Corruption in the local school district

Hey ats peeps, I'm going to rant for a bit here.

Okay, here goes.

I work for the local school district in my town. I have worked there for about three years, at the high school, elementary, and middle school. My fiancé has worked there for the same amount of time if not a bit longer.

My fiancé, who will be called S. from here on in worked at the elementary school last year. S worked in the CDS class. CDS stands for community day school. Now CDS is essentially the "bad kid" class. The children in the class range from k-5, and are for the most part, "behavior cases." However, some are developmentally disabled and have a wide range of problems.

Now in the city I live, there is a rather large Native American population. The Native American children who attend the schools here bring in quite a bit of revenue for the school district. Which is fine by me.

Here is where the problem starts, however. In the CDS class there was a particular student who we will refer to as M. M is a Native American child with behavior problems. He is emotionally disturbed and prone to violent outbreaks. I worked with M two years ago in CDS myself and was assaulted several times. Kicking, hitting, biting, you name it.

Now I worked in group homes with developmentally disabled individuals for about three years in a different state, so these behaviors were nothing I couldn't handle. I know several methods of handling intense situations, be it "verbal judo," redirection, and others.

Now, back to M

The school gets paid by the state to keep M in public school. Quite a bit more than your run of the mill students because of his "emotional and behavioral problems." Pretty much, the school wants to keep him because if they don't, they would have to pay for his schooling elsewhere. (I live in a small town and he would have to be transferred to another district..)

M comes from a troubled family, and is undoubtedly abused by his parents. He has come to school with bruises and wounds repeatedly.

So M comes into class one day and has an open gash on his face, still bleeding. He tells S "my mom threw me into a wood pile."

S is obviously concerned for the child, and being a school employee is a MANDATED reporter. So she asks fellow staff at the school if she should file a CPS report.

And guess what? Everyone tells her not too!

But S does the right thing. She files a report. CPS visits the household, and whatever exchange happened there I can only speculate.

Being in a small town, you know just about everyone. S went to school wig M's stepfather, so you can imagine that she would expect full confidentiality on the matter.

So M's parents call the school and pretty much freak out on the staff. The County Superintendent of Schools himself, whom I WILL NAME, Mr. Terrence Mcateer tells the parents straight out that S filed the report!

So S is currently up in arms about the whole ordeal. She has talked to several people in the district about the situation and was told to let it go, and that Mcateer will "blacklist you from county events."

So this guy's like a mafia boss?!

So I did some digging on this guy. Come to find out, he was molested by a priest when he was a child! So, you have a man who you would think would be the best advocate for this child, throwing his employee who did the right thing under the bus? Wtf people?!

S decided to go to a lawyer about it and guess what they said? "This is a classic whistleblower case and I'm not going to touch it."

Everybody is afraid of this coward, and he wasn't even elected! He was APPOINTED.

help me out here guys, what's the next step? S is thinking about talking to the D.A. Or the union.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, sorry if it is a bit all over the place.

Unfortunately it sounds like you're in a small pond, and you've got someone who thinks they're a big fish.

Usually, in this scenario, you have to start meticulously documenting EVERYTHING this jackass does. EVERY bowel movement. Every time he unzips his pants. Everything he eats. Everywhere he goes. Ever meeting he calls. Every judgement he makes.

Document. Document. Document.

Rinse, repeat.


Sooner or later a pattern will emerge, and then you can take the necessary steps. If all else fails, you can go public with it.


Hang in there....

And one very important thing.


Keep your nose, and your backyard, as spotlessly clean as possible.


I mean, IBM cleanroom clean. Surgically clean.

reply to post by denybedoomed


Sadistnocturne is right!

If people can't make changes and make things right at the local level, what hope do we have of making changes on a state or federal level......

He sounds like a bully.

Wasn't he bullied?

Everybody has a secret....Find his.

These guys are almost always dirty.

In my humble opinion, your school has some serious serious problems that need retired to a comfy life, far far from any children. Start with every single person who told her NOT to file a CPS report.

If your state is like mine, that isn't a matter of discretion in a clear child reported case of physical or sexual abuse. It's a crime NOT to report it, in some professions..including that one, right? So, it wasn't getting into people's business ..but doing the right thing as required by law.

I would say, at this stage, to drop it. Totally. It's been reported and the people in charge have it documented. When it happens again, they'll have the previous report and whatever lies got the parents out of it this time, won't likely fly the next time. CPS are a law unto themselves if they sniff a case to pursue.

I'd also say if she feels the need for a lawyer? Don't look in your small town. You likely won't get anything. Those guys have to make a living too and if they tilt at the town windmill, how well will they pay bills? Aside from that...do you WANT a lawyer whose expertise for what will be a complex case ...extends to small town life?

Get one outside the sphere of influence of everyone involved.....and it may not even be necessary to proceed once they know that step has been taken. They're probably assuming they can be pushy right now because 'no local lawyer is helping on this one! ha ha ha. ....and they're 100% right, too. So, look outside.

reply to post by denybedoomed


I would check out the ACLU.

Also Find out what the law is about tape recording in court cases. In my state they ARE allowed. She might want to start caring a mini recorder

www.aclu.org...

| haven't read the words "Verbal Judo" since My days pushing a blk/wh. through the ghetto, thanks for that.. What | learned from 100's of abuse cases is "The abused becomes the abuser" | don't want to remember how many molestation suspects were themselves "abused" but it is over 95%. | guess the same could be typed about John Mccain being One politician who would be against war, yet, He wants another one.

| would start to document as was suggested, right after | got My resum˙e together for both. It reads as if it is the same Old Small Town B.S. and folks are fearful because they believe that the Super has some sort of "power". You can also shoot off letters to "their boss" if the 'right nerve' is struck then heads will roll, not until. Too many are afraid of upsetting the apple cart. And because of Your excellent documentation when the State comes to investigate, You and Your copious notes will be most helpful.

Abuse is also cyclical. | re-read what |'m about to submit (first time for everything) and don't want it to read that |'m sticking up for Mr. Macateer as that isn't the case, just in My personal experience.

EDIT: | May be helpful if You teach near a school where the local college team is named Bulldogs. | worked north of there and worked w/folks from THERE. Let Me know if | can help further.

reply to post by LewisStulePhD


Thank you, sir.

On a map, Fresno is literally like an hour away. As the crow flies, got a mountain range between us though, so it's a 4-6 hour drive.

I will talk to the lady about all of these suggestions.