Friday, November 09, 2007

Understaffing forces TYC youth transfers from Sheffield to ... ???

My God, if it's not one thing it's another at the Texas Youth Commission. Now, the problem of understaffing Juvenile Correctional Officers and a flood of recent staff resignations are finally coming home to roost. Mike Ward at the Austin Statesman reports ("Guard shortage forces inmate transfers," Nov. 9) that:

A shortage of guards at a remote West Texas boot camp has forced the Texas Youth Commission to move almost half of the incarcerated teenagers to other state lockups, officials said Thursday.

Youth Commission officials said there are no plans to close the Sheffield Boot Camp, which now has 32 correctional officers on duty, about a third of the 92 authorized positions. ...

Twelve guards resigned during September and October, and 11 others are on extended medical leave, officials said. Forty-nine guard jobs are open. Hurley said three guards resigned in the past two weeks.

He said the latest resignations were not related to a recent decision by Youth Commission officials to delay paychecks for overtime earned in November. ...

Opened in 1995, the lockup is in a former school in Iraan, a remote hamlet northeast of Big Bend off Interstate 10. Most of the youths housed there are 14 to 18 years old and dress in military-style uniforms and boots, according to Youth Commission officials.

Okay, I knew TYC systemwide has nearly a 50% annual turnover ratios among JCOs. But a facility staffed at one third of minimum levels qualifies as officially the worst staffing ratio I've ever heard of at a corrections facility. The previous record by my count is the adult prison in Dalhart, which is only 62% staffed, but TYC's Sheffield unit must have been downright dangerous before reducing the population of boys.

That said, what will TYC do with those kids, now? Other TYC facilities are also understaffed - to my knowledge every last one of them. The resignation problem certainly hasn't just been happening in Iraan, as comments in Grits regularly attest. And I doubt it's true, as Jim Hurley told the Statesman, that the new policy not to pay overtime did not contribute to employee departures.

I predicted in "Surviving the TYC Meltdown" that, for a number of reasons related to SB 103 and new agency rules, TYC's youth population, by my estimate, will continue to drop in the coming year. Driving the shift will be the new law eliminating misdemeanants from admission to TYC, and new rules moving most kids back to their home communities on parole much quicker than in the past.

House Corrections Chairman Jerry Madden's statement about the Sheffield Unit really sums up the Legislature's approach this year to all of TYC: "if they don't have enough staff to cover shifts, they did the right thing in reducing the youth population," he said. Well, TYC doesn't have enough staff to cover shifts system-wide, so in the end "reducing the youth population" will also be the only option left for administrators overall.

To me that's not necessarily a bad thing, but then funding and focus needs to follow the kids to local communities who will have to supervise them, and an extra focus must be placed on re-entry and community support for TYC parolees. Texas' youth prisons only handle 2-3% of youth offenders; the rest are all managed through county juvenile systems. If they're given the resources, counties can figure out how handle these kids, too. And if current trends continue at the Youth Commission, they'll have to.

58 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well the ratio at West Texas State School in Pyote Texas has been at below 50% for the past 6 months, but that will never get reported by Austin. And yes the reason for these staff and many more resigning ties back into the "No Pay, No Play" rule the Pope instigated.

Hell, would you work extra if you were not being paid? Also, staff are not picking up their phones when shortages occur, and the STAR team have been placed on alert for the 11th and 12th just in case all JCO's call out sick. Once again this would never get reported.

But, Mr. Madden maybe we should close all the facilities down, the staff running them (Austin) are doing such a bang up good job.

Anonymous said...

Another issue that Madden has been made aware of that has not been reported is the issue of these new uniforms made in Pakistan. The polo shirt cost $6.00 a piece and has an iron on badge that after a couple of washing will come off or partially come off. Staff agency wide feel as if they are being humiliated first the wal-mart lime green vests now this.

But, wait it gets better. We asked our management if we could wear black jeans rather than the mandated black slacks and we were told "No". This comes out of our pockets, at TDCJ they pay for the guards pants but not at TYC and they are dictating what we can buy.

So yes, I would say morale is a big issue right not, not to mention not being paid for looking like a clown. It will just keep getting worse.

Anonymous said...

They have one Superintendent attempting to run two facilities. This man had reached his level of incompetence as a program specialist. He is going to successfully destroy both facilities, but he won't be suspended. The problem with Hollis and Davis was that they might have actually started to turn things around, and that obviously isn't what is wanted. If destroying the agency is what they have hired Pope to do, then she should become our next governor, because she couldn't have done a more efficient job.

Anonymous said...

Hurley is a nut, Sheffield has been targeted for closure for a long time. That's why staff are jumping ship. Everyone knows that Central Office can't keep a secret, everybody in TYC knows about the plan for Sheffield's demise. Can't really blame them for leaving.

Anonymous said...

Sheffield and Victory Field are both on the chopping block. The secret was out in the Spring from the Lege. You are right, staff are jumping ship because they are tired of having their jobs taken away and taken away.

BTW, West Texas in Pyote was also on that list, so da Pope did Davis and Hollis a favor by releasing them. As for Davis, who waants to be remembered as the guy who closed two facilities?

Anonymous said...

I wish the TYC Management would come up with a plan, publish it and then implement it.

The approach they're taking to the reduction in TYC population is old fashioned! Why does Government always have to handle things in the most backward, beaucratic and painful way? If I worked in HR, I'd resign immediately out of shame!

All they're accomplishing is to make their staff miserable not to mention the toll on any youth unlucky enough to be at TYC these days.

Anonymous said...

Eric Young just did resign, and if it wasn't out of shame it should have been.

Anonymous said...

Old fashioned, 7:55? What do you mean?

Anonymous said...

Any staff working for Sheffield, West Texas, or Vernon, should find other employment this year. Do not allow central Office dictate to you when they want to close your facility down. The only reason they are open today is based upon necessity. As soon as they understand the flow of commitments they will move forward with their plans and give you 30 to 60 days notice. Of course they will not tell you this because they need you to man the ship until that time, kinda like "Using" you.

As for Davis and Hollis they did not close anything down, that would come from the bureaucrats in Austin and now the Juvenile Justice Leadership we currently have in place. Speaking of which where are these two and the infamous bomb threat that occurred. Have they ever figured out who called this in, or do we already know, just don't want to say?

Anonymous said...

Is it just me? How can the adminstration say that the facilitues where they transferred the youth not be affected? With staffing at all time lows how could it not be a problem. This is kinda like the old shell game. Guess which shell the kids are under now.

Anonymous said...

Well,

I guess the positive side of this story is the fact that the female field staff are beginning to understand what a 40 year old man feels like when he gets his first prostate exam and the doctor performs an extensive in depth search while keeping one hand on each shoulder.

At least the doctor lubed me first and his finger seemed very warm.

I wonder if DaPope is going to ask for our copay or just bill the insurance.

Oh, wait a minute, I forgot that none of us will be employed or have insurance anymore. Damn, I hate paying everything out of pocket.

Brings a whole new meaning to being pontificated DRY.

OUCH!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Pakistan !!!!!! Look at the new cars they have ordered??? Could it be Toyota Hey I thought we only buy American,,,,Talk in Austin is that they are outfitting themselves with new Prius or whatever that name is ....Toyota.. what ever happened to saving money and keep our American workers busy...,,,,Thats what happens when you hire PIMPS >>>>Un American Pimps..

Anonymous said...

Just heard their bringing back Hollis and Davis? How can you go from Jim Hurley's press release about a bomb threat, that these two men were negligent in their job duties, and endangered the lives of the youth to oops!!

Anonymous said...

Grits,

My understanding is that the number of commitments has not dropped so the "no misdemeanor" commitments will not reduce populations for some time to come. Any population drops are because youth are being released under lower treatment standards.

Howard A. Hickman

Anonymous said...

To anon at 8:06pm.

Modern personnel practices include a plan for staffing going out a couple of years into the future.

Where there is a risk of staff shortages due to changes, a transition plan is created. A good plan includes notification of staff that may be impacted and incentives to retain staff where a shortage may occur.

After notification, staff can choose to accept a retention bonus in exchange for a promise to remain for a certain length of time. Where there are still shortages, plans can be implemented to attract short term replacements before the shortage becomes an emergency.

It is called planning. Yes it does cost money. Orderly change can pay for itself in many ways.
For example, fewer law suits, less worker's comp. cases, less staff absence due to the stress of not knowing what will happen to them and last but not least, less overtime.

It's called planning! The failure of TYC management to use these practices can only be characterized as "old fashioned".

Anonymous said...

5:47 p.m. Genese or Ayo, whichever one of you is blogging. Both of you tried to destroy Hollis and Davis with your lies and back stabbing. Hopefully it didn't work because they are both good & honest people. If what you posted is true, WTSS will be watching out for both them.

I wouldn't put it past either one of you to have made the famous call. You both are spiteful and malicious!

Anonymous said...

TYC management has failed both the youth and it's employees in the name of reform and with the lege's blessings. We are several months into the "rebuilding of the agency" and still have no direction, communication or treatment plans in place. The transparency promised by Dementia
has never materialized & no longer expected by anyone. Unfortunately, it is very hard to respect someone who has lied before a legislative hearing, spent thousands of dollars on travel and thousands more on remodeling central office. Her dummies apparently have the need for bigger offices & she has to keep them happy at our expense and that of the taxpayers.

The field staff are obviously a whole different animal to her. She has halted the overtime payments because she wasn't watching the budget. Now she is mandating we wear uniforms. The hitch is that employees have to purchase their pants and shoes. I honestly think this might be a little illegal but that doesn't bother her. JCO staff are overworked, tired and falling dead on their feet. She's sucking the life out of them & all TYC employees, the dummies not incluseive. Toward the end, she will smother TYC with the uniforms she's mandated us to wear and complete the snuff-out of TYC. The dummies will be the only ones applauding, let's hope TDCJ takes them all back and accomodates them behind bars with no chance of remodeling the cells. That my friends would be justice and if the guv was given accomodations in the cell next door, that would be sweet justice!

I do recommend they throw Elmer inside a bar on the seedy side of Houston and let the locals have at him! I'll provide the beverages!

Anonymous said...

Both Hollis and Davis were railroaded we all know that, I hope they both get to come back. I just wish all the others who have been dealt the same injustice are allowed the same.

If this is true then the question should be asked who jumped the gun and suspended these two, and was it legal? Whose next, can you call in a fake hurricane threat? The leadership continues to amaze me with this agency, a sign should be posted at the front entrance of every facility "Please do not bend over while Central Office personnel are present"!!!!

Anonymous said...

POPE must be better than MONICA

She makes the rounds and keeps them all HAPPY!!
.

But i didn't have sex.....

Anonymous said...

TYC's operation shut down plan is right on schedule! The management plan is obviously approved by the Governor or he would have stopped it cold. There are many tax payer dollars to be doled out to the “Right People” with the “Right Connections” for contract care. The TYC melt down is all about money! A great show is being played out to draw your attention away from the truth. True masters of deception are doing a first class job. The center pin to the destruction of TYC is the Governor. He makes the appointments and fires the people who don’t measure up to his expectations. Our Governor is selling out the people of Texas once more for a fist full of dollars. This operation is a cold blooded criminal enterprise that has resulted in the suffering of countless individuals with no end in sight to the total number of victims. The Governor has sold out the citizens of Texas to the Insurance Lobby and the foreign highway interests so why would anyone be surprised by his current TYC operation. How many good people will be victimized so a few greedy criminals can steal from the people of Texas?

Anonymous said...

So instead of "don't drop the soap" should it be don't drop the Executive Directive?

Anonymous said...

As I watch events unfold in Pakistan, where good folks demanding democracy are being beat out in the streets, I am wondering just who our fine Texas government made the check out to for these classy "uniforms". Bet cha it wasn't the oppressed!

Not only do employees have to buy the black pants (no jeans) and shoes (no tennis shoes...never mind that you are on your feet 12 hours a day if you are a JCO staff!), but when these sorry shirts wear out (quickly) we will have to BUY new ones. I find this morally repugnant, not to mention mad as hell.

Anonymous said...

Morale at TYC facilities is at an all time low!! Not knowing the method to Dementia's method has affected the rank & file severely.
The MSM and Grits has become our source for gathering knowledge or information regarding the agency. Thank God for Grits! It has saved the sanity of many employees by allowing us to vent our frustration on his blog. It has, for the moment, saved Dementia from being sent out of town on a burro (and that is too good for her) by an angry TYC mob. But, that's not to say it still can't happen. After months of waiting and hoping for postive change, we are worse off and truly ready to give it up!

They say that once you hit rock bottom, you have no where else to go but up! Dementia thinks rock bottom is the place TYC belongs while she laughs all the way to the bank. Dementia does not care how negatively she has affected the lives of youth and employees nor will she ever! Our only recourse is to vent on Grits until someone hears our screams to get Dementia & Dummies out of TYC!!! On her way out, she needs to take all the people she has promoted in CO and the field with her! They have about as much brains as the big boulders you see along Texas highways and no personalities. This is not what TYC needs and the lege needs to deal with this issue.

Anonymous said...

If they are closing down facilities due to staff shortages and working 12 hr days then Mart II ought to be the next to go. They are down between 150-175 staff at any given time. The staff are having to work 16 hr shifts and some VIs have had to work those hours for 7-8 days at a time (the American Statesman talked about the staff working 12 hr shifts and Madden condoned it).The ratio at Mart II is nowhere near 1:12. The staff are worn out and worn down. The boys from Coke Co know it too, and they are sitting back waiting and watching. Mark my words that there will be a major upset or riot if they don't get help fast.You can slice the tension. Rumor was that they were also going to have to take in many of the Sheffield boys. Mart II--the new "catch-all" for all the closures. What a shame as CO is running the staff right into the ground.

Anonymous said...

Where did the kids from Sheffield go?

Anonymous said...

I don't care how insistent or generalized you want to be, field people need to know that there are literally dozens and dozens and dozens and dozens in CO that are in the exact same boat as you are.

You may THINK everyone at CO is 'in on it' - but I assure you, not only are those that are still hanging in from the old days not kept in any of a better loop than you are - some of the new staff brought in are without a doubt thinking 'what have I done?'

Be assured, as bad as morale is out in the field, CO is full of walking wounded as well.

Anonymous said...

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah... Standup to the dictator. Send a message that we won't take it anymore. We all know what to do, its just that the majority of TYC employees are too scared to challenge what has become the status quo because they are too scared of change.

Anonymous said...

Hey wait a minute... the budget is handled through Robin not Pope. That is the only reason Robin was not fired when TDCJ came on board. Only she knew where the money was being distributed. What about all those budget analyst working in CO? Did they not see any of this coming? What the heck get rid of all of them. Pope only knows the numbers that are given to her by Robin. As for the uniforms you might want to ask if this is a tax deduction - if there is such a thing. Again I say get rid of Robin M, Cynthis E, and Da-Pope.

Anonymous said...

Nice job you created for yourself Cynthia Ellis. Four hours a day, over 30,000.00 not bad for a retired employee. The heck w/ everyone else - you've got your back covered. Thanks to Robin for letting you create your own job posting.

Anonymous said...

I saw one of our former staff at a football game last night and in discussing the current issues at Sheffield, he said "sounds like robbing Peter to pay Paul", "I wonder when the parents are going to start complaining that they can't find their kids?"

I wonder too...its kind of like that TV ad before the 10:00 news - "Its Saturday... do you know where your TYC kids are?" I bet most of them have no idea.

Anonymous said...

Pope makes the decisions, not Robin, so don't be blaming her.

Anonymous said...

1:54 is correct, dapope told robbin to give me some money and she did. Robin is justfoloowing orders, but sit back and see who gets in trouble for it.

Anonymous said...

You folks at Sheffield might as well find another job, you will be closed down. Dont let anyone from CO tell you different. It is and has been on daPopes list to close down. You folks at Vernon are next, mark my word I saw the emails.

There are so many things that are not getting reported to the state leg that its funny.

All these schools that are getting ready to go thru ACA where is the money going to come from...I guess daPope will pull it out of Robins azz.


You can try as hard as you want to try and fix the TYC problem but your not till you get on good terms with JCO staff.It all starts with employee moral.

Anonymous said...

there is more going on at state schools than you can imagine. Good staff are being demoted, run off or fired for standing up to and asking questions of a certain superintendent. Staff are threatened on a regular basis that TYC is "at will" agency and anyone can go at any time.

Staff are not being promoted who deserve it because their race is different than the superintendents. The superintendent is having affairs (plural) with married staff, check it out, it's not a lie!

Staff are exhausted and downheartened. Good staff are looking for new jobs. JCO staff need help! They're riding a good horse into the ground!

Make those people in the admin buildings get off their butts and become part of the ratio and let some staff go home and get some rest! Put the casemanagers in the count to help! Oh, but that would mean staying after five o'clock! Before long it will come down to just this and it will be because of an emergency situation.

Staff are going to get together AGENCY WIDE and go to the doctor and get three days off at the same time. Who the heck is going to be walking the floor then?

This is not a what if but a when, and it ain't too far off! Rick Perry better get the national guard ready, someone is going to have to watch these kids.

I am making copies of every time sheet that I submit so that when I fall over dead from a heart attack brought on by exhaustion my wife can prove that I was literally worked to death by TYC!

Anonymous said...

God bless all the good TYC staff and their families. I pray for ya'll every night. This will come to pass, God will see to it that your work with the youth in your care is not in vain.

Anonymous said...

Well what the hell did they expect I mean they treat staff like crap and they expect us to stay for what they pay. they humiliate the staff. change policies daily and if you complain they remind you you are an at will employee..hope da pope can work direct care because we are all on our way out..she can have it....

Anonymous said...

da'Pope and Hurley must think TYC employees are stupid. Since the hostile take over of TYC all the progress we have seen has been a constant string of lies, fiscal mismanagment, and promotions/demotions based on favoritism and ill feelings.

The transparency touted by d'Pope at the state of the agency meetings (another senseless waste of money) was pure show!

Moving youth from Sheffield to other facilities only served to increase the ratio of staff to youth for them. How long will you continue to move youth in order to save your job?

You have done nothing but foster a corrupt & secretive atmosphere for the agency. Much worse than that of the ones you and the lege ousted!! You've created a hostile work environment and adverse working conditions and tension so thick you can slice it with a knife. In case you haven't noticed, you're not safe from yourself.

Admit you are in over your head lady! Take your cronies on to the next project and have at it. We've had enough of you!

Anonymous said...

11/09, 5:47pm - Evidently they're returning because someone had the good sense to look at ALL the facts surrounding this questionable incident. It's interesting to me that you are so quick to judge these two when you (I assume you're from WTSS) had real criminals there and chose to ignore them and their activities. To illustrate this point, I give you Harrison, who rarely came to work, covered up for Brookins and was on more hot check lists in West Texas than can be counted; Brookins, who was taking youth to admin at all hours of the night and sexually abusing them and using his "authority" to manipulate phases and release dates of the youth; Omoniyi, to whom allegations/suspicions were reported on numerous ocassions and chose to do nothing because "he's the Assistant Superintendent and can do anything he wants"; and, Shorten, who was "forced" to give Brookins a key to the grievance box, and chose not to report this major policy violation until after the investigation had begun. People like you are the reason that TYC is what it is today. If the worst happens and WTSS is closed, it will be you and your pals that will have made that happen. How does someone like you like in the mirror every morning and not be sickened by who, or what, is looking back at you. You have no morals, ethics or integrity. Shame on you!

Anonymous said...

7:02 I hate to burst your self-righteous bubble, but you need to become aware that everything in that Texas Rangers report is heresay. It's all someone else said someone else said. I think it is immoral and unjust to jump to conclusions based on a poor piece of detective work that should have never been given to the public. I'm not Genese's biggest fan, but Genese should never been handling the grievances to begin with, and I know she complained about it the whole time. I believe the statement about Ayo, because that is exactly what he would say, and that is exactly why he is in the position he is now. I hope you are right about Hollis and Davis being given another chance, but they are still going to have a tough row to hoe. Pope is more corrupt that Harrison, Brookins, and Barnard ever thought about being.

Anonymous said...

"A tough row to hoe", as long as you remain honest regardless of the leadership you can rest easy at night.
But I am sure people without any ethics have little trouble sleeping as well (Pope, Humphrey, Perry).

If Hollis and Davis are returned does that mean our leaders made another mistake, jumped the gun, made a boo, boo?

Anonymous said...

9:30,

If you remain honest you can sleep, but you can't sleep if your stomach is growling because you have no job to pay the bills. TYC is fostering an environment of corruption, which is leading to the moral decay of the Agency, if you don't jump to Pope's ship, you will be cast overboard. Rest easy.

Anonymous said...

11:11 First let me say that I meant to say hearsay, instead of heresy. I didn't mean that it wasn't true, but just not good evidence. I lived through everything as well, and I'm suffering as well. I'm not defending Harrison, Brookins, Ayo, Genese, or Barnard, but I am saying that our biggest problem right now is Demetria Pope. She has done a lot more damage than those people did. She is the one that put us back under the thumb of Harrison's buddies, suspended Davis and Hollis, and put us in the stupid polo shirts. I suspect you and I are actually on the same side. You obviously dislike Genese more than I do, but I don't disagree with your assessment of her abilities. Still, I don't think she's your biggest problem. If this were a detective story I would ask who was it that had the most to lose by Davis becoming Superintendent, and who seems to have gained the most by his demise? Was it Genese or someone else?

Anonymous said...

2:22 p.m. I agree with you for the most part. But in order for Dementia to suspend Hollis/Davis someone had to feed her the information she needed to make an assessment or decision on them. I believe that Ayo and Genese had a hand in the negative feed to Dementia that impacted both men, through no fault of their own.

If Dementia had been working at WTSS, she would not have come to that conclusion. She would have witnessed first hand the positive change that was ocurring on our campus. Do see where I'm going with this? I also agree that Ayo had the most to gain by getting rid of Hollis. My dislike of Genese is strickly work related. I don't know the woman outside of work and don't wish to. Thank the good guy upstairs I don't work in her department. She was trouble the minute she started to work in the casework department and could not get along with the other secretaries but she never tried. She never takes ownership of her mistakes because she never makes any. She would not know the truth if it slapped her on the face. She can stab people in the back, lie about them and then blame it on someone else, a trademark of her mentor Harrison. Professionalism is not high on her list of priorities either.

Yes, I agree that Dementia is our biggest problem right now. I believe Dementia will self-destruct on her own, polo shirts or no polo shirts.

This is my amen to this topic because it's kinda like watching the mafia conducting shady business; one knows its going on but it can't be proven in a court of law. When they finally get busted and witnesses don't come forward, they're back to conducting the same shady business with more confidence. We need to be neighborhood watchdogs and report the crime to keep WTSS clean and return it to what it once was, a proud facility.

Anonymous said...

Hollis and Davis have been reinstated. The agency was wrong about their coup and realized this. I do not know if they will stay in WTSS or go elsewhere, that would their decision, but they did not receive any discipline or actions against them. So, who set this all up now??

Anonymous said...

Hollis had them under whistleblower, Davis is friends with an ex-board member that still has alot of power in State government. TYC was too scared not to reinstate them. Its all about who you know and if you have something on TYC that can protect you. I am glad they were reinstated no matter how it happened, both are good guys that deserve better than what Pope and her cronies have dished out to them.

Anonymous said...

I believe the issue has nothing to do with whistle blower or who your friends with, but rather incompetent morons who made this mistake. If they really did do something wrong do you really believe this current administration would allow them to come back, Nooooooooooo. I personally would not go back to the same place if I were them especially with Ayo the "brainiac" over that region, the whole area will eventually go to hell with his um leadership.

Anonymous said...

4:54 p.m. If what you say is true, great for WTSS. We hope they both return to the facility. The mess was wrong from the start and obviously the powers that be realized it.

Who set this all up, We believe it might have been the values Hollis & Davis display. You know, truth, integrity and self-respect. All the things we said before about them. One up for WTSS, this is indeed an indication of good things to come for our campus!

I trust you'll bring the cake for the welcome back celebration!!!!

Anonymous said...

Don't get me wrong, I don't think either of those guys did anything wrong, and they deserve to be reinstated, but it doesn't hurt to have a leg up in the scheme of things against the current TYC Central Office.

Anonymous said...

7:05, They will be safe at WTSS. The powers that be will be watching for signs of retaliation
from Ayo and his co-conspirators or morons as you so well stated. They won't have to worry. Lets bask in the fact that the ruling was in their favor and we can look toward putting WTSS together again! We needed something postive to happen for & at our facility!!

Anonymous said...

Wasn't it the "powers that be" who tried to fire them? If you have some info suggesting this is changing, please provide it to the rest of us who don't feel so safe.

Anonymous said...

Just informed Hollis is back in his role as Asst. Supt. at WTSS and Davis asked for a self demotion to Ron Jackson II to get back closer to his family. Good news for some of us still hung out to dry and waiting for a response. I would like to see the media do an open records request on all of this, grievances, e-mails, to see exactly what happened?

Anonymous said...

Was there a "sick-out" anywhere in TYC today as planned?

Anonymous said...

Grits, how does one remove a comment from this blog?

Gritsforbreakfast said...

If it's yours and you're on the same computer where you made the comment, there should be a trashcan at the bottom left under the footer information.

If you have trouble, email me privately and I can do it from the back end.

Anonymous said...

Scott what is your email address??

Anonymous said...

Scott, nevermind. I found it.

Anonymous said...

In case anyone is curious, there are more kids than ever and fewer staff at the facility I work at...so much for that 12 to 1

Anonymous said...

9:31
You are not being fair to Ms.Pope. She stated accurately and to the best of her knowledge that a 12 to 1 ratio was and is being met. She is correct!

You are the one that did not understand that she meant 12 former employees to every current employee. Please, look at all the facts before posting.

Lastly, words of wisdom for some of the more disagreeable types that post here:

"Getting in an argument on the internet is like competing in the special olympics. Even if you win, you are still retarded."