

Katy Murphy — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 18:19:26 +0000

Update: Our blog server crashed over the weekend, which most likely explains the lost comments, but everything should be back to normal. In any case, here’s a comment — posted by “Teacher” — that disappeared:

“My principal ordered one-inch-thick plywood nailed to each and every window in my classroom after an attempted break-in to my computer lab and portable classroom. There is an metal grate over each plywooded window, maybe more for looks than security. We have an alarm system our school put in on its own (not OUSD staff) and that is apparently what stopped the burglars last year. My colleagues and I also put an iron bar and lock across our portable doors every day when we leave and take it off every morning when we come to work.

Does it look like a jail? Hmmm, even jails have some sunlight.

When I voiced my concern about a class without sunlight, my principal said to me “Do you want sunlight or computers?”

I said that I prefer the computers.”

By: Katy Murphy

Katy Murphy — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:09:27 +0000

Some of the comments under this post have either disappeared or haven’t come up on the blog at all. I’m not sure why that is, but I’ll look ask our IT people about it tomorrow.

By: Ex-OUSD staff

Ex-OUSD staff — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 04:30:23 +0000

Around my second year of teaching in OUSD, I figured out that the worst way to get Building and Ground’s attention was to tell your administrator that you need some work done. If you need B&G to do something, don’t rely on an administrator! Ask the school secretary to post the work order, talk to one of the B&G staff (painters, electrician, locksmith) when you see them on campus or call down to B&G yourself. As soon as I figured that out, I found out that B&G is one of the most responsive departments in the district.

By: rockridge_resident

rockridge_resident — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 03:50:58 +0000

Probably an inside job, ie, one of the students. Claremont is such a dump these days. EXAMPLE: Friday 16 Jan afternoon, a bunch of claremont kids at 3 pm beat up an innocent teenager, robbed him of his ipod, and threw him into the window of the new baby store at college and hudson. Laughing all the time.