Desert Messenger

April 4, 2012

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April 4, 2012 FACEBOOK FROM PAGE 3 Price said she's taken the steps to ad- dress the issue and talked with staff that same day. Shortly thereafter Orgeron's page was locked down so only friends could view his postings, with a new note in place of the questionable content stat- ing, "I cleaned up my Facebook page to keep the lurkers out...now they have to ask if they want to know anything!" Price said, "The employees are talked www.DesertMessenger.com to by myself or the school attorney at the fi rst of the year about social media. Teachers have been told they should not be friends with students on Face- book." However before the page went private, an estimated 18 students were allegedly listed as Orgeron's friends on Facebook. Desert Messenger reached out to Mr. Orgeron in an attempt to clarify his self- describing words of "corrupting Arizo- na's youth one child at a time". Orgeron responded via email, that Price had contacted him but "did not ask me to change it in any way, as she recognizes my right to speak freely. At no point do I speak ill of my job, students, coworkers, school, or district. I locked it down to keep people like you out of my personal life. Does it upset you that you can't view my activity any longer? How does it feel to be voyeuristic, lurking around other's Facebook pages…peeking into their lives?" He failed to answer any questions in- cluding How does "corrupting Arizo- na's youth" fi t into teaching the 6 Pillars of Character? Citizens have speech and association rights under the First Amendment and privacy rights under the Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments. However, the U.S. Supreme Court as well as lower courts have determined school employ- ees' constitutional rights are not with- out limitations. Ed Barocas, legal director of the ACLU in New Jersey, says teachers have a right to free speech and must be pro- tected from what is called "the heckler's veto," or someone taking issue with their opinion. "You have the right to speak your mind; you have the right to be offensive, as long as it does not cre- ate [an] inability to do your job at the school," Barocas says. Price stated, "Teachers are viewed by the public as professionals and they need to conduct themselves as profes- sionals on social media sites." In the email, Orgeron stated, "I am a professional and hold my students and parents in the highest regard. If you want to know what others think of me, feel free to ask away! When we stop to fi nd humor in our day, we are doing something wrong. Take it out of context, as I am sure you will, because you are only seeking to tarnish me in my quest to secure a seat on the coun- cil. What you should be investigating is the person(s) circulating the boycott of Quartzsite business' at the expense of the town." [Editor's note: See page 1 ar- ticle and blog post of March 23, 2012] School employees have constitutional rights that must be protected, but it is also important to protect students and safeguard the image of teachers as role models. Part of the problem with social media issues is technology is advancing at a faster rate than legal precedent. sion is to provide a safe learning envi- ronment and promote comprehensive, success-oriented activities for students in our schools. These opportunities are designed to develop the child's potential in literacy and life-long learning habits. Ms. Price said she is willing to discuss this issue with any concerned parents. Quartzsite Elementary School's mis- fi ce in Eherenberg is 928-923-7900. To contact School Board mem- bers via email: President Christina Carter, ccarter@qsd4.org; Susan Cushman,scushman@qsd4.org; Jus- tin Rayner,jrayner@qsd4.org; Monica Timberlake, mtimberlake@qsd4.org; or Tracey Hess, trichardson@qsd4.org. Or visit http://qsd4.org. Phone number for the main of- Page 9 Salvation Army to host Grand Opening April 9 Quartzsite's Salvation Army, "America's Favorite Family Store", will host a Grand Opening celebration of the new building on Monday, April 9th at 11am. The brand new building is located right next to the temporary mini store at 101 S. Moon Mountain Rd. Come join the festivities as they will be grilling hamburgers and hotdogs after the Red Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. There will be the volunteers, the offi cers, some players from The Salvation Army Band, sharing the story of Sally Wills, and the Colonel will share a few words, celebrating the generosity of the Quartzsite community. Salvation Army's new hours will be Monday thru Saturday 9am-3pm. The plans are to keep the store open during the summer. (QES) is beginning a Gardening Project. Many of our children in our community have never been able to watch a garden grow or to harvest the crop and eat what they have grown. This will be a new ex- perience for some of our children. We are asking for donations to QES News for April Quartzsite Elementary School Ironwood Accounting 225 Central Blvd North of Horizon Community Bank Quartzsite, AZ 85359 our garden from our community. Our need for the garden is com- mercially bagged fertilizer, top soil, and mulch. The students will learn about amending the soil to provide nutrients for the plants they will be growing in the garden. Donations may be dropped off at Quartzsite School, 930 W. Quail Trail, be- tween the hours of 12-4 p.m. We plan to begin planting soon! P O Box 4389 ACCOUNTING- (QuickBooks) Accounts Payable (Including 1099's) Accounts Receivable Payroll (including W-2s) Management/Financial Reports TAX – Business & Individual NOTARY/FAX/COPIES UPS & FedEx Shipping 928-927-8543 (offi ce) 928-550-7020 (fax) Email: ironwoodaccounting@yahoo.com RV & TRUCK REPAIR BEST AUTO SERVICE YOU CAN DEPEND ON! 585 N. Central Quartzsite Open Mon-Fri 8-5 928-927-8787 Johnny DelPino, Owner General Store Quartzsite FOR ALL YOUR GROCERY NEEDS! OPEN 7 DAYS 8AM-6PM SALES RUN THURS.-SAT. (NEW FLYER TUES.) 410 E. MAIN ST. QUARTZSITE Fresh Meats (retail & wholesale) 928-927-6310 A.P.S. Pay Station AZ Lottery & Pick Fish & Game Licenses Beer & Wine • US Military trained w/ 30 plus years experience • Satisfaction Guaranteed! • Partials starting at $175 DENTURES $350 Full Set QUARTZSITE SNOWBIRD SPECIAL: Same Day Dentures and 1 Hour Reline/Repairs!! Dental Laboratory Service Call: 623-444-4013 • Goodyear, AZ

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