The real problem is that this poor man was paraded in front of the media as a child rapist....and taken out of the school in front of the children in handcuffs.
Even though he has been cleared of all charges, he spent 2 days in jail. What if it took weeks to clear him of charges? Can you imagine the harrassment his family could have faced with the media going to his house, etc???
Another thing. When he was arrested he was page one, 72 point type in the city's dailies and on the local news. His exonerartion comes pages deep in the papers and three stories deep on the tube.
This is what Weingarten ignored in her abdication of teacher rights in the last contract. Rarely if ever do you get your reputation back. Unles you've spent 15 years inside for something you didn't do. The you can be a legitimate victim. This poor janitor will live the rest of his life under a cloud.
How about the teacher who after 22 years at my former school was taken out by 5 cops in handcuffs a few weeks ago and then let go a few hours later after investigating the charges? The lead cop said the principal had an agenda. (The teacher has openly disagreed with the principal and ran for chapter leader, losing by only a few votes.)
But the police investigation is not enough for the DOE. The teacher is in the rubber room awaiting charges and possibly a 3020A heearing to terminate her. Because the police never officially arrested her any paperwork that would help her is buried somewhere.
The UFT says it is not their role to track down this paperwork but up to the teacher (who wil have to file FOIL to get anything.) Call it a policy of the Least Possible Resistance to DOE Tyranny. Until the UFT draws a line in the sand and puts its all into cases like this, it can happen to any teacher.
Commenting by HaloScan
