In a message dated 3/9/2007 12:15:28 AM Eastern Standard Time, tdecesar@tampabay.rr.com writes:

There is nothing professional about that office [Professional Standards]. It is an instrument of the administration to keep school employees in line so that it can continue to wield power over others, especially the financial power of the purse of taxes that the school system gets from the public.

Exerpt from Lee De Cesare's message to Jeniffer Faliero

School Board Member Faliero:

Please help Tom Gonzalez pass his "Your Rights" document that will be given to all teachers who enter Professional Standards, if it is ever completed. It is the least the school board can do to counter balance what I believe to be highly unethical and unprofessional behaviors in the Office of Professional Standards.

In my personal opinion, Linda Kipley should be required to attend courses that teach heads of Professional Standards departments not to lie or use sadistic means to scare teachers. Fortunately for Ms. Kipley but unfortunately for the teachers in the county most teachers who have told me about their cases do not want their names used, because they are scared to death. They claim Linda Kipley lied to them also. In my opinion, it can never hurt a head of Professional Standards regardless of her guilt or innocence to have to review and take courses to relearn things she may have forgotten over the years in her job such as lying to teachers during investigations. This could count as continuing education for the renewal of her teaching certificate probably.

I urge you to support Tom Gonzalez's document and to urge Linda Kipley to enroll in classes that teach head of Professional Standards not to lie to teachers.

In the meantime I am seeing a counselor to deal with this whole issue. During a rapid eye movement therapy session I actually saw Linda Kipley with compassion for the first time since I met her. He told me to picture her as he tapped on my legs, and I started by picturing someone I dislike and have only bad, ugly images of, but suddenly this intensely sad and scared person came before me. This feeling was so strong and I could not shake it. I didn't know where this image of Linda Kipley came from! It shocked me and made me see her in a new light. If I have somehow tapped into the true personality of Linda Kipley, I feel sorry for her, but I still believe that she needs to take a refresher course that teaches her not to lie to teachers. This can only help her do her job better and help her heal herself as I am trying to do for myself.

These are the things you can do, and I have a feeling that Lee would no longer call you a potted plant.

Sincerely,

Bart Birdsall

Bart Birdsall
2309 W. Bristol Ave.
Tampa, FL 33609
home (813) 258-8817
cell (813) 362-7937
Montolino@aol.com