The Education Police State Comes to Rye NY

[SoBronxSchool]

http://www.southbronxschool.com/2014/04/the-education-police-state-comes-to-rye.html
Rye, NY. A leafy city of about 15,000 hard by the Long Island Sound. The home of Playland, BJ Surhoff, and Wellington Mara. A city in which education is taken seriously by the community. Who would have thought that the police state of education would find it's way into Rye?

In May of 2013, 4 teachers were accused of "improper coaching" during state exams that April to a small group of students according to the Rye Patch. These four teachers then were removed from the classrooms and put on the Rye version of the Rubber Room.

Since then, the Westchester County District Attorney has investigated and found insufficient evidence to proceed. One teacher, Shannon Gold a 4th grade teacher at Milton Elementary has resigned with neither party admitting wrongdoing. One teacher, Gail Topol, returned to school under what some are claiming preferential treatment, and two others, Dana Coppola and Carin Mehler are still reassigned not doing what they love and are trained to do.

[Smarmie Doofus]

1. Barbara Bush, Rye's most famous native, might have the best insight into Rye's seeming apathy.

In other words, they, the citizenry, don't want to spoil their "beautiful minds" thinking about such unpleasantness.

That may hold true for now... but if/when they have to pay-up big settlements out of their school tax because of admin malfeasance... the dynamic may quickly change.

Rye is not the Bronx.... where there is basically NO accountability of provider ( DOE) to consumer.

The bigger issue here, though... and the problem fundamental to this current epidemic of lawlessness and malicious prosecutions of teachers and whistleblowers around the country but especially in NYS... is the limited immunity ( unreasonably and illogically) conferred on school admins for repeated reckless and vindictive actions. SUPPOSEDLY performed in their official capacity.

Laws have to be changed to make them pay out of pocket when they are acting in the way they are acting in Rye. And elsewhere.

Certainly the Portelos and Howrilka's cases in NYC. The prosecution of these two cases in particular are suggestive of criminal activity ... including possible conspiracy... on the part of the NYC DOE. At the very least, civil malicious prosecution; in which case I want the perpetrators of the the malicious prosecution to PAY for it; not the NYC taxpayer. (That's me, BTW.)

Good overview of the Rye case here:

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/education/2014/03/28/suspended-rye-teacher-sues-district/6983707/

South Bronx School does his customarily thorough job in tracking down the details. The link above will help some folks to follow along.

What a great OP. K and R