Friday, January 10, 2014

How to cause division within the IEA, the Illinois Education Association | Reclaim Reform

How to cause division within the IEA, the Illinois Education Association | Reclaim Reform:

How to cause division within the IEA, the Illinois Education Association

Posted on January 10, 2014by 
Why are so many people prejudiced toward retired teachers specifically and retirees in general? Why are so many people prejudiced toward teachers unions specifically and unions in general?
crabby old man1Some of the prejudice is brought on by those old folks themselves who prefer the loud blather associated with old men screaming at the neighborhood kids to get off the lawn.
Which brings us to the topic of attacking those of us who justly criticize some of the actions and inactions of the present leaders of the Illinois Education Association (IEA) and Pres. Cinda Klickna. These loyal critics also offer positive suggestions for improvement.
(By the way, yesterday Klickna made a terrific open rebuttal to the teacher bashing, multimillionaire, gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner. Read HERE. Yes, Klickna also makes some terrific decisions.)
One major Rah-Rah figure in particular continues to make mass email attacks against Fred Klonsky and any others who dare to criticize and suggest improvements to Klickna and the 
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Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog 1-10-14

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog:






Hillary Clinton's Super PAC
Since we have been talking about Political Action Commitees (PAC) the past week it seems appropriate to talk about Hillary Clinton's Super PAC. Super PAC is unlimited money and falls under soft money where the big bucks come in. Yet even though Hillary hasn't announced her candidicy for 2016 elections she has a Super PAC raking in, in just the past year, over $4 million. On Tuesday night the polit
by Susanna Gonzalez / 4h hide  //  save
Same Sex Marriage in Utah is Banned Again
 Last month a federal judge overturned a voter-approved ban on gay marriage in Utah, prompting 1,300 same-sex couples to get married. Now the Utah governor's office is saying that it will not recognize the gay couple's legal bonds as it presses charges to once again ban the marriage between two people of the same sex. On Monday, the state of Utah got the Supreme Court to issue a stay while the sta
by Briahna Yee / 4h 

 
Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog 1-5-14
Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: Romney's attempt at diversityOn  Melissa Harris-Perry's show on MSNBC she showed a picture of the Romney family Christmas card: a photo of the family and grandchildren.  In the picture was Kiernan, an african child adopted by Romney's son. Melissa jokes that Kieran is a "token" attempt at diversity. Melissa later releases the statement "Showing the photo
by mike simpson / 1d 


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On the Anniversary of the MAP Test Boycott: Our fight has just begun | I AM AN EDUCATOR

On the Anniversary of the MAP Test Boycott: Our fight has just begun | I AM AN EDUCATOR:

On the Anniversary of the MAP Test Boycott: Our fight has just begun

By I AM AN EDUCATOR on 
I am forever in the debt of all of you who wrote letters, sent flowers, ordered us pizza,  signed our petition, called the superintendent with the demand, “Suspend the test not the teachers,” sent us pictures of your community with “Scrap the MAP” signs, and demonstrated your solidarity in numerous other ways.  Your support kept my colleagues’ job safe after being threatened with a ten day suspension without pay for refusing to administer the MAP test.  And as a result of the growing movement, the district announced at the end of the last school year that the MAP test would no longer be required at the high school level.
As we enter the winter testing season, I am proud to tell you, 
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We Don’t Have Enough Security | Gatsby In L.A.

We Don’t Have Enough Security | Gatsby In L.A.:

We Don’t Have Enough Security




 As I visit schools this year on my search to understand education, certain images haunt me.  One is of the metal fence surrounding a large LAUSD high school in South Central that I faced one morning as I was trying to leave.  Though my car was in the parking lot only a few feet away, the gate, marked “Emergency Exit,” was held shut with a massive iron padlocked chain.  Beyond the fence, I could see kids running around the football field for P.E. (where, incidentally, classes were so overcrowded that teachers often faced classes as large as 70).
I rattled the gate, thinking that since this was an emergency exit, the padlock might not actually be latched, but in fact, I was locked in.  Because classes were in session, almost no one was around to help me; finally, at the back of the cement courtyard, I found a security guard, a diminutive middle-aged woman with a giant, friendly smile.  Cheerfully, she walked me back to the gate, explaining that she had to keep it locked while classes were in session.
Why? I asked.  Wasn’t this the emergency exit?
She shrugged.  “Ditchers.”
“You mean kids
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Nite Cap 1-10-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2


James Baldwin said it best: 

"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."


A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP




Better Education, Better Health, Longer Lives | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity
Better Education, Better Health, Longer Lives | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity: Better Education, Better Health, Longer LivesA new brief (and video!) from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation shows why better educational opportunities lead to better health and longer lives. If you needed one more reason to support quality education for every chil
by mike simpson / 1h 
NYC Public School Parents: Good News! NY State Ed will postpone uploading student names to inBloom until at least April!
NYC Public School Parents: Good News! NY State Ed will postpone uploading student names to inBloom until at least April!: Good News! NY State Ed will postpone uploading student names to inBloom until at least April!Here are some  news clips on the state’s decision to delay transferring any more data to inBloom until  at least April, including student names and family contact info:  LoHud News, EdW
by mike simpson / 2h 
Choosing Democracy: California budgets and schools
Choosing Democracy: California budgets and schools: California budgets and schoolsby Duane CampbellOn January 9, California  Governor Brown proposed a budget for the 2014/2015 fiscal year.  It will be subject to changes until July 1 when it should pass and become the state budget.The California Budget Project describes one of the major issues for schools.1.     The Governor’s proposed budget elimi
by mike simpson / 2h 
Purposeful obfuscation, head in the sand, or fear? | Philadelphia Public School Notebook
Purposeful obfuscation, head in the sand, or fear? | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Purposeful obfuscation, head in the sand, or fear?by thenotebook on Jan 10 2014 Posted in Commentary="" style="color: rgb(76, 153, 72); cursor: pointer; float: left; padding: 0px 2px;">Share on emailMore Sharing ServicesCOMMENTS (0)PRINTby James H. LytleOn Monday, Jan. 13 the School Reform
by mike simpson / 3h 
1-10-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Friday Open ThreadHow to fund schools properly?  The Stranger Slog offers up not one but two alternatives.  It can be done and done without adding onerous bills (like grading schools) in order to say "we're doing something about education" before education is truly fully funded.Here's the district's "official" notice about proposed Transportatio
by mike simpson / 3h 
David Greene: Building a Culture of Respect - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
David Greene: Building a Culture of Respect - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: David Greene: Building a Culture of RespectBy Anthony Cody on January 10, 2014 1:50 PM David Greene taught high school social studies for 38 years in New York. He has authored a new book, Doing the Right Thing; A Teacher Speaks, which shares valuable lessons for teachers and policymakers alike. Here is an ex
by mike simpson / 3h 
1-10-14 THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG - Pin to Win 2014 Education Resolutions with ASCD — Whole Child Education
Pin to Win 2014 Education Resolutions with ASCD — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGPin to Win 2014 Education Resolutions with ASCDJanuary 10, 2014 by Tina BylandGo to www.ascd.org/pin2014resolutions to submit the entry form.1-9-14 THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG - Moment on the Couch — Whole Child EducationMoment on the Couch — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGMoment on the CouchJanuary 9
by mike simpson / 4h 
Behind the School Closure Epidemic » CounterPunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names
Behind the School Closure Epidemic » CounterPunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names: Rightsizing TimeBehind the School Closure Epidemicby MICHELLE RENEE MATISONS and SETH SANDRONSKYWill there be a time when the term “school to prison pipeline” becomes “the home to prison pipeline” or the “home to military pipeline” because there are simply no more schools to speak of? If you interpret the public s
by mike simpson / 4h 
Governor's Proposed Budget - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)
Governor's Proposed Budget - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Comments on Governor's Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2014-15SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson issued the following statement today on Governor Brown's proposed budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year:"This budget builds upon California's recommitment to ensuring that
by mike simpson / 4h 
A welcome recognition of the importance of engaging parents | EdSource Today
A welcome recognition of the importance of engaging parents | EdSource Today: A welcome recognition of the importance of engaging parentsJanuary 10th, 2014 | Add a Comment | By Oscar Cruz and Yolie Flores / commentary1Oscar CruzAs education advocates we know the powerful connection between student achievement and parent engagement.Take any student; no matter what grade they’re in, which school the
by mike simpson / 4h 
How I came out to my students | Edwize
How I came out to my students | Edwize: How I came out to my students hudsynyc is the pseudonym of a second-year high school ELA teacher in Brooklyn. If you’d like to submit an entry for the New Teacher Diaries, please email edwize@uft.org.Sixteen 14-year-old girls taught by one 28-year-old woman. It is my second year having an all-girls 9th-grade advisory class at my high school in Brooklyn. Advi
by mike simpson / 4h 
Broken Windows Schooling | EduShyster
Broken Windows Schooling | EduShyster: Broken Windows SchoolingSuspending huge numbers of minority students is bad—unless it’s done in the name *college prep*Suspending huge numbers of minority students is bad, bad, bad, as we learned this week from Obama administration officials. Which brings us to today’s high-stakes question: when is it fine, fine, fine for schools to have sky-high suspension r
by mike simpson / 4h 
Portland-area union volunteers calling substitutes to encourage them to avoid crossing picket line, in case of strike: PPS News | OregonLive.com
Portland-area union volunteers calling substitutes to encourage them to avoid crossing picket line, in case of strike: PPS News | OregonLive.com: Portland-area union volunteers calling substitutes to encourage them to avoid crossing picket line, in case of strike: PPS NewsUnion volunteers from metro-area school districts have been calling substitutes to ask them to avoid crossing the picket line s
by mike simpson / 4h 
School Climate and Discipline
School Climate and Discipline: School Climate and DisciplineClick here for an alternate version of the video with an accessible player. GUIDANCE PACKAGE Dear Colleague letterGuidance letter prepared with our partners at the U.S. Department of Justice describing how schools can meet their obligations under federal law to administer student discipline without discriminating on the basis of race, col
by mike simpson / 4h 
Chicago doesn't need more school choice - Opinion - Crain's Chicago Business
Chicago doesn't need more school choice - Opinion - Crain's Chicago Business: Chicago doesn't need more school choice54213309Chicago Public Schools now has 31 new charter school proposals on the table.Thinkstock photoBy: Wendy Katten January 10, 2014Chicago closed a record number of neighborhood schools this year with the message that the district faced a billion-dollar deficit and had 511,000 sea
by mike simpson / 4h 
NYC Public School Parents: Fred Smith's ode to the Pineapple, the EngageNY sex chat line, and the "sexy bitch" exam
NYC Public School Parents: Fred Smith's ode to the Pineapple, the EngageNY sex chat line, and the "sexy bitch" exam: Fred Smith's ode to the Pineapple, the EngageNY sex chat line, and the "sexy bitch" examYesterday a parent, Anna Shah, found a link on the NYSED Resources page to a series of tests,  including one called the "Sexy Bitch" exam, andblogged about it here. 
by mike simpson / 6h 
1-10-14 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: Lisa Donlan on Charter Co-Locos, Rent and More"The Republican Democratic agenda in Washington doesn't even scratch the surface of the inequities facing more than a million children in our public schools," de Blasio DID NOT say in a statement after Cantor's remarks. In his statement, de Blasio DID NOT call the national Republicans' Democrat's stance on education a "d
by mike simpson / 6h 
Teaching and Learning Over Testing | Randi Weingarten
Teaching and Learning Over Testing | Randi Weingarten: Teaching and Learning Over TestingPosted: 01/10/2014 10:57 amI'm often asked how I can be in favor of the Common Core State Standards while opposing the standardized-testing fixation in education and other failed market-based education strategies. The question is as revealing as the answer; unfortunately, the standards have come to be associat
by mike simpson / 6h 
1-10-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: Why Didn’t the Gates Foundation Study the Policy Issues Regarding Value-Added Teacher Evaluations?In the first three posts of this series (see Diane Ravitch’s summary of them here), I argue that Matt DiCarlo’s retrospective analysis of market-driven reform research in 2013, “The Year in Research on Market-Based Education Reforms: 2013,” gives short shrift to practical realities.
by mike simpson / 6h 
FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, January 10, 2014
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Torlakson: Proposition 30 tax increases should be extendedEducation HeadlinesFriday, January 10, 2014FCMAT provides links to California K-12 news stories as a service to the industry. However, some stories may not be accessible because of newspapers' subscription policies.Monterey Peninsula USD bond projects put in hands of contractors from s
by mike simpson / 7h 
Zero Hour at Cooper: Cooper Union Trustees Vote On Tuition Today |
Zero Hour at Cooper: Cooper Union Trustees Vote On Tuition Today |: Zero Hour at Cooper: Cooper Union Trustees Vote On Tuition TodayJanuary 10, 2014 in StudentsToday is the day.Today is the day that the Cooper Union trustees will hold their final vote on whether to impose tuition on this fall’s incoming class of undergraduates, or to, by adopting some other package of financial reforms, maintain C
by mike simpson / 7h 
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Mississippi, with strong Common Core and no unions, is losing Race To The Top
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Mississippi, with strong Common Core and no unions, is losing Race To The Top: Mississippi, with strong Common Core and no unions, is losing Race To The TopAs long as we're racing to the top, let's take a look at how the race is going. The theory coming out of the D.O.E., the Gates Foundation and the think tanks is that implementing Common Core Standards is key to wi
by mike simpson / 7h 
Top 10 Feminist Teacher Highlights of 2013 « Feminist Teacher
Top 10 Feminist Teacher Highlights of 2013 « Feminist Teacher: Top 10 Feminist Teacher Highlights of 2013 A great deal of inspiring work happened in 2013 both in my high school feminism class and in my outside professional work to build a movement with other teachers, activists, and academics to bring women’s, gender, and queer studies to schools. Here’s my top ten favorite moments of 2013.1. Laun
by mike simpson / 8h 
Morning Wink 1-10-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-10-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Peter Greene: The Worst Part of “Reform” Is….?Peter Greene is a veteran teacher in Pennsylvania. He has a blog called “Curmudgucation.” In this post, he explains that the worst part of the faux
by mike simpson / 8h 
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-10-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Peter Greene: The Worst Part of “Reform” Is….?Peter Greene is a veteran teacher in Pennsylvania. He has a blog called “Curmudgucation.” In this post, he explains that the worst part of the faux reform movement is standardization. Conformity. And what makes teachers vulnerable to it is that they are groomed to conform and to teach c
by mike simpson / 8h 
1-9-14 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: CHILDREN NOW ISSUES 2014 CALIFORNIA CHILDREN’S REPORT CARD: A “C-minus” on Developmental Screening, “D-plus” on Oral HealthPosted by Barbara Feder Ostrov « Data Points http://bit.ly/KIRRfM photo credit from flickr. January 8th, 2014  ::  Children Now’s 2014 “California Children’s Report Card” was released this week, with grades ranging from B+ to a less
by mike simpson / 8h 
1-10-14 Wait What?
Wait What?: The CAPSS Story: Local taxpayer funds used to work against the interests of parents and children?What would parents and taxpayers say if they found out that while their property taxes were going up and their local Board of Education was being forced to lay-off teachers and reduce school programs, scarce local public funds were being sent to a state-wide organization that was working ag
by mike simpson / 8h 
1-10-14 The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: Why teachers think Gov. Christie is a bullyAnd the rally ends, inevitably, with Christie arguing with a teacher pic.twitter.com/YyLsoJVTWQ — daveweigel (@daveweigel) Nov. 2, 2013   New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he’s not a bully, but there are plenty of teachers in New Jersey who would disagree. Here’s a small part of the transcript from the press conference that New Jersey
by mike simpson / 8h 
1-10-14 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: Buying Indy Mayor Ballard: School Privatizing Updateby Doug Martin Back in the summer of 2012, when the mayor of Indianapolis, Greg Ballard, was closing The Project School because it was the only charter school in the city not playing the game set up by the Indiana Corporate School Complex, I wrote about the various school privatizers funneling money into Ballard’s campaign, which
by mike simpson / 9h 
1-10-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida
Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: A Tale of Two EmailsYesterday’s 107 minute news conference by New Jersey governor Chris Christie was taking place about the same time the story broke that disgraced education commissioner Tony Bennett had hired some top dollar lawyers to fight ethics charges revolving ar
by mike simpson / 9h 
1-10-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELLI’ve started a somewhat regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention: Homework is from the British Council, and offers some very good ideas for ELL teachers. I’m adding it to The Best Resour
by mike simpson / 9h 
1-10-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: The Adventures of Bruce Rahmer in Bizarro World.3 by Fred Klonsky / 19min 1-9-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacherFred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Teacher Mrs. Lewis takes them to school.by Fred Klonsky / 9m
by mike simpson / 9h 
1-10-13 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": My Best Posts On The Harlem Children’s Zone & Other “Promise Zones”, President Obama announced grants to five communities designated at “Promise Zones” that are planned to replicate — more or less — the Harlem Children’s Zone. I’ve published many posts about the Harlem Children’s Zone — both positive and less than posit
by mike simpson / 9h 
1-10-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD
the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): Should Universities Reward Academics for Public Influence?NOTE: Since I have already posted a few comments on the blog mentioned below, and since I have already received a couple responses to those comments, let me open with a caveat about my selfishness in this post: (1
by mike simpson / 9h 
1-10-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Cuomo's Education Bond Puts State's Environment At RiskSheriff Andy wants to invest $2 billion in technology for schools so that students can take tests on computers and their teachers can be evaluated using so-called state of the art technology.That's not exactly what he said when he called for a $2 billion bond for education technology, but that's what many observers think
by mike simpson / 9h 
Chicago’s UNO Charter Scandal Tarnishes Luster of Arne Duncan’s Hands Off Strategy | janresseger
Chicago’s UNO Charter Scandal Tarnishes Luster of Arne Duncan’s Hands Off Strategy | janresseger: Chicago’s UNO Charter Scandal Tarnishes Luster of Arne Duncan’s Hands Off StrategyPosted on January 10, 2014 by janressegerA dozen years ago, President George W. Bush and Secretary of Education Rod Paige, the former superintendent of the Houston Public Schools, brought us all the test-and-punish “Texa
by mike simpson / 9h 
Aggregated Ignorance… | School Finance 101
Aggregated Ignorance… | School Finance 101: Aggregated Ignorance…Posted on January 10, 20140       2 VotesShort one for today… on a personal pet peeve, which is apparently not only my pet peeve. Perhaps more than anything else, I hate it when pundits – who often have little clue what they are talking about to begin with, toss around big numbers with lots of zeros… or “illions” attached in order to
by mike simpson / 9h 
How The Common Core Became Education's Biggest Bogeyman
How The Common Core Became Education's Biggest Bogeyman: How The Common Core Became Education's Biggest BogeymanPosted: 01/10/2014 7:34 am ESTShortly before Thanksgiving, Arne Duncan made a glib remark about the Common Core that quickly blew up.Speaking before a gathering of state schools chiefs, the secretary of education dismissed growing opposition to the new national set of learning standards,
by mike simpson / 9h 
When Computers Are Co-Teachers - Margaret Ramirez - The Atlantic
When Computers Are Co-Teachers - Margaret Ramirez - The Atlantic: When Computers Are Co-TeachersA school in California is experimenting with "blended learning"—and seeing promising results.HUNTINGTON PARK, CALIF. — On a rainbow-colored rug in a predominantly Latino neighborhood six miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, 26 fidgety second graders are reading a phonics passage about help
by mike simpson / 9h 
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Sorry Rahm. Rauner's toast.
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Sorry Rahm. Rauner's toast.: Sorry Rahm. Rauner's toast. If “we don’t fundamentally change direction, we’re toast.” -- Bruce Rauner campaign adSorry Rahm. But your boy Rauner is toast. I know, I know, you're officially supporting Quinn, the Democrat, in the governor's race. But, everyone knows you and Rauner are tight. Even though he's supposedly a Republican, he's b
by mike simpson / 9h 

YESTERDAY

Special Late Nite Cap EXTRA 1-9-14 #EDCHAT #P2 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk
Nite Cap EXTRAEXTRA EXTRA EXTRA EXTRAGet Schooled: Why the arts and arts teachers enrich schoolsUniversity of Georgia professor Peter Smagorinsky has been writing a Great Georgia Teacher series for the blog. Here is his latest installment on Michelle Thorne of Heritage High School in Conyers. By Peter Smagorinsky Schools in Georgia face a challenge that reflects a national educational dilemma: Mon
by mike simpson / 18h 
Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 1-9-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
 Nite Cap UPDATEUPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATECORPORATE ED REFORM NYSUT President Iannuzzi Calls For No-Confidence Vote On SED Commissioner KingFrom the State of Politics blog:In an exclusive Capital Tonight interview, NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi revealed he will soon ask his Board of Directors to bring an apparently unprecedented vote of no confidence on state Education Commissioner John King in r
by mike simpson / 21h 
Nite Cap 1-9-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
James Baldwin said it best: "For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAPSeattle Education Meetup on Student Privacy and House Bill 2133 | Seattle EducationSeattle Education Meetup on Student Privacy and House Bill 2133 | Seattle Education: Seattle Education Meetup on Student Privacy and House Bill 2133Our first Meetu
by mike simpson / 1d 



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