Wednesday, December 3, 2014

PPS school visits

Anonymous wrote:

"
New topic please!

What are the rules (and rights) regarding PPS school visits?

Do parents have the right to visit a school, and just observe?

What about a media reporter? It would be great if that City News reporter could visit UPrep, and just walk around a bit.

I know there are often various clearances involved, but can UPrep, or any other public school, ban outside visits?

And couldn't a reporter just stand on the sidewalk outside of the school, and interview students coming out?"

24 comments:

Questioner said...

At the public input session of the mayor's task force, the superintendent twice invited people to "come out and see" the schools for themselves.

From past experience visits need to be arranged in advance, and supervised visitors do not need clearances. Who would be interested in joining a group for a visit? For now let's just have "a show of hands."

Anonymous said...

I am interested in going and seeing what goes on at UPREP. I have heard many bad and many strange reports about this school from students, parents and teachers. I have known many teachers who left and some who were pushed out. I am a retired teacher of PPS and also a city resident. Let us know time and date.

Questioner said...

Great, let's get a count for how many will go; anyone else interested?

Anonymous said...


Look hard at today's PG front page photo-op and imagine a similar photo of community advocates and supporters of change at UPrep lying side by side incircling a huge RED LETTERED SOS. Yes __ visit UPrep but in this manner. Organize, mobilize and lead. People will take notice.
PS
Put a bow around it for the Holidays

Anonymous said...


This could be the photo-op that accompanies Ms.Nuttal's report that is hopefully in the making(?).

Questioner said...

If no one had spoken to a reporter there wouldn't have been any media coverage or protests.

The real root of the U Prep problem was the decision to push Hill students out of sight and out of mind; the decision that an amazing school building and location would be better used for luxury apartments; and the decision to further concentrate impoverished students when PPS is unable to provide the substantial extra resources such a school requires. Oh and top it off with a healthy serving of deception.

No one will notice a protest at U Prep. Protests should be at Schenley.

Anonymous said...

Begin protest at Prep. March down to Schenley for press conference.

Anonymous said...

Friday Dec. 5th there was a huge fight at Allderdice and the Pgh. Police had to be called. A few students were taken to the County Jail and some to Schuman. This was on the news early morning but has now disappeared from the web. Does anyone know anymore of the details? It was quickly hushed up.

Questioner said...

Now if something similar had happened at WILKINSBURG...

Anonymous said...

Maybe Wilkinsburg parents and teachers are willing to talk to news media outlets? PPS was given the chance to get some of their story out, so it would have to be addressed. U Prep??? You can't have fair and balanced reporting when only one side of the story is ever released. Sadly it is only PPS's whitewashed side that is ever made public.

Anonymous said...


Wilkinsburg Leadership is willing to talk to media. Transparency and problem solving is actually GOOD PR!

Anonymous said...

Until our leadership is out from under Broad Gates influence, there will be no transparency unless teachers and parents decide to grow a pair and reveal their shenanigans to the public. And yes, I am a teacher, and I have contacted Ms. Nuttall about U Prep and I don't even work there, but I was concerned about the effect that 'so called' school, was having on my elementary students down the street!

I tell everyone, every chance I get, about the crazy things that go and have gone on. The predictable response is "wow it's really that bad? Why isn't this front page news?" And the sad thing is, I can't even use the old reason, that PPS controls the media, because we were handed the chance to control the story by Ms. Nuttall.

U Prep is really just the tip of the iceberg and merely a symptom of disease that came with Roosevelt/Gates/Lane/Broad. It is time for transparency at PPS!!

Out these charlatans to the public! The Broadies will run off to another city and maybe common sense will prevail at PPS. Good things started happening at Wilkinsburg when the Broad superintendent left! Coincidence??!!

Anonymous said...

Let's go visit U Prep we lay down in hallway no CLASSES
today don't learn nothing PROMISE UNREADY

Anonymous said...

11:26

It is good PR if you are NOT a Gates school district. Gates whole agenda is based on this idea that teachers are "ineffective" and must prove their effectiveness though student test score and evaluation systems that he has a hand in creating and he likely profits from.

To convince the public that the teachers are "ineffective" he allots a large portion of his "donation" to PR and staffing the central office with Broad lackeys and rolling out confusing inadequate curriculum.

This way the public perception is of safe, in control schools, spending large amounts of money, but still not performing as well as other schools. So now it is very easy to blame the teaching staff and gain public support to turn against the teachers.

That is why PPS will never come out and say, we are going to come down hard on discipline and let teachers teach! Then you would see scores go up!

The current leadership WANTS or NEEDS us to fail so they can justify eliminating seniority and replacing us all with TFA if they could. They have set us up to fail. It is fairly obvious and the story is repeated in every city affiliated with Gates money, right down to the fake Gates funded advocacy groups (I'm talking to you A+ schools)

Help Rebecca Nuttall start with U Prep, people. The rest of the story will come out. The corruption is deep and EVERYONE is getting paid or benefitting somehow, media, urban league, there is no one left! Talk to Ms. Nuttall!

Anonymous said...


12:58___ Acting Superintendent Daniel Matsook exudes leadership. Broad or no Broad, leaders tackle problems and solve them and then move on to the next. The hurdles are high in Wilkinsburgh but leaders meet the challenge, and Mr. Matsook is meeting them head on.

Anonymous said...

2:55
Yes, that is BECAUSE he is NOT a Broad's graduate leader. They are not true leaders, just trained drones. Your old superintendent, Donna Micheaux would have never let happen, what is happening now. It is great news for Wilkinsburg! The bad news is that PPS got stuck with your old leader.

Questioner said...

Maybe a good candidate for the next superintendent of PPS?

Anonymous said...


Daniel Matsook is retired and is doing this because this is what leaders do. When there is a need___they serve.

Anonymous said...


3:16____Linda Lane recruited Donna Micheaux.

Anonymous said...

3:52
Of course she would, birds of a feather flock together, or should it be Broads of a feather...?

Anonymous said...

Questioner,
That is the type of leader we need, but I think it is already decided a Broad's person will be Lane's successor. That is probably what she is grooming Micheaux for, just as Roosevelt did for her.

Looks like Wilkinsburg will reap the benefits of transparency and common sense while we are stuck with the confederacy of dunces over at Bellefield.

The funny thing is, if the teachers were truly "ineffective" as they like to say, the whole district would really be in the crapper! The only thing holding it together for our kids right now are the teachers! It seems as though everyone in charge from principals to the top have lost their minds!

Anonymous said...

All city residents should have the opportunity to see what is going on at uprep. Especially the elderly who own their homes and pay taxes.

Anonymous said...

City residents need to be aware of how things are there. It needs to be transparent.

Anonymous said...

No one in the community would believe it unless they go in there.