Here are a few specific questions we feel the school must address. They're quite simple so it shouldn't require any sort of investigation or anything....just a simple yes or no. Naturally we would like some proof where we disagree. Evidence for the position we take is to be found all over this blog.
Does spray drift end up on the school?
answer; Almost certainly.
Has the school ever done anything to establish whether the school is somehow protected from chemical contamination,?
answer; No proof that they have done so has yet been presented, despite numerous requests to see this if it exists.
If spray drift does end up on the school has the law been broken?
answer: Yes
Was the school made aware of serious concerns regarding the possible health risks posed by these chemicals any time before this March 2010?
answer: Yes, the parents who Emma referred to in her "timeline" and who removed their daughter from the school did extensive research on their own and tried repeatedly to convince the school that there was a serious risk. This started in March 2009. More than a year ago.
Why didn't the school bring the full details of the spray risk and the alleged risks to our children's health to our attention so we could make our own minds up as to whether the information was worth considering?
answer; only the school can answer this because it's beyond us.
Do we know enough about the total effect, both short and long term, to allow us to make any sort of reasonably certain statements to the effect that there is no need for concern?
answer; Absolutely not. As Prof. London said, just because we don't have evidence for possible harm (yet) does not mean it's safe.
It is really sad that you can be so happy with the school one day and the next day you try to sink it. These letters make people think the school is covered in a drift spray cloud all day long, which is TOTALLY untrue. Why not rather help to find solutions to the environmental problem (coming from the FARMS) rather than destroying the wonderful education that the school is providing.
ReplyDeletehello anonymous,
ReplyDeleteNo answers to any of the questions I ask then?
So you recognise an environmental problem then? Why only now? why not last March? Could it be because this time too many people know about it?
Why wasn't this problem addressed before a school was even started on the farm?
You're quite correct though, it is really sad. Sad that it took so long for the full picture to come to light, sad that so much we now feel was our right to be aware of was withheld from us.
We did, in fact urge the school to move....that's the only real solution. We were told quite emphatically, on a number of occasions, that moving the school simply wasn't an option. You're the ones who are destroying the school by refusing to take seriously the very real and valid concerns of parents who feel the environment has now been reasonably shown to be unsafe.
Hi Ford,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Peter's sentiments because your reply to me seems to indicate that you think I am on some school committee.
We don't want your interpretation of Dr London's meeting because we were all there and understood fully what he said. We also understood what he didn't say. (rather watch the dvd yourself than read interpretations)
You knew where the school was when you enrolled your child, and now all your problems are the schools fault?
I am tired of hearing "where are your facts", because you haven't presented any facts specific to Nitida either, so stop throwing that at everyone. I want other parents reading this blog to understand that these are your views and your interpretation of the information available.
As parents who support the school we are concentrating our efforts on actually establishing the real dangers and coming up with Solutions so that our children are safe and they can continue at their great school in its unique environment.
I purposely did not post my name as I had an idea that you would think it was a sinister plot from the school. Shame
Debbie De Villiers
Hello Debbie,
ReplyDeletewhether you are on a committee or not is irrelevant. You say you support the school, I assume you have good reason but you haven't really explained this.
I have actually watched the DVD a number of times, Last night, in fact, I spent a few hours with my wife transcribing it, 8 pages of it.
To be frank I don't think what Prof. London had to say was really heard, nor understood, by many asking most of the questions. I'll be posting this text, with some additional observations, shortly.
You repeat this strange defence that because we knew it was a farm the responsibility for our children's safety must rest with us. I think you'll find that the law sees this very differently. The responsibility rests with the school to ensure the environment it places our children in does not endanger them.
To date, more than 5 years after starting at Nitida, and despite numerous calls that the matter was of concern to many of us, teachers and parents alike, this is the first real public acknowledgement that there may be cause for concern.
Many of you have now called into question my motivation, and character, yet you fail to recognise that had it not been for my "unreasonable" demands this discussion and awareness of the potential for harm to your children would not even be known to most of you. A simple "thank you" would suffice.
It's interesting that your "Solution" is already
focussed on keeping the school where it is. All your efforts are on trying to minimise a completely unknown threat. This was made blatantly clear by Prof. London.
If you can honestly say I have presented no facts then I can only assume you've not really read much here at all.
I'm still confused that you felt that by saying who you were at the start (and not being anonymous) would make me believe you were part of a sinister plot....surely remaining anonymous is more suspicious?
Any shame for the present situation does not belong here.
And of course this blog expresses my views and those of others who share similar views....that's the whole point.
The school sends out it's emails to parents and ECM minutes don't they....and I have no opportunity to correct those do I?
Still waiting for specific corrections to my alleged "inaccuracies and misinformation"
regards,
Ford
Perhaps the real problem here is that it's YOUR voice that is not being recognized as opposed to a voice of knowlege & reason! It just sounds to me like you're wanting a public platform to berate a school purely because their methods of getting the job done are different to those that you suggested. What makes you the authority?
ReplyDeleteThe fact that you and other parents removed your children (when no spraying was/is taking place) and the next spraying is only end of the year - so there is no imminent "danger" right now, just proves the fact that you were never after a resolution/solution to the problem, because if you were then you would be working with the school and not against them as you are actively doing. The school standards are brilliant, the academics are brilliant, the teachers have more passion than I have ever experienced elsewhere - so why attack all of these factors as well - instead of the people we entrust our children to and their characters. I really hope that not too much damage has been done to discredit the school and we are one of the parents working with the school to actively find a solution - ONCE THE RESULTS ARE HERE!
ReplyDeleteyeah, yeah...more irrelevant sniping.
ReplyDeleteJust answer some of the real questions I have raised and please stop with your silly, infantile assumptions. Look at what I'm saying and asking...stop with your childish attempts to draw attention away from the real problem.
Have any of you actually read anything of consequence on this issue at all? Didn't you hear a word Prof London said at the meeting other than what you wanted to hear?
Did it ever occur to you that maybe many of us withdrew precisely because we didn't feel our concerns were being taken seriously? Also, as Prof. London pointed out, you really have no idea whether it's safe on the farm right now...spraying or not. Just more unevaluated assumptions.
ReplyDeletePity it's taken you 5 years to finally start looking for a solution. That you're looking for a solution implies you finally recognise a problem...what about those who were ignored in the past though.
Will you now acknowledge your failure to act earlier when these concerns were first raised?
Hello all, it looks like a little war is going on this site; we have here people who are very scared / dead-certain that mass poisoning of small children is going on, and on the other hand we have those who say that the former group is a bunch of misguided, alarmist scare-mongerers.
ReplyDeleteSo -from what we can learn here on this blog and elsewhere on the web- who’s right?
But first let me say that my own eight your old is safely removed from the winelands and that these problems are not directly mine. (Recently she was hit by a teacher, but after an immediate visit to a doctor, a criminal charge, the involvement of the Department of Education, said teacher is no longer employed by the school within less than three weeks. We all have problems, but it is our duty to tackle them –if they seem real!)
In the end I’m pro-child first and foremost. I hope that we all are. Emotions and personal issues (or ANY other issue for that matter) should be avoided when it comes to a child’s wellbeing –present and long-term.
And immediately, on my first visit to this blog, to this page, one can see blatant lies / inaccuracies being posted –why? How come do seemingly rational people deliberately gloss over what seems pretty much indisputable?
E.g: Mrs De Villiers says ” I am tired of hearing "where are your facts", because you haven't presented any facts specific to Nitida either”? (Apologies for selecting you madam, we don’t know each other and I sincerely hope you understand that this is a mere example.)
As I gather that MANCOZEB has been sprayed many times; I quickly Google: “MANCOZEB + cytotoxic” (as presented by the GG).
Taraaaa, there you are: even without reading the enormous mass of resulting info for the next week, it takes me less than five minutes to be certain that indeed there should be reasons for the gravest of concerns.
So I’m a bit hooked and ‘will look into this. Anyone who thinks that things may not be so bad and still have children on that school should perhaps do the same.
There’s enough info out there to empower oneself so as to be in a position to critically evaluate the merits of both camps’ arguments. And especially if you are already in either camp -be even more critical; you may be wrong after all……
In the case of the followers of The Galileo Group: you may take away children from a most effective system of learning (‘am a bit partial to Montessori myself), in a very idyllic location.
In the case of the school and all parents who do not remove their children: do you feel lucky, what if you are wrong?
Anthony