Calvert Co. Unaffiliated and Third-Party Voters Encouraged to Participate in Primary Election

[newsBot]

The Calvert County Board of Elections reminds voters who are not affiliated to one of the two major political parties that their vote still plays a vital role in the upcoming primary election.

Calvert County Government only posts a snippet of the story in their RSS feeds. To read the rest of the article, refer to the Source Document

 

[Merlin99]

The Calvert County Board of Elections reminds voters who are not affiliated to one of the two major political parties that their vote still plays a vital role in the upcoming primary election.

Calvert County Government only posts a snippet of the story in their RSS feeds. To read the rest of the article, refer to the Source Document

What would their vital role be?

 

[Bann]

What would their vital role be?

Board of Education Candidates, for one! The current BOE has been a sh*tshow for the last 8 years, at least. BOE Positions are supposed to be "Non-Partisan", but CLEARLY, they have *never been non-partisan in their actions. In Calvert County, the BOE has been a bastion for Liberal policies for at least 2 past Superintendents. That's what happens when Citizens ignore the local elections/Primary elections, thinking those positions are just unimportant and don't affect them. Well, they do and they are. Our schools over here in Calvert are atrocious.

*This is what happened (a couple of election cycles ago) when the majority of parents were not actively parenting, but relying on the School System to handle their chillrens while they were working all kinds of hours, running around from activity to activity with their kids and stopping for fast food on the way.* A LOT of issues became apparent during the pandemic when parents were having to edumacate their chillrens at home. Then, the big PANIC came along and people started paying attention to those of us who were actively campaigning for the School Board candidates at LEAST 2 cycles ago. (I am speaking of myself personally, because I helped get Jana Post & Lisa Grenis elected)

*Editorial comments because I raised my own chillrens myself. I had dinner with them around the table after cooking their meals - often having them help, while talking to them, not putting them in a trillion activities after school and weekends, so I could go do what I wanted to do. I expected them to do (and I helped them with it when they needed help or had questions) their homework. I actively parented and I questioned when they came home with the liberal BS mindset and we talked about those things in our home. *

 

[Merlin99]

Board of Education Candidates, for one! The current BOE has been a sh*tshow for the last 8 years, at least. BOE Positions are supposed to be "Non-Partisan", but CLEARLY, they have *never been non-partisan in their actions. In Calvert County, the BOE has been a bastion for Liberal policies for at least 2 past Superintendents. That's what happens when Citizens ignore the local elections/Primary elections, thinking those positions are just unimportant and don't affect them. Well, they do and they are. Our schools over here in Calvert are atrocious.

*This is what happened (a couple of election cycles ago) when the majority of parents were not actively parenting, but relying on the School System to handle their chillrens while they were working all kinds of hours, running around from activity to activity with their kids and stopping for fast food on the way.* A LOT of issues became apparent during the pandemic when parents were having to edumacate their chillrens at home. Then, the big PANIC came along and people started paying attention to those of us who were actively campaigning for the School Board candidates at LEAST 2 cycles ago. (I am speaking of myself personally, because I helped get Jana Post & Lisa Grenis elected)

*Editorial comments because I raised my own chillrens myself. I had dinner with them around the table after cooking their meals - often having them help, while talking to them, not putting them in a trillion activities after school and weekends, so I could go do what I wanted to do. I expected them to do (and I helped them with it when they needed help or had questions) their homework. I actively parented and I questioned when they came home with the liberal BS mindset and we talked about those things in our home. *

You're right, I hadn't considered the BOE.

 

[Grumpy]

Of the 3 candidates for the BOE I see, Goshorn(R) and Flaim(D) are the extremes of their party, and McConkey is just McConkey. I may just leave off a check mark for any of them. Flaim is a die-hard DEI loving half crazed lib, Goshorn may be an R but she has some pretty weird stances. As said, McConkey is just McConkey, a perennial ineffective loser. My opinions, you may see differently.

 

[Bann]

I understand. Everyone has to decide for themselves.

Goshorn has been trying to present what is actually going on in the CC school system's curriculum and bring awareness to the horrendous behavior issues in the school system, as well. I don't always agree with everything she says, but she is NOT the ogre/monster being presented from the other side. They always fight harder when they're being outed and the curtain is being pulled back. I invite everyone to go look at the school board meetings and to watch the the statements being given by parents teachers and others about what's going on in the schools.

Paul Harrison is the person who found that HUGE amount of $$ buried in the school budget, which was coincidentally almost the same amount they were asking for last year! He has extensive and impressive credentials in Accounting.
Again, everyone needs to make up their own minds!

 

[Bann]

Of the 3 candidates for the BOE I see, Goshorn(R) and Flaim(D) are the extremes of their party, and McConkey is just McConkey. I may just leave off a check mark for any of them. Flaim is a die-hard DEI loving half crazed lib, Goshorn may be an R but she has some pretty weird stances. As said, McConkey is just McConkey, a perennial ineffective loser. My opinions, you may see differently.

PS...McConkey is a crook!!!

 

[Bann]

 

[Bann]

Paul Harrison for Calvert County

Help us campaign today! Request a Yard Sign!

paulforcalvert.info

 

[Bann]

Obviously, I am supporting and voting for both Melissa Goshorn and Paul Harrison.

Melissa would be just one of the 4 views along with Jana Post (a mom) and Lisa Grenis (retired CC schools educator) and Paul. She would not be a lone voice voting.

 

[Merlin99]

Which ones are approving the superintendent going to the superbowl?

 

[Bann]

Which ones are approving the superintendent going to the superbowl?

None

 

[Bann]

Not sure if anyone saw this article, yet. Very timely. It's a damn travesty what is going on.

Inez Claggett needs to be gone. We don't need to get at the root cause of this crap!

The remedy is discipline and swift actions for consequences. Freaking idiot. She should be slapped while we're at it.

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[Bann]

I'm not sure I can post this much of an article. The County Times FB page has the article, but I think you have to have a subscription to read it online.

CHS Students: ‘I Do Not Feel Safe’
Calvert High Staff Air Concerns to School Board

“When it gets thrown right in your face, it's just impossible to ignore.” That was Calvert County Board of Education member Dawn Balinski’s reaction to the presentation by Calvert Hoh School (CHS) staff to discipline problems there.
Four staff members spoke to the school board at their April 11 meeting on behalf of all 47 in the building. But it was perhaps the one CHS student who spoke, Paige Aquilar, who left the deepest impact on the board.
Aguilar, 15, a sophomore, said, “I have asked my peers, and the most common answer I've gotten on the school's environment is, ‘I'm uncomfortable. Why has this not been handled or stopped? And I do not feel safe.’ I don't think that should be the first thing out of a child's mouth. Since we were little kids, we've been taught that school is a safe place and CHS’s environment is the complete opposite.”
She went on to say, “I feel every time I walk into the building, something bad is going to happen and every day I must keep a guard on myself like I'm in prison, which no kid should have to face. School used to be my escape from my other life problems, but now it's just a burden I'm waiting to end.”
Aguilar suggested more police officers in the schools. “They're more equipped and have better knowledge to stop a fight safely and would alleviate a teacher's fear of their very own safety and also the student's safety to stop a fight and to jeopardize their own health.”
She added, “The destroying the bathroom problem is out of hand. I should not have to walk into a restroom with baby oil on the floor, broken mirrors, into all the broken toilet seats. Why haven't these kids been punished? Why are they coming back to school and why are they allowed to still play sports? You can suspend them for 10 days all you want, but they're going to come back and cause the same trouble.”
Later in the meeting, Student Member of the Board Jordan Hayes agreed. “Students in Calvert County are afraid to attend school, to use the bathrooms. The students of CCPS deserve the best education possible. That requires a safe environment, a comfortable environment, and a nurturing environment. So, while I can work very hard to gain the support, the help, the improvements that are needed for me to be a successful student and for my peers to be successful students, in the end, we need help from the adults.”
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Erin Hammett said, “At CHS, we are experiencing an exponential growth of dangerous behaviors. We have reached a point where excuses will not be accepted. We need intervention and support from leadership in the school system. The increase in negative behaviors has caused our school's culture and climate to suffer as a result in student and staff injuries, decreased academic success and decreased student and staff morale.”
She observed, “Students are unfazed by referrals because consequences are minimal and there are no lessons learned from the student,” adding, “This year's not over yet, but we've had over 1,000 referrals being written for class cutting. That is over a thousand missed educational learning opportunities. In addition to missing instructions, students are breaking other code of conduct rules while skipping class. The increases seen in class cutting directly correlate to other behavioral concerns in our school environment.”
Jackie Getjen shared testimonials of some of the staff and students about drug use in the bathrooms. She said, “Our schools are supposed to be no smoking, no vaping, no drugs or alcohol, no weapons sanctuaries, where staff members are not allowed to have these items or do these things, but we allow our underage students to do them while in our buildings; students can wreak of raw marijuana and staff are told there's nothing we can do about it.”
She added, “I've been verbally assaulted over 20 times this year by students that are skipping. Staff avoid confronting students as to where they're supposed to be when found without a pass due to the constant disrespect. I am one of them and I never thought I would be one of those teachers who walks away from a student.”
She said, “A younger teacher has stated, ‘I have students coming in my room talking about hitting blinkers before class. I have students in class so high they can't keep their heads up.’ For those of you who don't know, which I didn't, a blinker is slang for hitting a marijuana pen until the light blinks making for a disoriented and high student. They're so comfortable doing drugs in school, they're talking about it right in front of us and assuming we don't know what they're saying and not caring. This is not a learning environment.”
Donna Wallmark shared another staff member’s experience: “While clearing out our bathroom, which is part of my duties, a student brushed up against me and then started to curse me out. The situation escalated to me being assaulted by the student. I will no longer go near the student bathrooms for fear of being assaulted and not being backed by the school or the county. I do not do hall duty for the same reason. It is sad that I do not feel safe in my school. This student is back in the schools walking the hallways while I feel unsafe.”
Kathryn Wolber offered some solutions. She said, “We understand the issues with the budget, but it is time to look at need rather than enrollment numbers in determining if a building warrants a fourth assistant principal. We know our administration is trying and is overwhelmed. Having a fourth assistant principal would allow for better management of smaller issues that are damaging to school culture and morale and that contribute to larger issues.”
Later in the meeting, school board member Lida Grenis reacted. She said, “Our teachers, parents and students who want to learn have had enough. We have a code of conduct for a reason. Where it is being enforced, the problems are less severe. Where it is not, you have chaos, fights, drug use, vaping, cyber bullying, hate speech, inappropriate use of cell phones and property destruction almost on a daily basis. In fact, since school year 2023 up until now, there have been 615 fights reported to Calvert County Public School Student Services. This is approximately eight fights per week. This is unacceptable.”
Grenis added, “When there's a fight, the cell phones come out and the incident is recorded and shared, sparking more fights. Speaking of cell phones, ‘come to the bathroom and vape’ is undoubtedly a text message, sort of like a meeting invite. So, let's enforce a no cell phone in the classroom policy.”

Vice President Inez Claggett observed, “We are listening. It is a problem I feel that we have not gotten to the root cause of, as of yet. I believe we are trying to resolve some symptoms with things that we are doing. And as we dig further, I believe that staff will uncover the root cause and we will continue to work on that situation to attempt to resolve it.
“However, I would ask that we keep in mind that in coming to the root cause, we need to realize that these are students who will grow up and become adults in society. So, I think it is incumbent upon us while we have the opportunity to make an impression upon them, to ensure that we provide them the resources they need to heal themselves so that when they grow older, they do not feel that this is something they can continue as they become adults and go out into society. We never want our students to leave our school system and feel like they can continue to be a menace and not be productive citizens.”

dickmyers@countytimes.net

 

[Bann]

And Donna Wallmark is an EXCELLENT teacher. As are others. What happened to her (and others!) pisses me off! She was one of my youngest son, Thing2's teachers. A favorite! She is just the sweetest woman. I could cry thinking that she and all these others are afraid for their damn lives to go to WORK! Not to mention the students' fear!!

Only 5 MINUTES from my home!

This is an outrage.