Video- East Middle School tornado shelter locked when residents arrived

A report from KOAM's Cailey Dougherty KOAM TV 7

C. J. Huff to Wisconsin educators: I didn't ask my school board for permission; I just did it

The 2009 death of an 11-year-old Joplin boy during a "drinking contest" started by his aunt and uncle was featured prominently during a speech at the January 24 Wisconsin State Education Conference in Madison.

Though the speaker did not mention the child by name, he told the story of a child who was saddled with problems the moment he was born. 

"There are some kids," he said, introducing the story, "we must get away from their mothers at birth and dads."

The speaker, C. J. Huff, said during his first year as superintendent of the Joplin R-8 School District, "I had a third grade boy, great kid. His mom and dad were absent. I think His dad was in jail; his mom was always out partying. He was left in the care of his 'in quotes' aunt and uncle. That night, the aunt challenged him to a drinking contest. Jack Daniels."

Breaking into tears, Huff said, "He died in his sleep that night. It made headline in the paper, front page stuff. The aunt and uncle were convicted. Good kid, he was raising his brother and sister. He made a mistake, a fatal mistake."

Huff indicated that the story of the boy's death and the drinking game did not make much of a splash in Joplin. It was not even on the front page of the newspaper, he said. "Our community, even though it was in the paper one time did not know that story."

Huff said he felt he had to tell these kinds of stories to let people know what he and the people in the Joplin school district have to deal with every day.

If the boy had survived the drinking contest, Huff said, "if he had not died in his sleep, he would have been taking the state assessment test with a hangover."

Huff told the Wisconsin educators they had to tell the politicians the truth about what is happening with children.

During his one hour speech, Huff told the story of the May 22, 2011, Joplin Tornado, and how he was proud of "the team I have and my school board. I will take credit for hiring some great people," he added.

Huff also recounted the story of his promise, made two days after the tornado, that school would start on time in the Joplin R-8 School District. "I didn't ask my school board for permission," he said. "I just did it."

He then talked about the work that was done to arrange temporary schools for those whose buildings were destroyed by the tornado.

After opening his presentation with stories about the tornado, Huff talked about the difference Bright Futures has made in the Joplin Schools and how much the graduation rate has gone up since he arrived in 2008.

He ended the speech, saying that though he had once considered the first day of the 2011-2012 school year to be his greatest day as an educator, it had been replaced by one he had just lived through one week earlier- the opening of the new East Middle School, Irving Elementary School, and Soaring Heights Elementary School.

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.

Copies of C. J. Huff and the Assassination of a Teacher's Character available for 99 cents beginning Monday

On May 23, 2013, during a 10-hour hearing at the Joplin R-8 School District Administration Building at 32nd and Duquesne, five members of the C. J. Huff Administration, including Huff, not only sought to strip me of my teaching job at East Middle School, but also conspired to make sure I would never teach anywhere again and to send a message that this is what will happen to anyone in the school district who crosses them.

The e-book, C. J. Huff and the Assassination of a Teacher's Character, is a copy of the transcript of that hearing. (It has my name on the cover only because Amazon Kindle requires it.)

For one week, beginning Monday, the e-book will be available for 99 cents.

For those who want clear evidence not only of the lengths that the Huff Administration is willing to go to in order to get what it wants, or who want clear evidence why is time for the two incumbents who are running for re-election to the R-8 Board of Education, this book provides clear evidence.

Last week, I posted a copy of the letter I wrote to a board member detailing the problems that were taking place at East Middle School and in the Joplin School District. Despite possessing this information (or perhaps partially because of it) I was still voted out 7-0. Board President Jeff Flowers, despite knowing that the insinuations HR Director Tina Smith, Huff, and other Administration witnesses were making about me were not true, simply ignores my attorney's objections, time after time, while not one of the other board members said a word, even though it was clear that the witnesses were making insinuations about me that were not even hinted at in the charges. (One thing the book will not show is that the charges that were offered against me at the hearing were almost completely different from the ones that were originally made against me because I had successfully refuted those charges in Turner Report posts.)

The main thing that those who attended the hearing or who have read the transcript realized is that Administration's allegation that I had asked students to download and discuss my novel, No Child Left Alive, for a classroom assignment was dropped in favor of me "dangling" the book in front of students by offering it as a free download (despite the fact that they not only were never able to find any students who said they were assigned to download and read the book; they could not even find any students who had read the book or even heard of it.

The reason this transcript is so important is that it is the only instance I know of where the lengths the Huff Administration is willing to go to has been captured in sworn testimony. More stories about the people Huff and his administrators have bullied and the continuing intimidation of teachers and staff are starting to come forward.

This transcript shows just how complicit the Joplin R-8 Board of Education has been in the reign of terror C. J. Huff and his administrative team  has inflicted on our schools for the past six years.

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

• 
  
• 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.

Things I've Been Thinking About, January 8

A few things I have been thinking about:

A Republican bloodbath in Missouri?- Last year, we saw some key votes in the state legislature that came down to Republicans making sensible decisions and making bi-partisan votes. Don't expect to see that happen much this year. CHIPS is coming to Missouri and I am not talking about the California Highway Patrol motorcycle cops. These are the guys who guided the Kansas GOP on a shift to the right by mounting primary challenges, almost all successful, to Republicans who were not as far to the right as they. It should be another nutty year in Jefferson City.

Turner Report Ramping Up Political Coverage- I plan on adding even more political coverage of the state legislature and other branches of state government than I have had in the past, including videos, news releases, investigative reporting, and commentary. Be sure to check in every day and hopefully, I can help everyone keep things straight. It should be a fascinating session.

Speaking of Political Coverage- I plan to be out and about a lot more as we get closer to the primary election. I hope to attend political events around the area, adding photos, videos, news stories, and commentary. I may even go back to Carthage and bring back the old Garrison Avenue poll. I plan to make the Turner Report, Inside Joplin, and the rest of these blogs the place to be for political coverage in 2014.

Last 12 hours for Small Town News Sale- My first novel, Small Town News, originally published in 2005, is still on sale, in E-book format for another 12 hours from Amazon Kindle.

Will Tomorrow Be the Day?- Barring a barrage of bad weather tonight, it looks like the three new Joplin R-8 schools will open tomorrow morning. It should be exciting times for those attending East Middle School, Irving Elementary School, and Soaring Costs.Elementary School.

Message to Donors Choose: Thanks for your help, but it doesn't fit in with Joplin's 21st Century schools

Dear Donors Choose,

I really don't know how to go about writing a thank-you letter to people who extended my fellow teachers and me a lifeline at a time when we needed it most.

Donors Choose, of course, is not just one person, but it allows teachers to post projects and then those projects are funded by people who choose them from all of the projects that are listed on your website.

It was something we needed after the May 22, 2011, Joplin Tornado destroyed our schools and classrooms that our teachers had invested years into making into safe, comfortable learning environments.

Not many Joplin teachers were aware of Donors Choose. That's where one of the true heroes of the Joplin Tornado recovery process stepped in. Debby Guardino did not stand in front of a bank of television cameras, shed tears, and offer platitudes.

She did not even have to get involved. Debby is a classroom teacher, not in Joplin, Missouri, but in Chesapeake, Virginia. When she first heard of the Joplin Tornado, she did not even know anyone in Joplin, as far as I can tell. All she knew was that the teachers and students in Joplin needed help and she knew just the way to do it.

Debby called Joplin R-8 Administration and let them know that she could help the teachers navigate their way through Donors Choose to help replace the items that were lost in the tornado and perhaps obtain new items that would help make their classes more productive when the 2011-2012 school year began or shortly thereafter.

Debby did not have to do that. Nor did she have to fly to Joplin and personally help teachers learn how to submit Donors Choose requests.

That's what heroes do.

Debby Guardino and Donors Choose played a big role in helping Joplin's teachers and students recover from the tornado. More than half a million dollars' worth of projects were funded, many of them for small amounts, at least when it comes to school officials' way of thinking- just a few hundred dollars or maybe a couple of thousand.

The requests were submitted for items of furniture, lamps, shelving, books and some small technology items for projects, posters, everything that makes a school a school.

It was a wonderful opportunity, not just for teachers and students, who were having to turn warehouses and mall stores into schools, but also for people across the United States who wanted to do something, anything, to help the people of Joplin who had just lost one-third of their city and 161 lives to the worst tornado to hit the United States in six decades.

I was not one of the teachers who took advantage of the opportunity that you provided. I had been fortunate and most of the items from my East Middle School classroom were untouched by the storm and most of my decorations were always samples of my students' writing, but I appreciated what you did for my colleagues.

I taught next door to a teacher who was able to turn a warehouse classroom into a semblance of a school through some lamps and furniture so generously provided by donors who gave through your organization.

I saw other teachers use Donors Choose to replace items lost in the tornado, but most of them used their requests to build on to what they had been doing, to do the things they wanted to do to make the classroom experience a memorable one for the students they have dedicated their lives to serving.

Thank you, Donors Choose, for providing an incredible service.

Please don't take what I am going to write next as any reflection of how I feel or how the teachers in the Joplin R-8 School District feel about everything you have made possible. My former colleagues who are moving into brand new, state-of-the-art buildings, specifically designed for 21st Century learning are going to be leaving their Donors Choose gifts behind.

It is not that they wanted to. Teachers do not make much money and they understand that many of your donors who gave money are not rich people, just people who wanted to make a difference. And they certainly did. My former colleagues did not realize, however, that these gifts came with an expiration date.

Joplin R-8 Administration let the teachers know as they prepared to move into their new buildings that the Donors Choose gifts would not fit in. I don't know if it was because they were already two years old and the administrators did not want old items in their sparkling buildings or if the items, chosen specifically by the teachers to meet their specifications, clashed with the 21st Century visions of the top administrators.

Some teachers packed their Donors Choose items and had them sent to the new schools...and the items were sent back.

Don't worry. Your items are not going to be thrown away. My understanding is that they will be sent to other schools in the Joplin R-8 School District, schools that were not hit by the tornado, schools that are not being used as showplaces by administrators and therefore, the items won't stand out when the local and national media are publicizing school buildings that are like none that have been created in the history of K-12 education.

Of course, the teachers who are the recipients of those items will not have the same sentimental attachment to them. These teachers think, and understandably so, that they are being given me hand-me-downs.

Items that are good enough for warehouse schools and mall schools do not fit in at the new East Middle School, Soaring Heights Elementary School, and Irving Elementary School.

Please do not take the actions of these upper-level administrators as evidence that Joplin teachers do not appreciate the wonderful service that you provide and the generosity of all of those who gave their money to help them and their students.

If it were up to them, Donors Choose items would be featured just as prominently in the new buildings. Education is not just grabbing for the latest shiny bauble that comes along. Education should always include a reverence for the past and an appreciation for those who stepped forward and offered a helping hand.

Even if the administrators have put your contributions behind and consigned them to their older schools, the teachers will never forget what you have done.

My apologies for making this letter so long.

Sincerely yours,

Randy Turner

How the Joplin School Board race will play out

Some predictions for the Joplin R-8 Board of Education race:

-At some point, a forum for all of the candidates will be held, sponsored by the business community. The questions will be tightly managed to steer away from any controversial issues, except Common Core Standards. The rules, in what is claimed to be the only way to be fair to all of the candidates, will not allow any questions that cannot be asked of all candidates, which effectively prevents any digging into the heart of the various problems that face the school district. It also allows incumbents and those who have aligned themselves with the incumbents to have a clear advantage.

-At least one group that is not aligned with business and that group may not exist at this point, will try to hold a forum in which these issues will be addressed. The incumbents will not take part in this forum and it is unlikely that those who are aligned with them will be in it either. It will also will receive little, if any, coverage in the Joplin Globe.

Things I'm Thinking About, January 1

-Viewing for New Joplin Schools- I read where the viewing for the new East Middle School, Soaring Heights Elementary School, and Irving Elementary School is set for Sunday, January 12. Can anyone tell me when the visitation and services will be held.

-An Apology to Anson Burlingame- Earlier this evening, I called Anson Burlingame an idiot. I should have simply printed what he wrote and let Turner Report readers come to that decision for themselves. Same result, but I should have handled it better.

 -It's Not the Same- I stopped by Books-A-Million this afternoon and, as usual, it made me miss Hastings. It has been nearly two years since Hastings closed, and while I am glad Books-A-Million is still in Joplin (even though it has never carried any of my books) and I enjoy visiting Vintage Stock on the Mall (which does carry them), it's just not the same not having Hastings in Joplin any more. Thankfully, we do still have some locally-owned book stores in Joplin, which is the subject of the next paragraph.

-Update on My Books- Speaking of my books, a reminder that Let Teachers Teach is now available at Always Buying Books and Changing Hands Book Shoppe in Joplin for $10. For those who have asked if I am going to have a book version of The Devil's on Facebook, in addition to the e-book, which is available now on Amazon Kindle, the paperback will be available in July or August. And thanks for asking.

-2014 Plans for the Turner Report and Inside Joplin- I plan on writing a post tomorrow detailing what I plan to do in 2014 with the Turner Report, Inside Joplin, and my other blogs.

Globe Editorial: We support all of C. J. Huff and Mark Rohr's decisions

At some point during the past few years, the men and women who make up the Joplin Globe's Editorial Board decided to shed their coats, ties, and pantsuits, and exchanged them for cheerleader uniforms and pom-pons.

Whatever the chief administrators for the city of Joplin and the Joplin R-8 School District decide to do is the approach that is right, no matter what the consequences.

The Globe has every right to express that opinion on its editorial pages; that is what the First Amendment is all about.

But when you use your news pages to back up your editorial page views, you are doing a disservice to your readers and to the truth.

Joplin teachers told to lie about cost of new buildings

As the walls continue to fall around the Joplin R-8 Administration, the next problem C. J. Huff and company have to deal with is a public backlash over the cost of the buildings that are scheduled to open in five days.

No expense has been spared in the construction of East Middle School, Soaring Heights Elementary School, and Irving Elementary School, and administration officials are preparing for the questions.

The media is not going to be a big problem. As can be noted from the article in this morning's Joplin Globe, publicity will be centered around the opening of the schools with, of course, the reminder that the original schools were destroyed in the May 22, 2011, tornado.

While C. J. Huff appears to have local media well in hand, the public is a different matter, and often when the public wants to know what is going on in the schools, it asks the people with whom it has direct contact- the teachers.

So the teachers have been told to lie.

Sources at the schools have told the Turner Report that they have been told to lie if parents ask questions about the cost of some of the frills that the buildings have, including the eye-catching graphics.

The word "lie" was never used; the teachers were provided with information that was not true.

Simply telling the parents that they did not know how much these items cost was not a workable plan, officials apparently decided, since this would almost be an admission that money was wasted, so teachers were told to tell parents that the expensive items "did not cost much."

Of course, that might not be a lie, depending on your definition of what "expensive" is.

The Turner Report has been told by an administration source that the cost of graphics and "special touches" for the new buildings is well into seven figures.

Even worse for students, the rush to get the buildings ready for next Monday that is described in this morning's Globe will be a problem as far as their education is concerned. Contractors have confided that it should be a matter of weeks, perhaps a month or two, and not five days before these buildings are opened.

The buildings not only are not going to be finished by Monday, but there are reportedly safety concerns that have not been addressed, not the kind that will cause problems during a regular school day, but ones that could create serious problems if something out of the ordinary happens.

Some areas of at least one school do not have a safe place for children to go in the case of a lockdown, the Turner Report was told.

2013 in Review- Federal report: East Middle School received only "minor damage" in tornado

(From November 2013)

For the past two and a half years, students and staff at East Middle School have made the best of education in a glorified warehouse, often arriving at the building only to be greeted by the aroma from the neighboring dog food factory.

Their concerts, plays, and athletic contests are held at other buildings and for their assemblies they meet in the commons area and sit on the floor.

 In less than seven weeks, the warehouse will no longer serve as a home away from home for East students, some of whom have been there since the day it first opened in August 2011. (Note: The accompanying FEMA photo was taken at ceremonies opening the warehouse East Middle School.)

2013 in Review: Huff, Besendorfer recommend German company receive single bidder contract for East Middle School furniture

(From September 26, 2013)

When Joplin R-8 administrators, seeking to furnish new buildings, allowed furniture companies to foot the bill for trips to their headquarters last year, it seemed to be a breach of ethics, to say the least.

The most controversial of those trips was one to the parent headquarters in Germany of V/S, a company which has its American headquarters in Charlotte, N. C.

Things I'm Thinking About, Monday, December 30

A few brief items and thoughts-

-No More Fox Sports Radio in Joplin- When 1450 AM suddenly junked its programming and began playing Christmas music 24 hours a day a few weeks back, I figured the days of the station being a Fox Sports affiliate were numbered. When I tuned in to the station today it was something called "The Dove" and was playing all gospel music. I enjoyed the Fox Sports programming on occasion, though I never did understand why anyone would think that the Texas Rangers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and University of Oklahoma would draw huge audiences. Those interested in Fox Sports Radio can catch it on KSEK-AM, 1340 from Pittsburg.

-Problems With East Middle School and Soaring Heights- The story I am hearing from the Joplin R-8 School District is that there are already problems with the new East Middle School and Soaring Heights Elementary School. Teachers did not receive keys to get into the building when they were supposed to (and they are scheduled to move in next week), construction is not done, and leaks have developed.

-Ronny Justin Myers in Illinois Prison- The man at the center of what should have been the scandal story of the year (except the Joplin Globe and other area media ignored it) will be spending the next 17 years at a Pekin, Illinois, prison. Ronny Justin Myers, who was pulling down $67,000 a year from the Joplin R-8 School District for his job in the technology department, has settled into the medium security prison. Myers, if you remember, is the one who was arrested when he showed up at Northpark Mall to have sex with an underage girl was was greeted by the police. He later admitted that he had pornographic photos on his laptop of 10 Joplin High School students, information that was never told to parents, students, or the Board of Education, leaving questions unanswered about whether anyone should still be concerned about student and teacher privacy.

First Copies of Let Teachers Teach Arrive- The UPS truck arrived Friday with the first shipment of copies of my book of education essays Let Teachers Teach. I am not planning on having any official signing for the book until February or March and I only ordered a few copies, but I am planning on leaving some at Always Buying Books and Changing Hands Book  Shoppe in Joplin.

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."