Former educator advocates to restore parent-teacher partnerships

On Sunday, the Fort Myers News-Press, my local newspaper, published a Guest Opinion by yours truly. After looking through the public records related to my case, I was struck by the fact that at any point this whole situation could have been avoided if someone–anyone–involved in the process had simply reached out and talked to me. The parent, a so-called “Parents Rights” activist who had the Deputy Superintendent’s cell phone number. The Deputy Superintendent whom I believe walked into my classroom while I was teaching, waved and smiled at me, and confirmed that my books were uncovered. My principal, with whom I had regular conversations. Anyone could have simply talked to me and avoided a lot of press and kept a teacher in the classroom.

That’s why, in this piece, I am proposing a new policy for Lee County Schools. The policy is as follows. Before any parent can start a formal complaint process against any teacher or education staff, they must first demonstrate that they have reached out to that staff person to redress the grievance directly. If that interaction was unsatisfactory, the parent must then demonstrate that they have reached out to the staff member’s administrator.

I have never avoided controversy in my entire career. I have always sought to be balanced in how I address these controversies. I have shared my opinions but have always demonstrated how I use the discipline of the course I’m teaching to inform my opinion, and I always open the door to other opinions and points of view. Furthermore, there’s nothing special about me. All teachers are capable of doing this.

A segment of the Guest Opinion is below. Follow the link to read the rest.

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In January, I ended my 30-year career as a high school social studies teacher. I was blindsided one morning when I found over 600 books from my classroom library had been removed. I did not know it then, but this action was a response to a district investigation into my conduct. I have yet to be informed as to the conduct under investigation. It took me filing a public records request before I could find out what had precipitated the end of my career.

It turns out, it was a text message.

Click Here to go to the News-Press

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Also, Reaching for the Stars Tutoring includes a commentary on my situation. Read it here.