Monday, March 14, 2022

CAMILLE WILL NOT THINK TWICE ABOUT USING THE POWER OF THE UFT PRESIDENCY TO REIN IN ABUSIVE PRINCIPALS

We have another story about the abusive principal at PS 211 in the Bronx. 

This is in the Daily News:

Parents and teachers are calling for the ouster of a Bronx elementary school principal they say has bullied educators, denigrated kids and parents, and turned a once warm and loving school culture into a hostile and chaotic environment.

Staffers at Public School 211 in West Farms say principal Tanya Drummond has waged a years-long war with teachers, sparking a mass educator exodus and prompting 55 of the school’s 64 unionized employees to sign a scathing letter of no confidence in 2019 blasting the “toxic work environment,” according to records reviewed by the Daily News.

Drummond has made derogatory comments toward and about kids and families — reportedly calling one eighth-grader a “Trayvon Martin gangbanger” and frequently describing parents as “ghetto” — while eliminating beloved programs and turning a blind eye to escalating safety concerns, the parents and staffers allege.

“We’re thrown under the bus, intimidated, threatened,” said Ramona Jones, a 20-year veteran educator who started at the school in September and got so fed up and overwhelmed that she submitted her resignation on Saturday, in the middle of the school year.

If you elect United for Change in the upcoming UFT election, Camille might not be able to immediately stop the multitude of abusive administrators that have been allowed to rage out of control by Mulgrew-Unity Caucus for years in New York City. However, Camille will change the UFT culture on day 1of her presidency from a culture of allowing administrators to get totally out of control to one where she will use the power of the UFT President to expose and fight back when our Chapters are under attack.

Camille knows what it is like to be under attack by an abusive administration. 

This comment thread from Saturday's blog post tells some of Camille's experience:

Anonymous said...

We had a potential CL running but I had serious reservations when she was not successful in her own battles against the school.

How can we trust that Camille will be successful in our battles against abusive Principals, excessive paperwork, and the rest, when she allowed Principal Ayetiwa to just steamroll over everyone? You give her a lot of credit for being a strong delegate but rumor has it that he was fucking one his subordinates and he let her personal grievances dictate the way he treated people which included getting rid of anyone who she thought was getting in her way, including the Chapter Leader, an AP, a few teachers, and last but not least Ms. Eterno herself, all black and brown people. I know she won some of her cases, but she went on leave and then became an ATR, right?

Isn't it unethical for a Principal to have an affair with a Principal? Why was he allowed to get away with all of his abuse and is there any plan to rectify any of this? It's been a long time, but he ruined a lot of lives.

Sunday, March 13, 2022 5:15:00 PM

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Blogger James Eterno said...

Glad you raised Humanities and the Arts. For the record, Camille was Delegate at the time and not Chapter Leader.

Here is a list of some of the people in the UFT Camille reached out to for assistance right from the start of Ayetiwa's regime:

James Vasquez, Rona Freiser, Amy Arundell and more. Camille stood with anyone who fought back and then was subject to viscious attacks.

In addition, she spent an afternoon with VP Janella Hinds at the 2016 UFT election count. Janella said she would be in touch to plan a strategy. We are still waiting.

We went to UFT Secretary Leroy Barr's office. He told us the UFT would not expose an abusive principal in public. He said we had to fight in new and creative ways. In essence, the UFT did virtually nothing to help the chapter.

Camille took a group from the school to Senator Leroy Comrie's office and there was some positive feedback but at that point she also needed to fight to defend herself which she did brilliantly. Her record was completely cleared. She helped others along the way too. There was a successful lawsuit.Any rumors of affairs happened after she left.

If Camille is elected president, she would use the power of the UFT presidency to expose any administrator who is abusive toward our members.She lived it and knows what it's like for a chapter to be under attack and receive virtually no assistance from the Union.

Sunday, March 13, 2022 6:15:00 PM

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Blogger James Eterno said...

There were people in the Grievance Department who did help Camille with her personal defense. Then director Ellen Proceda was very supportive.
Then Queens Borough Rep Rona Freiser also assisted. It was the Chapter that was left basically hung out to dry by the UFT.

Sunday, March 13, 2022 6:23:00 PM

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sorry I missed the zoom.is there a recording?

Sunday, March 13, 2022 10:49:00 PM

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Blogger waitingforsupport said...

I believe you James. The UFT representatives failed me. They also failed my colleagues. We fought abusive administrators ALONE. Janella Hinds promised support that never came. She wasn't alone. Anthony Klug and Mary Atkinson were equally useless. My point is that if different people were in charge of the UFT, maybe I wouldn't have had to fight alone. Like Camille, I will always speak up for myself and others. I'm voting for her. Everyone I know is voting for her. A union with a weak leader is no union. Good luck


3 comments:

Prehistoric pedagogue said...

You probably mean REIN in, right? Unless,of course she’s running for Queen, not President

James Eterno said...

Thanks for catching that prehistoric. Camille might prefer to be queen.

Anonymous said...

Please thank her for me.

She definitely has my vote1

I can't vote for her soon enough!