Speed Gibson

What do politicians always say, the cover-up does more damage than the charge? Faced with two teachers who repeatedly, personally mocked a student, the Anoka-Hennepin School District first tried "corrective action" paired with a $ 25,000 judgment against the District. District parents wanted more, i.e., outright dismissal. At a minimum, they insisted their children not be in any class those two led.

Now we learn that the two teachers were placed on leave. The attorney for teacher Diane Cleveland claimed this was voluntary on her part, indefinite and unpaid. No word yet on the other, Walter Filson. Substitute teachers are being hired to at least start their classes next week. But at the moment, it would appear that either could be re-instated at some point, like after the November 2009 Referendum perhaps?

The District continues to hide behind alleged privacy requirements rather than take the final, seemingly obvious step of permanently replacing these teachers. Just what is the issue? The disciplinary action to date and the financial settlement would appear to concede their guilt. The charge is serious, having forced the student to transfer to another school.

As the parents correctly infer, the District's slow, vague, even mysterious response to date suggests such an incident could happen again.