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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (June 5, 2013)
News/Bids/Classifieds Advertising deadlines 12:00 Noon Monday Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. To place your ad, email advertising@theskanner.com Court OKs Deal Over Discipline In Mississippi School By Holbrook Mohr The Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal judge approved a deal Thursday between the U.S. Justice Department and a Mississippi school district to end discriminatory discipli- nary practices in which black students face harsher punish- ment than whites for similar misbehavior, authorities said. The deal, reached in March with the Meridian Public School District and approved Thursday, followed a lengthy federal investigation that found that black public school stu- dents there are five times more likely than whites to be sus- pended from classes and often got longer suspensions for comparable misbehavior. We honor the many accomplishments of African Americans. It is our primary goal as a labor union to better the lives of all people working in the building trades through advocacy, civil demonstration, and the long-held belief that workers deserve a "family wage" - fair pay for an honest day's work. A family wage, and the benefits that go with it, not only strengthens families, but also allows our communities to become stronger, more cohesive, and more responsive to their citizens' needs. Our family wage agenda reflects our commitment to people working in the building trades, and to workers every- where. In this small way, we are doing our part to help people achieve the American Dream. This dream that work- ers can hold dear regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, creed, or religious beliefs. The Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters Representing more than 5.000 construction work- ers in Oregon State. Do you want to know more about becoming a Union carpenter? The agreement is separate from a Justice Department law- suit that alleges that there was a “school-to-prison pipeline’’ in Meridian that locked up students for minor infractions like flatulence or wearing the wrong color socks. Jocelyn Samuels, a deputy assistant attorney general, said in a statement that the school deal approved Thursday “will propel meaningful reform in Meridian schools and serve as a blueprint for school districts across the country.’’ About 86 percent of Meridian’s 6,000 public school stu- dents are black. The district’s superintendent, Alvin Taylor, is black and there is a mixture of white and black principals, Samuels has said. The school deal approved will “serve as a blueprint for school districts across the country.’’ —Jocelyn Samuels that removes students from classrooms and ensure that con- sequences are fair and consistent for all students. The agreement would amend a consent decree enforced by the U.S. as part of a 1965 desegregation lawsuit against the district. Samuels has said there were about 200 similar longstand- ing lawsuits involving districts around the country and the Justice Department reviews their disciplinary policies and practices. During a news conference in March, she said disciplinary problems and disparities are not unique to the city of Merid- ian or Mississippi and she hoped the agreement can be a guide to other school districts. “This consent decree is a major stride toward equal justice and equal opportunity for all students in Meridian,’’ U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis said in a statement. The Justice Department said the district has already start- ed to implement some conditions in the consent decree. Among the requirements, the district must “monitor dis- cipline data to identify and respond to racial disparities,’’ the Justice Department said. After hours calls to Taylor’s office on Thursday were not answered. The lawsuit over jailed students is filed against the city of Meridian, Lauderdale County, the two Lauderdale County Youth Court judges and the Mississippi Department of Human Services. That lawsuit, which is pending in U.S. District Court in Jackson, claims Meridian police routinely arrested students without determining whether there was probable cause when a school wanted to press charges, and the students were routinely jailed. Once arrested, the students end up on probation, some- times without proper legal representation, according to the lawsuit. If the students are on probation, future school prob- lems could be considered a violation that requires them to serve the suspension incarcerated in the juvenile detention center. That means students can be incarcerated for “dress code infractions such as wearing the wrong color socks or under- shirt, or for having shirts untucked; tardies; flatulence in class; using vulgar language; yelling at teachers; and going to the bathroom or leaving the classroom without permis- sion.’’ The agreement between the Justice Department and the Meridian district, known as a consent decree, calls for the district to fully comply with several measures to end dis- criminatory punishment by the end of the 2016-2017 school year. Among the provisions in the 44-page agreement, the school would have to limit the use of disciplinary action REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS SUB-BIDS REQUESTED City of Seattle Genesee CSO Reduction Project Seattle, WA Bid Package #GCSO-04:Mechanical Bid Package #GCSO-05: Electrical Bids Due: June 13, 2013 @ 2:00pm Bid documents may be examined at local plan cen- ters, viewed free of charge on-line at http://www.bxwa.com, or obtained at cost from Unit- ed Reprographics, 206/382-1177 General Contractor Affordable Community Environments 2155 West Firestone Lane, Suite 103 Vancouver, WA 98666 STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS due: No later than 4:00 p.m. Thursday, June 20, 2013 Affordable Community Environments (ACE) is issuing a Request For Qualifications (RFQ) for a general contrac- tor whom ACE, through a to be created Limited Partner- ship, will negotiate for a stipulated sum contract or a guaranteed maximum price contract for the construction of the NE 62nd Avenue Senior Housing Apartments Phase I (Project). The Project is a 45 unit senior housing project in a single building with surface parking, land- scaped areas and other site improvements located at 3112 NE 62nd Avenue in Vancouver, Washington. This is the first of a two phased development. The Contractor will participate with the project team in an integrated design process including completion of archi- tectural plans and specifications, project scheduling, value engineering, construction sequencing, and coordi- nation of competitive bidding for subcontractors. HOFFMAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY Phone: (206) 286-6697 1505 Westlake Ave N, Suite 1500 Seattle, WA 98109 LIC # HOFFMCC164NC We are an equal opportunity employer and request sub bids from all interested firms including disad- vantaged, minority, women, disabled veterans and emerging small business enterprises. 5-29-13 The General Contractor will be required to follow specif- ic funding requirements from HUD, Washington State Housing Finance Commission, State of Washington Housing Trust Fund, City of Vancouver HOME and CDBG programs and Clark County HOME programs. To be considered as a potential General Contractor, respondents must submit a STATEMENT OF QUALIFI- CATIONS pursuant to the RFQ package which may be obtained by contacting Leah Greenwood, ACE Housing Development Project Manager via e-mail at lgreenwood@reachcdc.org. 6-5-13 June 5, 2013 The Portland Skanner Page 7
