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Member You - Creating a Policy on Sexual Orientation in the Public Schools: How It Works
Many small businesses do quite well due to the blood, sweat and tears of their proprietors. Unfortunately in doing to well often you find that the competition uses the government to attack you. They do this by complaining to various local agencies about how you are not following certain rules, such as the dumpster out back has broken hinges on the doors or that your handicap spot in front of your store is fading? Often they will even make stuff up simply to get the enforcement folks out there who will start to go through your business with a fine toothcomb, we all know what that means, they will indeed find something wrong and you will get a fine of some type. This general harassment is so common that it takes its toll on the small businessperson.There are some ways you can combat these issues and these methods will get you further quicker than any other possible tit for tat game with the competition via local enforcement folks. You need to develop a local government relation strategy and plan. In our company, which is a franchise company we encountered issues in nearly every state we went to as local companies which were first to market in their respective regions attempted to turn us in for all kinds of stuff. We are in the business of setting up mobile car wash units and have done so in 23-states and four countries. www.CarWashGuys.com Please review this outline below and then modify it to fit your individual business, then write a paragraph or two next to each item and use this are you government relations strategy to help your small business combat over regulation and selective prosecution from other small businesses who try to attack you. Good Luck.LOCAL GOVERNMENT RELATIONSI. MEETING POWERS TO BEA. City Council/ManagerB. Board Of SupervisorsC. Department HeadsD. Police DepartmentsE. Fire DepartmentsII. OTHER V.I.P.’SA. College District TrusteesB. School BoardC. Purchasing AgentsD. Park District BoardsE. Code EnforcementF. CEO’sG. MayorIII. TYPES OF CONTACTSA.
But in the last five years a new platform has emerged that provides a basis for school districts to navigate through religious issues and find solutions that can actually bring communities closer together. In 1994 The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University published Finding Common Ground, edited by educator Dr. Charles Haynes and legal consultant Oliver Thomas. Working with legal advisors from education groups as well as those from advocacy groups on the left and the right they helped forge a consensus that clarifies what religious liber
When I wrote my first novel, I was elated. It was in 1997, and I wrote it in under four months. I had always dreamed of writing a novel but always seemed to find excuses not to sit down and just write it. After a life-altering event, I re-evaluated my life and what I wanted to accomplish. One thing that I always wanted to do was write a novel. Actually, many novels. Becoming a writer when I retired was a long-held dream, but I was forced to reassess that long-term goal. I told myself, “If I don’t write the novel now, I may never write it. Life is too short to not follow my dreams.” That set in motion my dream of writing my first novel.I had some ideas for a novel, but one idea lingered in my mind for days after I made the decision to write the novel. I wanted to explore an abused woman and the complexities of love and betrayal resulting from that abuse. I already had a character in mind that would be my protagonist. She was a tough woman, proud but angry and bitter, and she would endure some unbelievably distressing incidents in her life. I wanted to capture her spirit on paper and convey to the reader why she was a survivor.As I decided on my protagonist, it wasn’t difficult to pepper the novel with other colorful characters to bring the story to life. To create convincing characters, I drew from characteristics of people I knew, their personalities, their special nuisances, and their quirkiness to make the story interesting and believable. I wanted the characters to ring true with my readers. I wanted the readers to care for the characters. I wanted the readers to want to get to know the characters, get inside their worlds, and feel their pain and sorrow.After completing the novel, I felt I had achieved my first goal as a writer: to get the work down on paper. I did. I spent several more months tweaking the novel and making changes here and there until I felt I had said all I could say about the characters at that point. My baby was finished.It was time to see what others thought about my baby, my novel, so I sent the manuscript to numerous book publisher
The trouble began when Modesto City Schools, a district serving over 33,000 students in Central California, included 'sexual orientation' in a new tolerance statement. Convinced that their current policies were insufficient to address the needs of their growing community, the district set out to craft new policies guaranteeing an environment free of discrimination and harassment for all students and staff.
When administrators returned from a Bay area conference sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Network in San Francisco protests broke out. Critics accused the district of using the public schools to promote homosexuality and that the new policy would require sensitivity training by gay activists.
Rather than scuttle the policy or ignore the critics, administrators and school board members decided to help their community tackle one of the most divisive issues of our day. Through a common ground approach to social issues, Modesto Schools found that not only could they do it, but they could make their community stronger in the process.
It's Not Just About Bible Reading And Prayer Anymore...
We're all familiar with the advice not to discuss politics or religion with our friends, much less talk about politics and religion in a community of strangers. But many districts are discovering that they cannot ignore religious issues and hope to provide a fair educational environment.
The 1963 Supreme Court decision outlawing state-sponsored school prayer and Bible reading in public schools fundamentally changed how our society deals with religious issues. It ended the almost 200 years of governmental preference for Protestant Christianity and by doing so ushered in an era of increasing tension between religious conservatives and public education. In the ensuing years further court cases, the association of the education establishment with many liberal social causes and many misapplications of the doctrine of the separation of church and state have caused numerous conflicts.
More recently falling test scores, controversial reform initiatives and the campaign for school choice have extended the concerns of the religious community far beyond prayer and Bible reading to virtually every area of school curriculum and policy. The chart below shows the four basic concerns many religious parents have with public education and the practical impact they can have on various segments of school life.
1. Fear of Indoctrination
a. in liberal politics
b. in alternative religions
c. in an anti-religious world order
2. Fear of losing control of their child's future
a. technology
b. psychological comments
3. Fear of alienating children from religious faith
a. schools as 'religion free' zones
b. creation vs. evolution
4. Fear the 'dumbing down' of curriculum
a. innovation over basics
b. educational fads and jargons
c. resent unmotivated/undisciplined students
These concerns should not be dismissed as irrational or politically motivated. The transition from a religious-based society to a neutral one has not gone smoothly. In the process, religious faith has been trivialized by society's institutions according to Stephen Carter (A Culture of Disbelief) and school curricula has unnecessarily ignored religious solutions for societal ills and substituted purely secular ones, according to Warren A. Nord (Religion and American Education: Rethinking a National Dilemma).
It is easy to see why many in the Christian community view the court actions of the last 35 years as a national repudiation of their faith. Religious pluralism did not emerge from public debate and legislative action, but by lawsuit and court decision. Though it does provide a fair platform for our diverse society, no one has helped our society understand or appreciate religious neutrality in public education. In other words, while the case has been made in the courts, it has not been made in the living rooms or school houses of America.
But in the last five years a new platform has emerged that provides a basis for school districts to navigate through religious issues and find solutions that can actually bring communities closer together. In 1994 The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University published Finding Common Ground, edited by educator Dr. Charles Haynes and legal consultant Oliver Thomas. Working with legal advisors from education groups as well as those from advocacy groups on the left and the right they helped forge a consensus that clarifies what religious libert
Whether you're ready to give up the 9-to-5 grind and be your own boss, or whether you're looking for a second income, there are many home business opportunities available today. The widest variety - and some would say most lucrative - income opportunities are found on the Internet. Likewise, the home based business is increasingly based entirely upon online marketing, advertising, networking, and sales. In other words, you never have to leave the comfort of your own home in order to successfully achieve your financial goals.The Heart of Home Business OpportunitiesBut at the heart of most of these business opportunities is the MLM, or multi-level marketing approach. An MLM involves what's called an "upline" and a "downline." Your upline consists of the person who introduced you to the home business opportunity (and the person who introduced him or her, and so forth), while your downline consists of the people to whom you introduce to the opportunity (as well as the people to whom they introduce the opportunity, and so forth). In a nutshell, part of the income you generate is paid to your upline, while part of the income your downline generates is paid to you and to your upline.The success you achieve in an MLM is largely dependent upon your marketing and advertising ability, as well as your ability to close sales. In essence, it's a numbers game. You need a critical mass of leads in order to close enough sales to produce a profit, and to create the downline you need in order to receive passive income from their sales.Home Business Opportunities that Work FOR YouThe traditional MLM involved holding house parties, selling products, and convincing other people to sign up for the home business opportunity. Many people have tried any number of these income opportunities and failed. Why? Because most people aren't natural salespeople, and they have a limited number of contacts. They simply don't have access to the numbers of people necessary to create the substantial downline that's needed to generate residual income.The new wave of MLMs, however, are Internet based and
Rather than scuttle the policy or ignore the critics, administrators and school board members decided to help their community tackle one of the most divisive issues of our day. Through a common ground approach to social issues, Modesto Schools found that not only could they do it, but they could make their community stronger in the process.
It's Not Just About Bible Reading And Prayer Anymore...
We're all familiar with the advice not to discuss politics or religion with our friends, much less talk about politics and religion in a community of strangers. But many districts are discovering that they cannot ignore religious issues and hope to provide a fair educational environment.
The 1963 Supreme Court decision outlawing state-sponsored school prayer and Bible reading in public schools fundamentally changed how our society deals with religious issues. It ended the almost 200 years of governmental preference for Protestant Christianity and by doing so ushered in an era of increasing tension between religious conservatives and public education. In the ensuing years further court cases, the association of the education establishment with many liberal social causes and many misapplications of the doctrine of the separation of church and state have caused numerous conflicts.
More recently falling test scores, controversial reform initiatives and the campaign for school choice have extended the concerns of the religious community far beyond prayer and Bible reading to virtually every area of school curriculum and policy. The chart below shows the four basic concerns many religious parents have with public education and the practical impact they can have on various segments of school life.
1. Fear of Indoctrination
a. in liberal politics
b. in alternative religions
c. in an anti-religious world order
2. Fear of losing control of their child's future
a. technology
b. psychological comments
3. Fear of alienating children from religious faith
a. schools as 'religion free' zones
b. creation vs. evolution
4. Fear the 'dumbing down' of curriculum
a. innovation over basics
b. educational fads and jargons
c. resent unmotivated/undisciplined students
These concerns should not be dismissed as irrational or politically motivated. The transition from a religious-based society to a neutral one has not gone smoothly. In the process, religious faith has been trivialized by society's institutions according to Stephen Carter (A Culture of Disbelief) and school curricula has unnecessarily ignored religious solutions for societal ills and substituted purely secular ones, according to Warren A. Nord (Religion and American Education: Rethinking a National Dilemma).
It is easy to see why many in the Christian community view the court actions of the last 35 years as a national repudiation of their faith. Religious pluralism did not emerge from public debate and legislative action, but by lawsuit and court decision. Though it does provide a fair platform for our diverse society, no one has helped our society understand or appreciate religious neutrality in public education. In other words, while the case has been made in the courts, it has not been made in the living rooms or school houses of America.
But in the last five years a new platform has emerged that provides a basis for school districts to navigate through religious issues and find solutions that can actually bring communities closer together. In 1994 The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University published Finding Common Ground, edited by educator Dr. Charles Haynes and legal consultant Oliver Thomas. Working with legal advisors from education groups as well as those from advocacy groups on the left and the right they helped forge a consensus that clarifies what religious liber
Want cheap poor credit history remortgages - Find the right packageSubject's that this report on mortgage credit will examine are early redemption charges, life and payment insurance, and fixed rates along with other important subjects.Nowadays the mortgage and finance industry is very competitive, the aim of this page is to give you enough knowledge to take advantage of the increase in bargain deals. The ideas that we give will educate you and may save you a great deal over the term of a 30 year mortgage. With poor credit history remortgages many lenders will just refuse your applications instantly. Avoiding refusals and getting low rate acceptances is what our tips will try to accomplish for you.Secret 1 : Shop around ! Weigh up the benefits of different offers using either a broker or mortgage adviser. Have a look at the best buy tables and look at what providers interest rates are like for poor credit history remortgages.Secret 2 : Ensure the mortgage payments you take on are affordable ! If interest rates rise in the future your mortgage payments can increase by a lot so don't push your budget too far. If possible fix the poor credit history remortgage rate to make planning the future budget easier.Secret 3 : See if you can improve your credit file - Sometimes loan , mortgage, mail order suppliers and telecommunication companies make mistakes on your credit file and register payments that were made on time as being late or missed payments. To remove incorrect records from your file you can use Equifax or Experian to access your credit file. You can also remove some forms of County Court Judgements. Detailed step by step instructions can be downloaded for free on our main site.Secret 4 : Watch out for early settlement charges ! When you accept a mortgage you enter an agreement with the provider, this covers how long a special interest rate will be applied for. By moving companies within that time or sometimes even after you can be stung by early redemption charges. Look in the details of the small print to check what charges may be hidden.Where do I go
More recently falling test scores, controversial reform initiatives and the campaign for school choice have extended the concerns of the religious community far beyond prayer and Bible reading to virtually every area of school curriculum and policy. The chart below shows the four basic concerns many religious parents have with public education and the practical impact they can have on various segments of school life.
1. Fear of Indoctrination
a. in liberal politics
b. in alternative religions
c. in an anti-religious world order
2. Fear of losing control of their child's future
a. technology
b. psychological comments
3. Fear of alienating children from religious faith
a. schools as 'religion free' zones
b. creation vs. evolution
4. Fear the 'dumbing down' of curriculum
a. innovation over basics
b. educational fads and jargons
c. resent unmotivated/undisciplined students
These concerns should not be dismissed as irrational or politically motivated. The transition from a religious-based society to a neutral one has not gone smoothly. In the process, religious faith has been trivialized by society's institutions according to Stephen Carter (A Culture of Disbelief) and school curricula has unnecessarily ignored religious solutions for societal ills and substituted purely secular ones, according to Warren A. Nord (Religion and American Education: Rethinking a National Dilemma).
It is easy to see why many in the Christian community view the court actions of the last 35 years as a national repudiation of their faith. Religious pluralism did not emerge from public debate and legislative action, but by lawsuit and court decision. Though it does provide a fair platform for our diverse society, no one has helped our society understand or appreciate religious neutrality in public education. In other words, while the case has been made in the courts, it has not been made in the living rooms or school houses of America.
But in the last five years a new platform has emerged that provides a basis for school districts to navigate through religious issues and find solutions that can actually bring communities closer together. In 1994 The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University published Finding Common Ground, edited by educator Dr. Charles Haynes and legal consultant Oliver Thomas. Working with legal advisors from education groups as well as those from advocacy groups on the left and the right they helped forge a consensus that clarifies what religious liber
Exuding a rare magnetic charm, the LG Prada is a mobile that is breathtakingly attractive. This stunning handset is a joint result of the leading fashion house PRADA and that of the manufacturer LG. Thus, what we find in LG Prada is best of designing excellence and ergonomics. No wonder this handset has taken the market by storm, ever since its launch. And that's the reason we find this handset at the top of the charts when it comes to 'gifts for women'.Dressed in all black, the LG Prada is characterised by a bare look. The exterior is dominated by a large high resolution screen and that's about it. There are no keys, no short cut buttons, no flipping and flapping, and no hidden surprises anywhere. So, the first time onlookers become a little inquisitive to find out how does this phone operate. And the answer lies in their touch. Yes, the LG Prada is touch sensitive. The external screen displays a comprehensive keypad, when the handset is activated. The keypad includes each and everything needed and is highly responsive. Which means, a little touch can make the keys operational. And that's impressive. Talking about touch sensitive screen, you might be worried about the maintenance of LG Prada. But that has also been taken care of. The handset comes with a screen that is scratch resistant.Fashion is incomplete without entertainment and thus the LG Prada comes with interesting functionalities to enrich your life. The phone comes with a 2MP camera for visual entertainment, and has a Mp3 player for musical spree. There are also host of wallpapers, games and ringtones that comes along with the handset.For connectivity, the LG Prada has Tri-band GSM network. It also offers the versatility of Bluetooth, GPRS and EDGE to add convenience. The phone comes with a memory of 8 MB, which is expandable further, and is compact to be easily carried. LG Prada
3. Fear of alienating children from religious faith
a. schools as 'religion free' zones
b. creation vs. evolution
4. Fear the 'dumbing down' of curriculum
a. innovation over basics
b. educational fads and jargons
c. resent unmotivated/undisciplined students
These concerns should not be dismissed as irrational or politically motivated. The transition from a religious-based society to a neutral one has not gone smoothly. In the process, religious faith has been trivialized by society's institutions according to Stephen Carter (A Culture of Disbelief) and school curricula has unnecessarily ignored religious solutions for societal ills and substituted purely secular ones, according to Warren A. Nord (Religion and American Education: Rethinking a National Dilemma).
It is easy to see why many in the Christian community view the court actions of the last 35 years as a national repudiation of their faith. Religious pluralism did not emerge from public debate and legislative action, but by lawsuit and court decision. Though it does provide a fair platform for our diverse society, no one has helped our society understand or appreciate religious neutrality in public education. In other words, while the case has been made in the courts, it has not been made in the living rooms or school houses of America.
But in the last five years a new platform has emerged that provides a basis for school districts to navigate through religious issues and find solutions that can actually bring communities closer together. In 1994 The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University published Finding Common Ground, edited by educator Dr. Charles Haynes and legal consultant Oliver Thomas. Working with legal advisors from education groups as well as those from advocacy groups on the left and the right they helped forge a consensus that clarifies what religious liber
Odds are that you haven’t heard a whole lot about how to invest in tax liens. Most people have no idea of the goldmine that tax lien investing represents. And the nation’s wealthy upper class is more than happy to keep it this way because then, they have the ability to tap into this powerful investment vehicle exclusively, with little competition.Well, I say it’s time you learn about it. There is no quicker way to wealth that offers such amazing safety available. This is the top of the ladder, in my opinion. So let’s take a look at how you can harness the power of this super investment while retaining complete safety and control.The main problem I see beginning tax lien investors making is not doing proper research before investing. They jump in blind and have a very rough time. You need to realize that a tax lien is secured by the real estate it is connected to. If the lien is on a worthless piece of land, in the middle of a swamp you don’t have a very secure investment. The reason for this is, if the owner fails to pay his or her delinquent property taxes within a certain time, you wind up with the property.Do you want to own swamp land or its Equivalent? I don’t think so. This problem is very easy to avoid with a few minutes of well-placed research. Here is what I suggest you find out before investing any of your money:Start by acquiring a list of tax liens available in any given county. You will see that there will be liens of all sizes. Some will be expensive and others will be cheap. Pick several liens that match your needs best. Now, it is time to perform your due diligence on the lien.You want to see exactly what the property that it is connected to is like. There is a specific protocol for due diligence that I outline in my book Tax Lien Riches. Proper due diligence is critical to your overall success.You now know the number one mistake new lien investors make and how to avoid it. By performing a series of easy research steps, you will be guaranteed investment safety and sky-high returns on your money. You can’t get any better
But in the last five years a new platform has emerged that provides a basis for school districts to navigate through religious issues and find solutions that can actually bring communities closer together. In 1994 The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University published Finding Common Ground, edited by educator Dr. Charles Haynes and legal consultant Oliver Thomas. Working with legal advisors from education groups as well as those from advocacy groups on the left and the right they helped forge a consensus that clarifies what religious liberty means and how it can be implemented successfully in public education.
This common ground thinking provides a legal and historical map through the mine fields of the so-called culture wars. Unfortunately many school districts don't even know it exists, or if they do, how to utilize it to disarm conflicts in their district. Modesto found out just in time.
The Modesto Model
Even though Modesto City Schools was well into their Safe Schools Project before they found out about common ground thinking, the decisions they made from the start are the same ones I encourage districts to embrace whether they are working through new policies, or helping to heal old conflicts.
1. Face issues head on. Instead of running from controversy, Modesto made the choice to make their schools safe and work with the concerns of their community. In March of 1997 the Board of Education adopted a Statement of Principles that would provide the basis for a safe school environment.
2. Invite all the stakeholders. To implement that policy the Board appointed a committee chaired by Associate Superintendent Sharon Burnis, that would eventually number 115 people, including 11 students and 33 community members. They were drawn from the broadest cross-section of the community, including conservative religious leaders. While it is always risky to work with such a large and politically diverse committee, the failure to include representation from every constituency will always backfire with charges of unfairness and lead to greater community conflict. Meeting in the late spring of 1997 and into early fall, the committee, true to the fears of many, became mired in political conflict. Progress had all but stopped and it looked as if the hope of community consensus was going to be thwarted. That's when some of the staff had their first exposure to common ground thinking at a workshop in Sacramento presented by the First Amendment Center.
3. Get training. Hopeful that common ground thinking would give new direction to their district, Modesto invited Dr. Charles Haynes to present a common ground workshop for the committee. In preparation for that training, Superintendent James Enochs wrote to the committee. "(This workshop) is at once a means of bringing people to a common starting point, despite their previous differences, and a means of proceeding with a civic framework."
The training did not disappoint. Later, participants cited that workshop as having saved the process and as having provided the framework for them not just to find consensus, but unanimity. How did that happen? According to Dr. Haynes, "Everyone agreed that no student should be harassed or discriminated against in a public school whatever his or her race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. And, just as important, everyone acknowledged that such agreement doesn't require 'acceptance' of the religion, philosophy or lifestyle of others."
They had found common ground. To reflect that shared understanding the committee recommended changing the name of the policy from "Principles of Tolerance, Respect and Dignity, to "Principles of Rights, Responsibility and Respect." It passed unanimously.
4. Formulate and approve policy. The impetus of their common ground workshop allowed them to do in the next two months what they had not been able to do in the previous six. They drew up guidelines and standards to implement the Statement of Principals and reported them to the board with the unanimous approval of all 115 members of the committee. The school board approved the committee's guidelines and they are now being implemented successfully.
Community members of the committee also helped provide a bridge to their various constituencies, helping them understand the process and why the final document is in the best interest of parents, students and staff.
5. Train st
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