Elementary school teacher suspended for reporting bullying...admin says she violated bully's privacy

[alp227]

Anderson Cooper 360 reported yesterday about Elaine Brown, a teacher at Oakhurst Elementary School in Fresno, Calif. who's been suspended after she reported a bully in her class. Why suspend the teacher? The school district put her on admin leave because revealing bully's name to local police violated said student's privacy!

Gosh, I've heard all over here how schools enable bullies. This case makes it all the more obvious.

[bluestateguy]

1. Public school administrators are some of the dumbest people I have ever met

Once a student bullies another student, his privacy rights vanish.

[Exultant Democracy]

19. Many of them are, but my high school assistant principle was a wonderful influence on me

I wouldn't have become the man I am today if it wasn't for him.

[Angry Dragon]

2. So if you see someone shooting someone

don't report them because he might get them in trouble

[old mark]

3. K&R- Makes you love administrators of all types, doesn't it?....nt

[roguevalley]

4. my last principal, old ape face didn't take care of a kid who threatened

to strangle another fifth grader in my room. she said it wasn't her job to do that. I still have the note where I wrote what happened and she said it wasn't her job to do anything. Assholes, all principals until proven otherwise.

[texshelters]

10. I teach at a college with many former K-12 teachers who

ALL quit because of the administration and principals. Instead of Race to the Top, perhaps better training for principals would improve our schools?

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[roguevalley]

25. I think having fewer ape faces and more teachers making

decisions would help.

[old mark]

27. Mom was a high school librarian and my late MIL, my sister, and BIL all are teachers...

I know wherof you speak.


mark

[bluestateguy]

13. Friend of mine who was bullied for being gay in a Southern public school in the 1980's

He said that the administrators in his schools had the attitude of, "Well you bring it on yourself with the way you dress and the way you act", etc.

He called the principal an asshole to his face on graduation day.

[Ozymanithrax]

5. When Corporations have a right ot free speach, a bullies right to privacy...

is just not that strange.

[virgdem]

6. Those who can do...

those who can't do teach
and those who can't teach, ADMINISTRATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[PCIntern]

18. we used to say:

those who can't teach, teach in dental school.

[Posteritatis]

7. Ugh; gotta love pro-bullying environments. (nt)

[lpbk2713]

8. Any bets here?

The bully's parents have more clout than his victim's parents.
I've seen a few school administrators in my time.

[texshelters]

9. It's the same rule in Tucson

where my friend got in trouble for the same thing, but they had the sense to warn him and deal with the bully.

I understand protecting the "aleged" bully, but really, isn't this going to far? What woudl happen if he was accused and found innocent. Very little damage will be done compared to helping stop bullying.

The value of fingering a bully far out weighs any mistakes. However, why couldn't the teacher go to the administration? Perhaps they coddle bullies and this was a repeat offense and the principal or whomever did nothing the first couple of times?

I'd watch the report, but the video isn't working right now.

She was reinstated it appears, and that is good.

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[Posteritatis]

11. The teacher *did* go to the administration

She also spoke to the school district as a whole and the victims' parents. The last of those obviously couldn't intervene directly, but the administration and district both could - and chose not to, as they generally do.

The district also hasn't decided for sure whether they're going to fire her.

[texshelters]

28. It wasn't clear in the article how the admin dealt with it

but she felt she needed to take the issue elsewhere.

Thanks.

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[DrDan]

12. I wonder who the bully's parents are . . . prominent in the community I would bet

[Ilsa]

24. Yeah, I think the last name is "Bush."

Just kidding.

But you know they keep each other out of having to deal with law enforcement.

[liskddksil]

14. Exhibit A - Why we need tenure! nt

[ProgressiveProfessor]

16. What is needed is civil service protections like other Gov employees

Which while effectively being the same thing does not misuse and abuse the word tenure.

[Taitertots]

30. So teachers can walk all over the rules without any repercussions? n/t

[ProgressiveProfessor]

15. This seems so outrageous that there has to be more to it

What are we not being told?

[Posteritatis]

20. It's not that ridiculous by the standards

School in my neck of the woods "helped" a student who was being repeatedly bullied, after several months, by letting her out of school a couple of minutes early specifically to get a head start on her assailants.

Punishing a teacher for trying to actually do something about the little monsters? Yeah, that doesn't surprise me at all, given the lengths most schools will go to to look the other way.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

17. Don't make up your mind until you know the whole story.

I don't - the link the OP isn't watcheable in the UK - but I bet it's far less one-sided than this makes out.

[alp227]

22. try this link then

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/27/video-teacher-suspended-for-reporting-bullying/

[Odin2005]

21. What. The . Fuck???

:wtf:

[Manifestor_of_Light]

23. "First, God created idiots....

"that was for practice. Then He created School Boards."

-- Mark Twain


:rofl:

SAD BUT TRUE

[tinymontgomery]

26. Then when that bully grows up and kills or hurts

someone everybody will look around say, why didn't somebody notice this and report the problem earlier. Today there was an article in USA Today about colleges looking again at behavior of the students and whether they have to keep them or report them and have them evaluated before they can return. Lot's more in the article.

[Taitertots]

29. Bad teacher refuses to follow the school's policies

It is pathetic to see people who think they get to violate the rules to prevent other people from breaking the rules. As if an alleged bullying incident should be grounds for violating student privacy rights.