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Subscribe to RSSThe New Jersey teacher who says she was out of the room when school staffers were caught on a recording device making inappropriate comments around students was placed on paid leave Friday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
"I wanted to be proactive rather than reactive," Cherry Hill superintendent Maureen Reusche told the newspaper. "My primary focus is the instructional environment in the building."
Stuart Chaifetz, the father of the autistic boy who was allegedly bullied by educators, tells msnbc's Thomas Roberts he wants the head teacher fired who was recorded on tape let go.
The teacher's lawyer said his client, Kelly Altenburg, did not call the boy "a bastard" or make other harsh comments that were secretly recorded by the child's father.
Lawyer: Autistic boy's teacher didn't call him 'bastard'
Stuart Chaifetz, 44, put a recording device on his son Akian, 10, and captured audio of staff in his class at Horace Mann Elementary School in Cherry Hill calling him names, laughing at him, and discussing a hangover. Chaifetz said he was trying to get to the bottom of why teaching staff said his son was acting out in class. He later posted the audio on YouTube after what he described as inaction by the school board.
Shortly after Chaifetz posted the video, it went viral. As on Monday, it had garnered more than 4 million views.
A statement released by the superintendent read that the school's investigation into the incident continues, adding: "We do not condone this type of behavior in any form, in any place, by any person associated with our district."
The statement went on to say all employees working in the classroom on Feb. 17 -- the date of the recording -- have been placed on leave "to minimize disruption to our schools" or no longer work for the school district.
The superintendent added that according to New Jersey law, tenured employees are protected against immediate dismissal.
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Leave a Comment:
About time. We do not send our children to school to be bullied by teachers or aides. How many other children have been hurt by the behavior of these supposedly "adults"?
While it is apparent something happened in this classroom to this boy and the teacher may not have been nearby when these things occurred, I feel that the school is taking the right approach by placing the teacher on leave. It's time to focus on the kids who are still in district and attend to their needs.
I have when I lived in Newberry, MI. My teacher, Ms. Hopt would call me names and say I was stupid. She would have the whole class laugh at me and i would have to go to detention every time they did something fun. Unfortunately it happens a lot more than people guess. I've had 5 teachers bully me through my K-12 school years. This needs to stop here. We need to stand up for ourselves and our children.
My daughter was bullied by Mrs. Peterson at k-beach elementry school! I talked to other parents and ont one had anything good to say about her. Most said she had done major damage to thier kidws mentail well being. I filed formal while her pal the peniable was gone and the had a sub she imedialty removed my daughter from the class
My daughter was bullied by Mrs. Peterson at k-beach elementary school! I talked to
other parents and not one had anything good to say about her. Most said she had
done major damage to their kids mental wellbeing. I filed formal complaint against her. While her pal
the principle was gone and they had a substituts principle she immediate removed my daughter from the class. The next year she is back as a substitute principle!! These people protect thier pals.
Randy: The spell check is the ABC icon to the far right of the toolbar.
What do you mean, "About time"? While I wholeheartedly agree that the teacher should be removed from the classroom, it always infuriates me that they put these people on "paid leave". Is that a punishment? So now they pay them their salary to go shopping, watch Oprah, or run errands instead of going to work and earning it. Why can't they just put her on "unpaid, permanent leave", which is what needs to happen.
This seems to be the right move by the Superintendent while a formal investigation is underway.
However, I thought I read last week that some employees (teacher's aides) were fired and not placed on leave. Can't depend on reporters to get it right. I would be curious to know...
In NJ, the law is tendured teachers cannot not be fired immediately. There will have to be an investigation. However, if news reports are correct, one aide with the hangover was fired, and the other reassigned.
Hey parents and school districts ----- TENURE should be eliminated in it's entirety in every field. Quality teachers, steelworkers, firemen, policemen and any other field of work, need to be promoted, given raises, and recognition STRICTLY ON MERIT ! Tenure protects the lazy, the substandard, the unqualified. All fields should be results oriented. Any willful violations need to call for MANDATORY loss of all benefits, including job loss, insurance benefits, pensions, all licenses and/or certifications and any and all other perks. Strict rules need to be developed, and followed with severe penalties being mandatory for those who do not stricly adhere to those guidelines..
In Canada, they passed the Zero Tolerance Act. 1/4 million children have been branded and adversely affected by this. They amended it slightly; but, to-date have not rectified it by clearing the records of these kids. Wait till they want to go to University. Not just that; but, they are being denied an education. They dont expel them, they don't suspend them, they just drop them out of school and force them into homeschooling. For the teachers? There part is to "comply" with the law; BUTTTTTT, they are sooo into it that they are "reporting" kids that fit their profile and have reluctantly reported that 45% Bully the kids. The school boards stand behind the teachers because it all fits into the plan. Elimination of the public school system, elimination of kids that are not conforming, not throwing snowballs, not making straw pea shooters in their homes, not adjusting to their liking due to divorce/death to the family unit, not providing them with remedial anything. While I appreciate a good teacher, they, too, turn against the kids because of this attitude of zero tolerance and the increases in class size. Our children are being persecuted and will forever be punished under this privatization policy and just for being kids.
The claim is that she has an alibi. Keep in mind these teachers are out of the classroom for IEP meetings this time of the year--each kid in that class has an IEP. She also is in a category that requires ongoing training, yet another reason she may have been out. Let the authorities investigate then cast your stones. There are numerous adults in these classrooms for autistic children, it could have been the sub and the aid in the absence of the regular teacher.
Unless you understand how these classrooms operate and were there to see her commit the act, don't make assumptions. There is no way anyone outside of that Cherry Hill School knows whether or not that was this teacher's voice.
I agree with this one... Tenure means "work like heck for a few years then coast, cause they can't touch you." My kids have had some really great teachers over the years, but also a few who it's obvious just quit trying a long time ago.
Teacher - FAIL
Unpaid leave? Now she is rewarded with a 'vacation' for calling this child a 'bastard!'
Only in public sector unions do you have such nonsense as rewarding unconscionable behavior of an employee which, by the way, I pay the wages of the employee.
There is no way we should have ever allowed the police, teachers, firemen, etc.... the rights to collective bargaining
Bencas,
Absolutely, she could have been out of the room on IEP meetings or trainings. BUT, this was the not the only day this child experienced something awful at the whims of the adults in the classroom. Dad wired him because there had been issues preceding the day. Therefore, it stands to reason that this teacher has been in the room when something bad has happened to Akian. A good, responsible teacher who truly cares about the kids in her charge would stand up to whoever is causing the child problems and take appropriate action to curtail the bullying. Either she has been an active participant or she has been complacent in the classroom while others did the dirty work. She is responsible either way.
sfs, that is not necessarily so. The aid has been identified as being part of the negative behavior. There are other people in the room everyday. The teacher takes breaks everyday and has meetings on a regular basis due to the type of students she teaches. The father taped for 6.5 hours yet only has excerpts, it is not 6.5 hours of bullying. It is possible it only occured in her absence. The system derserves a fair evaluation and determination by those that have the actual evidence and are within the realm of being able to identify who was on the tape. No one here has that special knowledge as no one here knows the teacher, her voice or any other piece of vital information. You only know what was in this and other articles. that is what makes it a witch hunt.
If you are familar with the story, you are also aware that this teacher had submitted complaints about the aid and how she operated. The teacher does not hire the aid, the administration and school board have that responsibility. Let the investigation occur without the assumptions of those that do not have access to the evidence.
Bencas, if the taped 6.5 hours was enough evidence for the school to transfer her to the high school and publicly state she was not working for the district, I'd say even the school suspects she was party to the abuse. Check out Stuarts website. He has other clips there and explains some of the clips are pretty heavily edited to remove other students names, etc from being publicized.
Some of the clips he has posted though make it pretty clear she was in the classroom much of the 6.5 hours that were taped and she was a party to much of the misconduct heard.
bencas - @1.15
Since that 's the first I've heard of this and can't find it anywhere else, have you got a cite?
It was on MSNBC on Friday. It was in our local papers in Jersey last week. I believe the Courier Post.
Genenut, it may have been more for her protection than a punishment.
Steve they transferred her in Feb before the you tube video and national attention.
What I find ironic and sickening at the same time is "Where is Barack Obama's, "Aiken could have been one of my children", or the outrage from the Black Congressional Caucus, the NAACP, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Amnesty International, the ACLU, or other "supposed Do GOODER" groups that love to get the face time in the media. I will tell you where, Aiken isn't of color, isn't a corrupt member of congress (like Chunk Rangel his way out of tax evasion) isn't a criminal so the Amnesty People or the American Criminal Lienecy Union don't care, and certainly standing up for a caucasian child isn't going to garner the "voter base" sought by the White House.
No instead all of these groups have said nothing, because there is NOTHING IN IT FOR THEM. Instead, what you have is a father, who is fighting the bureacracy on his own, to protect HIS child. Where are the cries about Human Rights violations, demeaning a challenged child. I think it says ALOT about the "inequality" in the "outrage" and "demands for action" when it comes to race. Now while some of you will call my tyrade here inappropriate, or anything of that ilk, let's just ponder how much more attention and support this Father would have, if his ethnicity was different. When we want to talk about "equality" then we should look at ALL THINGS EQUAL. And that does not appear in the slightest to be happening here.
My opinion concerning this school district and the parties involved should be sued till they couldn't afford the lint in their pockets. That money should be used to wage a campaign to protect our children from those that are supposed to be looking out for their best interest while they are in school. I applaud this DAD (because anyone can "father" a child, but not enough of us choose to be a DAD) for having the smarts to investigate on his own. I certainly applaud his throwing up the BS flag when he was apparently being blown off, and I think anything CRIMINAL (to include a human rights violation, or a clear violation of the ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act ) regardless of tenure should be drug in front of a judge, charged and tried. Your protection for immediate dismissal is then shot square in the ass, just like you should be, for any abuse (physical or mental) you cause ANY child.
Certainly I would have hoped or expected to see at least some local or state politician picking up the "standard" and championing this battle on behalf of Aiken and his Dad...
Paid leave? Isn't that the definition of 'vacation'.
In a previous article it was said she had been out of the room for 1 hour, the abuse was over 6 hrs, she was there for most of it, and this was not a one time incident! she needs to lose her teaching license and be charged with abuse to a child.
I'm sick to death of children being bullied everywhere. Rarely, do you ever hear the name of the "bullier". Its time to start calling them out, calling them by name in public. Lawsuits be damned! Call them out and let them account. No more of this OJ Simpson crap of deny, deny (this started the trend, in my opinion). Shine the bright light on these insecure, heartless bastards - no matter what their age. No more APATHY! Shout it out loud: ITS NOT OK!
Will, I agree with you. If this was a black child we'd have every race baitor and network clamboring all over the story, and people marching in the streets demanding justice for this child. But since his abuse doesn't further their cause, they could care less.
No and we don't send our kids to school with cameras to record things. I hope they throw the book at the father and get him for illegal recording without people's permission. Enough is enough...
Actually, Kevin, what the father did is perfectly legal in his state. And if he did not send a recorder with his son, how do you suppose he would prove that his boy was being abused by teaching staff ???????????????
It is evidently very easy to use abusive language and bullying against children who cannot go home and tell their parents. The recording shows that.
It is a parents job to protect their children...if it means recording the day's events, then so be it.
You're right about one thing...enough is enough.
What this father did was right. I see it being no different than parents placing a video camera in their home and recording the person that is baby sitting their kid(s). It's very sad that one would have to go to these extremes.
Actually New Jersey is a one-party consent state. This means the parent had to be a party to the conversion in order to legally record it. He violated the law by making this recording.
When you consider that he had 6 HOURS of audio, and is hanging his diatribe on these 30 seconds. He seems pretty vindictive if you ask me, so I would say that since he wants to go after the person that said NONE of the comments he posted, he should go to jail for violating federal and state wiretapping laws. Fair Enough???
I agree, we the general public are accepted actors to be monitored and recorded by the "authorities" and government, but when we as individuals electronically record a foul is called inclusive of protecting the rights of a minor under our charge. What could be the great fear of those accepting one way but not the other? Rights? I really think its a bit late when almost every public place has a recording device these days. In my state we step into court and many times the judge will bar submitting into evidence electronic recordings made by a private party, but accepts those made by those deemed the authority. I am surprised that nobody has addressed these one sided laws to allow submission of applicable electronic recordins made by a private party at least in the court. Many times I wish my auto was outfitted with an omni directional cam that authorities would pay heed to. To be kept in mind also when proliferating the use of such devices is the possibility of ones own guilt being caught by the same means. The bottom line here I feel is the father had the charged duty to protect, his reasoning was not malicious, endagering or harmful, the teachers actions were inappropriate.
You're kidding, right?
Defending this teacher over legalities is a joke.Because u know what was said and done by her
and her accomplice was wrong!!!
No, not kidding. I think the Aide who made the comments should have been and was rightfully fired.
I have seen a number of parents like this who won't acknowledge that their children's behavior has changed for whatever reason at home (Divorce, like this guy went through, Moving to a new school, like this guy went through, and this kids behavior is all the aide's fault, not one bit of his home life enters into the father's calculus)
Autism teachers get spat upon, clean up feces & urine, deal with violence from some big kids, and all very regularly. I don't condone the Aide's behavior, but I do know that it is the toughest teaching job in schools. Perhaps the teacher he is now targeting is a complete wretch and deserves to be fired, but nothing I heard in his video indicates it. He got the main malefactor fired, and I am sure will have some settlement from the school system regardless, but If he is going to be a hard-ass about it, I think the state should be a hard-ass too.
so your saying you wouldn't do what you have to do to protect your child/children.....personally i am thinking the dad is showing remarkable restraint...others would have already filed a lawsuit against the school and the district.
Kevin -- Enough is enough? Seriously?? All I can say is I'm glad that was not my child because I don't think I have the restraint required to prevent me from utilizing a 2x4 and teaching those adults a lesson. No child deserves to be treated badly -- physically or emotionally. And when it comes to children, you do what it takes to stop it from happening or ensure it is not happening.
"Actually New Jersey is a one-party consent state. This means the parent had to be a party to the conversion in order to legally record it. He violated the law by making this recording. "
The child was a party to the conversation and he was the one with the recorder. Therefore a party, the kid, WAS present. The law was NOT violated.
IANAL, but from what I read wiretapping laws in most states apply only to private areas, where you have an expectation of privacy. In a classroom situation, there is no expectation of privacy and, therefore, you can record without informing or getting prior permission. Again, I am not a lawyer, but that is my laymen's interpretation of the law.
@Kevin Bitz... Why do you even try to defend this and twist it to any technicality of the law. Right is Right, and Wrong is Wrong. What is wrong with you and those who agrees with you? If I catch a person bullying my kids that way, they be lucky to only get a face full of fists.
Punisher, right and wrong are subjective terms. What might be just in the eyes of one might be an injustice in the eyes of the other. I remember Dave Swafford took the same attitude as you in January of 2006 when his daughter told him that a teacher's aide molested her. He punched the guy out as soon as he saw the aide. Only problem was, school cameras showed the aide in a different part of the building from the girl at the time the alleged abuse happened. Turns out that the girl was mad because the aide caught her spilling soda on another student and then made up the accusation. Dave ended up doing some time.
Akcita, you state that you're basing your opinion on the video above. Maybe you should take the time to go listen to the other recordings the guy has, or read the myriad of articles out there, before opining yourself.
I don't want to go on forever simply because I'm angry, so I'll wrap this up. Akcita, I disagree with EVERYTHING you said.
This is terrible. The teacher should chose another profession. It is very difficult dealing with special needs children. The teacher would do all of the special needs children a favor not returning to the school.
Usually I write a letter for my son's teacher at the end of the school year telling them what a great job she did. I wonder if the teacher in this case has any parent supporters? There has been no press about that.
My guess to that question would be no.
Due to the publicity of this case, the teachers on staff at the school have received threats against theirselves and their families. It has reached a level of irrational behavior by the public. The goal is to protect the children and those that provide for them, not to assisinate the teaching staff and their families.
Therefore, C NJ Mom, I think the focus just is not on writing letters at this point in time but more urgent matters at hand. Imagine how you would feel if your child attended that school without ever having a problem and now this public backlash has occurred.
Bencas, with whats out there for information, I'd be talking to my son (if he was in this class or interacted with the adults in question) and going back over everything the school told me as they have been caught backtracking a few times in statements about this so what else have they stretched, embroidered or lied about?
Was the teacher on the recording? Was she even present at the time of the event? Unless you were there and can answer these questions, your comment is pointless.
Randy , have you listened to the further clips posted on Stuart's website where the teacher discusses how to get out of a school obligation (field day) or lie at the emergency IEP mtg? Those are duties only the teacher (not the aides) would be discussing. She was there. So your defense of her is pretty pointless.
Bencas,
My child is in SE, but in mainstreamed classes. Of course, I'd be concerned, but I am not for persecuting this teacher in the press nor on these boards. It's crazy that people don't read or investigate beyond the headline and convict the teacher and aides purely on this man's edited tape excerpts. I am not saying that he is unjustified in how he feels (I've been in similar situations). I am sure he feels the district did not do enough after reviewing the raw 6 1/2 hour tape, as the teacher and aides were still in place until recently, and he felt that he not only had to protect his child, but the others in this class - thus he released the edited tape.
Someone else posted on this story thread that other parents are now stepping forward, but I have not seen anything in the news about this locally. My question was posed because I was curious as to whether anyone was speaking up for this teacher because I would do so if a teacher I respected and cared about my son was being unfairly removed from teaching.
Kevin Bitz...have to wonder sir..just how far should teachers be allowed to go then ? And..just who is going to make sure they are doing what they are paid to do..and that is teach our kids well...not imbarrass them , or make fun of them. Any teacher that is a part of this kind of thing in any way...even if just allowing it to be done in his or her classroom without stopping it have no business teaching..and I can not condone any teacher union that will allow this to be done either..that makes that union no better than the teachers.
"just who is going to make sure they are doing what they are paid to do"
Video cameras in the classrooms. These are public employees and we have every right to monitor them.
I wonder, if these recordings had not found some inappropriate words used by the teacher's aide, what the level of outrage would have been among the parents of other children in this classroom, to learn that someone was taping what went on in their children's classroom, without their knowledge?
If he hadn't found any inappropriate words, we'd probably have never heard about it.
Even if the other parents had heard about it, what would the big deal be? It would have just proved the teachers are doing their jobs. Unless "special needs" classes have some sort of classified info the general public doesn't need to hear, there shouldn't be any outrage.
Even if she did not participate those under her felt comfortable under her charge to abuse this boy. She is part of the catylyst that made this an unhealthy atmosphere. This is the reason she should be let go if nothing more. I know many wonderful teachers that put their hearts and heads into their work. I am married to one. She and the others should really find another line of work.
Wait a minute. It's hard to find teachers willing to work with strange kids. I think she should be retained.
Strange kids! Shame on you! These kids have handicaps that they can't help! They didn't ask to be born different from other children! If these teachers and aides can't handle dealing with disabled children they should not be in this profession. No child, normal or disabled, should be abused by any adult!
re: the pool incident
Sorry to hear about your granddaughter's incident. The parent(s) of the disabled boy should have been keeping a closer eye on their child.
As far as using the word "normal" - the appropriate term is "typical".
Hey tex, shoe on the other foot... my son with aspergers went to a birthday party several years ago that he was invited to and all the "normal" kids proceeded to bully and endanger his life in the pool (its was a pool party) by jumping over him into the pool (if they had slipped or jumped short they would have landed on his head).
My son needed protection that day from the "normal" kids... the dangerous kids aren't only found in special ed. Many are neurotypical and have never needed special ed classes.
@Kevin Bitz,
The father was within the law to audio record his son's typical school day. Permission is required by only one of the two parties, the son being one of the two.
Wrong, you have to BE a party to the conversation, not have permission. The Parent was not a party to the conversation. He broke the law.
You're wrong, but that's ok.
@Akcita, actually the law says:
"Federal law permits recording telephone calls and in-person conversations with the consent of at least one of the parties. See 18 U.S.C. 2511(2)(d). This is called a "one-party consent" law. Under a one-party consent law, you can record a phone call or conversation so long as you are a party to the conversation. Furthermore, if you are not a party to the conversation, a "one-party consent" law will allow you to record the conversation or phone call so long as your source consents and has full knowledge that the communication will be recorded."
What about the conversations between the staff and other students in the classroom not involving his son? How did the father control recording of peripheral conversations among people other than his son? If he didn't control for that, is the the recording still legal?
I stand corrected. Assuming that the parent is granting permission on the kids behalf, it is legal.
This whole story is a waste of time.
You're kidding, right?
Wrong.
Bummer, this should have appeared after Kevin Bitz's comment further up.
Try hitting the reply button of a comment that you want to respond to. If the comment is, itself, a reply to another comment, then you have to scroll up to where the original comment is. I usually in those cases try to include the name of the person I'm replying to, just for clarity.
It's odd that this issue is bring about the very tenure problem that Chris Christy was trying to stop a while back
Christie still is trying.
I love how he says they don't condone the behavior, however that only comes out AFTER the video goes viral. Imagine that. Fire them all, including the principal.
So why not let teachers privately record the behavior of a student that is constantly mis-behaving in class and disrupting the kids that want to learn and show it to the parents that continue to not show up for parent teacher confrences? There are way more kids that want to learn, but teachers cant teach because they are too busy dealing with the disrespectful kids that dont want to follow the rules and the parents that dont give a crap and administration that has gone to soft in discipline.
y, you hit it right on the head. Teachers are so over burdened with the discipline problems of a very few, the kids who really want to learn are out in the cold. Of course some want a private teacher for every problem kid but that would cost a mint. The only solution: some kids will indeed need to be left behind or else they will continue to pull everyone down.
It just the way it is.
Simple, put a camera in every classroom and give parents access. That way everyone is protected. What do school systems have to hide?
For the record this child was in a self contained autism only classroom of 6 students. This was not a mainstreamed classroom.
Mike Fillmore and Y...sigh!! This child was in a totally segregated special education class because of AUTISM, not bad parents. He wasn't anywhere near typical children, so he wasn't holding any child behind. Autism isn't a discipline issue, it's a DISABILITY. The reason this bullying by teachers happens in special needs classrooms is the kids are sooo disabled they're not able to come home and tell their parents what's going on. These kids cannot function in a regular classroom and they should not be in one, both for their sakes and the sakes of the other children BUT they deserve to be treated like human beings! That being said, I'm not against cameras in all classrooms, for both the safety of teachers and students.
Mike,
However, in this case, the child is in a self-contained special needs classroom. All the children have severe learning disabilities.
My son was in an inclusion class in 4th grade. We felt it was not the best for our son. The problem is (unofficially) that inclusion becomes a dumping grounds for kids who SHOULD have IEPs (ed plans), but don't, mixed in with those who do have IEPs and normal kids. The problem kids do not get their issues addressed unless they are classified.
FYI: My son has 143 IQ and an IEP.
Use video cameras to record what happens in the classroom. The would show all behavior in the classroom, whether by student or staff. These are public mployees in public facilities. There is no expectation of privacy.
C NJ -
Interesting comment. My wife teaches a first grade autism inclusion classroom. She doesn't get special needs students other than those with autism plus she gets a student group of hand picked peer models recommended from kindergarten. Maybe unique to her district in recognizing where the increasing incidence of autism is going.
Brian,
Perhaps your wife's district actually follows the correct model. My district has a habit of not doing that, plus the principal of my son's elementary school is a jerk. Thank goodness she's retiring!
An example of my district attempting to demostrate that they are pro-education for the special needs kids was trying to initiate ABA in my son's pre-K classroom without involvement from/notification to the parents. Looks good on paper, doesn't work well in practice.
I have yet to hear anything about what this teacher supposedly did wrong. It sounds like she's being punished solely to satisfy a mob of ill-informed villagers with torches and pitchforks.
Are you serious??? You can't figure this one out?
Think about it,it will come to you.........
Clearly there is a history of abuse by the Teachers aide. Just because the teacher may or may not have been in the room this time does not mean she is not responsible. I am sure this teacher knows the personality of the teacher aide. You can not hide this type of behavior forever and at one point of another the teacher saw something and just did not act. She did not act to protect the kids from this woman and that is what she did wrong.
People and there stupid mob mentality.... So the teacher was supposed to be there to baby sit the students and the teachers aid EVERY SECOND OF THE DAY?.... that kinda defeats the purpose of a teacher aid does it not? Kinda like wanting the manager of a restaurant to be fired because the cook spit in your food... because you feel like the manager should of been standing behind the cook every second of every day... if you can't expect people to be adults and that others should be fired for the unsupervised bad actions of other adults what kinda world we be living in?... anyone that has had any kind of leadership position knows you can't micromanage everyone at every second.
What was done to this kid was horrible... the adult voice (teachers aid) in the tape should and did get fired.... what I find equally discusting is peoples ability to make the accusation that the teacher was there or that was the teachers voice on the tape when they don't even know the person. If the teacher wasn't because of some other job duty its not her fault... she was doing what was asked of her... But just because we don't know that yet doesn't mean fill it in with your beliefs and hang her with them.
Until the facts are proven if it was her voice or if she was there... shes innocent until proven guilty... not the other way around... this is why we don't try things in the misguided public court of opinion... to many people don't know how to rational deliberate facts and unknown variables.... its all about "feelings and beliefs"
tex, those breaks are built into a teacher's schedule. Teacher's get ample breaks. She was paid to be there. At no time were we allowed to leave a class in session. If that need arose (which is rare) then a principal or other qualified person was called in to the room to relieve the teacher.
She was supposed to be in control of HER classroom. She set the tome for what happens in it.
You are joking, right?
If you want teachers and students fully accountable for their actions, simply install cameras with audio in every classroom. For "third-party notification" states, place a sign on every entrance to the building notifying people that activity on the premises is recorded. This way, both unruly students and teachers will have no way to lie about their activities.
You'd see a marked drop in classroom incidents from both sides, parents who refuse to believe that little Sally/Sammy acts like an unruly monster in school would have irrefutable proof of it, bad teachers could be weeded out quickly and at a substantially lower legal cost and the very presence of the cameras themselves would modify everyone's behavior. So, why, if we have the technology available to exponentially increase the safety and efficiency of the classrooms of our children, are we not implementing this at a faster rate?
If there is one issue where our voices should be unified, it should be about the safety and education of our children. Taxes, cuts... whatever it takes to make it happen. Get your heads in the game!
You'd have a hard time getting that to work. The unions would have a riot day.
"The superintendent added that according to New Jersey law, tenured employees are protected against immediate dismissal."
Doesn't this just about say it all?
yes it does bullet:( Tenure is practically bulletproof.
They can do whatever and hide behind their union.
Bunch of bS!!
"immediate dismissal" being the key phrase here. The teacher is entitled to an investigation and should she be found guilty of inappropriate behavior, THEN she is dismissed. Innocent until proven guilty. But that does not excuse the district from leaving a teacher under investigation of serious charges in the classroom. Leave with pay seems reasonable as the investigation is underway and should've been one of the FIRST steps taken, NOT a transfer....
"unions are not the same as Tenure"
No, but guess who is responsible for their being there and the terms of tenure.
I have no sympathy for school staff who act inappropriately, but the father should have made his recording and contacted his lawyer and then followed his lawyer's instructions for how to proceed. Posting the video on YouTube was unprofessional and inappropriate. The place to work this out is the courts, not through social media. Social media just lowers the entire discussion and turns it into a circus.
No, this teacher, the union, the staff, etc. need to be publicly chastised or it just gets swept under the rug with a gag order.
What he did is having the desired effect, a national discussion on tenure, teacher abuse, school responsibility, etc. That is a good thing.
I disagree. Social media gives regular people the power to use public opinion to correct injustices that they may otherwise not have the resources to take on. Police brutality, corruption, abuse of position by teachers against children, abuse of power by TSA agents, abuse of clients by corporations - all of these have been "outed" by social media and as a result have led to changes that otherwise may not have occurred. The bottom line is if the "professionals" in these situations are acting within acceptable guidelines, they have nothing to worry about. If they are abusing their position, it is better for everyone if the abusive behavior is outed and they are prevented from continued abuse. Exposing the behavior wasn't unprofessional and inappropriate, it was the individuals perpetrating the behavior who were behaving in an unprofessional and inappropriate manner and by "blowing the whistle" this dad may have protected more children than just his own.
It would certainly have appeared that the father was only interested in his child's well being, if he had taken the matter to the school district and given them the opportunity to respond in an appropriate manner. However, when the first instinct and step is to post to YouTube, is it really about the child, or is it about the sensationalism? If he in fact went to the district first, and they ignored him, then every means of publicity is fair game.
Riverhawk, he went to the school first. Only after they basically tried to sweep this under the carpet did he go to Youtube...
Actually Akcita, you are the one who is wrong. One thing that drives me up a wall is when people with no legal education or experience try to make legal arguments. The parent is a representative of the child since he is a minor. As such, he can give consent for his son, including but not limited to using a wire to record a conversation. Depending on how severe his autism his, this parent has greater capactiy to act on behalf of his child.
I wonder what you would do if this was your child? Any parent who loves their child would do anything to protect them - including break the law - which did not happen her.
eb125 - Any insight regarding my questions at 6.4?
EB, what drives me up a wall, is when people act as if they actually know causality for a given event. Like Kaili, she KNOWS what causes the young man to go into a 30 minute tantrum when the teacher says "No". It can't be that this kids life has been disrupted inside and out since moving to Ohio, it is all about the 30 seconds that his dad posted...
I am sure she knew that Mr. Zimmerman was a racist as soon as she heard NBC's edited audio, and and 10 year-old pictures, and still maintains his guilt....
Without legal training, do you understand due process, or do you just rely on the lynch-mob mentality of today's internet to get your way too?
Brian, they might make an argument that it is a public place with no expectation of privacy, however, you would usually have a notification for such broadband listening like they have at Government Agencies, so you might have a point. EB, what say you? Since the kid is not a party to those conversations, the majority of the 6 hours is probably illegal recording of third party conversations. What do you think?
he he!!keep defending this teacher,keep going
Ackita, I do have appropritate training thank you. What we are talking about is what the teacher and aide are did and are responsible for. The child's behavior isn't relevant, nor would any other circumstances. Even if you wanted to make the argument that the child's behavior contributed to the situation it still wouldn't hold much water - people with autism and other intellectually disabilities are seldom held responsible for or are even truly aware of their behavior. The cause for concern is the teacher's reaction and treatment of a child, rather than addressing what may have been contributing to his bad behavior if there was any. Teachers in general, not solely special education teachers, need to focus on how to handle their in-class staff's behaviors and how to appropriately address that of the students so the educational enviornment is a safe and productive one for everybody- something this teacher clearly did not do. Teachers are legally responsible for reporting abuse whether physical or verbal - I can't see how this is different. The aide didn't just start cursing at children out of the blue one day - it must have been repeated behavior. The aide's words constitute abuse and the teacher is responsible for it's reporting - also something she did not do. I agree that teachers have the hardest job out there and aren't compensated or appreciated nearly enough. However, when there is a "bad teacher" or at least an inept teacher who can not handle his/her job, their should be consequences. You can bet that if anyone did this at their jobs, they would be fired for harrasment - but yet again most of us aren't in unions who will protect even the lowest of the low.
And Brian, I am certain that peripheral conversations are convered under one-party laws. For example, if your phone line was recorded and you then spoke to someone else in the background while you were on the phone, it doesn't make that recording illegal.
**there. sorry for the typo!
In addition, Akcita, administrative leave doesn't limit due process. And FYI due process is more or less for criminal proceedings, and this would be a civil suit if it goes that far. Also see my response to your concern regarding third party conversations. Is there any other legally groundless opinions you would like to address or are you done here?
I never rely on whatever "lynch-mob" you speak of, I rely on the law which I cleary understand and have experience in. Where was your training or legal education conducted?
I'm not done....puhleese...I think this superintendent is doing too little, too late...she should be admonished for taking so long to respond.........this whole school sounds mean to me!!!
Eb125, before you ask about the legal training of others, why don't you give us the specifics of your legal training AND experience? While you're at it, what laws can you cite regarding the taping of other people in the classroom? Where does FERPA fit into this situation?
Steve, If you read the thread at all you would see that Ackita was implying I did not have the proper education or training. My comments to her/him were not in taunt, just merely pointing out her assumption was incorrect. For your information I would never post my educational information, institution, degrees or dates of education/certification simply because they are too many crazy people out there who can and will find someone. With that being said I don't owe you an explanation, as I was pointing out how ridiculous and off-base another one's comments were.
And Blanca's answer re FERPA is correct. It pertains to records and prohibits the release of video, not the creation of one. At the point I imagine the school system will do anything to quell public outrage at the point so this dad doesn't sue them
@Akcita, the only reason why this kid was giving the teachers problems was due to the abuse!!
He didn't start off the year bad,if u get abused daily then how do you think it will be on the child.
And if they can't handle special needs,get another job!!
Like in the car wash where they don't have to deal with people.
Unfortunately, because of unions and tenure, these kinds of examples of poor behaviors in the educational system are not handled well. I have observed this first hand as I worked as a vounteer in the classroom. I shall never forget attending a class as an observer. The children were all on display, singing their songs, while one young boy was all alone and set to the side. The teacher berated him while the others were singing, calling him stupid. When we all walked out of the classroom, I was the only person that expressed concern with how this child was treated, while the others were impressed with the show we saw. It proved to me that people can see the same situation and view it entirely differently.
Jalee wrote: "Unfortunately, because of unions and tenure, these kinds of examples of poor behaviors in the educational system are not handled well." +++++ Without a union, the teacher would have been fired or put on unpaid leave even if the school system knew she was innocent because they'd try to stick the problem on her to deflect attention that it was the school's policies that left the students without a trained instructor in the room. In my three decades as a teacher, I've seen a few cases where teachers were shielded from discipline because of the union, but I've seen dozens of cases where innocent teachers were saved by the union from being made scapegoats.
There's so much we don't know about this case. How often is this teacher the ONE qualified teacher in the classroom, but State Laws limiting the maximum number of special ed kids in one class are violated by counting the teachers aides as regular teachers. How often is the regular teacher called out of class to meet with parents, counselors, psychologists, administrators to write IEPs (Individual Education Programs) for special ed and psychologically impaired students - leaving special ed kids without someone trained to handle them? Let me tell you: when there was a shortage of substitutes there were times when I, a gifted and talented chemistry & physics teacher with classes typically 25-31 in size, was asked to give up my planning period to cover special ed classes of less than 10 kids. It was a VERY difficult assignment. The kids react differently than regular students to anything out of the ordinary and you have to provide a very structured environment for them. Our school's nickname is the "Patriots" and I once said to seven special ed kids in a class, "OK, Patriots, let's each open your history book to page 50." It took me 10 minutes to calm the class down and answer questions about why I called them 'Patriots'.
Actually, I believe you can record anything in a public building, as a school is, with the exception of "private spaces" such as bathrooms... POLICE can't record without consent. It's just that, without consent/foreknowledge by all parties, it's inadmissible in a court of law. He just can't use it to sue the teachers. Any lawyers want to weigh in on that - just to settle that point?
I laughed at the Superintendent claiming to be "proactive instead of reactive" - he is simple reacting to public pressure to get the teacher out of the classroom, which should've been done as soon as the investigation began; not as an afterthought. Yes, innocent until proven guilty, hence the leave with pay, but where kids' welfare is concerned, it's just plain ignorant to take a chance that this teacher is innocent - and if she really IS a good teacher, she should understand that.
Actually, while schools are owned by a public entity, the notion that they are the same as any public building you can walk into is simply not accurate. Most public schools are secured- locked, with limited access. The public at large is not free to simply walk around a public school building or into classrooms and tape record, photograph, etc., while school is in session, without permission to do so.
Jenn, you might want to look into the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act.
Steve C.-305258
"Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act."
That pertains only to the release of student records. It would apply to the release of any information from the video, not prevent making them.
That sure was a quick turn around of events. I thought the teacher wasn't in the room? Lying lawyers again. When will we get a backbone and some integrity back and make people responsible for their actions?
The school corporation were just going to ignore this father's findings until it went YouTube. I know he just wants to make it better for future students, but their crass reaction would make me want to sue, sometimes the only way things change are after monetary damages are rewarded.
It appears that the parents were much more insulted by any teacher remarks than the children. I think what the father did bugging the kid was ok but to give out the contents of the recording was terrible. worse than any insult a teacher could have made.
Unknown - I don't know, but calling a 10 year old kid a bastard is pretty bad.... whether or not the kid understands what it means or not (my 10 year old would be pissed!) It shows the lack of respect this lady has for her charges.
I think maybe a little public humiliation is more than appropriate retribution for her behavior - either she thinks she was in the right and doesn't care, or she knows she was wrong and SHOULD be ashamed...
If I were the father I would likely taken it even farther so she should be grateful that he's being fairly reasonable....
A couple of weeks ago, my 12 year old said to us that one of the aides in the lunchroom said a bad word. We asked him was it was, and he said it was "crap." I don't really consider that word to be an actionable incident, but calling a boy a "bastard" - yeah, that's another story.
People are human and make mistakes. You just cant go throwing the baby out with the bath water every time you get your delicate sensibilities offended.
I'm sure the situation could have been handled between the teacher and the parent without dragging it out in front of the pubic and making a spectacle.