Bobby Halkitis and his husband Perry have contacted us on several occasions over Bobby's discontinuance. They are fighting back. It is encouraging when a teacher steps up and takes legal action to defend themselves against the New York City Department of Education that often treats employees like dirt. We wish Bobby all the best in his legal action that was covered in the NY Post:
A former social studies teacher at an Upper East Side public middle school was relentlessly hectored by students and colleagues — and eventually let go — because he is gay and stood up for a bullied student, a new lawsuit alleges.
During his two-year tenure as a full-time teacher at Robert F. Wagner Middle School, Robert Halkitis suffered a campaign of harassment that included vandals scrawling a slur on his bulletin board and a student calling him a “f—ing f—-t” in his classroom, alleges a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court on Monday.
The torment also included a school clerk suggesting that he was having a sexual relationship with a male colleague on school grounds, court papers say.
Halkitis’s sexual orientation wasn’t the only reason he lost his job — he often stood up for a “non-binary, gender non-conforming student” who was bullied throughout middle school for their gender expression, he alleges.
According to court papers, Halkitis informed school principal Jennifer Rehn-Losquadro — also a defendant in the suit — about the bullying and was told that she would “look into it.” But Halkitis claims that the student’s reports of harassment were not included in the school’s Online Occurrence Reporting System report to the Department of Education.
In June, Halkitis received word that his contract was being discontinued but was not given a reason. This came after Halkitis received ratings of “effective” on his annual teacher assessment.
I find it difficult to understand when teachers are rated effective and are then discontinued.
8 comments:
1st-If rated effective, makes no sense.
2nd-Typical DOE
3rd-Typical UFT
4th-I get called fucking faggot all the time, and I am not gay
5th-I get cursed, threatened and ignored everyday, nothing happens to students
6th-Is any of this a surprise? I wonder why so many hate the job and leave within the 1st 5 years, by choice.
Every discontinued newbie, excessed veteran teacher turned ATR and every seasoned professional on the Open Market should sue the DOE, as well as withhold dues from the UFT - with a lawyer’s letter explaining why.
What happens when a newbie teacher is discontinued? Can they apply for another position the following year?
If newbie was rated effective how can they be discontinued?
Please explain rules for discontinuance.
I thought effective rating is what newbie teachers need to move toward tenure!
I am so confused! Remember Vinnie Barbarino?
I say he is lucky, most teachers realize very quickly that this is an awful job and will only get worse. He hasn't yet had life drained from him.
Vinnie, That is how it should be. An effective rating=move toward tenure but it is not how it is in reality. Non tenured people are at will employees even if rated well. Union does virtually nothing for non tenured people. They can apply for a new position in a different district.
But keep paying dues. There goes James again, it is bad, but keep paying.
I'm a gay teacher too. For some reason attacks on gays are not taken seriously but as a joke. I've lived with it my whole life. Everyone sticks up for women who get sexually harassed, but how about the hundreds of kids in schools specifically the boys that get bullied and their asses kicked every day for being gay.
As a teacher who worked with him, there are a few issues here. First, he was not rated effective overall. In his second year, he had many ineffective ratings. Students and parents complained about inappropriate comments towards students. There were then, and still are, many gay teachers at the school who are thriving. And these are teachers who are out to the staff and students. There are also gay teachers in teacher leadership positions. He was not targeted because of his sexual orientation. He was discontinued because he was not a good teacher. The teacher who replaced him is phenomenal. Also, does the fact that his lawsuit was dismissed by the judge help underscore how this was not actually the case?
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