Robert B. Sklaroff, M.D., F.A.C.P. Medical Oncology/Hematology ® Telephone: [215] 333-4900 & Facsimile: [215] 333-2023 1219 Fairacres Road Rydal, Pennsylvania 19046-2911 82 rsklaroff@gmail.com ® 10/22/2016 To: Dr. Amy F. Sichel, Superintendent, Abington School District Dr. James Melchor, Assistant Director of Curriculum, Abington School District {Abington School Board Members - Please Distribute} Karen Mulchano, Executive Director, PA State Board of Education Stephanie Jones, Administrative Assistant, PA State Board of Education Sally Flaherty, Curriculum Advisor in Social Studies, PA Department of Education Ray Young, Division Chief, PDE, Bureau of Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction Re: Act 70 Implementation @ Abington — Follow-Up ~ CLXXVI This is another moment when it is desirable to summarize the multifaceted effort to ensure the Abington School District teaches "Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights Violations” {Act 70}. While document-requests pend @ the levels of Abington/PDE and an appeal pends @ the OOR, the MontCo Judge has yet to compose an Opinion that could defend sustaining POs (because, unless he can conjure a logical thread that neither party raised, he will painfully discover that ‘the Sunshine Act was indeed violated]; meanwhile, the District has arched its back, refusing to honor a Curriculum Committee filing that met all its internal requirements (and more), intended both to superimpose “Act 70”-related curriculum and to address a reference-text that provides the only “concise history of the Middle East” available to teachers without invoking the library. Inclusive of yesterday's “Blast” e-mail, all key legal-documents filed with Commonwealth Court ihttns://drive.zoogle.com/file/d/0B_pRaTigMHVTaVFIWESxckM10We/view] and all memos that have been distributed since February can be perused, providing a non-medicinal soporific: Februory-April file:///C:/Users/Dr.%2080b/Downloads/Abington%20-%20Feb-April.odf] May {fil (Users/Dr.%420Bob/Downloads/Abington%420-%20May.pdi June [file:///C:/Users/Dr.9620B0b/Downloads/Abington%20-%20June.pdf) July [file:///C:/Users/Dr.%20B0b/Downloads/Abington%20-%20)uly.pdf] August [file:///C:/Users/Dr.%20Bob/Downloads/Abington%420-%420August. pdf) September 1-14 [https://drive.google.com/file/d/OB_pRaTigMHVTYzdDYWsOSEdLR1E/view] 15 [https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_pRaTigMHVTbUstQ2d20WxENjQ/view 16-28 [https://drive google.com/file/d/OB_pRaTigMHVTMjdtvmxzQ0pxZ0k/ view] 28-30 I /drive.google.com/file/d/OB_pRaTigMHVTbESJTHKINK1DclE/view! October 1-21 [https://www. scribd.com/document/328509466/October] The key-documents that can easily be reviewed are the: model-curriculum {September 15, entire document); model-survey {September 1-14, pages 32-41}; and concise-statement {September 28-30, pages 32-41).‘This appears also to be another appropriate moment to provide a compilation of prior memos, ‘as was accomplished in memos XXI & XXIK & XXXVI & LXVI & XC & CXXIK & CLVIL; this has yielded 826 pages [inclusive of this memo], comprising grist for others who wish to explore both how Act 70 is [or isn’t] being implemented and who wish to appreciate the “discovery” process. [All memos have continued to be forwarded to the Mediator, to expedite conference-calling,] Those who may be tempted to criticize the approach of providing incremental updates must grudgingly acknowledge the fact that a cumulative-outcome of quasi-"stand-alone” documents is irrefutable [and shocking] condemnation of the District and those who shored-up its image; furthermore, built upon this foundation are gathering-clouds over the PDE’s “performance.” THEREFORE, the reader can skim the above summary-memos [plus this one] to note whatever may be of-interest, and then open the appropriate month’s upload to peruse the elaboration; also, the MontCo judge can gain an appreciation for the quality of information that has been systematically suppressed from being disseminated via the forum that was intended to do so. (These summaries have been annotated, in an effort to integrate subsequently-acquired data. Follow-Up CLvill (6 pages) The hope was conveyed that many pending Open-Records requests could “go away” if the precedent established by the District—when it provided homework related to Wiesel’s Night — were to be followed regarding other assessment-type requests; in the process, all pending requests were recompiled, recognizing that this model satisfied this “hypothetical syllogism’ Recall that Deductive reasoning constitutes a syllogism (if A then 8, if B then C, therefore if A then C) whereas inductive reasoning requires a two-step process; establishing a starting-point and then showing that, with that starting-point, all possible manifestations of a postulate can be validated infinitely (if it works for , and it works for any n + 1 if it works for any n) proves its veracity. This latter Inductive model appears apt, for there is a starting-point (the provided- info regarding Night) and there is a method to accommodate all other data, noting compliance with the District’s definitions (“homework, classwork, tests and quizzes’) in last week's filing Dropping “tests and quizzes” [and “exams,” for that matter], yields the conclusion that, by Inductive reasoning, it should be possible to satisfy the W. Edwards Deming [evaluation] model. When the other pending requests were recounted, it was noted that it had become necessary to rephrase a set of survey-queries (from interrogatory to statement) to satisfy a mock-survey. Follow-Up CLIX (1 page) This satisfied a long-term desire to upload all these memos onto the Internet, for ready-citation [as was restated on the prior page of this memo]; highlighted were the proposed curriculum and the mock-survey, along with the Concise Statement [that the MontCo judge is still pondering] Follow-Up CLX (1 page) ‘The rationale for the Commonwealth Court appeal was rephrased noting that the District had defined prospectively what constituted a “reasonable opportunity” when it wrote its procedure.Follow-Up CLX! (1 page) Why efforts to push for Holocaust education do not constitute an inappropriate “obsession” was illustrated by citation of an article about a new movie [“Denial"] about Deborah Lipstadt. Follow-Up CLXIl (1 page) The rationale for the Commonwealth Court appeal was rephrased noting that the District had defined prospectively what constituted a “reasonable opportunity” when it wrote its procedure. Follow-Up CLIX (1 page) ‘This satisfied a long-term desire to upload all these memos onto the Internet, for ready-citation [as was restated on the prior page of this memo]; highlighted were the proposed curriculum and the mock-survey, along with the Concise Statement [that the MontCo judge is still pondering) Follow-Up CLX (1 page) The rationale for the Commonwealth Court appeal was rephrased noting that the District had defined prospectively what constituted a “reasonable opportunity” when it wrote its procedure. Follow-Up CLX! (1 page) Why efforts to push for Holocaust education do not constitute an inappropriate “obsession” was illustrated by citation of an article about a new movie [“Denial"] about Deborah Lipstadt’s trial Follow-Up CLull (1 page) Restated/rephrased were the rationale for the PDE-RTK filings and for the Sunshine Law filing, Follow-Up CLXill (2 pages) This provides an overview of what has transpired, encompassing both a chronological narrative and the goals emerging therefrom; its comprehensive nature necessitates its being reprinted: “When trying to summarize this effort orally, awareness of these 164 memos is chronologically shuffled by providing insight as to how an “innocent” offer to help muster bipartisan support for an intuitive effort became morphed into what others seem to have lost interest in achieving, for whatever reason(s}; people wear “Holocaust Awareness” on professional/personal “sleeves” and cannot be subject to overt challenge of their motivations, but many exhibit hypocrisy when the “temperature” in the “kitchen” rises. Identifying this “roadside-kill” has grown into what may be perceived as a cottage-industry; the goal has always been to compare/contrast what has been encountered with what must become the unified implementation strategy. Thus, recalling the advertising campaign of Hebrew National from four decades ago, awareness has been steadily [“ruthlessly”?] maintained that it is necessary to “answer to a Higher Authority http://www. youtube.com/watch?v=40V4d-LrBEo]; particularly during these ten Days of Awe, Jewish recipients {notably the professional whose name has adorned the top of all memos] may wish to ponder just how much they stil want to allow their egos to govern their behaviors.{While unearthing the above commercial, two additional hyperlinks emerged providing levity: bttns//Ayww youtube.com/watch2v=sOes4rmD Tye &: https //www youtube.com/watch?v=sOel4rmDT yg}. “Having stumbled into advocating for passage of what became Act 70, awareness of the mandate to track its implementation yielded provision of the PDE’s time-line meme {c/o Ms. Flaherty] and heartfelt volunteering to facilitate implementation [manifest as being invited to two (scrubbed) events for stakeholders]; the issue was dropped during the following year, only to be raised @ the Abington School Board meetin« 5/2015 as an innocent request for what had been touted as a model-curriculum...so that its contents could then be disseminated. This ‘was cited among four topics, one of which had received national attention (not accepting an excused absence for a Boston Marathon trip, during which the Liberty Trail was explored) that had prompted the visit; incidentally, promised follow-up reports regarding the other two topics raised (seat-belts on school buses and after-hours use of schoo! libraries, with this latter topic having been cited semi-annually directly to the School Board President @ the polls) pend, more than a year hence. In any case, a PowerPoint presentation of what was (or, rather, here, what “WASN'T"] done regarding Act 70 [during the 1/2016 meeting] was conveyed via e-mail; ABSENCE of implementation lout the High School years prompted this e-mail barrage. “Included in the “Blast” e-mails is real-time documentation of the fierce public battle waged between three people (two Dems and this Republican) in 2014 with the PA Jewish Coalition; preserving the mandate [which the “cognoscenti” felt was impossible, including Messrs. Butler (of the PIC) & Miskin/Transue (of the House-GOP staffers)] must be recognized as the lynchpin of this initiative, the implementation of which now rests with the PA Board of Ed. Candidly, others have not continued to prioritize this project, yielding solitary efforts to enlist incremental assistance when, for example, determining how best to bring the State Board up-to-speed; thus, the double-task of problem-solving/pursuing-strategies assiduously and of disseminating terse status-updates has been tackled with abandon, Necessarily, decumient-discovery (open-records) has been tracked in-detail, contrasting the PDE’s forthrightness and the District's evasiveness; underlying this energy-expenditure has been chronic awareness of the need to communicate the situation at School Board meetings, triggering litigation now before Commonwealth Court “That, currently, Abington isn’t complying with the spirit/letter of Act 70 has revealed the error that was quietly committed a half-decade ago, when mandatory 12" Grade Social Studies wes abandoned; supplanting this last-chance opportunity to reach maturing minds were electives that, along with the other two “E's” (English and Enhancement) could not substitute for giving students an annual exposure (at least once during the academic year, preferably thrice on dates mirroring national/international recognitions) to strateaized curricular didactic/tested Info. Thus, itis a source of dismay that this citizen’s eurrieulur sion (to add “Act 70” cites and to “trash” use of the only reference-book on the Middle East because itis pro-Islamist) has been ignored repeatedly; in the process of probing thousands of documents, also noted was the lack of compliance with statute regarding American Flag etiquette (slated for the 8 Grade level} “No summary of these “Blast” e-mails would be complete were citation of these key-2vents (amplifying @ putative time-line) to omit contents of the aggressive internal-critiaue that has been culled from friends/colleagues; they have been manifest when probing what would be apt for placement on either side of a presumptive red-line when contemporization of Act 70 hi yielded discussion of what should separate fact/opinion as to alleged “Human Rights“Also, no précis should omit re-citation of the painstakingly-detailed preparation of what are best perceived as working-hypotheses regarding what would constitute a model-curriculum (for Abington) and a model-survey (for the Commonwealth); “showing homework” was a factor when these projects were manifest over Labor Day weekend, for it’s unfair to critique without providing an alternative (and how it was generated in a disinterested fashion). Thus, it has now been shown that Abington isn’t compliant (as the Superintendent recognized in January but has failed to rectify) and that Abington can rapidly become compliant (via a customized, spoon-fed, grade-by-grade amplification of existing Program Objectives, with derivative lesson-plans); it is difficult to conjure what more can be done to buff-up the curriculum, particularly in High School (for, sometimes, tragically, a horse led to water will prefer to drown instead of drinking) “The stridency of some rhetoric in these e-mails may grate and, thus, risk being off-putting; there appears to have been no other mechanism available to convey these data transparently. This initiative evolved from “assertive” to “aggressive” due, in part, to its one-way nature; thus, “dialogue” has been reduced to limited-chats with the Distriet’s attorney and public-que-ies when input has been met by stony-silence. The District should anticipate that pursuit of the multiple threads of this revelatory effort will continue unabated, even if the frequency of these “Blast” e-mails isn’t maintained; as events transpire (and a noose tightens around intransigence on multiple levels), they will be dutifully publicized (via any/all available reasonable avenues).” Follow-Up CLXIV (2 pages) The formal “Citizen’s Request for Reconsideration of Instructional Resource Material” filing wi the District was reprinted [absent hyperlinks, lest 65 pages be added thereto]; “Sought [wera] both the insertion of ‘Act 70’-related information and the attack on sole reliance on the Goldschmidt/Davidson ‘Middle East’ text...[TJhis meets the additional [previously unstatzd] requirements the Superintendent, uttered during the September School Board meeting” [because an educational professional, Ms. Holli Cooper, had endorsed its submission]. The te You have previously received the two components of this submission [see CAXXVII (pp. 1-65) & CXXVI (pp. 8-19]; please follow the appropriate hyperlinks to receive and to review the primary data. © This is the curriculum — submission (entire hyperlink): hhttps://drive,zoogle.com/file/d/0B_pRaTigMHVTMidtVmxzQ0pxzZ0K/vie w * This is the textbook critique (starting on page 48 of the hyperlink): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_pRaTigMHVTY2dDYWsOSEGLR1E/vie w * This is an article that Ms. Cooper feels would serve as appropriate guidance for those who wish to entertain such sensitive curricular material [Empathy in Action: How Teachers Prepare Future Citizens]: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/8-pathways-empathy-in-action-marilyn-Know that these considerations are best perceived as subjects of discussion with your Curriculum Committee, inasmuch as it is possible additional material which you have not divulged--may overlap with its content. * For example, a major component of the "Act 70" curriculum discussion would focus on strategizing what should be encompassed [at least thrice, annually] in each grade-level, taking into account both age- appropriateness and the ability to build upon prior years’ curricula. . For example, although scrupulous review of what you have provided failed to unearth any reference to the "Echoes and Reflections’ program-endorsed by the PDE~a specific request for clarity in this regard has been remitted to your Open Records office. * For example, it would be desirable to discern if there is any policy regarding what might be done with a challenged book other than to discard it, such as inserting a critique thereof within it and/or adding an offsetting [high-quality] textbook that encompasses comparable topics. Please confirm receipt of this filing. {True to form, Ms. Sichel failed to provide any type of RSVP [oral/written] until the issue was raised during the 10/18/2016 School Board meeting, @ which—absent an explanation—she said it would not be referred to the appropriate Curriculum Committee, pursuant to procedure.) Follow-Up CLXV (1 page) ‘The PDE-RTK filings were restated, including two [age appropriateness” of curriculum and flag etiquette] that continue to pend; the others were relatively non-productive, as anticipated, Follow-Up CLXVI (1 page) The rationale for the OOR-record discovery denial was probed, prompting establishment of a resolve to focus primarily on handouts (homework/classwork) to assess knowledge gained; indeed, for whatever reason, this component of the global request was bundled with testing which was excluded by the statute] instead of addressed in-solation, for it seems there is no precedent that could be invoked to deny discovery thereof [recalling that, absent sn exclusion, the governmental agency is expected to be forthcoming wien a request has been filed] Follow-Up CLXVil (1 page) ‘As a result of the above OOR-adjudication, a fresh filing was submitted to the District, including specific reference to what had been provided previously {the Night homework assignment]; Citing the opinion, when the District knows of what is being requested, ambiguity dissolves. Follow-Up CLXVIII (1 page) Another explanation for the RTK approach to the PDE was provided, emphasizing the intent to probe why implementation of Act 70 had been delayed [for it’s already known it was delayed]. 6Follow-Up CLXIX (1 page) The chronology of the plan regarding document-discovery was articulated, citing filings that had already (strategically) been placed into the “pipeline”; thus, although the process was officially restarted following receipt of the opinion, awareness of this order is to be applied to requests that are soon to mature. It would appear that the “exits have been blocked,” recalling the many reasons why documents were not provided during the past few months (and recalling that the District may be trying to hide the fact that the actual curriculum is perceivable as “skeletal” Follow-Up CLXX (2 pages) ‘An introspective memo (mainstreaming specific concerns provided by internal-critics) reinforced the rationale for proceeding apace, not only because of the grave importance of the Holocaust lindeed, its transcendence of other genocidal events, noting ingrained cultural underpinnings], but also because of the fact that Holocaust-denial is often manifest subtly..even as it remains a Potent symptom of contemporary [global/domestic] anti-Jewish behavior, This Sunday-Sermon ended with stated-intent that the citizenry not “become lulled into boarding a ‘Ship of Fools’ corg/wiki/Ship_of Fools (film)} and forsake American Exceptionalism.” Follow-Up CLXX! (1 page} After differentiating positive motivations of “pride” in one’s work from negative motivations of “vanity” that primarily seeks external approbation, it was wistfully noted that circumstances sometimes mandate lone-action; also restated was the intent of Act 70 to minimize the risk that high school grads (local/statewide) would succumb to the denial-of-evil born of ignorance. Follow-Up CLXxI! (1 page) The micro-/macro-import of this initiative was articulated in a summary-fashion, to wit: “This series of summary-memos has conveyed—in multiple languages—the gravamen of this ongoing effort; every effort was made to integrate awa-eness of its political-component, alsa, such as when Ms. Flaherty “endorsed” what is occurring in Abington (in a personal e-mail) while eliding over the fact that every District is in-compliance with what was been enacted via Act 70 because, @ this point in time, the voluntary nature of the statute remains dominant. “illustrative of the fundamental defect in Abington’s curriculum is the fact that it omits invoking the PDE’s major recommended resource [Echoes and Reflections] and, indeed, fails to supplant it with anything comparable; thus, the District cannot claim it is unreasonable to convey such primary data to a public purposely maintained ignorant of what hasn’t been implemented. This double-negative formulation conveys the precise lege!-concern; conversely, itis reasonable for the public to expect legitimate concerns to receive a foir hearing and, indeed, itis the duty of the Board to invite input, ensuring airing of relevant ideas. The District cannot conjure th's fail-safe argument: ‘We complied with the ‘letter of the’ Sunshine Law while vielsting local-nles promulgated due solely to the mandates of that same Law, as per its explicit tenets (& intent}. “Violating black-letter statute may seem petty, but it carries implications beyond this one issue; citizens should not be gagged when trying to inform inter alia the public as to flawed activity being perpetrated on their behalf, using their tax-S, marring the education of their children.“illustrative of the baseline-disdain conveyed by the elitist District throughout this calendar-year is its not having replied to provision of two suggested alterations to the curriculum submitted a week ago (after endorsement by an educator, as per the Superintendent's claim following her having ignored the initial filing by a citizen/taxpayer); this issue must be explored publiciy— at tonight's Board meeting—because the courtesy a reply has not been extended privately Thus, despite the Superintendent's candid observation that a gap had to be filled (conveyed way-back-when), the curriculum hasn't been altered and, indeed, a text that is pro-Islamist remains the District’s only ‘concise history of the middle east’ reference. Thus, the District isn’t yet ‘big’ enough—again—to recognize a citizen-taxpayer’s challenge (to speech-freedom) as mutually exclusive of a pair of academic suggestions; were they honored (even just ‘validated’ enough to be discussed @ a Curriculum Committee meeting), healing ‘bridges’ could be ‘bult’” Follow-Up CLXxII! (1 page) Events that occurred @ the School Board mesting were summarized, including demonstration that the “Comments from Citizens” agenda-iter was modified by imposing the 3-minute rule Terse colloquy prompted by the query as to why no response had been received starts @ 22:00 (http://www abington.k12.pa.us/board-of-directors/meeting-information/meeting-summaries and-videos/2016-2017/video-meeting-of the-abington-board-of-school-directors-october-1 2016/}; the smirk on the face of the Superintendent that “leaked” after these comments were completed “says it all” regarding her baseline elitism/anti-intellectualism, reinforcing the intent to pursue this rejection via communication to the PDE {see CLXXVI slated for the morrow}. Follow-Up CLXXIV (1 page) Why the suggestion by Mr. Joseph Rooney thet a textbook might be purchased to offset that which is so reprehensible was articulated; placing anything by Bernard Lewis, for example, in the library would not suffice for (as was learned over the summertime] a segregated set of texts linvoked as references by the teachers] would not contain this gifted-tome. This fs why calling for a Curriculum Committee meeting was viewed as the correct pathway to resolving this iss Also, the RTK requests from the PDE were reviewed end, noting the discrepancy hetwee~ ‘he attendance-figures [at inservices conducted by Ms. Flaherty regarding Act 70] and the data conveyed in a summary-report, follow-up intended to clarify matters was deemed necessary. Follow-Up CLXXV (3 pages) ‘Two new RTK-requests to the PDE were explained, one dealing with the aforementioned stats regarding inservice-attendance, and one dealing with the aforementioned rejection of the double-filing [supplementing to satisfy Act 70 and modifying to neutralize a pro-islamist text] that had been directed to the Curriculum Committee; the first was answered expeditiously, reference to which is included in the formal ethics-filing regarding the Superintendent's act‘ons. Perhaps, she feels she can “throw her weight around” because she's the highest-paid public school employee in this Commonwealth [scroll-down to the bottom of the following article: http: //www.biziournals.com/philadelphia/news/2016/10/13/the-25-highest-paying-schoo!- districts-in.html}; if so, she must be disabused of her duty to recall that she’s a public servant. Follow-Up CLXXVI (8 peges) This updated summary/annotation of the database affords a utile “entry-level” opportunity. 8