HI. I'M NADIA COMBS, CHAIR OF THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD. I WANT TO WELCOME YOU TO HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WE SERVE MORE THAN 200,000 STUDENTS. THAT INCLUDES CHILDREN IN PRESCHOOL THROUGH ADULTS IN OUR WORKFORCE PROGRAM. I'M HENRY SHAKE WASHINGTON, THE BOARD VICE-CHAIR. OUR DISTRICT IS THE 7th LARGEST IN AMERICA, AND OUR TEAM IS MADE UP OF MORE THAN 24,000 PEOPLE WORKING AT NEARLY 250 SITES ACROSS THE COUNTY. OUR DISTRICT IS DIVERSE AND DEDICATED. OUR BOARD MEETINGS ARE HELD IN OUR BOARD AUDITORIUM ON SELECT TUESDAYS AT 4 P.M. THE BEST WAY TO SERVE OUR STUDENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY IS TO INVOLVE YOU, THE PUBLIC, IN WHAT WE DO. YOU ARE WELCOME TO E-MAIL OR MEET WITH ANY OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS AND FOLLOW OUR DISTRICT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. BOARD MEETINGS ARE COVERED LIVE BY HILLSBOROUGH SCHOOLS TV, ON SPECTRUM CABLE 635 AND FRONTIER CABLE CHANNEL 32.
MEETINGS ARE ALSO STREAMED LIVE ON OUR WEBSITE AT HillsboroughSchools.org. CLOSED CAPTIONING IS PROVIDED ON ALL BROADCASTS AND PAST MEETINGS ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR ONLINE ARCHIVE. WE ARE INTERESTED IN WHAT THE PUBLIC HAS TO SAY. WE'LL INCLUDE TIME FOR AUDIENCE COMMENTS BEFORE WE ADDRESS OUR BUSINESS ITEMS. OUR AGENDA AND ANY SUPPORTING MATERIALS CAN BE VIEWED ONLINE IN ADVANCE. THEY ARE POSTED SEVEN DAYS BEFORE EACH MEETING ON OUR WEBSITE AT HillsboroughSchools.org. OUR VISION IS PREPARING STUDENTS FOR LIFE, AND THAT MEANS ALL STUDENTS, EVERY DAY. TODOS LOS ESTUDIANTES, TODOS LOS DIAS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN EDUCATION. WITH YOUR HELP WE'RE MAKING DECISIONS THAT SHAPE OUR COMMUNITY'S FUTURE. Nadia Combs: THE BOARD MEETING FOR AUGUST 11, 2022, IS CALLED TO ORDER.
MEMBER WASHINGTON WILL NOW LEAD US IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOLLOWED BY THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. PLEASE JOIN ME IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE. [MOMENT OF SILENCE] THANK YOU.
PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. [PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] THANK YOU. YOU MAY BE SEATED. Nadia Combs: WE HAVE ONE WITHDRAWN ITEM TODAY. 10.01 PIGGYBACK, 2020 PGLB COMPUTER HARDWARE SUPPLIES AND SERVICE. I NEED A MOTION AND SECOND TO ADOPT THE AGENDA.
I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER PEREZ AND I HAVE A SECOND BY MEMBER WASHINGTON. ANY DISCUSSION? PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS APPEAR. IT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. LET THE RECORD REFLECT THAT ALL BOARD MEMBERS ARE PRESENT WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MEMBER HAHN. BOARD MEMBERS, I'D LIKE TO GO OVER THE FORMAT OF TODAY'S MEETING. AS A REMINDER, WE ARE A NONPARTISAN BOARD WHO BELIEVE ALL CHILDREN CAN BE A POWER TO LEARN TO SUCCEED AND OUR DECISIONS WILL BE MADE WITH THAT UNDERSTANDING.
TO PAVE THE WAY FOR AN EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE AGENDA STATEMENTS AND/OR QUESTIONS, BOARD MEMBERS WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK WITH 30 SECONDS FOR FINAL THOUGHTS. AFTERWARDS, THE SUPERINTENDENT CAN RESPOND. IF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS YOU'RE ASKED TO GET BACK INTO THE QUEUE.
MEMBER WASHINGTON WILL NOW LEAD US WITH THE BOARD GUIDELINES. Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. AS WE BEGIN THIS AFTERNOON'S MEETING, LET ME QUICKLY REVIEW THE FORMAT OF OUR SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS. PLEASE SILENCE ALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES. THERE ARE SPEAKERS IN THE ROOM BEHIND ME THAT ALLOW BOARD MEMBERS TO HEAR THE MEETING UPON STEPPING AWAY FROM THE DAIS. THIS MEETING CAN BE VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONING ON LIVE WEBCAST, ON CABLE TV, AND ON VIDEO MONITORS HERE IN THE AUDITORIUM. IT ALSO CAN BE VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTION IN THE ONLINE VIDEO ARCHIVE.
Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, MEMBER WASHINGTON. WE HAVE ONE ITEM SCHEDULED FOR TIME CERTAIN. THAT IS THE 6:00 EMPLOYEE INPUT. THE BOARD WILL NOW GO ON TO PUBLIC COMMENT. THE BOARD WELCOMES COMMENTS FROM CITIZENS AND VALUES YOUR INPUT TO THE BOARD. IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE RESPONSE TO YOUR COMMENTS, OUR STAFF WILL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU AND WILL KEEP OUR BOARD INFORMED ABOUT THE RESPONSES. OUR SCHOOL BOARD RESPECTS THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD AND WE APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME TO BE HERE. HOWEVER, IT IS REQUESTED WHEN YOU ADDRESS THE BOARD THE COMMENTS ARE NOT DIRECTED PERSONALLY AGAINST A BOARD MEMBER OR STAFF MEMBER, BUT RATHER DIRECTED AT THE ISSUES. ANY BEHAVIOR INTENDED TO INTERRUPT THE ORDERLY CONDUCT OF THIS MEETING WILL NOT BE ALLOWED. OUR CIVILITY POLICY IS IN PLACE. WHEN ADDRESSING THE BOARD, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND SPEAK CLEARLY INTO THE MICROPHONE.
THIS AFTERNOON, EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES. REMINDER THAT YOUR THREE MINUTES START WHEN YOU BEGIN SPEAKING. WHEN THERE ARE 30 SECONDS LEFT, YOU WILL SEE A YELLOW LIGHT ON THE LECTERN, A RED LIGHT AND A CHIME WILL INDICATE WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP. I WILL NOW CALL UP THE FIRST THREE SPEAKERS. SPEAKERS. WE WILL BEGIN. HI. DAVID WING. I AM A SPOUSE OF AN EDUCATOR AT HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND A FORMER GUARDIAN OF A STUDENT. I FOUND YOUR INTRODUCTORY VIDEO VERY INTERESTING. THE EMPHASIS THAT YOU PUT ON YOUR INTEREST IN PUBLIC COMMENTARY. IT'S 4 P.M. AND I THINK MOST OF THE PUBLIC IS PROBABLY WORKING RIGHT NOW. I HAD TO TAKE TIME OFF WORK MYSELF TO BE HERE. I KNOW EDUCATORS IN PARTICULAR DON'T GET OFF IN TIME TO BE HERE IN TIME FOR THE PUBLIC COMMENTARY SECTION. SO I DON'T KNOW HOW THE EXPECTATION OF THE BOARD IS THAT YOU WOULD HEAR FROM THE COMMENTARY OF THE PUBLIC WHEN WE'RE MEETING AT 4:00 IN THE AFTERNOON.
IT JUST SEEMS UNFEASIBLE TO ME. MY SECOND COMMENT IS IN REGARDS TO TEACHER SALARY WHICH I THINK IS SOMETHING YOU'RE DISCUSSING TODAY. I'M NOT REALLY SURE I UNDERSTAND WHY THE BOARD WOULD BE CONSIDERING THE EXTENSION, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, TO THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE AGREEMENT OR THE CONTRACT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT THAT INCLUDES AN INCREASE. I THINK IT'S LIKE 4.4% ANNUALLY THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT WILL GET WHEN THE BOARD HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND THE FUNDS TO PAY THE TEACHERS THAT IT'S ALREADY COMMITTED IT WAS GOING TO PAY THEM OR FIND ANY WAY TO INCLUDE INCREASES FOR THEM IN THE FUTURE. I THINK IT'S DEMORALIZING. IT'S VERY FRUSTRATING AS A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC TO HEAR HOW FRUSTRATED TEACHERS ARE. AND THAT HAS AN IMPACT ON THE STUDENTS. WE HAVE A BIG SHORTAGE OF TEACHERS AND THAT'S A HUGE PART OF THE REASON WE HAVE A SHORTAGE IS BECAUSE OF SALARY.
IT'S NOT THE ONLY REASON. THEY ALSO HAVE ENORMOUS CLASS SIZES. THEY HAVE VERY SHORT LUNCHES. IT IS A DEMORALIZING JOB. I THINK WORKING AT McDONALD'S IS ABOUT EQUALLY AS SATISFYING AS BEING A TEACHER, NOT TO SAY ANYTHING AGAINST FOLKS WHO WORK AT McDONALD'S. THAT'S WHAT I HAVE TO SHARE. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. JOHN SIMMONS. FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SERVICE. I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY I HAVE WATCHED A YEAR OF PRESENTATIONS TO YOU ON INAPPROPRIATE BOOKS IN OUR HIGH SCHOOLS AND PARTICULARLY IN OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS. I'VE NEVER SEEN YOU DISCUSS IT AT A MEETING. ALSO, I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE NOT RESPONDING TO THE CHALLENGES ACCORDING TO YOUR OWN RULES AND REGULATIONS. WHY? YOU ARE A $4 BILLION ORGANIZATION. I WAS A SENIOR EXEC IN A $10 BILLION ORGANIZATION. ORGANIZATIONS DEVELOP A LIFE OF THEIR OWN. I IMAGINE NONE OF YOU WANT TO TELL A MEDIA SPECIALIST WHAT TO BUY AND WHAT NOT TO BUY.
THESE BOOKS CAN APPEAR FOR SEVERAL REASONS. MEDIA SPECIALIST IS NOT PAYING A LOT OF ATTENTION TO CONTENT OR DOESN'T CARE. MEDIA SPECIAL CYST ENAMORED WITH THE QUALITY OF ILLUSTRATIONS, NOT PAYING MUCH ATTENTION TO CONTENT OR THE MEDIA SPECIALIST GETS A THRILL INTRODUCING LEWD, PORNOGRAPHIC, BRUTAL SEX SCENES TO YOUNG CHILDREN, 11, 12, 13, 14 YEARS OLD. THERE IS A NAME FOR THOSE PEOPLE. THE BOOKS IN THE SYSTEM SEEM TO APPEAR IN DIFFERENT COMBINATION. I HOPE WE DON'T HAVE A MEDIA SPECIALIST BUY FOR EVERY LIBRARY IN EVERY SCHOOL. THAT SHOULD BE A CONSOLIDATED ITEM. YOU ARE WASTING MONEY ON THE BOOKS. WASTING MONEY ON OUR TIME TRYING TO GET YOU TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN. WHY WOULD WE RAISE TAXES WHEN WE'RE SPENDING MONEY DOING THESE KIND OF THINGS? EVERY ONE OF YOU, PLEASE DO NOT BE AFRAID. PLEASE DO NOT BE WEAK. PLEASE LEAD. PLEASE PROTECT OUR CHILDREN AND FULFILL YOUR CAMPAIGN PROMISES TO US.
THE BOOK I HAVE TODAY IS CALLED "SOLD" BY PATRICIA McCORMICK. 52 HIGH SCHOOLS, 10 MIDDLE SCHOOLS. IT IS A JEFFREY EPSTEIN GIS LANE IMAGINEWELL STORY. -- GHISLANE MAXWELL. RAPE OF A MINOR, PROSTITUTION, SEX TRAFFICKING, INDENTURED SEX SLAVERY OF YOUNG GIRLS. PAGE 102, UNDERNEATH THE WAY TO HIM, I CANNOT SEE, MOVE. FUMBLES WITH MY LEGS. I FEEL HIM PUSHING HIMSELF BETWEEN MY THIGHS. I GASP FOR AIR AND KICK AND AQUARIUM. YOU WILL WORK THERE LIKE OTHER GIRLS UNTIL YOUR DEBT IS PAID OFF. EACH MORNING SHE COMES IN AND BEATS ME WITH A LEATHER STRAP AND LOCKS ME IN THE ROOM. THEN HE'S ON TOP OF ME AND SOMETHING HOT IN HIS SYSTEM, HE GRUNTS AND STRUGGLES TRYING TO FIT HIM. THEY CRUSH MY BONES WITH WEIGHT, SPLIT ME OPEN AND THEN THEY DISAPPEAR. SHE PUTS RED HOT CHILI ON A STICK AND PUTS THEM UP IN YOUR PRIVATES IF YOU TRY TO RUN AWAY.
THIS MAKES ME WANT TO SCREAM AND MY HEAD SPIN OFF. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE HANDLE THIS. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M JULIA PARDS. TODAY, I WANT TO INTRODUCE TO YOU AN AUTHOR THAT YOU SHOULD BE FAMILIAR WITH BECAUSE YOU HAVE ABOUT 500 OF HER BOOKS IN MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARIES. HERE IS JUST A FEW OF THE TITLES. REAL WINNERS. FLIRTING WITH A MONSTER. YES, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DRUGS. TRAFFIC, YES, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SEX TRAFFICKING. GLASS. THAT IS ABOUT METH. TRICKS, YEAH, THAT'S A DETAILED ABOUT SEX ACTS. CRANK, YEAH, THAT'S METH AGAIN. IMPULSE, THAT'S ABOUT A SUICIDE, IMPULSIVE SUICIDE. TRIANGLES, YES, THAT HAS SADO MASOCHISTIC SEX AND DESCRIPTIVE ORGIES. THREESOMES, GREAT DETAIL. I SPENT TIME RESEARCHING 19 OF HER TITLES. ELLEN HOPKINS, IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE BOOKS TO MY KNOWLEDGE INCLUDES GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF SEX AND DRUG USAGE.
THIS IS HER STOCK AND TRADE. ILLICIT DRUGS, ILLICIT SEX. THESE BEHAVIORS ARE NOT VIEWED CRITICALLY. GLORIFIED, UNRESOLVED, NO REDEMPTION, THEY ARE DARK, YUCK, DISGUSTING BOOKS. THEY HARM KIDS. NEVER MIND THE EXPLICIT LANK THAT WOULD IMMEDIATELY RAISE THE BOOKS TO AN R RATING. I WAS LOOKING AT CRITERIA FOR SELECTION ON YOUR WEBSITE. EDUCATIONAL SUITABILITY, APPROPRIATE FOR AGE AND MATURITY. WE HAVE 8 OR MORE OF THESE BOOKS IN MIDDLE SCHOOLS. TO MY KNOWLEDGE, ALL THE BOOKS ON AMAZON WERE RATED AT LEAST 14 AND AMAZON IS NOT CONSERVATIVE. COMMON SENSE MEDIA, WHICH IS NORMAL PEOPLE RATING THESE, OF THE TEN BOOKS THEY RATED OF HERS, SIX OF THEM ARE RATED FOR 16 AND UP. SOME OF THOSE ARE THE ONES WE HAVE IN OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS FOR LIKE 11-YEAR-OLDS. SECOND ON YOUR WEBSITE, TALKS ABOUT INTELLECTUAL CONTENT, LITERARY MERIT, SCOPE, ARRANGEMENT, RELEVANCE, ET CETERA. SO LET'S JUST LOOK AT ONE FACTOR ON THE READING LEVEL OF THE 19 BOOKS I SPENT MY TIME RESEARCHING, I THINK THE AVERAGE READING LEVEL IS RIGHT AROUND THE RANGE OF A FOURTH GRADE READING LEVEL.
SO WHAT LITERARY MERIT, WHAT ARE WE CHALLENGING THESE KIDS TO? LITERALLY FOURTH GRADE READING LEVEL. SOME OF THEM ARE DOWN IN THE THREES. SOME -- THE HIGHEST ONE IS A 5.2. SO WHAT ARE WE DOING? THE OVERALL VALUE OF THE COLLECTION. I GUESS IT DEPENDS ON WHAT KIND OF VALUES YOU'RE PROMOTING BUT I DON'T SEE ANY OF THE VALUE IN THIS. THIRD, YOUR PHILOSOPHY AND GOALS OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. THIS IS FROM YOUR WEBSITE AGAIN. PHILOSOPHY AND GOALS OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. RESOURCES SUPPORT AND ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE EDUCATIONAL GOALS OF THE DISTRICT AND WITH THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF INDIVIDUAL SCHOOLS AND SPECIFIC COURSES. IF THESE BOOKS REPRESENT YOUR GOALS AND VALUES, THAT PUTS YOU AT ODDS WITH THE MAJORITY OF PARENTS. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. HELLO. MY NAME IS RON VATARALLO. LIKE THE FIRST SPEAKER, I'M ALSO A HUSBAND OF AN EDUCATOR AND LIKE THE FIRST SPEAKER, I ALSO TOOK TIME OFF WORK TO BE HERE TODAY.
I PREPARED A LITTLE STATEMENT. TIME AND AGAIN WE SEE TEACHERS STEPPING UP IN A SOCIETY WHERE ALMOST ALL OTHER INSTITUTIONS ARE FAILING OR HARMING US. OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, OUR FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, CHURCHES, AND RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS HAVE PROVEN TO BE EASILY CORRUPTIBLE INSTRUMENTS OF BRUTALITY, OPPRESSION AND EXPLOITATION. A SOLITARY SHINING EXAMPLE OF HUMANITY APPEALING TO ITS BETTER ANGELS IS IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WE SAW IN UVALDE TEACHERS MAKING THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE WHILE FULLY FUNDED, ARMED AND ARMORED COPS STOOD BACK. WE SAW IN THE PANDEMIC PROFESSIONALS AND TEACHERS SCRAMBLING TO TOTALLY OVERHAUL DECADES OF TRADITIONAL EDUCATION, TURNING ON A DIME AND AGAIN PUTTING THEIR LIVES AND SAFETY AT RISK. RECENTLY, THE CULTURE WARRIORS AND RIGHT-WING EXTREMISTS HAVE NOW TURNED THEIR SIGHTS TO ATTACK TEACHERS AND THEIR PERSONAL LIVES. HOW MUCH MORE AS A SOCIETY DO WE EXPECT TEACHERS TO HAVE TO TAKE?
AND YET YOU DEMAND THEY STRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET. DEMAND THAT THEY WORK AROUND THE CLOCK DAY AND NIGHT. YOU DEMAND THAT THEY DO MORE WITH LESS AND DEMAND THE PARAPROFESSIONALS MAKE LESS THAN A LIVING WAGE. YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW SOCIETY AND OUR CHILDREN THAT THEY ARE WORTH THE INVESTMENT. THE MONEY IS ALWAYS THERE FOR A MILITARISTIC POLICE FORCE. WITH BLOATED SALARIES. AND YET THOSE WHO ARE REALLY KEEPING THE PEACE AND ENRICHING OUR SOCIETY ARE TOLD THAT THEY ARE NOT WORTH IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. IT SHOWS AS A SOCIETY WE'D RATHER BE PEOPLE BE OPPRESSED THAN EDUCATED. THERE'S NO SHORTAGE OF QUALIFIED TEACHERS. THERE IS A SHORTAGE OF QUALIFIED TEACHERS WILLING TO CONTINUE TO SUBJECT THEMSELVES TO TRAUMA AND ABUSE AND, QUITE FRANKLY, DANGER, THAT BEING A TEACHER IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY REQUIRES. JUST GIVE THESE TEACHERS THE MONEY YOU OWE THEM.
END THIS IMPASSE AND PAY THEM WHAT YOU OWE THEM AND IT STILL WON'T BE WHAT THEY DESERVE. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU, BOARD. TINA WILLIAMS, PARENT, MOM OF SIX. ADVOCATE, FORMER TEACHER, FORMER ADVOCATE. TODAY I WOULD LIKE TO COME TALK TO YOU ABOUT SCHOOL CULTURE. WE TALK ABOUT THE TEACHER MORALE AND THAT ALSO TRICKLES DOWN TO THE SCHOOL MORALE, THE STUDENTS' MORALE. I HAVE A SON. HE'S OUT OF SCHOOL. I WON'T NAME IT. GREAT SCHOOL IN MY HUMBLE OPINION AND HE DOESN'T HAVE A TEACHER. HE'S GIFTED, BUT HE DOESN'T HAVE A TEACHER. HMM. WHY IS THAT? JUST LIKE THE OTHER SPEAKERS HAVE SAID, MONEY IS ONLY PART OF THE PROBLEM. ALBEIT IT'S A HUGE PROBLEM, BUT LET'S DIG A LITTLE DEEPER, SHALL WE? SCHOOL CULTURE. HAVE ANY OF YOU REALLY TALKED TO ANY OF THE STUDENTS. HOW ARE THEY FEELING?
NOT JUST THERE FOR A PR MOVE OR TO CAMPAIGN WHAT YOU WANT MORE OF THE PARENTS TO DIG DEEPER UNDER AN OR STRETCHED BUDGET. LET'S PONDER THAT, SHALL WE? WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH? IS IT THE NEW BUZZWORD, KIND OF LIKE THE NAMES NATURAL AND ORGANIC. JUST STUCK ON SOMEPLACE BUT REALLY NOT INVESTED. LET'S PONDER, SHALL WE? SCHOOL CULTURE. WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN? SO I CHALLENGE EACH OF YOU BOARD MEMBERS AS WE'RE PREPARING FOR THIS MILLAGE, LET'S ALSO TAKE A MOMENT TO THINK ABOUT THE CULTURE AND THE MORALE OF NOT JUST THE TEACHERS BUT THE STUDENTS THAT IT AFFECTS. WHEN ARE OUR CHILDREN GOING TO BE FIRST? MY GRANDMOTHER USED TO HAVE A SAVING, WHEN ELEPHANT FIGHTS THE GRASS GETS TRAMPLED. OUR CHILDREN ARE THE GRASS AND THEY ARE BEING TRAMPLED BECAUSE WE AS ADULTS CAN'T GET IT TOGETHER. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. LET'S THINK ABOUT THE CHILDREN.