Stonewalling in Connecticut

I am a non-tenured teacher with 6 years experience who became a target as a result of filing a complaint of harassment against a co-worker/subordinate (paraprofessional) in my classroom. I forwarded my complaint, as well as the similar complaints of my fellow team teachers (I was the team leader), to our school administration in October 2002.

My nationally awarded Blue Ribbon school chose to retaliate against me with further harassment and unfair treatment, which resulted in a non-renewal of my contract, rather than solve the problem of the harassing paraprofessional (who was also a parent in the district).

My local union representative offered no help, except to advise me to "toughen up" and look for another job. The CEA was equally weak in their support of me, advising me that "this is the way things are in this district."

I chose at this point to hire a private attorney and pursue a non-renewal hearing to prove the reasons for my termination to be arbitrary and capricious. The hearing took place on April 30, 2003. I paid approximately $15,000 for legal representation (on my credit card!) to protect my job and restore my teaching career, but it was to no avail as the Board of Education denied my right to due process at the hearing by their repeated stonewalling, which prevented me from presenting my case.

At that point my physical health was declining rapidly, I had lost 20 pounds from the stress and had difficulty eating and sleeping, so I chose to abort the hearing (which had been continued over two months to June) and resign. Since then, I have had difficulty securing full-time employment as a teacher. Lack of recommendations and negative references have hurt my chances. The only employment I have secured are a summer school position in Hartford, two long-term substitute positions, and one replacement contracted position (a "conditional contract" which was non-renewable) which I reluctantly accepted, but soon was bullied and harassed into dismissal. This last teaching position lasted only 7 weeks until conditions became intolerable for me. I was unfairly and unequally scrutinized and held to expectations such as eating in the cafeteria with students, and staying after hours and attending their activities with them so I could "get to know them on their level." No other teacher was held to these expectations. I was also subjected to surprise meetings, and resulting humiliation, and given no support or time to adapt to a new job under very challenging conditions (I replaced a teacher in November 2003 who had abruptly resigned due to chronic student discipline problems).

I am currently unemployed and considering changing my career. When I came across your website today, I felt relief, as I thought I was alone. When I went into teaching, after 15 years of night school while raising a family, I looked forward to being part of a respectable and highly ethical career. A career I deemed as my calling, as many teachers do. I certainly did not expect to be treated in such a degrading and damaging way. My teaching career has been destroyed through no fault of my own. I am suffering both emotionally and physically, my family is suffering, and nothing can be done about it.

Anonymously from Connecticut

How many more stories about violations of teachers' rights to due process and unions standing idly by as they put our dues in their coffers does the public need to hear before they realize there is no way our schools could be decent for our kids when they are indecent for our teachers? Do you really want teachers who remain silent while our Constitution is ignored teaching your children? We don't! Join NAPTA and tell the powers that be we have had enough of this mafia-like system that is driving our society into the sewers. NAPTA

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