heraldsun.com: Teacher: Schools break own policy -
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Published on: 3/20/2002
Last Visited: 3/22/2002
Mary Willingham, who teaches PREP Academy courses for at-risk students at both East Chapel Hill and Chapel Hill high schools, said the school system has broken its own "zero tolerance" policy concerning weapons and has failed to find appropriate placement for the student.
Willingham added that she has received little support from district administrators and feels that she has "been asked to resign because of making a big deal about this."She said she planned to file an official grievance with the N.C. Association of Educators and will file an official letter of protest with the city school board at its meeting tonight.
"Zero tolerance is supposed to be zero tolerance, and our policy was not enforced," Willingham said."A minority student who is troubled and reaching out for help was ignored.Those of us who teach the student and ask for help also have been ignored.We're not enforcing our rules.Maybe we're afraid."
After the incident, Willingham said the student received a five-day out-of-school suspension.Upon his return to East Chapel Hill High, Willingham said he was suspended again, for fighting with another student.He is scheduled to return to her class today.
"We're letting this kid come back again and again," Willingham said."What else does he have to do before we take appropriate action?"
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"The superintendent is saying that teachers need to close the gap, and I'm saying that I've got a kid caught up in the gap and that I want to help him and I can't," Willingham said.
The incident happened Feb. 20, during Willingham's third-period business and electronic communications class.According to the teacher, a student in the class displayed a small, closed pocketknife that also was seen by at least two other students.
"He spoke of using it to cut someone," Willingham reported."He asked if anyone in the room wanted to cut anyone and he asked if I wanted to cut anyone."
Willingham, a first-year teacher who served for two years as the service learning coordinator at Chapel Hill High, said she reported the incident immediately -- to Thaden, who happened to be in the hall near her classroom -- and had the student removed from her class.
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The following day, Willingham recalled, she was told by an administrator about the suspension and that no police report had been filed.
"I don't understand why a report hadn't been filed," she said."Officer Gibson couldn't explain why one hadn't been filed, but asked me if I wanted to file one.I told him that of course I did."
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Although a police report was filed, Willingham asserted that she had to "call the police department three times and go over there twice" to make sure that it was received.
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"I assumed the school was going to file a report," Willingham said."That clearly was not done until I pushed for having it done."
The day after the incident occurred, Willingham said she was told by East Assistant Principal Chris Smith that the student would be back in her class after the end of the suspension.
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"I felt that the safety and learning environment of my students and myself was threatened," Willingham said."In a letter to administrators, I explained that I felt that a safe school environment was in jeopardy by returning the student that posed the threat and broke the law back to the classroom.I wrote that I didn't want to go back there until this was straightened out."
That evening, she said she received a telephone call from Hazel Gibbs, the district's director of human resources, who told her allegedly that if Willingham didn't report to work, she would forfeit her teaching contract.
"Basically, she was asking for my resignation," Willingham said."That's how I interpreted it."
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Willingham said explanations she heard from other administrators have been conflicting and confusing.
"I heard that we couldn't do anything because we couldn't find the knife, the knife was too small to qualify for zero tolerance and everyone knows the kid was just joking," Willingham said.
At a school meeting addressing the student's needs, Willingham said providing him with a "shadow" aide was discussed as well as placing him in Phoenix Academy, the district's alternative program.
"Everybody agreed that this kid is dangerous," Willingham said."But the next day, guess who's in my class with no shadow and no alternative placement?
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A week later, Willingham said, the ninth-grader beat up another student during PE class and was suspended again, for five days, before returning to the school today.
"We're not doing a single thing to help this kid," Willingham said."He's frustrated and he's angry.I can't help this kid.It's beyond me.I don't know what to do with him.I need help.He needs an alternative placement.
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