ACPS' Refusal to Answer Basic Questions
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Anonymous
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> The number of teachers in #AlexandriaVA doesn't seem like a subject that merits hostility to the press. But elected school board members refuse to talk about it, and the @ACPSk12 administration denied multiple requests for an interview. https://t.co/CaV2mU0Gib pic.twitter.com/2GPKFMjyQK — Michael Pope (@MichaelLeePope) September 2, 2022</blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>These are not difficult questions, and Pope is not a National Review reporter. How many teachers and staff has the district added since 2008? |
Anonymous
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I went to the VPR website to search for previous articles that reporter Michael Pope may have done about ACPS. It doesn't appear that he's every shown the slightest interest in ACPS.
Very odd that the Virginia Education Association hosts VPR's search engine and archives? FYI - according to VEA's website:Established in 1863, VEA is a Union dedicated to advancing quality instruction and curriculum, adequate funding, and excellent working conditions for Virginia public employees. It seems odd. Maybe it's an poorly placed ad that makes it appear that way? Anyway, it doesn't look like Pope has every shown an interest in ACPS before this. Although his teacher's union (VEA's word not mine) connection reveals the sudden interest. He had no interest about a cover up of an alleged gang rape, Hutchings' blaming ACPS parent's who kept their kids in the system for the learning gap while he pulled his own kid out of ACPS for an open private school (to be fair the WaPo was scooped by the high school reporters on this too), Hutchings' shady promotion of his book and co-author (ACPS refused to answer parent questions about how that was funded), how Hutchings treated anyone at central office who didn't agree with him and the sorry state of ACPS in general. Pope was ok when every survey of ACPS parents for the last five years showed an enormous problem with transparency and communication. No questions about why the School Board Chair sends her kids to private school? While Pope identifies a worthy topic (but not a new one, this kind of top heavy shift has been going on for years nationally), I can't work up much emotion for a reporter who is suddenly outraged that ACPS and the School Board won't talk to him. If that's what he's clutching his pearls over, he can sit down. Parents have been shut out and treated poorly for years. |
Anonymous
Michael Pope also has written for years for the Alexandria Gazette Packet and other papers owned by the common parent of that paper about a variety of Alexandria, regional, and state issues. He has written about ACPS for that paper. http://m.alexandriagazette.com/news/2021/jul/08/baby-bust/ http://m.alexandriagazette.com/news/2019/oct/04/more-students-few-dollars-alexandria/ http://m.alexandriagazette.com/news/2014/jul/10/new-beginning-failiing-school/ http://m.alexandriagazette.com/news/2014/jun/05/poverty-classroom-low-income-students/ http://m.alexandriagazette.com/news/2014/mar/27/new-superintendent-hopes-cut-numbers-suspensions/ http://m.alexandriagazette.com/news/2014/mar/06/alexandria-school-board-selects-interim-leader/ http://m.alexandriagazette.com/news/2014/jan/08/twisted-psychology/ http://m.alexandriagazette.com/news/2013/dec/18/alexandria-schools-see-rising-poverty-classroom/ http://m.alexandriagazette.com/news/2013/sep/05/morton-sherman-era-draws-dramatic-close/ Since he is an established reporter, I am not sure why you think he lacks standing to question ACPS’s current press policies. |
Anonymous
80% of these are close to a decade old. He's done two stories in the last three years? Since he does so little about ACPS, maybe that's why he's shocked that the Board won't talk to him. But the Board, Super, Mayor and Council covered up an alleged gang rape of a child in the 9th grade building for six months. Not a word to parents, public or press. To be fair to him it's not like the people in our progressive city cared about it. But if he'd paid attention to that event or to Hutchings previous edict that the Board shouldn't talk to the press, maybe he wouldn't be so shocked. Interesting that the two school board members who pushed back on that particular order from Hutchings (Booz and Elnoubi) are going along with it now. Looks like Hutchings is still in charge and telling the board what to do. |
Anonymous
I agree with you completely that ACPS’s concealment of the sexual assault issue at Minnie Howard deserved significant press coverage. Just on Michael Pope, at some level, I am sure he has editors that had a role in choosing his writing assignments for the media outlets for whom he has worked. Regardless of his recent experience with ACPS, he clearly still interacts with various local government entities and thus has the background to assess and comment on ACPS’s approach to responding to press inquiries. |
Anonymous
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He made a fool of himself with his tweets.
ACPS and the Board don't answer questions from anyone. Reporters aren't special. Hutchings dictated it months ago and the Board is happily following his directions. |
Anonymous
Why isn’t a good thing that ACPS’s lack of transparency is highlighted? |
Anonymous
Too little, too late. It's like when PTAC suddenly turned against Hutchings in the days leading up to his resignation. Or if they suddenly called out the Alexandria establishment for covering up the Minnie Howard rape. |
Anonymous
Ok. But, as an individual journalist, Pope really has no responsibility to take a stand against ACPS. PTAC did not have responsibilities to represent the interests of parents and students of ACPS and failed completely. What if the Washington Post editorial page started tomorrow highlighting ACPS problems and the need to change direction. Wouldn’t that be a good thing even it hasn’t focused on ACPS in the past? |
Anonymous
Sorry typo- PTAC DID have responsibilities…… |
Anonymous
You're right, Pope doesn't have a responsibility to "take a stand against ACPS". Reporters shouldn't take stands. But Pope failed at his job (which according to a PP listing his body of work is reporting on ACPS) when he failed to cover the rape and all the other ACPS scandals revealing the lack of transparency (like when Hutchings and Wilson claimed they had nothing to do with the idea of putting adult housing at schools but are on camera at the Alexandria Housing summit strongly supporting the idea just a month before the adult housing news broke). That's why his outrage is so phony and laughable. |
Anonymous
I agree with all your criticisms of ACPS. I just think if a journalist is willing to start covering all of ACPS problems (or return to the ACPS beat), it is more productive to encourage the journalist to continue to do so rather than bash the journalist for being late to the party. |
Anonymous
I do see your point but if ACPS had given him a quote, he wouldn't care about their lack of transparency when it comes to kids and parents. I don't think he's going to suddenly start covering all of ACPS' scandals. And he's really late to the game on the topic he IS covering. |