In early May of 2018, I was suspended from my teaching position at Orange Center School in Vermont. It was effective immediately and was with pay thankfully. The accusation was that I had had unprofessional conversations regarding my principal. The truth is I was speaking to other people about my frustrations with my principal, Tim Franke. My union reps offered me free counseling for the remainder of the year in order to "make it through from February to June". That was all they could do.
Here's the informal notes I was given by my Union rep from the investigation that took place with Suzette Bollard, the superintendent at that time. Bizarre is all I can think of when I re-read it some 4 years later. It was stressful at the time. More like an interrogation and very unprofessional.
Notes from 4/5/18 Investigation Meeting in the ONSU conference room between Susette Bollard and Amy Deutl. Jory Innes and Scott Lang were present to take notes.
Susette explained that we were here to give Amy a chance to speak to a complaint of unprofessional conduct.
S: Did you have a conversation recently with Jess Foster, OCS board chair?
A: Yes. We were chatting about what the girls were doing in the lunchroom. I told her that at some point before the end of the year I’d still love to have a chat with her.
S: Did you discuss your applications at other schools with her?
A: I don’t remember… I don’t think I said that in that conversation. I can’t image saying that in front of the kids.
S: Did you say anything about being given the opportunity to resign as opposed to not having your contract renewed?
A: No. What’s the complaint about?
S: What came to me was, you said you had job applications out that were going well until they talked to Tim. You implied he had sabotaged them. Did you say, “If that tells you anything?” to Jess?
A: I did not have that conversation with Jess, but I did with other people. I would never have said anything like that in front of students.
S: Did you imply to her that me giving you the option to resign was based on invalid reasons?
A: I just said, “You probably already know that I was given an option to resign, so there won’t be a hearing, even though the reasons for nonrenewal were not valid. But I still would like the opportunity to chat before the end of the year.”
S: DId you say, “If that tells you anything?”
A: No.
Susette asked again if Amy had said something about Tim sabotaging her job applications.
A: I didn’t say anything about Tim sabotaging my job applications.
S: Do you have any sense why Jess would say that?
A: I don’t know, unless she heard it from someone else?
S: (In an accusatory tone) What you’re saying is that Jess Foster is not being truthful with me.
A: I don’t know. I could say that, but only because I’m feeling a lot of pressure to do that. It would not make sense for me to have said that to her.
S: Could you tell me why this conversation ever would have happened in the cafeteria with kids?
A: I’m in the cafeteria having lunch with the kids all the time. Parents are there sometimes, I make the rounds with kids. It’s not unusual to have conversations with people.
S: Conversations like this are not usual and it was with the board chair.
A: I’m not sure how the conversation started. I wouldn’t normally have a chance to speak to her. I’m a personable person and make myself available and approachable to parents.
S: Switching gears… So you have had conversations with other staff members about your difficulties with Tim. Do you remember having a conversation with Ms. Goodrich in the classroom recently and Robin (Bonser) walked up?
A: I’m trying to think if I’ve have that conversation with Mary. I did have a conversation with Mary at that time.
S: And the kids were there?
A: They were starting to line up by the counter, getting packed up and ready to go. Mary and I were having a private conversation about TMP scores.
S: (Irritated) I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about a conversation about your difficulties with Tim.
A: I don’t remember having that conversation with Mary at that time. It was about TMP scores.
S: So that’s the only thing you were talking about?
A: There was more to the conversation. We were standing near the door and Robin was there because she was getting her eyes on kids to take out to her group. It was very loud in the room and kids wouldn’t have heard what Mary and I were saying. We were talking about this year’s scores and last year’s scores. The scores looked great and I wanted to give the kids kudos on that. I was telling her how well the kids are doing, even without a lot of support this year. Robin might have heard it. I thought later, maybe Robin would think I was referring to her, when actually Robin’s been coming in (to do Circle of Courage) and it has really helped. The next day, Jory told me Tim had told her that I had said something bad about Robin. I sent Robin an email right away to let her know she’s been supportive and helpful and by no means did I mean that about her.
S: The Circle of Courage was not an easy transition for you.
A: It came out of the blue. My classroom management skills had been going well, then there were some changes after Michaela came in and the yellow pass system changed.
S: Your pass data were high. You didn’t have a personal sense of how it was going?
A: Now I understand.
S: Is that data you trust?
A: I questioned it. I was shocked it was so out of the ballpark high. So I asked where it came from but I never got an answer.
S: Do you think the data was manipulated?
A: I don’t know where it came from. There is a different dynamic on any given day so that might be reflected. The data should be higher in some ways because of the particular kids involved and it’s over a long time period, but I still thought it was excessive. Robin, Tim and Jory are in the Circle of Courage classes for that 30 minutes now. The idea was for kids in Robin’s group to walk into the classroom in the Green Zone but morning group continued to be a problem. Robin even said so. Now things are different.
S: In your conversation with Mary did you mention classroom management?
A: No.
S: Any comments about Mr. Fulton’s room?
A: Not that I can remember, no.
S: In terms of being a candidate in other schools and your belief that Tim had a negative effect on that, did you speak about that in your conversation with Mary?
A: No.
S: What’s your evidence that Tim has sabotaged your chances of getting another teaching job?
A: I have none. I’ve let that go.
S: So why would you have said that?
A: Ever since the conversation in October when Tim said, “ You seem to have changed,” it put me on the defensive. I’ve been trying to figure out what’s happened. I’ve been attacked over and over again. I have not been given much support, other than on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for 30 minutes when Robin has been coming in to take over morning meeting with Circle of Courage. Tim wrote proficient, proficient, proficient during my evaluation, then he let me know that someone was coming in to take over morning meeting. If I’d been told it would only be on two days a week, or that it was a chance for Robin to pilot a program for her master’s work, or for some other reason, I would have understood. But all I was told was that, “I’m your superior and you’ll do what I tell you to do.” It was a demand and there were no conversations before then saying that I’d had problems with my classroom management skills. A lack of feeling supported comes from that, and the fact that I never got professional development in math/science or OG.
Susette asked again about how Amy knew Tim had given her a negative reference.
A: When I found out my references were checked, I asked him if he gave a positive reference. He hesitated, then said it was “good.” My heart dropped because it was not very convincing. It was just a gut feeling.
S: That’s a problem to be having these kinds of conversations with friends and colleagues. I have this information from the board chair and from Robin, and you have no recollection or it’s completely different from theirs. It’s puzzling that there’s no connection here. It’s not to anyone’s benefit to have shared this with me. What benefit would it have been?
A: I don’t know what that would be.
S: Is there anything else you think I need to hear?
A: I guess one of my big questions is, am I justified in feeling like there’s been a lack of support for me in my position? I believe I’m justified in thinking this and it’s been very difficult.
S: The very first time I heard that was in our earlier conversation about you not being offered a contract for next year. If you didn’t get support, you should have asked me about it.
A: I did ask a question about what I could do to improve my relationship with Tim and you said you’d think about it. That was two weeks ago and I never got an answer.
S: (Very irritated, raising her voice) What does that have anything to do with what we’re talking about?
A: You asked, so… (quietly) I get it, I get it.
S: (In a very loud and aggressive voice) You are being very disrespectful towards me now. It was your professional responsibility to get that support from me if he wasn’t giving it to you, not to throw him under the bus.
A: I did ask you how to get back on the right track with Tim. And I never heard anything from you.
S: It doesn’t matter. Having those conversations with colleagues is not the way to go about it.
A: I’ve had a tough year and I apologize if I did the wrong thing. I did seek help.
S: Who did you go to?
A: Jory and my mentor. I don’t know what else to do.
S: And they said what?
A: Write everything down where you haven’t been supported.
S: And do what with it?
A: I don’t know. Jory told me to talk to you if I felt like that was an option. I felt that was an extreme measure to have to go to the superintendent. I’ve never had this issue before and didn’t want to make a big deal about it. I felt if I went to the superintendent it would be worse for me at school. Tim wouldn’t be happy with me doing that. I’d already received a lot of sharp, curt, almost rude email from him with no strategies given or opportunities to talk to him. Whatever I said, he was not interested in discussing it with me. I’ve never felt so intimidated by someone. It’s hard to be there. I know you don’t want to hear that.
S: Why do you say that?
A: I don’t know. I’m a probationary employee and don’t feel like my voice is important at all. I realize that, but it’s painful to have my career ruined because of this. The letter stating the lack of growth...
S: (Interrupting in a loud and angry voice) That letter is for you. No one will ever see that. You are blaming me and Tim. You have to take some responsibility for this. What evidence do you have that we’ve ruined your career? Jory, do you have anything you want to say?
J: No.
Susette ended the interview at this point and left with Scott. She offered us the use of the room for as long as we needed it.
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