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School Committee member 'absolutely disgusted' over superintendent's handling of wife-beating headmaster
By adamg on Wed, 07/11/2012 - 8:21pm
WBUR talks to Mary Tamer, a member of the School Committee who says she cannot believe how Superintendent Carol Johnson was going to just let former O'Bryant co-headmaster Rodney Peterson get away without any punishment after pleading guilty to beating his wife.
Her outrage is unusual on a committee hand-picked by the mayor.
Committee Chairman Gregory Groover, however, is satisfied with Johnson's post-media-disclosure apology, WBUR reports.
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Comments
Why is this Carol Johnson's problem?
I've been giving this story a wide berth for some reason, but I can't help wondering--why the outrage? Why on earth is an employer--or supervisor--supposed to "punish" an employee for a crime that he is apparently already being punished for? If this was anything other than alleged wife-beating--sure to get us all emotionally het up--would this even be an issue, or this just another excuse to pig-pile on Carol Johnson?
Her first responsibility is to the students
And I think people feel that she neglected that responsibility. A DUI or larceny charge would probably also bother people, as being found guilty of these types of crimes will often result in a public employee being suspended or fired. Most people don't want violent cowards working with their kids, and I think Johnson knew that before the story got out.
I agree with the first poster
but you also have to realize that teachers have been deemed incapable of teaching because they posted pictures of them drinking on Facebook, because they were spotted in inappropriate attire in their personal life,because they used to be in porn in college (and they're 40), or because they teach in a religious school and became pregnant in a way the religion didn't agree with.
I think we should take some of this "moral clause" nonsense away from teachers, because they are still people too, but there's absolutely no way that an educator could get convicted of domestic abuse and not expect to see consequences in the workplace.
Do we assume
That he is a danger to students? Trust me, I feel weird defending this guy, but this just seems odd to me. He was put on probation--this isn't someone considered to be an imminent danger. I just don't see how firing someone for an offense committed outside work is automatically justified. What good is it going to do as far as any rehabilitation is concerned? As far as domestic violence incidents go, this doesn't sound especially egregious. I mean--read Chris Brown's police report if you want to be truly disturbed.
Iok, I reconsider...
After reading the Globe article. She definitely went against protocol and as for the guy himself...sounds as if he needs some serious help. Sad because it does sound as if he was great at his job, but people are complex and flawed, as we know. Ugh.
Not 'alleged.' If you don't
Not 'alleged.' If you don't know why we don't want criminals running schools, there's nothing I can do for you.
I wasn't aware that this individual had already....
... been convicted.
On the other hand, if he hasn't been convicted yet, what's wrong with the use of "alleged"?
Well, now you're aware!
On the charge of domestic assault, Peterson plead guilty to sufficient facts and was sentenced by a jury to a year of probation.
Are you runnning a bit behind, Michael?
Thanks
Must be all the summer heat....
You can take the "alleged" off
He pleaded guilty.
As for pig-piling, well, look at what Connolly said - this is not the first major mistake Johnson has made.
Another reason for the outrage
http://www.bostonherald.com/projects/your_tax_doll...
Shes a little overpaid to be bungling every damn decision she makes. I think we've cut her enough slack already. Time to move on.
I'm in the wrong business
If you look at what Headmasters (what a joke of a title), principals and teachers make, it confirms what a retired BPS teacher I know has said for years and years. Teachers make a lot more than the average person thinks they do.
They do pretty well for themselves considering they work 10 months out of the year and get benefits that I can only dream about.
Dream about?
Go do it Nancy. The BPS does not have a 'no nancy's' hiring policy. No one is stopping you.
Thanks but ...
Nancy has a "No Boston Teachers Union/NEA" policy.
Go to another town then.
There are plenty of open union shops where you don't need to pay union dues. You might even get paid more with less work/classroom management.
Or you can teach in Boston and just refuse the benefits. Many teachers do that. Hell, you could also teach summer school!
Why do I get the feeling that
my comments about teachers and unions hit a little too close to home?
If not, why the bitterness?
I don't care about the union part.
It's about the job itself. When people complain about " being in the wrong business", why don't you just get into that business? Why complain about it? If Home Depot decided to pay their cashiers 200k a year, I'd seriously consider being a cashier. I certainly wouldn't complain about them.
You also said you "dreamed about" the benefits? Why dream about it when you can do it? Or maybe you can't? It's like it's some magical job that only special people can get or something. If you are good enough, you can do it too Nancy.
She was taking care of her
She was taking care of her protege or whatever he was to her. She wasn't uncertain or confused about the rules. She doesn't need to consult with any experts and draft new guidelines, those are beside the point. She knew perfectly well that this situation was radioactive and she took the odds that it would stay out of the public eye, for someone in an executive position that shows incredibly poor judgement and seriously messed up priorities. It's not about holding teachers to a higher moral standard - its about expecting the CEO of the city's largest employer to put the good of the company before the good of her buddy.
Not for nothing either, she hasn't exactly been the miracle worker she was made out to be when they brought her in. It seems like she knows how to bullshit first and lead second. Would we really be worse off picking a Court St. insider next time?