Carl J. Petersen
Bio
Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for students with SpEd needs and public education. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD’s District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Opinions are his own.
Stories (176/0)
Celebrating Second Chances
“I’m Broken” – Pantera Days before my 39th birthday we walked into the Back to School night as a family with the truth buried in a shallow grave. This was the first time we were trying to do something together since my wife had moved out of the house a few weeks before that night. The wounds created by our rapidly deteriorating relationship were still raw and open, but we had agreed to try and put the anger and pain aside to provide a sense of normalcy for my daughter.
By Carl J. Petersen10 days ago in Families
Well-Intentioned Whistleblower or Opportunist?
“I want to believe that you're telling the truth But something tells me don't trust you” – Agnostic Front When a family enrolls a child in a school, the district immediately starts incurring expenses. Space must be reserved for each student and teachers assigned to those classrooms. The district must ensure that textbooks and other supplies are available. These costs are constant and do not change when a child misses a day of school.
By Carl J. Petersen13 days ago in The Swamp
Another One Bites The Dust
“You took me for everything that I had And kicked me out on my own” – Queen As Los Angeles students prepared to return to school at the end of the Summer break, families at the North Valley Military Institute (NVMI) were in for a rude awakening. The charter school’s administration had rejected the LAUSD’s offer of space under PROP-39 the previous April but continued to tell parents that a new campus would be ready in time to start classes. Ignoring the NMVI’s impending collapse, the Los Angeles County Office of Education’s (LACOE) regulators did nothing to ensure parents were warned to make alternative arrangements. They even allowed the school to hold its orientation session for new students. When Mark Ryan announced the school would close one week into the school year, families were left scrambling, their children behind their peers in their new schools.
By Carl J. Petersen20 days ago in The Swamp
Hate Did Not Win (So Far)
“Ultra nationalism, dictatorship, and anti-semitism were the ideas of Hitler.” – BYJU'S A key component of the right-wing infecting our country today is the appropriation of patriotic symbols to represent these beliefs suggesting that it is unAmerican to disagree with them. This ultra-nationalism has been on display during violent protests held by Leave Our Kids Alone (LOKA), including the one in front of Saticoy Elementary School on June 2, 2023. This included not only the literal wrapping of themselves in the American flag but also speeches claiming that their hatred of the LGBTQ+ community was somehow an American value.
By Carl J. Petersen24 days ago in The Swamp
Hate On A Saturday Morning
“That is not appropriate for any of our children. Now my religious rites tells me what I can and cannot do. I don't teach my children to be racist. I don't teach my children to be hateful. I teach them to be loving and caring and sharing. Now, where is this coming from that? I'm going to all of a sudden teach my children to hate gay people or Lesbian people. No. Leave your gender, leave your sexuality to yourself, to your bedroom. Don't bring it to our children. The more you attack our children, the more we gonna come after you guys and protest and say [inaudible]. Mother Fuckers.” – Public comment of Manuk Grigoryan
By Carl J. Petersen2 months ago in The Swamp