Blake’s Blog

Memphis school board member Kenneth Whalum Jr. could never be accused of being too reserved. But in a story on today’s front page, he really spoke his mind about a Central Nutrition Center employee who has remained on the MCS payroll despite allegations that she misused district resources for her own personal benefit.

"This is nonsensical," Whalum said of the punishment handed down to Sheila Brown, who was given a 10-day suspension although a letter sent to her advised that her actions were cause for immediate termination. "Either it’s cause for immediate termination or it’s not, and if it’s not, then the words 'cause,' 'immediate' and 'termination' have new definitions that I wasn’t aware of."

Whalum hasn’t been successful yet in convincing his colleagues to bring back corporal punishment for city school students. However, if he feels that strongly about this case, maybe he ought to suggest corporal punishment for school district employees.