After the Penn State child sexual abuse scandal became national news, state Rep. Walt Leger, D-New Orleans, sponsored legislation requiring coaches to report suspected child abuse. State Sen. J.P. Morrell, D-New Orleans, also filed a bill, one that extended whistleblower protections to employees who report abuse of a minor by a co-worker or supervisor. The bills […]
Author Archives: Mark Moseley
Mark Moseley blogs at Your Right Hand Thief. Until mid 2014, Mark Moseley was The Lens' opinion writer, engagement specialist and coordinator for the Charter Schools Reporting Corps. After Katrina and the Federal Flood he helped create the Rising Tide conference, which grew into an annual social media event dedicated to the future of New Orleans.
Posted inOpinion, Schools
Do any schools hide in the shadows of state accountability rules?
A former state education functionary says there may be “shadow schools” at both ends of the academic spectrum. A couple months ago I linked to a post at the Crazy Crawfish blog to buttress my case against corporal punishment. Later on, I read Crazy Crawfish’s other posts. Most of them tackle education issues, with an […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Where’s the outrage over the city’s lead-poisoning problem?
The arrows point to blood cells damaged by lead poisoning. After witnessing the collective outrage over a belated water advisory, I’ve changed my mind. I no longer believe lead-poisoned children should bleed from their eyeballs. Let me explain. On Monday the Sewerage and Water Board announced that a brief power outage had caused water pressure […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
What better place for the already penitent Broussard: a penitentiary
In 2006—before the parish president’s great fall—a Carnival float depicted Broussard as Humpty Dumpty. Photo: Photo: Infrogmation (Creative Commons) “I only pray in public,” said my friend Clint, with a sly wink, before we grilled pork steaks and watched the Saints fall to the Packers. The quip tickled me. It also brought to mind a recent […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Skies will soon buzz with drones—but cops may not like it
They say character is what you do when no one else is watching. But these days I’m wondering: What if someone’s always watching? What happens to character then? And that leads to larger questions, such as how do you even form an authentic “self” in a surveillance society? Coming soon, to airspace above you! When Plato […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
A drone of our own! How the city should sell its latest dream
An eye in the sky, the Bravo 300 is made in New Orleans but has yet to find a buyer in local government. Photo courtesy of Crescent Unmanned Systems City Hall has reversed plans to use drone surveillance over New Orleans during the Super Bowl in February. That’s surprising, because Deputy Mayor Jerry Sneed had […]
Posted inOpinion, Schools
Should controversial art exhibit cost Slidell teacher his job?
No, this is not the cartoon that stirred controversy in a Slidell school. credit: Donkeyhotey Hurricane Isaac interrupted an appeals hearing over the firing of a man named Robert Duncan, a teacher at Boyet Junior High in Slidell. Duncan was fired for his decision to hang controversial student artwork in a school hallway. One piece […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Hurricane alert: Keeping your cool likely to get harder and harder
How was your Labor Day weekend? Mine was hot, dark and wet. A confounded, slow-moving tempest knocked out my electricity and exposed leaks around my windows. After a couple days of sweating and mopping up, my wife and I decided to consume all the beer in the fridge, before it got warm. Emergency measures, you […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Let’s hear it for the city’s new champions: our acro-gymnasts
The fast-rising sport combines athleticism with the grace and musicality of dance. photo: Wikipedia Before I push the corporal punishment issue further with a follow-up to last week’s post, I wanted to update a sports story I’ve been following. This spring I learned that New Orleans is becoming a leader in acrobatic gymnastics, a rapidly […]
Posted inOpinion, Schools
Spare the rod and spoil the school? OK, then I need spanking lessons
Better paddles have holes that whistle. photo: Wesley Fryer, Flickr creative commons “Justice must always question itself, just as society can exist only by means of the work it does on itself and on its institutions.” — Michel Foucault I need some fatherly advice on how to spank my children. See, the other day my […]