Accountability May Be Hard for Legislators, But It’s Pretty Clear for Parents. Respect Me as a Consumer Who Has Choices.

I was 14 when I came to this country and entered high school.  It wasn’t until my senior year that I learned I had completed all my required course load early. I had no idea I could have participated in dual-enrollment, or even started college one year earlier. In this instance, the system failed me. Fast forward […]

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Broward’s Painful Holiday Season

Broward has had a rough holiday season. On Friday, January 6th, we suffered an attack at our airport here in Fort Lauderdale where 5 persons lost their lives and 8 others injured as many returned from holiday travel. On the same day, we buried a student and a teacher, 8-year old Rasheed Cunningham and veteran […]

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Safety in the Classroom Faces New Threats

Teaching is a noble profession.  Isn’t that what we say?  I kinda think we say that because it’s sacrificial… like being a soldier.  After all, don’t we always talk about our teachers being on the “frontlines” and “fighting” for our kids?  Sounds sacrificial to me. So, are we protecting teachers?  Are we showing them great honor for their “sacrifice”?  I think at the very […]

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How to Tell Stories That Matter: No Frills, Just Smart and Serious Advocacy from Children’s Services Council Sandra Bernard-Bastien

I met this Trini queen over my years strolling the halls of the Children’s Services Council (CSC), the organization created by the voters to improve the lives of Broward’s children by addressing system-wide issues head-on.  Being a Jamaican woman, I was immediately drawn to her familiar songbird accent, her unapologetically curly hair, and belly-filled laughs.  But as we […]

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