It is incredible that the statements of up to thirteen, yes thirteen teachers who filed eleven corporal punishment allegations against their principal, including a district union leader who allegedly witnessed the principal committing corporal punishment, is considered unsubstantiated and the principal is allowed to continue to run the school. On the other hand, a student's accusation against a teacher is enough to remove the teacher from the classroom. Talk about a double standard! Why is the principal presumed innocent while the teacher is presumed guilty? In a New York Daily News article a principal is being investigated in District 11 in the Bronx for corporal punishment and despite all these teachers coming forward with allegations of corporal punishment, the principal is allowed to continue in her school. The DOE response to these allegations is that the charges did not merit the principal's removal.
The DOE's disrespect for teachers can be seen both on how they dismiss a teacher's accusation against a principal but jumps all over a teacher if the same accusation is made against that teacher. The DOE's unfair approach on handling accusations against teachers and administrators is not only undemocratic but un-American. In this country everybody should have equal rights. However, under the DOE the rights of the students and administrators are more important than the rights of the teacher. This perversion of justice must change and the union must file action against this unjust and discriminatory policy against teachers.
Visiting the school is not enough. Randi Weingarten should be filling court papers showing that the DOE's policy on how they treat accusations against administrators and teachers is discriminatory and needs to be eliminated. One policy for accusations against students, teachers, and administrators need to be implemented, not different rules for different groups.
In my opinion different rules for different groups smacks of discrimination and didn't this country worked long and hard to eliminate discrimination? Maybe the DOE hasn't gotten the message.
3 comments:
Unfortunately, lots of people haven't gotten that message. But the DoE is certainly among them.
nyc educator:
I'm afraid you are right. However, the DOE should be leading the effort to stop discrimination not setting policy that encourages it.
It's actually the firm policy of this department to discriminate against working people, as the "accountability" mantra absolutely never applies to the DoE. I'm surprised, to tell you the truth, that they treat the principals any better than they treat us.
It's odd that we have unionized management. You might think the Tweedies would hold them in just as low regard as they hold us. Lately, the evidence indicates otherwise.
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