How To Leak To ProPublica | PopularResistance.Org

How To Leak To ProPublica | PopularResistance.Org:

How To Leak To ProPublica 

We are a team of investigative journalists devoted to exposing abuse of power.

If you’ve got evidence showing powerful people doing the wrong thing, here’s how to let us know while protecting your identity.

Our job is to hold people and institutions accountable. And it requires evidence. Documents are a crucial part of that. We are always on the lookout for them — especially, now.

Have you seen something that troubles you or that you think should be a story? Do you have a tip about something we should be investigating? Do you have documents or other materials that we should see? We want to hear from you.

Here are a few ways to contact us or send us documents and other materials, safely, securely and anonymously as possible.

Here is our staff list, which links to each of our bios and email addresses. Of course, email is convenient, but if your information is sensitive, there are better options.

Encrypted Messages and Calls

Many ProPublica staffers use the free Signal app (iPhone, Android) to send and receive encrypted messages and phone calls. Signal communicates over an encrypted data connection, so your messages and calls do not appear in your phone provider’s logs. Cell phone numbers aren’t always shown in our staff list, but if you’re already in touch with a reporter it’s an easy way to add security.

Note that while Signal encrypts the contents of messages and calls within the app, it does display your cell phone number — something you may wish to avoid if you don’t want to be identifiable when contacting us.

• Julia Angwin (0xC664D201) and Jeff Larson (0×54119264) report on digital privacy, surveillance, and the role of algorithms in society.
• Jesse Eisinger, who covers the Trump administration and businesses, can be reached on Signal at (718) 496-5233.
• Justin Elliott (0x2C353E48) often reports on money and influence in politics.
• Robert Faturechi, who reports on money in politics, sends and receives encrypted messages on Signal at (213) 271-7217.
• Ryan Gabrielson, who reports on the justice system, can be reached on Signal at (917) 455-1713.
• A.C. Thompson, who reports on hate crimes and extremist groups, can be reached on Signal at (347) 563-8121.
• Mike Tigas (0x6E0E9923) works on digital privacy tools and workshops, and manages our SecureDrop and Tor onion site.
• Heather Vogell and Annie Waldman (0xE841874) report on all things education (from K-12 to higher ed). Both can be reached on Signal: Heather at (404) 270-0303 and Annie at (347) 549-0332.
• Megan Rose (formerly McCloskey), who covers the military, veterans, and criminal justice, can be reached on Signal at (202) 805-4865.

Encrypted Email

Some of our staff use PGP (aka “GPG”) encrypted email. PGP takes a bit of time to set up but allows you to send us messages that cannot be read without using a PGP program and the correct decryption key; your message body is hidden from email providers, hackers, and other parties that may get access to your email.

You can read more about email encryption and PGP here, and learn how to set it up on Windows or on a Mac.

One important caveat: PGP only protects the message body of your email. Metadata — information about who you are communicating with and when — is not protected and can be seen by anyone with access to your e-mail. (Like a mailed envelope, this unprotected information is used by email providers to make sure your message gets sent to the right place.) If your identity is sensitive, consider using a new, anonymous email address in combination with PGP, or try one of our other options.

The Low-Tech, but Secure Option: Postal Mail

Postal mail is an excellent, easy way to reach ProPublica securely. U.S. postal mail without a return address is one of the most secure ways to communicate — authorities would need a warrant to intercept and open it in transit.

Don’t use your company or agency mailroom to send something to us. Mail your package or envelope from an unfamiliar sidewalk box instead of going to a post office. You can mail us paper materials or digital files on, for example, a thumb drive. Our mailing address is:

ProPublica
155 Avenue of the Americas
13th Floor
New York, NY 10013-1507

If you can identify a reporter you want to reach, it’s worth noting that on the outside or inside of your package or envelope. You can also simply address it to ProPublica.

Super Hi-Tech, Time-Consuming but Maximum Security: SecureDrop

ProPublica uses a system called SecureDrop so you can share information and files with us with maximum security — far more than is possible with conventional email or other electronic means. Used properly, SecureDrop allows you to correspond with us in a way that shields your identity even from us.

Our SecureDrop server is only accessible using Tor, a special browser that masks information about your internet connection and the computer you are using. Although you How To Leak To ProPublica | PopularResistance.Org:

AFT President Weingarten to Give Major Education Speech Livestreamed On Facebook

AFT President Weingarten to Give Major Education Speech:

AFT President Weingarten to Give Major Education Speech

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With the nomination of Betsy DeVos as secretary of education, President-elect Donald Trump has signaled that the one bipartisan consensus on public education—the Every Student Succeeds Act—should be ignored, choosing instead the most anti-public education nominee ever appointed to that office, evidently wishing to reignite the education wars of the last two decades.

AFT President Randi Weingarten will give a major address next Monday on what America's students need to succeed and the destructive pitfalls of an anti-public education agenda. The speech comes two days before DeVos' scheduled confirmation hearing.

WHAT: Major speech by AFT President Randi Weingarten

WHEN: Monday, Jan. 9, 11 a.m.

WHERE: National Press Club, First Amendment Lounge

529 14th St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 

RSVP: Email Janet Bass at jbass@aft.org

The speech will be livestreamed: www.facebook.com/aftunion

Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten

Contact:Janet Bass202-879-4554jbass@aft.orgwww.aft.org

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Last Gasp Weekend Edition (1/8)

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Last Gasp Weekend Edition (1/8):

ICYMI: Last Gasp Weekend Edition (1/8)

Some readings from the week. Share what speaks to you, so that it can speak to other folks. 

10 New Years Resolutions for Those Taking Charge at US Department of Education

Rick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute is reformster through and through, and Betsy DeVos has contributed to AEI, but this still makes for an interesting list of suggestions for the new regime

We Know What Works in Teaching

I found this by way of a former student who now teaches on the college level. Here's what we do and don't know about how to teach composition. maybe we could, you know, use the working stuff and stop doing the other foolishness.

Need for Cash Puts Charter Schools in Questionable Company

A look at how the need to generate revenue is making mess out of Ohio charter schools

I Can't Answer These Questions About My Own Poems

The blogging highlight of my last couple of weeks? I got to see this before the rest of y'all because Sara Holbrook is friend of this blog. This piece has traveled far and wide, but if you haven't seen it yet, you must. This is how inarguably nuts the Big Standardized Test biz has gotten.

How To Teach a Middle School Class in 49 Easy Steps

I used to teach in middle school. This seems close to what I remember.

Garrison Keillor Is Done

Keillor has not taken the Trump election well. This piece is worth reading for the last line alone.

Ten Questions for Betsy DeVos

Fellow Pennsylvania Russ Walsh would like our Senator Casey (who serves on HELP) to ask DeVos these questions. It's nice to dream, anyway.

Good Business Models for Education

We don't talk enough about the fact that reformsters don't just want to schools to be run with business practices, but with bad disproven business practices. Here's Sam Abrams in the LA Times suggesting some better business practices to use. CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Last Gasp Weekend Edition (1/8):

 

Big Education Ape: Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION: How Privatization Works (Part 2,351,142) + The DeVos in the Details - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2017/01/catch-up-with-curmudgucation-how.html

Teachers union boss slams Trump’s pick for Education Secretary - NY Daily News

Teachers union boss slams Trump’s pick for Education Secretary - NY Daily News:

Teachers union boss slams President–elect Donald Trump’s pick for U.S. Education Secretary

The head of the nation’s largest teachers union ripped President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Education Department, saying the selection could harm public schools.

The Senate has scheduled a Wednesday confirmation hearing for Betsy DeVos, a philanthropist, businesswoman and education activist. She’s been a longtime advocate for charter schools and vouchers — and an opponent of teachers unions.

That puts DeVos firmly at odds with Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.

“She is really out of the mainstream,” Weingarten said of DeVos. “And the things that she promotes have been tried over the last 20 years and they haven’t worked.”

GOP plans expedited hearings to confirm Trump cabinet picks

Weingarten will deliver Monday what her union is calling a major education speech, where she will provide a detailed argument for how DeVos’ pro-school-choice agenda could harm public school kids.

On the campaign trail, Trump promised to execute a $20 billion voucher plan, a program that would give families money to pay for private schools if they Teachers union boss slams Trump’s pick for Education Secretary - NY Daily News:

Who's in Donald Trump's Cabinet? - The Atlantic

Who's in Donald Trump's Cabinet? - The Atlantic:

The Donald Trump Cabinet Tracker

A guide to the business tycoons, generals, and conservative politicians the president-elect has nominated to run his administration as they navigate the Senate confirmation process

Billionaire’s Row. All the President’s Generals. The Congressional Cabinet.

President-elect Donald Trump has assembled a government-in-waiting that has plenty of money, plenty of military expertise, and plenty of time in politics—but not much experience in the sprawling federal departments they have been tapped to run. Trump has, thus far, chosen five wealthy business leaders, two generals, and four Republican politicians for his Cabinet. All but two are white, all but two are men, and just one—Elaine Chao—has run a federal agency before.

Now they all must navigate the gauntlet of the U.S. Senate, where a slim Republican majority and an aggressive Democratic opposition will determine whether they get the jobs for which they’ve been nominated. The Senate hasn’t formally rejected a Cabinet pick since it voted down President George H.W. Bush’s nomination of John Tower for defense secretary in 1989. But no new president has gotten all of their nominees confirmed in the last 30 years; those that become enmeshed in controversy or partisan brinkmanship (it’s often both) usually withdraw before a vote.

Trump may have more luck with the Senate than his immediate predecessors, and he has Democrats to thank. When they held the majority in 2013, they changed the rules so that executive-branch nominations are no longer subject to the 60-vote threshold for filibusters. That means Trump could conceivably win Senate approval of his entire Cabinet without a single Democratic vote. But even without the filibuster threat, Republicans have just a 52-48 majority, and three GOP defectors could join unified Democrats in thwarting a nominee.

The confirmation process begins in earnest this week, as seven of Trump’s top nominees are scheduled to testify in Senate hearings. They include two of the most important Cabinet posts: Senator Jeff Sessions, the nominee for attorney general, and Rex Tillerson, Trump’s pick for secretary of state. The mere scheduling of hearings has sparked a fight between the parties. Democrats are accusing Republicans of trying to rush Trump’s Cabinet into office without proper vetting, particularly in the case of the wealthy executives who have slim public records and a greater potential for conflicts of interest. Just three of the nominees have completed financial disclosure forms and signed ethics agreements—traditionally a prerequisite for confirmation hearings. Democrats are also upset that Republicans have scheduled six hearings for a single day, Wednesday; they believe it’s an attempt to dilute media coverage of the hearings and make it easier for the nominees to avoid a major controversy.Who's in Donald Trump's Cabinet? - The Atlantic:

Department of Education

Trump’s pick: Betsy DeVos

Background: DeVos is a longtime philanthropist and Republican donor and the former chairwoman of the state party in Michigan. She’s been a major advocate for education reform centered on expanding charter schools and private-school vouchers. She led the advocacy group, American Federation for Children, that pushes for increased school choice for parents. The New York Times reported on her successful effort to kill legislation in Detroit that would have imposed tougher accountability standards on charter schools.

Government experience: None.

Why Trump likes her: Trump has shown that he favors plucking people from the private sector who will come in and shake up a government agency, and DeVos fits that bill. She has strong support among Republican school reformers, especially those who favor both expanding charter schools and vouchers. (Democrats favor the former but not the latter.) She is further to the right on education than two other women Trump interviewed: Eva Moskowitz, a charter school leader in New York, and Michelle Rhee, the former chancellor of the Washington D.C. public schools.

Liabilities: Teacher unions will aggressively oppose DeVos over her support for unfettered and largely unregulated expansion of charter schools and vouchers. That likely won’t matter much to Republicans, but it will hurt her chances of winning broad bipartisan support. Conservatives who favor reduced federal power over education will question her previous support for Common Core standards and her affiliation with organizations that have championed Common Core. Anticipating that issue, DeVos has said that while she supports “high standards and strong accountability” for schools, Common Core “got turned into a federalized boondoggle.”

Chances at Senate confirmation: Very good. Key Republicans have already come out in support of DeVos, including the chairman of the relevant committee in the Senate, Lamar Alexander. Most Democrats will likely oppose the pick, but barring a controversy that erupts during her confirmation hearings, she should win approval.

Status of nomination: Hearing scheduled for January 11 before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee

Who's in Donald Trump's Cabinet? - The Atlantic:

2017: Toward a Year of Resistance and Rising Up! DUMP the TRUMP!!! | Bill Ayers

2017: Toward a Year of Resistance and Rising Up! DUMP the TRUMP!!! | Bill Ayers:

2017: Toward a Year of Resistance and Rising Up! DUMP the TRUMP!!!

I’ve been on book tour for months, and it’s not done yet. Going to Cuba this week, then Washington DC, Ohio, Boston, NOLA, and more. I call it the “DEMAND the IMPOSSIBLE Rainbow Queer Insurgent Road Trip Toward a Future Worth Having.” Onward!!!

It’s been heartening these last months to gather together with people in city after city across the country, folks who came out in large numbers—not so much for the book, but driven by the felt-need to assemble in an available public space, to face one another without masks, and to consider the fundamental questions once again—and with accelerating urgency: who are we? Where are we going? What time is it on the clock of the world? What is to be done? There’s a common and compelling feeling from north to south, from east and west that we must somehow muster and unite the disparate forces for peace and justice and liberation into an unstoppable mass force—a love army. Uprising!

There’s a wonderful bumper sticker I see now and then, sometimes in the form of a banner or a poster: “If you’re not pissed off,” it reads, “you’re not paying attention.”

It’s true. Opening our eyes, paying attention, staying alert—when we see the horrors and the injustices, it ignites indignation; when we notice the unnecessary suffering in all directions, it stirs a sense of outrage and urgency. That emotion is essential—but it’s also insufficient. Anger alone  cannot create the society we need and deserve; fury by itself will not take us to the place we need to be.

So there needs to be another bumper sticker, right next to that first one: “If you’re only pissed off—if you’re not guided by deep feelings of love and empathy—you’ll be lost in the wilderness.”

Anger and love. Rage and generosity. Fury and tenderness.

Humanity—and the possibility of a humane future—asks us to get it right.

It’s our duty to fight; it’s our responsibility to win.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” ~~~Charles Dickens

The US empire is in steady and irreversible decline, but it’s unlikely to exit the world stage, or to relinquish its self-designated role as the “world’s only superpower” easily or painlessly—this is where we begin to name this political moment, honestly and unsparingly, a moment unique in 2017: Toward a Year of Resistance and Rising Up! DUMP the TRUMP!!! | Bill Ayers:

 

Second Sunday. | Fred Klonsky

Second Sunday. | Fred Klonsky:

Second Sunday.

Like many Louisiana towns — perhaps 300 of them, according to official estimates — St. Joseph can’t afford to maintain and improve its water system, he said.

More than half of the 528 families in town make less than $50,000 a year, according U.S. Census Bureau data.

In 2015, the town raised $115,883 charging fees for water, gas and other services;$117,328 from sales taxes; and $37,237 from ad valorem property taxes, according to the town’s financial records.

Brown went to Washington, D.C. in 2006 and got help from then U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu. But the money Landrieu had found went away when Congress ended the practice of earmarks.

He then headed to Baton Rouge and persuaded then Gov. Bobby Jindal to visit in 2013 and have a glass of water.

Jindal promised $6 million. The town would have to put up a match of about $2 million, which is about what the town could raise if it sold every piece of property and equipment. Jindal waived the match.

But the money could not be used. The town’s finances were so shaky, it could not get the clear audit necessary to release the funds.

Then in March, Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera released a report finding that Brown’s hiring of a cousin to do maintenance work may have violated state law.

On June 6, an independent auditor issued a report that allowed the town to Second Sunday. | Fred Klonsky:

How Finland’s youngest learners obey the rules — by fooling around in school - The Hechinger Report

How Finland’s youngest learners obey the rules — by fooling around in school - The Hechinger Report:

How Finland’s youngest learners obey the rules — by fooling around in school

Master teacher reveals secrets of the world’s best education system

Children in Eastern Finland in what is considered one of the most important activities of the day: recess. Photo: William Doyle

 It is lunch time at the University of Eastern Finland’s teacher training lab school in North Karelia, a lush forest and lake district on the Russian border.

Fourth-grade children race to the cafeteria in their stockinged feet, laughing, hugging, practicing dance steps and cavorting as they head for the cafeteria. One girl does a full handstand in the hallway. A distinguished-looking professor beams at the procession and doles out high-fives to the children. He is Heikki Happonen, head of the school and a career childhood educator.

As chief of Finland’s association of eight national university teacher training schools, he is, in effect, the Master Teacher of Finland, the country which still has, despite many challenges and a recent slide in global test scores, the No. 1 best primary school system in the world, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2016-2017.

Related: What do we invest in the country’s youngest? Little to nothing

According to Happonen, the hallway scene reveals one of the secrets of Finland’s historic success in childhood education.

Children’s brains work better when they are moving, the master teacher explains. Not only do they concentrate better in class, but they are more successful at “negotiating, socializing, building teams and friendships together.”

Finland leads the world in its discovery that play is the most fundamental engine and efficiency-booster of children’s learning. The nation’s children learn through play until age 7, and then are given guaranteed 15-minute outdoor play breaks every hour of every single school day (regardless of the weather) until high school.

Related: The state of the American preschool, in six parts

Another crucial secret: the learning environment, both physical and How Finland’s youngest learners obey the rules — by fooling around in school - The Hechinger Report:

Russ on Reading: Ten Questions for Betsy DeVos

Russ on Reading: Ten Questions for Betsy DeVos:

Ten Questions for Betsy DeVos

As I am sure you are aware, Senate hearings on Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education begin Wednesday, January 11, 2017. When the nomination was first announced, I wrote of my concern to my Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey. Toomey sent back a letter indicating his full-throated support of DeVos. This time I am writing to the other Pennsylvania Senator, Democrat Bob Casey, who serves on the Senate HELP committee who will interview DeVos and decide on whether or not to send her nomination forward. Trying to stop this dangerous nomination is an uphill battle, of course, with Republicans controlling the Senate, but Casey, through recent actions expressing concern about DeVos' conflicts of interest, has at least shown some concern about this nominee. And Casey is actually on the HELP Committee that will interview DeVos, so it is worth a shot.

I won't detail here why DeVos is an historically lousy choice for the job. Peter Greene, over at the Curmuducation blog, has already done a terrific job of that. What I offer here is a list of questions that I suggest Senator Casey, or someone on the panel, ask.

The Hon. Robert P. Casey
393 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Casey,

I am writing today to suggest some questions that you might ask candidate for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos at the upcoming Senate hearings. DeVos is an extremely ill advised choice, as I think will be readily apparent Russ on Reading: Ten Questions for Betsy DeVos:

TBFURMAN: Weaponized Twitter and Actual Work

TBFURMAN: Weaponized Twitter and Actual Work:

 Weaponized Twitter and Actual Work

Arg..... I can't work anymore. It so interferes with blogging.

I've been having a wonderful time on Twitter, saying provocative things to stir the pot. And I must say I've learned quite a bit about photo editing. I can make Trump's already commodious chin look like something out of a medical training film. 

I really don't think that effective resistance to Trump is going to happen on Twitter, but I have been enjoying the experiment.

Here's what I've noticed.

When you go out on the hashtags and insult Trump on Twitter, particularly when you do it in a reply to one of his stupid Tweets, you get an awful lot of interactions with people. 

Some of them are real: people who either agree with you or hate you. A few of them are real, but look fake. But most of them are fake. 

There are a lot of fake Twitter accounts, and they're all very busy fighting you or retweeting you when you go after Trump. Someone wants us to keep stirring and stirring the pot.

I'm fascinated by it all. Over the years, I've had to deal with a number of aggressive Turks regarding the Gulen TBFURMAN: Weaponized Twitter and Actual Work:

Ed Patru, Friend of– and Mouthpiece for– Betsy DeVos | deutsch29

Ed Patru, Friend of– and Mouthpiece for– Betsy DeVos | deutsch29:

Ed Patru, Friend of– and Mouthpiece for– Betsy DeVos

I have been doing a lot of reading about Trump’s nominee for US secretary of education, Michigan billionaire Betsy DeVos, and I have noticed a recurring defender of DeVos, Ed Patru, “spokesman for Friends of Betsy DeVos, a group of supporters.”

We could even just write the tag this way:

Ed-Patru-spokesman-for-Friends-of-Betsy-DeVos,

since it appears to be a single, unified tag whenever Ed Patru or “Friends of Betsy DeVos” are mentioned.

Ed-Patru-spokesman-for-Friends-of-Betsy-DeVos.

I searched for any formally organized group calling itself Friends of Betsy DeVos, and I found no record. In fact, the only hits I did find always seem to be some quote by Ed Patru, spokesman for Friends of Betsy DeVos.

There is just Ed Patru.

According to his Linkedin bio, Ed Patru is a PR guy who is currently VP of Media Affairs for a Washington, DC-based, PR firm, DCI Group.

Below is Patru’s Linkedin summary:

Dynamic communications professional with extensive background and expertise in developing high-impact communications operations for corporate, non-profit and political organizations.

Demonstrated talent in launching regional and national campaigns and securing national, regional, and local media coverage. Track record of building, developing, and leading high-caliber teams of talented communications professionals. Seasoned communicator proficient in generating persuasive written and oral communications.

Specialties: Public Affairs, Media Relations, Crisis Communications / Rapid Response, Client Media Training, Copy Writing, Op-Ed and Article Placement.

Also according to Linkedin, Patru has a history with the Republican Party, beginning Ed Patru, Friend of– and Mouthpiece for– Betsy DeVos | deutsch29:

Mother Crusader: Demand that Senators Who Have Received DeVos Money Recuse Themselves

Mother Crusader: Demand that Senators Who Have Received DeVos Money Recuse Themselves:

Demand that Senators Who Have Received DeVos Money Recuse Themselves

On January 11, 2017 The Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) will hold the confirmation hearing for Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. Recently, Politico released the paperwork DeVos filed with the Committee prior to her hearing. I perused it with some interest, wondering what it might reveal. Not a big surprise that she's involved in numerous education reform organizations, but even I got a chuckle to learn that she's a member of not one, but three yacht clubs.

But I digress.

What I really wanted to look at were her political contributions. The unsearchable pdf wasn't terribly helpful or user friendly - lists of Committees, Campaigns and PACs are not terribly helpful or illuminating, so I decided to use the Federal Election Commission website to see what I could find.

I wanted to see if any of the members of the HELP Committee have any conflicts with DeVos and her billions. Sure enough, a fair number of the Republican Senators do.

But before we get to the actual contributions, I need to make something very clear. For Betsy DeVos to disclose only contributions that she gave as an individual is inherently dishonest. I've spent more than my fair share of time researching campaign contributions, and if there is one thing I've learned it's that billionaire families give as a unit. If there is a $2,600 contribution limit, the husband and wife both donate the limit, and they do it as often as possible.

The DeVos's are no exception to that rule, and as you will see, if anything, when one member of the DeVos clan contributes, the whole family contributes. Their businesses are family affairs. Just because her first name doesn't appear doesn't mean her interests are not in play. 

Check back to the DeVos family tree of business which illustrates this quite nicely.

When we consider if a Senator has a conflict of interest in participating in DeVos's nomination hearings, we have to consider not only her contributions, but those of the rest of her billionaire brood as well.

Here is a list of the twelve Republican Senators on the HELP Committee.

Health, Education, Labor and Pensions 

Lamar Alexander, Tennessee
Mike Enzi, Wyoming
Richard Burr, North Carolina
Johnny Isakson, Georgia
Rand Paul, Kentucky
Susan Collins, Maine
Bill Cassidy, Louisiana
Todd Young, Indiana
Orrin Hatch, Utah
Pat Roberts, Kansas
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska
Tim Scott, South Carolina

Let's see how many of them we can connect to campaign contributions or independent Mother Crusader: Demand that Senators Who Have Received DeVos Money Recuse Themselves:

Should the NYS Commissioner Remove Carl Paladino from the Buffalo School Board? | Ed In The Apple

Should the NYS Commissioner Remove Carl Paladino from the Buffalo School Board? Are Abhorrent, Racist Comments Protected by the First Amendment? | Ed In The Apple:

Should the NYS Commissioner Remove Carl Paladino from the Buffalo School Board?

Are Abhorrent, Racist Comments Protected by the First Amendment?

Carl Paladino, answering a questionnaire from an online Buffalo publication made outrageous comments  about President and Michelle Obama – read the entirety of the comments here: http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Former-gubernatorial-candidate-wants-Michelle-10815635.php

David Bloomfield, a professor of Education at Brooklyn College, and a highly respected attorney, in an op ed in the Albany Times Union quotes some of the comments, and, while finding the comments abhorrent, finds Paladino’s comments protected by the First Amendment. and suggests the  “…commissioner should preserve her right to take such action [remove Paladino from the Buffalo School Board] in these circumstances, but withhold the ultimate sanction.”

Bloomfield avers the commissioner must answer two questions,

 Do Paladino’s comments meet the test of a removable offense and, if so, should she take that action against a democratically elected official? Case law recognizes that removal is ‘a drastic remedy that should be taken only in extreme circumstances”.”

I believe the fist question to be answered by the commissioner is whether Paladino’s comments are “protected speech.”

If Paladino was speaking in his role as a member of the Buffalo School Board I do not believe his comments are protected and the commissioner is within the spirit and intent of the commissioner’s regulation governing the conduct of School Board members.

The blog I wrote six years ago that I believe is still relevant.

Freedom of Speech Outside of the Classroom: Protected and Unprotected Speech: How Do the Courts View Teacher Speech on Internet Platforms? Do Teachers Have Special Responsibilities or Special Rights Re: Freedom of Speech?

Posted on March 18, 2010 | 13 Comments | Edit

In our Brave New World of social networking, IM, Skype and the blogosphere ,the ability of teachers to “speak” to their students, parents and colleagues knows no bounds. The number and frequency of teacher blogs seems to grow daily.Should the NYS Commissioner Remove Carl Paladino from the Buffalo School Board? Are Abhorrent, Racist Comments Protected by the First Amendment? | Ed In The Apple:

 Petition · Commissioner of Education of the State of New York: MaryEllen Elia: Remove Carl Paladino from the Buffalo School Board! · Change.org - https://www.change.org/p/commissioner-of-education-of-the-state-of-new-york-maryellen-elia-remove-carl-paladino-from-the-buffalo-school-board