I would say that his comments reflect more a fear of "those people who are not like me" than anything else. Mr. Sutherland should go back to school and learn compassion, tolerance and generosity. Oh, wait, that's what he's afraid of....... Oh well, at least HIS racism is not subtle.

Hi Michele, thanks for commenting. In an earlier interview, Sutherland said while the city is required by law to provide an equal education to citizens living in the jurisdiction, he said those citizens should be legal. Schools are seeing an increase in funding from both city and state tax payers, couldn't this money be better spent or not needed (i.e. no tax increase) if the school system would simply enforce the state's original birth certificate laws?

Erin,
Suggest readers Google:

1) Plyler vs.Doe (1982)

2)Code of Virginia 22.1-3.1

Under Federal law, school boards are not allowed to keep
children from enrolling based on their immigration status.

Original Birth Certificates are requested in Virginia, but
parents may meet that requirement with an affidavit giving
the child's date of birth.

We may not like those regulations, but they are rules
our school system must follow.

Thanks for the information, Steve.

Mala, I know the stats surrounding the amount of students seeking free and reduced lunch and breakfast are found in the school board budget documents. This is why the received more federal funding to accommodate the increase in the amount of kids applying for free or reduced lunches.

How is statistical fact racist?

Not generous? I did not read anywhere that Mr. Southerland wants to deny food to children in true need. Verifying documentation is not cruel unless, of course, you support fraud.

The original birth certificate requirement is not unheard of. It does not imply denying education it is a matter of tracking. As a tax payer I would like full accountability for the money spent. Additionally, this information could be used to gain additional Federal support or entitle us to other resources.

How is Mr. Sutherland not compassionate? I have yet to hear any other candidate consistently raise the issues with the Special Ed department. Advocating for the most at risk and neglected children in our system is FAR from being cold hearted.

We need people on the school board that have the guts to speak their mind and get conversations started. Personally I am tired of going to meetings where members talk in circles because nobody takes a stand.

Take off the rose colored glasses people. The power of positive thinking only gets us so far and it’s time for some tough love.

I think these numbers are important because they may shed light on our low literacy scores. Look at it this way, Mr. Sutherland is not saying we need NOT to educate children he is just saying we may need to change what we are doing to accommodate the growing number of young children in the school system or entering the school system who do not speak English. Sutherland suggests making these students stay after school an hour or more with a language coach and I have also heard suggestions at Education Forward meetings to implement a citywide prek program to also help kids learn English before entering Kindergarten. My daughter is in K-5 and there is at least one student who does not speak any English. How is she supposed to pass tests in English when she can't even speak English? A possible contributor to our low test scores? We can't deny students an education but we certainly shouldn't rob them of a quality one either.

Those who have never experienced rascism themselves are usually the first ones to cry about it. I am the daughter of a Legal Immigrant. My grandmother came here legally for a better life & wanted to be an American. She had no tolerance for those that did not come here to 'live the American dream" & "speak the language" but instead came looking for handouts, because that was to have no selfworth or pride. My mother experienced racism before I was even born-46yrs ago, and she is an educated woman. Mr. Sutherland has some Very Good points, it is VERY unfair that our handicap children that are entitled to help, as well as those that are gifted, can not receive help & guidance because funds are not used as they should & could be. We need new blood on the board that can make things happen and a "Voice" for our special needs children.

Patch is experiencing technical issues. There are supposed to be 14 comments on this article but only 12 are visible. While we work to fix the glitch, I am going to post a comment by Charles Sutherland that he emailed me after he was unable to post it himself.

-by Charles Sutherland
Mr. Randolph's misleading and erroneous comments are obfuscating the issues.
1. Plyler v. Doe, which I heartily support, stipulates that ALL students resident in a jurisdiction must be educated -- not receive special treatment.
2. In # 22.1-3.1, original birth certificates are not merely "requested," but REQUIRED, without which the file is REQUIRED to be turned over to the local police. Based upon FOIA data from the schools and the Police Dept., that law is constantly evaded.
Originally designed to identify children kidnapped, or in custody disputes, etc. since it also reveals the identity of illegal aliens it seems to be violated in the interest of a political agenda. Has Mr. Randolph even seen the 'affidavits' in use by Manassas schools? They are a simplistic embarrassment, providing little information, and can be signed by anyone who happens to be available with a pen. And, since they are in English, and most school documents are in English/Spanish, whoever enrolls some of the "50% Hispanic students" may not even know what they are signing.

-by Charles Sutherland

Mala, stats are public record! How can you accuse if you are ignorant of the facts?

Ms. Frantz et al, it's lamentable that you consider it 'racist' to ascertain information and reduce waste & fraud in order to provide a better education for all children. In psychotherapy your accusation is called "transference," i.e. ascribing one's own maladjusted feelings to someone else, in your case 'reverse racism' (a PC euphemism.)

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/students_parents/student_enrollment.shtml

"If a certified copy of the child's birth certificate cannot be be obtained , the
person enrolling the child must submit a sworn statement setting forth the
child's age and explaining the inability to present a certified copy of the
birth record."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/24/AR2008092400088.html

Hope Mr. Sutherland reconsiders his plan to use confidential school
records to "reveal illegal immigrants".

Those that are so vocal and "think" they know what is going on or "not" going on in our schools, School Board and City Council members, parents or community members in general need to "walk" in a teachers shoes for only a day before assuming they know what is or isn't being done to properly educate the children in Manassas City. My daughter is a product of the school system and received an excellent education, and that was BEFORE the federal legislation of No Child Left Behind. MCPS has great teachers who do the best they can with the federal guidelines they have to follow and the funds allocated to them. I can't wait for this "new" School Board to get started, the ones I never heard of until the election. They think the Schools need to be fixed? They are looking at one child, not the entire 22 in the classroom. Walk in a teacher's shoes before you start the critisisms. It is the City's and the School's job to educate ALL children. In order to do that, steps must be taken to put the right people in place and to keep them. That means competitive salaries, good benefits and a strong support system. Legal or not, if the paperwork is presented, the children deserve their education, regardless of their ethnicity. It is the School Divisions responsibility to do that. The City Climate has changed and is going to continue to change. The School climate is going to follow suit, like it or not.