Teacher with 3 DUIs and other violations still in classroom, janitor fired for 1980s shoplifting?

[madfloridian]

I wrote about Martha Belmares the other day, how she might lose her job over a shoplifting charge over 27 years ago....$110. This is part of the "zero tolerance" Lunsford Act.

Hypocrisy and zero tolerance....Florida janitor could lose job over shoplifting..27 years ago.

In that article I posted, there is a little squib about our former mayor and now School Board member...statements made by Belmares' lawyer.

Rhodes said that if the law was employed fairly, School Board member Frank O'Reilly would face the consequences of the Lunsford Act for his 1963 and 1967 conviction of public drunkenness and of relieving himself in public.

But School Board lawyer Wes Bridges said that bringing up O'Reilly's youthful indiscretions is a "red herring" in Belmares' case.

Red Herring, Mr. Bridges? Well, how about this one?

Teacher Still in Classroom Despite 3 DUIs

When I was teaching I valued the custodians at our school for their work with the kids. The children would chat with them, bring treats for them. And I am angry that one is being fired for something that happened 27 years ago when she was in an abusive relationship.

A school janitor arrested for shoplifting 27 years ago will likely lose her job.

But Richard Shane Hunter, a teacher with three convictions for driving under the influence, a criminal mischief conviction and two violation-of-probation convictions, is still teaching seventh-graders at Lakeland Highlands Middle School.

And Polk School Superintendent Gail McKinzie said there's not much the district can do about it. She said neither the state nor the School Board has a policy regarding employees who've been convicted of misdemeanors, even multiple times.

..."Hunter's last arrest was in December for driving on a suspended license, which was a violation of his parole for his third DUI. He was found guilty and was sentenced to work release for 20 days, with 10 days suspended.

"I'm not going to tell you that his record is something to be proud of," McKinzie said. "It's not."

Belmares' $110 was a felony then. I am just having so much trouble with this situation and the hypocrisy.

[deadmessengers]

1. Misplaced outrage

From my reading of this, I'm getting that the reason the teacher still has a job and the janitor is soon to be without one is the fact that the teacher has never been convicted of a felony. Ok, fair enough - you have to draw the line somewhere. I can see the extenuating circumstances of the 27 years intervening, and of her poverty at the time. But the fact that she's losing her job is not what makes the outrage center of my brain start working overtime.

Here's the part of ths story that does drive me up a wall: why the bleeding fuck is a third DUI offense NOT a felony? What kind of extra-crispy crack are they smoking down there in Tallahassee? That's just freaking ridiculous. I mean, anyone can fuck up, and I'm of the opinion that the .08 DUI line is just a patently absurd limit set by a bunch of maternalistic busybodies with the ultimate goal of banning alcohol consumption entirely.

But THREE DUIs? Those are the actions of someone who doesn't think society's rules should apply to him, and that's the kind of person who needs to go away for a loooooong time.

[madfloridian]

2. And the former mayor now school board member? I disagree.

In a way. My outrage is over a person losing a job for $110 over 27 years ago. Period.

Now the teacher, if you read on...is a buddy of the principal. And it is really a screwy situation.

But the School Board member with a past far worse than hers, and a teacher with one far worse also.....that is my outrage.

You say far enough to draw the line at her offense. I disagree. Nothing fair about it.

[slampoet]

5. things like this are why almost none of my cousins teach yet nearly all their parents did.

Of my 20 some aunts and uncles, 17 have taught at one time or annother.

Of my 55-some cousins only myself and one other have taught. Both of us it was at the college level and I don't do it any more.

[Selatius]

8. I figured there was a tremendous amount of corruption in the public education system.

Usually, when you think of government corruption, you're thinking of Congress, not public education or public university facilities, but mark my words, it's there and deep-seated.

[madfloridian]

3. Video of Martha Belmares, and more about her case.

The court at that time withheld adjudication, but she did serve some jail time and paid a fine.

This case is making me so angry. I know so many skeletons in so many closets here....and this is just plain outright stupidity and hypocrisy.

http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=57367

By:
Preston RudieBartow, Florida – Martha Belmares loves her job a school custodian with the Polk County School District. But she could soon lose it because of something she did 26 years ago.

In 1980, Belmares stole $110 worth of clothes from a Winter Haven department store. She was arrested in the case and charged with grand theft, but at sentencing the judge withheld adjudication. Because Belmares fulfilled her sentence and never got in trouble again, that means she was technically never convicted in the case.

Martha Belmares, Fighting for Job:
“Yeah, I mean I paid my time to society.”
But reportedly school officials want to fire her citing the Jessica Lunsford Act. A hearing in the case was held earlier this week and a recommendation whether Belmares keeps her job will be handed down next week. It will then be up to the school board to decide what happens next.

So forgive me while I gag about all the good white Christian men here who get away with most everything every day of their lives. But zero tolerance for others.

They started using that term "zero tolerance" here a couple of decades ago, and it has run its course. Time for some common sense.

Direct link to video which is with the story.
http://www.tampabays10.com/video/news/?aid=43531&sid=57367

[madfloridian]

4. Update....on sites picking up on it.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/287035/shoplifting_school_jantior_may_possibly.html

Only one so far.

[madfloridian]

6. Update: The teacher's record. Still in classroom.

And all the other folks in control here just walk around with their pasts being ignored. And Martha Belmares is expendable and most likely will be fired there is NO zero tolerance for her.



http://www.theledger.com/article/20070622/NEWS/70622002/0/FRONTPAGE

[Morereason]

7. "Starting over", forgiveness, no more in the Future America

I have seen this coming for a while. As computers put all of our history on file, from when we were born, more and more will be disenfranchised and be made "untouchables" for bad behavior, in their Youth or later. Our corporate masters want us to behave exactly as they wish. If they can keep us from ever taking a step outside our cages they can be assured we will not question.

We are a repressed, penal, society folks. Better get used to it. Even many so called "liberals" have bought into these philosophies.

The teacher is lucky. Maybe it is tenure, maybe she knows someone in her Church. Maybe she is off on a technicality. But in the future **both** will be out of work. Already, if you had a DUI 15 years ago, you cannot travel to Canada. No kidding. No forgiveness.