Maybe it’s a blessing that schools are returning to virtual!

The facts are these: high school-age kids in two vehicles, one of them stolen and used in an armed robbery, rendezvous in a fast food parking lot not far from East high school. They show off their firearms. Citizen reports incident to police. Officer pursues one of the vehicles but gives up chase after his quarry jumps the curb and escapes down a bicycle path. A bicycle path! Mind you, this is on October 28, a warm and beautiful autumn day.

Police obtain surveillance video from the sandwich shop that very day. Send images to the Madison WI Metropolitan School District’s co-director of school safety, Gina Aguglia. No reply. The next day, a Friday, police try again, are put on hold, then cut off. That next Monday, three days later, Aguglia promises to share the images with staff at East high school and would get back to police on November 4. Never did.

We pity the school district’s spokesperson, Tim LeMonds, who we have found to be prompt and forthcoming. But he is forced to defend the indefensible. LeMonds told WI State Journal reporter Christ Rickert that “It was [Aguglia’s] determination after reviewing them further, the poor quality of the images would not allow for any definitive identification.” That’s one person’s opinion. How about showing the evidence to others, as promised? Maybe the home room teacher or someone else might have had success.

LeMonds told the State Journal that teachers are not discouraged from contacting police. Scour the 111-page district safety plan and try to find where they are encouraged to contact police. As Blaska warned months ago:

→ “School safety plan omits police, rewards analysis paralysis.”

→ “War on school discipline must end.”

Demand accountability

We can draw no conclusion other than that the school district’s head of security sandbagged police in furtherance of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. MMSD describes Aguglia as “committed to teaching and coaching educators in evidence-based critical response with alternative forms of mental health support as a tool to reduce violence in school buildings, promote mental health support as a first response, and minimize reactionary and exclusionary practices, specifically resulting in disproportionate rates of students of color in behavioral referral data and the justice system.”

•   Our question to school board president Ali Muldrow: you’ve already expelled police from school grounds, is Aguglia keeping East high students safe? After all, one-third of the student body sheltered at home after one incident rather than risk further violence.

•   Our question to District Attorney Ismael Ozanne: will you charge Aguglia with obstruction of justice?

•   Our question to the teachers union: When will you speak out for the safety of your members and the students they teach?

•   Our question for the WI State Journal: Your reporter is uncovering the facts; when will your editorial page demand heads roll?

•   Our question for the citizenry: Candidates have until Tuesday next week to file for school board. No one is challenging school board president Muldrow. Candidates for the other two positions are all Woke progressives like Muldrow. Are you satisfied with more of the same?

Blaska’s Bottom Line: Crazy is defined as continuing to vote for the same progressives and expecting anything to change.

Has Madison given up on its public schools?