Many teachers who are targeted by their Principal for incompetence and misconduct complain that instead of collaborating with them to resolve their personal differences and offering support to improve their pedology, the principal pre-planned the attack on these teachers. The problem is proving it and that is the crux of the issue. However, in the South Bronx School blog we get an insight of how a Principal planned to target this blogger for incompetence, despite the teacher never getting an "unsatisfactory rating" previously and was "S rated" in June of that year. If it wasn't for the "due process rights" that gives us our tenure protection, he would have been terminated simply because the Principal didn't like him.
If you have been following the South Bronx School blog, you know he was charged and awaiting his hearing under section 3020-a for incompetence and misconduct by his Leadership Academy Principal Dr. Alison Coviello of PS 154. I previously wrote a post about Principal. Coviello's reign of terror and you can find it Here. Well, it appears that South Bronx School was somehow able to obtain an email from Ms. Coviello that was sent to her Assistant Principal on the strategy they were to use the following school year to make sure they can charge the teacher with incompetence. The August 24, 2012 email was printed by South Bronx School in the August 7th 2014 post and is reprinted here.
“Hey, I revised Zucker’s job description (per the advice of Mike Agona) so that it is focused more on literacy. This way, Agona explained, we’ll have a surer chance of winning a case when our observations detail incompetence.”
According to the South Bronx School blog this is the "smoking gun" that shows that the Principal decided beforehand to go after the teacher. It certainly appears that the Principal was targeting the teacher even before the school year started and that brings into question the validity of the charges against the targeted teacher. In other words, the Principal already assumed a predetermined outcome and prepared a strategy to implement it. From my point of view, the Principal's harassment of the teacher in the 2012-13 school year was pre-planned and morally wrong and hopefully, the arbitrator will see that instead of working with the teacher to resolve their differences and do what's best for the students of the school, Dr. Alison Coviello , instead did the exact opposite and harassed the teacher and in turn hurt the students of her school. If it wasn't for our tenure protection, he and many other teachers would be terminated simply upon the whim of a Principal, many of them unqualified themselves.
8 comments:
She should be brought up on charges. At the very least she should be removed from that school. The teacher targeted should sue her and the DOE.
Did anyone bother with Amy A's ATR meetings? I did not go because of last minute notification and prior obligations last week. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks
The actions of the principal and her AP are a disgrace. They are the ones who should be brought up on charges! Not Mr. Zucker. I worked with Peter Zucker in the mid-1990's at PS/MS 279. One thing I can truly say about him and his teaching craft is that he was dedicated to his profession. He cared about his students. He wanted to be the best teacher he could be. It is ashamed that so called "professionals" who never could have even walked a mile in Peter's shoes as an educator would set out to destroy his career and livelihood. A total disgrace and sham.
To me this sounds like pre-meditated pedagogy murder by administration. It's time for them to do time for their crime as slimes.
I have forwarded this to the NY Post and the Daily News.
Smoking gun found. Now it has to be USED against the principal with no principles, Dr. Alison Coviello, AND her A.P., who knew about this communication and apparently has kept quiet about it all this time.
Textbook example of why teachers need tenure (due process) protections! This further needs to be shared widely and often. Mr. Zucker was treated unfairly by an administration lacking in morals and ethics.
“Hey, I revised Zucker’s job description (per the advice of Mike Agona) so that it is focused more on literacy. This way, Agona explained, we’ll have a surer chance of winning a case when our observations detail incompetence.”
WHEN OUR OBSERVATIONS DETAIL INCOMPETENCE!
It was all pre-planned, folks. It happens.
Teachers are OFTEN targeted for non-professional reasons by administration willing to cut corner with the contract and/or stack the deck. Tenure protections work against these unscrupulous practices.
Who is Mike Agona? A high priced, DOE consultant ( or rat, if you prefer)?
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