Follow Us on Twitter

What does Colonial School District and Faithful Friends Have in Common?

SB 253, passed by the Senate and out of committee in the House.

Sen. Blevins, McBribe, and Rep. Mulrooney crafted this gem:

Go here:  http://www.legis.delaware.gov/LIS/LIS147.nsf/vwLegislation/AE839B1F2392DF4185257CF200635226?open
AN ACT TO AUTHORIZE AND APPROVE THE CONVEYANCE OF CERTAIN REAL PROPERTY IN NEW CASTLE COUNTY TO THE COLONIAL SCHOOL DISTRICT AND PROVIDING FOR THE FUTURE SUBDIVISION AND CONVEYANCE OF A PORTION OF THIS REAL PROPERTY TO FAITHFUL FRIENDS.
That "certain real property" is the DMV recently vacated by the Delaware Department of Transportation.

It's all in the whereas...

WHEREAS the Airport Road Division of Motor Vehicles facility (the “property”), located in New Castle County has been vacated by the Department of Transportation; and
WHEREAS Section 111 of the Fiscal Year 2014 Capital Improvements Act provided for public input be gathered before a final disposition of the property; and
WHEREAS the Colonial School District has proposed using the property as a pupil transportation hub and facility; and
WHEREAS Faithful Friends has proposed using ten to twenty acres of the property to construct a Pet Adoption and Community Resource Center; and
WHEREAS the surrounding community has indicated support for these two proposals along with their desire for future transportation improvements to alleviate traffic congestion.

The Cost?  $1.00

Pays to have friends in Dover.
Category: 1 comments

Condolences to Parents of Christina

With a heavy heart:

Education Blogger Harry Curriden has passed away. He will forever be known here, at C&E 1st for his brave advocacy for his daughter, the children of Christina, and the students of our State. No obituary could even come close to telling the story of his character and dedication to his family.  Our heart goes out to his wife, Melanie.  May she and her loved ones find the peace and the strength needed to continue on Harry's mission.  


Harry "Hank" Curriden, age 67, of Newark, DE went to rest on Monday, June 16, 2014.
Hank was a loving and dedicated husband, father, and grandfather. He was an educational advocate for children. Hank was full of pride when he taught Social Sciences at Drexel University. He enjoyed learning about military and native history and loved spending time at the beach with his family.
Hank will be missed by his wife, Melanie; daughters, Katherine Roman (Aaron) and Victoria Curriden; grandson, Jacob; and nephew, John Davis. He was preceded in death by his father, Harry F. Curriden; brothers, Jack and Watson Davis; and sister, Mae Curriden.
A visitation will be held on Sunday, June 22, 2014 from 6-8 pm at the Strano & Feeley Family Funeral Home, 635 Churchmans Road, Newark, DE 19702. A graveside service will be held the following afternoon at 2 pm at Lawnside Cemetery, 1017 Rt. 40, Woodstown, NJ, 08098. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Strano & Feeley Family Funeral Home for Victoria Curriden's education fund. For directions or to express an online condolence, please visit www.strano-feeley.com

It's become a tradition here to share an Owl City song whenever we observe the passing of an inspirational figure.  Today, we'll offer two songs:

Fireflies was a favorite of another brave soul who challenged the status quo and left this world much too soon.  




And When Can I See You Again, a newer song, dedicated to Harry's family...






Category: 0 comments

UnDue Process... from Hearsay to Heresy

Below is my original, unpublished blog post regarding the CSD's Board of Education's Emergency Meeting.  Working on a newer post regarding the latest developments, per the NJ.

If there was one apparent during the recent emergency meeting of the CSD Board of Education, it's that, despite being joined on stage by its legal counsel, the board itself has no formal, or rather legal, definition of "harassment." 


harassment (either harris-meant or huh-rass-meant) n. the act of systematic and/or continued unwanted and annoying actions of one party or a group, including threats and demands. The purposes may vary, including racial prejudice, personal malice, an attempt to force someone to quit a job or grant sexual favors, apply illegal pressure to collect a bill, or merely gain sadistic pleasure from making someone fearful or anxious. Such activities may be the basis for a lawsuit if due to discrimination based on race or sex, a violation on the statutory limitations on collection agencies, involve revenge by an ex-spouse, or be shown to be a form of blackmail ("I'll stop bothering you, if you'll go to bed with me"). The victim may file a petition for a "stay away" (restraining) order, intended to prevent contact by the offensive party. A systematic pattern of harassment by an employee against another worker may subject the employer to a lawsuit for failure to protect the worker. (See: harass, sexual harassment)
Copyright © 1981-2005 by Gerald N. Hill and Kathleen T. Hill. All Right reserved.   - http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/harassment

 Last Tuesday, the BOE condemned one of its own for alleged "harassment."
It has been brought to the attention of the Board of Education that Board Member Shirley Sutton-Saffer is alleged to have engaged in inappropriate behavior by harassing a District employee and engaging in an unsafe act. The Board has not conducted an independent investigation to determine the veracity of the allegations. The Board disapproves of any such alleged actions and does not condone any such alleged actions by any member of this board or any employee of the Christina School District.
In all events, even if the conduct as alleged is true, the Board lacks the authority to remove a board member under Article XV, Section 6 of the Delaware Constitution.
The limited evidence relied solely on the hearsay of the board president and vice president.  They alleged to have viewed a recording of fellow board member Shirley Sutton-Saffer  allegedly walking around a school bus from the door to the driver's window.  Additionally, the board president claimed to be able to hear Mrs. Sutton-Saffer identify herself by name and as a member of the Board of Education. Yet, despite being pressed repeatedly by other board members, the recording was not made available to the board at-large or the public.  (My legal eagles assure me that the recording is perfectly FOIA-able, should one want to request to view it.)

The evening, and I witnessed it in person, had all the makings of political drama, from the president who claimed that he "accepted (viewing the recording) as a burden" on behalf of his board-mates to the infamous esquire who despite allegedly sleeping through most of the 90 minutes of debate, still managed to extoll the last word, a sermon from the pulpit if you will, rambling on about how the "supreme court does not wait (for investigations or evidence, when it) dispenses an order." Which anyone who is mildly familiar with 8th grade history knows is a perfectly erroneous and ironic statement to have come from a member of the bar. Allegedly.

Category: 0 comments