A news release from R-8 Administration ran with the byline "From Staff Reports" in the Sunday Joplin Globe mentions nothing of Joplin High School/Franklin Technical Center failing an inspection. It even says that administration officials decided to delay moving items into the new school.
After reports from KOAM, the Turner Report, plus a letter that went out to potential volunteers from College Heights Christian Church, Huff even went to KZRG to refute the notion that the new building had failed the test because he never expected it to pass.
The actual inspection notice, included with this post, clearly has the building inspector giving the new Joplin High School a failing score and listing 10 items that did not make the grade. After those 10 items, is an ominous "Etc.," which would indicate that more items could have been placed on the list.
Huff may have expected to fail the test, which if the building had passed would have enabled the district to have temporary occupancy, but plans for volunteers to begin moving things were well under way and did not change until after this inspection.
This is shameful. Not that the building has issues to fix, because that is part of construction and the inspector is only doing his job. No, what is shameful is that the superintendent of schools and the president of the board would both overlook these infractions and gamble with their education hoping the building will be ready in time. That CJ lied to the boad and to the public doesn't seem to cause her any problem at all. The only thing that matters to her, and to CJ, and one would assume other members of the board, is opening on the 25th so CJ can once again have proclaimed that "school will start on time." I call BS!! You are gambling with my child's safety and education.
ReplyDeletePlease, four members of the board, or the State of Missouri, come in here and stop these fools before more people are hurt like we had in our other new schools. They are blinded by pride and deaf to reason. We must have some help here. We would rather our children started later or in their old campuses while this one is being finished. We should have some say in this situation, but obviously, we don't. Shame on you, Anne Sharp. Shame on you.
Lies, lies, lies. That is all we get from CJ Huff, but he is still the man in charge. Pathetic.
ReplyDeleteFirst it was just two little things, he says, not really a problem. But, we have known for some time that there were more. Far more. And here is the evidence that CJ Huff has lied to the public and to the Board. Again.
ReplyDeleteHe would risk staff and students to make his little glory moment. He did at East, Irving, and Soaring Heights. Sick, sad, screwed up mess.
This situation is just unreal. The super lies over and over again and the Board just accepts it. I am seriously wondering how to get in contact with the people organizing the recall election. I want to help.
ReplyDeleteCan't somebody stop these people? It is obvious we can't trust our children to CJ and a few of the board members. There has to be a way. Class action suit? We need help from higher authorities. Can't trust our local leadership at all.
ReplyDeleteDo the six people in town still supporting CJ get embarrassed when his lies are exposed? They probably still believe the earth is flat and the universe revolves around it, too.
ReplyDeleteSeems like the inspector is all for the children more than Hurry It Up Huff.
ReplyDeleteSome of the items listed o the inspection report.
"All egress pathways shall be completed and free of construction material- Hard surface (ADA compliant) shall be installed to public access."
"All Central wiring for fire safety shall be complete."
So if the building needed to be evacuated, it would be good to have a complete and functioning alarm system. It would also be good for the emergency exit paths (put there for the children and the staff) to be complete and not blocked with construction materials.
So this is not so much an inspection failure as the reasonable prevention of a possible tragedy.
Ask yourself: If it was up to Hurry It Up Huff would this building be occupied in spite of the obvious life safety issues the inspector has pointed out?
The Board members who've been on a while must just be too embarrassed to admit they are wrong about Huff. So they will let people get hurt while they hang on to his coat tail. Or, they are as guilty as crimes as he is and they are sticking together until the bitter end. Nice work, Sharp, Steele, Landis, and Sticklen. Sticklen hasn't been on that long, for that matter, but since she doesn't even think the school is good enough for her own kid, she should get yanked off that board if she doesn't have the decency to resign. And she doesn't. She gets too big a bang out of trying to look cute at the board meetings wearing the construction hat and being otherwise useless. They are sickening, as a group.
ReplyDeleteIt's like a three ring circus in R 8. You have one ring with the screwed up building opening and the delayed start of school in one, destroyed academics in another, wiped out accounts in one. Shoot. We need more rings. One for demoralized and/or injured staff, one for law suits... the list is endless. The Ugliest Show on Earth right here! CJ Huff as ringmaster. The board as the clowns.
ReplyDeleteRetired construction super says:
ReplyDelete4:22 PM has presented a very poignant question (Ask yourself: If it was up to Hurry It Up Huff would this building be occupied in spite of the obvious life safety issues the inspector has pointed out?) that I believe we all know the answer based on Dr. Huff being caught in a lie about the TCO inspection last Friday.
Its all a joke!!! Private school sounds better!
ReplyDeleteSeriously. Get a life people. None of these are life threatening. Mr Huff is not a contractor and could no way no these violations were there. Almost every large building fails inspection on first attempt. No contractor is perfect. It's sad that all Randy has time to do is suck off the system while he tries to avenge himself. I was a Randy supporter a year ago but seriously Randy get over it. You act like a scorned ex wife.
ReplyDelete5:40
ReplyDeleteApparently, you need to get your facts straight, not the rest of us. This was not the first inspection. It was supposed to be the last, hence the plans to open the building. The first inspection was a month ago with 26 violations. In a month they fixed only a very few of the issues. CJ Huff knew about every one of them, but continues to perpetuate the myth that the school will open on time, because he knows under informed people such as yourself will take the bait. There are now some very serious violations. If you are so sure it is fine, please, send your child without hardhat and safety equipment to roam around. Until you know what you're talking about, please just be quiet. You have made a fool of yourself.
5:40-Since this is not the first newly constructed building we've had to have inspected...he should have known what to expect. And since my son will unfortunately be in that building...I'd prefer it was safe in every way possible. The construction should not be rushed to make him look good for getting our kids in there to start the school year....late...not even on time. They could have moved after the first semester and done the job right.
ReplyDeleteI have heard rumors that there is no way the kitchen will be ready in time for school to start and that the students will be fed sandwiches until such time the kitchen will be ready. This from someone who has a family member on the kitchen staff. Wonder if there's truth to it?
ReplyDeleteAlso...why lie about it? Just tell the truth. People look so stupid when they get caught in a lie...especially when it would hurt no one (except maybe CJ's pride) to tell the truth.
ReplyDeleteNo matter how much you may detest CJ Huff, the bottom line is, all the messes going on in this school district land on the shoulders of the school board. They have given him everything blindly and will continue to do so until enough parents and patrons convince them otherwise. Or they get arrested with CJ. Either works for me at the moment.
ReplyDeleteResponse to anon at 5:40pm
ReplyDeleteSeriously. You think most of the commenters aren't serious? Or is that just a big word to make yourself feel better at the start of your hissy fit?
Get a life people. None of these are life threatening. Maybe not by themselves, but there are reasons building codes require egress pathways and fire alarms. Dead bodies (when it is a code in a school it is dead children) where fire alarms and safe means of egress weren't present when they were needed are why the codes were enacted.
Mr Huff is not a contractor and could no way no these violations were there. Someone must have told him the building wasn't completed. The building isn't completed, that is why it failed. Either Huff didn't know this or maybe he pressed for a hurry up inspection anyway. You know, so all the volunteers could get in and fill the binders and wrap the ribbons or whatever they had to do to open the showcase school on time.
Almost every large building fails inspection on first attempt. This wasn't the first attempt, and maybe there would have been fewer items if this wasn't a rush job behind schedule. Old saying: "Good, Fast, Cheap. Pick one or two." So over budget, behind schedule, so much for quality according to this old saying.
No contractor is perfect. Not many contractors probably want a client like R-8 and Hurry It Up Huff.
It's sad that all Randy has time to do is suck off the system while he tries to avenge himself. Lol.
I was a Randy supporter a year ago Sure you were.
but seriously Randy get over it. Over what? The fact that things turned out like he predicted? Again? That once again it is just like he said? The building did fail inspection, and he posted the report for everyone to see?
You act like a scorned ex wife. A misogynistic insult from an anonymous critic. Wonder if you're the same anonymous someone else advised to "quit licking the peach..."
Of course this happens! Anyone who thought Huff was honest when he said the school didn't fail, should probably be in school to learn fiction from nonfiction.
ReplyDeleteAnd about going into that school, I'll be one of the many students walking into that school in about two weeks, in dread, not because school is back in session, but because we are scared that the school will be coming down on us.
Honestly, holding off school only hurts the students and teachers. If it is sooo important to have high school students start in that building, fine, but let the Elementary and Middle school students go back. When that new building is safe, let the high schoolers go back, make up for the hours Huff has us wasting for the school to be done instead of using the buildings we have now that are somewhat safe. Groups that need to practice, such as sports teams, band, show choir, orchestra and theatre, let them meet at the 9-10 campus, or after the school day at one of the middle schools?
Using holidays that we'd normally have off to make up the time that we loose by an unfinished school is better than going into an unfinished school and endangering students. There are alternatives, and should be looked at instead of disregarding safety so students can get an "education".
I have been the foreman/supervisor for several fire alarm installs on large buildings, including ones in this area as well as dozens of schools in California.
ReplyDeleteIt is NOT normal for a building to fail a final inspection due to incomplete central wiring structure. In fact, the full system inspection should have already been complete considering the school was slated to accept occupancy next week.
Technically, furniture shouldn't have even been moved in until the F/A tested ok. I imagine the city inspector and/or fire marshall have been pressured to let it slide this long.
Of course, it's possible the system WAS complete and functional until the electrical had to be torn out a couple weeks ago because the wrong wire was used (according to what I've been told).