CAT Tracks for January 14, 2011
CSD #1 ... S.N.A.F.U.

Most of you received a memo from the District Office (from Debbie Huff) yesterday, ordering you to submit one or more "missing" items to complete your personnel file.

Employees with 20 and 30 years of experience are being asked (actually ordered, but they did say "Please") to make appointments to be fingerprinted, to order transcripts, provide copies of teaching certificates, submit a Form I-9 (to document that you are eligible to work in the United States), etc.

This action was taken unilaterally by the District without any prior consultation with the Cairo Association of Teachers. This action is outrageous and certainly a violation of the Illinois School Code.

Rest assured that CAT President De De O'Shea is in contact with the IEA legal department. I am not at liberty to reveal the legal action being contemplated (several options have been mentioned), but one thing is for certain...LEGAL ACTION WILL BE FILED BY THE ASSOCIATION over these onerous demands being made by the District.

In the short run:

  1. Comply with the District's improper demands. Do NOT place yourself in the position of being charged with insubordination.

  2. Make a genuine effort to submit the demanded materials within the specified timeline. However...do NOT be overly concerned - after making a good faith effort to comply - if you are unable to do so. (For instance, if you are required to contact a college/university to obtain a new transcript, you have no control over whether that transcript will arrive by the time specified. If it doesn't, it's not your fault. DO make a copy of the letter that you send requesting the transcript. You might submit of copy to the District Office. BUT...be sure you keep at least one copy for yourself. Since they lost your first transcript, they might well lose the letter you submit that shows that you have requested another. The District Office has shown...on a grand, massive scale...that THEY CANNOT BE TRUSTED!)

  3. Keep a detailed record of any expenditures, mileage, time, etc. required on your part to comply with the District's demands. Whatever legal remedy is pursued by the Association will seek restitution. (This was NOT your fault. Someone - past or present - misplaced, lost, or destroyed the original records that you submitted when you applied for employment in CSD #1.)


Apparently this latest crisis is being driven by an upcoming inspection of District records by the Regional Office of Education...not simply the usual harassment of employees by the District administration.

Is it just me, though? Does anyone else see a major fallacy with this mandated "running of the CATs?"

These criminal background checks; these I-9 forms; these transcripts; etc.

Won't the dates on the new documents draw attention to the "cover-up"?

I mean...

You've got all these teachers who were hired back in the 20th Century. A succession of Board members and Superintendents gave these undocumented, possible criminals a classroom and filled it full of sweet, innocent Cairo children. Then 10, 20, 30 years later, they decide to check up on them?!

If I were an "inspector" for the Regional Office of Education, I don't think I would be too impressed with the diligence of Cairo School District officials. I would think "Too little, too late", but maybe ROE will buy in to..."Better late than never".

Come to think about it...what about the Regional Office of Education? Aren't they ALSO responsible for making sure that teachers hired by the various Districts ARE properly certified...are NOT known criminals? Where have they been?

Maybe when the Association drags the District into court seeking remedy for the District's unilateral, illegal demands, the Association should call officials from the Regional Office of Education to testify...that they have been in Cairo to do "records checks" in previous years and the various documents were, indeed, in employee personnel files. Then, the District can try to explain where the documents went...and why they are requiring employees to spend their time and money replacing them.

I think the judge would be interested in their answer...


So...

While the Association explores its options and decides on the best legal remedy, you should make a good faith effort to comply with the District's improper demands...and keep a record of your expenditures, mileage, time, etc.


Bears repeating...

CSD #1 ... S.N.A.F.U.