Anti-bullying zone!
2013-05-12
Governor Brian Sandoval
State Capitol Building
101 N. Carson Street
Carson City, NV 89701
Dear Governor Sandoval:
In any society, one of the most important duties is the training of the next generation. They are to be train to develop their potential contribution to society. But what happens when there is failure in that duty by those charged with that development? Who is responsible for that failure? What can be done to correct it?
Governor, I am referring to the disgrace of both the Washoe County School District and the Nevada Department of Education in their refusal to correct the damage they inflicted on me and it is still currently ongoing.
Let me cover in short order. From 1971 to 1977 I was harassed, bullied, and the refusal for the teachers, and staff to intervene and stop this and thus destroyed any and all learning environments. I was beat up going to school, at school, in class, and coming home from school and nothing done to or to intervene in any way at all. Guns were even pointed at me in a couple of occasions and this even from moving vehicles. When I requested help from them. At one point a teacher nearly choked me and I had done nothing wrong. The reply from the schools and the district was their famous battle cry “There is nothing we can do about it!” Is this an environment in which one could be expected to be able to focus on learning?
The conditions that were permitted by WCSD and the NDE robbed me of the chance to obtain scholarships of any kind. If this wasn’t enough damage done (and this continues to go on to this day) this information based on false assumptions was shared with potential employers and in turn, would not hire me. So rather than assisting me in developing my potential, they instead sabotaged my efforts to thrive despite their failure to provide a safe learning environment. So what this did is to pull the board or potential out from under my feet and thus dropped me into a sand bog where the more I tried to make it, the more I sank and no life line to hang on to.
For the next 30 years I would end up on the streets due to not being allowed an education. No one would hire me as “No fixed address”. Had I had the chance for the scholarships I would have been able to salvage my potential to contribute to society. Furthermore, it would be several years before I was able to heal from the damage that WCSD both inflicted, as well as allowed to be inflicted, so I could learn again. While I am barely managed to get an Associate’s Degree, I am still stopped from pursuing a BS or BA degree due to this destruction of scholarship opportunities. Since I am past the 18 to 24 year old window which most (if not all) scholarships are awarded to. The destruction is complete.
This brings us to what needs to be done. There have been three demands which one is completed by your state Legislative Branch. That was the passing of Anti-bullying laws. That being N.R.S. 388 Group which was passed originally in 2001. In particular N.R.S. 388.133 which was to ensure a learning environment for all students. Had this been in place when I was denied a chance for an education. This damage would not have happen and this demand would not have been written. No student and I do mean no student should have been subjected to the harassment, beat-ups, and humiliation like I was from students, faculty, and staff by the WCSD and its subordinates. Enough violations of this statue could be made into a book which could keep one of the Legislative Chamber doors open.
The second issue is that of a scholarship which I have been denied even the chance of pursuing. As a result of the failure of WCSD to provide safety from bullying and abuse by faculty members, backed by the DOEd I had no chance of pursuing and securing any kind of scholarships. In particular, I would have had the potential of winning fully-funded scholarships if I had been allowed to have an education in Washoe County. Evidence of this can be found in my school records prior to coming to WCSD as well as my education records following a healing period after having exited Washoe County.
That healing was tested in Missouri. I attended “DeVry Business and Technical School” (now called DeVry University). This institution was similar in rigor to the school that I attended before WCSD, “Ridgewood Military Academy,” located in Woodland Hills, California. However, since I was not allowed to get scholarships (due to the damage inflicted by employees of WCSD), I had to take out loans (which there was no chance of my being able to repay) in order to prove that I was capable of a standard caliber (nowadays viewed as high caliber) educational institute. I did graduate with an Associates Degree but again this should have been paid with scholarships, had I not been denied the opportunity of pursuing them. The WCSD and the NDE must replace those scholarships, as it was their negligence and failure to act which resulted in my inability to pursue those same scholarships.
The third and final demand is involving the denial of education in the Washoe County School District. This happen during the seven years being subjected to Washoe County School District, and in Particularly at Wooster High School.
Governor, on U.S. 50 going out of Carson City and towards Mound House is the State Prison. I do not know if this type of case has happened in your state prison system, but it has in others; someone in prison for a crime they did not commit. Similarly, I was academically incarcerated by Washoe County, having no choice in the matter. I was forced into a system which did not provide any type of learning environment and was therefore a prisoner of the Washoe County School System for seven years. In Arizona there was a man who was wrongfully convicted of a capital crime, and for 12 years he sat in prison. He was later exonerated after they found that the DNA did not match. In addition, another prison inmate confessed to committing the crime. When the innocent man was released, the state had to settle with him for wrongful conviction. Just as he settled with the state on this issue, Nevada needs to settle with me for seven years of academic imprisonment.
Education is very important. When this fails the society loses. When young people are not allowed to develop “Potential Contribution” to society, then society loses as well as the young person loses the most. Especially when they or their families have no choice. I will refer you to N.R.S. 392.040. A statement in the Attorney General’s opinion stated that the Authority over the children passes from the parent to school authorities during school hours. This means the responsibility also passes and as I stated Washoe County School District failed this responsibility. It also is continuing to fail since there has been no solution, nor remedy, to correct this by any official, In fact quite the opposite. Even the Department of Education in Carson City had the audacity to claim that I never graduated from education, even though I was forced to do so under the GED program in Carson City. They have shriek from their responsibility. As such they have created this situation and refuse to take responsibility. What would you do if this was your child? What would you do Governor if this was you who were prevented from a proper learning environment and your predecessors, and others refuse to remedy the situation, this plus allowing false information about you to be released so you could not either start or continue your development? Your predecessors practice the “Deny deny deny” routine meanwhile leaving a twisting in the wind scenario. Would you think this is right? Even your state legislator understood this problem and was going on as they passed those laws which force the districts to do their job and prevent situations like mine from ever developing.
My father has told me that you appear to be a man of integrity and you are trying to do the right thing. OK I am willing to see if you are. Will this get fixed? Or will this continue to be a gaping wound which will never see closure. What is your answer?
Sincerely,
Kirk Gruenewald
Academic P.O.W.