1. These charges were brought up by the School Board and the school
district attorney is handling the case.
2. The attorney for the charged teacher is Paul Cambria from Buffalo.
(does anyone remember him?). Obviously, this teacher felt it necessary
to hire a high profile attorney for his case. It's interesting that his
attorney is not from the local community of Lockport, NY. I'm not sure
of all the details, but I thought that the teacher's union would be
representing him.
3. I appreciate the information on the Whistle Blowers Act and hope that
I can share this with the school district. It does not seem that the
school district is treating the girls badly, as stated in #2 it is the
defending attorney for the teacher.
4. As far as the statement regarding as to whether my daughter is a good
student, lucky for us that she is a 90 plus student in Social Studies,
but does this make a difference? Unlucky for those less able or
successful students. As one of you responded, they seem to become the
targets of teachers' inappropriate comments, so can minority groups (ie.
class, gender or race). Does the fact that my daughter is an excellent
student and has no history of school discipline make her any more
believable. What if I were to tell you she's not so sure it was sexual
harrassment? That is what worries me most. Many students aren't even
aware of what is happening to them. I have been trying to educate her
and will share your comments with her so that when she is in the work
force or any environment, she can identify with the criteria which
constitutes inequailty, whether it happens to her or another person.
5. To Cheryl McLaughlin- I thank you for sharing your personal
experience as I know this could have been painful for you. At this
point, my daughter does not share the same activist feelings that I
have, but I am encouraging and educating her on the issue. If my
interest is greater than hers, then I only putting my needs first. She
does not object to me offering support to the other people involved, so
I intend to do so.
6. To Walcott- I understand about not getting involved, but I think that
involvement can be at different levels for different people. I am
planning on offering my assistance to the district in sharing the
resources that I have encountered from all of you. I do not teach in
this district, but I surely do have an invested interest.
7. Does any one object to my sharing your comments and resources with
the school district? If so, please contact me by 2/1/97 and I will be
glad to remove your e-mail from my copies.
May I say that I am glad that so many people are monitoring this
dicussion list? I wasn't so sure until I posted my message. It is
comforting to know that people all over the world are aware of these
issues. Thank you again everyone. If you are aware of any local
Buffalo, N.Y. agencies that can help, please respond.