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Read comments (52)The teachers allegedly were involved in a breach in standardized test security.
The hearings are tentatively scheduled for July 8 and July 9, according to Quick. He said the hearings might be open to the public, but that could change if the teachers request a closed hearing.
The security breach was initially reported by an anonymous source in October, but former Superintendent Rob Gordon's investigation did not find cause to pursue the matter.
Earlier this year, an anonymous source came forward with physical evidence -- copies of tests in print and on a computer thumb drive -- that prompted Quick to take action.
"Well, I don't see how someones morals could tell them they were doing something wrong if they didn't know what they were doing was wrong"
intrigued not knowing the rules is not an excuse
C-N-P: First of all, I choose to live in America for more than just one reason. I choose to live here because of all the freedoms it affords me, not just the freedom of speech. Second of all, you state "if cheating did occur, knowingly or not, peoples morals should come into play." Well, I don't see how someones morals could tell them they were doing something wrong if they didn't know what they were doing was wrong. That just doesn't make sense to me. Third of all, I think that the phrase, although a good one, "It's like "I'm not sorry I did anything wrong, just sorry I got caught!", is unapplicable in this situation since the evidence provided to the public has yet to prove that there was any wrong doing. I'm sorry that your glass is half empty, that must be a sad feeling to start everyday with the feeling that something is going to go wrong that day rather than that it might be the best day of your life. Come on C-N-P, walk around that glass and give it a different view, it's much better starting out with a glass half full:)
Cheaters Never Prosper: Here is another lesson to teach your children: A half truth is a whole lie! I imagine the accused are angry with the accusers because their accusations are full of half truths!!!
To Intrigued: How do I say this without being insensitive to you and others? Well, I choose to live in America for 1 reason freedom of speech. I don't mean to offend you or any one you may be attempting to protect, but this is my thoughts and you have yours. I agree to an extent with you and I am trying to be political, but I am a rebel. Milliemouse had a good point too. Why is it that the "accused" and their supporters are so angry with the accusers? Maybe because that is the human reaction. People are sheep--they follow the leader. If cheating did ocurr, knowingly or not, people's morals should come in to play. Sometimes I think we are so messed up that telling is more wrong than the act itself. Milliemouse this was profound and I liked it, not just for this case but to teach my own kids in the future...(((It's like "I'm not sorry I did anything wrong, just sorry I got caught!"))) If they are not found guilty, I appologize, My glass is usually half empty...
Why is it that the "accused" and their supporters are so angry with the accusers? Cheating ocurred, knowingly or not. Are peoples morals so messed up that telling is more wrong than the act itself. It's like "I'm not sorry I did anything wrong, just sorry I got caught!"
Cheaters Never Prosper, I somewhat agree with you. I agree that there is never any excuse not to do your job and to do it to the best of your ability. These teachers involved, along with every other employee of the school district have agreed to do their job at whatever their salary may be. But, where I disagree, is that you have already passed judgement on these individuals and they haven't even had a hearing. So, the ONLY thing you can be basing your judgement on is gossip and rumor, is that morally acceptable? Not as far as I'm concerned. Furthermore; the people who have made the accusations, what will happen to them if the teachers are found faultless? Will the accusers be terminated for providing false information during an investigation? Not only do I think that it would be grounds for termination, but, I'd say there is an open civil suit there; not only to the accusers, but for the school district as well. Again, I'm just saying, let's not pass judgement when both sides have not had a fair opportunity to discuss the evidence.
To: staceyh22, I understand what you are saying, but the bottom line is: just because they don't get paid enough for their job, doesn't make it ok. That would be like if I were a nurse and I don't get paid enough for what I do, I start taking supplies, writing myself prescriptions or not giving 100% to my patients. These accused educators had a role to play for the children, parents and their community and they failed. Granted I see what you are saying, but it doesn't make it ok to do these things because the government doesn't pay them enough. Welcome to the real world. I don't think any employer can pay enough with inflation prices lately no matter how much an employee does or is worth. It is sad these days, but, we still have to keep our morals in tact.
Teachers in marshall as well as other surrounding schools are under paid and over worked. set yourself in their shoes. every year you must have better test scores yet you have less money and less resources from your school district to reach these goals. there is no way what supposedly went on could have happened with out many more people being involved, If we are going to hang three lets hang them all then your children can just teach theirselves. Good luck to all these teachers from someone trying to see it from your shoes.
Old Owl, I agree. I think if from the start of this everyone would have followed those words of wisdom, this situation probably wouldn't be what it is today!
One should be more careful guarding her identity, BC, and refrain from using "catchphrases" that would identify her.
Intrigued: my dear old grandfather, who passed many, many years ago, always taught me to "believe none of what you hear and half of what you see." Great words to live by, I think!
I sure hope the school district has dotted every I and crossed every T in this situation. Taking information from unreliable sources that are either afraid or ashamed to sign their name to an anonymus letter seems pretty dangerous. Also, I hope the credibility of the accuser(s) is beyond question. If those "testifying" on behalf of the school district are people known to be unable to tell the truth, people who have been caught misappropriating funds, people who have been known to lie to climb the "ladder of success", this would sure seem detrimental to the school districts case that they say has so much evidence. I just hope they've thought of these things.
Since several others have mentioned information they have heard out on the streets here, I guess I could pass this along. I heard that one of the teachers making some of the accusations has pretty much been a mole for the school district so she could get her job back at Eastwood. She was supposedly transfered from there and provided some information to Mr. Quick and is apparently going back to Eastwood now. Anyone else heard anything on this? Any truth to it?
bigpicture -
you made the commment 'has anyone ever asked these 3 teachers the TRUE story.' Just because you ask them does not mean you will get to the truth. You need to remember that their are TWO sides to every story and the truth is usually in the middle somewhere. I guess we, as a society, will find out the majority of the truth on July 8/9.
Apology?? Yes! I think so! Amazing what everyone THINKS they know.... Has anyone ever asked these 3 teachers the true story. Probably not, everyone just spouting off at the mouth sharing their own facts about the issue. Remember these individuals have families,children and friends in this town. Please be respectful.
Real: I think I owe "blank" an apology. The person from Sedalia was an aquaintance that knew I lived in Marshall. Maybe she had an axe to grind. Who knows!!!!
Cat Lover,
Why didn't you just say the name of the teacher! Pretty much a process of elimination....
Would you like it if this was your daughter or son people are bashing? I am sure if you ran into this teacher you are wondering about hmmmmm??? You would tell her you were thinking about her and hope everything goes ok....
1st point... was this person you ran into her previous boss? Doubt it!
2nd... Problems with what? completing the MU fellowship program? Being Outstanding Educator of the Year?
Sounds like you are saying she left Sedalia on bad terms, I think you and your Sedalia friend should get your facts straight. FYI, your Sedalia friend should be careful who they share their "facts" with as I am sure this teacher, Blank, as you refer to her has lots of support in Sedalia as well.....
Just ran into a person from Sedalia who asked me if one of the accused teachers was (blank). I said yes and it seems this teacher may have had problems when she taught at Sedalia. Hmmmmm?
Still no indication from the School Board or the the newspaper as to if this is a Due Process hearing or not. If so then we should know the names of the teachers in question by now.
If it is not then do the math. Time has run out. Mr. Quick's/school board's case must not be as strong as we have been lead to believe.
Yes. The scheduled hearings are part of due process. The district doesn't release names of staff members facing disciplinary action or termination until the process is complete. It won't be complete until the board takes action, presumeably sometime after the hearings. The employees are free to come forward at any time.
First and foremost.... School Budget... Can anyone explain why this is taking so long? And consider this. By the time this hearing takes place Mr. Quik will be GONE. So, the district will have to pay him to come back. I don't know about anyone else but it will be a blessing when he is gone and out of our town. In fact, maybe we should have a party on the school lawn to celebrate the completion of Mr. Quik.
Second... it is very sad that people in Marshall care so little about who they hurt that they voice their opinion about things they have no idea about. If you all have so many questions, I dare you to show up to the hearing (you had better come early as there will be many supporters of these teachers that will be there early in order to show support)and see how these teachers represent themselves. By the way, are we talking about a murder case or a map test? It appears that some of you would have less to say about a murder. How sad is that?
Third... let's find out all the facts. I am certain that at least one of the accusers has had her fair share of embarrasement this past year and would welcome her name out of the paper.
Fourth...I hope the accuser/ accusers is prepared because it is all coming out and the real dishonest individuals will be put on the line.
Fifth: If the school board doesn't feel that these teachers have made the best decisions possible... then why did they teach summer school? My only guess is they are darn good teachers and the district has few better. The school board probably hasn't a clue. Poor Mr. Noah... Who would want to be in charge of this circus right now?
Response by Eric Crump/Editor:
I'm not sure what you mean about the school budget taking so long. I think it's on a pretty typical schedule. Could you say more?
If that's the question, I think the answer is that the process is designed to respect the rights district employees and has to take its course. Some will disagree whether rights have been respected in any give case, but the steps involved are there so serious decisions like terminating employees won't be made in an ill-advised rush. I don't think cost can be factored into how the process unfolds once it's started.
For those of us watching from the sidelines, it's a frustrating experience, because it takes time to get our questions answered. I'm impatient, too. But the process has to play out as directed by policy, so there it is.
Fortunately, these teachers will be able to speak for themselves in a public forum (due process hearing) and it is their decision whether or not to speak with Mr. Crump, not mine. As I stated, I may have already overstepped my bounds.
noteacherleftbehind why don't you give Mr Crump a call and grant him an interview to be published in the paper so we can know what really happened at Eastwood?
You seem to know all the facts.
I completely understand your point. I personally thank you for your exchange.
I guess (and I am trying very hard to have a fair and unbiased opinion here) my opinion at this point is that all these "details" are damaging to both sides. Unfounded and unreported accusations are wrong, and lead to predisposed convictions and guilty charges. Likewise, unfounded and unreported information in support of these teachers almost looks like a lot of time has been spent covering their collective hides. Regardless of our personal positions on the matter, I think from all these articles and posts we can reasonably concur that some mis-information has been shared.
By this point, with this much lipservice, I can't see any positive outcome for this situation whether all are found guilty, found innocent, confess, or have statues built in their honor on the courthouse lawn.
As I stated in a post weeks or months ago, I would like to believe after the Gordon mess that the distric learned its lesson and wouldn't have come forth with the information they did without deeming it at least somewhat reliable. But as I stated in that same post, I may be giving too much benefit of the doubt...
I believe that the fourth teacher/administrator resigned and took a job with a different school district.
Cheetah,
The problem with the information made public is that teachers were not given "gag orders" until the last month of school. The anonymous letter and incriminations began in October. Therefore anyone even remotely connected with Eastwood has had an earful from SOMEONE, and everyone thinks they know SOMETHING about this. Everyone seems to have an opinion on this matter, and unfortunately, students from Eastwood got caught in the crossfire. When students are coming to school relaying incorrect information their parents or other adults have told them, it creates an impossibly one-sided situation. I for one would not be able to keep silent if friends and coworkers were slandering me, let alone my own students!
But I concede the point, I may have overstepped my bounds in this arena. It is just frustrating for those of us who know what has really transpired this past school year.
And I believe that this "anonymous" source is simply being protected by the district, which is, as you stated, completely within legal rights.
I can't help but feel that if the board were presented with all the actual facts, as opposed to what Quick deemed "relevant", this matter would never have been taken this far. I do not want to see the school district take any more hits than they already have. I'm afraid Quick has led them down this road blindly, and the public opinion of the district will sink even lower. Do we really want our kids exposed to all this?
And I have no knowledge of the change from 4 to 3.
noteacher and guffaw,
You realize that if both of you are even 50% correct, then half of the teachers at Eastwood are incompetent and the other half have irreparable damage to their professional reputations. If this is the case, sounds as if Mr. Angelhow is going to be pretty much a one-man show and Eastwood School should be closed indefinitely.
What, exactly, is left to the public to decide that hasn't already been predetermined by parties on both sides of this argument?
For what it's worth, IMHO, it doesn't help the teachers' credibility much when "details" or "information" that have never been reported in the news end up being discussed in this forum. It lends one to believe that conversations have been going on that perhaps shouldn't have. Just a thought...
On the flip side: In an attempt at fairness, I would ask that someone define "anonymous source" as it pertains to this story. Does anonymous mean "no one knows", or does anonymous mean "not being made public"? Having read the guidelines personally, I know the source's identity can be protected by the school system to whatever extent allowed by law. I don't agree with it (I'm not a fan of gutless wonders either), but if this (not being made public) is the case then the board is well within their legal right thus far.
My apologies. My reference about MSTA representation "not being necessary" was taken from one of noteacher's comments on Wednesday the 25th...not from any article or news report.
Mr. Crump's response to my questions somewhat confirmed what I had heard--that MSTA has been involved.
Sorry for the confusion.
NOTEACHERLEFTBEHIND, you seem to know alot about what's going on so maybe you can tell us what happened to the fourth person. Did he/she quit or leave the school district or retire?
Does the school board have all of the facts?
When is enough enough! Do the accusing teachers realize they have to take the stand? Did they really feel this would go this far? Now they have to stand up in front of the community and lie about these teachers in front of their families and many community supporters! I am betting these three teachers have some pretty good amunition to fire back at these accusers! I am not sure who I feel more sorry for!
S. Cheetah, how do you know what they were told by the lawyers as far as representation? Just wondering, I can't seem to find any of that information in the articles.
smokin' cheetah, it really isn't up to the public to decide. It will be up to a REAL judge/jury to decide after these teachers file a civil suit for defamation of character and violation of civil rights. Can of worms, indeed!
So, let's discuss professional jealousy. Two of the accused teachers have SMART Boards in their rooms, while none of the accusing teachers have one. They were chosen to be building PLC leaders. They served on numerous committees. Student teachers, practicum students, and clinical students were placed in their rooms. They were part of co-teaching teams with the special education teachers. They were given duties that had been taken away from other (accusing)teachers due to incompetence. For example, one of the whistle-blowers overdrew on an building account, and was stripped of that duty. Students were removed from FOUR accusing teachers rooms due to parent request and placed in the classrooms of the accused.
Professional jealousy? That might be too mild a word.
One more comment if I may, I was at Northwest the other day picking up my neighbor and I saw one of the accused with a smile on his face, talking with students. I went to the play at the high school and saw one of the other supposed "unethical" teachers with a smile on her face with former students hugging her. As far as the other teacher accused, she is taking the summer off and I have seen her several places throughout the town with her head held high!
You 3 keep it up! I hope the school board gets a chance to see the big picture, keep these 3 teachers who are a class act! How hard it must be to go to school everyday knowing people are talking about you and thinking they know all!!! You have more support then you realize!
I don't see where the teachers were *refused* MSTA representation, only that they were told it wasn't necessary "at this time". The teachers pay MSTA dues for this very thing. They have complete control over contacting MSTA for legal representation if I understand correctly.
Can anyone clarify this?
Wow, bigpicture, I think I'm in love!!!
This is all a big mess! A few questions....
Why have the names ever been released?
I have been to Eastwood before and the 3 that I hear are accused are great teachers, with great reputations.....
More than I can say for some of the others there.
Wasn't one of the teachers moved to eastwood a few years ago against her will?
Wasn't another one of the accusing teachers asked to resign but only to get her job back after a little meeting with the mr. quick?
One more! another one of the accusing teachers, how many days has she been on time to work?
i think a public hearing is a great idea, i know these teachers have LOTS to share!!!! Where does Mr. Noah come into play in all of this?
Will he make any decisions????
2. Donn Quick said he is not aware of a situation where a teacher was forced to move to Eastwood against her will. Of course, he was in the superintendent job for six months.
3. Quick also said he was not aware of any case where an accused teacher got her job back after meeting with him.
This is all a big mess! A few questions....
Why have the names ever been released?
I have been to Eastwood before and the 3 that I hear are accused are great teachers, with great reputations.....
More than I can say for some of the others there.
Wasn't one of the teachers moved to eastwood a few years ago against her will?
Wasn't another one of the accusing teachers asked to resign but only to get her job back after a little meeting with the mr. quick?
One more! another one of the accusing teachers, how many days has she been on time to work?
i think a public hearing is a great idea, i know these teachers have LOTS to share!!!! Where does Mr. Noah come into play in all of this?
Will he make any decisions????
Guilty until proven innocent right??!? With all of the media about this subject, I just worry the accused may not have a fair judgement.
"Earlier this year, an anonymous source came forward with physical evidence -- copies of tests in print and on a computer thumb drive -- that prompted Quick to take action."
This last paragraph warrants a comment from me before I hit the sack. Any person not man or woman enough to belly up to the table and take "credit" for their whistle blowing, that makes me wonder what this person gained from their accusations. If you can't tell who you are or if you have to hide behind anonymity, that truly makes me wonder what they really are hiding. I've found it's a dog eat dog world. Wouldn't it be so ironic if the "anonymous" source actually received some sort of compensation, like retaining a position he or she wanted, in lieu of information, whether true or false? I think the district has opened a can of worms that would have been better left fully investigated before slandering innocent people.
I am certainly confused by this article. Eric, did you ask any questions that might have relieved some of the vagueness to your report?
For instance is this an official "Due Process" hearing? If so then the school district will have to had lodged formal charges against the teachers for their termination. That would be public record and there has not been any report of such action in the board minutes or by the paper. By statute, termination hearings are open to the public. Teachers have the right to attorneys for representation, they can cross examine witnesses against them, they can subpoena up to 10 witnesses each to testify on their behalf. The School Board picks up the total cost of the hearing accept for the teacher's attorney fees.
If it is not a "due process" hearing then I am further confused as to why this would be happening on both the school board's and the teacher's part. The teachers have no right to be heard in this manner and I can not see an upside for the school board to open this can of worms since they have made it clear that they are seeking to fire these teachers.
So, have these teachers been notified that they are to be terminated? Is this a due process hearing? If not what is the purpose of the hearing and what would be the goals of such a meeting?
In the previous articles I remember reading there were 4 people accused of wrong doing. Now there are three. What happened to the fourth?
I fear unless there is an uninvolved 3rd party investigation we as tax payers will never know the truth either way!!!
Also do we really know what the district's attorney said?
There are two sides to every story.
noteacherleftbehind - hang in there. The teachers, at this point, have grounds to appeal any adverse decision based on the district's attorney's comment and refusal to allow them to obtain counsel or legal representation during questioning.
also, as you mentioned, the content in question was already included in the curriculum, and how many ways can you add two one=place digits? I would want to know more, actually, about the anonymous accuser, who has what axes to grind, etc. While legitimate whistleblowers need to be protected, malicious or unsubstantiated accusations should be equally prosecuted as nuisances.
The best thing for everyone truly might be an uninvolved 3rd party investigation...
Noteacherleftbehind has made some good points.
these teachers are accused of teaching the students TOO MUCH, not TOO LITTLE.
If a student was taught just the answers to a certain test, how is that right? How are they going to learn to find the answer themselves? How are they going to know who the 2nd president was when we teach them you only need to know the 1st for the test?
The second party investigation doesn't sound like a bad idea, some many opinions are throw around as fact, let someone from the outside decide. Though I'm sure thats going to cost alot more money.
Did anyone stop to think that just maybe a couple of people a little further up the food chain COULD have come up with the idea to give a little help to a class that needed to score a little higher to help the district get a little more money from the state, and just maybe they cut and ran before the crap hit the fans.
Just meybe these 3 teachers got told that everything was on the up and up by these 2 people and did what they where told to do.
You know as it was said in another post "its all about the money"
I have no idea what really happened except what I have been told and we all know how that can change from one person to another.
Here is one thing the board should really think about do we really want the state to come looking into the Marshall School District?
Me I think it would be a great idea for a real second party investgation my anyone thats not conected to the district or any of the old guard in this town!!!!!
Let me clarify one point--during interrogation, or perhaps "grilling" would be more apt, all three teachers asked the district's attorney if they could have MSTA representation. Mr. Steven Wright, attorney, informed them "that is not necessary, we are not to that point yet." THIS IS ILLEGAL! ALL individuals are afforded the right to an attorney or legal representation during ANY questioning. This interrogation was tape recorded; I wouldn't be surprised if those particular tapes were "unavailable."
And to those concernced that students' education somehow suffered as a direct result of a teacher's action: these teachers are accused of teaching the students TOO MUCH, not TOO LITTLE. Teachers who have given the MAP test multiple years are aware of the content, and taught such skills accordingly. They have been accused of teaching too precisely, and using curriculum materials that appear on the MAP test. THESE MATERIALS WERE PRESENT IN CURRICULUM PRIOR TO THEIR APPEARANCE ON THE MAP TEST. And the copies of the test used as evidence were from the year BEFORE two of the teachers were teaching at Eastwood! How would that be possible? Come now, Marshallites, I KNOW that we are more intelligent than this! Could reasonable doubt BE more obvious?
"I hope that all the good these teachers have done is not overlooked and forgotten."
Tell that to the parents of the kids that had the once in 100 times a teacher would cheat. I bet they don't care about the other times, they just care that there child was not taught properly. Put yourself in their shoes, not in I like that one teacher shoes.
I am by no means declaring anyone a saint. Yes, teachers make the worst students. But are you really accusing these teachers of being so egotistical that they would put their self-serving attitudes before their career? Scores of parents and many many district employees will line up behind these teachers. But here is the kicker: "evidence" against these teachers include photocopies of MAP tests that were handed over by accusing individuals. Did they have the teachers' DNA on them? Or did Quick and company simply CHOOSE which teachers to believe and which to condemn? How easy would it have been for a teacher in that building to completely sabotage another? I could photocopy a MAP test, turn it in, and claim that Mrs. X gave it to me. Is that truly proof? These teachers were DENIED LEGAL REPRESENTATION by the district's lawyer! How deep into this district do we want to dig? Beware, many skeletons may surface from individuals who thought them long buried......
I do not know if the three accused teachers are guilty of anything or not. If they are, I believe they should be held to the same standards that a student would be if he or she cheated. What I have seen in the Marshall School District is that a lot of the teachers hold the kids to a different standard then they do themselves. I have been at in-services with the Marshall school teachers and observed them talking, laughing and being rude while a speaker was making a presentation. They would not allow that in the classroom. I feel the MAP tests are a total waste of the students as well as the teachers time; however, they are required by the state and the rules for administration are made VERY clear. Do the teachers get any kind of praise for their kids scoring higher, probably not. However, some teachers like to put themselves in the spotlight and make everyone aware that 'their' students scored higher. Sometimes it's the personality of the individual that leads them to cheat. It has nothing to do with the students - it's still all about them. I think all teachers should try to remember that it is NOT about them, it is about the kids. I know kids are different today and are a handful; however, it is your job to teach them and they learn a lot more from what you do, then what you say.
As a first-time blogger, I am flooded with things to say. As a teacher, I find it sad and discouraging to see teachers who truly have the children's best interest at heart become the victims of such menial controversy. While the school board WILL be judge, jury, and executioner, the members have denied the teachers rights to separate hearings. Therefore, "evidence" against one will inevitably damn the others. Why did the board deny these teachers separate hearings? You should have guessed by now! MONEY. The district has spent a small fortune of our tax dollars investigating these allegations. The district lawyer receives upwards of 220 dollars per hour. How many full days did he spend questioning individuals? How much higher would his bill be if he were required to complete separate hearings? MR. Quick has stated that the district is inching into the black, financially, yet it seems they have forgone individual rights in favor of cost-effectiveness. At the end of this circus, will the board terminate SOME of the teachers, or is it ALL OR NOTHING? This type of persecution of teachers is occurring all over the nation. We as a country are far behind all others in education, teachers are BADLY needed everywhere, yet in Marshall we are shooting ourselves in the foot by bringing charges against three talented and respected individuals who have actually CHOSEN to dedicate their lives to the betterment of children. I could go on and on, yet the main question I have is: Are we as a district really so petty as to mar the reputation of teachers based on technicalities of testing procedure? WHAT POSSIBLE BENEFIT WOULD A TEACHER RECEIVE BY HAVING HIGHER SCORES? Are we paid on merit? NO. Do we receive any sort of commendation when scores are adequate? NO. Is the school board logical and broad-sighted enough to allow these teachers to continue to improve the lives of their students? Time will tell. I know that none of the teachers will request a closed hearing. And I quote, "Let the whole town come! The more people are there, the more people will know the truth! If the public is there, the board will be less likely to make irrational decisions!"
Cat Lover, I'm not sure that your comment is a "fair" statement to all involved. You're singling out one individual, who as the others involved, hasn't been given a fair chance to defend themselves against these unproven allegations. I think this whole thing has been blown so totally out of proportion by the simple fact that only one side of this story has been reported and heard. In defense of The Democrat-News, I realize that they did offer any of the accused the opportunity for an interview, but the accused were instructed by the administration of the school district to not discuss this matter with anyone. I feel that this is extremely unfair to the parties accused. I'm not defending anyone, I'm just stating that this whole thing has been unfair to the three accused teachers. It's amazing to me that these three are well respected in their field by their colleagues and parents, yet that's never mentioned. And, as with all of us, I know that they have enemies as well, even some who posed to be friends. Funny how people will do whatever it takes to achieve what they want, regardless of whom they harm. It's like a minister said one time, he/she can preach a hundred sermons and out of that hundred, 99 can be absolutely wonderful, yet one might not make par. It's not the 99 good ones they remember, it's the one bad one. I hope that all the good these teachers have done is not overlooked and forgotten. My main fear is that the hearing for the teachers will be nothing more than a kangaroo court. It is my understanding, and I'm open to be corrected, but I beleive that the school board is the judge and jury for the hearing. They have, as the rest of the community, only heard all the rumors that have been flying around about those involved. I hope that they will go into this hearing with an open and unbiased mindset, so that they can fairly hear both sides.
Re: The alleged breach in Standardized Test Security. I have known this young gentleman since his childhood and just know this is a case of "guilt by association". He is a strong, caring person and if he had known what was going on he would have gone to the proper people to report it. It is too bad that the three could not have individual hearings.
The article in the paper doesn't surprise me we have had alot of things happen in our school system that has been done wrong but gone unnoticed to the public eye because it has been kept hush hush up until now. Maybe we need to take a closer look at our whole community and see what is really going on.