Two Thumbs Down To DC's Ron Brown Principal Darrin Slade

Attached is an open letter that I sent to Chairman Vincent Gray and all DC City Council members on March 13, 2009 regarding Principal Darrin Slade's violations of DC teachers' right to confidentiality in personnel matters. I requested that Chairman Vincent Gray in his oversight role advance this issue to the Office of the Inspector General, Chancellor Rhee, Mayor Fenty, Deputy Mayor Reinoso and other bodies for appropriate sanctions against Slade.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with several Ron Brown teachers who took the bold step of speaking publicly on the record regarding the assaults against not only DC teachers but students as well in the recent WaPo article "DC Teachers Claim Assaults, Face Doubt." So it seems that many teachers just like the Ron Brown teachers and Woodson Academy teachers who were featured are fearful of speaking anonymously and on the record.

Now more than ever threats of placing teachers on 90 day termination plans have been made against teachers even for making referrals for inappropriate student behavior to a host of other issues. Often teachers who make these referrals do so after being placed in impossible classroom situations. Some of these situations include having class sizes ratio's exceeding contractural limits as well as DCMR regulations. Some classes are as high as 41 and upwards ,as well as situations in which some schools like my elementary school are being forced to do mandatory inclusion for ALL students mid-year without regard to students' with disabilities needs., etc. Recently my school was informed that we had to place a student from a residential setting into one of inclusion classrooms despite the fact that this student had an extensive history of assaults and had been recommended by his former school to attend a 'special school'. Had my team and I, as well as the interim principal not protested this- I believe we would have been put in a no-win situation.

Teachers report that Principal Slade like some other DC administrators are engaged in 'covering up the truth' about the level of school violence. I am concerned that a pattern has emerged whereby DC administrators are retaliating against teachers who dare to speak up publicly regarding matters that impact student learning and ultimately have an adverse effect on students, teachers and related school staff. Could it be that these DC principals fear losing their own jobs if word gets back to Chancellor Rhee? Certainly this isn't a stretch because this is just what happened to the former Hart middle school principal when stories about school violence hit the newspaper.

Unfortunately, Principal Slade's efforts to bribe students as reported in the WaPo to give him information at the tune of $100 dollars a pop leads to another dilemma: some innocent students are being implicated while the guilty go free, according to my sources. Bill Turque's article is just the tip of the iceberg regarding school violence here in DC. If you know of issues regarding school violence in DC schools that are not being accurately reported by DC administrators, I implore you to report them before someone gets seriously hurt, be it a student or a teacher. In order to address any problem, we must first acknowledge that there is a problem. While the news coverage has been scant on school violence until recently, I applaud all those who have come to the forefront about city-wide school violence at Cardozo HS, Hart MS, Woodson Academy and Ron Brown MS.

Here's a copy of the letter that I sent to DC Chairman Vincent Gray and DC City Council members last week urging their intervention regarding Principal Slade's inappropriate comments to the press on teachers personnel matters:

Request for Council Intervention Re DCPS Principal's Comments To The Press

3/13/09

Dear Chairman Gray and DC Council members:

I am truly disturbed by the comments made by Mr. Darrin Slade, DCPS Principal @ Ron Brown Middle School in the 3/13/09 Wash. Post article on page A 1. Mr. Slade's comments that teachers in the article are in the process of being terminated seems to be a violation of teachers' rights to confidentiality. One teacher in today's article denies being on a 90 day improvement plan as suggested by Mr. Slade. These comments are also inappropriate and unethical. At no time should a DC administrator openly discuss employee's personnel issues with the press. Principal Slade is also quoted in today's Post as per his school guide as threatening teachers with placement on a 90-day improvement plan instead of helping to provide support to teachers who may be in need of assistance.

It is also troubling that in this same article that two other Woodson Academy teachers who were assaulted had to speak on condition of anonymity because they fear losing their jobs if they spoke negatively in the press about their experiences with school violence. I would like to request that the DC City Council address this issue regarding Mr. Slade's comments in your oversight role of the District of Columbia Public Schools. I hope that you will take the lead to publicly advance this violation to the Office of the Inspector General, the Office of The Chancellor, the Deputy Mayor of Education, the Office of the Mayor and any other appropriate bodies so that it can be properly handled with appropriate sanctions. If Chancellor Michelle Rhee states that her office is unable to provide the names of DC teachers on 90 day plans to the Washington Teachers' Union due to the confidentiality of teachers, how is it that Mr. Slade at his level as a DC principal can discuss teachers' personnel matters openly in the press ?

Certainly in so doing, Mr. Slade as representative of the DC public schools poses a liability to the school system for potential defamation of character. It seems that the District of Columbia Public Schools is headed down a very slippery slope that ultimately will do more harm than good for DC students, teachers, administrators and our school system . Let's hope that Mr. Slade's behavior does not open the door to other DC principals acting in similar fashion.

I along with other DC Public School employees have testified before you on a number of occasions to appeal for your help on a number of fronts. I appreciate that you have held city council hearings to address some of our concerns as it relates to our employment, school violence issues and other matters. I request a timely written response to my request. Thanks for your attention.

Candi Peterson
WTU Board of Trustees
WTU Building Representative/city-wide teachers and related service providers
(Posted by The Washington Teacher)