Fire and building inspectors condemned the Delaware Christian Academy after entering the building and finding its six students huddled around a heater for warmth. Betsy DeVos always says that parents always know best, but why did these parents send their children to school in an unsafe building?
”Fire and building inspectors say they found six students at the private Delaware Christian Academy “huddled around a kerosene heater in blankets trying to stay warm” one morning last week.
“Authorities ordered the building — the former Riley Elementary School on North Walnut Street — to be vacated. The children’s teacher took them home.
“Meanwhile, the city building commissioner on Wednesday condemned the structure, finding it unsafe for occupancy.
“The school, whose enrollment has declined to just six students, was using only one classroom in the 28,282-square-feet building.
“The school superintendent acknowledged in an interview Thursday that the building has deficiencies but denied the children were cold — “some kids just like to have blankets” — and said the plan is to reopen.”
A school of six students? Six vouchers do not produce enough revenue for one teacher. Not to mention enough revenue to heat and maintain the building.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I found this article yesterday and sent it to my state Senator Niemeyer [R-IN] and Representative Chyung [D-IN], along with some curt comments by me.
Chyung wants more money for public schools.
Niemeyer is stuck with pride on the Indiana budget that underfunds everything.
Ed reformers need to change the talking point. With their lockstep embrace of any and all vouchers, they can no longer claim to be opening “great schools” to replace the existing public schools they oppose.
The plans were always incoherent. Eventually the factions would cancel each other out.
So- pitch “accountability” and “great schools” and that leaves one goal- “choice”. It was inevitable.
In a way it’s good news for public schools. It makes ed reformers completely irrelevant to our schools. They don’t offer us anything of value, sure, but they also don’t do damage. They just don’t matter at all to the 90% of families who attend the ideologically incorrect public sector schools. Which means we can find and hire people who actually intend to work for public schools. We may have to “grow our own”.
The politicians in unregulated voucher states have been lucky. There hasn’t been a tragedy. As responsible adults, they must know that was pure luck. I wouldn’t push it if I were them, but, you know, “move fast and break things” doesn’t leave a lot of room for safety or..thought. They’re “building the plane in the air”, with tens of thousands of other peoples children strapped in the seats.
Industry slogans do not responsible governance make. No one was intended to adopt “move fast and break things” as a governing ideology. It’s just a dumb slogan.
Blame this outrage on Pence, Daniels and the GOP lawmakers who put through this plan and thumbed their noses at Article I, Sections 4 and 6 of the Indiana constitution. As a former Indiana public school teacher I am happy to be living in Maryland.
Edd Doerr: That’s not fair. I’m still here. Down with Pence, the religious zealot.
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Voucher program stands, Indiana Supreme Court rules
March 26, 2013 Dave Stafford
Indiana’s school voucher program, considered the nation’s widest-reaching, is constitutional, the Indiana Supreme Court unanimously ruled Tuesday.
“We hold that the Indiana school voucher program, the Choice Scholarship Program, is within the Legislature’s power under Article 8, Section 1, and that the enacted program does not violate either Section 4 or Section 6 of Article 1 of the Indiana Constitution,” Chief Justice Brent Dickson wrote for the court.
Twelve Indiana residents including educators, clergy and parents of children in public and private schools filed the lawsuit in July 2011, challenging the Choice Scholarship Program. The ruling on direct appeal in Teresa Meredith, et al. v. Mike Pence, et al., 49S00-1203-PL-172, affirms a Marion Superior Court grant of summary judgment to defendants.
Gov. Mike Pence hailed the ruling. “I welcome the Indiana Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Indiana’s school choice program. I have long believed that parents should be able to choose where their children go to school, regardless of their income. Now that the Indiana Supreme Court has unanimously upheld this important program, we must continue to find ways to expand educational opportunities for all Indiana families.”
The Supreme Court rejected plaintiffs’ claims that the voucher program violates liberties in the state Constitution regarding education and religion…
https://www.theindianalawyer.com/articles/31070-voucher-program-stands-indiana-supreme-court-rules#.XJunteqegJ8.gmail
I am aware that the Indiana SC upheld the voucher plan, thus also thimbing their noses at Art 1, Secs 4 and 6.
I am aware of the Ind SC’s ruling. It shows that it too thumbed its nose at Art. 1, Secs. 4 and 6. Shame.
Yes.
The Indiana Supreme Court blew its nose on the State constitution
But are you teaching in Maryland? Because quite frankly, our school systems are crap, too….just the top of the heap of crap.
No, I am not teaching now. I’ve spent the last 50 years running a non-profit educational org.
It’s funny because DeVos consistently portrays public schools as dangerous. It’s part of her unsubtle crusade to convince parents to leave public schools and attend the schools she considers ideologically correct.
Of course none of these people ever darkened the door of a public school so maybe they actually believe they’re all terrifying, scary places. Why the labor union members alone give her nightmares!
DeVos is deflecting blame from herself. She’s done this all her life. She a good “GO-FER” for the monied. She’s one of them.
The Muncie paper gave a more detailed description than the Indy paper. They described cans of kerosene in the classroom, and standing water in areas of building where children have access, functional restroom on opposite end of the building and others with leaking water closer to the lone classroom. Only 6 students of varying ages enrolled. They quoted the superintendent as saying that the kids had blankets because some kids just like blankets. Among the other contaminations listed was meth. This has not gotten much coverage. Many issues with children in harms way are taking up media time. A woman and baby went missing while she was on a bender and the baby froze in her car. A father shot his daughter and ran off, has not been located. A baby is missing and was not reported for over a week by it’s mother. So, many issues of child abuse and neglect are the focus. And legislature is in session in Indy and contemplating adding an amendment to a law requiring school shooter drills that will prohibit the shooting of teachers with projectiles during training. I know that in the rest of the world this is a no brainer. But teachers have actually been shot with air pellets in some districts and one school reported it to the ISTA who is attempting to get language in the law requiring drills that prevents teachers being used for target practice.
Cecelia, early on in the life of this blog, I posted something suggesting that not all parents were able to make wise choices, that some parents were actually abusive. For many days after, I was targeted for angry comments, tweets etc from homeschoolers who were outraged by my comment. Like zdeVos, and indifferent to daily news stories about parental neglect, they believe that parents always know best.