Long delayed, first signing for Scars from the Tornado set for March 29

The long-delayed first signing for my book Scars from the Tornado: One Year at Joplin East Middle School, will be held 12 noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 29, at Vintage Stock on the Mall.

The book, which tells the story of Joplin East Middle School students' experiences with the May 22, 2011, tornado, and their first year in a warehouse school in a far corner of the school district, was published last March, but the first signing was never scheduled when Joplin R-8 Superintendent C. J. Huff and other upper-level administrators claimed first that I had not received permission from the parents of students who contributed to the book and then after I proved that I had, that I had not received permission from administration. (East Middle School Principal Bud Sexson was fully aware of the project and kept informed from the first, even praising the project during a meeting with PTO officers in May 2012. Both PTO officers testified during my hearing about Sexson's praise and comments, while Sexson testified he had never heard of the book until March 2013. I testified about a number of occasions when I had updated Sexson on the book, none of which he seemed to recall.)

A first signing for Scars was finally scheduled for December 1, but was postponed due to inclement weather.

The plan is to have many of the students who contributed to the book, most of whom are now Joplin High School students, attend and sign copies of the book. More information will be provided later.

Sexson to East teachers: I'm not going anywhere; I bought a house

Reinforcing the message he delivered when he called me at home Tuesday morning, East Middle School Principal Bud Sexson, in an e-mail to staff today indicated that when the 2014-2015 school year opens in August, he will still be at the helm.

Sexson, who has been principal at East since 2010, said he not only was not going anywhere, but that he had  just bought a house in the Joplin R-8 School District.

"I have no intention of resigning," Sexson wrote, indicating that his new house was just behind East Middle School and "I intend to walk to work "

Comment: Turner, your "investigative reporting" is petty gossip (and may save Bud Sexson's job)

A reader left this comment on the Turner Report post on the Joplin R-8 Board of Education's upcoming decision on whether to retain East Middle School Principal Bud Sexson.

Do you realize that your premature "scoop" on firing of middle school principal may have actually saved his job?
Yes, you were unfairly fired and treated like a criminal by the school district, and your 1st amendment rights were violated, in my opinion. Who could blame you for wanting to inflict some pain? But your incessant dabbling in investigative reporting - divorce notices, DUIs, unnamed sources galore - is starting to resemble petty gossip. There's more than enough of that flying around Joplin on any given day without you leading the parade. 

C. J. Huff: Turner Report story on Bud Sexson is false

Joplin Superintendent C. J. Huff says the Turner Report post on the job status of East Middle School Principal Bud Sexson  is "completely false." In an e-mail sent to East Middle School personnel this morning, Huff took issue with the post and said he and the Joplin R-8 Board of Education are upset about it.

He never said Bud Sexson will be East Middle School principal on opening day of the 2014-2015 school year.

The e-mail message is printed below:

Attached are a couple of posts by former EMS teacher Randy Turner. The posts indicate that the Board of Education is contemplating termination of Mr. Sexson. 

What you need to know is that the report by Mr. Turner is completely false. The Joplin Schools' Board of Education and I were made aware of the posting regarding Mr. Sexson late last night. They are as appalled by the report as I am.

 Please join us in supporting Mr. Sexson during this difficult time.

Bye, bye, Buddy? R-8 Board to vote this month on removing East Middle School principal

When the Joplin R-8 Board of Education meets a week from Tuesday, it will vote on either firing East Middle School Principal Bud Sexson or accepting his resignation.

The choice was offered to Sexson, who has been principal at East, following a closed-door 5-2 vote last month when the board decided whether to retain principals, sources close to the board told the Turner Report. Sexson reportedly initially indicated he would fight to keep his job, but has not found much support in the system.

The move followed a couple of years of steady complaints concerning Sexson's lax discipline, heavy-handed implementation of standards-based grading, and his brusque manner of dealing with parents, the sources said.

Sexson reportedly came to the Joplin school system after being encouraged to apply for the East Middle School post by former Assistant Superintendent Angie Besendorfer after Besendorfer forced veteran principal Ron Mitchell to resign following the 2009-2010 school year. Mitchell had been the principal at East during its first year, after serving seven years as South Middle School principal.

The whistleblower letter I wrote three weeks before I was removed from the classroom

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• On the day before spring break in March 2013, following months of being leaned on by R-8 Administration about the contents of the Turner Report and shortly after East Middle School Principal Bud Sexson had begun asking questions about my book Scars from the Tornado, Sexson came into my classroom and said HR (Tina Smith) wanted my computer. He gave me no reason. I not only gave him the computer, but about 10 minutes after that, I took him another computer that I had used for school work. I had nothing to hide.
• I had heard enough horror stories about the way the Joplin R-8 School District Administration to know that this was not going to turn out well for me.Since it made no sense to go to Sexson, Assistant Superintendent Angie Besendorfer or Superintendent C. J. Huff with the information I had, I decided, after careful deliberation to send the information I had to a member of the Joplin R-8 Board of Education.
• In this message, dated and sent March 16, 2013, a full 23 days before I was removed from the classroom and escorted out of the building in full view of my students and my fellow teachers. I told my story.

2013 in Review: Joplin R-8 cracked down on Turner Report MSSU coverage

(From June 2013) Joplin R-8 problems with my writing began long before the problems with three of my books that have me facing the imminent loss of my job and my teaching career.

Human Resources Director Tina Smith, the same person who conducted the four-minute interrogation of me April 8, sent word through East Middle School Principal Bud Sexson on March 12, 2012, that administration was unhappy with the Turner Report's coverage of Missouri Southern State University President Bruce Speck and was also unhappy that I had the nerve to refer to myself as a teacher in the Joplin School District.

Sexson also told me that "they," never specifying who he meant by "they," wanted me to stop writing about politicians. "They see that it might cause problems because they are trying to get money from the state for the disaster."