Reply to ACPS' Refusal to Answer Basic Questions

Forum Index » VA Public Schools other than FCPS

Reply to "ACPS' Refusal to Answer Basic Questions"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]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. [/quote]

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.

[/quote]

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. [/quote]

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.  [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics