The more I get to know humans the more I like my snakes!

[Joanna]

For two weeks now I have been in turmoil. I need to rant - so if you do not want to read a possibly incoherent diatribe you may want to stop now!

My 11 year old goes to the local Charter school. We were hoping that our second son would start there next year and that eventually all three would go through the school. I have never liked the head of school (HOS - principal) but I have overall been very happy with the school and my son loves it there. By all accounts the school has been very successful.

Last spring the HOS was charged with DUI on a Saturday mid afternoon. Now maybe I am puritanical but I think that a head of school that is caught drinking in the middle of a day and found driving sets a terrible example to the children and should not be a head of school. I guess what he does on his private time is deemed private and I was clearly in the minority in this opinion.

Since then other things about him have come to light - some very questionable hirings of teachers, no internet filters on the school computers resulting in kids seeing some graphic pornography. There are other things too numerous to mention.

His contract is up for renewal this year and the board had a vote scheduled. The board was clearly split about him. This man's presence and tactics over the years have caused many people to resign from the board. On the board are 2 teachers who do not see that it is a conflict of interest for them to vote on their boss's contract! The behavior I have witnessed by parents and by teachers has disgusted me beyond belief. Some people's stupidity is beyond comprehension. The bullying and despicable ploys that the board has used boggle's my mind.

I am almost 42 years old. I am the child of a concentration camp survivor. I work with survivors of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. I work with people who have lived in abject poverty and been abused by those "above" them. I work with people with serious mental illness, drug abuse, alcohol abuse and dementia. I am all too familiar with humanities inhumanities and yet the behavior of middle class and upper middle class educated Americans has disturbed me to no end.

The end result will probably be that there will be lawsuits and the state may come in and take away the school's charter! Time will tell. Who knows maybe the bullies will get their way and teachers without ethics or morals will continue to teach our children! I for one can not see allowing a teacher that for whom I have no respect teach my children and will most likely have to send my children elsewhere.

If you made it this far - thanks for listening!

Joanna