Brooks slanders Character Counts! founder; says the Pillars of Character Counts! are just for students.

APS Supt Winston Brooks, in sworn testimony during his deposition, revealed a lot about how little he knows about APS Student Standards of conduct; the Pillars of Character Counts! link.

He doesn't know for example, that the standards of conduct that School Board Policy establishes for students, are called the Pillars of Character Counts!  He thinks they are call "points" or something.

He thinks the Pillars are "student" standards of conduct, not their role models', and not his.

Q.  What is Character Counts! exactly?

A.  It is a program developed and devised by an individual -- I can't remember his name right now. that is a program that is implemented in the schools regarding student character.  There are certain points about Character Counts! that people -- students try to live by.  It is a systemic program that this gentleman put out on the market, and I think was quite successful at until he got caught for embezzlement or something. (emphasis added)

Josephson, circa 1989

Character Counts! founding father Michael Josephson has denied Brooks' slanderous allegation "unequivocally".

Brooks has some experience with Character Counts!

Q.  Did that school district (Wichita, Kansas) adopt Character Counts! ...?

A. (in Wichita Kansas) We did not do a district wide adoption and subsequently have not done one here in APS. (emphasis added)

Brooks doesn't know that Character Counts! was adopted in the APS long since and, district wide.

Brooks doesn't know that the Pillars of Character Counts! are the student standards of conduct and have been since 1994!  The senior-most administrative role model of student standards of conduct, doesn't know that every year, the Student Behavior Handbook, an extension of school board policy, reiterates the expectation that students will model and promote the Pillars of Character Counts!.

His failure as the senior-most role model of the Pillars of Character Counts! he would have us believe, is due to the fact that, nobody ever told him that the Pillars are the current student standards of conduct, the standards he establishes and enforces upon students every year.

As to why APS has never adopted Character Counts! district wide;

A.  .... I pretty much always thought that that (adoption of Character Counts! as part of the curriculum ) was -- should be a site-based decisions, and not necessarily a district wide decision.

Has Brooks ever considered adopting APS student standards of conduct, on a districtwide level?

Q.  Have you ever formally considered, as superintendent, the adoption of Character Counts! on a districtwide level?

A. No

Could Brooks adopt APS student standards of conduct districtwide if he wanted to?

Q. ... If Character Counts! was to be adopted as a districtwide program, is that something that has to be done by the board, or can you do it as Superintendent?

A.  Well, some board members may disagree, but I think I have the authority to do that as Superintendent.

Brooks on Character Counts! districtwide;

Q.  So what bits and pieces (of Character Counts!) were being used that you recall, in the district?

A.  (When I got here) I don't recall.  I just know some schools referred to the -- I forget what it's called.


Q.  The six Pillars?

A.  Whatever -- whatever the name is.

Q.  So sitting here today, is it -- am I correct that Character Counts! does not presently exist in the APS school district as a curriculum based program?

A.   No, I don't think that would be correct.  I think that Character Counts! exists in some of our schools, in a variety of different forms.

The still binding 1994 Resolution, link, reads;

... the core curriculum should continue to give explicit attention to character development as an ongoing art of school instruction;

I will forward a link of this post to the establishment media.

If they still refuse to investigate and report upon the ethics and
accountability scandal in the leadership of the APS, 
they are scoundrels.

They really are.




photos Mark Bralley