For those not familiar with the name David Medina, he is the media mouthpiece for the Hartford Public Schools. He came from the Hartford Courant where he was employed before leaving to take the job with the Board of Ed. He was also instrumental in the Courant's endorsement of former Mayor and now convicted felon Eddie Perez. Many considered his new position his reward from Perez.
From what many media people have told me, just getting Medina to comment or issue a statement is a huge chore. But Medina apparently showed his thin skin today when he issued a press release essentially condemning me and the blog for an entry I posted Saturday. You can read that post here
The posting speaks for itself, but I haven't found anyone yet that doesn't have serious questions about this as "art" that is acceptable for display in our schools.The interesting part though is that Medina tried to defend the picture as a "lesson in Free Speech vs Responsibility". Ok Mr. Medina, I guess I have to ask what was the lesson? That at Hartford High there is no responsibility when you exercise your Free Speech rights>
And isn't it interesting that Mr. Medina chooses to essentially condemn my "Free speech" rights at the same time he is claiming the rights to his and those of his "students". Where do the Hartford Schools draw the line? Would an image drawn by a student depicting child pornography or a sexual molestation be found acceptable as "Freedom of Speech"?
Maybe if our schools were actually "teaching" students something about history and civics rather than just how to pass mastery tests, a child's mind might go to thoughts of the Revolution, the Bill of Rights or the Constitution rather than "blood gushing" from some "home boy's dome" and assault weapons.
It is interesting that we have guns and weapons in schools and Mr. Medina has no response to that. A 10 year old and an 11 year old student were caught with drugs on them today at Batchelder School, the ten year old apparently sold drugs that he had found to the 11 year old girl for five dollars on Friday, I bet you won't see a press release from Mr. Medina about that. But he can find the time to fire back at me, it's all very interesting.
But then again, the Hartford Schools aren't really known for truthful messages. Mr. Medina is doing a fine job in that aspect as Director of Propaganda for the Hartford Schools.
Here is Medina's e-mail from earlier today and the attached press release of "HIGH" importance:
Subject: Hartford Public Schools
Importance: High
Attached please find a very important statement from Hartford Public Schools.
David Medina
Director of External Communications
Hartford Public Schools
960 Main Street
Hartford, CT 06103
Tel: 860-695-8862
Fax: 860-722-8502
Cell: 860-558-9640
medid001@hartfordschools.org
Statement+From+Hartford+Public+Schools+10!24!11
And the taxpayers are paying this clown's 100k+ salary? Medina should join Sarah Barr and the Courant reporter as Segarra mouthpieces on the campaign trail.
ReplyDeleteHe and Kelvin ( willie nunez) need to go.
David Medina is not only a waste of a salary, he is a fraud who should have never been hired. His only responsibility is to deflect attention away from an incompetent Board of Education and an incompetent school system. Keep doing what you are doing Kevin, he will hopefully be shown the door soon if Dr. Kishimoto has one ounce of integrity
ReplyDeleteI cant wait for my children to attend the Hartford school system to learn how to be a criminal and not learn to read by age 12...But in all seriousness, what a joke i have spoken with several representatives of local towns such as West Hartford and Newington that reported to me that any type of ''art'' project such as this would not be used, and if any student was found to make sonething like this. By the way, what was his grade and can he put this on his college entry exam?
ReplyDeleteI bet Uconn school of law would give this student a full scolarship as a garbage man for the campus. Same on you David Medina for trying to put any type of positive spin on this. I cant wait to watch channel 3 and NBC tonite. Holy crap, u are going to look dumber then joe biden.....
ReplyDeleteDavid Medina should shut his mouth and not jump to any conclusions. I know for a fact that Pedro did not see that memo before that brain surgeon Medina wrote it.
ReplyDeleteReally? this is pure and simple evidence that the Hartford School system is a mess.
ReplyDeletedavis Medina should be put in charge of garbage removal, but wait , he might screw that up.
Sounds like it's possible you might have taken the exhibit out of context as he claims. What is your response to that?
ReplyDeleteIt seems as though you might have taken the exhibit out of context as he claims. What is your response to that claim?
ReplyDeleteDid you take it out of context?
ReplyDeleteHow can you find a way to justify that message in any context? Do you find that an acceptable message in any Hartford School building, no matter what the explanation?
ReplyDeleteafter the kids learn how to be criminals in the hartford school system, they grow up to be hartford politicians and rip off the tax payers.
ReplyDeleteDid Mr. Medina forget about the incident with the child whose parent allowed him to bring a BB gun to school to "protect himself" at Burns Elementary School just a year ago?! And honestly who knows what types of people this child who did this piece of "art" is exposed to.
ReplyDeleteMaybe if our schools were actually "teaching" students something about history and civics rather than just how to pass mastery tests
ReplyDelete----------------------------------
My kid didn't have any but a math text book in sixth grade. CMT prep 24/7.
Vouchers, please. Not only for the children, but for the sake of the town. The school district has killed Hartford. It's taken decades, but it has killed it.
Not sure how I feel about this. The fact is, these kids ARE exposed to lyrics like this every day, it's part of their world. It sounds like the project was intended to make them think about the impact "music" like this might have on younger children and the conflict between the free speech of the artist and his/her responsibility to society as a whole. Lyrics/images that were not shocking or provocative would make no sense for a project like this. I doubt very much ANY kid in that school would have responded to this with anything but a yawn.
ReplyDeleteThe question no one is asking: Did Supt. Kishimoto put Medina up to this?? IF yes, SHE should go with him.
ReplyDeleteHartford Public Schools: Producing future targets of the Shooting Task Force.
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable.
I think it's a great achievement that they found enough Hartford students that could write to do an exhibit.
ReplyDelete