Interestingly, the DOE's Foil contact is an Attorney named Joseph Baranello who is the Central Records Access Officer and has been identified by Betsy Combier's Rubber Room Reporter blog as the person who is responsible in responding or not responding to FOIL requests. What is interesting about Mr. Baranello is what he rants on his Facebook page. According to the Rubber Room Reporter blog here is some of the outrageous quotes he has allegedly posted on his Facebook account.
"I miss the days when it was crowds of trannies and drag queens roaming the streets".
"I was on the L this afternoon when 100 or more Santas boarded at Bedford. It was the biggest collection of douchebags I have stumbled into in at least a decade".
"Then, at union square they deboarded. I went to 6th ave just go avoid them, and walked back to union sq. Oops! Bad move. There were hundreds of f-ing santas all over the area, congregating on University and headed south, towards what fratty sh-hole one can only imagine, and shudder at the thought".
"Get your sukkahs on, suckas".
The very inappropriate remarks on his Facebook by the DOE's FOIL officer, Mr. Baranello on gays, Christmas Santas, and Jews is highly offensive to me and I am sure to others. His cursing is unprofessional and disgusting. What were the consequences for his actions by the DOE for his Facebook postings? To my knowledge, nothing, nothing at all. Maybe the Daily News might want to look into this?
Another case of the DOE's double standard of accountability when it comes to teachers and their own employees.
11 comments:
Like Betsey Combier knows what she is doing! She is not a lawyer. She is not a teacher. She is an observer who is looking for a payoff when she publishes her book that nobody will buy.
The reason why Betsy knows what she is doing is because of the very fact that she is not an attorney. It obviously appears that attorneys at the DOE don't know how to behave appropriately. I presume he is one of many who engages in inappropriate activity.
Ask Betsey what percentage of teachers she helped got acquitted? or what percent got fired. Want to bet that 90% of the teachers she helps get fired.
Anon 5:34
Instead of insulting Betsy Combier, you should be outraged that the DOE has a double standard when it comes to teachers and their employees at Tweed.
Only 4% of teachers accused by the DOE under 3020-a are acquitted. People have Betsy at their hearings simply as another set of eyes and ears and help them prepare their defense.
If you have read my blog the Arbitrators decision is based on many different and subjective issues and having Betsy in the open hearing who can offer the teacher unemotional advice can only be an asset.
We should do a FOIL request to determine what percentage of cases resulted in a teacher being fired where Betsy is involved but we might not get a response, as the FOIL dude is busy insulting others in his Facebook postings and allowed to get away with it. We should do a FOIL request on all the shady employees that are employed by the DOE at legal and Tweed. We already know the FOIL dude will reject it or he will pick and choose what to provide at the directive of Tweed. After all, he is too busy insulting others.
To ANONYMOUS....I wonder why you are so jealous of Betsy..sounds like you have an ax to grind...since you know so much about her...why don't you address her...without your anonymity. Probably, because you don't know what you are talking about. Sure, Betsy probably has sat in on many cases, that ended in terminated, bit I am sure she has been to many with different outcomes. Are you drinking some of the NYSUT/DOE Kool-aid. I think so...Besty is a wonderful person, who helps anyone out....for NO PAYMENT...that my, anonymous friend...is an angel.
Signed....A close FRIEND.....
I personally had Betsy at my 3020-a hearing and found her to be informative and gave me good advice on how to act, what to say, and she pushed me to call in a student as a witness who ended up destroying the DOE's bogus case.
While I cannot speak for everybody, Betsy Combier's advice was greatly appreciated and helped me win my case.
Chaz,
Why would you listen to Betsy when you liked your NYSUT lawyer, Eric?? If you do not like your NYSUT lawyer, then is it not in the teachers interests to find another? Betsy and the NYSUT lawyers do not see eye to eye and Betsy admits that she goes to hearings to watch the lawyers. That is not the same thing as helping the teacher. There can only be one captain of a ship. If you want NYSUT that is fine, but Betsy.... Most people laugh at her behind her back. She thinks she is doing something, but really is only causing arguments. And yes, I been through a 3020-a and I declined her help. My impression is that she wanted to sit in on my hearing as a way to get into the building-otherwise they do not let her up.
I do understand your point of view. However, I will stand by my previous comments that she was helpful to me in my 3020-a hearing.
Betsy Combier is extremely knowledgeable about the Education Law and about the UFT Contract.
She was one of the handful of people at the UFT who genuinely cared about teachers who were being mistreated by abusive supervisors.
Mike Mulgrew made a very bad mistake by not keeping her on.
Joe Baranello's comments on Facebook are absolutely disgraceful. Does anyone intend to argue for his right to free speech?
And what's with these bizarre Captchas? I just got "dialleme" and "uringdoe" -- seriously!
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