Ed Etc.

In an article designed to generate outrage but is standard operating procedure in school districts around the country, the accused Miramonte teacher received a severance package of 40k, part of it being for health benefits. He got this money because he chose to resign in lieu of a hearing. Of course much of the rest of the money will be eaten up by attorney's fees.

He resigned and likely will be convicted in criminal court and sent to prison, but what if he were acquitted in court and the district had simply booted him out previously without ANY due process or chance to resign? You'd be looking at a multi-million-dollar jury award in federal court to this teacher.

Meanwhile, the displaced teachers are filing a grievance because their due process rights were so blatantly violated by phony Ph.D. superintendent John Deasy.

I look for phony charges being leveled at teachers so Deasy can convert the schools into his beloved charters.

Unless he is stopped. Will the union stand up for the innocent teachers?

Fletcher pointed out that LAUSD administrators knew at a minimum for the last 12 months that there was a problem, but left the school with only one administrator to oversee 85 employees. As mandated reporters under law, it would seem that there was a greater silence coming from LAUSD than from teachers.

Fletcher pointed out that "you don't smear a whole faculty prior to investigating." What he neglected to say was that you don't do this, unless it is your purpose to take the heat off your own malfeasance, which must be viewed in a context of continual harassment of teachers that make faculties terrified to stand up, when they know that they risk being targeted for speaking out in an environment which LAUSD administration has made toxic for any teacher who has the temerity to do so.

Maybe this scandal will help focus on the bigger and greater problem, and that is the epidemic mistreatment of teachers.