Should kids be left out as fair game? Yes, I agree, but if the Parents pulled strings? ... if he went to the...HEAD OF THE LINE... above others more qualified?....on the list longer? to teach at one of the more sought after schools in the Fayette county? and his MOTHER is on the SCHOOL BOARD? I smell law suit... How do you explain that...that he and his Mother... LIKED what she did to Sandy Creek? and he can't wait to..give back..to Sandy Creek? Did I miss something...looks like a little hankey pankey to me...does she know any thing about how to do that?

If a parent pulled strings to get an unqualified young man hired as a teacher, that young man would fail as a teacher in his first year. Why don't we wait to see how he does before accusing his Mom of hankey pankey in the hiring process? What kind of culture are we living in, when everybody automatically assumes the worst of each other?

This is becoming rampant lately, especially between the races. Just look at the Michael Vick mess. Personally, I think he is guilty, but let's wait until he gets his day in court before we pronounce him "guilty" and boot him off the Falcons, not to mention jail time. Meanwhile, you have the SCLC making plans to honor Michael Vick. I guess they are doing that because he is a black man who has been accused of a crime, so it must be racism, in their minds. They are assuming it must be a white racist conspiracy, I guess. I have to say "I guess" because I don't know what they are thinking, but they have no particular reason to honor him at this time, so if anybody else can come up with a more positive explanation, feel free to speak up!

Getting back to "Smola's kid", it just sounds like rumor-mongering to me, and it seems like we have recently had more than enough of that on this website, recently. Isn't that what Cal Beverly asked bloggers to tone down a couple of weeks ago?

Well, that's my two cents' worth. No, I do not know Mrs. Smola or her son at all, nor do I have any personal stake in this. I just hate rumor mongering.

What a refreshing viewpoint regarding the son of Mrs. Smola. Regarding Michael Vick being honored by SCLC: The president of the organization stated that it was the Christian thing to do - to support a young man when he's down. (I question the wisdom of the timing and the public announcement - but . . . .)? Years ago the son of the Asst. Superintendent of a large urban school district was assigned to my school as a new teacher. As a relatively new administrator - I had some doubts about this assignment. I came to realize that this man was under tremendous pressure to succeed - not only were parents and community suspicious about his qualifications - but also his colleagues on the staff. He had the maturity and the 'gift' of teaching to withstand this unfair pressure - and proved to be an inspirational teacher. I hope the staff, students and parents at Starr Mills give Mrs. Smola's son the same respect and support that they give any new teacher.