I'm a little late to the party here as NYC Educator and Chaz both had excellent pieces on the firing of teacher Richard Severin. Here is a main part of the NY Post story on Severin:
A former city teacher who objected to a “gender bender” day for students at a Brooklyn high school last year ended up without a job, The Post has learned.
Veteran social studies teacher Richard Severin opposed an April 2016 “spirit day” event at Urban Action Academy in Canarsie when students dressed up as the opposite sex, according to papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.
“This is a disgrace,” Severin allegedly said at the time. “This isn’t right.”
Students said Severin also cursed principal Steven Dorcely for condoning the activity while denying permission to take a class to Malcolm X’s grave site, court papers say.
But Severin believes the accusations were part of a plot by Dorcely to have him canned after he accused the principal of grade fixing in 2015. Several other teachers at the school lodged similar complaints last year, according to a Post exposé.
Chaz chose to use this story to show how Severin was charged for a few minor infractions in an initial 3020a dismissal hearing where the Department of Education got a fine. They held back on certain charges but instead saved them to charge him again to get a dismissal from the second arbitrator. Chaz says this is a new DOE strategy to charge us twice.
NYC Educator takes on the system in detail. He ties this to the bad teacher narrative pushed by the press to show that we need due process. NYC Educator also points out the flaws in the arbitration system.
Both are right.
The only point I can add to their excellent analysis is that it is high time we admit that the UFT/NYSUT look more and more like they are over-matched in arbitration and at 3020a hearings by the Board of Ed's high priced huge team of lawyers. It's about time we do something about this.
17 comments:
One of, if not the main reason why I will choose to stay as a dues paying member of the UFT is the fact that they will provide a lawyer to me if I ever need one in a 3020a case. However, it looks to me like the UFT needs to start looking for some very hardcore lawyers now that the DOE is playing hardball.
The UFT? If the time comes get your own lawyer!
I was thinking the same thing. Leave UFT, keep dues and you will have money for your own private lawyer if needed.
Deblasio quick to tweet about white racists today. I dont remember a word when blm was calling for dead whites, dead cops, and taking over bridges and streets.
James, you should be careful who you support. I've worked with this teacher and he is a real piece of crap. I'm surprised he hasn't been fired sooner.
can you elaborate 7:39? what's this guy's story?
Hey 7:39, The guy reported grade fixing and had a problem telling kids to cross dress. How's he a piece of crap? We're all pieces of crap to the DOE. Say it and spin around three times, tape it, put it on Facebook and wait for your 3020a hearing,
7:39,
You denigrate all teachers with a comment like that, Who gives you the right to judge anyone? Are you a teacher or a DOE admin? At least have the balls to put your name. Whether or not this teacher is a piece of crap or not I believe he was illegally terminated by creating separate 3020a trails for simultaneous charges. I think you're the piece of crap.
Tony McNamara
Baltimore and Ferguson burned to the ground, its ok, blacks are just venting. Today, Trump not harsh enough. Blm says that there are racists all over, our students say nigga a million times a day...Obama with reverend right, al sharpton, bill ayers, all racists or anti US or terrorists...Double standard?
Please stay on topic. The race stuff has nothing to do with the posting.
Another teacher getting abused. Great topic. Uft does nothing. Torture continurs. Yawn. Its like an AP walking in to classes that nobody can control. Ineffective. Oh well.
We all need to set multiple dates to fight back throughout the year.
Yeah, that principal is running a fraud factory, LIKE EVERY SCHOOL IS, what else is new? Credit recovery, Saturday school, pm school, write, copy and paste a paper to make up for 90 absences...you cant read, you graduate...
Some lawyers appear to care more than others, but it is no " Law and Order" that is the fallacy you all believe; my brother-in-law is a labor lawyer for the U.S. Dept of Labor who cares.
No one is a great lawyer when they are hired by NYS; bound to argue the case against the same adversary for a a year at DOE hearings, the arbitrators are hired by the prosecution; the judgements cannot be appealed and relies only one judgement; they are confined to a certain predetermined amount of sessions to present the case and everybody wants to get rehired by the prosecution The lawyers are really not representing the person in civil cases but representing the enforcement of the contract in a fair and equitable way-that is why you can never remove a U rating from file no matter whatever is the ruling. Finally, you can justice, if you get an appeal into Supreme Court where the Constitution rather than the rules and regulations of the prosecution is enforced, but that does not really happen unless you proven that someone subjectively judgement was malicious or liable-which is very difficult, without massive resources, to prove...and finally the FOIL requests, records on e-mails, school records are controlled by the prosecution and there is no civil penalty for destroying delaying these records because you have to prove that a nonexistent information was maliciously destroyed and the person knew of its damaging effects and was not acting out of the normal purview of his/her administrative duties to destroy records regularly to protect confidentiality.
The only winners in OSI 3020A hearing are those who can present the convincing lies...and the Principal school teaches you how to lie- that is why so many cases have so many elements in common and you are able to target, for instance, whistle-blowers or experienced teachers over 15 years.- and that is why is should be the focusof a class action suit organized by the Union whom we pay dues to, not a Union who caves to a ridiculous buy out.
Looks like we can't win. Hello Janus, goodbye UFT. Save up your own funds and have a great lawyer in the rolodex ready.
I heard and read so many negative things about the Urban Action principle. There was a big article in the Canarsie Courier. Is he under investigation right now? There were multiple charges against him. Why is he still at the school?
Once teachers are being investigated they are removed from the school right?
I also heard Urban Action principle has very little teaching experience.
The UFT should have this teacher marching with them at the Labor Day parade and file a suit on his behalf.
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