Buy a Beer for Sheffield High!

 

One Bull Dog, Two Kiwanians, & Three Sheffield Teachers - Gemini

Nothing says helping a high school like having a beer - right? At least the Kiwanis Club seems to think so. You read that right - it wasn't even the Jaycees.

BTW, how old do the models in this poster look? Hmmm. We think the general rule is:

In alcohol commercials, the standard practice is that all models and actors, whether they are promoting the product or appearing in the background, should be at least 25 years old and should reasonably appear to be 21 years of age or older. This is to ensure that the commercial does not target or appeal to individuals below the legal drinking age. While there may be some exceptions on a case-by-case basis, such as in specific programs where the audience is predominantly over 21, the general rule is a minimum age of 25. 

Incident at Sheffield Ball Game

 

After Friday night's Sheffield football game, social media was full of a story about the arrest of a "child molester." Some even posted photos.

We're not going to post either accounts or photos related to the incident at this time. We are going to remind parents to remain vigilant with their children. 

This kind of crime is not as rare as some think. We recently posted a Most Wanted notice for a man whose original crime was attempted enticement at a Red Bay ball game. Luckily, in both cases, the would-be victims managed to escape harm.

If you see anything odd, no matter where it is, be sure to notify authorities.

*****

Sheffield High Scores "D" on State Report Card

 

The 2022 school report cards have now been made public by the State Department of Education. On the down side, Sheffield High School scored the lowest of other area schools. On the up side, at least we can rule out any standardized test cheating on the part of school administrators.

Drug Testing at Sheffield High School

We've been sent two complaints from Sheffield parents concerning drug testing at Sheffield High School. This is not the testing of athletes or band members or even of science club members who may be making a presentation at a high school 40 miles away. This is testing, among others, the freshman who hasn't even yet joined in a school cheer at a pep rally.

So, is this a good idea? After we asked a few individuals, we were told that Colbert County schools do this as well. Welcome to the 21st Century.

Marijuana can be detected in urine for up to 30 days. So your little darling takes a hit at a friend's house on Friday afternoon while playing a video game, then is tested on Tuesday morning at Sheffield High, guess what? 

How is this student to be punished? Is it in the school's purview to even be punishing the student? We leave you with these questions...and hope you have some answers because we certainly don't.

Meanwhile, In Rogersville...

What Happened to the Sheffield High Graduating Class of 2019?

Graduating rates have a large number of asterisks after them. The small print will tell you that the exact group isn't followed for four/five years or that the algorithm has changed from previous years or any other number of things. In other words, a graduation rate may be listed as 90% when it's actually 92%. That's not the end of the world. What if the graduation rate was closer to 50%; would you be concerned?

In the fall of 2013, over 100 students entered the 7th grade in Sheffield City Schools. When the Class of 2019 marched earlier this week, only 54 received their sheepskins. Let's be kind and say that Sheffield has a graduation rate of 55%. How do residents of Sheffield feel about this?

Why hasn't anyone stood up and shouted, "What's the problem here?" Why aren't parents attending school board meetings? Do you think this could happen in Florence? How about Muscle Shoals?

Wake up Sheffield. You have problems that even Inspiration Landing can't fix. 

I'm Practicing Being Passed Out...

Reagan Was Right: Unfunny Satire/SHS Investigation

If you haven't heard of Reagan Was Right, it's a satirical website. No, wait, satire is intended to be funny, and almost all the articles on this site are merely boring and apparently confusing to some who don't follow the news with any regularity. The site does display a disclaimer; however, it's no Onion. Facts mingle with fiction, as in Jefferson County in Alabama becomes Avondale County. Interesting, but not funny.

Now some sites are republishing these stories without the disclaimer. Even Politifact has had to get into the act to straighten out one Roy Moore story. Some are calling it "fake news," and we know how rare that term is these days. Our take is that at some point the author will announce the whole site has been research for a doctoral thesis.

*****

*****

We certainly had some interesting questions and comments on yesterday's blog concerning highjinks at Sheffield High. In clarification, the sex act witnessed was consensual even though it was illegal. The incident was reported to DHR only last Friday, so it will be at least a few days before an outcome. 

No, the specially called Sheffield school board meeting on Monday night was not about the softball incident. Two non-tenured employees were terminated, at mid-year no less. Other than one teaching at the high school and the second at the junior high, no information is available.

Are Sheffield and Muscle Shoals having a contest?

Doc Larry Wants to Control Term Limits

Larry Stutts is one of several state senators, presumably those who see the handwriting on the wall concerning their re-election chances, who want to set a limit on terms for state senators and representatives. Tim Melson opposes this proposed law and rightly so. For if guns don't kill people, surely a lack of term limits doesn't make a legislator a crook.

*****

It seems there was an incident at an athletic contest between Sheffield and Lexington. We don’t know what the incident was, but it was apparently related to actions of some Sheffield players. That’s indeed unfortunate, and we’re sure the powers that be in Sheffield don’t condone it.

However, it further appears that the Lexington fans who were at the game have decided the way to handle this bad behavior is to behave equally badly. Sportsmanship is becoming a thing of the past; no surprises there. Perhaps it's time for school officials to hold students responsible for their actions…and a few letters home to parents concerning their own conduct wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

*****

Personal endorsements? During the election season we’ve received some personal endorsements for certain candidates. Most of these endorsements have been less than moving. Some have recommended a certain candidate by means of criticizing his opponent. Others seem to tout their superior wisdom in the matter, all the while using profanities in their messages. We’re pretty sure the candidates they’re supporting don’t condone those who write these glowing accolades. If they do, then we’re certain we made the right choice to begin with.

Shoalanda

School Daze for Fun & Profit

First, we keep reading comments in various places that say "they're tearing down Coffee High School." No, "they're" not. A school is a group of individuals that come together to learn. It belongs in the same grouping as a hospital or church. It's not the building, it's the people.

The Florence Board of Education did away with Coffee High School years ago. Is the old building worth saving just for sentiment? The original building which morphed into Appleby Junior High was destroyed by fire many years ago. No, not much is left of Coffee but memories. Neither Coffee nor Bradshaw grads have an extant alma mater.

If it were up to us? We'd keep it...probably. It's a money pit at this point and not suited to the needs of today's classrooms. Could the building be used for something else as is Burrell-Slater? Come up with some ideas, and we'll publish them.

*****

Let's now travel east to Brooks. A parent has filed charges against a teacher, accusing her of physically assaulting a young girl. DHR is investigating, but we don't know the status of any police inquiries. The investigation may take quite a while. We do understand the parents' concern, there is a lot of he said/she said at this point. If any new relevant information is reported, we will publish it.

It's good for all parents to remember that teachers are human and make mistakes, lose their temper, etc. If you suspect abuse, follow your instincts, and above all, let the proper authorities handle it. (That means if you deck a teacher, you will go to jail.)

*****

Ah, now to the sunny south side of the river and a trip to Muscle Shoals Middle School. Late this afternoon, parents met with officials in an attempt to sort out the sudden termination of coach Jonathan Knight. The few reports we've had so far indicate that Coach Josh Fowler was taking 100% of the blame. More tomorrow in all probability.

In the mean time, from a concerned Muscle Shoals Parent (edited to remove identify of teacher):

The excuse for firing Coach Knight was that ONE parent complained to Boss Basden who immediately called his people in a private meeting on who was allowed to work for him. Wonder who the ONE parent is? Could it be another coach that is threatened by Coach Knight's success - or maybe even Basden who has 3 sons in the MSCS?

On a long running issue that goes un-addressed by MSCS & the High School: Countless parents and students have complained for YEARS about a high school xxxxx teacher that struggles with instruction techniques. The teacher has been sent for remedial training with no avail while most students have to hire a tutor. With so many honor students FAILING that course - perhaps the problem isn't the students and their preparation by other teachers for the class - it might be the person employed in the role of "teacher".

Yet ONE parent complained about a winning coach and it was an instant firing. The 3 men have revealed yet again what the future holds for Muscle Shoals. Athletics rules.

*****

We'll finish up at Sheffield High. We've said before that the best way to handle dress code problems in most instances is simply to "agree" with them. There are exceptions, but a simple tee-shirt is not worth fighting over, at least to us. You/Your child will not have to deal with this for a lengthy period of time, and some things are extremely hard to prove. Go on, say "Yes, sir, and thank you," graduate, then write a blog about them. How does that sound?

Shoalanda