Saturday, April 04, 2015

C. J. Huff text message to students, staff: Like my Facebook post

One day after writing a long Facebook post describing how awesome things are in the Joplin R-8 School District and threatening those who criticize his administration, C. J. Huff sent text messages telling the recipients, including Joplin students and Huff's employees, to read the post, like it, and share it.

"I need you to go out to my Facebook page (Dr CJ Huff) Read my recent post, like it, and share it with your friends. Please encourage them to do the same."

The Turner Report received a half dozen confirmations of the text messages Friday night. The message was the same in each of them. A number of those who sent me screenshots asked that I not use them on the blog because they feared retaliation from Huff.

The text messages come late in a board of education campaign that has seen Huff authorize the use of a February 20 teacher professional development meeting and of his teachers and employees to serve as a backdrop for a video for Board President Anne Sharp's re-election campaign.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like they might be skeered!

Anonymous said...

It was announced yesterday that Anne Sharp, Joplin R-8 Board President, was named an American Red Cross Everyday Hero. Talk about perfect timing right before the Joplin School Board Election, considering other nominees were announced five and six days ago. Sharp’s recent purchase, out of her own budget, of bags for the JHS choirs inspired a JHS student to nominate her.

The fourstateshomepage article quotes Sharp, "You think differently, but now thinking back. Well, maybe I am making an impression. Obviously, I've made an impression on E. So, maybe I've made some impressions on other students that I do care. I want to be in the buildings, I want to take there pictures, want to help them succeed. I want to cheer for them. I want to be there for them. And maybe after all, that is part of what a hero is. Just being a good role model and just being there for kids," It’s understandable that this is Sharp’s campaign platform;it's the only thing related to her 15-year service on the board that she can talk about in a positive light. Her generosity and role as a volunteer in the schools merit recognition for just that and shouldn't be confused with her role as an elected representative and Officer of the Joplin Board of Election.

Sharp would win re-election by a landslide if it had been announced that she was personally donating the funds to provide textbooks for all JHS/FTC students and that the board was reversing their decisions extend the Superintendent’s contract and lease/purchase new student laptops. Now that would be a welcome and newsworthy announcement.

Anonymous said...

9:48
I won't argue that Anne Sharp has done some good things for many, many people. Maybe she does deserve this nomination. What is questionable is truly the timing--five or six days after the rest, and four days before the election. That is a cheap political ploy. It also doesn't mention that many of the good deeds done for E. all through her career were while she was at the Catholic school. That makes no difference as far as the Red Cross award goes, but it does somewhat from the R8 perspective.

I'm with you. Taking pictures is nice. Donations are nice. But it's the business end of this deal that matters, and she has failed miserably in her supervision of the district and refuses to admit it. I still won't vote for her for the BoE, but I will treat her as decently as any other person I know. She simply is in over her head with the issues facing the district. It's a shame to see this award become politicized, but that was obviously their intention.

Anonymous said...

Why does the superintendent have the cell phone numbers of so many students? Isn't that unusual? I think it's wrong for him to use his position of power to influence students and to pressure staff into making him look better. This isn't about the district. This is about CJ Huff. His post is slanted and simply demonstrates once again how desperate he is. There is no low too far to go these days. This is about as low as he can get.

He did this, by the way, because he wasn't getting enough "likes" on his posts, so he pressured students and staff into upping his popularity. Cheap. Unethical. That's our CJ!

Anonymous said...

Let's see. First Sharp has questionable, unethical access to staff addresses, cell phone numbers, and birthdays. No Huff is texting with the kiddies and pressuring staff via his district-owned cell phone. This is disgusting.

Anonymous said...

He is realizing that his lifestyle of new-money spending is in real danger, and this may be the real end.

He has built an unsustainable outgoing income requirement, and he cannot afford to miss a paycheck.

As soon as another community is destroyed by a natural disaster, his story will no longer be novel. It's a shelt-life commodity, this hero business.

Winter is nigh, and the grasshopper can see the leaves changing.

Anonymous said...

HAS THIS MAN NO SHAME? WHY IS HE SO INVOLVED IN THE ELECTION OF HIS "MINIONS"? CAN HE NOT FATHOM HAVING A BOARD THAT CLEARLY QUESTIONS HIM? I CONTINUE TO BE AMAZED!!

Anonymous said...

It is against the law for school officials to text students.

Does the school pay for Dr. Huff's cell phone? School resources can't be used for school board elections, right? Last fall, schools could not use school resources to campaign against Amendment 3.

Anonymous said...

My understanding is that the messages from CJ come in the form of a tweet, not a text message. Those kids who follow him/school district on Twitter are the ones who get the messages. He does not have individual phone numbers. He also notifies students via Twitter when school is cancelled due to weather.

Randy said...

Sorry, but in this case, your understanding is wrong. Students and staff received text messages.

Anonymous said...

It's not right for you to question the timing and motive of the Red Cross and a high school student for nominating Anne Sharp for the Everyday Hero award. That hits below the belt. And where is my comment from a few days ago? Are you censoring again Mr. Turner?

Randy said...

I have had hundreds of comments the past few days, so there is a possibility that one or two slipped through the cracks. The only two I have deliberately deleted were a long attack on C. J. Huff's wife and one that was nothing but one profanity after another.