2009
08.16

“Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) is an electronic public access service that allows users to obtain case and docket information from Federal Appellate, District and Bankruptcy courts, and the U.S. Party/Case Index via the Internet.”

PACER is a resource that for a small cost, you can access court filings such as the current legal proceedings against the LTISD.

I thought it might be helpful to let you see some more of the documents filed by the district in their lawsuit against the Meadows regarding the violation of parental rights. The district is trying to twist the truth into a story about student safety and the district’s erroneous and questionable reliance on the Raptor system. Remember Raptor, that money sink that has questionable value?

The district’s lawyers have filed a proposed “Voir Dire.” A “Voire Dire” is “the process by which prospective jurors are questioned about their backgrounds and potential biases before being chosen to sit on a jury.”

Let’s see, the district’s lawyers want to ask potential jurors 67 questions. Here are a few choice questions:

6.d. Would your experience with Mr. Gilbert, Ms. McBride, and/or the law firm of Thompson & Horton LLP prevent you from being a fair and impartial juror in this case?

  • If you were unfortunate enough to have experienced any of this cast of characters you would not be favorably inclined to them or anyone they represented.

15. Are you familiar with Lake Travis ISD through the media? What have you heard? Would this information prevent you from being a fair and impartial juror in this case?

  • Well, I hope no one ever heard of the district’s outrageous lawsuit against my family or they could be excused.

16. Do you hold any college degrees? How many? In what areas? What about postgraduate degrees? How many? In what areas?

  • What? What could this question possibly have to do with this case?

19. Have any of you or has any member of your immediate family felt so strongly about a decision at work or school that you considered consulting a lawyer? Please explain.

  • So much for any juror ever exercising his/her constitutional rights.

    By the way, they screwed up the numbering of their questions, 19 is listed twice. In fact they use the number scheme 18, 19, 16, 17, 19, …

16. Have you or has any member of your immediate family been asked to be a witness in a lawsuit alleging constitutional violations? Please explain.

  • What exactly is a constitutional violation? Is it  a constitutional violation when the government sues a citizen, tax payer and parent for exercising their rights? Hmm …

24. Have any of you observed constitutional violations in the workplace or at school?

  • What if I have observed constitutional violations? Don’t they do it all the time?

35. Does anyone believe that individuals should not take responsibility for their own actions?

  • What a concept. I guess that applies to anyone excepting school districts?
  • What about school districts taking responsibility for things such as “academically acceptable” rather than blaming someone else? Just who is responsible then?
  • Wouldn’t it have been good for the district and more importantly Rocky, the districts “chief executive officer” to ask such a question about “taking responsibility?”

41. What is your employment status?
42. What is the principal activity of the company where you work?
43. What is your title or position?
44. What other occupations have you worked in?
45. Have you ever owned your own business?
46. What civic, social, or other organizations are you affiliated with?
47. What type of volunteer work have you done?

  • What do these questions have to do with anything? Mind you they have already asked if anyone has worked for the district, Raptor, etc.

51. In your opinion, should a school district be able restrict access to certain parts of the school campus to visitors who fail to comply with school rules? What about parents who fail to comply with school rules? Why? Why not?
52. Have you ever had your driver’s licensed scanned for registered sex-offender status upon entering a school building? If so, how did you feel about that?

  • Aren’t these the questions to be answered in the trial? So much for fair.

The district has even submitted a preliminary witness list.

I was wondering why the district wouldn’t be calling Ms. Margarita Plymire and Ms. Patty Noble? They were named in affidavits as having witnessed certain events harmful to the districts cause. Could  it be that these affidavits contain false claims? Wouldn’t it be funny if Heidi Gudelman were to tell the jury “it was not true in reality?”

Here are the people listed in the district’s preliminary witness list:

I. WITNESSES WHO WILL BE CALLED

(1) Janie Braxdale, Principal Bee Cave Elementary School 14300 Hamilton Pool Rd Austin, Texas 78738 Phone: (512) 533-6250

(2) Dr. D. Rockwell Kirk, Superintendent Lake Travis ISD 3322 Ranch Road 620 South Austin, Texas 78738 Phone: (512) 533-6000

(3) Dr. Diane Frost, Deputy Superintendent Lake Travis ISD 3322 Ranch Road 620 South Austin, Texas 78738 Phone: (512) 533-6000

(4) Sean Casey, Assistant Superintendent Technology & Information Systems Services Lake Travis ISD 3322 Ranch Road 620 South Austin, Texas 78738 Phone: (512) 533-6000

(5) Jim Ratcliff, Senior Director Facilities, Construction & Support Services Lake Travis ISD 3322 Ranch Road 620 South Austin, Texas 78738 Phone: (512) 533-6000

(6) Sam Hicks, Principal Lakeway Elementary School 1701 Lohmans Crossing Rd Austin, Texas 78734 Phone:(512) 533-6360

(7) Marilyn Souther Registrar Bee Cave Elementary School 14300 Hamilton Pool Rd Austin, Texas 78738 Phone: (512) 533-6250

(8) Susan Hart Administrative Assistant Bee Cave Elementary School 14300 Hamilton Pool Rd Austin, TX 78738 Phone: (512) 533-6250

(9) Sherry Gardner Former Receptionist Bee Cave Elementary School 14300 Hamilton Pool Rd Austin, Texas 78738 Phone: (512) 533-6250

(10) Trisha Braddock Receptionist Bee Cave Elementary School 14300 Hamilton Pool Rd Austin, Texas 78738 Phone: (512) 533-6250

(11) Allan Measom, President and CEO Raptor Technologies, Inc. 631 West 22nd Street Houston, Texas 77008 Phone: (713) 880-8902

II. WITNESSES CALLED AT TRIAL IF THE NEED ARISES (OR BASED ON PLAINTIFF’S EVIDENCE)

(1) Robert (“Bob”) Hart, Assistant Superintendent Former Business & Financial Services Lake Travis ISD 3322 Ranch Road 620 South Austin, Texas 78738 Phone: (512) 533-6000

(2) Dan Hoffman, Chairman Bond Advisory Committee c/o Lake Travis ISD 3322 Ranch Road 620 South Austin, Texas 78738 Phone: (512) 533-6000

(3) Allison Cobb, Principal Serene Hills Elementary School Lake Travis ISD 3301 Serene Hills Drive Austin, Texas 78738 Phone: (512) 533-7411

(4) Karen Miller-Kopp, Principal Lake Travis Elementary School Lake Travis ISD 15303 Kollmeyer Drive Austin, Texas 78734 Phone: (512) 533-6311

(5) Heidi Gudelman, Principal Lake Pointe Elementary School Lake Travis ISD 11801 Sonoma Drive Austin, Texas 78738 Phone: (512) 533-6511

(6) Russell Maedgen, Principal Lake Travis Middle School Lake Travis ISD 3328 620 South Austin, Texas 78738 Phone: (512) 533-6211

(7) Debra Lilly, Principal Hudson Bend Middle School Lake Travis ISD 15600 Lariat Trail Austin, Texas 78734 Phone: (512) 533-6411

(8) Kim Brents, Principal Lake Travis High School Lake Travis ISD 3324 RR 620 South Austin, Texas 78738 Phone: (512) 533-6117

(9) Kristi Nordstrom, Teacher Bee Cave Elementary School 14300 Hamilton Pool Rd Austin, Texas 78738 Phone: (512) 533-6250

(10) Gina Freeman, Teacher Bee Cave Elementary School 14300 Hamilton Pool Rd Austin, Texas 78738 Phone: (512) 533-6250

(11) Aileen Winzer, Teacher Bee Cave Elementary School 14300 Hamilton Pool Rd Austin, Texas 78738 Phone: (512) 533-6250

(12) Becky Preslar, Teacher Bee Cave Elementary School 14300 Hamilton Pool Rd Austin, Texas 78738 Phone: (512) 533-6250

(13) JaneEllen Higbee, Teacher Bee Cave Elementary School 14300 Hamilton Pool Rd Austin, Texas 78738 Phone: (512) 533-6250

(14) Gail Garza Nurse Bee Cave Elementary School 14300 Hamilton Pool Rd Austin, Texas 78738 Phone: (512) 533-6250

Perhaps the district’s lawyers would be better off practicing law in China?

China’s Andy Rooney Has Some Funny Opinions About How Great The Chinese Government Is

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