Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Public Infomation Requests Often Must Be Repeated and Repeated

The trick with public-information requests is persistence. If you don't get the data, keep asking for it. lee


Linda, I asked about a week ago about data of the hiring of Ms. Elia as superintendent by the school board members. I have not heard yet from you. It is not possible that a procedure so important to the schools and community would not have notes and/or recording to document what happened in the hiring process. I request such data as public information. I would also like a copy of the ad published by the board that cost, I hear, $35,000. Thank you. ldd

From: Linda Cobbe [lcobbe@sdhc.us]
Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2009 10:44 AM
To: lee
Cc: Linda.Kipley@sdhc.k12.fl.us; MaryEllen.Elia@sdhc.k12.fl.us; Candy Olson; carol.kurdell@sdhc.k12.fl; Jennifer Faliero; Jack Lamb; Susan Valdes; April Griffin; Patrickmanteiga@lagacetanewspaper.com; genesiudut@lagacetanewspaper.com; Ken.Otero@sdhc.k12.fl.us; Dan.Valdez@sdhc.k12.fl.us; Lewis.Brinson@sdhc.k12.fl.us; Gretchen.Saunders@sdhc.k12.fl.us; Wynne.Tye@sdhc.k12.fl.us; Cathy.Valdes@sdhc.k12.fl.us; Connie Milito; David.Steele@sdhc.k12.fl.us; Gwendolyn Luney; Stephen Hegarty; Sharon Morris
Subject: Re: results of my filing professional standards charges

Lee - No one has ever denied that you sent Linda Kipley an email making charges against people at East Bay High School. The email you include from Linda Kipley at the end of your email to me tells you that there are no records of any "findings," which is what you had requested. There are no findings because no action was taken. The reasons for that are:

1. You have no direct knowledge of what happened related to Steve Kemp;

2. You have no credibility for seeking the truth, and in fact, often repeat rumors and innuendo; and

3. You have no standing to file charges.

An email from you with allegations about employees would not generate a Professional Standards investigation. Certainly, the superintendent had no involvement and undoubtedly had no idea who Steve Kemp was, let alone that he has a blog.

People who work in schools are obligated by law to report possible abuse. Child Protective Investigations is obligated to investigate and they call in law enforcement. When CPI and law enforcement investigate an employee, Professional Standards gets involved. They would be negligent if they allowed someone to remain in a position involving children while CPI and police investigate abuse allegations. If your grandchildren were possible abuse victims, would you want the person under investigation to remain in their classroom?

I hope that clears up your confusion. I have attached several documents related to Professional Standards procedures.

Linda E. Cobbe

External Communications Manager

Hillsborough County Public Schools

901 E. Kennedy Blvd.

Tampa, FL 33602

813-272-4602 (O)

813-493-6964 (C)

813-272-4510 (F)

Our mission is to provide an education that enables each student to excel as a successful and responsible citizen.

"lee" <tdecesar@tampabay.rr.com> writes:

Linda, I filed the charges against the three administrators involved in the Steve Kemp case of frame-up for child abuse. I don't think they filed a Professional Standards charge against Kemp. I think Ms. Elia did when she picked up the rumor. She used apocryphal information to hang a charge on Kemp because he has an education blogs, and blogs commenting on anything about the schools are an anathema to the administration and school board. I asked our office for the emails that I infer cover the time that Kipley should have received the charges from me. I await those.

My records say I filed the charges. The administration cannot get away with claiming no professional charges were filed when they were. That trick was played on me when I filed against Dr. Hamilton for using the emails for his personal pursuits. I fell for it then but have smartened up to board and administration tactics in which persiflage is a signal strategy; don't expect me to fall for it again.

I have asked three times your office to send me the literature on the Professional Standards Office. Every business has a copy of such procedures in its central procedures manual. If the school system does not have one, it's management is highly remiss in professionalism. Lee Drury De Cesare

-----Original Message-----

From: Linda Kipley [mailto:Linda.Kipley@sdhc.k12.fl.us]

Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 1:50 PM

To: lee

Cc: MaryEllen Elia; Candy Olson; carol.kurdell@sdhc.k12.fl; jennifer.falliero@sdhc.k12.fl.us; Jack Lamb; Susan Valdes; April Griffin; Patrickmanteiga@lagacetanewspaper.com; geneliudut@lagacetanewspaper.com; Stein@sptimes.com; Marilynbrown@tampatrib.com; Linda Cobbe; Ken Otero; Dan Valdez; Lewis Brinson; Gretchen Saunders; Wynne Tye; Cathy Valdes; 'Connie.'; David Steele; Gwen.Luney@sdhc.k12.fl.us; Stephen Hegarty

Subject: Re: results of my filing professional standards charges

Dear Ms. DeCesare:

In response to your request for this office's "findings on the unprofessional conduct of the three administrators involved in the dereliction of duty" in the "Kemp-case," no such records exist.



Linda A. Kipley

General Manager of Professional Standards

Hillsborough County Public Schools

2920 N. 40th Street

Tampa, FL 33605

813-840-7128

813-840-7186 Fax

linda.kipley@sdhc.k12.fl.us



9 comments:

Vox Populi said...

Lee, Linda Cobbe is snippy. She IS NOT an attorney. Is she? ONLY an attorney would know to use the terms 'standing' and etc. She is getting this from Tom 'potato chip' gonzalez. End of story. Tell her to stick it and send you what you need. It's not her place to needle you as to your requests or confusion. You don't even have to identify yourself. SHE has to provide it as THE CUSTODIAN OF RECORDS. Tell her to tell tom that I said so.

John__D said...

>If the school system does not have one, it's [sic] management is highly remiss in professionalism. Lee Drury De Cesare

For extra professionalism, use "it's" to mean "it is" or ""it has" and use "its" to denote possession.

twinkobie said...

Good eye, John D. You are right. You need a comma after "it has" inside the quotation marks.

Love and kisses from Granny Lee

Vox Populi said...

I shudder to ask but since when would it's ever be used for it has?

Anonymous said...

Linda Cobbe looks like a transsexual. She needs to STFU!

twinkobie said...

Vox has got you, John D. She
ls smarter than us both.She's right. "It's" is never used for anything but "It is." Now admit you are wrong on this and that Vox is right, or you are going to grammar hell. Lee

Anonymous said...

Why does Linda Cobbe defend the school district? Gonzalez and the district will throw her to the wolves in a heartbeat. She is a fool.

John__D said...

I don't need a comma at all. It's been a long time since you wrote here that short independent clauses don't need a comma.

Did you catch that one? Here are some more.

It's been a hard day's night.
It's been a pleasure showing the world how illiterate you and Vox are.
It's been easy saving my butt from the fires of grammar hell because you and Vox don't think before you post.
It's got a bad attitude and half a brain; it's got to be Vox!

Keep shuddering, Vox, you airhead! Now, either replace all those with "it is" or admit that you two are wrong.

Oh, and I thought you were discouraging those funny little abbreviated expressions such as "STFU" on your blog, Lee.

Vox Populi said...

Lee, I could live to be 712 and never be as smart as you. John_dillpickly: the reason why I was shuddering is the very reason that cropped up: YOU with your thinking your chain had been YANKED ON: NOT!!!!
Did your UNCOOL self actually quoth a Beatle's LYRIC to prove something? ROFL. Everyone knows (or should) that lyricista and musicians will cut the corner to rhyme or fit to a melody. That doesn't make it proper English. BUT, I'm NOT the english major. Lee is. I had already thought of stuff such as that .... but, had the guts to ask, anyway. Do you have the guts to shush and go clean the privy or something? NO ONE cares what you think. STFU means Sit There For Uncle. Or anything else. Why do you have such a DIRTY LIL BOY MIND??? Can you spell ICUP?? Now, chortle away, big boy. I think John D is Tom Gonzalez. He is certainly fixated with you .. but my first choice was Lamb.