VALDOSTA — Parents of Valdosta High School students may or may not have heard about a list that was floating around the school, but the “Hot List,” as it was titled, is creating quite a bit of heat in the local community.

Earlier this week, one of the lists, which contained the names of 100 high school students, found it’s way to The Times office. In what appeared to be a copy of an E-mail, an opening paragraph, which was confirmed to have been written by VHS Principal Brett Stanton, gave insight into the purpose of the “Hot List” It is written as follows:

“Please be advised of the following ‘Hot List’ of students at VHS that have been identified as behavior problems and/or non-performers in the classroom. These non-performers have been identified due to a lack of participation and personal accountability in the classroom setting.”

It continued: “My goal is to work with the other administrators, Dr. Cason and Mr. Dunn to get more of these students into a different environment (i.e. PLC, Alternative School, night school, GED or the ‘Real World’) since they have shown an inability to be

successful at VHS.”

The arrival of the list at The Times office was of course followed by calls from community parents and other individuals, who had somehow gotten a copy as well, although it was originally intended to be an in-house memo.

Initially, a returned call from Principal Stanton Wednesday evening around 7 p.m., ended with the understanding that an interview regarding the matter would follow on Thursday, providing him time to think over questions that were asked. That interview never happened, however, and a call on Thursday from Valdosta Public Relations Director Jennifer Steedley gave little insight as to why.

“I regret to tell you this, but Principal Stanton has decided that at this time, he has no comment,” Steedley said by phone.

A follow up call to the school was likewise unsuccessful, as his secretary said,” He is unavailable.”

It was confirmed however, that Principal Stanton did write the letter, after speaking with newly elected Superintendent Dr. Bill Cason.

“The list was developed at the high school by Mr. Stanton in seeking to ID problem children inside the classroom,” Cason said. “I think his intentions were good to begin with and still are. However, there was some wording in the letter that offended some parents. It upset a number of people because of the way it was worded.”

Having been contacted by a number of parents and community individuals, Dr. Cason referred to a particular phrase in the opening portion of the E-mail that has created the greatest concern.

“The most offensive phrase was, ‘Put the children out into the real world,’ which made it appear that it was an attempt to get children placed on the street,” Cason said. “I don’t think that was Mr. Stanton’s intention, but the wording left it open to that type of interpretation.”

Without a response from Mr. Stanton, it is difficult to know what his intentions were in the wording, but after seeing the list, one local grandparent was bitter.

“Now what is the real world out there for our kids – standing on the streets,” said Yvonne Morgan, 61, whose 16-year-old granddaughter’s name is on the list. “Next thing you know, they’re in jail. This list is like a discouragement. It’s like saying, “We’re setting you aside, to say that you’re not going to do anything with your life.”

According to Dr. Cason, neither he or the school board were made aware of the list before it was compiled by a number of VHS faculty and administrators more than a month ago. But after being notified that the list was in circulation, the entire Hot List process was immediately halted by the superintendent.

“The first day it came out, I had Mr. Stanton pull it, but it was on the street by that time because it was sent to all faculty,” said Dr. Cason. “He (Principal Stanton) acted on his own and typically principals do. It’s not unusual, but I would have much rather he sought some advice from myself before sending it out. I would have advised him against it because this has created a big issue, and it’s been an issue for a month. “

In reading a later paragraph of the Hot List letter, the names appearing on the list were only part of a “First Wave” of students to go through the undefined process of being integrated into a “different environment.” The complete list, according to what was written in the letter, included approximately 420 students.

“The original list was not 400, the original was less than 200, but somehow it grew,” said Dr. Cason

What has been even more disturbing to some of those who have seen a more specific list, is that the names of special needs students were also submitted.

“What really got me is that on my list, there are 12 or more students with Special Ed marked beside their names, and to put them on a list to be put out in the real world...,” Morgan said.

Again, having no comment from Principal Stanton as to the intentions and follow-up process to the Hot List, The Times contacted the Georgia Professionals Standards Committee with questions regarding the ethics of the issue.

Gary Walker, Head of the Ethics Division for the Georgia Professionals Standards Commission, stated that he has not spoken to any administrators or faculty of the Valdosta City School System and was unaware of the “Hot List.” He did, however, respond by referencing the possible intentions behind the list, as based upon his knowledge of programs in the state which are being used to address low-performing students.

“There are some programs which focus on low performing students existing throughout the state that are doing well, and these models are being used nationally for motivating students,” Walker said. “They ID students and allow them to work with industry right on the job or develop academic skills to help them become successful. I believe there is one in Cobb County and Warner Robbins or Macon.”

Walker says that such programs provide students with options for success, outside of the traditional high school setting.

“The way that the curriculum has been changed with increased requirements in algebra/trig/calculus- a lot of kids simply are not where they (even) want to go (to school), Walker said. “If someone can put a good program together for children who are not performing well in the traditional program, then you create a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. These programs are not to kick out students, but to help them find a place of success.”

It is still unsure if this is the type of “Real World” immersion Principal Stanton was referring to, but Dr. Cason said that the next step for students on the list would have been an assessment by counselors and administrators.

“Many of those students, once identified, would have been sent through the normal process of counseling and review by an administrator, as is used when determining if a student should be sent to the PLC or alternative school,” said Dr. Cason.

Now that news of the Hot List has seeped into the community and generated a great deal of concern from parents in regards to the intentions of the VHS administration, Dr. Cason is making efforts to speak with community members on behalf of a silent staff.

“I think it caused some personal concern because students’ names appeared in the list and the wording created the concern,” Dr. Cason said. “I’ve spoken with several community leaders and I’ve apologized to every member that I’ve talked to in the community. And they understand that it’s just an unfortunate thing where an administrator used poor judgment.”

In addition to speaking with community members individually, Dr. Cason has also spoken with members of the Antioch Baptist Church to offer an apology for the list and its circulation. In retrospect, Dr. Cason also shared how believes a school system should address the issue of low-performing/poor behavioral students.

“I think there are better ways to address such issues,” said Dr. Cason. “It’s poor practice to send around a memo to place kids on a list of that nature. At some point, you have teachers naming students just because the previous one did, and it just snowballs and it becomes bigger than life. You deal with students who misbehave or perform poorly by addressing those students individually.”

A group of parents spoke at the Valdosta City School Board meeting during its last work session regarding the Hot List, but Morgan says the board gave no response to the issue in open session. Now, having spoken with a number of parents about the list, Morgan believes that the school system should address the community collectively.

“We want a town hall meeting so that all the parents can be addressed, and we want for Mr. Stanton to be gone,” Morgan said. “When he said ‘The Real World,’ that let me know right then what kind of person he is–that he doesn’t care. And I will be at the next BOE meeting, if I have to be there by myself, because someone has to stand up for these kids.”

The next VBOE meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 10, 2008, at 7 p.m. The agenda for that meeting does not currently have any line items addressing the Hot List, although an executive session is scheduled.