ONE TOO MANY MISTAKES!

 

 

Have you seen the last straw that is breaking the camel's back in our midst? 
Here is the letter published by , the Howard County section of the Baltimore Sun from Board Chairperson Ellen Flynn Giles, "Howard board right to censure Vaillancourt over condom remark." 

I am outraged in the front of our elected board members' ill treatment of Cindy Villancourt.

First and foremost I would like to know if Ms Giles is talking here as the representative of Howard County Board of Education (BoE) or on her own behalf here.

If the first is true she is giving out privileged information on a public front, surely if nothing else this is breach of ethics issue.

If she is writing as a concerned citizen, -surely she has the right to her opinion-, yet using the Howard County BoE as her back-up is rather cowardly. Her language is pre-judgemental, pompous, portentous, and dogmatic and belongs to few centuries backwards.

The situation as in the Ms Gile's remarks wasn’t a stranger approaching to an “innocent” 18 years old and making sexual remarks. The situation was simply Mrs Vaillancourt said to a group of adults and high school students on school property: "Did you know that you have to be 18 to buy condoms?"  

Condom is not a sexual remark it is a birth and sexually transmitted disease control device. For the sake of our future, I REALLY hope that, parents, healthcare providers and schools long ago have spoken to our 18 years old about condoms and how to use them efficiently. Both boys and the girls!

Things became so unpleasant and absurd in our County's BoE lately  that on the 9th of October 2014 Board of Education meeting, Dr. Martin Wasserman, former Maryland Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene felt the need to make the journey to come up all the way to Howard County, and take a stand amongst four others to talk some sense to the board, and support Mrs Villancourt's rightful point. 

Unfortunately this is not the first time we have seen this board and its members in this sort of scare-induced actions. Parents and educators seem to be completely disregarded during important decisions. They are all smiles and laughter during tea-meetings, yet,when it comes to making decisions these important decisions are all made behind closed doors. Transparency is only a word left on the signs of the BoE walls.

On this letter, I am also rather surprised to hear that Ms Giles is telling us that; "... The board takes the sacred trust and confidence reposed in us by the voters of Howard County for the safety and well-being of their children very seriously.  Alas, the Howard County BoE's new presiding is not far from a medieval-gothic-fright palace. Terror and scare tactics towards all, "I said it, and it shall be done" attitude towards parents and educators, huge personal ego issues, and secrecy is unbecoming of them. 

Last but not least I would also echo the blog post that is calling the current board chair -and hopefully rest of the members- to resignation here, too!!!