Why Wasn't Michelle Rhee Investigated For Assault And Endangering The Welfare Of Children?

From the NY Times:

The popular leader of an after-school band program in Brooklyn has been charged with assault after putting duct tape over the mouth of a 9-year-old student, the police said on Wednesday.

The program leader, Kenyatte Hughes, 39, revived the Soul Tigers Marching Band, based at Intermediate School 292 in the East New York neighborhood, more than a decade ago with the goal of steering children away from violence by teaching them music.

Mr. Hughes, whom officials said was a volunteer, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with assault, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal possession of a weapon (the duct tape), the police said. He was arraigned in Criminal Court in Brooklyn on Wednesday and released without having to post bail, despite prosecutors’ request that bail be set at $20,000.

Law enforcement officials said Mr. Hughes put tape over a male student’s mouth on Monday, and that after it was removed, the boy’s lip was cracked and bloody and his face was swollen.

Devora Kaye, a spokeswoman for the Education Department, called the charges “deeply troubling” and said, “Mr. Hughes will no longer be allowed in I.S. 292 or any of our schools.” The school principal, Evelyn Maxfield, declined to comment.

Bill Turque in the Washington Post in August 2010:

Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee's talk to the new DCPS teachers Wednesday included two anecdotes I had not heard before -- one remarkable for its content, the other for its delivery. They described her struggles 18 years ago as a fledgling second grade teacher at Baltimore's Harlem Park Elementary.
"The worst and in many ways definitely the toughest year of my entire life," she said.

Rhee had poor class management skills, she said, recalling that her class "was very well known in the school because you could hear them traveling anywhere because they were so out of control." On one particularly rowdy day, she said she decided to place little pieces of masking tape on their lips for the trip to the school cafeteria for lunch.

"OK kids, we're going to do something special today!" she said she told them.

Rhee said it worked well until they actually arrived at the cafeteria. "I was like, 'OK, take the tape off. I realized I had not told the kids to lick their lips beforehand...The skin is coming off their lips and they're bleeding. Thirty-five kids were crying."

Hughes arrested for taping child's mouth shut, Rhee tells the mouth tape story for laughs.

She ought to be investigated for assault and endangerment of children's welfare as well.

State Senate GOP Wants To Abolish New York Board Of Regents

From State of Politics:

A proposed bill and amendment to the state’s Constitution introduced this week in the state Senate would abolish the Board of Regents and have its powers assumed by the commissioner of education. 

The measure, backed by Republican Sen. Tom Libous of Binghamton, would give the governor the authority to nominate the education commissioner — similar to a regular cabinet post — upon the consent of the state Senate. 

Essentially, the bill cuts out a very important middle man in setting education policy in the state: The Democratic-led Assembly. 

The amendment has been introduced in the Senate before, as have other bills aimed at reducing the influence of the Assembly in appointing the Board of Regents. Not surprisingly, these measures have gained little traction over the years with the large Democratic conference in that chamber. 

But the amendment’s introduction this month comes as Gov. Andrew Cuomo has indicated he wants greater influence over how the state carries out education policy.
Cuomo on Thursday in Rochester pledged a “full agenda” of education measures when he gives his State of the State and budget address next Wednesday.

No way Assembly Speaker Silver is letting this happen, but you can bet it's what Governor Cuomo wants, which is why this bill is being introduced again in the State Senate a few days before Cuomo's "Opportunity Agenda" speech next week.

As an interesting side note, Libous has been indicted for lying to the FBI and Silver and Cuomo are allegedly under investigation by the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York for other misdeeds

Just yesterday it was revealed that Cuomo's campaign spent $100,000 on a criminal defense attorney related to the Moreland tampering case, cutting the check on December 29.

So we have an indicted GOP second-in-command pushing a change to the state Constitution that would reorder the way the education system has worked for a couple of hundred years in order to grant more power to a governor under investigation for witness tampering and other abuses of power and an Assembly leader under investigation for corruption looking to maintain his own power in the education system and keep those changes from happening.

Only in Andrew Cuomo's New York.

The Union Has Failed Us To Protect Us, We Have To Protect Ourselves

I have a couple of questions for you out there.

Norm Scott left a comment on last night's post about the burnout I and many other teachers are feeling due to all the compliance work in schools these days:

I had written:

Meetings, meetings, meetings, PD, PD, PD, observations, observations, observations...

It just doesn't stop.

Would be nice to have some time to actually teach and grade, work with students.

Would be nice to stop running from meeting to PD, writing up four page lesson plans for every class just in case it's time for a drive-by observation, drowning in compliance work.

But nope - no time for any of that.

Only time for that constant feedback ed deform destructos like the Educators4Excellent love so much (it's not a coincidence most of them have moved on from teaching to full-time advocacy work.)

Only time for compliance work.

We are nearing the end game in the ed deform destruction of public education in New York State.

Part of the goal was to burn everybody out - children, teachers, administrators.

And we're there already.

Norm wrote:

Some of us in MORE met with a group of Brooklyn High School teachers yesterday who talked about this enormous workload. What is the answer? The time is coming for masses of teachers to just say NO since so much of this is pushing beyond the contract. Since the Unity Caucus/UFT machine has no interest in organized resistance it will take alliances of people from many schools to address this issue in a way to force them to take action.

The truth is, much of what is happening in schools these days is being pushed outside the contract.

Principals have been empowered by the DOE to break the rules, break the contract, even break the law, with little to no impunity when caught.

When teachers push back, they are the targets of retaliation, the targets of vengeance.

I have seen this with my own eyes.

It gives a person pause, knowing that if he/she pushes back against the latest insane directive from the Little Autocrat in the building, he/she will end up targeted by a vindictive administration out to destroy a person's reputation and career.

And you can be sure the UFT, busy meeting with Carmen Farina on the latest collaboration scheme between the UFT and the DOE, will not be there to help a teacher when he/she needs it most.

Again, I've seen this play out with my own eyes.

Norm writes that it will take alliances of people from many schools to address this issue in a way to force the UFT to take action.

It starts by building alliances within buildings, across departments, across age groups, across seniority demographics.

I noticed early on in my career how very good some administrations are at playing different demographics against each other within schools - this department vs. that department, this age group vs. that age group, this seniority demographic vs. that demographic.

But this divide and conquer strategy is working less these days, as almost everybody comes under the feel of the administration bludgeon.

Still, it's a difficult task to build alliances when a culture of fear is rife throughout a building.

So, here's the questions I have for you out there:

Are you now or have you already built alliances within your school across departments, age groups, seniority?

If your school is infected with a culture of fear emanating from the top, how are you dealing with that?

Finally, what suggestions do you have for dealing with a culture of fear and retribution in schools when the entity that is supposed to protect us - the UFT - has abdicated its responsibilities and obligations and will not be there to back teachers up when the chips are down?

Rob Astorino: Andrew Cuomo Not Ideological, Just Greedy For Power

Via State of Politics, here's Rob Astorino hitting Sheriff Andy Cuomo hard on ethics and corruption:



My favorite part of the video was excerpted at State of Politics:

“It shows what Andrew Cuomo has sadly always been about: Power. Accumulating it, keeping it, meting it out to punish, intimidate, and reward,” Astorino says in the video. “That’s the Andrew Cuomo insiders have always known and feared, and the public is now getting a peek for itself. It will get more if the press keeps digging. There’s no vision or ideology here; it’s all about power, which has never been a formula for good.” 

Indeed.

Surprise, Surprise: It Sucks Working For Cuomo

The NY Post reports that the Cuomo administration is such a miserable, nasty place to work that a mass exodus is expected if Cuomo wins a second term - and that's not counting the rats who are already jumping:

ALBANY — A “mass exodus” is expected from the Cuomo administration after November’s election, according to several sources.

“They all want out,” one source said of top Cuomo staffers.

A former staffer who still has ties to the governor’s staff said the rush to leave has been spurred by a “miserable and micromanaged” work environment.

“You’re micromanaged to the point you can’t make a decision because only a select few people do,” said the ex-staffer.

“It’s not the work, it’s the model. It is secretive and clandestine.”

Sources said at least four key high-level staff members are talking about bailing if Cuomo wins a second term.

On Monday, Crains New York reported that the governor’s top aide, Director of State Operations Howard Glaser, will be packing up at the end of the legislative session in June to take a job in the real estate industry.

Getting out of the administration’s grasp is tough, ex-staffers say.

Those who express a desire to move on are “wooed” to stay — and if that doesn’t work, threats of reprisal are not uncommon, said a source.

“It is professional purgatory,” the source stated.

Former staffers recalled one unusual situation early in Cuomo’s term when a junior staffer up and quit by walking out of her office — without alerting anyone she wasn’t coming back.

After several days, senior Cuomo staffers became so concerned that they sent someone to her home to find out what happened.

One senior staffer who has already cut ties is former chief of staff Josh Vlasto.

Several people with knowledge of the situation say Vlasto wanted out last year, but had to work in the governor’s re-election campaign first so it didn’t look like he was bailing out. Now, in the extremely early stages of the campaign, Vlasto has left for a job at a major bank, Cuomo’s office confirmed.

Even more departures are in the cards. Lt. Gov. Bob Duffy is not expected to be on Cuomo’s ticket come November. When asked about who might replace him, neither Cuomo nor Duffy would comment.

Earlier this month, Health Commissioner Nirav Shah announced he was leaving for the private sector. Shah, who was put front and center in the hydrofracking debate, shouldered much of the criticism on behalf of the governor delaying a decision for three years on whether to allow digging in the Southern Tier’s lands for natural gas.

“There is a lot of disempowerment,” a second former staff member said of the turnover. “No money is worth it.”

According to state payroll records, since taking office in January 2011, at least 99 of 238 top staffers on the “executive payroll” are no longer receiving a check from that department.

...

When contacted about the high turnover, several current staff members said they did not want to talk, even on condition of anonymity. They did not deny the reports, but did say they were “scared” or “afraid of the consequences” of discussing the topic.

Can't say I have any sympathy for any member of the Cuomo administration, but I also can't say I'm all that surprised that Cuomo has created a nasty place to work, micromanages his employees or threatens people who want to leave with reprisals.

It's a classic abusive relationship Cuomo has with people who work for him - if this was a marriage, he'd be in jail for abuse.

NYSED/Regents Instill FEAR With State Tests

Read this teacher's descriptions of the NY State test guidelines as required by the NYSED and the Board of Regents and tell me this high stakes testing isn't child abuse:

This week, as the English Language Arts state test are administered across the state, elementary and middle schools will be on testing lockdown.

Teachers are not allowed to be near a pencil or pen when the test is in the room; cell phones must be off our persons and in the off position; students must be escorted through the hallways; teachers are not allowed to do anything but “actively proctor,” which means wandering around the room without stopping for the whole 90 minutes; teachers are not allowed to really speak to children while the test is in the room, and in their active proctoring, they are not to linger too long by one student since it may mean the teacher is cheating.

The state of New York will send random test monitors to schools across the state to make sure everyone is adhering to these guidelines. Entire rooms full of tests can be invalidated if a monitor witnesses a violation. Teachers have been sternly warned about all of these procedures.

It’s kind of scary.

For kids, the days are equally miserable and scary. All students from third through eighth grade will be taking a 90-minute test (135 minutes for those with extended time) all three days. During the time the test is in the room kids are not allowed to have anything on their desks except the test and a pencil. They may not talk or get up and wander around. They must be still and focused and working. When they are done, we must tell them to sit quietly and put their heads down. Under no circumstances can they talk.

I would like to remind you that third graders are eight years old. People somewhere thought these were good and viable directions to give eight year olds. The teachers and principals must be stern and serious during the time the test is in the room. If you are a kid, and you are taking the test, you can’t ask your teacher any questions, you can’t expect encouraging words. Your teachers seem stressed and mad. You know it’s serious. The test is long and hard and scary. Bad things will happen if you don’t do well. Everyone, your teachers, the principal, your parents, even the news on TV, tells you this.
Sometimes the kids cry. Or they look really mad. Or they put their heads down or stare into space. They kind of give up. They get antsy. They don’t smile or laugh or seem happy. They are worried. Being a teacher on state test days feels a little like committing child abuse.

I remember from Regents administration, when the kids were done with the test, they left school for the day. Not so with this test, the kids have to stay, sitting still and quiet until the tests have left the room. Then they can draw or do puzzles until all the tests in the school are collected and secured. Then the rest of the school day happens, like everything is normal.

It makes me weary to think about this week. The kids and teachers at my school look haggard, everyone feels crazy and exhausted. I suspect we are not alone.

This year, we know from all we’ve been told by the state, and from the practice materials, that the tests will be much more difficult. While reading a practice passage aloud last week, I thought surely I read this weird article about alternative fuel sources for cars before. I had. It was a Day One Regents passage from several years ago, for 11th graders. Now it’s being used for eighth graders; that’s what we’re up against. We keep telling kids, “You’re smart! You got this!” And that makes them feel better.

But we could all use more encouragement.

Please join me, in offering all our elementary and middle school colleagues and kids raucous cheers and huzzahs, war cries, if you will, as they survive this challenging testing season. And remember that after the tests this week, and before the math tests next week, we have Friday. On Friday, we will resume the excellent teaching we love to do, and that we know makes differences in kids’ lives.

What is it, exactly, that the New York State Education Department and the New York State Board of Regents are trying to do with this kind of testing?

It is quite simple:

They are trying to instill FEAR into the children and into the adults.

FEAR of failing, FEAR of being left back, FEAR of the value-added measurement, FEAR of closure, FEAR of non-compliance.

F-E-A-R - FEAR!!!!!

That's it - that's all this is about.

It's top-down control, it's authoritarian and it is, quite frankly, undemocratic and dare I say, bordering on the fascist.

All hail the Great Tests!

Let's wear uniforms and rally around the Great Tests!

Let's treat the children like political prisoners and infuse them with fear, anxiety and terror.

No moving!

No talking!

No eye contact with anybody!

One false move and we invalidate your test and fire your teacher!

And these are children we are talking about here.

Eight to thirteen year olds.

This is insane.

Seriously, it's insane.

And just wait until they add the PARCC tests and the Student Learning Objectives to the school year, on top of these state tests, so that teachers can be evaluated using APPR.

All the children are going to do is take tests and perform growth tasks so that their teachers can be evaluated using the scores.

I say again, this is insane.

Call your legislator and tell them how insane this is.

Tell them that the education "leaders" in this state are hurting children, damaging public education, and creating a whole generation of students who are going to grow up with anxiety disorders and other problems caused by this kind of high stakes education system.

The UFT Is Useless

And now we see, on a basic bread and butter issue like the Superstorm Sandy PD Day By Candlelight, that the United Federation of Teachers is impotent to stop the madmen and women running the NYCDOE and the top madman running the city.

That the UFT could not put a stop to today's useless Superstorm Sandy PD Day By Candlelight shows just how useless this union and the current leadership is.

Bloomberg and Walcott are forcing teachers and staff into schools today all over the city to "prepare" their classrooms for Monday for no good rationale.

Classrooms are already "prepared" since school was in session just last Friday before Sandy hit the city.

On top of that, many teachers are being directed to report to schools other than the ones they work in because many schools are still without power or took damage from the storm.

In those cases, what classrooms could they possibly be "preparing"?

Even worse, travel into the city is still torturous at best, with many subway and commuter lines still down (NJ Transit tried to get up and running this morning, but had a set back when power failed on their lines.)  

There are HOV restrictions on cars driving into the city and there are now gas shortages all over the metropolitan area anyway, so why would people in power want to bring people into work for a useless PD day when it's a massive waste of effort and energy?

No, clearly this was a petulant move by Bloomberg and Walcott , two petulant men devoid of humanity and empathy who are making a political power play to show how much control they have over teachers, school staff and the union.

But what else can you expect from a man like Bloomberg, who insists the NYC marathon will take place on Sunday and is diverting precious resources and police manpower away from Sandy recovery efforts to the marathon preparation?

And as for Walcott, he's simply Bloomberg's toady - he does what Bloomberg wants or else.

I called the union yesterday at one of the outer borough offices, since the main office is closed due to lack of power, and registered my complaints about today and the lack of effort the UFT was putting into fighting the insanity of it all.

Somebody told me the union would have an announcement by 4 PM that would satisfy me, that Mulgrew knew this was a big deal and was negotiating with the insane people at the DOE to change it.

In the end, we got some jive letter from Mulgrew that told us we had to go on but there was an appeals process for people who couldn't make it due to problems related to Sandy.

As my friend NYC Educator pointed out today and as I pointed out yesterday, the NYCDOE denies every appeal that ever comes before them, so you can be sure that few people will have their appeals to not have CAR days deducted approved by Walcott and Company.

If Mulgrew and the UFT leadership can't protect members at something so basic as this absurd Superstorm Sandy PD Day By Candlelight, what can they protect us from?

They haven't been able to protect us from the madmen and women at the DOE, from the massive school closures, the insane 57 page Danielson rubric, teacher evaluations based upon test scores, VAM, TDR's, Race to the Top and a host of other things aimed at  privatizing education and breaking the morale of teachers.

Do you think Karen Lewis and the CTU would have handled this situation differently?

Judging by their track record so far, I do.

But we get compliance from Mulgrew, who apparently lacks the courage to take the mayor on in public and tell people how stupid this Superstorm Sandy PD Day By Candlelight is.

Well, enough is enough.

We know that Bloomberg pursues insane, ego-driven policies and has done so since he first got control of the system.

We pay the UFT our union dues to mitigate these insane, ego-driven policies, to protect us from them.

And the UFT is powerless to do so - today's Superstorm Sandy PD Day By Candlelight is just the latest example of that.

How much longer does the membership stand by the leadership of the UFT?

The current leadership has basically rigged the election process and has a lifetime guarantee of power.

But when they cannot deliver on bread and butter issues like this one, that's when even lifetime guarantees of power start to wane considerably.

Chicago is the model for that very thing.

The problem here with Superstorm Sandy PD Day By Candlelight is not that Bloomberg and Walcott imposed this on us.

The problem is that the UFT was powerless stop them.

Walcott Pulls Strings To Avoid Ticket

Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott got into a scuffle with the NYPD Thursday night when a car he was riding in was pulled over in Queens.

Walcott allegedly told the cops "You have no right to pull us over!" when the police stopped the car for what they say was a failure to use a turn signal.

Walcott identified himself as a former deputy mayor and current schools chancellor, asked for the badge numbers of the officers, then complained to NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly that the officers did not properly identify themselves.

The two police officers are now facing an Internal Affairs investigation for the incident.

For their part, officers say they did identify themselves when they pulled the car over and that Walcott was excessively difficult during the incident.

Couple of things here:

Heckuva way to start his schools stewardship as chancellor.

First he continues the PEP policies of shutting down schools, rubber stamping mayoral policies and NOT listening to students, parents, teachers or community members when they beg him to not close down their improving schools, then he gets stopped by the police for failure to use a turn signal, gets in the face of the cops, pulls rank to get out of a ticket and uses his power to retaliate against the cops who pulled him over.

But he says he's going to be a different kind of chancellor than Cathie Black - less about abusive power and privilege and more about responsiveness to the community.

Oh, please - this incident is emblematic of people in power in general ("You have no right to stop us!") and symbolic of the Bloomberg administration in particular.

Impunity for their behavior, a lack of civility when called on their shit and a vindictive need to retaliate against anybody who tries to hold them to the rules that the rest of us have to follow.

There needs to be an independent investigation of this incident - I do not trust Ray Kelly's Internal Affairs officers to fairly investigate an incident involving Mayor Bloomberg's high profile schools chancellor.