Source: Pinto: The fight for the microphone in Jeffco | The Colorado Statesman
After enduring attacks on her character, her heritage, her person, and her abilities, Jeffco Schools Communications Director Lisa Pinto has tendered her resignation.
Her resignation may seem like just another symptom of school-reform-upheaval, but it’s much more than that. She was bullied out of her job. These attacks came with hashtags – #standup4kids, #supportjeffcokids, #go4kids – that are used by educator’s associations (aka teacher’s unions). Remember, teachers are charged with enforcing a zero-tolerance bullying policy that states “All administrators, teachers, classified staff and students share the responsibility to ensure that bullying does not occur at any district school, on any district property, at any district or school-sanctioned activities or events…” Of course, the policy only applies to students. Teachers are asked to ENFORCE it, not ABIDE by it. Jefferson County Education Association abides by an ironic “do as I say, not as I do” policy.
The problem with this bullying goes much deeper than irony, though. The JCEA has led the way for education associations around the state, particularly the Thompson Education Association. Their tactics often mirror each other. Both groups constantly repeat that they are fighting for the children. As the hash-tags indicate, they are standing for kids. If that were true…if this were about the kids and not about power, shouldn’t things like the communication director’s personal life be secondary to the problem of over-testing? Or what about on-line security? In all of these Twitter accounts, there is not one mention of children’s personal data being sold for profit. There is no talk about literacy rate disparities – outside that of the board. There is no concern for graduation rates. None of them is even worried about the long-term impact of increased ADHD diagnoses and the many students who are prescribed psychotropic drugs.
For the public, it is hard to believe the hash-tags when we hear the message that comes with them. It is time for JCEA, TEA, PEA…ALL the EA’s to really #stand4kids. If that were happening, nobody would be bullied. There is so much to stand for that there just wouldn’t be time to worry about anyone else. Kids would be a lot safer in their classrooms if these educators would stand as vigilant examples of respect and leadership.