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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Hynes practiced law for one year - insufficient time to understand the dduties of a public servant to conduct the public's business transparently and impartially.  Moon and Wilson practice law.

The process was not conducted in compliance with Regulation 8170.7. Technically, a Regulation is put in place by the Superintendent and applies to him and his staff.  Policies are statements by the Board.  So John Foster (counsel to the Board and to the Division - an unusual arrangement with possible conflicts of interest), determined something about the freedom of the Board to act outside of the constraints of the Regulation.  While possibly "legal", this is the kind of self-serving distinction that discredits the Board's oft-vaunted commitment to transparency and accountability - fidelity to process is the term that Ms. McLaughlin and Ms. Derenak-Kaufax used.  Adherence to process is important.  The WaPo editorialized last week about the importance of adherence to process in lambasting the Trump administration.  Credibility and integrity and trust are lost when the Board acts without reliance on procedures and process.  This is the unfortunate outcome here.  Emotional appeals and assertions win the day - but we haven't seen a definition of "compelling need", we haven't seen what is "sufficient interest" and we don't know what "community" we should be listening to...  It was interesting to hear Mr. Hanson testify at the Board meeting against the name change - and he was the only "black person" to testify.

So we have a Board that does what it wants to, without restraint or logic or process.  As long as the outcome is aligned with your interests this seems to be good.  But when the tables turn, the lack of recourse, process and accountability leave you without recourse.  The rule of law is most important for those with little power - and they should be most careful, mindful, to ensure that it is strictly observed and honored.  The powerful will act without constraint if the rule of law doesn't operate.

So, Ms. McLaughlin and Ms. Derenak-Kaufax were acting to protect the institution.  It is completely clear that the name would be changed in any event.  The only difference is that we now have a group of advocates who feel that they were cheated.  This will unnecessarily complicate the reconciliation process.

btw, any "influential" people in Fairfax who don't see the effort, the integrity and the good intent of Ms. McLaughlin and Ms. Derenak -Kaufax are people who are not contributing to the good of our community.   It's easy to threaten, spout, assert - it's significantly harder to actually get in the game and contribute.[/quote]

More babble.  It's the legal training that's most relevant here to understanding legal obligations, not how long one practiced with a private corporate law firm in New York City that specializes in transactional work.

It's ironic that people complaining about the costs of a name change would then advocate for either requiring separate legal counsel for the School Board and FCPS staff or filing a lawsuit against the School Board that is sure to lose, but would consume FCPS and county resources.  Moreover, unless Mr. Foster or you are breaching the attorney-client privilege, which ought to subject you to disciplinary action, you don't know what legal advice he provided.

After two years, the suggestion that FCPS should spend more time on a matter that is squarely within the School Board's discretion simply reflects a name change opponent's desire to delay the decision yet again - comparable to Ms. Schultz's squeals that FCPS should wait until after the special election to replace the School Board member who departed, although the School Board clearly has a quorum to do business and she apparently was not asking the School Board to delay action on other items until after Ms. Hough's replacement was elected.  Those who oppose the name change would not be satisfied with that decision under any scenario that exists on this planet, because their anger, at its core, has nothing to do with the School Board's processes, and everything to do with their feeling that their own privileges and memories were being ascribed less weight than the interests of current and future minority students at what they were used to thinking of as "their school."   Because they so desperately wanted to avoid taking a stand, TDK and MM tried to kick the can down the road yet again, but in doing so they aligned themselves with a group that includes in its ranks a significant number of racist, bigoted neo-Confederates.  That will have consequences for their political futures in this county, as well it should.[/quote]

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