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rumble in the pta
April 21, 2010
New rule: city can expel too-”aggressive” parents from PTAs
New York City is full of parents unafraid to say exactly what they think of their childrens’ schools, but the Department of Education is finding that all too often, that passion is getting out of control.
The DOE currently mediates parent-on-parent disputes two to three times a week, according to Chief Family Engagement Officer Martine Guerrier. She revealed the statistic at a Tuesday meeting of the citywide school board, which approved a regulation giving the department the right to boot parents from parent associations if they verbally abuse or physically threaten other members.
Guerrier said the regulation is needed because the department has little recourse against bullying that has caused intimidated and frightened parents to quit the parent associations at their schools.
But members of the Chancellor’s Parent Advisory Council, which represents parent associations across the city, said the regulation’s language is so vague that it could be used to curb parents’ speech.
“This vague and extremely broad language easily lends itself to abuse and inappropriately patronizes hard-working PA officers by treating them like squabbling kindergartners,” CPAC members wrote in an e-mail to Chancellor Joel Klein. ”To the extent there are actual threats to the safety of others, they can be dealt with under existing law.” Reiterating their arguments yesterday, CPAC members asked the panel to delay its vote.
Reminding the assembled parents that he used to be a First Amendment lawyer, Klein said the regulation would only be used in clear cases of intimidation. His example: a parent saying, “I’ll wait for you outside,” during an association meeting.
Guerrier said the new rule is a necessary protection for parents.
“Parent association members felt they had to resign. … We have principals who are afraid to attend parent association meetings,” she said. “They would submit complaints but all we could offer was mediation.”
“There is no intent here to stop parents from being passionate or communicating loudly,” Guerrier said.
The city won’t expel parents from parent associations based on another parent’s report, Guerrier said. Instead, department officials will review each case and make a decision about whether to remove a parent by committee.
A similar proposal that was discussed in 2007 and never became an official rule would have allowed principals to expel parents from parent associations for “negative behavior.”
The rule reads:
PA or PC members whose conduct presents a threat or risk to members of the school, district or borough community may be removed from PA or PC office. This includes frequent verbal abuse and unnecessary aggressive speech during meetings, which serves to intimidate and causes others to have concern for their personal safety. PA or PC members who have been removed from office for their conduct may be prohibited from subsequently serving on any PA or PC executive board, school or district leadership team, school or district Title I Parent Advisory Council and CEC, CCSE, CCHS, or CCELL by the Chancellor, the Chancellor’s designee or the CFEO. Decisions to remove officers and restrict future service will be determined on a case-by-case basis by the Chancellor, the Chancellor’s designee or the CFEO.
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April 21st, 2010 11:16 pm
The solution, of course, is for parents to record all such meetings so they can have serious evidence to use in defending themselves against folks - administrators; other parent cliques - who make false allegations against them in these meetings. My attorney always advised me that recording a conversation with another person without the other person’s knowledge or permission was quite legal in New York State. My attorney also advised me that it was legal to record telephone conversations without the other party’s knowledge or permission in NYS as well. Needless to say, he was a well-loved attorney, at least for those of us who work to document official corruption, misconduct and incompetence.
I certainly would not accept the word of anyone in power at the NYCDOE re this point of NYS law. However, I’d check with counsel before deciding whether to do concealed recording or not in a PTA type meeting.
Now, if they’d only apply the same conduct code to NYCDOE officials themselves! I recall Joel Klein being absolutely foul - rude and insulting - to Patrick Sullivan at a public meeting (CEC?) toward the end of 2009. I believe it was the night that Barack Obama announced he’d decided on selecting Arne Duncan as Secretary of Education. I sat through the meeting simply staggered at the gross official nastiness and couldn’t imagine what could possibly have spurred such inappropriate speech … until the meeting ended, I went outside, and owners of Blackberries filled me in. I’m sorry I didn’t record that meeting, but rest at ease knowing that others most likely did.
NB - I have never met Patrick Sullivan, and until that meeting, had no idea who he even was. If that’s the way Tweed officialdom treat a legitimate thorn in their collective side, I’m not understanding why they would insist on better behavior from … parents. Or kids, for that matter.
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April 21st, 2010 11:26 pm
Dee: We need your lawyer in our Brooklyn charter school to help fight our school leadership’s unethical corruption! Shady contracts, long work hours, preferential treatment & inexplainable pay increases to co-workers… the list goes on!
In some cases some charter are NO different than corrupt NYCDoE schools… they can just hire fancier lawyers.
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April 21st, 2010 11:37 pm
So call me. I happen to run (a totally nonprofit) web site called SpecialEducationMuckraker.com. I’ve focused on school corruption - not just special ed. corruption - of all kinds for a good number of years now. I can probably give you a hand putting together a coherent description of the issues which might be usefully explored and … dealt with. Whether this would mean retaining an attorney or perhaps writing something up for investigators or prosecutors, I couldn’t say without hearing your story. I’m listed - feel free to give a call and I’ll be more than happy to spend a while talking with you to see if there’s some way I can be of assistance. I keep all information I receive totally confidential unless I am given explicit written permission to reveal it.
Doing this kind of thing is pretty much my only hobby. I feel strongly that all involved, informed, concerned parents should be supported when they’re trying to improve their children’s education.
Given your screen name, I should tell you that while I feel strongly that the UFT has done some very, very good things for kids in NYC, on balance, I’m of the opinion that the UFT pretty much operates like every other collective bargaining agent. Sometimes unions do things which are good for their employers and/or their employers’ clients; sometimes they don’t, and I reserve the right to call it like I see it. Meaning that I would rather doubt that the UFT likes me very much. I can give you seriously negative references from a few UFT officials if you’d like. =) And while I like the concept of charters very much, I am very opposed to the corrupt ones, and also to the system (NYCDOE, NYSED) which allows corruption to flourish in regular and charter schools throughout New York State.
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