Rumor has it that this is Ms. MaryEllen Elia's dog. I neither endorse nor deny the rumor. I simply pass it along for the delctation of the blogging faithful.
Dear Foundation Officers:
Mary Glass, Director
(941) 708-8770, ext. 2148
glassm@manateeschools.net
Tricia McKay May, Coordinator of Development
(941) 708-8770, ext. 2149
mckaymayt@manateeschools.net
Manuela Hebert, Administrative Secretary
(941) 708-8770, ext. 2161
Hebert1m@manateeschools.net
I append documents that I sent out today about the mistreatment of a third-grade teacher by one of
I hope you three are tough and ethical. I have been an airline stewardess when you had to have a bachelor's or a nursing degree because air travel was special then, so the airlines could be picky about their stewardess; a registered nurse for 15 years in big city hospitals; and a college professor for 28 years until I retired. I am a mother of four and grandmother of ten. I have been married to the same old guy for fifty-three years.
The little town in
When I retired, I decided to devote my spare time to improving the lot of teachers. The administrations and boards mistreat them all over
I learned to be tough when I was an 18-year-old student nurse. If you can't tell a post-operative patient who wants to lie without moving, "Turn on your side, Mr. Jones; if you lie in one position for too long you will get a pulmonary embolism that could kill you" and stick by your order not paying any attention to the groaning you hear from the bed, then you are not tough enough to be an angel of mercy, a nurse.
I hope you are not afraid of the board. It is elected and is as scared as can be that the citizens will find out about something like this mistreated teacher scandal and kick them out of office as they should be.
I don't know what you can do to help the abused Ms. Mary Cropsey, but I know you are powerful enough to do something. Decide what to do and do it.
Find out why the union has sat on its hands in this case and done nothing to comfort Ms. Copsley. The awful thing about somebody's messing up with the administration is that everybody--including other teachers and the union--shun the person as if she has the plague. It is one of humankind's most cowardly reactions to suffering. I think it's why the citizens of Nazi
The union seems mighty uninvolved. I was president of the union at the college at which I taught as professor of English for 28 years, and we didn't leave teachers that the administration with the board's sub rosa approval to torture teachers.
Do what you can to make Ms. Cropsey's situation as bearable as possible for her. "The quality of mercy is not strained; it dropeth from heaven like the gentle rain," says Shakespeare.
I implore that you three see that Ms. Cropsey gets mercy from some source: you if it comes to that. History will judge us ill if we allow such vile punishment of a primary-grade teacher to go unchallenged.
Lee Drury De Cesare
tdecesar@tampabay.rr.com
Letter to the Editor, Bradenton Herald:
The
Whatever happened to the Crusading Press? Or is that just an instance of press puffery for its own ego?
Maybe a better question is What does the Bradenton Herald have against teachers?
The fact-packed Sarasota Herald Tribune piece below contrasts markedly with the short shrift of the Bradenton Herald report.
Hoi polloi teachers are not important in
Let me get this straight: Are you moth-balled members of the Crusading Press that without editorial rebuke let a vindictive principal, one Mr. Rios, hold prayer meetings in the school on federal property, retaliate against third-grade teacher Ms. Mary Cropsey because she didn't attend the meetings and complained about them, and then when she won her discrimination case, Le Rios cooked up another case against her with the cooperation of the board attorney, one Mr. Bowen, Esquire, member of the bar but not ornament?
What about defending the Constitution, specifically separation of church and state? What about going to bat for the First Amendment, without which you
What about fair labor practices? Is that federal law overruled by the
Your readers don't agree with you. They love teachers. They mistrust the press and deservedly so in this case. Ms. Cropsey is a third-grade teacher. Everybody loves his or her third-grade teacher and all primary teachers. They are children's substitute mothers and fathers when children enter their first perilous adventure in the outside world. The children are scared. But their wonderful primary teachers make them feel safe. We remember and love those teachers forever. Sixty years ago my primary teachers were Ms. McPherson, first grade; Ms. Roberts, second grade; Ms. Byers, third grade; Ms. Roberts again, fourth grade; Ms. Lewis, fifth and sixth grades. Those teachers were the world's beauties and the world's wizards to me then, now, and forever. Primary teachers have a special place in every child's heart that never goes away.
And here you newspaper poseurs at the Bradenton Herald are trashing the Constitution, American workers, and primary teachers while upholding the skullduggery of an insecure, vindictive principal and his accomplice, and School Board Lawyer Bowen. God forbid that you should bestir yourself to ask the School Board to comment on the behavior of its principal and its lawyer. That would require you to skip the Chamber of Commerce luncheon with fellow Pooh-Bahs.
I am going to file a complaint against the school-board lawyer with the Florida Bar to complain about John Bowen's ethics when he failed to pass on the information to Ms. Cropsey's attorney that if Ms. Cropsey didn't show up despite her lawyer's advice that the Board would go along with that vindictive principal and fire her.
Shame, ladies and gentlemen of the press. You will not get a condo beside H. L. Mencken in Press Heaven for sure. You will be on the outskirts of paradise in the other-side-of-the-tracks locale of The National Inquirer stalwarts.
Lee Drury De Cesare
tdecesar@tampabay.rr.com
leedrurydecesarescasting-roomcouch.blogspot.com
Florida Bar
Ethics Division
Dear Ethics Committee:
I would like to file an ethics charge against
The
Mr. Bowen apparently also failed to inform Mr. Rios, the principal trying to set up Ms. Cropsey for firing after she had won her discrimination case, that the attorney for Ms. Cropsey had advised her not to attend the meeting with Mr. Rios. Mr. Bowen also failed to tell Mr. Britt that if Ms. Cropsey did not attend the meeting, that Mr. Rios could fire her.
I would also like to know the generals status of a school-board attorney's ethics. He sits on the board dais like a potted plant and did not advise the board that the Rios prayer meetings were unconstitutional, that anybody could complain about the school-based prayer meetings because people have First-Amendment license to do so, and that the restrictions on workers approved by the board violate the Fair Labor Practices provisions.
Thank you.
Respectfully,
(Ms.) Lee Drury De Cesare
tdecesar@tampabay.rr.com
Judge rules Manatee teacher shouldn't have been fired
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Published:
MANATEE COUNTY - - Teacher Mary Cropsey's problems at Mills Elementary started the day she filed a formal complaint about the school's morning prayer meetings.
The next day she got a letter from Principal Mike Rio asking her to attend a meeting to discuss a "violation of FCAT procedures."
On the advice of her attorney, Cropsey skipped that meeting, and ultimately got fired for it.
Now, a judge has ruled that the
"When I walked out of that courtroom, I knew that I was going to win this one," Cropsey said. "The school district's position just doesn't make any sense."
The ruling highlights concerns over a Manatee school district policy that prohibits teachers under investigation from bringing private attorneys to meetings. The district adopted the rule several years ago as part of a policy intended to crack down on teachers accused of misconduct.
At least one other teacher has challenged his termination under the policy, and two other state boards have said the rule violates fair labor practices.
Friday's decision comes almost three years after Cropsey started as a third-grade teacher at Mills in the 2006-2007 school year.
Almost immediately she started having problems. Cropsey said that Principal Mike Rio and other school employees treated her like an outcast. She suspected that was because she is older and did not participate in the prayer meetings.
Cropsey was working on a one-year contract, and in February 2007
A month later Cropsey went to the school district and lodged a discrimination complaint against
The letter did not detail the specific allegations -- which later turned out to be test cheating, a misdemeanor crime -- or state that Cropsey was under a formal investigation.
It stated she could bring representation, but did not elaborate that the district policy would only allow her to bring a union officer, not a private attorney.
Cropsey was suspicious when she received the letter and contacted an attorney, who advised her not to attend, fearing she might incriminate herself.
Her lawyer, Charles Britt, also called School Board attorney John Bowen to let him know he had advised Cropsey not to come. Bowen asked him to put that in writing, but did not tell him that Cropsey could lose her job for not attending.
Several months later the
It is not clear how widespread the implications of the ruling could be, but Bowen said it could impact public employers across
"They have basically said that an employee can, at the advice of an attorney, disobey what their employer tells them to do, which is a novel concept," Bowen said.
Bowen said the district can appeal the judge's decision to the state Supreme Court or ask for a rehearing in the second district. He said he needs to review the ruling before making a recommendation to the board.
Cropsey said she is ready to keep fighting if the district chooses to appeal.
"They're not going to wear me down," Cropsey said.
Cropsey said she had an extremely difficult time finding a job after the district accused her of FCAT cheating. Eventually, she found a job at a charter high school in
"Once you accuse someone of cheating on the FCAT, pretty much the only thing worse is accusing someone of molesting a child," Cropsey said.
Wednesday, May. 06, 2009
Federal court rules in ex-teacher’s case
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The ruling of summary judgment filed in
— Herald staff reports
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Letter to the Editor:
The Bradenton Pooh-Bahs' behavior in the crucifixion of local third-grade teacher Mary Cropsey by vindictive principal, Mike Rio and Board Attorney does not make them an adornment to journalism.
Whatever happened to the Crusading Press? Or is that just an instance of press puffery for its own ego?
Maybe a better question is What does the Bradenton Herald have against teachers?
The fact-packed Sarasota Herald Tribune piece below contrasts markedly with the short shrift of the Bradenton Herald report.
Hoi polloi teachers are not important in
Let me get this straight: Are you moth-balled members of the Crusading Press that without editorial rebuke let a vindictive principal, one Mr. Rios, hold prayer meetings in the school on federal property, retaliate against third-grade teacher Ms. Mary Cropsey because she didn't attend the meetings and complained about them, and then when she won her discrimination case, Le Rios cooked up another case against her with the cooperation of the board attorney, one Mr. Bowen, Esquire, member of the bar but not ornament?
What about defending the Constitution, specifically separation of church and state? What about going to bat for the First Amendment, without which you
What about fair labor practices? Is that federal law overruled by the
Your readers don't agree with you. They love teachers. They mistrust the press and deservedly so in this case. Ms. Cropsey is a third-grade teacher. Everybody loves his or her third-grade teacher and all primary teachers. They are children's substitute mothers and fathers when children enter their first perilous adventure in the outside world. The children are scared. But their wonderful primary teachers make them feel safe. We remember and love those teachers forever. Sixty years ago my primary teachers were Ms. McPherson, first grade; Ms. Roberts, second grade; Ms. Byers, third grade; Ms. Roberts again, fourth grade; Ms. Lewis, fifth and sixth grades. Those teachers were the world's beauties and the world's wizards to me then, now, and forever. Primary teachers have a special place in every child's heart that never goes away.
And here you newspaper poseurs at the Bradenton Herald are trashing the Constitution, American workers, and primary teachers while upholding the skullduggery of an insecure, vindictive principal and his accomplice, and School Board Lawyer Bowen. God forbid that you should bestir yourself to ask the School Board to comment on the behavior of its principal and its lawyer. That would require you to skip the Chamber of Commerce luncheon with fellow Pooh-Bahs.
I am going to file a complaint against the school-board lawyer with the Florida Bar to complain about John Bowen's ethics when he failed to pass on the information to Ms. Cropsey's attorney that if Ms. Cropsey didn't show up despite her lawyer's advice that the Board would go along with that vindictive principal and fire her.
Shame, ladies and gentlemen of the press. You will not get a condo beside H. L. Mencken in Press Heaven for sure. You will be on the outskirts of paradise in the other-side-of-the-tracks locale of The National Inquirer stalwarts.
Lee Drury De Cesare
tdecesar@tampabay.rr.com
leedrurydecesarescasting-roomcouch.blogspot.com
Florida Bar
Ethics Division
Dear Ethics Committee:
I would like to file an ethics charge against Bradenton School Board Attorney John Bowen.
The
Mr. Bowen apparently also failed to inform Mr. Rios, the principal trying to set up Ms. Cropsey for firing after she had won her discrimination case, that the attorney for Ms. Cropsey had advised her not to attend the meeting with Mr. Rios. Mr. Bowen also failed to tell Mr. Britt that if Ms. Cropsey did not attend the meeting, that Mr. Rios could fire her.
I would also like to know the generals status of a school-board attorney's ethics. He sits on the board dais like a potted plant and did not advise the board that the Rios prayer meetings were unconstitutional, that anybody could complain about the school-based prayer meetings because people have First-Amendment license to do so, and that the restrictions on workers approved by the board violate the Fair Labor Practices provisions.
Thank you.
Respectfully,
(Ms.) Lee Drury De Cesare
tdecesar@tampabay.rr.com
Judge rules Manatee teacher shouldn't have been fired
ADVERTISEMENT
Published:
MANATEE COUNTY - - Teacher Mary Cropsey's problems at Mills Elementary started the day she filed a formal complaint about the school's morning prayer meetings.
The next day she got a letter from Principal Mike Rio asking her to attend a meeting to discuss a "violation of FCAT procedures."
On the advice of her attorney, Cropsey skipped that meeting, and ultimately got fired for it.
Now, a judge has ruled that the Manatee County School Board should not have fired her, and that Cropsey deserves back pay under her contract. The District Court of Appeal ruling filed Friday could also bolster a civil lawsuit Cropsey filed against the school district.
"When I walked out of that courtroom, I knew that I was going to win this one," Cropsey said. "The school district's position just doesn't make any sense."
The ruling highlights concerns over a Manatee school district policy that prohibits teachers under investigation from bringing private attorneys to meetings. The district adopted the rule several years ago as part of a policy intended to crack down on teachers accused of misconduct.
At least one other teacher has challenged his termination under the policy, and two other state boards have said the rule violates fair labor practices.
Friday's decision comes almost three years after Cropsey started as a third-grade teacher at Mills in the 2006-2007 school year.
Almost immediately she started having problems. Cropsey said that Principal Mike Rio and other school employees treated her like an outcast. She suspected that was because she is older and did not participate in the prayer meetings.
Cropsey was working on a one-year contract, and in February 2007
A month later Cropsey went to the school district and lodged a discrimination complaint against
The letter did not detail the specific allegations -- which later turned out to be test cheating, a misdemeanor crime -- or state that Cropsey was under a formal investigation.
It stated she could bring representation, but did not elaborate that the district policy would only allow her to bring a union officer, not a private attorney.
Cropsey was suspicious when she received the letter and contacted an attorney, who advised her not to attend, fearing she might incriminate herself.
Her lawyer, Charles Britt, also called School Board attorney John Bowen to let him know he had advised Cropsey not to come. Bowen asked him to put that in writing, but did not tell him that Cropsey could lose her job for not attending.
Several months later the
It is not clear how widespread the implications of the ruling could be, but Bowen said it could impact public employers across
"They have basically said that an employee can, at the advice of an attorney, disobey what their employer tells them to do, which is a novel concept," Bowen said.
Bowen said the district can appeal the judge's decision to the state Supreme Court or ask for a rehearing in the second district. He said he needs to review the ruling before making a recommendation to the board.
Cropsey said she is ready to keep fighting if the district chooses to appeal.
"They're not going to wear me down," Cropsey said.
Cropsey said she had an extremely difficult time finding a job after the district accused her of FCAT cheating. Eventually, she found a job at a charter high school in
"Once you accuse someone of cheating on the FCAT, pretty much the only thing worse is accusing someone of molesting a child," Cropsey said.
Wednesday, May. 06, 2009
Federal court rules in ex-teacher’s case
E-Mail Print Reprint or license
Text Size:
tool name
tool goes here
The ruling of summary judgment filed in U.S. District Court in
— Herald staff reports
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Dear Ms. Cropsey, You appear to be a lovely and intelligent woman. Enough YOUNG BIMBOS at 'prayer' meetings. Who ever heard of such a thing??
At any rate, I have NOTHING AGAINST PRAYER but everything against someone trying to force someone else to do anything be it by intimidation or ostracization or violence.
I'm SOOO proud of you.
Have them light some candles for you at the next prayer meeting.
Good show, lee.