European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 12, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse A a a a a a Case highlights single parenthood courts seen As reluctant to Force duties on dads by Ron Jensen Nornberg Bureau the murder of 1-month-old Acilien r. Byrd by her Soldier Mother last summer in Ansbach Germany is an extreme example of the pressures of single Moth Rhood a spokeswoman for a woman a rights group said Quot that kind of Case is rarely heard about a said Kim Gandy executive vice president for the National organization for women. Quot what a More common is the children Are grossly pfc. Cassic r. Byrd a Soldier with the 3rd inf div left her 4-week-old daughter in a closet last summer before going on a three week leave to the United states she pleaded guilty to premeditated murder at a court martial feb. 25. Her sentencing is scheduled for 9 . Tuesday at William o. Darby Cavern in Firth. Quot looking at my own 2-week-old daughter its hard to imagine leaving a baby in the closet a said Gandy in a Telephone interview from her Washington Home where she is on maternity leave. Quot but you never know another persons the father of Bvrd a baby was never identified in a Donly Bab needs. When she Stoppe the baby died and she was court. It was stated Only that he had not accepted any responsibility for the baby born May 20,1992. That left Byrd with the Legal duty to provide for the baby a charged with murder Quot he certainly seems to be getting off Scot free a Gandy said. But Gandy said courts rarely place on a reluctant father any responsibility for providing Basic necessities even in the United states where the Law spells out that even when you know who the father is a when you can absolutely establish paternity a the Law will not Force a father to take other than financial responsibility a said Gandy a lawyer. In , she said she has seen mothers who plead with judges to make fathers take physical custody of a child for a period of time simply for a break from the pressure. 1 Quot the courts simply will not do it a she said. Quot however if the Mother stops primary care she will be in court for not providing care. The father can simply say i done to want to. A if she said a child becomes a juvenile delinquent the single Mother can then be held legally responsible for the child a actions. Quot it s crazy a she said. Quot it always keeps coming Back to the now is a Strong proponent of abortion rights. Saying she did not want to assume to know Byrds thoughts when she discovered her pregnancy Gandy said it is possible the unavailability of abortions in military hospitals led to murder of the baby. The ban on abortions was lifted by president Clinton but was in effect under the Bush administration when Byrd became disturbed by strategy of viewing tests by j1mi Jones education writer a teacher at a military overseas school in Germany has called the practice of viewing a test before administering it to students an Quot inherently dangerous and unethical Quot strategy to improve standardized test scores. Marva Campbell a fifth Grade teacher at Span Dahlem Middle school said in a february letter to the stars and stripes that the schools administrators have asked the schools faculty to identify areas of weakness in student performance on the comprehensive tests of Basic skills then design an action plan to improve instruction and student learning. She said teachers had been Quot strongly encouraged to Analyse the school needs assessment profile or snap and look up specific test items on which the students had performed poorly. Campbell said she is uncomfortable with that concept since it Quot promotes leaching to the test. Quot maybe that a not the Dodds intention but the Only thing you can do in two months time is focus on those items. I can to see How any teacher could not do that Quot Campbell said in a Telephone interview. The annual lest is to be Given in department of defense dependents schools Germany this month. Administrators at Span Dahlem did not return Calls to the stars and stripes concerning the Issue. The skills test is designed by the educational publishing company Mcgraw Hill and is intended to help schools measure student learning by comparing test results with students of similar Ages in other . Schools. The snap is a report that the company provides to each school that indicates by Grade level student responses on each test item. Testing the testers new rules govern what teachers in the military s overseas school system can and cannot do when it comes to preparing students for Basic skills tests. Following Are some of the actions considered ethical and unethical under the new guidelines ethical a training in test taking skills a practising various testing formats a increasing student motivation by appealing to parents students and teachers. A reviewing directions and procedures. A following specific directions for examiners. A observing timing guidelines. A assisting students with mechanical acts such As finding the Correct place. Source Dodds Germany Region controversy brewed in Dodds last year when a teachers Union charged that Quot unethical preparation of students in the Panama Region was part of a pattern showing that Dodds officials were directing teachers to find ways to raise standardized test scores. The allegations came after at least five teachers at Balboa High school in Panama used copies of a current cubs to prepare pupils for the test. In addition student test results were invalidated at two High schools in England after officials discovered that teachers used All or parts of the tests during practice exams. Unethical a developing a curriculum based on the specific Content of the test. A using virtually identical or superficially changed questions or items from current or past tests. A teaching to specific questions or tasks on the test. A limiting instruction to a particular Type of question format. A photocopying tests As a whole or in part for any purpose. A prompting students to find the Correct answer to any question except samples. A providing assistance that will in Adver a gently indicate an answer. A indicating the Correct response to any item except Sample items. A reviewing actual test items with students before or after the test. Sas since that time a directive governing the test has been written Dodds officials said. Representatives from All Dodds regions teachers unions stateside schools and Mcgraw Hill took part in the rewrite. The policy expanded from a single Page to a Book of about 13 pages said Gerard Akkerhuis the Germany regions evaluation and special projects coordinator Quot we tried to spell out what we Felt was ethical and Correct a Akkerhuis said. Copies of the draft Are in All schools getting ready for testing this month. The polity allows teachers to see the test at their desks for 24 hours he said. Quot there is a consensus a he said. Quot we support that policy strongly a but reviewing the test which has no bearing on academic records is a new procedure for Many Dodds teachers. Campbell for example has taught for 10 years six with Dodds but said this Marks her first year of reviewing the test or using the snap report to review. Campbell said she Felt Quot threatened Quot when she questioned school administrators about the test. Quot my initial reaction was that my performance Standard would depend on following through on something i thought was wrong a she said. A it really worries me that so much emphasis is placed on cubs tests and that its getting to the Point that teachers May be evaluated on How their students however officials from the overseas education association the Union that represents teachers in Germany investigated the situation at Span Dahlem and found no intent to teach to the test. Quot the association at this time does no to believe that there is any real teaching to the test being directed in the Germany Region a said Union spokeswoman Jan Pepelnjak. Quot but there is a real Fine line. I do think there Are schools that Are zealous in viewing the test and aligning the curriculum in order to have their students improve in the test but the real blatant offences a things that Arentt ethical a i Don t believe Are going on anywhere in the Germany since discovering school procedures Are Legal Campbell has pulled out supplemental materials and is Quot teaching the Dodds curriculum a she lifts secrecy on Wii chemical tests Washington a the Pentagon says . Soldiers knowingly used As human Guinea pigs in world War 11 chemical weapons tests can now talk about their experiences ending decades of secrecy. The Pentagon is lifting a prohibition against military personnel involved in the tests from disclosing what happened it. Gen. Robert m. Alexander a Deputy assistant Secretary of defense told u House subcommittee wednesday. Alexander also said the Pentagon immediately will begin reclassifying information on the locations dates and people exposed to chemical weapons in All tests he said the people involved should be identified by August. Quot we share your concerns that Many of the individuals exposed May not even know they were exposed Quot Alexander told the veterans affairs subcommittee on compensation pension and insurance. Quot we also Are aware that others May feel constrained to speak out because of written or Ora oaths they May have taken or because of guidance they May have received at the the program was intended to produce better protect live clothing and masks for Mustard Gas which caused hundreds of thousands of deaths in world War i. Wednesdays hearing was the first by a congressional panel since the Institute of Medicine concluded in january that More than 60,000 veterans were exposed to Large doses of Mustard Gas during the program which the government did no to admit existed until last year. 1 he Institute part of the National Academy of science found that Many of the soldiers were forced to participate in the program and had been sworn to secrecy w Ith the threat of imprisonment
