NEWS
- Ex-anchor J.C. Hayward dismissed from Options charter lawsuit [Options PCS mentioned]
- Back to school: D.C. students to add bike riding to their lessons
- ‘Beautification Day’ for D.C. schools called off this year, ending tradition
Ex-anchor J.C. Hayward dismissed from Options charter lawsuit [Options PCS mentioned]
The Washington Post
By Michael Alison Chandler
August 11, 2015
Longtime television news anchor J.C. Hayward was dismissed from a high-profile charter school lawsuit Tuesday, releasing her from allegations that she was involved in financial mismanagement at a District school for troubled teens.
A spokesman for the city’s Office of the Attorney General confirmed that Hayward, a former anchor for WUSA (Channel 9) who once chaired the board of Options Public Charter School, reached a settlement with the city.
In October 2013, the D.C. attorney general filed a lawsuit naming the well-known television personality as one of five people involved in an effort to divert millions of federal tax dollars meant for Options to two for-profit companies that the school’s managers created and ran. Hayward allegedly signed off on contracts that steered tax dollars to the companies, according to the original complaint in the case. The lawsuit also alleged that she helped incorporate one of the companies and had an ownership interest in it.
According to the terms of the settlement, Hayward will pay $8,500 to Options, an amount authorities had alleged she received to attend one company’s board meetings.
Hayward’s attorney, Jeffrey S. Jacobovitz, noted that the amount had been approved by the board’s outside counsel at the time. He has long said that Hayward was innocent of any wrongdoing and unaware of any alleged scheme.
The District’s claims are pending against the other defendants, including Paul Dalton, Donna Montgomery and David Cranford — all former managers at the school — and Jeremy Williams, a former chief financial officer of the D.C. Public Charter School Board. The Office of the Attorney General said a parallel federal investigation is pending.
D.C. officials have alleged that the managers of the Northeast Washington school diverted at least $3 million to enrich themselves, engaging in a “pattern of self-dealing” that was part of an elaborate contracting scam. The private companies won lucrative contracts for bus transportation and school management and were paid for services that went undocumented or were performed by school employees, according to court papers.
The former school leaders have said that no public funds were misused and that the contracts and payments were vetted by the school’s board, external auditors and the D.C. Public Charter School Board.
Hayward retired from WUSA in January after four decades on the air. She had been on hiatus since late 2013, when she was placed on leave pending an investigation into the Options allegations.
“Ms. Hayward has always disputed these claims from the beginning and has professed her profound commitment to helping at-risk young people in the Metropolitan Washington D.C. area,” Jacobovitz said in a statement on behalf of Hayward.
The first female news anchor in the Washington area 43 years ago, Hayward has been a prominent supporter of local charities and is a familiar face to many residents. Since her retirement, he said, she has been working to set up a scholarship endowment for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington.
“Ms. Hayward is delighted that she will be able to leave a lasting legacy. This lawsuit closes a small chapter in her life,” he said.
Hayward, who has declined to comment on the allegations, said this year that the civil case and criminal investigation had no bearing on her decision to retire.
“I’ve moved on with my life,” she said in January, when she announced her retirement. “Sometimes life hands you cards that you don’t exactly like, but you have to play them, and you can’t just sit around and be sad about the hand that was dealt you.”
Rocky Twyman, chairman of the Friends of J.C. Hayward, a support group that was formed after the allegations against Hayward became public, said he was ecstatic after hearing that she would no longer be part of the civil suit.
“This has been so heavy, because we know about all the wonderful works she has done, and we could not believe that she would steal any money, especially from a school of challenged children,” Twyman said.
Back to school: D.C. students to add bike riding to their lessons
WTOP
By WTOP Staff
August 11, 2015
WASHINGTON — Remember gym class? Did you ever repeat those fitness drills or play dodgeball as part of your fitness routine?
This year, public schools in D.C. will introduce kids to a form of fitness teachers hope the kids will adopt for life: riding a bike.
“Every second grader is going to learn how to ride a bike,” said Miriam Kenyon, director of health and physical education for District of Columbia Public Schools.
“Not only are they going to learn to ride a bike, they’re going to learn bike safety, and they’re going to culminate their learning with a bike ride to the park,” Kenyon said.
For some kids, that could mean a trip to Anacostia Park, for others a field trip to Rock Creek Park.
The bikes are being supplied by D.C.’s Department of Transportation.
On Tuesday, Kenyon was joined by Brian Pick, chief of teaching and learning, at the school system’s warehouse in Northeast.
“We have 300 assembled bikes in front of us and another 300 behind us waiting for assembly by our volunteers,” Pick said.
Kenyon pointed out the sporty look of the BMX-style bikes.
“These are bike-shop quality bikes. They are very sturdy so that they can get multiple use,” Kenyon said.
The introduction of bike riding as a life skill isn’t just an effort to introduce kids to a lifelong fitness activity. It also will tie into classroom skills that the students are developing, including things such as learning to read maps.
Pick said that this fall, the school system plans to introduce something called the “Cornerstone Initiative,” part of a series of linked lesson plans.
“This is a series of 200 shared assignments that will happen in grades K-12 across the system, not only in PE, but in every subject area — in reading, in math, in social studies, health, PE and world languages,” Pick said.
The shared assignments mean that teachers across D.C. an exchange ideas and feedback about how their lesson plans worked, or if they didn’t what needs to be tweaked.
But for most kids, the focus will be on those shiny blue bikes. Pick said the introduction of the bikes as fitness equipment is a way to bring fun and excitement to the physical education experience.
Kenyon said some principals were a bit concerned about the safety of kids out on city streets, but once they are shown the routes that have been mapped out, those fears would be allayed.
The Washington Area Bicyclist Association has played a big role in introducing the idea of bike safety in the school curriculum. Kenyon said that Daniel Hoagland of WABA partnered with PE teachers on doing bike safety instruction, but that was on a school-by-school basis.
The new program means 80 elementary schools will be taking part, so every child will have a chance to learn to ride. And each student will wear a helmet.
Pick, a cyclist himself, said he was excited about sharing his enthusiasm for cycling with students.
“Cycling is a great way to see the city. There are a lot of hidden gems” in the District of Columbia, and Pick said. “Hopefully this is just one steppingstone to greater enjoyment of both biking and Washington, D.C.”
DDOT funded the purchase of the bikes from a local chain Revolution Cycles and staffers from the bike shop volunteered to put them together in two days. The staffers will return later to build the remaining 300 bikes for DCPS.
‘Beautification Day’ for D.C. schools called off this year, ending tradition
The Washington Post
By Michael Alison Chandler
August 11, 2015
A decade-long tradition of sprucing up the District’s public schools during a day-long dash ahead of the start of school has been canceled this year.
In place of the annual “Beautification Day,” D.C. Public Schools announced an “Adopt-a-School” program to encourage longer-term partnerships with the schools.
In surveys, principals have said that although they appreciate the last-minute service blitzes, they would benefit more from sustained support instead of one-day volunteerism, said Josephine Robinson, chief of the Office of Family and Public Engagement.
“They find a number of partners and organizations, they don’t see them again, and they would love to have deeper relationships,” she said.
In addition to parents and neighbors, the event has attracted volunteers from local businesses and even local celebrities, including members of the Washington Capitals hockey team, the D.C. United soccer team and the D.C. National Guard. Last year, more than 5,000 volunteers turned out to work at 111 school campuses.
Officials said the annual event, traditionally during the weekend before the first day of school, was a logistical challenge at one of the busiest times of year. And they said a late-summer call for help with such tasks as painting, cleaning and organizing classrooms is no longer necessary. The schools are scheduled to open Aug. 24.
The all-hands-on-deck approach was created at a time when the city’s schools were often at risk of opening late because of basic maintenance and other problems. In the past decade, the city has invested millions of dollars in school renovations and organizational improvements.
“Our schools are in much better shape than they have been in the past,” Robinson said. “We have done a much better job opening schools on time, clean and ready to go.”
Some parents are concerned that without help from volunteers, some tasks won’t get done. Suzanne Wells, a parent at Maury Elementary School, said historically, on Beautification Day, parents have planted flowers and cleaned up the grounds around the school.
“These are things that make the school look nice for the first day back,” she said.
And Joe Weedon, a Ward 6 representative on the State Board of Education, said many people liked having the chance to pitch in and help their neighborhood school once a year.
“A longer-term effort is great, but why did we have to get rid of a great opportunity to involve the community early in the school year?” he asked
Robinson said that individuals will still have many opportunities to volunteer at schools.
The school district is recruiting volunteers to mentor students through its Empowering Males of Color Initiative, which is designed to focus attention on the needs of low-performing African American and Hispanic male students.
And some schools are continuing to host Beautification Day on their own, with logistical support from an outside organization.
For the Adopt-a-School program, the District is looking for community groups or businesses to apply to participate. The groups will be asked to develop a “partnership plan” that includes goals and outlines three community events the organization will support, such as a back-to-school night or career fair, as well as a donation-related event, such as a school-supply drive or fundraiser.
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