This week in the BDN
Things got off to a grim start in the weekend paper:
"Matters of Civil Rights" (2/12-13, A15) by Vaughn A.
Stedman, Rep. representative from House District 108
and a member of the Joint Standing Committee on
Education and Cultural Affairs of the 118th and 119th
Maine Legislatures.
Basically Stedman pits the civil rights of students
against "those who work in the very public domain of
K-12." Two sets of rights?
Argues that school systems have limited means to check
reliability of job applicants-questions on applicants,
personal conversations with other professionals who
have had working relationship with applicants. Says
threats of lawsuits for character assassination work
against honesty in these conversations. Ergo,
"Educators should be willing to acquiesce on the issue
of fingerprinting and background checks." [S. ignores
the fact that only unconvicted pedophiles would sue &
these are the pedophiles background checks can't
catch.]
Also: "With the mobility of the work force, and the
shortage of teacher applicants, the background check
via fingerprinting is probably the quickest and least
obnoxious means to enhance the employment process."
[i.e. since we have so few people applying to teach in
Maine, demanding that that group submit to and pay for
fingerprinting is a cheap solution to our problem]
Wants to reemburse teachers/workers in the system for
the fee. Estimates cost as "upward of $3 million.
Wants repeal of the recertification background check.
Two items for our side on Monday 2/14
"Violation of civil liberties protested" by Julie
T. Grab and Diana Yalouris Christakos.(A 7)
Grab a 24 yr.
teach. vet, with 18 yrs in Bangor schools; Christakos
a 23 yr. vet with 20 yrs in Bangor schools
Starts off with a great description of the humiliation
of being fingerprinted in the presence of hooting
students.
Arguments:
1. Law is wrong because it treats p.s. workers as
guilty until proved innocent,
2. because unlike criminals p.s. workers have to pay
for the fingerprinting,
3. because there is no guarantee fingerprinting will
protect children,
4. because it applies only to p.s. workers it has
the appearance of a witch hunt,
5. because, unlike other states, Maine applies it to
old as well as new employees,
6. because it reduces Maine's attractiveness to
prospective teachers.
More unrest in the trenches
"Maine teachers voice concerns at Ellsworth" (B2)
Report of a meeting organized by Mark Puglisi,
Mount Desert Island High School
60 teachers "gave a handful of legislators and 2
MEA reps. an earful".
Several topics on the agenda, including the
retirement fund and saleries, but much of the meeting
devoted to the fingerprinting law.
Chuck Whitney, science teacher at Ellsworth High
"said he and 44 other teachers signed a declaration
stating they wouldn't continue to teach if they were
forced to submit to the fingerpringing law."
Stedman refuted:
2/15
"'Sate environment' vs. teachers' civil rights"
(A9) by Donald Mendell, M.Ed., LMSW, 13 yrs as school
social worker at Nokimis Regional High, Newport. 1997
Teacher of the Year nominee, has received a
Commissioner's Recognition Award
Basically an answer to Stedman's piece (see 2/12-13),
this column begins by agreeing with Stedman that schools
have to be safe for students, but hits him hard on not
specifying what it is they are to be kept safe from.
Characterizes the proponents of fingerprinting at the
Augusta hearings as a "Let's get 'em by any means
possible" martial law mentality. Details the work he
and his colleagues do that accounts for the fact that
school is the place where children feel safest.
Ends: "You can't have it both ways. Either our
school personnel are suspect to an alarming degree or
you have made a bad law."
2/17 Only one item, a letter from Sara Bowden (A10)
too bizarre for summary, to wit:
"This is for all the teachers who feel their rights
and civil liberties are being trampled upon: Where
were you when zero tolerance was instituted? At
Ellsworth H.S. they have a dress code. If you don't
look like everyone else, you're out. Do any teachers
care about freedom of expression? Is it OK to use a
sledgehammer to make a round peg fit a square hole as
long as its not your peg? In America children are
being expelled for ridiculous reasons (cough drops,
fingernail clippers). Where is the indignity when
this happens?"
2/18
"Caught between a Duke and a King (or, a royal mess)"
by Gregg Palmer, special ed teacher, Brewer High
Lots of data establishing the minuscule percent of
child abuse cases attributable to teachers. An
excellent explanation of why fingerprinting won't be
effective (if you're not convicted, fingerprinting
won't tell anybody anything about you, and very few
pedophiles are actually convicted thanks to plea
bargaining, etc.
This one's got too many arguments backed up with solid
evidence to summarize. A must read.
All in all, a good week for us in the BDN (Note: We'll be putting this article
on the site as soon as Greg sends me the e-copy -- DT)
by Paul Gray