Florida: Teacher Uprising against Principal at Miami-Dade Special Education Center?

RoosThere seems to be growing discontent amongst faculty and staff against principal Dr. Tracy Roos (pictured right) at Neva King Cooper Educational Center, a Special Education Center within the Miami-Dade County Public Schools system.

Last week, every teacher received a letter that was mailed to their home purportedly from a Tallahassee-based group, Ethical Educators of America, which was highly critical of Dr. Roos.

The turmoil at the school seems to stem from the removal of the previous principal, Dr. Albert T. Fernandez, and assistant principal, Henny Cristobal, which was determined to be retaliatory by the Florida Department of Education and DOAH Judge Edward T. Bauar.

The decision ended up costing Miami-Dade and Florida taxpayers over $260,000 in legal fees and back pay to Dr. Fernandez.

There is disagreement over some of the content of the letter by teachers speaking on an anonymous basis for fear of retaliation and retribution, but agreement over how Dr. Roos treats her employees.

According to a legal complaint filed recently in state court in Miami-Dade, on April 9, 2013, Principal Roos delivered her sheep’s clothing address to her employees at a staff meeting:

And damn it!  When you see something wrong, speak up!  And I’m pissed, instead of hiding behind your, your little sheep clothing . . .

Could this incident be the “meltdown before the faculty” mentioned in the first page of the letter?

The legal complaint also details how teachers were threatened and/or intimidated and how one teacher was wrongfully terminated and then reinstated by a DOAH judge last May.

Teachers speaking on anonymity disagree on a number of points and offer the following corrections to the letter: that the Region Office did not established the curriculum, it was the District Special Education Office; Dr. Roos was not appointed by the Region but by the School Board; concerning the first paragraph on the second page, it is not true- however, District personnel, not Region, assisted in Dr. Fernandez’s removal; they would have lost over $3 million in funding, the letter states $1 million; the last sentence of the third paragraph on the second page is not true; and it was not a “totally worthless program,” and the program did enhance the students’ lives academically and personally.

Moreover, all parts of the letter which states policy came from the Region Office actually came from the District and/or District’s Special Education Office according to the teachers.

Media inquiries were made to the Florida Department of Education and to Dr. Roos.

So far, no one has commented.

We take no position if the letter is true in whole or in part, that is up to you the reader.

We report, you decide.

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