Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY. APRIL 15. 2004 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 7 A
Letters to
the Editor
continued
Dear Editor:
To those of you who have to see
doctors for elevated blood pressure
and other chronic health problems,
it came to my attention in a very
bad way recently that we are in a
bad need here for general medical
doctors and that we have only a
few good ones left to care for our
health needs in Pickens County. Dr.
Hooker is very good, understanding
physician, who charges less to treat
patients than the average doctor in
the US today. He is very busy, that
stands to logic. We will all miss Dr.
Jackson because he would do his
best to help you if he could. We
also really miss Dr. Darnell, he was
a fine man and doctor who has
helped members of my family and
myself many times. He was a
pleasure to work with for the nurs
es.
It is a sad situation when you
walk into a new doctor’s office and
the few patients that are there are
mad or aggravated — that is when I
should have left, but I didn’t. I went
to see this new MD in our county
because I felt I needed to get med
ications for chronic problems, that
had gotten to the point that I could
not turn my head and my neck was
broken out in shingles. I was hav
ing elevated BP even with the med
ication that I already had, such as
Atenolol for hypertension and
migraine headaches, also Lodine
for arthritis in my neck, hands, feet,
hips, etc. I was out of these medi
cines. I took the time to write this
MD a good history of medications
that helped with these problems
and those that did not, also all aller
gies and other MDs who had diag
nosed and treated me (many were
specialists in their fields) for these
conditions — I was as honest as I
knew how to be -- at which time
this MD did not refill medications
for Atenolol without I had to ask
her twice, did not give me any
Lodine or any other anti-inflamma
tory nor any treatment for the shin
gles — instead she insinuated I was
a drug addict because another
member of my family had been,
then gave me Ambien which I have
taken in the past but are $70 or $80
for 30 tabs. I do not have insurance
and I told her this. She would not
give me any of my regular medica
tions although I told her I had not
seen a doctor in three or four
months.
I am a nurse so I know you
don’t do this. I also know what
drugs are abused and Lodine,
Minocyclin, Atenolol are not
among those medications. It is a
sad day when doctors don’t treat
their patients; it is an even sadder
one when you are mistreated for
telling the absolute truth as I was. I
gave her rather disgruntled recep
tionist back the prescription for
Ambien with two refills and the
Atenolol she finally wrote — I paid
her the $60 for nothing, but two
days later I stopped payment on
that check because I refuse to pay
to be humiliated and mistreated.
Any other person having had
this problem with any new MD in
Jasper, please call me. I will show
you where and how to file a com
plaint. I know there are more of
you because I saw a man asking for
prescriptions that they were short
and hateful with, a woman picking
something up for the Good Samari
tan Center that was made to feel
bad as well as another person who
was trying to pick up a medication
for a family member -- I don’t
advocate doctors who make addicts
out of patients, but I also don’t like
At
South Pickens
Storage
to see what was done to three other
people and myself that day. Doctors
can have complaints filed for not
treating their patients too. I would
have paid her and did until I decid
ed a stand had to be taken in this
case. Even doctors shouldn’t get
paid for services they don’t earn.
Deborah Collins
770-735-7466
Dear Editor:
If you have ever been to Jasper
Elementary School or to the former
Upper Elementary School, you
know who Ms. Jacque is.
Ms. Jacque is the one who is
walking up the halls or down the
sidewalk at bus-time with her arm
around a child.
I have heard that Ms. Jacque
will not be back at Jasper Elemen
tary next year. And that troubles me
very much. One of the reasons is
because she is a special person.
And another reason is because she
knows her job and she does it well.
I know this first hand.
I have had a child in the Pickens
County School System for several
years. And my child was the one
that was always picked on. He was
constantly beat up, thrown into
block walls, even put into the com
mode. I tried everything possible to
stop this. He finally stopped telling
me about this because they would
only bring the other kids into the
office and make them shake hands.
And that was the end of it. Of
course, then he was beat up again at
the first opportunity in the bath
room, on the playground or on the
bus for telling.
When he was in upper elemen
tary school I finally had to do
something. So I went and talked
with Ms. Jacque. And she stopped
it.
There are far more bullies in our
schools than we as parents and
grandparents know about. This is
mainly because they don’t tell us
what goes on. And as I said before,
it happens on the playground, in the
bathroom or on the buses where it
is not as likely to be seen.
I feel very strongly that instead
of losing someone like Ms. Jacque,
we need more just like her in all of
our schools. Someone who will
stand up for and take care of our
kids.
If you feel about this issue like I
do, please contact the school or the
board of education.
Ms. Jacque, we love you and
hope to see you back in the same
place next year.
Mary Fowler
Dear Editor:
I just bet that most people would
have said that Easter Sunday was ...
dreary, let’s say.
Not at my house. Sure the
weather was fit for ducks or some
thing. But, as I sat on my side
porch and waited for the sun to rise,
I suddenly became aware of subtle
changes outside around the house.
First there was the dogwood
tree. As the sun fought to burn
through the overcast, it looked as if
all the petals of the blooms were
slowly turning to look toward the
heavens. The new leaves budding
out on the pecan, maple and chest
nut trees seemed to face upwards
too.
I know, you must think me
crazy! Well, you weren’t there.
Even the grass, heavy with dew
looked to be reaching to the sky; it
was quiet; the birds were still; my
cat looked at me ... then I looked
up. Right there, right then I realized
today was going to be different.
It was, what a wonderful day I
had thinking about what I might
have imagined or whether it really
did happen. Had I seen Mother
Nature in all her beauty thanking
God for this special day?
I think so.
And you know what? I did see
the sun a little later, didn’t you?
Jasper, Pickens County, is this a
great place or what?
Jared Thomas
Dear Editor:
On Monday night, March 29,
2004, Mr. Jim Franklin from the
State Board of Education spoke at
the Jasper Elementary Media Cen
ter to a group that consisted mainly
of teachers, administrators, school
board members and superintend
ents. There were a total of four con
cerned parents in attendance. There
are two statements Mr. Franklin
made that should interest everyone
else who did not attend this meet
ing, especially parents:
1. “Unfortunately, most parents
believe their responsibility ends
when their children get on the
school bus in the morning.” 2. “I
want you (teachers, administrators,
etc.) to know I support you, I repre
sent you, Em your voice.” Excuse
me? I was under the mistaken
impression that the school system
worked for me, since I do support
them through my taxes that pay for
salaries, including Mr. Franklin’s. It
was a real eye opening experience
to realize that the prevailing philos
ophy to blame parents every time
and absolving schools of any
responsibility exists from the high
echelons of our state legislature —
not just from our own county lead
ers.
Every single parent in Georgia
who has a child in the public school
system needs to know that our
elected officials are at work to
strengthen the “Truancy Law” that
will affect all families when it
comes to school attendance. Every
parent who has ever been faced
with court action in this state
should contact his or her state rep
resentative now. If you care at all
about the future of your child and
the impact this new law will have
on you as a parent, you need to act
now. Following is a paper I submit
ted to Mr. Franklin:
State Board of Education
Jasper Elementary Media Center
March 29, 2004
The state board of education in
Georgia has specific rules and regu
lations that govern the way local
school districts are to conduct
themselves in both regular and spe
cial education. These policies seem
feasible and logical, but some local
systems, like Pickens, have twisted
them to create harassment and
intimidation tactics towards the
very families they are supposed to
serve in this county.
The present philosophy in our
school system (from the central
office to the cold and callous judi
cial court system) is to “blame the
parents.” While this adverse philos
ophy may be justified in some
cases, it should never have grown
to its current toxic levels. This
“blame the parents” classification
has been stated in school meetings
both public and private and contin
ues to widen the gulf between fami
lies and schools. Little or no effort
is made to help lesson this chasm,
which is a grave discredit to this
community.
One result of this deplorable
attitude is a lack of productive, pos
itive interactions and solutions
between the schools and families. I
can personally testify that loose
guidelines, protocols and due
processes, which are in place to
protect the children in this county,
led us to be reported to DFACS
with no warning. Our family was
put under the DFACS microscope
several years ago when the admin
istrator of the elementary school
my son attended determined, with
out notification, that we were being
medically neglectful. My son has
Down Syndrome and has a life
long medical and well-documented
case of severe reflux disease. Our
family was unduly humiliated and
defamed because the teacher,
administrator and school social
worker failed to communicate to us
that they perceived a problem. It
seemed easier for the administra
tion to toss the problem into the lap
of DFACS than to solve the crisis
face to face. Despite the case being
thrown out on its ear, we never
received an apology from anyone at
that school. Imagine that.
Other families are being routine
ly referred to the court system, a
practice that continues unabated
because the “justice” system knows
it can run amuck with the state’s
blessing and lack of interference.
Campus security (police) fail to fol
low proper procedures (like reading
Miranda rights), schools fail to
notify parents when assaults occur
on school campuses and when
felonies are committed by school
personnel. Yet our children and par
ents are constantly treated like
criminals. This does not help
endear parents to the schools.
Does it upset anyone to know
that elementary school children are
threatened with juvenile detention?
Or that families of medically frag
ile children are receiving threaten
ing letters stating they will be
reported to the “Attendance Sup
port Team” (court) if their child is
absent one more time, despite the
fact the parents have doctor’s
excuses?
Does it bother anyone that
countless families are being torn
apart because their children are
brought before the judge on
trumped up “charges” that have
absolutely nothing to do with build
ing confidence and self-worth and
everything to do with power and
control? Does anyone care that
community volunteers see school
children crying in the halls every
day for what should be minor
infractions? In an age when we are
supposed to be more aware of self
esteem and character building, we
do just the opposite.
These are not isolated incidents.
This tyranny happens all to fre
quently and it is getting worse. Par
ents are afraid to come forward for
fear of retribution. Special educa
tion parents believe they have no
voice. Parent advisory committees
favor school policy. In truth, par
ents have no advocate, no rights.
What will the State do to help if
parents step forward? Can parents
count on the State to do the right
thing? Concerned citizens can’t get
answers because there is an under
current of “see, hear, speak no evil”
amongst teachers, administrators
and staff to keep the truth from
being revealed to the public. They
believe, erroneously, they are pro
tecting their jobs and “The Sys
tem,” the very system that is
destroying lives. In fact, the truth
will come out as the foundation of
deceit continues to crumble.
It is way past time for the State
to take notice and action, now. Has
the State put unreasonable parame
ters upon schools to make up for
being last in the nation? Are we
now seeing the results of an entire
bureaucracy in crisis? How many
more families must suffer needless
ly under what have become
Gestapo tactics (children yanked
from family units, parents thrown
in jail)? How many more children
must be hurt and abused by a sys
tem that only cares about numbers
and scores? How many more chil
dren and families must be torn
apart? It’s bad enough that regular
education children must endure
system arrogance let alone those in
special education who can’t even
voice the injustices perpetuated
upon them. It’s time for a change.
Respectfully submitted,
Wendy Roberts
Jasper, Ga.
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Have those car seats checked to see if they
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Free Smoke Detector
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1370 Canton Rd. (old highway 5)
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706-692-6427
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