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linguafrancare.bsky.social
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localnotail.bsky.social
very worrying water news
rachelsalvidge.bsky.social Rachel Salvidge @rachelsalvidge.bsky.social · Jun 23
Water extraction in England has hit record levels, pushing rivers to the brink.

As drought grips parts of the country, experts warn the surge in abstraction is unsustainable for rivers, wildlife and long-term supplies. 2/3

www.theguardian.com/environment/...
England’s rivers ‘under threat’ as water extraction surges to record levels
Exclusive: Investigation finds 76% rise in water taken from rivers and lakes for industrial or public consumption in two decades
www.theguardian.com
June 23, 2025 at 8:25 AM
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localnotail.bsky.social
One of the things cut when the Conservative Party decided to slash funding for public services through Austerity was free English as a Second Language lessons (ESOL) for immigrants.

New arrivals want to integrate but Government doesn't help them - start with that.

web.archive.org/web/20151128...
Twelve reasons cuts to ESOL are the stupidest government cut yet Monday 23 November 2015 Here's why cutting ESOL would be one of the stupidest government cuts yet: 1. 850,000 UK residents lack basic English language skills. 2. Yet since 2009, government funding for ESOL courses has been cut by 60%... 3. ... and the wider adult skills budget, funding lifelong learning in colleges, has been cut by 35%. 4. According to ESOL learner Nathanial Ghilazghi, "If you haven't done ESOL, you don't know how to communicate. You don't know how to live." 5. Participation in ESOL has dropped by 22% since 2010... 6. ...but waiting lists of up to 1,000 still exist in the vast majority of colleges. 7. ESOL saves money for other public services: on interpreters, on misunderstandings, on mistakes. 8. And ESOL is cheap! At the height of spending it only cost the Government £230 million. 9. It makes it easier for EVERYONE in society to live together if we all speak the same language. 10. It reduces poverty, skills shortages and community divisions. 11. David Cameron agrees. He said it himself on 20 July: "we have parts of the country where opportunities remain limited...where language remains a real barrier". 12. And then the very next day his government cut ESOL funding AGAIN!
May 12, 2025 at 9:43 AM
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waldo.net
Our county school system allowed the county police to conduct a training exercise on the combined campus of an elementary, middle, and high school, *and* the "welcome center" for ESOL students...and the county police brought Department of Homeland Security with them. 🤦🏼‍♂️

Really dangerous stuff.
Yesterday, the Albemarle County Police Department (ACPD) conducted a K-9 training exercise on our Lambs Lane campus, which includes Greer Elementary, Journey Middle, Albemarle High School, the Newcomer Welcome Center, the Boys & Girls Club, the Department of Transportation, and Ivy Creek School. ACPD is a valued and longstanding partner of Albemarle County Public Schools, and their standard practice is to notify school division personnel in advance of any training on school grounds. However, due to a last-minute scheduling change, an exercise planned for another location was moved to the Albemarle High School practice field. Unfortunately, ACPD did not provide the required advance notice to school officials. Additionally, ACPD invited federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to participate in the training. This is not uncommon, but was also not communicated to us beforehand. We recognize that the unexpected presence of law enforcement vehicles and uniformed officers, particularly federal agents, caused confusion and concern within our school community. This is especially true for the most vulnerable members of our school community. The School Board will be reviewing our Facility Use policy to further ensure that this type of disruption can be avoided in the future. We want to be clear: This was a training exercise only, and no enforcement action of any kind was involved. We are aware that inaccurate information has been circulating, and we hope this message clarifies. Most importantly, we want to express that it is unacceptable that this event took place without notification. ACPD has acknowledged this oversight and assured us that it will not happen again. We also want to express how sorry we are for the distress this incident caused. The safety and well-being of our students, employees, and families is our highest priority, and the confusion around this event undermined that priority. To further clarify the facts, we are sharing below a message from ACPD Chief of Police Colonel Sean Reeves, issued yesterday following the event: I want to make you aware of an event that occurred this morning on the Lambs Lane campus that may have been concerning or upsetting to ACPS students, staff and some members of our community. Around the start of the school day, four police vehicles, including two marked Department of Homeland Security K9 vehicles, one unmarked K9 vehicle with the Federal Protection Service, and one ACPD unmarked vehicle, were seen parked near the Boys & Girls Club. None of the officers attempted to enter any school buildings, and all students and staff remained safe throughout the event. After a series of inquiries from the schools and community members, I learned that the local K9 training group had chosen to conduct explosive detection training exercise with their dogs on the Albemarle High School practice field for approximately one hour. This group regularly trains together and has used this area for training on numerous occasions, albeit without any notification to or permission from our school division. At this time, the situation has been fully resolved. I understand that the presence of law enforcement vehicles and dogs on or near school property can potentially cause confusion and become a distraction during the school day, especially when unexpected. Please know that I take any disruption to our campus seriously, and I have personally followed up with ACPD’s K9 Unit leadership to ensure something like this does not happen again. Thank you and I apologize for any confusion this incident may have caused. We remain committed above all else to keeping ACPS a safe and welcoming environment where all students and employees can thrive. Thank you for taking the time to better understand yesterday’s events and do not hesitate to contact us at superintendentoffice@k12albemarle.org if you have any further questions.
May 21, 2025 at 10:50 PM