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Guest column: Remember to vote on school calendar Monday evening

Posted at 12:54 am February 9, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Guest Columns Leave a Comment

By Donato “Dan” DiGregorio

To staff of the Oak Ridge Schools and parents of students:

The thoughts and views expressed below are mine and may or may not reflect the thoughts and views of the other Board of Education members.

Currently, our Oak Ridge School system operates on two different calendars, the “Willow Brook (WB)” calendar and the “traditional” calendar. Consideration is being given to unifying the school calendar. Two proposed calendars, “the traditional” calendar and “balanced” calendar, are the options. The decision will be left to the Board of Education after much input. Included in this input are staff and parent preferences.

The main question that I hope folks ask themselves is: Of these two calendars, which will be the most helpful to promote student learning?

This coming Monday (Feb. 10) evening at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, Oak Ridge Schools parents and staff will have the opportunity to express their preferences for a possible new school calendar from the two proposed calendars. See this story for Dr. Chris Marczak’s brief description of each and how the telephone “vote” will occur. You may also view these calendars in more detail and how the telephone “vote” will take place by visiting the Oak Ridge Schools website. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Guest Columns, K-12 Tagged With: balanced calendar, Chris Marczak, Dan DiGregorio, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge Schools, school calendar, telephone vote, traditional calendar, Willow Brook calendar

Guest column: City, school officials need to unify, not splinter

Posted at 9:16 pm July 8, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Guest Columns 3 Comments

Note: This is copy of a column summarized by Oak Ridge Board of Education member Dan DiGregorio at a Monday night City Council meeting. DiGregorio had earlier sent a similar column to Oak Ridge Today in response to questions about a letter written by City Council member Trina Baughn that sparked a fiery debate this past week over drugs and violence in Oak Ridge Schools.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion, and each has the right to express that opinion. I, too, have the right to express opinions. I agree with my opinion about what I just wrote.

Within the Oak Ridge City Council and School Board there are 12 elected officials—all of whom were elected by the same citizens. But, we were elected to do two different jobs. We should not be stepping on each other’s toes. Both elected bodies are accountable to the citizens of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Guest Columns Tagged With: Dan DiGregorio, meetings, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Schools, one-on-one chats, Trina Baughn

Guest column: The tree that keeps on giving

Posted at 10:04 pm December 29, 2012
By Judy DiGregorio 1 Comment

I looked out the kitchen window one cold March morning and suddenly noticed a new tree standing in our backyard—a six-foot, straggly evergreen with bits of tinsel still clinging desperately to its branches. The tree had not been there the day before. Since we had neither a son named Jack nor any magic beans, we knew one of our mischievous friends had planted the tree.

“I know exactly who did this,” said my husband Dan. “It had to be Danny Sutton. That rascal loves playing practical jokes. Remember the time he took those squirt guns to that wedding?”

Dan soon confirmed that Danny was the culprit, and a new post-holiday tradition began. Each year Danny found a new spot in our yard to deposit his old Christmas tree, and it was often days later before we realized he had done it.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Guest Columns Tagged With: Christmas tree, Dan DiGregorio, Danny Sutton, Judy DiGregorio, practical joke

School board punts on proposal to restrict disruptive cameras

Posted at 3:47 pm September 25, 2012
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Oak Ridge school board members sidestepped a potentially controversial policy change on Monday that would have given them the right to restrict cameras and video recorders that are used disruptively.

The five-member Oak Ridge Board of Education had been scheduled to consider a policy change that said it “reserves the right to restrict the use of cameras, camcorders, or other photographic equipment that interferes or disrupts a board meeting.”

That was a watered-down version of a policy change recommended by the Tennessee School Boards Association. The original version said “No one shall bring a camera, camcorder, or other photographic equipment to board meetings without the consent of the board.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: cameras, Dan DiGregorio, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge Schools, policy, school board, Tennessee School Boards Association, Tom Bailey

School board considers right to restrict, but not ban, cameras at meetings

Posted at 9:34 pm September 14, 2012
By John Huotari 6 Comments

Note: This story was last updated at 3:39 p.m. Sept. 15.

As originally drafted, the proposed policy change would have required anyone who wanted to use a camera, camcorder, or other photographic equipment at an Oak Ridge school board meeting to first seek permission from the board.

But education officials suggested it went too far. While school board members approved it 4-0 on first reading last month, they asked Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Tom Bailey to revise it.

“I don’t think we want to ban it,” Bailey said, referring to the use of cameras. “I think we reserve the right to is the right language.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: Angi Agle, cameras, Dan DiGregorio, Keys Fillauer, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge School Board, Tom Bailey

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Classifieds

Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

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