Side Note - Scranton School District Posting

Reference this posting:

Scranton School District:  Yes, It Is THAT Bad

After this story broke, I did something I normally never do:  I commented about the story on the Scranton Time's website.  Now there were well over a hundred comments by the evening of the story, but what comment wasn't listed?  That would be mine.  Apparently I must have violated some rule or another.  Maybe I used my own name (from what I gather, one is supposed to use a pseudonym, you know, like "Carlos Danger").  Maybe I wasn't snarky enough.  Maybe, since I said the teacher was innocent until proven guilty, I was off script.

What did I post?  Well basically a truncated version of the above referenced posting.

What's also interesting is that in as much as the Scranton Times made a big splash with the story initially, I haven't seen any follow-up.  It could be that there is nothing to follow-up on; it could be that the story was a bit too much for the Scranton Times to handle.  Scranton is a small town, and people in the Scranton School District are mightily connected.  We shall see.

Yes, we shall see.  This is a great example of an area where journalism can make a difference.  The real issue in this case isn't the DUI allegation.  Hell, people around here get accused of DUI all the time; at most you read some small-type legal notice about some poor soul having to enter into some program.  No, the real issue here is that once again we have evidence of nepotism and glaring conflicts of interest in a local school district.  And no one so much as blinks an eye.  Well I did, and will.

Now in defense of the Scranton Times, they do, from time to time, talk about public sector corruption in it's many forms (including the family tree that constitutes the Scranton School District's organization chart).  But I don't think they do enough.  What can they do?  Well I (more or less) repeat my previous challenge:


Dear Scranton Times:

Please publish a list/chart showing the interpersonal relationships between past and current Scranton School District administrators (including past and present school board members) and other district employees.  Let's see, in black-n-white, all of the family relationships.  For bonus points, also consider listing the names of district employees who are related to local politicians.  How many people know, for example, that Scranton City Council's Janet Evans has a son who is district employee?

I will be waiting, all be it impatiently.

Sincerely, 

S. Elmer Albert