We are utterly amazed at the response and call to action that has taken place over the past twenty-four hours. We had one parent that took a stack of flyers to a “lock-in” to share with other parents because she was so outraged at what happened to Ms. Lucas. As another stated, “..this is the last straw! they are not going to get away with anymore of this…” She shared how she felt that the school was safe with Ms. Lucas there and now that she has been forced out by these people, how can she be sure that her son is going to be safe? She does not believe that she can be.We will meet tonight to organize the protests for this week. Email us for more information. Last night and today, Mrs. Lucas said that we do not have to fight for her, we have to fight for our kids, but like one parent said, ‘THAT IS THE SAME FIGHT , MRS. LUCAS!” We received a call from channel six on yesterday morning about Ms. Lucas’ forced reassignment and she was able to speak with them about the fight for our children. We are also working on getting Senator McEachin back down here. We are sure that if he joined us in fighting against Mr. Morton for taking away much needed monies, he will also join our fight when Mr. Morton thinks that he can take away excellent and dedicated African-American teachers that are role models from our children. The momentum is building, keep going to hold them accountable! They will give us who and what our children deserve!
BE HEARD! ON BEHALF OF THE “HENRICO SIX”
WOW, We have received hundreds of hits regarding our last posting. We have had to develop a new email address in order to accommodate all of the feedback that we have received about the “HENRICO SIX”, NOT THE “JENA SIX”, BUT THE “HENRICO SIX”. KEEP TELLING US YOUR STORIES AT UGOTNERVE1@gmail.com!( That is the number one after UGOTNERVE) YOUR VOICE DOES MATTER AND HENRICO COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS GOING TO DO THE RIGHT THINGS FOR OUR KIDS! Keep NERVE alive! Yes, we do have NERVE! Definitely contact us if you are a present or former employee of Henrico County Public Schools that was harassed or forced out. We will be your voice! Well, we spent the day distributing flyers throughout the community and yes, OUR community is OUTRAGED! We have confirmed that parents, advocacy organizations, and even our recreational groups will be attending the next school board meeting on behalf of OUR children and those that advocate for them that are being unjustly and illegally attacked by this administration. On Sunday, we make our rounds to the local churches in order to mobilize them. See you then!Look for this article on www.ednews.org, which is our national partner for exposing the horrific injustices that are permitted to go on against our African-American students, families, and educators. Keep the emails and calls coming. Email us if you need a copy of the flyer that we are distributing this weekend. We plan to post ALL of the stories that you, the ones with the TRUE power, send us. We promise, YOUR VOICE WILL BE HEARD WITHOUT FEAR OF RETALIATION, IT IS YOUR RIGHT AND OUR OBLIGATION FOR OUR CHILDREN!SPEAK FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NO VOICE!-BIBLICAL PROVERB
“You Will Not Make An Example Out of Me, But I Will Make One Out of You!”
I want to thank all of you that have emailed, called, and organized since yesterday regarding the continued horrific injustices that are taking place at the hands of Rolfe’s administrators and the central office personnel. All of the many parents of students that I do not teach that rely on my monitoring and supporting of their students, please realize that Mr. Morton’s word is not the last word. We had to know that people like this will go to any and all extent to cover their tracks when they KNOW that they have violated federal, state, district, and most importantly ETHICAL laws regarding our children, families, and educators. Mr. Morton, do you think that you will make an example out of me in order to, as one educator said, to “silence the lead horse”, in order to stop those of us that are standing against you and your unethical and illegal actions? I am a parent, resident, and employee within this county. My first amendment rights afford me the right to express share my concerns, especially when it comes to the welfare of children and what you consistently fail to do. SHAME ON YOU! If you had invested as much time in developing and supporting our East End children as you had in silencing my advocacy efforts and covering up the incompetency of the individuals that you irresponsibly appoint, Henrico would not have the third highest drop out rate in the state.As I advised Ms. Royal, an African-American woman that has obviously forgotten that she was one, who is the Director of Middle Schools, if she had invested more time in “directing” instructional matters as opposed to “directing” attacks again me in order to terminate me, but that failed because you can never keep a passionate teacher down.As I advised Dr. Jepson, the Director of Human Resources, the fact that his office refused to investigate a threat against me three months ago, which stated that I was going to be fired, the fact that Mr. Rokenbrod was over heard in October advising another administrator of their plans to “get rid of me” before next year, were all things that were not followed up upon by his office and he will be held liable. Sorry, Jepson, sending an email three months later “offering” to investigate the threat is far too little too late. I know that your only motivation for doing this was because the Office of Civil Rights is investigating the matter now.Mr. Morton, you are NOT God and you cannot orchestrate such horrific injustices that negatively impact our children, families, and educators without being held accountable. Now, you think that you have made an example out of me, but in reality, I will continue to make an example out of you and the other incompetent individuals that are driving Henrico County Public Schools into the ground. My tax paying dollars are not paid to you, Ms. Royal, Mr. Jepson, Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Rokenbrod, or Ms. Ellis for you do to do the grossly negligent, half-hearted, and uncaring jobs that you do everyday. Our children deserve better.You will need to explain to our parents how my forced reassignment positively impacts the education of their students when you do not have a highly qualified special educator to replace me, which is a direct violation of No Child Left Behind. You will also need to explain to the Virginia Department of Education and others why you have opted to reassign me from a school that is desperate need of special educators to a school that does not have a need with a lower student populations. Can we all say it together… RETALIATION. You have just shown me how much of a threat that I, as an advocate that is willing to risk it all, really am to the incompetent and grossly negligent environment that you have condoned. Thank you for that compliment!I will make an example out of you. I will show the world that cowardly, insecure, and incompetent white administrators that declare open hunting season on African-American educator/advocates may win the battle, but they will not win the war, and if you have not figured it out by now, I am a warrior for our children….and I WILL WIN for them.See you at the next school board meeting on this Thursday at 7pm!
Open Hunting Season On African-American Educators in Henrico County Public Schools
Within the past eight weeks, six African-American educators within John Rolfe Middle School in Henrico County, Virginia have been either forced out or terminated by the administrators that are in opposition to their advocacy efforts on behalf of the students within Rolfe, which is a school student body that is 70% African-American and 40% low income. The actions began shortly after several African-American educators began to speak out publicly regarding the severe safety violations that were present regarding students and educators. Three educators were veterans that maintained years of documented impeccable educational service to students with disabilities and all have served as staunch advocates for children with special needs, specifically children of color with disabilities.
Three of the six individuals were African-American women that provided much needed instruction within the special education department, which is presently experiencing significant noncompliance issues due to the alleged incompetent leadership of the department head, Courtney Ellis; special education administrator, John Rokenbrod, and building principal, Andrew Armstrong, all of whom are white leaders that have received numerous complaints against them from parents and educators, but continue to remain in their positions.
Many are asking how these educators that are fully committed to the education of students could be targeted by Henrico County in such a blatant manner, with no regard for the impact on the lives of students. This is of a particular concern when white teachers fail to report for duties, leave classes unsupervised, threaten students, have inappropriate contact with students outside of school, do not teach students, and yet, there is no action taken against them. One white teacher admitted that he was unprofessional when he advised a student that he had permission to be defiant to one of the African-American educators. No action was taken against him.
Unfortunately, Mr. Morton, Henrico Public Schools Superintendent, and Ms. Royal, Director of Middle Schools, continue to support the incompetent parties despite the horrific impact to the welfare of students within Rolfe. It is alleged that Mr. Morton refuses to remove Mr. Armstrong, despite a growing number of parent complaints and grossly negligent incidents due to the fact that this would be his second failed principal appointment by him within a year. Parents and teachers are questioning the superintendent’s integrity in consistently placing the needs of adults over the needs of children, especially students with disabilities.
There are allegations that Mr. Armstrong refuses to reprimand and hold Ms. Ellis accountable for her refusal to support students and staff due to his personal relationship with her outside of work, which is said to be compromising his administrative judgment. One witness indicated that they had overheard Mr. Armstrong inviting Ms. Ellis out one afternoon via phone while they were near his office, which, as they stated, would explain his ignoring of the numerous emails and phone calls from parents and teachers regarding the continued violations of their students’ with special needs educational plans. One parent and educator complained of extreme unprofessionalism on Ms. Ellis’ part when, during an extremely important educational meeting, she began applying her make-up.
The most recent educator that was forcefully transferred by Fred Morton, Superintendent of Henrico County Public Schools, is Kandise Lucas.
Ms. Lucas authored what many have termed as the “whistleblowing” articles that exposed the safety issues that exists within John Rolfe Middle School due to the gross negligence of the newly “appointed” principal, Andrew Armstrong and others under him.
Ms. Lucas’ articles not only exposed the horrific safety hazards that were and continue to be present at Rolfe, but she also gave parents, educators, community leaders, and our children a voice when their voices had been ignored by Mr. Morton, Ms. Royal, Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Jordan, and Mr. Rokenbrod repeatedly. (See December 28, 2007 and January 6, 2008 ednews.org articles).
In his February 22, 2008 correspondence, Mr. Armstrong authors a falsified statement in which he states, “…Your performance as a Special Educator teacher at John Rolfe Middle School has shown marked deficits primarily in factors associated with “Professional Qualities”, particularly in areas such as Responsiveness to Supervision, Judgment, Cooperation with Total staff, and Communication Skills.” One of the main issues in which Ms. Lucas and many other Rolfe educators were concerned was the fact that there is no supervision for educators, parents, or students.
In addition, while in this correspondence he reprimands Ms. Lucas for failing to communicate her concerns to the administrative staff, in a December 13, 2007 communication, he reprimanded Ms. Lucas for communicating her concerns regarding safety hazards within the school during contract hours. He went as far as to instruct her to refrain from communicating these concerns, which is a direct contradiction to his most recent fabrication.
To date, Ms. Lucas has over 300 communications documenting the hazards and noncompliance issues related to students and educators within Rolfe. Very few communications were either opened or responded to by Mr. Armstrong or any other building administrator.
Ms. Lucas repeatedly requested meetings for the entire special education department in order to address the mass noncompliance issues. She even went as far as to develop a plan of action to bring the department back into compliance due to the extreme negative impact that it is having on students. Both the request for the meeting and the plan of action were unacknowledged by administrators. So, it stands to reason that one cannot be “responsive” to “supervision” that is nonexistent.
Mr. Armstrong’s poorly comprised document failed to list any specific dates, times, or details regarding his claims. He also erroneously assumed that Ms. Lucas was not an educator with tenured status, and as a result, has the right to a public hearing before the school board regarding this issue.
It is interesting to note that Mr. Armstrong was “appointed” as a first-time principal of Rolfe Middle School in October 2007 after the abrupt removal of the previously selected principal, Ms. Robin Dalton. Throughout his tenure, he never observed Ms. Lucas, nor did he have in place any remediation in place during the four months that he has been present, to address the “perceived” Professional Qualities violations that he claims.
Mr. Armstrong’s claims were clearly intended as a retaliatory act against Ms. Lucas’ advocacy efforts on behalf of the students at Rolfe with special needs that were being subjected to unsafe and substandard conditions. As a result of Ms. Lucas’ December and January articles, Rolfe Middle School received security cameras and an additional principal in order to address the severe safety and discipline issues. In addition, the school board is proposing upgrading safety measures in all of its schools across the county. As one teacher stated, “Ms. Lucas, we have you to thank for that because they would have never done it if you hadn’t exposed the fact that they were neglecting our students and us.”
A majority of the individuals responsible for the gross neglect of the largely African-American student population are white teachers and administrators. Neither Mr. Armstrong or Ms. Royal took actions against them for their negligence and failure to perform job duties despite numerous complaints by parents and educators, in writing and during school board meetings.
As one John Rolfe special educator stated upon learning of Ms. Lucas’ forced reassignment, “…they came after her because she made sure that things were right for our children, the black and disabled children that no one cares about, she made sure that those people did their job for our students, they did not like an African-American woman telling white people what to do, so they removed her because the leaders are to weak to handle her. This is devastating to our department, parents, and most importantly, our students, but they do not care because they want our children to fail.”
In recent weeks, there has been an alleged incident of an African-American male student being restrained and pepper sprayed by an administrator and police officer. This past week, there were riot-like conditions in the cafeteria during lunch due to a fight which resulted in several Henrico County police being called as back-up to the school due to the fact that, the administrators on lunch duty lost control of the students.
Eye witnesses noted that Mr. Armstrong and Mr Rockenbrod, the administrators on duty, were congregated near the office eating and talking when the calamity broke out, and were not aware of the incident until the students advised them of it, after it had escalated to a crisis situation where students were running, pushing, and shoving other students in order to see the confrontation. Once the police arrived and restored order to the cafeteria, they lined up along the cafeteria wall and remained until the lunch periods ended.
One Rolfe educator stated how blatant the racism is within Henrico County, but emphasized how this extreme racism is clearly evident within Henrico County Public Schools when highly qualified, dedicated, and vocal African-American educators can be forced out illegally by white building administrators and central office personnel with no regard for the impact on the welfare of students or their families.
One parent shared that she received a call from Mr. Armstrong on the day that Ms. Lucas was forcefully reassigned, stating that Ms. Lucas would no longer be her student’s case manager. The parent was naturally devastated due to Ms. Lucas being with her student for nearly two years, and asked who would replace her but advised that Mr. Armstrong hung up abruptly without permitting her to ask any questions or providing any answers.
She has also advised that she and several other parents will meet in order to file a group complaint with the Virginia Department of Education, The Office of Civil Rights, and the NAACP regarding this forced reassignment and its direct impact on Rolfe’s students; in addition to the fact that the school and central office administrators had no regard for the well being of their students.
After reading the letter from Mr. Armstrong regarding the forced reassignment, the parent also questioned the first-year principal’s claims of professional issues when she and many others had worked with Ms. Lucas for years and had never witnessed any form of unprofessionalism from her. She did point out that when one is vocal and a “whistle-blower”, professionalism is the excuse used by administrators to avoid addressing the issues that negatively impact students, especially African-American students. She clarified that “professionalism” really means that “you do what I say and do not question it because questioning or challenging it would mean that you are being unprofessional.”
Her concerns are further complicated by the fact that many of these students are scheduled to take standardized tests within two weeks and will now be left with a teacher that is not highly qualified, which is a direct violation of No Child Left behind.
Ms. Lucas has indicated that she is willing to be fired in order to ensure the safety of children within Rolfe Middle School, and is committed to continuing her crusade to expose the gross negligence, central-office endorsed incompetence, and questionable ethics of the administrators that are compromising the quality of education for Rolfe’s students and failing to support Rolfe’s parents and educators. While she has made every attempt to work though the county-designated protocols, which have proven ineffective, Ms. Lucas will continue to escalate the issues until Mr. Morton and Henrico’s School Board take meaningful actions to “fix’ Rolfe.
It should also be noted that in November 2007, Ms. Lucas received a threatening communication within her school mailbox. It was a handwritten note that was placed in a sealed John Rolfe Middle School envelope. The communication threatened Ms. Lucas with termination. When the document was shared with building and central office staff, they refused to take action regarding the document, despite the fact that their non-action was a clear violation of federal and state employment law and created a hostile work environment.
It has been recently discovered that the threat was allegedly written and forwarded to Ms. Lucas by two building administrators that indicated that they were instructed by central office personnel to give Ms. Lucas the threat in order to silence her and scare her into leaving. This would support the reason for central office’s failure to investigate the matter. The issue has escalated and the Office of Civil Rights is now investigating the matter.
Both, parents and educators alike, have determined that Mr. Morton is attempting to make an example out of Ms. Lucas in order to intimidate others from coming forward and exposing the horrific injustice and gross negligence that is taking place on nearly a weekly basis at John Rolfe Middle School at the hands of incompetent leadership that he has appointed. During an meeting to organize a protest regarding Ms. Lucas’ forced reassignment, one parent stated that, “…Mr. Morton’s cowardly and unethical acts are to Henrico County Public Schools what Bull Connor was to the state of Alabama during the Civil Rights movement, but eventually, just like Bull Connor, people grow tired of “bull”.
In addition to her five-year service as a special educator, Ms. Lucas has also served as a child and family advocate for underserved families throughout the country for over twenty years. Upon her arrival to Henrico County Public Schools, her exceptional instructional abilities and excellence, not only in professionalism, but in communication, were recognized when she was recommended and accepted into the leadership cohort for aspiring leaders within the county. Ms. Lucas is also a national conference facilitator on educational advocacy for a variety of organizations, including the Black Administrators of Child Welfare. She has been the recipient of countless community service awards as a result of her advocacy and ability to be a catalyst for change in spite of the personal sacrifices that she is subjected to. She plans to continue her efforts until John Rolfe Middle School is the safe and nurturing place that it should be for our students. She also encouraged others not be discouraged or intimidated by the cowardly acts of Henrico’s administrators that were taken in order to avoid change. Change is inevitable. She states that everyone should continue to advocate for change that is best for our students, no matter the sacrifice because our students are worth it.
Why Did It Take The Illinois Shooting to Open A Board Member’s Eyes?!
See this:
MR. BAGBY, WHAT PLANET ARE YOU ON!???? ”SOMETHINGS” HAVE HAPPENED! YOU HAVE HEARD OF THE HALL STAMPEDES, ALL OUT CAFETERIA BRAWLS, STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS BEING PUSHED AND SHOVED, STUDENTS BEING SEXUALLY HARASSED, EDUCATORS BEING THREATENED NOT ONLY BY STUDENTS, BUT BY OTHER ADULTS, STAFF MEMBERS BEING PUSHED AND SHOVED…AND YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO SAY THE BOARD IS BEING “PROACTIVE BEFORE SOMETHING HAPPENS??” IT IS OBVIOUS THAT YOU HAVE HEARD NOTHING OF WHAT WE HAVE SAID FOR THE PAST SIX MONTHS OR ELSE YOU WOULD NOT HAVE DISCOUNTED AND DISMISSED WHAT IS GOING ON RIGHT HERE IN HENRICO COUNTY. Did you fail to read the report from the Virginia Department of Education’s website reports that at John Rolfe Middle School (just one school!): * Discipline offenses committed against staff members have more than tripled since the previous year. (from 8 to 18) * Discipline offenses involving weapons have tripled from the previous year. (from 5 to 15) * Discipline offenses committed against a person have increased nearly 100% since the previous year. (134 to 325) * Discipline offenses related to behavior disruptions throughout the school have increased over 100% since the previous year. (6 to 466) * Discipline offenses involving technology have increased 100% since the previous year. (0 to 14) * School safety offenses have experienced significant increases in all eight reporting categories, excluding one, that are required by the Safe Schools Informational Resource (SSIR). I hate to be the bearer of an HUGE reality check for you, Mr. Bagby, but the board is NOT being proactive. The harms have already been done to our children, schools, and educators, in spite of the numerous warnings by parents, educators, and other community members. NOW, the new board is playing catch up. It wasn’t last week’s week’s shootings that should have “strengthened your resolve to upgrade security.” The compromised safety of our children IN YOUR OWN BACK YARD, THAT ALONE, should have strengthened and should continue to strengthen your resolve. The fact that a suspended student can be permitted to roam the school and harass others without administrators taking action should strengthen your resolve. The fact that parents constantly plea for the board’s intervention regarding hazards to the welfare of the education of their children should strengthen your resolve. The fact that an African-American male student with special needs can be pepper sprayed by a resource officer, while allegedly restrained by an administrator, should strengthen your resolve. The fact that parent after parent, educator after educator have complained about the gross incompetence and neglect that students and educators are subjected to that results in extremely dangerous environments should strengthen your resolve. Why didn’t it? Are our voices, our opinions, our children not important enough, on their own, to impact you? They did not elect you, WE did! You do represent US, NOT the students of that university in Illinois, so why would what happens to them impact you to a greater extent than what IS happening to us?While what happened in Illinois is a definite tragedy for that community, they should NOT be the driving force for you to keep the children of THIS community, the schools of THIS community, the families of THIS community, and the educators of THIS community safe. While I am glad that the “alarm finally went off in your head” for the sake of our kids, now, I am waiting for the “alarm to go off in the heads” of Mr. Morton, Ms. Royal, Mr. Armstrong, and Mr. Rokenbrod. The sad reality is that if it hasn’t by now, it probably will not go off at ALL. These are the people that will be working in total opposition to what you and the board “say” you want to address regarding the safety of our children, educators, and schools. Having enemies in your own camp that work against you only hurts our children and their futures.Mr. Bagby, how are you and the board going to react to that?///!!!
STOP Trying To Make Me Do My Job and Be A Team Player!
I am sure that we have ALL heard these sentiments from incompetent superiors, peers, and subordinates.You are “negative” when you tell the truth about our strengths and weaknesses collectively and individually.
It would seem to me that these same people that are so concerned with “negativity” would be more concerned about “negative” impacts on our children as opposed to “negative” slaps to their egos. You are not a “team player” when you decide not to cover up, deceive, misrepresent, falsify, or mire in the swamp of mediocrity.
Actually, I do not mind being tagged as not being a “team player”. I have never been one to play on ”Team Don’t-Want-To-Do-My-Job-But-Want-To-Get-Paid”, or “Team I-Know-That-I-Am-Incompetent-But-Who-Cares”, or “Team-I-Do-Whatever-Is-Necessary-To-Move-Up-No-Matter-Who-It-Hurts-Even-Kids”, or “Team I-Am-Too-Proud-And-Insecure-To-Admit-That-I-Made-A-Wrong-Decision-So-Everyone-Will-Suffer”, or ”Team I-Only-Surround-Myself-With-Weak-People-So-That-I-Give-The-Illusion-Of-Being-Strong”, or “Team I-Don’t-Believe-In-Accountability-So-Why-Should-You?”, or “Team I-Don’t-Do-My-Job-But-I-Will-Make-You-Do-Yours, or “Team I-Never-Work-Proactively-So-Noone-Should”, or “Team I-Can-Walk-Up-And-Down-The-Halls-With-Coffee-In-Hand-Looking-Busy-But-Not-Really-Doing-Anything-But-Socializing”, or “Team I-Know-That-What-Is-Going-On-Is-Wrong-But-I-Am-Scared-That-I-Will-Loose-My-Job”, or even “Team These-Are-My-BuffaloWildWings-Drinking-Buddies-Why-Would-I-Fire-Them-Even-If-They-Are-Incompetent, or “Team I-Am-Department-Head-But-I-Do-Not-Head-Anything-Or-Anyone, and finally, my favorite, or “Team If-I-Ignore-It-Or-Deny-It-Or-Dismiss-It-Or-Intimidate-Those-That-Try-To-Make-Us-Better-Then-I-Can-Remain-A-Poor-Leader’, or “Team-These-Poor-Black-Kids-Are-Just-A-Stepping-Stone-For-Me-So-I-Don’t-Have-To-Give-Them-My-Best-And-Guess-What-I-Will-Get-Away-With-It-Because-I-Kiss-Butt-Very-Well!” Be careful, they are very good at manipulating the team player concept for their own purposes.”
I hate those teams! Unfortunately, I am surrounded by representatives from each of them on a daily basis when I walk into my school, as are many others.Competent, dedicated, hardworking, sold out, educational leaders of integrity are hard to come by these days. What is even more disheartening is that very few districts are actively seeking out individuals for not only their skills, but their character. I have a passion for children.
That is extremely unusual coming from a woman that vowed never to have a kid because I would be so busy pursing my career as the first African-American Chemist to find a cure for Sickle Cell Anemia. Fortunately, God had a better plan for me and I love my life, as the “warrior princess”, as one PTA parent called me.Actually, I have to say that when a body guard of a local pastor coined me to be “Ms. Pit-Bull-In-A-Skirt” after I organized a economic boycott against a faith-based organization that exploited our children and resources that were intended for them, I adopted the name. Pit Bulls are strangely cute, but very dangerous if provoked and once they have you on lockdown, they do not let go. Hmmm, who does that sound like?
Well, I am tired of people that are stealing my hard-paid tax monies, being supported by the leaders within the county that I live in. They are stealing the money when they do not do their job for our children, but that seems to be an epidemic within the school that I serve at, that is, unless you are African-American and vocal about the things that are wrong within our school.A majority of the White teachers pretty much do as they please without question or consequence.
They can skip their duties, have poor classroom management, arrive to school late daily, voice their opinions about others, and much more and little or nothing is done to them I am including the “Uncle Tom” Blacks within the White group. As one “Uncle Tom” shared with me, “I know that this place is a ticking time bomb, but I can’t ruffle any feathers, I need this job.”—I know exactly what you are saying…..and Ruby Bridges suffered from him to say that?!
The sad part about all of this is that the leader of our school truly thinks that playing paper and pencil games will bring people together and cultivate a “team”. If I see another piece of yellow paper to write things that I have written at least five times previously down again, I think that I will strip down naked, wrap myself in the paper, and run through the school screaming “Me Want Free!, Me Want Free!”.
We have all been there and had the leader that really does not have the guts or skills to make the changes needed within an environment, but wants to keep everyone distracted with “busy work” activities so we think that we are really doing something. As one of my peers shared with me on this past Monday, “Why is it that they waste hours and hours of our lives that we can never get back with this stuff?, maybe if we wrote the answers in another language, they would get it and stop asking.”
Needless to say, our entire group fell out. That was the highlight of a wasted day where two leaders from our team wasted not only our time, but showed, through their lack of preparation, that our staff, our faculty, the dedicated group of individuals that had been through hell for the past eighteen months but chose to remain with our school because we truly love our children; they showed that they did not value us enough to have a day that was full of enrichment.
If I had prepared for my students like they prepared for us, I would have been reprimanded and my students would have had a wasted instructional day, but remember, they belong to “Team I-Am-Not-Here-To-Do-My-Job-I-Am-Here-To-Prepare-For-My-Next-Job”.I guess that it is just me, but I do not want to give any child less than what they deserve.
To think that there are “ASSES”, (Always Seeking Something Else for Self), all around me, I can’t help but to be on a crusade of sorts, to rid our school of the superficial, diseased, unfocused, unmotivated, uncaring, immature, self-seeking, incompetent, enabling, and unethical “ASSES” that enter the school doors (late) every day.I have found that most “ASSES” will not do their jobs willingly. Most “ASSES” will not even do their job when threatened with going above their heads.
But 99.9% of the “ASSES” that I have came up against will grudgingly do the job that they were hired to do if you expose them to the proper parties. Of course, there is always that small percentage that have been unaccountable for so long that they have no concept of competency, so we just go around, over, under, and, yes, sometimes, through them.
Every day that I walk into our school, I consider it my second home where I have over seventy kids that I am directly responsible for, but I have another 1100 that I am collectively responsible and accountable for. Unfortunately, there are very few of us that really talk and walk this “village school” concept because we can’t put kids first and ourselves first at the same time. To truly feel this, you must have a “heart for our children”, and you best believe that those of us that have a “heart for children”, can spot a fake quicker than Pattie LaBelle can change into a new wig!
When you care about our children, you have a presence about you that communicates that. You do not have to do a thing or say a word, it is your presence and spirit that permeate and connect to others that are like you. Unfortunately, the same goes for the fakers. If you have ever shopped on Jamaica Avenue in New York City, you know that that is THEEE spot for fake Gucci, Baby Phat, Liz, Donna, Prada, and much more.
Most of the time, those that are pushing the “fakes” as “the real thing” do a lot of double talking and try to make the package look good. I think that it is the fact that all of the “fakes” are crammed in together in a car trunk or van that really turns me off. Like I said, “fakes” tend to travel in groups, similar to what wild animals do. By traveling in groups, the average “fake” is protected from any potential exposures to the truth. There is always another “fake” there to make sure that neither “reality”, nor “truth” have a chance to be pondered by the “fake”. They are actually an interesting species if I say so myself. I have spent a great deal of time observing their feeding, mating, working, and even sleeping habits.
Yes, some of it was more than I wanted to see, but that is a “fake” for you. They have no scruples or boundaries, so anything goes.That leads me to the final team that I detest, “Team Fake-It-Even-If-You-Don’t-Make-It”. Stay away from those types, they will drain the purity out of you.So, if you are like me, don’t worry about not being a “team player”. Remember, a “team player” is relative and depending on who the comment is coming from, it may most likely be a compliment for you!
Professional Code of Ethics for Educators and Administrators
As we contemplate on the ethical and moral state of our public schools, we began to consider the ethical and moral state of its leaders, including myself.
While almost every profession has a code of ethics who purpose is to guide the actions within the profession and ensure integrity for all that have the privilege to serve within the profession, we can’t help but think that these codes are just that, “secret codes” that everyone prescribes to, but very few professionals internalize, live, and promote in others.Just like the “law is for the lawless”, “ethics are for the unethical”, and “morals are for the immoral.”
Don’t you DARE act as though lawless, unethical, and immoral people do not walk the halls, sit in the desks, make the announcements, sit on the board, and instruct our children every day. While there are many upstanding educators and administrators, there are those that are not so competent in all settings as well. They have no ethics or morals and as a result, have nothing meaningful to instill in our children.
To provide education without ethical or moral foundations is like creating a monster without restraint or concern for others. (I will NOT mention any names, I will NOT mention any names, I will NOT mention any names…whew!)
The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) is an organization that felt the need for ethical guidelines in order to promote the integrity of school administrators so strongly that they adopted their own code of ethics that I have found to be exceptional. 
Code of Ethics
AASA’s Statement of Ethics for Educational Leaders
An educational leader’s professional conduct must conform to an ethical code of behavior, and the code must set high standards for all educational leaders. The educational leader provides professional leadership across the district and also across the community. This responsibility requires the leader to maintain standards of exemplary professional conduct while recognizing that his or her actions will be viewed and appraised by the community, professional associates and students.
The educational leader acknowledges that he or she serves the schools and community by providing equal educational opportunities to each and every child. The work of the leader must emphasize accountability and results, increased student achievement, and high expectations for each and every student.
To these ends, the educational leader subscribes to the following statements of standards.
The educational leader:
- Makes the education and well-being of students the fundamental value of all decision making.
- Fulfills all professional duties with honesty and integrity and always acts in a trustworthy and responsible manner.
- Supports the principle of due process and protects the civil and human rights of all individuals.
- Implements local, state and national laws.
- Advises the school board and implements the board’s policies and administrative rules and regulations.
- Pursues appropriate measures to correct those laws, policies, and regulations that are not consistent with sound educational goals or that are not in the best interest of children.
- Avoids using his/her position for personal gain through political, social, religious, economic or other influences.
- Accepts academic degrees or professional certification only from accredited institutions.
- Maintains the standards and seeks to improve the effectiveness of the profession through research and continuing professional development.
- Honors all contracts until fulfillment, release or dissolution mutually agreed upon by all parties.
- Accepts responsibility and accountability for one’s own actions and behaviors.
- Commits to serving others above self.
— Adopted by the AASA Governing Board, March 1, 2007 ***************************************** AASA, you hit the nail on the head with this code! Thank you for establishing an ethical standard of excellence for all of us to wholeheartedly strive toward for our children. The challenge: What is your ethical core? or even better yet, Do you have an ethical core?
Standing Up To Abusive Principals
For the past decade, I have had nothing but impeccable performance evaluations, whether they were in the corporate or academic settings. I have had the pleasure of working as a representative for executives and Training Supervisor within a Fortune 500 company, teaching at the University of Richmond, and even working as a chemist for one of the top breweries in the world. My leadership, professionalism, work ethic, competency, knowledge, innovation, integrity, and teamwork abilities have always been evaluated at the highest levels on all of the scales that I have been compared against. Even in my most recent evaluations, I have received exceptional ratings, including a recommendation from a third observation party that encouraged me to pursue Master Teacher status.Now, having this type of background, it would seem illogical, to the point of ignorance for a first-year administrator that has little or no experience as a principal and even far less experience as an instructional leader, (the two are not the same); it would seem odd that this individual would deem it necessary to fabricate disciplinary actions against me based on false, and at times, desperate allegations as he abuses and misuses his authority because he does not want to do his job, but I am demanding that he does for our children. It all began on November 28, 2007, when this principal issued a written reprimand, falsely accusing me of “insubordination” because I, as the classroom educator, refused to admit a habitual offender into my classroom that was not only disruptive, defiant, and disrespectful, but was also verbally and physically aggressive. The principal and Director of Human Resources stated that I was “insubordinate” because I would not comply with their demand to endanger the safety of the students within my class by permitting a student, that has been a known safety threat for the past two years, to enter my classroom. I quoted the Code of Conduct to them that required that I be “proactive” and take actions to “prevent” classroom disruptions, but they totally disregarded this policy. It should be noted that the principal refused to discipline the administrator that would not discipline the student in question, but he did discipline me for choosing the “ethical” and “moral” option in placing the safety, learning, and well being of my students above my job status. On December 13, 2007, this same principal, along with the Director of Middle Schools, decided in their professional wisdom, to issue another written reprimand to me, stating that I was not to use my employment contract hours while at school to document (send emails) about the safety concerns that I observed within the school. Hmm, why would one NOT want incidents to be documented, especially when my job duties require that I document any and all issues properly. Perhaps because if it is not in writing, it did not happen and that is exactly what abusive principals promote.Furthermore, despite NEVER having observed my classroom, or even set foot in my class, or even interacted with my students; this principal and the Director of Middle Schools, appointed an Instructional Coach for my class, as they deemed that I needed help regarding classroom management and instruction delivery. Based on what data, I do not know until this day, however, as I advised him, I am always willing to learn and would welcome any assistance to improve my instruction of our students. I was concerned at the fact that the first year teachers that I worked with did not receive the same courtesy by him that I, as a veteran teacher had. I guess that his obsession with “getting me” was more of a priority than his obligation to support our new, struggling teachers. That is truly sad because it is our children that ultimately suffer when a principal misuses and abuses his power and authority in this manner, with the support of central office, I may add. So much for “KIDS FIRST!”After it was determined that the Instructional Coach approach was not effective in intimidating me through overmonitoring, which she did not, I was given another written reprimand. In fact, I truly enjoyed the collaboration that we had regarding improving classroom motivation and hands-on instructional techniques. It was truly an experience that promoted professional and personal growth, which eventually expanded to other educators within our school for their benefit. I ended up becoming a “recruiter” for the Instructional Coach when sharing all that was given to me during our sessions, as a result, others became motivated to come and school-wide sessions were held. She was a blessing in disguise for me, other teachers, and our students. We just wish that we had had her support at the beginning of the year as opposed to in the middle of the year as a retaliatory act by an abusive principal….. but it is all good because it supported us as we supported our students! The most recent written reprimand was dated, February 15, 2008, the same day that I had my final interview with my Instructional Coach where she recommended me to be a Master Teacher. I guess that since that plan backfired, the principal had to resort to falsified plan “B”, where he wrote me up for failing to hand in pictures of students that were throwing up gang signs in a “timely manner”. I found the pictures on the printer at our school, and attempted to identify the students by speaking with the other teachers prior to submitting the information to administration. I would think that the administration would want to know the student’s names. I was also confused about the fact that the abusive principal was concerned about the timeliness in which I gave the pictures to administration when, within his December 13, 2007 reprimand, he stated that I could no longer use contract hours to address or document safety issues in the school. I tell you, “oh what a tangled web we weave, when we weave to deceive!” He evidently forgot about his previous falsified reprimand. That is why my mother always says to “tell the truth the first time so that you don’t have to remember the last lie that you told.” Her advice should go into the “Abusive Principal” Recovery Handbook. The abusive principal stated that I endangered the safety of our students by not handing the pictures in right away. I found his statements to be extremely hypocritical, especially since, once the pictures were shared with him, he took no action to remove the student that was throwing up the gang signs from the school. The student is here to this day. Double standards, I tell you!The abusive principal went on to even falsely accuse me of taking “unauthorized” pictures of students in the halls at school. He “stated” that he had statements from teachers, students, and a parent indicating that I had taken pictures of students against their will. When I asked to see the statements, he advised that he did not have them with him at school. What the devil?! I want to know why he took these statements out of the building and for what purpose, (that is if he really had them in the first place). I guess that it was too much like common sense to ask me for the pictures that I had taken with my digital camera. I am the photographer for our school’s step team and had taken many pictures previously, without question from anyone. It is even more interesting that this abusive principal never bothered to ask the Instructional Aides that work with me everyday about the pictures, especially when they downloaded them and collected the prints for our student’s Valentine’s Day projects. He never asked because he did not want to know the truth. Most abusive principals do not because it would not serve their purpose of bullying, intimidating, and harassing those that are under them. These types of principals are also discriminatory due to the fact that no other teachers or students were confronted about picture taking except me, and our students are not to have cameras at school at all, but I guess it is true when they say that abusive principals have “Burger King” practices . They have it their way, no matter what the county, state, or federal laws say. Finally, in the same written reprimand, the abusive principal charged me with being “unprofessional”, ”demonstrating poor judgment”, and “failing to follow the proper protocols”, when I opted to send the thirty-sixth email, since November 2007, regarding my concerns about our department head to his superiors after he had refused to even return a majority of the emails or hold the department head accountable for the fact that she does not do her job and as a result, it has resulted in our department being out of compliance with the state and federal government. 
While I was not the only educator expressing these concerns, nor was I the only one ignored or dismissed, I was the only one that received a written warning for escalating my concerns on behalf of our children’s education. I know what you are thinking, AMAZING! How can someone focus all of their energies on coming after me when the school that they have been the leader of for over four months, that was limping when he took the helm, is not crawling….and our students are the greatest victims. “The Dark Side of Leadership: Teacher Perspectives of Principal Mistreatment”, published in Educational Administration Quarterly, by Joseph Blase, is the first study of its kind that collects data regarding the impact of principal abuse on teachers and students. I think that every principal should read this report in order to raise their awareness of how they can single-handedly destroy the academic and professional lives of those teachers and students around them.The abusive principal does not have our children as a consideration in his dysfunctional mind, as a result, we must ensure that they are OUR priority, even if they are not his. That is the only way to survive an abusive principal, understand your purpose, your role, your job. You are obligated to our students before you are obligated to anyone else. Thinking this way will encourage you and help you to make the decision that the abusive principal does not have the capacity to make.Well, abusive principals do not care about our children or our teachers. They only care about themselves. The extent that this abusive principal and his supporters will go to at the expense of our students is amazing to me, especially since I am the one that received a threat from a member of the staff that he “leads”. Abusive principals have the same profiles as any other abusive personality, they are poor communicators, bullies, take advantage of those weaker than them, have low self-esteem, surround themselves by weaker individuals that they control and give them a false sense of well-being (“yes” people), are protected from receiving consequences for their abusive behaviors by other abusers, and have a lethal combination of pride and power as the basis for their identity.Many of you are asking how can you tell if your principal is abusive, and still more are asking, am I alone in battling an abusive principal. See the articles below for encouragement and insight. What To Do When There is a Problem with the Principal Learn what the signs are of a poor principal and what you as a parent can do.By Lisa Rosenthal, GreatSchools.net StaffWhat makes a great school? Strong leadership is a key factor. In What Makes a Great Principal: An Audio Slide Show, you can read about the four characteristics that great principals have in common and listen to real stories from principals on the job.
How do you know if your principal is providing the kind of leadership that it takes to make a great school? Knowledge of these warning signs will help you to become aware, if there is a problem, and to take action. Seven Warning Signs of a Poor PrincipalIf you notice any of the following signs, you may want to contact your superintendent:1. The principal has no overall vision for the school. He doesn’t have a sense of what kind of school community he and the staff are trying to establish or what values the whole school should uphold.2. There is no plan to address academic achievement and the schools’ test scores continue to decline. Although principals can’t take all the blame for declining test scores, they should have clear goals for school-wide academic improvement that they communicate to staff and students, and ways to measure improvement against the goals. They should include staff and parents in the goal-setting process.3. The principal spends all her time in her office pushing papers. She delegates discipline decisions and dealing with parents to the school secretary. You never see her in classrooms or on the playground. She doesn’t know students’ names and doesn’t interact with them.4. The principal is seldom there. He spends much of his time away from the school in meetings or at conferences.5. The principal does not return your phone calls.If you have tried to contact her several times and she does not respond, you should be concerned. If you do make contact, but she doesn’t provide you with any possible solution, you have a problem.6.The principal tells everyone what he or she wants to hear. He says “yes” to everyone but doesn’t take action.7.The principal shows favoritism.It is obvious that certain teachers, students or parents have the ear of the principal but others do not.When a Parent Should Contact the PrincipalWhen you have a concern about your child’s academic achievement or discipline within the classroom, you should first contact your child’s teacher. If you are not satisfied with the teacher’s response, you should contact the principal. It is always better to try to work out problems with the teacher first. If you have a concern about a school-wide discipline problem or the school’s philosophy, you should contact the principal.When a Parent Should Contact the SuperintendentIf the principal does not return your phone calls or if you are dissatisfied with the response of the principal, then you should contact the superintendent. If you have concerns about the principal’s leadership abilities and you can clearly document those concerns, you should contact the superintendent. If several parents feel the same way, make an appointment as a group to visit the superintendent. There is always greater power in numbers!January 2006 *****************************************
More on GreatSchools.net:What Makes a Great Principal: An Audio Slide ShowWhat Makes a Great Teacher?Communicating With Your Child’s SchoolWho Makes Decisions About School Staff?Additional Resources:McEwan, Elaine K., 10 Traits of Highly Successful Schools,Waterbrook Press, 1999.This book provides concrete tools on how to evaluate principals and schools. Cooperman, Saul, How Schools Really Work, Catfeet Press, 1996.Written by a former superintendent, this helpful book provides easy-to-follow steps for evaluating principals and improving schools.Bennett, William J., The Educated Child, Simon & Schuster, 1999.What is a good education? In this guide, in addition to learning about principals and teachers, you’ll learn what good schools teach and what you can do to improve your school.
Cheers for members battling abusive principals
Jan 31, 2008 1:41 PM
Bravo
The union’s “principals in need of improvement” campaign, aimed at bad principals either shaping up or shipping out, is having a positive effect, UFT Staff Director LeRoy Barr reported at the Jan. 16 Delegate Assembly. “We have some schools in which the DOE is not taking responsibility for the autocratic nature of the principals,” Barr said drolly, “so we decided to do things the old-fashioned way. And we’re good at doing things the old-fashioned way.”Barr talked about three schools where the union was “modifying behavior,” and using different strategies “so that teachers will want to come to work and children come to learn.”Representatives from three schools were on hand to tell their stories.Forty staff members from beleaguered PS 114 in Brooklyn, which was featured in the Jan. 17 New York Teacher, took to the stage, led by UFT District 18 Representative Richard Mantell and Chapter Leader Keith Peterson. Mantell said, pointing to the large staff turnout, “If this doesn’t show you what that principal is like, nothing will.” Peterson said the key to winning was “concentrating on fear, and saying ‘what are we afraid of? We’re professionals.’ So whenever the principal did things, we’d look at the contract and say, ‘That’s not very professional of you.’” Pointing to the large turnout of his colleagues, he said, “Even one of the APs wanted to join us tonight.”Introducing staff from the ACORN HS for Social Justice in Brooklyn, UFT BASIS District Representative Charles Friedman announced that “in two weeks [the principal] is gone. This principal united those who never got united before … You need a staff that will stand up,” and this staff did, Friedman said. “This principal united people like I’ve never seen.” Chapter Leader Devon Blinth agreed that it was his colleagues’ determination to stick together that got the principal — a Leadership Academy graduate and someone who gave 10 U-ratings to a staff of 40 — “to go.”Staten Island Borough Representative Emil Pietromonaco introduced Chapter Leader George Anthony and other Susan Wagner HS staff who were intimidated by school administrators and urged to change students’ grades on Regents exams.The Office of Special Investigations recommended the assistant principal be dismissed and the principal—the A.P.’s husband—be disciplined for their roles in a Regents cheating scandal. The assistant principal has since been reassigned, though not fired. The principal is still in the building, but not allowed anywhere near the Regents exam proctoring, “so the DOE in its infinite wisdom is asking the staff to move to another school to grade the exams,” Pietromonaco said.Anthony introduced a number of colleagues and then said he was “trapped in an episode of the Twilight Zone. But I had a whole support network in the UFT.”After harassment from his AP, three senior UFT officials came to confront the administrator. Anthony said he felt like telling the AP, “Say hello to my friends.”Weingarten said that what all three schools have in common is that “when a staff stays together, nobody can disrespect us, and that’s what the folks from 114, from Wagner and from SOJO can teach us. That’s what unionism is all about.” ************************
LSC members harrassed by incompetent principals
By Joe Guzman
As a new school year unfolds before us, I have a question. Why would normally educated and professional individuals in administrative positions jeopardize their careers and reputations by childish, unprofessional and (sometimes) criminal behavior — behavior that invites lawsuits, protests and public humiliation.
Does pride, bravado and personal insecurity interfere with common sense, or is it attempt to cover up incompetence, clouded judgment and blind ambition? These individuals in administrative positions are costing the Board of Education thousands of dollars in legal fees and in settlements. It seems that some of those type 75 certifications need to be re-examined and revoked.
Over the summer and into the fall, I have been in contact with numerous individuals who are eager to discuss difficult and intolerable conditions within their schools. I listen, take copious notes, and listen some more.
Blatant disregard for LSC authority, thievery, intimidation, nepotism and it’s ugly cousin, cronyism are valid concerns. Vague budget items, hidden internal accounts and unexplained fund transfers are common complaints. LSC members who have rightfully questioned such acts and have asserted their rights are harassed … or worse.
Many members are continually denied their legal right to gain access and conduct business at the school of which they were elected to represent. Many have been falsely arrested. Interference with the duties of a public official is a criminal act, and those who violate this must be held accountable. Apparently school reform has not filtered down to certain individuals yet.
Unfortunately, the politics of local school governance are not without risks in the pursuit of power and influence. The real danger lies within those whom are not equipped, (both mentally and emotionally), to handle that responsibility. Fault not only lies with corrupt administrators, but also with certain LSC members, influenced to look the other way and working against fellow members.
We all have had someone like that on our councils. They scream and holler, but say nothing, and accomplish even less. They violate the trust that the public has placed with them, and do the community a great disservice. I believe that there should be a morality test for both principals and LSC members, but then some schools would be without a principal and seats would remain unfilled on councils.
There are very good, honest and hard working principals and local school council members, doing their jobs, without controversy or attention. In sad contrast, in our next issue, we tell a story of decent council members and the endurance of arrests, threats and incredible psychotic behavior at a southwest side school. In all my years as a council member, I have never experienced what this council is going through.
If you have a story to tell, please contact us. We would like to hear from you.
Joseph GuzmanL.S.C. EditorSubstance office: (773) 725-7502Home: (312) 459-9920Email: Josephguzman@email.com**************I have also included a link that offers over 100 actions that SUCCESSFUL principals do!http://books.google.com/books?id=-YkITIHXrloC&printsec=frontcover&dq=poor+assistant+principals&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0
Is Henrico FINALLY Getting IT? SAFE SCHOOLS FINALLY!
African-American Student with Special Needs Pepper Sprayed At Henrico, VA Middle School
AS A HUMAN BEING, I AM OUTRAGED!AS AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN MOTHER, I AM OUTRAGED!AS A SPECIAL EDUCATOR, I AM OUTRAGED!AS A PARENT IN HENRICO COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, I AM OUTRAGED!AS A RESIDENT OF HENRICO COUNTY, I AM OUTRAGED! I AM OUTRAGED, AND YOU SHOULD BE TOO! IF THERE WAS EVER A TIME FOR ALL EDUCATORS AND RESIDENTS OF HENRICO COUNTY TO SPEAK OUT, NOW IS THE TIME!This weekend, I was contacted by an elderly African-American couple in Richmond, Virginia, regarding the fact that their eighth grade student was “pepper sprayed” by the Resource Officers within the school that I serve as a special educator. For nearly a year, I have publicized article after article; month after month, I have spoken before Henrico County Public School’s board BEGGING them to intervene regarding the incompetent leadership that exists at John Rolfe Middle School whose presence could result in serious injury to one of our children or teachers.I have warned of the escalating violence, physical confrontations, and gross neglect on the part of the eighth grade principle, John Rokenbrod, and the incompetence of the newly appointed principal, Andy Armstrong. I have sent email after email to the superintendent, Fred Morton; Director of Middle Schools, Marilyn Royal, and every school board member warning them of the potential for catastrophic outcomes if they did not intervene.I have met with Philip Jepson, the Director of Human Resources and Ms. Royal numerous times. I have even compelled our newly elected school board member, John Montgomery, to visit our school in hopes that he will take action to ensure that our children and teachers are safe.Well, based on the information that was shared with me this weekend, I am not only OUTRAGED, I AM DISGUSTED! The inevitable has happened.As I have reported in the past, repeatedly, Mr. Rokenbrod, the eighth grade principal at Rolfe Middle School, has failed miserably to carry out his duties in ensuring that students that pose a threat to our other students, teachers, and school as a whole, are removed from our school setting. As I have reported in the past, repeatedly, Mr. Armstrong, the newly appointed first-time principal, has condoned Mr. Rokenbrod’s actions by failing to hold him accountable at any level. In fact, in this case, it was reported that Mr. Armstrong actually supported Mr. Rokenbrod’s decision to permit a student that had been suspended to remain in school even though this student posed a clear threat to the safety and learning of other students.Why they are permitted to remain in positions of leadership over our children is unknown to me, but I have been constantly reminded by others that because of their race and sex, they have a great deal more support from Mr. Morton than would be allowed if they were of another race or sex. I am also constantly reminded that our school is 70% students of color, as a result, competent leadership is not a priority. Still others confirm that nothing like this would EVER happen on the West End of the county. Maybe not.The allegations indicate that the student that was suspended showed up for school on the day that he should have been home. Instead of sending him back home, having a Resource Officer escort him to his parent’s job, or send the student to detention for trespassing, Mr. Rokenbrod sent the student to in-school suspension.It is reported that while the student was in in-school suspension, the student became so disruptive, defiant, and disrespectful, that the teacher contacted Mr. Rokenbrod to remove the student. The student antagonized the other students to the point that they were unable to complete their work. At that point, it is alleged that, instead of ensuring that the student was removed from the school setting, Mr. Rokenbrod returned the suspended student back to class!At which point, the student continue be disruptive, defiant, and disruptive within that environment. The allegations continue to note that not only did this student interfere with the learning of other students within the class, but the student began to roam the halls, and go into other classes and disturb them as well. It is reported that the student approached students that were working in the library, and began to call them and the teacher that was instructing them names until the teacher yelled at the student to leave the area. At which point, the student became verbally abusive with the teacher as he walked out to roam the halls again.Of course Mr. Rokenbrod, Mr. Armstrong, Ms. Royal, Mr. Morton, and the entire school board were notified of this horrific disruption that went on throughout the day with little or no intervention by the building administration. Of course, nothing was done even after they were notified.The allegations go on to indicate that the suspended student continued the “reign of terror” throughout the school. It should be noted that this student is also a student with special needs, however, the actions of the student in being defiant, disruptive, and disrespectful are in no way related to the students disability. The fact that the student was permitted to remain in school, after being suspended, posing a threat to others, speaks to the disabilities of the adults involved more than it speaks to the disability of the child!As was shared, the suspended student continued to antagonize the other students within the class until another student, that was working very hard to stay on track, had had enough and became physically aggressive. The school resource officers were called by Mr. Jordan, the seventh grade principal, and the escalated student that was NOT suspended, was reportedly handcuffed and pepper sprayed by the police.Teachers and students have reported witnessing the incident in terror. Through mounting tears and questions of how Mr. Armstrong and Mr. Rokenbrod could have allowed this to escalate to this point, teachers and students reported seeing the student that was pepper sprayed screaming in agony, gagging, and panting like a dog in the front office while the student was in handcuffs.There are conflicting reports from administrators, students, and teachers regarding whether or not the student jumped at the officers or was walking away from the officers and they went after him to restrain him. At which point, it is even more unclear as to whether the student was pepper sprayed AFTER he was handcuffed or before. Several students and teachers have contradicted the reports of school administrators and officers. In any event, there is a great concern that excessive force was used by two officers and one administrator in an effort to restrain one student. Three adult men against one child and the only way that the child could be restrained was though pepper spray? It makes me say hmmm…The allegations go on to indicate that the Henrico County Fire Department was called to flush the eyes of the student, at which point, the Henrico Police Department attempted to transport the student to the James River Detention Center, but was advised not to. Officials from the James River Detention Center are said to have refused to accept the student until the student had been taken to the hospital in order to verify the extent of the injuries sustained by pepper spraying incident.Based on the directions of these officials, Henrico police transported the student to the hospital prior to taking him to the detention center where he remains to this day. I was approached following the incident by another teacher who requested that we open the outside doors near my classroom in order to allow the pepper spray to clear the hall prior to our student leaving for the day. This request was made nearly thirty minutes after the incident took place. To assume that the impact of the pepper spray was still that intense nearly thirty minutes later, to the point that it warranted “airing out” the halls, is outrageous.Amnesty International condemns the use of pepper spray and deems it to be a form of torture as they indicated on their website. The organization also states:
“Because of the great risks associated with pepper spray its use must be questionable in any circumstances….the spray was clearly abusive as it was not used to protect officers or others but was applied in a calculated and deliberate way to inflict pain as a way of gaining compliance…pepper spray (or oleoresin capsicum) can cause painful burning, eye irritation, nausea, choking and vomiting when sprayed in someone’s face. There is also evidence that pepper spray can have seriously harmful effects when used in a confined space or on asthmatics or people with other medical conditions. Some studies have warned that pepper spray is potentially lethal and it has been rejected in the United Kingdom because of its potential carcinogenic properties…” Retrieved from: http://www.nopepperspray.org/amnesty.htm
ARE YOU OUTRAGED NOW!?
As I listened to the words of these African-American grandparents, who have done all that they can to guard and protect their grandchild from the negative influences of life, I am OUTRAGED at the fact that when their grandchild comes to school, which is suppose to be one of the safest places on earth for our children, the child is KNOWINGLY placed in a situation where a suspended student is permitted to run freely, while the safety and learning opportunities of others is severely compromised with no intervention by Mr. Armstrong or Mr. Rokenbrod. It is assumed that when a student is suspended, it has been determined that they are a threat to everyone within the school and should no longer be there, so why was this “threat” permitted to remain?Needless to say that there are several civil rights and criminal violations that are evident within this situation on the part of the school administrators and educators involved. Fortunately, these African-American grandparents have the fortitude to advocate on behalf of their grandchild in the face of this HORRIFIC INJUSTICE.It should be noted that, allegedly, this is not the first time that Mr. Rokenbrod has permitted this particular student to remain in school when the student is suspended. It is reported that in a previous incident, the student assaulted a female student while he was “trespassing” on school property. In addition, the day following this incident, the suspended student arrived at school again.As I spoke with the grandparents and aunt of the pepper sprayed student, they shared how racism is alive and well in Henrico County, specifically in Henrico County Public Schools. The shared how their grandson had worked so hard over the past five months and how they had just received his report card in the mail, that showed that he was one grade away from the honor roll. They shared how they had refused to permit their grandson to “run the streets” with other boys late at night, and others shared how the family had attended church together on a frequent basis. They felt that their grandson was turning himself around an expected the school to support his efforts.The student’s grandmother went on to state that she did not know that her grandson was arrested until she arrived that afternoon to pick he and his sister up from school, at which point she had a meeting with Mr. Jordan, the Seventh grade principal; Ms. Ellis, the Special Education Department Head, and Ms. Little, the student’s teacher. During the meeting, the grandmother states that both, Mr. Jordan and Ms Little admitted that the students involved in the incident were “horseplaying”, and that no one thought that they were really fighting. It is noted that “horseplaying” is not permitted within the school.Later, it was also noted that Mr. Armstrong, the school’s principal, left a questionable voicemail on the home answering machine of the family, but it is not noted that any efforts were made to contact the emergency number that was left on the student’s file in order to advise the family of the incident. The grandmother went on to state that Ms. Ellis indicated that her grandson would most likely be brought up for expulsion from the school district as a result of this incident. The question that the grandmother shared with me was while she knows that her grandson has some accountability in this incident by allowing another student to get the best of him, who will hold the adults accountable for their actions of gross negligence in allowing a suspended student to remain in school and “expel” them from the school? She went on to say, “I told those teachers to keep them apart! Why were they horseplaying? It just is not right, they did not do their jobs and if they had, my grandson would not have been in this situation. Why did they call the police on my grandson but not call the police on that child that was trespassing and harassing others all day? Who is going to deal with them?!”I advised her that this is the question that I have been posing for over a year, with no meaningful answer and no meaningful actions. Our school is STILL not safe because of school leaders that refuse to do their job consistently, and the dangers are escalating, as seen with this situation. Only weeks prior, I had petitioned the superintendent, Director of Middle Schools, and the school board to investigate the disciplinary practices of Mr. Rokenbrod, but Ms. Royal advised that she was not going to take any action regarding my request.The young man’s aunt shared how angry she is because of the fact that they had placed full confidence within the administrators of John Rolfe Middle School, assuming that they would protect, nurture, and educate her nephew, only to be faced with the harsh reality that they failed to do their job miserably, and as a result, her nephew is incarcerated and his life is forever negatively impacted. She vowed that she will take no remedy less than the termination/resignations of the administrators, teachers, and officers that were involved in the situation, and will go to any and all extents to ensure that this happens immediately.A variety of civil rights organizations and government agencies have been called upon to investigate this horrific injustice. They include the NAACP, ACLU, Office of Civil Rights, and the Virginia Department of Education. In addition, a variety of government officials and the Attorney General’s Office have been contacted regarding this atrocity as well.As one educator stated under the condition of anonymity, “this is it, we will not take anymore foolishness from these incompetent and uncaring administrators that keep allowing our students and teachers to be in danger, it is time for them to go!” There are many others throughout the community that are supporting this stance.My question to Mr. Morton and the Henrico County Public Schools board is:“Is this horrific incident, that could have been prevented had the individuals that YOU appointed done their jobs, enough for YOU to take meaningful action, or like one Rolfe Middle School parent put it, do we need to carry the dead body of a student, teacher, or administrator into the next school board meeting, and lay it before the board’s feet for them to do the right thing by our school?
Mr. Rokenbrod and Mr. Armstrong, YOU GOT NERVE, to permit a child to receive such horrific, life-altering consequences for your neglect! We all know that this is not the first time that this has happened, and unless someone intervenes NOW, it will not be the last! This is as much of a “wake-up” call that you need, I hope. Enough blood is on your hands, and I am sure that you do not want anymore. Mr. Morton and members of the board, if you are not equally OUTRAGED regarding this injustice, then we need to remove you all immediately!Mr. Morton and members of the school board, the ball is in your court! You should see by now that the more that you ignore it, deny it, and cover it up, the greater the mess becomes. MAKE THE SAFETY OF OUR CHILDREN YOUR PRIORITY NOW!STOP PLAYING THE POLITICS, POSITION, AND POWER GAME AND START DOING RIGHT BY OUR KIDS!I know..I GOT NERVE, but we everyone seems to forget that we are talking about the lives of our children.
