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Texas teacher did WHAT?; Take your b p meds before reading this ****
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Topic Started: Feb 26 2013, 12:32 AM (792 Views)
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abb
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Feb 27 2013, 06:09 AM
Post #16
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http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/ban-laptops-class
Ban laptops in class
By Editorial Board | February 27, 2013
Virtually every student has found herself in the following situation: A professor is trying to stimulate an in-depth conversation in a small seminar class but ends up talking to a dozen students with their eyes cast down at their computers. This scenario is also common: A large lecture where half of the students are browsing on Facebook, leaving the other half—who, because of auditorium seating, are distracted by their peers—frustrated and inattentive.
In Tuesday’s editorial, we discussed the increasing role that online technology is playing in the classroom. Today, we turn to the most dominant use of technology in the classroom presently: laptops. The vast majority of the time, laptop usage detracts from the classroom experience. Before we spend further time and energy advancing fancy new technology in the classroom, we should examine the most prominent and—in our eyes—detrimental use of technology already. A simple move by professors to explicitly ban laptops, in both seminars and lectures, would significantly enhance learning—perhaps beyond the introduction of even more technology into the classroom.
The educational benefits of banning laptops would be considerable. First, it would remove the temptation for students to let their browsers amble to social media sites or other irrelevant content. Especially in seminar classes, the quality of discussion is highly dependent on each student being fully present. A student’s extraneous use of laptops in class is tantamount to saying, “I am not going to give my full attention in class today,” a behavior that is becoming ever more permissible.
Second, unnecessary laptop usage is disrespectful to one’s classmates, creating a negative externality that affects students beyond the laptop user. This negative externality is not confined to seminars. Laptops can be distracting in auditorium-style lectures.
Finally, in a Coursera-fixated age when the value of the physical in-classroom experience is often questioned, allowing laptop usage seems to be a form of giving up. Why convene class if students are half-present, constantly disturbed by text messages, games and Facebook? Coursera is touted as a way for getting students to mentally engage in learning while outside of the classroom. Laptops achieve the opposite effect: mental disengagement while physically present in the classroom.
Of course, there are legitimate uses of laptops in the classroom. But laptops should be used sparingly and deliberately—only where there is an explicit need. For example, if the professor wants the class to watch a YouTube video or quickly check a fact, laptops are warranted. Note-taking, an oft-cited reason to use laptops, is usually a poor justification. Pen-and-paper note-taking is a fine alternative, and the added convenience of typing does not outweigh the laptop’s distracting effects.
What is the point of holding class if people are not paying attention? This is not just about respect; it is also about the necessity of a physical college campus. The more time we spend on computers, the less important the on-campus college experience—which universities tout as a major benefit of an elite education—becomes. For the sake of their students’ learning and the college experience at large, professors should not be afraid to ban laptops from their classrooms.
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cks
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Feb 27 2013, 06:13 AM
Post #17
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- abb
- Feb 27 2013, 06:09 AM
http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/ban-laptops-classBan laptops in class By Editorial Board | February 27, 2013 Virtually every student has found herself in the following situation: A professor is trying to stimulate an in-depth conversation in a small seminar class but ends up talking to a dozen students with their eyes cast down at their computers. This scenario is also common: A large lecture where half of the students are browsing on Facebook, leaving the other half—who, because of auditorium seating, are distracted by their peers—frustrated and inattentive. In Tuesday’s editorial, we discussed the increasing role that online technology is playing in the classroom. Today, we turn to the most dominant use of technology in the classroom presently: laptops. The vast majority of the time, laptop usage detracts from the classroom experience. Before we spend further time and energy advancing fancy new technology in the classroom, we should examine the most prominent and—in our eyes—detrimental use of technology already. A simple move by professors to explicitly ban laptops, in both seminars and lectures, would significantly enhance learning—perhaps beyond the introduction of even more technology into the classroom. The educational benefits of banning laptops would be considerable. First, it would remove the temptation for students to let their browsers amble to social media sites or other irrelevant content. Especially in seminar classes, the quality of discussion is highly dependent on each student being fully present. A student’s extraneous use of laptops in class is tantamount to saying, “I am not going to give my full attention in class today,” a behavior that is becoming ever more permissible. Second, unnecessary laptop usage is disrespectful to one’s classmates, creating a negative externality that affects students beyond the laptop user. This negative externality is not confined to seminars. Laptops can be distracting in auditorium-style lectures. Finally, in a Coursera-fixated age when the value of the physical in-classroom experience is often questioned, allowing laptop usage seems to be a form of giving up. Why convene class if students are half-present, constantly disturbed by text messages, games and Facebook? Coursera is touted as a way for getting students to mentally engage in learning while outside of the classroom. Laptops achieve the opposite effect: mental disengagement while physically present in the classroom. Of course, there are legitimate uses of laptops in the classroom. But laptops should be used sparingly and deliberately—only where there is an explicit need. For example, if the professor wants the class to watch a YouTube video or quickly check a fact, laptops are warranted. Note-taking, an oft-cited reason to use laptops, is usually a poor justification. Pen-and-paper note-taking is a fine alternative, and the added convenience of typing does not outweigh the laptop’s distracting effects. What is the point of holding class if people are not paying attention? This is not just about respect; it is also about the necessity of a physical college campus. The more time we spend on computers, the less important the on-campus college experience—which universities tout as a major benefit of an elite education—becomes. For the sake of their students’ learning and the college experience at large, professors should not be afraid to ban laptops from their classrooms. Amen, Amen, Amen. And this goes triple for the use of computers in elementary and particularly high schools.
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abb
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Feb 27 2013, 07:23 AM
Post #18
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- cks
- Feb 27 2013, 06:13 AM
- abb
- Feb 27 2013, 06:09 AM
http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/ban-laptops-classBan laptops in class By Editorial Board | February 27, 2013 Virtually every student has found herself in the following situation: A professor is trying to stimulate an in-depth conversation in a small seminar class but ends up talking to a dozen students with their eyes cast down at their computers. This scenario is also common: A large lecture where half of the students are browsing on Facebook, leaving the other half—who, because of auditorium seating, are distracted by their peers—frustrated and inattentive. In Tuesday’s editorial, we discussed the increasing role that online technology is playing in the classroom. Today, we turn to the most dominant use of technology in the classroom presently: laptops. The vast majority of the time, laptop usage detracts from the classroom experience. Before we spend further time and energy advancing fancy new technology in the classroom, we should examine the most prominent and—in our eyes—detrimental use of technology already. A simple move by professors to explicitly ban laptops, in both seminars and lectures, would significantly enhance learning—perhaps beyond the introduction of even more technology into the classroom. The educational benefits of banning laptops would be considerable. First, it would remove the temptation for students to let their browsers amble to social media sites or other irrelevant content. Especially in seminar classes, the quality of discussion is highly dependent on each student being fully present. A student’s extraneous use of laptops in class is tantamount to saying, “I am not going to give my full attention in class today,” a behavior that is becoming ever more permissible. Second, unnecessary laptop usage is disrespectful to one’s classmates, creating a negative externality that affects students beyond the laptop user. This negative externality is not confined to seminars. Laptops can be distracting in auditorium-style lectures. Finally, in a Coursera-fixated age when the value of the physical in-classroom experience is often questioned, allowing laptop usage seems to be a form of giving up. Why convene class if students are half-present, constantly disturbed by text messages, games and Facebook? Coursera is touted as a way for getting students to mentally engage in learning while outside of the classroom. Laptops achieve the opposite effect: mental disengagement while physically present in the classroom. Of course, there are legitimate uses of laptops in the classroom. But laptops should be used sparingly and deliberately—only where there is an explicit need. For example, if the professor wants the class to watch a YouTube video or quickly check a fact, laptops are warranted. Note-taking, an oft-cited reason to use laptops, is usually a poor justification. Pen-and-paper note-taking is a fine alternative, and the added convenience of typing does not outweigh the laptop’s distracting effects. What is the point of holding class if people are not paying attention? This is not just about respect; it is also about the necessity of a physical college campus. The more time we spend on computers, the less important the on-campus college experience—which universities tout as a major benefit of an elite education—becomes. For the sake of their students’ learning and the college experience at large, professors should not be afraid to ban laptops from their classrooms.
Amen, Amen, Amen. And this goes triple for the use of computers in elementary and particularly high schools. This program was instituted at our local high school three years ago.
http://www.newtechruston.com/
I covered it extensively in my newsblog.
http://lincolnparishnewsonline.wordpress.com/2010/09/08/ruston-highs-new-tech-up-and-running/ http://lincolnparishnewsonline.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/new-tech-ruston-museum-exhibit/ http://lincolnparishnewsonline.wordpress.com/2010/04/12/new-tech-ruston-meeting-tuesday-night/ http://lincolnparishnewsonline.wordpress.com/2011/01/05/new-tech-moves-into-new-classrooms/ http://lincolnparishnewsonline.wordpress.com/2010/03/04/lincoln-parish-school-board-new-tech-etc/ http://lincolnparishnewsonline.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/new-tech-showcase-and-summit-tuesday-rhs/ http://lincolnparishnewsonline.wordpress.com/2011/09/07/new-tech-students-recognized-budget-adopted/
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foxglove
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Feb 27 2013, 07:25 AM
Post #19
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- cks
- Feb 27 2013, 06:13 AM
- abb
- Feb 27 2013, 06:09 AM
http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/ban-laptops-classBan laptops in class By Editorial Board | February 27, 2013 Virtually every student has found herself in the following situation: A professor is trying to stimulate an in-depth conversation in a small seminar class but ends up talking to a dozen students with their eyes cast down at their computers. This scenario is also common: A large lecture where half of the students are browsing on Facebook, leaving the other half—who, because of auditorium seating, are distracted by their peers—frustrated and inattentive. In Tuesday’s editorial, we discussed the increasing role that online technology is playing in the classroom. Today, we turn to the most dominant use of technology in the classroom presently: laptops. The vast majority of the time, laptop usage detracts from the classroom experience. Before we spend further time and energy advancing fancy new technology in the classroom, we should examine the most prominent and—in our eyes—detrimental use of technology already. A simple move by professors to explicitly ban laptops, in both seminars and lectures, would significantly enhance learning—perhaps beyond the introduction of even more technology into the classroom. The educational benefits of banning laptops would be considerable. First, it would remove the temptation for students to let their browsers amble to social media sites or other irrelevant content. Especially in seminar classes, the quality of discussion is highly dependent on each student being fully present. A student’s extraneous use of laptops in class is tantamount to saying, “I am not going to give my full attention in class today,” a behavior that is becoming ever more permissible. Second, unnecessary laptop usage is disrespectful to one’s classmates, creating a negative externality that affects students beyond the laptop user. This negative externality is not confined to seminars. Laptops can be distracting in auditorium-style lectures. Finally, in a Coursera-fixated age when the value of the physical in-classroom experience is often questioned, allowing laptop usage seems to be a form of giving up. Why convene class if students are half-present, constantly disturbed by text messages, games and Facebook? Coursera is touted as a way for getting students to mentally engage in learning while outside of the classroom. Laptops achieve the opposite effect: mental disengagement while physically present in the classroom. Of course, there are legitimate uses of laptops in the classroom. But laptops should be used sparingly and deliberately—only where there is an explicit need. For example, if the professor wants the class to watch a YouTube video or quickly check a fact, laptops are warranted. Note-taking, an oft-cited reason to use laptops, is usually a poor justification. Pen-and-paper note-taking is a fine alternative, and the added convenience of typing does not outweigh the laptop’s distracting effects. What is the point of holding class if people are not paying attention? This is not just about respect; it is also about the necessity of a physical college campus. The more time we spend on computers, the less important the on-campus college experience—which universities tout as a major benefit of an elite education—becomes. For the sake of their students’ learning and the college experience at large, professors should not be afraid to ban laptops from their classrooms.
Amen, Amen, Amen. And this goes triple for the use of computers in elementary and particularly high schools. I agree 100%.
Note taking helps in the learning experience, IMO. A notebook and pen and save the laptops for free time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oP9hNIsaeI
Charlotte Iserbyt destruction of freewill by design/Computers in Education
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chatham
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Feb 27 2013, 09:37 AM
Post #20
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- MikeZPU
- Feb 26 2013, 08:39 PM
Looks like kids waiting to be part of a christmas pagent.
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kbp
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Feb 27 2013, 11:09 AM
Post #21
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Laptops???
Half the kids I see today are staring at their smartphones.
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Baldo
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Mar 5 2013, 12:46 AM
Post #22
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- cks
- Feb 26 2013, 03:10 PM
- Baldo
- Feb 26 2013, 10:39 AM
Back To the Stone Age? New Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer Bans Working From Home
New Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has decreed there will be no more working from home for Yahoo staff. A company memo leaked to the press on Friday announced that Yahoo employees would no longer be permitted to work remotely. The decision seems to be based on a desire for increased productivity and a more connected company culture. It reads in part:
"To become the absolute best place to work, communication and collaboration will be important, so we need to be working side-by-side. That is why it is critical that we are all present in our offices. Some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussions, meeting new people, and impromptu team meetings. Speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home. We need to be one Yahoo!, and that starts with physically being together."...snipped
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2013/02/25/back-to-the-stone-age-new-yahoo-ceo-marissa-mayer-bans-working-from-home/Rediscovering the wheel, but I am glad she said it.
While I agree with what she said, I find it ironic that she has also installed a special room next to her office so that she can bring her baby to work. I am sure that there are any of a number of Ms Mayer's employees who would like such a set-up. One of the biggest issues is child care for not only young children but also good latchkey care for those who attend school. There are some families who make the decision that one parent will be a full time stay at home parent - that the financial sacrifice is worth it. For others, they either do not have the option or for whatever reason decide that both parents must work (or it is a single parent situation where there is no other option). As one who has worked (with a very breif exception) during the entire time that my children were under 21, I know how fraught the child care issue can be. I was VERY fortunate in the choices available to me - the fact that I was a teacher helped enormously as I did not have to worry about summers. Even more so was the fact that Mr. cks 's job provided a certain flexibility - for instance when our children were in a co-op nursery school, he did the co-opping (setting a trend because the other children wanted their daddies to come and play like Mr. cks and over time more and more fathers did come - a benefit all around). I would not have been able to be effective in the classroom if I had to constantly worry about cild care. I was also fortunate in that the woman who watched my children would take them even if they were ill. I believe that it rare. Interesting follow up to this story
How Marissa Mayer Figured Out Work-At-Home Yahoos Were Slacking Off
Last week, Yahoo banned employees from working from home.
How did CEO Marissa Mayer decide to make such a controversial decision?
According to a source, the only way Mayer is comfortable making any decision: with the help of data.
Like a lot of companies, Yahoo has something called a Virtual Private Network or VPN. Remote workers can use it to securely log into Yahoo's network and do work.
(LifeHacker has a really good explanation of what a VPN is.)
After spending months frustrated at how empty Yahoo parking lots were, Mayer consulted Yahoo's VPN logs to see if remote employees were checking in enough.
Mayer discovered they were not — and her decision was made.
Kara Swisher first reported the news that Mayer was showing executives Yahoo's VPN logs to justify her work-from-home ban.
Mayer is famously obsessed with metrics and data.
Once, a Google designer quit the company in a huff because he was tired of how Mayer, in charge of how Google.com homepage looked, would choose design elements like color or font not based on taste, but raw data.
For every design variable, she looked at how users interacted with Google with one design — and then the other.
If the data showed users were using Google.com faster one way instead of the other, that particular design choice won out.
It's hard to argue that Mayer's process didn't work for Google. It was not the first search engine on the market, but it's just about the only one anybody uses now.
Likewise, we're hearing from people close to Yahoo executives and employees that she made the right decision banning work from home.
"The employees at Yahoo are thrilled," says one source close to the company.
"There isn't massive uprising. The truth is, they've all been pissed off that people haven't been working." http://www.businessinsider.com/how-marissa-mayer-figured-out-work-at-home-yahoos-were-slacking-off-2013-3?0=sai
No wonder yahoo was failing. It appears Marissa Meyer is turning Yahoo around.
Moral: if you want to work at home, you better work at home.
Edited by Baldo, Mar 5 2013, 12:47 AM.
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Baldo
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Mar 5 2013, 02:32 AM
Post #23
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Marissa Mayer's Response To The Anger Over Yahoo's Work-From-Home Ban: Let It Blow Over
...Nothing is fazing [her]," says this source. "[Yahoo is] going forward because ultimately all that matters is a great product. This is part of motivating the team and culture."
Almost all of the ex-Yahoos we've heard from think the working from home ban is a good idea.
One said: "I support the no working from home rule. There's a ton of abuse of that at Yahoo. Something specific to the company."
"It was a great way to get Y! to pay you while you put in minimal work and do your side startup."
Another, however, did tell us: "I'm sure there are divisions full of slackers, but I worked for one of the formerly profitable (now under siege) content businesses, where we did have work-from-home and remote employees, all of whom were working their [rears] off."
"This is a big f-you to all of them, and is terrible for morale."
http://www.businessinsider.com/marissa-mayers-response-to-the-anger-over-yahoos-work-from-home-ban-let-it-blow-over-2013-3
Personally I believe most everyone needs the group ethic to kick you in the rear. There are self-motivated workaholics, but I am not one..... I needed the energy of the group to reach my potential.
Edited by Baldo, Mar 5 2013, 02:36 AM.
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LTC8K6
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Mar 5 2013, 09:45 AM
Post #24
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Assistant to The Devil Himself
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- Baldo
- Feb 26 2013, 02:12 AM
It is why I have given up on Govt public education.
if we ever got school vouchers they would have to change. It is our only hope The pop-tart weapon incident...
In Other Words...we are doomed...
http://www.foxbaltimore.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/7yearold-suspended-teacher-says-he-shaped-pastry-into-gun-18192.shtml#.UTYEMTeRfYR
http://www.loweringthebar.net/2013/03/update-ii-school-offers-counseling-for-students-troubled-by-pastry-gun-incident.html
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foxglove
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Mar 5 2013, 10:05 AM
Post #25
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- LTC8K6
- Mar 5 2013, 09:45 AM
It's like... creating a mountain out of a mole hill.
Nutty.
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kbp
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Mar 5 2013, 09:37 PM
Post #26
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- foxglove
- Mar 5 2013, 10:05 AM
- LTC8K6
- Mar 5 2013, 09:45 AM
It's like... creating a mountain out of a mole hill. Nutty.
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LTC8K6
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Mar 6 2013, 12:38 AM
Post #27
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Assistant to The Devil Himself
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http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_29cCWLSnaWg/Sik8H_R-SJI/AAAAAAAAArI/2YFdYXXhGQA/s1600/poptart+gun.JPG
The loaded pop-tart gun...
Loaded with strawberry preserves...
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kbp
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Mar 11 2013, 09:06 AM
Post #28
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- Quote:
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http://www.wnd.com/2013/03/parent-school-demanded-waivers-after-wnd-report/Parent: School demanded 'waivers' after WND report Students made to wear burqas in Texas classroomParents in a Texas school district are reporting officials told their children to sign “waivers” for their participation in a class where they wore Islamic burqas following a WND report on the activity. snip Madelyn told WND that she felt coerced and pressured into writing the incident report. LeBlanc noted that her daughter had called crying from the restroom, telling her mother that she had been dismissed for the day as in a disciplinary action. snip 
...after the fact!
I would not call this a "waiver" really, considering a minor can't do that as far as I know, so it's more like a written statement for some form of testimonial evidence ....if needed. I'd say the method of coverup is worse than the original problem here.
Edited by kbp, Mar 11 2013, 09:07 AM.
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abb
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Mar 11 2013, 09:41 AM
Post #29
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- kbp
- Mar 11 2013, 09:06 AM
- Quote:
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http://www.wnd.com/2013/03/parent-school-demanded-waivers-after-wnd-report/Parent: School demanded 'waivers' after WND report Students made to wear burqas in Texas classroomParents in a Texas school district are reporting officials told their children to sign “waivers” for their participation in a class where they wore Islamic burqas following a WND report on the activity. snip Madelyn told WND that she felt coerced and pressured into writing the incident report. LeBlanc noted that her daughter had called crying from the restroom, telling her mother that she had been dismissed for the day as in a disciplinary action. snip 
...after the fact! I would not call this a "waiver" really, considering a minor can't do that as far as I know, so it's more like a written statement for some form of testimonial evidence ....if needed. I'd say the method of coverup is worse than the original problem here. Exactly. Minor children cannot sign legal documents, without custodial involvement. Even a Duke Law grad would know that.
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