Does School Culture (and school lawyer culture) contribute to bullying in schools?

Sept 6 2001 San Diego Union Tribune article Grossmont School District failed its students is the lead in to the Santana High (Orange County, CA) tragedy says attorney Kenneth Hoyt." Shooter, Andy Williams exhibited signs and symptoms of a very troubled person... When you have a student who is missing excessive days and whose grades have dropped remarkably, these are red flags and there needs to be some intervention (I.E. A SCHOOL COUNSELOR. to take action) We believe that the school should have had procedures in place (Like the recommended number of ASCA MODEL TRAINED SCHOOL COUNSELORS, 5-6 FOR SANTA ANA HS)" "Based on the district's own review last year and information from the District Attorney's Office.

When parents of the two students shot to death at Santana High School in 

2001 offered to drop their lawsuit against the district in exchange for the district's holding a conference on school violence, the district refused! The district would rather continue spending mind numbing amounts of the taxpayers money on litigation rather than accept the parents offer to settle for no money, said attorney Kenneth Hoyt. (Associated Press report on September 9, 2005) Theses conferences should have been held anyway. Daniel Shinoff called the shooting "unforeseeable" and said the district WAS NOT CULPABLE.  (School attorneys encourage districts to follow a policy of "no investigation, no paper trail." Shinoff would rather show felonious and life threatening disregard for the safety of his student via non-action. Better to pretend that the problem doesn't exist than risk associated culpability for the single tragic incident.  Nothing is forseeable when you keep your eyes closed and turn away from the obvious problem all around you.) 

What reason could there be for harming and shooting Others?" said Grossmont High School District's Superintendent William Shinoff in a glazed-over idiotic looking stupor. (this was, as has happened so many times in Moreno Valley USD that few people on the inside know about all the skeletons and coverups,)  Shinoff's was a preplanned statement to divert from answering incriminating questions and a poorly vailed lead into complete denial) Denying the grieving parents closure or even the common respect of knowing measures would be discussed and implemented as the highest priority so this  won't happen again to another child.


"There is no excuse for that," added. Of course not you idiot. Nor is there any excuse for tolerance of bullies and covering up the multiple wrongdoings.  This moron thought that disassociation would gain the district some advantage with the legal system. He could not have been more wrong. His reoccurring ethic of Money before humanity would cost the Taxpayers  millions of dollars a year on lawyers who specialize in helping to cover or excuse administrators like Shinoff and hundreds of others who seek to avoid responsibility, not to solve problems. And they are the system that you leave your children with not understanding the actual risk.  The money would be better spent if administrators showed their caring by completely dealing with bullying and student safety before curriculum or asinine mandates like "W's" No Child Left Behind (in reality a thinly valed ongoing attempt at systematically destroying the hard fought importance of all children receiving an education equal and free.) but more than not our schools are run by bureaucratics who gave up on teaching but had too much money and education invested so they became petty, fear driven and cravenlly pervayors of disception and coverup - that is to say maintain business as usual. 


These types of administrators are driven by a Board of Education who collectively have little education, almost no experience within education and absolutely no other requirements. Felons - OK, Child Molesters - No ask, No tell and ability to care about kids - not hardly. The board is a stepping stone for small time politicians. Yes, they choose and reign over superintendents like Shinoff.

San Diego Education Report

STOP THE PRESS! SADLY, OUR WORST SUSPICIONS AND ALLEGATIONS ARE ONCE AGAIN PROVING TRUE! THIS TIME IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY. IT SEEMS THOUGH THAT THE EMERGING PATTERN OF ADMINISTRATIVE CORRUPTION IS MUCH LARGER AND POSSIBLY THE EARLY SIGNS OF A SOCIOLOGICAL PHENOMENON  ENDEMIC AND MAY BE DESTINED TO DESTROY THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM FROM WITHIN. NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE IN EDUCATION. NO MATTER YOUR  BELIEFS. NO MATTER YOUR TENURE. ONCE AGAIN. THE SECOND YOU BECOME A VISIBLE nuisance OR THREAT, YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF BEING PUBLICLY MALIGNED, OFTEN BROUGHT UP ON CHARGES THAT ARE UTTER AND COMPLETE FALSEHOODS. THE MERIT OF WHICH ARE ENTIRELY WITHOUT A RATIONAL PREMISE. THE WHOLE SCENARIO REEKING OF ARROGANCE AND RETALIATION. ONLY, AT THE LOWEST COURT LEVELS, (ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS) WE ARE SEEING A SPIKE IN DECISIONS AGAINST THE HARD WORKING EDUCATOR. OFTEN DECIDED BY ATTORNEYS ASSIGNED AS ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGES AS POLITICAL FAVORS, WHO MAY NOT HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE IN LABOR OR EDUCATION LAW.


AS WITH MY CASE, CTA WILL QUITE PROBABLY SAY THAT  (1.)  WITH YOUR SITUATION BECAUSE THE MATTER IS BEING INVESTIGATED AS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE BY HR AND BOARD (TO SKIRT DISTRICT RESPOSIBILITIES TO TIMELINES AND THE EXPENSE OF MASTER TEACHERS AND RETRAINING,) YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO CTA LEGAL HELP (2.) UPON CLOSER INVESTIGATION MOST OF THESE PERSONAL ASSUALTS ON EDUCATORS ARE NOT TRUE. TWO THINGS I FOUND BUT ONLY AFTER I HAD BROUGHT ON A VERY GOOD PRIVATE CRIMINAL ATTORNEY:


(1.) THEY CAN'T HELP IF A POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR CRIMINAL CHARGES, FILED IN CRIMINAL COURT. THAT IS A COMMON MIS-CONCEPTION. IN TRUTH ACCORDING TO MY CTA DEFENSE ATTORNEY; EACH MEMBER CAN BE REPRESENTED BY a CTA ATTORNEY INCLUDING CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION UP TO A $5,OOO FEE LIMIT. 


(2.) BECAUSE ULTIMATELY, THE BEST THING FOR THE DISTRICT IS JUST HAVE YOU GO AWAY, AS HAPPENS SO OFTEN WITH ADMINISTRATORS THAT BECOME VICTIMS. SOMETIMES EVEN THE LOCAL DOESN'T WANT TO SPEND THE MONEY EITHER. EITHER OR BOTH, SCARING  THE VICTIM WITH  HALF-ASSED STATEMENTS ALWAYS ACCUSING THE VICTIM OF A FELONY (NO MATER HOW FAR FETCHED) AND AN ETHICS VIOLATION SO AS TO SEEM LIKE THEY HAVE GROUNDS TO FIRE YOU AND RUIN YOUR CAREER! NEXT, IF THEY'RE CALLED ON THEIR BLUFF, THEY MAY LIE OR EXAGGERATE TO POLICE HOPING TO GET THEM TO INVESTIGATE IN A FURTHER ATTEMPT TO ILLEGALLY COERCE  THE VICTIM INTO LEAVING BY FEAR.


THIS IS A SYSTEMATIC PROCESS THAT COMES FROM THEIR INSURANCE COMPANIES ACTUARY MODELS TO SAVE MONEY FOR BOTH! THEY ARE GAMBLING 100'S OF THOUSANDS OF TAXPAYERS' DOLLARS ON THE ESTABLISHED PATTERN THAT MOST VICTIMS WILL GIVE UP AND LEAVE.


THEY WILL CUT OFF YOUR PAY WITHOUT DUE PROCESS AND NEVER TELL YOU THAT YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO PURCHASE A BOND (PENNIES ON THE DOLLAR OF THE TOTAL AMOUNT) INSURING YOUR WILLINGNESS TO REPAY THE DISTRICT, IF CONVICTED. YOU WOULD THEREBY CONTINUE TO GET A PAYCHECK AND BENEFITS REGARDLESS OF HOW LONG THE THE DISTRICT CAN DRAG OUT THE PROCESS. OFTEN THE UNION LOCALS ARE UNAWARE OF THIS AND HR JUST WONT TELL YOU. ** AN IMPORTANT CAVEAT: I'VE BEEN SINCE TOLD THAT FINDING AN INSURER TO WRITE THE BOND IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. HOWEVER IT IS IN CALIFORNIA EDUCATION CODE! I WILL TRY FOR MYSELF AND REPORT BACK ON THE RESULTS. 


NEITHER WILL ANYONE TELL THE VICTIM THAT THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO PETITION THE COURT FOR A RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST THE H.R. MANAGER AS TO PREVENT FURTHER HARASSMENT.


WHY AM I GOING ON ABOUT THIS? IF THIS UNFOLDING TREND OF FIRING POLITICALLY ACTIVE EDUCATORS SO AS TO SILENCE THEM, USING LIES AND FEAR TO ACCOMPLISH PERSONAL VINDETTAS, RETAILIATION ESPECIALLY FOR WHISTLEBLOWING AND THE GENERAL IGNORANCE OF THE AVERAGE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER; CONTINUES, THERES A GOOD CHANCE YOU COULD FALL VICTIM AS WELL.


(More on this subject later. please click here for insight on the San Diego situation...)

Just My Opinion but...

Originally Podcast
07/20/2011
by I, Praetorian

I got up this morning, or rather this afternoon as it turns out, thinking about my experiences with district level management or administration is they prefer. It does take a unique personality to want to take on a job like that especially in these lean and education unfriendly times.


So I started to think about the personalities of the district level administrators that I have had any kind of lengthy involvement with. And some of them I've known personally some only in a professional setting, but all seem to have a uniquely similar facet to their personalities. And unfortunately in my experience although that facet varies from person to person there is a completely discernible link. This link becomes more pronounced at the higher levels of middle management. Simply put each of those personalities in my experience have a qualitative dysfunction. For many they lack a sense of humor in any commonly held sense of the term. Some of that is dictated by the wear and tear of the job itself. But in easy-going easy laughing kind of person would not probably last long. Here's why I think that:


First off, in this the year 2011 on the downhill side of public support for public education in general. With the exception of the great philosophical battles that incurred at public education's inception, there has never been a time when educating all children was of less importance. That is less importance to the voter and the talking heads that feed the common voter back the lowest common elements of his or her own dysfunctions in society and as a person. I believe there is no coincidental correlation between the collective rise of our sense of entitlement,  narcissism, and individual greed; and the rise in our unwillingness to fund the very institution that brought us and taught us how to use our democratic rights. For those of you who would argue that last statement, either comment or shut up. (I am so weary and sick and extraordinarily angry with those people who have a half-baked, ill thought out philosophy on anything if they are willing to stand up for what they believe no matter how informed or not informed they are on the subject.)


Okay. This is where I get off on another tangent in the very smallest percentage in
of the ranks of educators, there exist one or two individuals per say everyone thousand employed educators that are willing to stand and fight philosophically, emotionally, and mostly at risk of their own jobs, to fight for educators who taught the great talk but cower in the presence of district level and sometimes even site level administration. Although those of us in education know that there is no truth to the old tiredness that you can't fire a teacher, it is amazing how quickly our resolve dissipates at even the slightest hint of having to stand up like human beings and adults. I personally am going through the greatest most unjust most unfair fight of my 15 years in education. And it all started because I chose to stand up not just for my rights but for the rights of a handful of other teachers who for reasons of their own could not or would not stand up for themselves.


Further, I chose to get involved in the fight against what is now the mostly corrupt Board of Trustees (sorry CJ, you are not one of those) and a wholly corrupt and self-serving fear driven Department of human resources. At the directive of the strongest and probably the most narcissistic of the trustees personalities, I have been targeted by a series of extremely poorly evidenced lies. These liars were perpetrated and further resuscitated by the head of our human resources department. The following is simply my opinion: but this man ranks among the most cowardly and self-important men I have ever had the misfortune of dealing with. He has all the potential of being a great director but instead he like so many others has chosen to cower and acquiesce to the assumed power of "life or death" of our very very dysfunctional Board of Trustees, School Board. For the last 20 years maybe more, the various board members have served as the quintessential bully boys at this low level of political power. They have interfered with, dictated to, and coerced many good administrators including two very good superintendents who were forced out by the insanity. And this insanity driven by local politics has continued and is still present today. Even though the board members no longer have fistfights and drunken rages as they had in the past. Yep that's right folks, in past years our board members have come to meetings drunk and getting into physical altercations amongst themselves in public session. That's the kind of quality that small to medium-sized districts often attract. Lastly, I am fighting this campaign not just to retain my avocation, but to show everyone in the district that you don't have to cower before those personalities of the lowest common denominator. Especially a retired yes-man from our otherwise esteemed Sheriff's Department. Mine I had's own deputies stormed their union hall in protest of the union backing him for a higher position. It was so outrageous and so blatant that his own street officers are deputies wouldn't stand for him in a position of power they made the newspaper and forced this trustee to withdraw his candidacy. And now I understand exactly why and probably more than I should. Corrupt and cowardly often go hand-in-hand.


Perhaps I will stop here for today I'm fed up just thinking about those trustees that I thought I knew and trusted. And those that I know had criminal pasts.


Until the next time, I wish you brazen foolishness, intelligent insight and the courage to laugh at it all....
I, Praetorian