Michael Steele criticizes school he once vowed to help
There's new controversy surrounding prominent former lieutenant governor Michael Steele.
Mike Hellgren reports the head of Baltimore City schools is demanding an apology from the new Republican National Committee chair. This after Steele sharply criticized a Baltimore high school.
In just a few weeks as RNC chair, Steele has feuded with Rush Limbaugh, threatened some moderate Republican senators and now is under fire for saying a Baltimore City school doesn't teach. That comment has outraged the city school's CEO Dr. Andres Alonso.
Steele's rocky road leading the Republican National Committee has turned downright treacherous, and it's his own mouth that's drawn the most fire.
The latest scandal involves the following comments made by Steele about Frederick Douglass High on CNN:
"I can take you right now to Frederick Douglass High School in Baltimore City where the educational system that's supposedly training and teaching the future generation of black folks ain't doing that -- so the question then becomes -- and Republicans aren't running the city of Baltimore."
"You just apologized to Rush Limbaugh. I think you owe an apology to the children of Baltimore City," said Alonso.
Harsh words from the city schools CEO.
Why?
During Steele's Senate campaign, he came to Douglass and made similar criticisms and promised to personally help turn the school around. He never came back.
"Whatever happened to just showing up to see what is being done in Baltimore City today before you go on national tv and cause aspersions on parents, teachers and students," asked Alonso.
While Douglass has had problems, chronicled in a recent HBO documentary, in the last three years, the graduation rate at the alma mater of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall is up double digits.
Also, the number of students applying to college has skyrocketed 30 percent.
"When he says we don't learn much, it's a lie," said Jenisa Odom, junior.
"It's not right if he hasn't been here in three years. This is 2009 -- a better school than what it was back in the day," said Kalietha McCloud, senior.
"It's very easy to come to a place like Frederick Douglass, like Mr. Steele did three years ago, and make promises to kids and then never show up again," said Alonso.
Baltimore Schools Official Seeks Steele Apology - wjz.com
