Parents protest teacher's transfer

[Guest guest]

Friday, July 8, 2005

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/231787_arborheights08.html

Parents protest teacher's transfer

By DEBORAH BACH

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Parents at a West Seattle elementary school have filed petitions

with district officials in hopes of blocking the involuntary

transfer of an award-winning math teacher.

Femiano was accused of harassment by his principal after

asking questions about his school's budget. The teacher also

recently alerted state investigators to a mold infestation at the

school, after the district failed to address the problem.

Holding signs reading, " We Love Our Whistleblower -- Go Get Your

Own " and, " Don't Shoot the Messenger, " a half-dozen Arbor Heights

parents protested the planned transfer at Wednesday night's School

Board meeting.

One of them, Angie , said parents were " furious " to learn

about Femiano's transfer, reportedly set for the upcoming school

year.

" He should be rewarded for his efforts, not forced out of the

neighborhood school he has been working to improve for 14 years, "

she said.

Another parent, Beard, said the board must tell

Superintendent Raj Manhas, who listened to the delegation

silently, " not to allow principals to intimidate their teachers. "

A frequent and impassioned speaker at School Board meetings,

Femiano, 51, lobbied the district for months to address problems

with a leaky pipe and mold at his school.

After hearing students in his wing of the school complaining of

mysterious headaches, colds and other ailments, Femiano and several

other teachers filed a complaint in April with the Department of

Labor and Industries, which has opened an investigation.

Femiano, a first- and second-grade teacher who received a

presidential award for elementary mathematics in 2002, believes the

reasons for his transfer date back to June 2004, when he began

asking questions about how Principal Carol Coram was spending the

school's budget.

Femiano said he asked the Seattle Education Association, the union

representing district teachers, for a copy of the budget.

A week later, Femiano said, his principal charged him with

harassment. Femiano said he is being transferred in the fall to

Sanislo Elementary, where he previously taught.

The move, he told the board, " constitutes retaliation. "

District spokeswoman Patti Spencer said several weeks ago that the

transfer was not retaliatory.

Jane Westergaard-Nimocks, the district's human resources director,

declined to confirm yesterday whether Femiano will be transferred,

if the district is responding to his allegations and if the alleged

harassment is being investigated.

" I can't talk about it, " she said. " It's a personnel issue. "

P-I reporter Deborah Bach can be reached at 206-448-8197 or

deborahbach@....

[Guest guest]

This is disgusting. Bullies of the world can't be allowed to

intimidate those who question them anymore. Please, please - everyone

contact the reporter or the school. I've asked the reporter for school

contact info. We need to bombard these bullies with protests.

I'm also very tired of school boards spending excess taxpayer's

dollars on everything but school building remediation and learning

processes. Kids cannot learn if they're brain fogged anyway, so

remediation must come first - not pools, tennis courts and getaway

vacations.

Barth

TOXIC MOLD SURVEY: www.presenting.net/sbs/sbssurvey.html

---

t> Friday, July 8, 2005

t> http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/231787_arborheights08.html

t> Parents protest teacher's transfer

t> By DEBORAH BACH

t> SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

t> Parents at a West Seattle elementary school have filed petitions

t> with district officials in hopes of blocking the involuntary

t> transfer of an award-winning math teacher.

t> Femiano was accused of harassment by his principal after

t> asking questions about his school's budget. The teacher also

t> recently alerted state investigators to a mold infestation at the

t> school, after the district failed to address the problem.

t> Holding signs reading, " We Love Our Whistleblower -- Go Get Your

t> Own " and, " Don't Shoot the Messenger, " a half-dozen Arbor Heights

t> parents protested the planned transfer at Wednesday night's School

t> Board meeting.

t> One of them, Angie , said parents were " furious " to learn

t> about Femiano's transfer, reportedly set for the upcoming school

t> year.

t> " He should be rewarded for his efforts, not forced out of the

t> neighborhood school he has been working to improve for 14 years, "

t> she said.

t> Another parent, Beard, said the board must tell

t> Superintendent Raj Manhas, who listened to the delegation

t> silently, " not to allow principals to intimidate their teachers. "

t> A frequent and impassioned speaker at School Board meetings,

t> Femiano, 51, lobbied the district for months to address problems

t> with a leaky pipe and mold at his school.

t> After hearing students in his wing of the school complaining of

t> mysterious headaches, colds and other ailments, Femiano and several

t> other teachers filed a complaint in April with the Department of

t> Labor and Industries, which has opened an investigation.

t> Femiano, a first- and second-grade teacher who received a

t> presidential award for elementary mathematics in 2002, believes the

t> reasons for his transfer date back to June 2004, when he began

t> asking questions about how Principal Carol Coram was spending the

t> school's budget.

t> Femiano said he asked the Seattle Education Association, the union

t> representing district teachers, for a copy of the budget.

t> A week later, Femiano said, his principal charged him with

t> harassment. Femiano said he is being transferred in the fall to

t> Sanislo Elementary, where he previously taught.

t> The move, he told the board, " constitutes retaliation. "

t> District spokeswoman Patti Spencer said several weeks ago that the

t> transfer was not retaliatory.

t> Jane Westergaard-Nimocks, the district's human resources director,

t> declined to confirm yesterday whether Femiano will be transferred,

t> if the district is responding to his allegations and if the alleged

t> harassment is being investigated.

t> " I can't talk about it, " she said. " It's a personnel issue. "

t> P-I reporter Deborah Bach can be reached at 206-448-8197 or

t> deborahbach@....

t> FAIR USE NOTICE:

t>

[Guest guest]

> This is disgusting. Bullies of the world can't be allowed to

> intimidate those who question them anymore.

The horrific thing is that people who act this way and try to " bully

others out of believing they are sick from mold " actually believe

that they are moral and correct in their actions and literally " Know

not what they do " .

After all the years of educating and enlightening others,

accumulating ancecdotes to back up what you say, and finally

validation and vindication and scientific evidence that the mold

epidemic is truly happening, how many times have you had someone try

to " snap you out " of whatever you are describing by pointing at the

TV when someones house burns down and the family is safe and sound

but tearful at their loss - and the " helpful " person next to you

turns and says " Look at them. And we think WE have problems. There's

some people who REALLY are going through some tough times " .

After all this. They still don't " get it " that having your house

burn down is a million times preferable to this.

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