Mt. ScottThere is way more than this going on at this School. Someone needs to investigate further...—anonymous

 

Will The Real Rogue Please Stand UpWow, never known you to go after the underdog with such vehemence Mr. Rogue!And with so little regard for getting the facts straight before slapping together a story. Even got the name of the school wrong and also labeled them incorrectly as a charterschool (the most basic of facts) when in fact they are a non-profit alternative school contracted by PPS to provide services to those kids who have shown a failure to thrive in the public system (the kids that are being left behind, in other words). But that's what happens when you get all your information from a disgruntled ex-employee who has made more than one attempt to discredit the school since she was terminated. Her asbestos "angle" was refused as story by all other mediums that reviewed it for viability, including print, radio and TV investigators. Why? Because after reviewing the final reports issued by OSHA and the EPA which levied no fines or judgments against the school, even after taking into account Mr. McCrann's initial scolding (even though he admittedly did not perceive that the school was purposefully hiding any details about the removal, which is supported by the extensive documentation kept by the school throughout the ENTIRE process), and after extensive interviews with school staff, they found there was no story. Oh and by the way, the school also hosted an open forum meeting with parents and community where they discussed the entire timeline of events, all interactions with OSHA and EPA, and every aspect of removal and disposal including Mr. McCrann's initial letter of concern. In your neglect to mention this you make it sound again as though school staff were trying to hide something and did not make information readily available - completely untrue. Instead, you unfortunately got snowed by the rogue herself and inadvertently went after the underdog. And in doing so you have attacked a school that works diligently to keep the impoverished children of outer SE Portland safe while in and out of school. If reputable people like you can be taken in by self-serving manipulators such as Iacuzzi (couldn't you of all people see through her?), then these highly vulnerable kids are really going to get the wrong impression of who to trust. —Avid but Disillusioned WW Reader

 

Disappointed by lack of investigation on the Mt. Scott Middle School article.I want to start by saying that I am a regular reader of Willamette Week and have always felt that its writers did a good job of accurately reporting news. I am very disappointed by this article. I know some members of the staff at the school to which your article refers. The fact that you did not get the school's name correct is just the beginning of the incorrect, and inaccurate information this article provides. The number of bags of material and the method by which they were removed are not accurate. The tiles were removed prior to the beginning of the school year and the school staff made every effort to properly remove and dispose of them, while school was out of session. Your source of information is a disgruntled former employee with an axe to grind. Thanks to your lack of verification of facts, she has received recognition that is wholly undeserved, at the expense of the school. By the way, this is not a charter school. It is a struggling, grossly underfunded public school that provides education to children who have somehow slipped through the cracks of the traditional public school system. Their accomplishments are already underappreciated and undervalued. Your publicity has provided a healthy kick to the underdog.—Jo

 

Mount Scott Middle Schooli think its a good school —caitlin devita

 

Dear Readers,

It is interesting that the people above did not sign thier name. This fact is simply because they are cowards. These people who are teachers should lose thier teaching liscense. Only a part of the stoy was told about Mount Scott Middle School. I wanted the Williamette Week do do a full investigated story. It is unfortunate that they did not. Thier were many injustices that were done to these students. Not only were they put into a hazardous environment but these teachers and principal discriminated against students. I called the Department of Education and asked for intervention back in 2004. I will be writing stories in the near future about the schol to expose inappropiate educational policies towards these students. Lets say that Mount Scott counted on these students not advocating for themselves.

Lisa Iacuzzi