Northwest Indiana Discussion

Here are the highlights of the meeting:

All seated board members were present.

Special Recognition:

The Science Olympiad Teams from the Hammond Schools were honored this evening. They received many trophys for their efforts, and one Hammond Team went downstate.

Calender:

The next regular School Board Meeting is Monday May 14, 2012 6pm 41 Williams Street. the 2nd Board Meeting for May is Tuesday May 29, 2012 6pm 41 Williams Street.

New Business:

Due to the passing of School Board Trustee Rebecca Ward, there is an opening on the School Board. Applications are available at the Administration Center at 41 Williams Street. All applications must be turned in by May 7, 2012. The applicants must have been a Hammond resident for at least 1 year, and be a registered voter. There will be a public interview of candidates on May 17, 2012 at 41 Williams Street at 5:30pm. On May 29, 2012, the seated School Board Members were vote on the selection of the person to fill the vacancy. On June 11, 2012, the person selected to fill the vacancy will take the oath of office.

Public Expression 2nd Session(no speakers 1st session):

Several speakers this evening spoke about the ongoing problems which allegedly still exist in regards to Latino's in the SCH. According to the speakers, discrimination has not been rectified, and there is also a lack of interperters for the School Board meetings. The Bilingual Program, according to the speakers, is not getting fair treatment. The speakers feel that the Bilingual Program is being discriminated against. One speaker said that due to the ongoing problems, she is considering filing charges against the SCH with the appropiate agency. There was a call to leave politics out of the SCH, and to not continue to divide people of color.

My Take:

Congratulations to all the students on the Science Olympiad Teams !!!
There is no replacing Becky Ward. She was a genuine, caring person, who really had her heart set for the children of Hammond. God Rest Her Soul.
There should be one goal, and one goal ONLY for the children of the SCH, their education. Discrimination, division, and politics in the SCH does nothing but take away from the education of our children. Our children deserve much better than what they have been receiving.