Thoughts To Ponder: Should The School Systems Be Allowed To Have Its Own Security Force?

UPDATE: Voluntarily Conservative weighed in on this issue, over at his blog. Here are his thoughts.

Original Post: From yesterday and today's Knoxville News-Sentinel stories written by Don Jacobs. Part I is here, Part II is here. As some commenters have commented to Brian's Blog. It seems that West High School has had more than its share of problems. In addition to this incident, West High School also had the Erin McLean situation.

A couple of questions for Brian's Blog readers and commenters to ponder:

Is this incident textbook evidence that school employees and school administrators should NOT be in the business of law enforcement or investigators?

Should the members of the Tennessee Legislature sponsor and vote for legislation that gives the responsibility for law enforcement and investigations to trained law enforcement professionals?

As a personal aside: No where in the two articles, do I find where Knox County School Security led by Steve Griffin was ever involved in this investigation. The School administrators, School Systems Human Resources personnel and the KPD School Resource Officer were involved in this investigation. Why is that?

Cedar Bluff Is Short Sheeted..No Surprise. Brian's Blog Has Covered This Issue For Nearly 3 Years

Tomorrow the tabloid reports a "new" revelation. While we see where they log onto Brian's Blog daily. Obviously, their memory is short and their disdain for the County Mayor is so heated that the tabloid is trying to re-write history.

Here is the tabloid's false report. "Ragsdale disrupted the school system’s capital plan so that Knox County is building a $15 million elementary school at Cedar Bluff that will open with 200 more kids than spaces, as Karen Carson pointed out last week."

Sunday February 11, 2007 Have You Driven Down Cedar Bluff Road Recently?

Now, how can Brian's Blog claim to have predicted this would happen. Here are our past reports, dates and links.

August 10, 2006 Commissioner - Elect Lambert Contacts Brian's Blog.

February 10, 2006 Overcrowded Classrooms and Dependence on Portables.

January 31, 2006 West Knox County Schools Overcrowded Schools and Not Getting Any Relief.

January 31, 2006 West Knox County Schools Overcrowded and NOT Getting "THE" Needed Relief

November 2, 2005 Cedar Bluff School Family Gets Screwed Finds An Advocate In Cindy Buttry.

September 9, 2004 Gibbs Elementary Whines About No Cafeteria.

Does Brian's Blog have the Spiritual gift of prophecy? We just report the facts as they occur and leave the Lies, Distortions and Hidden Personal Agenda's to the tabloid.

Knox County School Officials and School Board Visit China

This article appeared in today's Knoxville News-Sentinel. I contacted Russ Oaks of Knox County Schools and he affirmed that the cost for this trip is being funded by the Chinese Government.

However, the salaries of these officials Donna Wright, Ed Hedgepeth and School Board Chairman Karen Carson are being paid and no work product is being produced to the benefit of the school district.

Post September 11, 2001 all out of country trips were canceled to my knowledge that ban has not been lifted. Families of band students at Bearden High School lost significant amount of money due to the Superintendent canceling out of country trips.

But now the ban does not apply to Senior staff and School Board Members. Just like a parent that says "do as I say, not as I do." This is evidence that a double standard does exist within the "School Family" leadership.

Happy Valentines Day at Knox County Schools? NOT!

Well, in about twenty minutes it will be February 14, 2007. The Day for Lovers. The Day when in schools all over America kids have labored over boxes of Valentines to ensure they have one for each classmate. They have labored over a valentine box or bag to receive their Valentines in. It is a time that even an old 40 year old father of three has memories of.

This year in Knox County Schools don't dare bring a treat for your classmates. A small pack of candy as has been the custom for the long history of Valentines. Oh. No. Mrs. Sarah Simpson is not in charge at Knox County Schools. It is now Dr. Donna Wright's turn and bringing small packets of candy for your friends on Valentines is a kin to given the keys of the car to a guy/woman that has had to much to drink.

Students are allowed and even encouraged to bring candy and treats for their teachers. But not for their friends, that according to school officials is in violation of a new policy that Dr. Wright and her Gestapo leader Mary Lou Henry passed to reduce sugar consumption by children. Children are the little subjects that Dr. Wright and former Morgan County Food Service Director Henry are trying to protect.

Food Service Director Henry the one that allowed some food commodities to expire in a freezer because she had such a good reign on her department. I am not talking about a box here or there, I am talking about a truckload here and a truckload there.

At first the policy prohibited you from any outside food, unless you packed in a lunchbox that morning. Like getting your child a Subway sandwich and bringing it or sending it to school for lunch was a NO NO. A Subway sandwich is far more healthy than Salisbury steak cooked in a school lunchroom. By September, they lifted that ban and if you go and purchase your child a lunch and bring it to school, like for a special day (Birthday) than that is O.k.

The only problem is this no/less sugar policy only applies to Elementary and Middle Schools. Why is that? Because the High Schools make a ton of money off their vending machines/school stores. Dr. Wright was not too long ago Principal of where? West High School. We are not going to rain on the petty cash funds of the high schools. Plus, try telling a kid two times the size of you as a teacher or administrator that they can not purchase something. It will be a lawsuit. And the school system is afraid of lawsuits, unless they file them against County Commission to ensure the great political debate continues to occur.

So, the Knox County School System decides to ruin a fun day a day when every kid can feel special by all their peers and take an opportunity to allow mom and dad to teach their children to eat treats in moderation.

But instead as the leaders of the Knox County School System they are just banning it, because we need our cafeterias to make a profit. How this affects the profit of a lousy operation is beyond me. But only the cafeterias of Elementary and Middle schools.

Brian's Blog contacted School Board member Robert Bratton. He said "This is the worst public policy ever imposed on the public school system." "This is the greatest threat to keeping parents involved and active in their Knox County School System."

If you think that the policy banning treats on Valentines Day is ridiculous. Call Dr. Donna Wright at 865-594-1750 or email for Food Service Director Mary Lou Henry at 865-594-3640 or email