The I Love CVille Show With Jerry Miller! - ACPS Superintendent Replies To I Love CVille Show; Is Dr. Haas' Response Strategically Late & Vague?

Episode Date: October 24, 2024

The I Love CVille Show headlines: ACPS Superintendent Replies To I Love CVille Show Is Dr. Haas’ Response Strategically Late & Vague? Optics Behind Dr. Haas’ Letter To Parents What’s The Role Of Police & Drug Dogs In Schools? UVA’s Jim Ryan Apologizes To Docs He Attacked Ryan Disparages Daily Progress On The Record Will UNC Game Determine Tony Elliott Job Status? BioTech Lab Equipment For Sale – Contact Jerry Read Viewer & Listener Comments Live On-Air The I Love CVille Show airs live Monday – Friday from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm on The I Love CVille Network. Watch and listen to The I Love CVille Show on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, iTunes, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Spotify, Fountain, Amazon Music, Audible, Rumble and iLoveCVille.com.

Good Thursday afternoon, guys. My name is Jerry Miller, and thank you kindly for joining us on the I Love Seville Show, live in our studio in downtown Charlottesville, the I Love Seville Network, a show and a network that utilizes social media and podcasting platforms. We aggregate every single one, and we relay content to you that we think is important to the community. A lot we're going to cover on today's show. And today's show is a case study of what to do and what not to do when it comes to public relations and comms, communications with your constituents, with your taxpayers, with your parents, with the folks that you are leading or entrusted to lead.

We will compare and contrast what Jim Ryan, the president of the University of Virginia, has done well and has not done well with Dr. Matthew Haas, the superintendent of Albemarle County Public Schools, and what he has done well and what he has not done well in a drug epidemic that seems to be sweeping Albemarle County Public Schools, one high school in particular, Monticello High School. A lot we're going to cover on today's show. Matthew Haas' response to parents. His initial email to parents came yesterday, immediately after the I Love Seville show.

I received his message, which was published minutes after the program aired. And remember, we've covered this story first and most thoroughly of any media platform in the community. I had probably two dozen parents reach out to me via text message, direct message in the comments of social media or via phone call or email and say, did you see this message that Haas just sent? He even, in this message, questions local media reporting in his message to parents. A lot I want to dissect with Matthew Haas' response. A response to me that seemed tone deaf,

lacking authenticity, passing the buck to parents and away from accountability with schools. Frankly, a message that lacked transparency and honesty. Some of the words used like THC and ingesting instead of smoking, some of the words used in this message like, hey, these kids were passed out and rolled out on stretchers and put in ambulances and taken to hospitals. That type of language was not used.

And perhaps it should have been. A lot we're going to cover on today's program. The president of the University of Virginia, another topic we will cover, Jim Ryan, has apologized to the UPG University Physicians Group 128, the doctors who have authored a handful of letters basically saying that the health system at the University of Virginia is committing fraud with billing, changing medical charts to maintain performance standards and performance rankings for the hospital system. out of the gate wrote a letter himself and said, these 128 doctors are nothing more than bitter and sour teenagers that were overlooked at prom and could not secure a date to the dance. Angry employees that are a small percentage of a much larger group of employees.

A small percentage that should be ignored and chalked up to basically bitterness. He now, on Friday, this past week, at a UVA Senate get-together, said, I made a mistake, Jim Ryan did. The lawyer in me came out. I was too aggressive, and I apologize to the anonymous 128. In the process of offering this apology, he is on the record. I find this bewildering. He is on the record in commentary published on Radio IQ with esteemed journalist Sandy Hausman. She has commentary on Radio IQ WVTF with Jim Ryan saying this on the record. Anything published in the Daily Progress, he says, is it published in the Daily Progress?

He asked, that's all I need to know to assess its accuracy. Disparaging and dismissing the local paper of record in the area the university exists within. Fighting an opponent an opponent that fights back with ink and paper and keyboards and circulation is just piss poor

public relations. You have two leaders that are not seeing the forest through the trees. is just piss poor public relations. I mean... You have two leaders that are not seeing the forest through the trees. Just picking a fight that you don't need to pick. Just shut your mouth. Why? The best strategy is no comment whatsoever. Not even no comment.

And you allow the story to get out of the news cycle. We'll talk about that today. We'll talk this question. Tony Elliott's got the North Carolina Tar Heels on the calendar on Saturday. It's a 12 p.m. kickoff. This is the last game UVA is favored to win for the rest of the season. They have Pittsburgh. They have Southern Methodist University.

They have Virginia Tech. They have Notre Dame, they have ranked opponents to close the season, and then a matchup against Virginia Tech and Blacksburg, which is historically an impossible place for UVA to win. beat North Carolina on Saturday. A game that's going to be before an empty stadium. It's a 12 o'clock kick. Students don't come up for 12 o'clock ball games. It's going to be difficult to get to this game on time with a 12 o'clock kickoff, an early kickoff, especially coming off a beat down against Clemson and a loss to Louisville. If Elliott loses this game, is he pink slipped at the end of the year? He's making nearly $4.5 million a year. The football team, I learned this from Jerry Ratcliffe, the star of the Jerry and Jerry Show, the namesake of JerryRatcliffe.com.

UVA as an athletic department is losing more than a million dollars per home game because the stadium is so empty, so lacking in attendance. More than a million dollars in lost revenue. More than a million dollars in lost money per home game. If Elliott loses to the Tar Heels on Saturday, is this man fired at the end of the year? And if he's fired at the end of the year,

does that mean Carla Williams, the athletic director, is conducting two national searches for her two most prominent head coaching positions, men's basketball and football. That topic on today's program. I also want a little item out of the real estate notebook. We had a tenant get fairly behind on rent. As a result, we now have a biotechnology laboratory.

Their inventory lists, their equipment list in our ownership possession, and we are looking to sell this biotechnology equipment and inventory to recoup some losses. Reach out to me if you're a biotechnology lab in the Charlottesville, Albemarle, or UVA area, and I think a deal can be made that's advantageous to everyone. Judah Wickower, Two Shot, will highlight Charlottesville Business Brokers

for being a part of the show online at charlottesvillebusinessbrokers.com. Brokering deals left and right in the Central Virginia region. We'll highlight Mejicale Restaurant, 50 parking spaces on site. West Main Street Mexicali Restaurant is a street art museum meets a cocktail bar meets Latin fusion cuisine meets music venue

Johnny Ornelas and River Hawkins A++ work gentlemen the headline most intriguing to you Judah B. Wickhauer I think your commentary yesterday was absolutely fantastic thank you I continue to be enthralled by the unfolding of what's going on at the schools. It's terrifying for the kids.

And this response from Haas is a bit baffling, like a lot of what we've been seeing coming out of leaders around our area. I want to highlight this for Dr. Matthew Haas, who watches the program, his cabinet who watches the show. Judah Wickower will answer this for me. How many parents directly tied to this have now reached out to us, offering perspective or looking to share their perspective of what happened to their children at Monticello High School as it pertains to drugs, direct perspective. How many parents directly tied to this have reached out to us? I'm talking kids involved

in what happened. How many? I believe it's three, right? There you go. So what I'm talking about on this talk show is coming from the lips and the mouths of the parents of the children involved. And I offer that as a warning of caution to Dr. Haas, the superintendent of Albemarle County Public Schools. When he offers commentary on Albemarle County Public School platforms, highlighting what we're talking about on this show is inaccurate.

I say, Dr. Hoss, the parents are contacting me directly about what's going on in your schools, telling me what is happening. Do you understand what I'm saying? Immediately after yesterday's program, he releases a statement. And I want to pick this statement apart like Thanksgiving turkey.

I found it lacking authenticity. I found it vague. I found it delayed with its timing. A statement forced because of what we've covered on this show, not because he issued the statement to get in front of or be straightforward in communication. I found the statement reeking of cover and cover up. And I found the statement, passing the buck to parents, as opposed to catching the arrows in the chest and saying, we are wrong and we will do better. A bit of arrogance too. There's a lot of patting yourself on the back in here. Take the lead. He starts off talking about how ACPS is committed to keeping parents informed that the well-being of the students is the highest priority.

And then goes on to talk about people taking appropriate steps to protect your loved ones, which I would think is the school's job when kids are on school grounds. Then he goes on to talk about, in the second paragraph, he is clearly trying to show that the students had left the campus. So this was not our problem. We didn't do anything. Talks about them coming back and having medical distress and then goes on to repeatedly talk about the quick actions of the staff, ensuring the students received the care they needed, which I'm sure is true. I don't think we have any problem with the staff at ACPS or the Charlottesville schools.

But nowhere does he talk about where the drugs are coming from, whether the school is going to do anything to prevent cases like this in the future. And then goes on to, again, talk about parents needing to inform their kids about drugs. Megan Hart, Jessica Lilly, we'll get to your comments in a matter of moments. Dr. Karen Wolf, you've been A-plus on your commentary all week long on this. I'm going to offer some of my perspective, then get to you, the viewer and listener, and your thoughts. Put them in the comments section or the social media or podcasting platforms you're watching the show upon, and we will relay them directly on air.

Here are my issues with this. A, the timing of this. This happened way too late. This was a result of us talking about it for three days on this talk show. It was forced. It was not by choice, this communication. Which is considering he's talking about being committed to keeping parents informed. And asking for trust, to maintain trust in the final of the communication. That's sketch. That's super sketch. I have a problem

with words like in paragraph 3, ingested a THC vape pen. What are you doing? Are you taking the vape pen and chewing it with some salt and pepper and swallowing it with some skim milk? Or some Ector Cooler Hi-C in your lunch?

You're not ingesting a THC vape pen, you're smoking it. I have a problem with the commentary strictly being focused on THC. Is today's weed much stronger than the weed we smoked when we were in kids, high school, teenage years, college years, the years after? Absolutely, the weed is much more potent. But if anyone wants to be honest with themselves, to say that THC, even today's potent

THC, is causing students to pick up desks and chairs and throw them at others, causing students to foam at the mouth, causing students to lose consciousness, causing students to have 911 and ambulances called to them, causing students to be rushed and whisked to the hospital. And in his communication, he's awaiting updates on the condition of the student that went to the hospital yesterday. Weed does not do this. Anyone who's smoked any weed in their life, I've said it on this show multiple times, I'm very familiar with it. It does not cause you to pick up desk and chairs and throw it to other people, or foam at the mouth, or crumble and collapse in the floor. We have to be honest with ourselves, and we have to ask ourselves and be straightforward.

Yes, it may have been perceived to be a THC vape pen, but if a cart is laced with something else, some kind of other synthetic drug, then that should be communicated to parents. Definitely. Because if they think, obviously some of them may be more informed than others, but if the school is only informing parents that they need to worry about THC vape pens because it's a drug, then that sadly leaves them uninformed about what may actually be in those pens. There it is. And if you're going to tell your child, you know, don't do drugs, I would think you would want to also be able to inform them that, look, you're not always getting what you think you're getting.

Today's show. You can die. There it is. Today's show, yesterday's show, all the shows we've done this week have not been about throwing teachers under the bus. They have not been about throwing vice principals and principals under the bus. Today's show and the entire week's worth of shows have not been about throwing the students who smoke what they thought was a weed pen under the bus. Kids are going to be kids, and they're going to make mistakes.

Am I saying what they did was right? No. But I've made this mistake. I've done this thousands of times. And I can't throw rocks in glass houses. The kids are being kids. The teachers are calling 911 and saving the kids' lives because they're concerned about the kids. The principals and the vice principals are communicating

based on what the superintendent's office or the lawyer within the public school system is telling them to do. My entire problem with this entire turn of events are the following issues. A, the lack of transparency and authenticity and straightforward communication from the superintendent. The delay in communication from the superintendent. The vague communication from the superintendent's office. All this reeks of cover-up and lacks trust. My other problem is this. I have been told by a number of parents that there is known drug dealing activity that's happening. My issue with this, if there is known drug dealing activity

that's happening, and this activity has been pointed out to administrators to principals to vice principals and it's made its way up the food chain to the superintendent's office and if the hammer has not been dropped on the known drug dealing dealer dealers then that is a the next catastrophe and the next time this happens it makes it makes complicity That is a catastrophe. And the next time this happens, it makes complicity part of the action. There it is. I spoke.

I had a conversation. My wife and I have been talking about this nonstop. We have two sons. I've openly said on this talk show, when I was high school when I was in college I was the bad kid I was the kid that did not have to do much work and got really good grades and because of that was extremely bored and got into a boatload of trouble

a boatload of trouble and it followed me to college and eventually the buck stopped at UVA when I was able to coast on just listening in class. That didn't work anymore at the University of Virginia. You actually had to read the textbooks and do the homework if you wanted to get good grades. My point is this. I'm speaking as a parent of two and from past experience of being the troublemaker in the school. My wife, on the other hand, the complete opposite.

The rule follower, my wife. The do-your-homework person, my wife. The study person, my wife. The never-break-the-rules, my wife. And we're sitting in the bed next to each other. Before we go to sleep, and I ask her this question. I asked her these questions. Should the students that were high during school hours, should something legally have happened to them? Should the police have gotten involved with them? And she said, absolutely not. I said, I agree. Absolutely not.

I said to her, the folks that were dealing drugs allegedly on school grounds during school hours, should the police get involved with them? She paused and she hesitated. And then she said, probably so. She made this comment that is resonating with me today. When you're underage and you're a kid and you're the school, you should be given as much latitude as possible to learn and not be crucified for your mistakes to the point that that crucification follows the young man or the young woman for the rest of their lives on their record. I can go along with that, but I also think that we're dealing with something that could have killed kids here. I said that to her, and she said, I said this, should the school resource officers be back in the school? She said,

yes. I said, should drug dogs be used to sniff out drugs in schools, sniff out drugs in schools? She hesitated. Then she said, yes. She said, I asked her what level of police investigation should happen within the schools when it pertains to this kind of behavior and activity. And she paused. And she said, I don't think kids should be crucified with their record for stuff they're doing with schools unless it's impacting other kids' safety and their livelihood. And that's when she highlighted the drug dealer should be investigated. Dealers, dealer alleged, should be investigated. And I've been told that investigation is happening as we speak by AC, Elmore County Police Department.

That's the type of communication that should happen. We should hear from the superintendent an investigation is happening. We should hear from the superintendent our students thought it was a THC vape pen. We're concerned it could have been something else. We should hear from the superintendent, our students thought it was a THC vape pen. We're concerned it could have been something else. We should hear from the superintendent from day one that this happened instead of vague communication that reeks of cover up. And the crappy thing about all this is we have a laundry list of questionable communication, a laundry list of questionable decision making as it pertains to this office with this school system. And I'm going to take it a step further. If you're on the school board,

if you're on the Admiral County School Board, if you're on the Charlottesville Public School Board, if you're on any public school board, and this is the type of leadership that your superintendent's office is showing, there's a precedent of this kind of leadership, then it's on you as well the stink is attached to you as well who's to say that the school board doesn't want this oh unpack this go ahead Well, what was it? A few months before

the election for a new ACPS school board member? They renewed Dr. Haas' contract as opposed to giving a shot for that contract to be in the conversation had Dr. Meg Bryce had won the general election seat on the school board?

So who's to say that the school board would do anything differently or uh or take dr haas to task for you know for this you know self-congratulatory uh letter albert graves warrior ag that definitely could have been fentanyl in those carts. Schools should start having Narcan on hand. Jessica Lilly. Sad state of affairs. One of the students fell on the ground,

cold to the ground, foaming at the mouth. Albert Graves. Or how about the fact that Dr. Haas' message is sent by a robocall at exactly 6 a.m. in the morning? Multiple comments coming in quickly. The drugs of today terrify the SHIT enemy. The drugs that I grew up with came from the ground or a pile of poo. That's not entirely true. It is true.

It is true. It is true. When we were around, there was no... Crack was in certain pockets in socioeconomic demographics. Heroin was not around, and the blow that was around was

weak sauce compared to today. Now anything that's out there, you question and wonder, because of the synthetic nature, I've been told by half a dozen parents and even more high schoolers that kids are buying their drugs online and having them shipped to P.O. boxes

and shopping centers like the Food Lion shopping center at the base of Pantops or like the Wegman shopping center at those P.O. box mailing banks. That's effing terrifying. It's such a weird perspective now. Having been that guy

and then having now being a parent and a father of two. Wise person once said, being a parent is like having your heart walking around outside your body. And every day you have a sense of vulnerability or fear that the heart that's walking around outside your body is making a decision that's not the right one. Another wise person, after I made that comment to him, a 60-year-old father of three, a neighbor of mine, while we were taking a hike, my son is with me, our German shepherd Max is with me, our neighbor

is with me, he knows the hiking trails inside and out, lived in the neighborhood for 24 years, he brought his two dogs with him as well, we take an hour hike while our youngest son is napping to give my wife a break at the house from the two kids. And I make the comment to the 60-year-old father of three, his two youngest now about to graduate from college, one's at VCU and one's at UVA. And I said, you know what? A wise person once said to me, being a parent is having your heart walking around outside your body. And every day you question whether your heart's making the right decision for safety. And he says, that is so very true. But you know what, Jerry, from my experience, if you think about it that way, every day you're going to live in fear

and it's going to create anxiety. And you're constantly going to be like this stressed. Yeah. My issue with all of this is the communication reeks of cover-up and avoiding as much exposure and liability as possible. It was delayed with its timing. It was only a result of our coverage on this talk show

for the last three days. And that's frank. That's not ego. That's frank. And anyone who watches and listens to this show knows exactly what I'm saying is accurate. Am I right on that? He hints to as much in the letter.

Lastly, there have been some inaccuracies in local media reports and rumors circulating about these incidents. That's Jim Ryan making the mistake with the Daily Progress when he questions the integrity and disparages the Daily Progress. Now Haas doing the exact same thing

with what we do. This is the definition of not seeing the forest through the trees. Take your ego and pride out of your decision making. And to say it's THC and to say it's off-grounds drug use and to say it's the parent's responsibility is some bullshit.

And can anyone answer the question to me here? Why are you able to leave school on your lunch break? That's a good question. If you're 16 or 17 or 18 years old, and you're able to leave school for an hour on your lunch break, or however long it is, you're probably going to get into some trouble. And you would think that the school,

despite kids not being... How about we start with removing that? Yeah. Karen Wolf, I respect this lady's commentary. The school should be handling this like a public health emergency. This is proof that these are circulating among our children.

The laced drugs, they are in danger and the parents and children need to be informed. That's so right. A hundred percent. That's so right. Yeah. Leaving it to, you know, please revisit conversations with your children

about the dangers of drug use is almost criminal in in notifying parents of what's actually going on almost criminal the and the dangers that their that their kids may be in if they're going off school ground if they're going off school grounds and buying drugs and doing them there or doing them at school, and I wonder how much culpability the schools have with kids going off grounds. That seems, if I was expecting my kid to be in school all day and something happened to them while they were, you know, gallivanting around on a lunch break because they're allowed to leave, would the school still be culpable? Because if I was a parent and something like that happened, I would sure as you know what be holding the school accountable. I also want to know this question.

If there is known drug dealing activity happening on school grounds. I also want to know this question. If there is known drug dealing activity happening on school grounds or during the hour where kids are allowed to leave school and come back and there is known students, student or students that are doing this and they are allowed to remain in school and continue the behavior, the illegal activity and someone, God forbid, if several, someone's God forbid, I'm not even going to say it. Everyone knows what we're talking about. God forbid. I'm not even going to say it. Everyone knows what we're talking about. God forbid. Does that not... That seems to me a massive lawsuit waiting to happen. And I have this question. If that massive lawsuit is initiated,

because God forbid, how many people are named in it? How many lieutenants are named in it? In the office? And does it go as far as touching the school board members? Who by now know. There's a school board meeting tonight. The school board members know.

Oh yeah. They 100% know. The school board members know. Oh, yeah. They 100% know. Ginny Hu on Twitter. Shouldn't Haas question if the school policy of allowing students to leave campus contributed to this issue? And perhaps that policy should change. Amen. Ginny Hu. Yes, because of this show's coverage, I was able to give my children info to warn their friends of the dangers.

Thank you, Ginny. That's great. Karen Wolf says, Leaving for lunch is a senior privilege at Covenant, but will be taken away if grades and behavior are not acceptable. Bill McChesney says, This is a senior privilege at Charlottesville High School. Leaving for lunch.

That just mind boggles me. Yeah. We had to sneak out in order to go to lunch. Mind boggles me. I definitely had to sneak out. And every time I sneaked out, I found, almost every time found trouble.

Almost every time found trouble. Maria Marshall Barnes says parents have to sign permission for kids to leave. Tiffany Hicks, does the parent still have to sign a release for them to leave? Jessica Lilly, they are not only doing it on their lunch break, it's happening in the bathrooms. Maria Marshall Barnes says vaping is happening at the middle schools as well, and those kids cannot leave the school. I guess if parents are signing something, then that absolves the school of any culpability. There's not a chance in hell my wife would sign that.

Not a chance in hell my wife would sign that. Maybe, let's hope she said multiple times our oldest is a rule follower like her and then she's already said our youngest who is not even two has got the mischievous grin of you jerry i'm very curious to see how the school board meeting goes tonight. No doubt. I've been in this community for 24 years.

First arrived as a first year at the University of Virginia. Went from UVA student in this community to first job at a UVA in this community to engaged in this community, married in this community, a father of one in this community, father of two in this community, and a business owner for nearly 17 years in this community. 24 years. And in the entire time I've been here, the thing that has scared me the most in this community,

outside of August 11th and August 12th, is effing fentanyl. Fentanyl scares the living bejeebus out of me. Yeah. Where a speck of it can kill a man. Yeah, no doubt. What's a speck of it going to do to a 16-year-old? I think we may have seen.

Yeah. That scares me more than anything. Mm-hmm. And shame on folks we trust that utilizes language that's vague strategic released strategically released

cryptic and passing the buck passive aggressive and egotistical. Jessica Lilly says, this is not even on the agenda for the Almaral County School Board meeting tonight. Really?

Wow. Juan Sarmiento. Fentanyl would have likely killed them. Only takes a microscopic amount to kill a person. Then he says, sadly, Alamo County Public Schools is being so vague, we probably would never know what was in the pens. We have multiple doctors pointing out that it could have been fentanyl and it could not and it may not have killed the students. You have doctors disagreeing

with you, Juan, on the fentanyl comment. Anna Frances. The parents do sign a consent form for students to leave, and they are only approved if they have good grades and good behavior. If that changes, it will be taken away. Anything you want to add to this? Ashley Moyer. At home, in cars, at sporting events, events literally everywhere I hate to say it but thank goodness these kids were where they were and someone could call 9-1-1 yeah Ashley Moyer is

100% right basically she's saying kids are out from school today and in Friday if it happened today and Friday at someone's house when there's no adults or supervision around, and it happens in someone's basement, you have a worst-case scenario. She's also saying that, one, it happened. They could have been out of school. They could have been still doing whatever they were doing before they came back during their break. And, yeah, there wouldn't have been a teacher there to call 911. It may have been, they may have been surrounded by friends who were too scared to do anything.

And it doesn't, you know, it doesn't bear contemplating. John Blair on LinkedIn. Jerry, I think there's a fundamental question about the incident at Monticello High School. Are schools only a mechanism to instruct kids to pass the SOLs, or are schools also a vehicle for nurturing kids in healthy values and behavior? I care deeply about our youth, and I think anyone else who does needs to make it clear that schools are not simply about instruction, but we want to see schools work with the community in fostering healthy kids. Amen, John Blair. Dennis Cantanen on YouTube, did you see the ACPS superintendent put out a press release

immediately after your show? Coincidence? I doubt not. Yes, we did. We are talking about that right now. Thank you for highlighting that, Dennis. I will close by this. I've said this so many times on the talk show, whether we want to admit this or not, the three most important tenets, the three most important missions of a school, the first three important aspects of what a school is supposed to do. A, get kids to school on time and safely. B, keep kids safe on grounds and during school hours. And C, three, get kids home on time and safely. Four is the instruction and the learning. But you can't teach and nurture and help a kid grow if you can't get them on time to school safely,

keep them safe during school hours, or get them home on time and safely. It's three basic things a school's got to do, and it's far from basic. On time and safe to school. Safe during school hours and on school grounds. Home on time and safe. Then four, teach them up.

Number five, nurture them. Tiffany Hicks, they need to allow the school resource officers back in our schools. Amen. Albrecht Graves, fentanyl reacts differently in different people. Some it only takes a grain of salt to kill you and some get high on it all day every day with no death penalty. It all depends on a person's body makeup. Exactly right, Albrecht Graves. People respond and react to drugs completely differently. Tom Stargell, the Golden Apple Award winning teacher. How many parents will sign up to speak during public commentary? Because the school board will not bring this up tonight.

There's not a chance in hell the school board's going to bring this up tonight. And that right there is a travesty. Yeah. I'm amazed. What's that? I'm amazed. What's that? I'm amazed. Absolutely amazed. Remember when we talked

on this program, the first to talk about the hazing incident that I said was an alleged sexual assault with the JV football team in the locker room at Albemarle High School? Superintendent's office was quick to shoot us down. And charges were eventually filed, and everything we said was proven to be accurate. We are talking about stuff that is based on conversation with the parents involved in the circumstances.

Judah has seen the direct messages come in to us with cell numbers from parents saying, we want to talk and let you know what's happening. Because this is something the community needs to hear. Am I right? Yeah. And if you want to switch the lower thirds, there's such an interesting like, there is such an interesting like cross section here with how Dr. Haas is handling this and how President Jim Ryan is handling his public relations debacle. Jim Ryan in his public relations debacle initially releases a letter when the UVA Physicians Group,

the anonymous 128, published a letter saying that the health system at UVA was fraudulently billing patients, overbilling patients, committing fraud with Medicare and Medicaid, changing medical charts so they can keep their performance rankings with best hospital, best this, best that. Basically bamboozling people in their most vulnerable state. The UVA 128 anonymous doctors are saying our employer is bamboozling people in their most vulnerable state. Among a lot of others. Albemarle County Public Schools, students high on drugs, overdosing, needing ambulance and stretcher and CPR, rushed to hospitals. Their most vulnerable state, bamboozling the parents and the communities involved with them.

These leaders think that us average Joes and average Sallies are just morons. And then they can give us lip service and we'll just go, oh, he said that. We must take what they're saying as God's word. It doesn't work that way anymore. And it doesn't work that any way anymore because news and knowledge travel at the speed of light. Thanks to social media in the Internet and iPhones and smartphones. We're a more connected community than ever. So when Jim Ryan releases a letter and says, the anonymous 128 ain't nothing but teenage girls and teenage boys that didn't get a date to prom. They're bitter and angry,

and they're just issuing their sour grapes out. When he says that initially, the 128 say, not so fast, dude. Here's a secret recording. Not so fast, dude. Here's a secret recording. Not so fast, dude. Here's a paper trail. Not so fast, dude. Here's proof. And then this past Friday night at a UVA Senate meeting, Jim Ryan has to issue an apology and said, I was wrong. The lawyer in me came out.

I was too aggressive on the 128. I was wrong. Then he steps in the doo-doo again when a reporter asks him about Jason Ernesto's Daily Progress article. And he says, oh, that's the Daily Progress? That's all I need to know about that? Disparaging the credibility of the daily newspaper that covers the University of Virginia. Who fights an opponent that fights back with ink, paper, keyboards, and circulation?

That's the definition of dumb. And is only going to keep the story in the news cycle because of course the Daily Progress is going to keep the story in the news cycle because of course the Daily Progress is going to continue its coverage after it was just disparaged by the university's president. Matt Haas, of course the coverage is going to continue after you just try to disparage a talk show that's just trying to have frank conversation of what's going on in schools.

And now Ryan is saying at the same faculty senate meeting on Friday that we should have done a pro-Palestine investigation on how we got to the point of the state police becoming a militia and pepper spraying innocent bystanders and students because they were using their freedom of speech. He's saying they're about to start a review. Right. They're about to start a review. It's October 24th. This happened in what, May 5th, May 3rd. And he had to have been involved in the decision if the decision wasn't his entirely.

100% was involved. This is what the strategy was. Allow delay before the investigation so the story loses momentum. The same strategy with Haas. Two or three BS paragraphs from the assistant principal at Monticello High School so the story loses momentum. Which probably wouldn't have come out. pause two or three BS paragraphs from the assistant principal at Monticello high school.

So the story loses momentum, which probably wouldn't have come out. The only reason this story came out is because parents on Monday night sent us the assistant principal's message from Monticello high school and said, our, this is why, this is why this story came out and a student. This is why the story. Yes. And you student. This is why this story, yes. And you know who the student is.

You know the mom, do you not? I've gone to church with them. Okay, we don't need to do anything else. No, I'm not going to say any more. A 16-year-old girl at Monticello sends me a direct message through her mom's Facebook account with her mom sitting next to her on the couch

with her mom's approval and with her mom sitting next to her on the couch with her mom's approval and says, Mr. Miller, this is what happened at school today. I immediately respond to the 16-year-old girl. First thing, have you communicated with your mom that you're communicating with me,

a grown-ass man and an adult that does not know you? And she says, my mom is sitting next to me and is watching what I'm typing to you. And I said, thank you for telling your mom. And then I said, okay, let me know what happened. And she said, this is what happened at Monticello High School with overdosing and kids. And that's how we've gotten to this point. You know what's effing crazy? If that 16-year-old girl does not secure her mom's permission

to send a Facebook message to us, this is a non-story. This is a non-story. Now we have the parents of folks involved communicating with us with their cell numbers and asking to FaceTime and text and call us and let us know what's going on. Think about that. John Blair on LinkedIn, what in the world has happened with Jim Ryan? No, a lawyer does not go on the attack the moment that they hear an allegation from 128 doctors. A lawyer says, let's take a look at the allegations and

determine if there's any liability concerns or for the organization. Amen, John Blair. That's exactly what a lawyer does. A lawyer, you know what a lawyer's, depending on what law they practice, you know why I hire lawyers? Attorneys? Because they're... Very simple, very four or five words here. Why do I hire attorneys? Why do we have an attorney on counsel? Why do we pay $3.95, $4.95 an hour for an attorney?

I don't know. To hedge risk. To hedge risk. To hedge risk. To minimize exposure. To hedge risk. Very straightforward. And for him to say, I'm a lawyer, I got aggressive, I made a mistake.

If he's, like Blair is saying, if he's an attorney, he doesn't do that. He hedges. He hedges. Fucking crazy. Crazy. We have seen some of the most piss-poor leadership in a significant period of time, with two of the largest professional entities in the region.

And both dealing with... UVA is the largest. Both dealing with... Our kids. Both dealing with children. And vulnerable... both dealing with children and I'll take it even a step further exploiting vulnerability to their advantage

exploiting vulnerability patients over billing them over charging them changing their medical charts to maintain performance rankings and performance standards. Students, hiding the actual story when it pertains to overdose and drugs.

Being a parent is like having your heart walking outside your body and hoping your walking heart makes the right decision for their safety. And take it a step further. Being a parent, especially a parent like I am, is your heart walking outside your body and hoping your walking heart makes the right decision despite the fact that you know yourself, you'd never made the right decision for years

and probably should be dead right now. How do I even talk about Tony Elliott's job status in a North Carolina football game that's going to happen on Saturday? How do I even talk about it? I started my career in media doing sports. I effing love sports. Love college football and college basketball. I love sports.

But the older I've gotten and the more I've gotten in the weeds as a parent, no pun intended, as a parent, the more I've realized that there's two people, kids and my wife, that are like my entire world.

School board meeting tonight. Let's see what happens. Thursday edition of the I Love Seville show. Jerry Miller and Judah Wickhauer. Thank you.