Semen On A Spoon: How To Fire A Teacher
It's proven near-impossible to get rid of crappy teachers -- with a few recent exceptions (like the sicko recently arrested in in Torrance). Ian Lovett writes for The New York Times:
LOS ANGELES -- The entire faculty at Miramonte Elementary School, where two teachers were arrested last week on accusations of child sexual abuse, will be replaced by new teachers this week, the Los Angeles Unified School District superintendent announced Monday night.Speaking to hundreds of parents at a meeting called to address the crisis at Miramonte, Superintendent John Deasy announced the school would be closed Tuesday and Wednesday, and when students returned on Thursday, an entirely new corps of teachers and staff members would have been hired to greet them. All current teachers, administrators and staff members will be moved to a school still under construction for the rest of the school year, where they will be interviewed by school officials and, if necessary, the police.
In addition, a psychiatric social worker will be assigned to every class once the school reopens. Every student in the school district who attended Miramonte will also be interviewed.
Mr. Deasy said he felt a personal responsibility to do two things: help children who were victims, and restore parents' trust in the school district.
Sorry, but you aren't going to do that by firing only the sexual sickos in your employ.
Amy, sadly that sicko wasn't fired. Sure the district voted to "fire" him, but there's a clause in school employee contracts that gives the employee the opportunity to quit, or retire. Sure the guy no longer works there, but he gets to draw his full pension for the rest of his life and he gets his health benefits covered as well. Now ostensibly, said sicko will be behind bars for the rest of his life, so he won't be using those health benefits, but the LATU still has to pay for them. It's a lose/lose as far as taxpayer money paying for him for the rest of his life.
sara at February 7, 2012 6:16 AM
*imagines Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins singing, "Just a spoonful of semen makes the medicine go down...*
Robert at February 7, 2012 6:31 AM
*imagines Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins singing, "Just a spoonful of semen makes the medicine go down...*
My childhood, it is ruined.
MonicaP at February 7, 2012 6:50 AM
The school's website lists dozens of taxpayer funded programs available to students, including school lunches, English learner assistance, math & science help, First Five, etc., etc. What about leaving the classroom doors open? Or reminding the staff that they're mandated reporters? Next time you hear the teachers' union reps claim they're all about the children, remember this horror show.
Amy L at February 7, 2012 2:29 PM
Ugh reading the comments at the NYT so many feel the union should sue, for hiring new teachers, so little concern for the children.
Many claiming that removing the old teachers would traumatize the kids, not the abuses, not police questioning them , not councilors questioning them, but the old teachers leaving.
Joe J at February 7, 2012 4:23 PM
So let's see what we've got here. About 150 employees are going to be "transferred" to a school that isn't actually operating, which means that for the rest of the year at least, they're going to be paid to do nothing. Additionally, they will be replaced by people from the district's already-existing pool of people who get paid to do nothing, which apparently is at least large enough to staff the largest school in the district. The actual perps will "retire" with their lifetime benefits which are pretty much equivalent to what they were making, which means that they too are getting paid to do nothing. And, presumably the district has security and investigatory employees who are also paid to do nothing, since this went on for 30 years right under everyone's noses. Exactly how many employees does this district have, and are there any of them who actually do anything?
Cousin Dave at February 7, 2012 6:18 PM
Sort of wish the union where likes the old fashioned mobbed up unions. Took care of their own. Teacher finds out another teacher is a perv. One day he/she just disappears from class. A decade later said teacher bones are found in the school furnace.
This sucks, students says wrong thing or brings wrong item to school and bam a record and banned. Teacher does something wrong and weeks later and 100 meeting held and still nothing is done.
Something is wrong!
John Paulson at February 8, 2012 3:20 AM
John, I guess the students need a union.
Cousin Dave at February 8, 2012 5:57 PM
Got to be careful with that Cousin Dave. Unions have there places. I do not know maybe more of a students rights.
In a perfect world the students already have a union - called mom and dad. But nowadays the parents union is pretty limited in power. At the most they have a vote. But 1 little vote can usually be overpowered with many teachers. Parents need to form a group to fight for rights. Unionize?
John Paulson at February 8, 2012 11:43 PM
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