I really hope I am not coming across as beating a dead horse. If I am, I apologize, but something is really bothering me.

Right now a friend of mine is sitting in the new fangled Rubber Room accused of corporal punishment. Just one allegation. A bullshit allegation. That is all I can share presently. As of now, I can't disclose any more details.

Now here is where it might seem as if I am beating the proverbial dead horse. As many readers of my blog know I started out writing this blog in August 2008 to keep a journal as to the goings on at my school, PS 154 in the Bronx. I wrote extensively about an assistant principal at the time that I named Numb Nuts. Several months ago I shared his name, Derrick Townsend on the blog, and the fact I went on FOX 5 to out him as a serial physical abuser of students. Back in April when Chaz was being lambasted in the Daily News, I compared the hypocrisy of the DOE vis a vis teachers and administrators. Here is right I had written;

What did Derrick Towsend do? Well we need to go back to January 2007 in which I notified by immediate superior at the time, principal Cynthia Ballard of Townsend's misdeeds. Read on;

On Monday, January 22^nd, 2007 during the extended day program, I heard a commotion outside my office, Room 219, in the hallway. I stepped to the doorway of my office and saw that XXXXX was struggling with Mr Townsend. Mr Townsend appeared to be attempting to get XXXXX inside his office. Mr Townsend then took XXXXX’s right arm, and pulled it behind and up XXXXXX’s back as he was doing this; he slammed XXXXX into his closed office door with XXXXX’s face and chest bearing the brunt of the impact.

On Thursday, January 25, 2007 at approximately 12:20 PM the 3^rd grade was in the auditorium to watch a movie before they ate lunch. XXXXXX had come down with his class, and was not cooperating. XXXXXX had decided to sit in the 2^nd or 3^rd row of the far right (if facing the stage) set of seats. I was standing at the back of the auditorium, and saw Mr Townsend approach XXXXXX. I do not know what was said at first, but Mr Townsend was soon getting very animated. Mr Townsend then grabbed XXXXXX by his upper left arm, and pulled him out of his seat violently. He dragged XXXXXX up the aisle to the last row of seats, and threw XXXXXX into the aisle seat.

   On Tuesday, January 30, 2007, at approximately 12:20 the 3rd grade was in the auditorium to watch a movie before they ate lunch. XXXXXXX was talking to XXXXXX in the last row

   Of seats on the right side of the auditorium. Mr Townsend asked XXXXXX several times come sit with his class. XXXXXX refused, and Mr Townsend walked up to the last row. Mr Townsend walked down the row, grabbed XXXXXX, by his upper arm, yanked him up, and dragged XXXXX into the aisle.

WOW! So did anything happen? Before you answer, think for a moment. What would have happened if pretend Townsend was a a teacher not an AP. Yep, you are right. This was reported to OSI. OSI kicked it back to the principal, the same principal that had just hired him one month earlier, to lead the investigation. The investigation was unfounded. Why? Because in Cynthia Ballard's reports to OSI she blamed the students. Described them as troublemakers and discredited them. There was no recourse.

Flash forward to February 13, 2009. Townsend in a fit of pique because a 3rd grade girl would not follow his directions after sharing with Townsend that she was touched inappropriately by a boy, yanks her out of her seat by the arm, drags her through the classroom, down the hall, all in front of 50 students and at least several adults and leaves bruises on her arm.

The funny thing is Townsend had about 6 open corporal punishment allegations against him that year (2008-2009). One for dragging a 3rd grade boy a good fifty yards from the playground into the school whilst tearing the boys shirt in the meantime, dragging a 1st grader down the hall, punishing another boy who misbehaved at lunch by having the boy clean the cafeteria.

Sorry if I am late for the party. At least here on the blog. I think back in September I posted on Twitter about how Michelle Rhee mimicked and mocked the speech patterns of her African-American students when she was the greatest teacher ever in Baltimore. According to audio made by Rhee at the Columbia Heights Education Campus, and reported by Alexander Russo and the Washington Post, Rhee, "I took little pieces of masking tapes and put them on everybody's lips." At this point in her story the crowd laughs. She goes on to explain that, "their skin is coming off and that they are bleeding," and the crowd still is laughing. This is just demented.

So why after three months or so of this being reported am I finally sharing my two cents? I guess it is seeing the launching of MichelleRheefirst.org. Seeing how Oprah is scheming to replace Gayle with Rhee as her new best friend. Watching someone has intelligent as Steven Colbert inviting having Rhee as his guest. Or just knowing in my heart of hearts that I need to do what is right in my corner of thew world to stop this evil, nasty, mean spirited woman.

But what has gotten me most riled up, gotten my gander up, has bunched up my Froot of the Looms is that a close, close person to me in another state has been reassigned because he dared to joke about taping students mouths. Now don't get me wrong, it was stupid to joke in this way. No doubt about it. But it should not involve a police investigation.

I decided to google past transgressions of teachers taping students mouths and wondered if these teachers were able to skate by as did Michelle Rhee. The names are not meant to "out" these teachers in no shape or form. These names, the accusations are widely available. It is only meant to "out" Michelle Rhee for what she truly is.

In 2008, Pamela Dahnke was terminated for taping a student's mouth shut. She was an eighth-grade health and nutrition teacher at Battle Ground Middle School in West Lafayette, IN. Did she get the same treatment as Michelle Rhee?

In 2009, Laura Gatlin a 1st grade teacher in Cleveland County, Arkansas was accused of taping students mouth and to the chair. Her lawyer's comment is here. Has she been afforded the same accolades and laughter as Michelle Rhee?

In 2006, in Katy, Texas, Jennifer Silva reportedly taped some the mouths of several students. When the superintendent got wind, he notified her he would recommend she was terminated. Why was she recommended for termination yet, Michelle Rhee is seen as the savior of education?

Just earlier this year, a teacher was accused of duct taping a student's mouth in Mishawaka, IN. This student has Asperger's syndrome. The website, care2.com said, "There are certainly many creative things that people do with duct tape. But using it on a child's mouth, and on the mouth of a child on the autism spectrum, is (serious understatement) not one of them." Does this website feel has vehement about what Michelle Rhee did and will care2.com lead the charge to make sure that Michelle Rhee is no longer near students?

And in January 2008, a well-liked Driscoll School, Brookline, MA, science teacher, Christopher Huggins , is out of a job last week after allegedly duct-taping a 12-year-old girl’s mouth during class. Michelle Rhee is not well liked. Why isn't she removed from the entire scene?

In 2009, a first grade teacher at Spaulding Elementary School, Emily Metcalfe, in Townsend, MA, used duct tape on several students' mouths. The principal was quoted as, "The superintendent went on to say that the teacher may have thought at first this was a joke, but that there was a lack of professional judgment." Didn't Michelle Rhee show poor judgment?

I am in no way condoning, nor condemning what these teachers had done. They have every single right to be proven guilty, not to prove their innocence. That is how the American system works. But, does the punishment fit the crime? Especially in light of Michelle Rhee's acknowledgment of what she has done and the education deformers sweeping it under the rug? Do these teachers not deserve the same benefit of the doubt and second chance that Michelle Rhee has received?

Ever done something voyeuristic? I have. It's neat. In fact the biggest thrill is voyeuring in on the world of the DOE.

I came across a corporal punishment report concerning an administrator. The report is several years old but what really struck me is how the system is rigged. But first some background.

This administrator, who shall remain nameless, was accused by a pedagogue of several acts of corporal punishment within a week of one another. The investigation was bounced from OSI to the principal. All was in the principal's hands. Both students were picked up by the shirts and dragged a good distance and slammed into seats.

The first thing that I noticed that in the worksheet the principal fills out there is a section to describe the student. Both students, third graders, were painted as troublemakers, difficult, anti-authority, etc...

I read the interviews of the students by the principal. In both interviews the students corroborated the account of the pedagogue that had reported each incident.

The statement by the administrator was two sentences denying the facts, and not having any recall. Funny how when the tide is turned an administrator shuts up. But this administrator also hid behind the CSA rep as well. Having CSA advise. But they hate when we want procedure followed, assert our rights, and want the UFT there in the same instances.

So basically it all boiled down to the word of the students and the pedagogue with the same stories vs. the administrator who feigned ignorance. Anyone care to guess the outcome?

The charges were unfounded. Believe that? What a waste of time and effort. I still don't get this thinking of putting administrators as deities. If Tweed wants to run the schools as a business run it as a true business and make the MANAGERS accountable. Name one other business in which a manager is a botard and keeps their job. Of course not counting Dunder Mifflin. Would McDonald's tolerate ineptitude from its managers? In fact would McDonald's hire someone to rum a store that has had no experience at all?

It is a sad day when we see that McDonald's is smarter than the DOE.

A colleague of mine that is sitting in the Rubber Room found out what his "charges" are yesterday. Understand that these charges are still under investigation, that they are alleged, and contrary to the DOE's believes, innocent till proven guilty. He was charged with allowing students to run out of the class, and verbal abuse.

But loyal readers I ask this question. Why does this teacher sit in the Rubber Room? Why does this teacher have charges? Why am I asking these questions? Why is this teacher any different from what is going on in my school?

Students run around all day in my school, John Deacon knows about it and does nothing at all. Except when John Deacon's best friend is in the school and locks the kids away like one would the crazy aunt when company arrives. I would have to come to the conclusion that not only is John Deacon condoning such behavior, but is culpable in it as well.

John Deacon also covers up Numb Nuts physical abuses of students. Numb Nuts has several allegations of corporal punishment. He continues to get ever so close to the line. Why has he not stopped this deranged, anti-social behavior? Could it be that John Deacon condones said behavior? And if John Deacon condones said behavior, then John Deacon must be culpable in this behavior. I wonder if John Deacon thinks this is OK: CHECK THIS OUT!!

I am retracting this post as I had promised. In fact if you had clicked on the link you will have not gotten a thing. The post I am referring to is the one in which parents of a student were pressured into signing a waiver absolving Numb Nuts of any corporal punishment on their son. But, and this is a big but, this does not mean that something un-pareve happened. For you goyem, pareve is Yiddish for kosher.

The young man in question was summoned to the office of the infallible Numb Nuts last Thursday. Numb Nuts instructed the boy to write a statement concerning the corporal punishment allegation. See something a bit amiss here? Numb Nuts was taking part, if not leading the investigation, into charges of corporal punishment levied against him. Is this proper protocol? Does this mean now that any teacher can lead the investigation if they have charges? Is this proper NYCDOE protocol for corporal punishment?

The young man did what he was asked. Or told. He wrote it up at home that night. But perhaps there was a kink in the plans. His parents came in the next day. So did OSI investigators. But from what I have been told it was several hours apart. Now that I think about it and writing this out I still smell a rat, a very stinky rat.

So on that matter I am not retracting the post. Nor am I apologizing. Something is rotten. Is there a cover-up? I don't know, but you know the old saying, "if it walks like a duck, if it quacks like a duck, if it swims like a duck, it must be a duck."

But remember kiddies, what was it Richard Nixon said in 1977?

I just heard something fascinating this evening. It occurred today at my school in which learning and children always come first.

If we can just travel back in time January 5 when I wrote that I had filed an allegation of corporal punishment against the dear assistant principal, Numb Nuts. To refresh those who did not click on the link, Numb Nuts grabbed a boy's arm, pulled him, and when the mother came in to complain directly to him, exalted, "I don't see any marks." Today it came to a head.

Before I continue I must stress my sources are reliable, and I got this information from three different people. If I am wrong, or my sources wrong I will immediately retract and issue an apology.

Investigators from OSI(Office of Special Investigations) came into the school today to meet with the boys parents, and principal John Deacon. I do not know if Numb Nuts was there. In this meeting the investigators pressured and cajoled the boys parents to sign a waiver that Numb Nuts did not inflict corporal punishment. That he was in fact breaking up a fight. They told the parents that if they did not sign the waiver that Numb Nuts would be in danger of losing his job.

If Numb Nuts was breaking up a fight, fine. But the brain dead administrator that he is should know, since he is as he claims an expert at discipline, how to break up a fight. Simple. Just get your body between the two students, keep your arms out to block them and you should be fine. Honestly though, you should call school safety.

But here is what rubs me the wrong way. Was there a true investigation? If these charges were unfounded fine. But why not let the process play out? If it was no big deal why did the parents get such a snarky answer from Numb Nuts? But the bigger question is: will teachers in my school now be afforded the same courtesy from OSI when accused of corporal punishment? Hey we can all lose our jobs if we commit corporal punishment. Will OSI investigators go out of their way to protect teachers jobs into having any and all parents sign a waiver?

Is this a cover-up?

Thursday, December 11, 2009. Numb Nuts in order to punish, correct, the behavior of Ba Ba Booey in the cafeteria made the student clean the cafeteria. Is this not corporal punishment? I know that as a teacher that we can't make a student write repetitively, stand in one place for a long time, or cause undue duress.

Now, Ba Ba Booey's mom came in pissed to the hilt on Thursday. She went to meet with John Deacon, but John Deacon would not deal with her. John Deacon sent for Numb Nuts. Numb Nuts is the reason the mom is there. John Deacon is the leader of the school. Why is not John Deacon being a leader?

But there are bigger questions. Why is Numb Nuts unable to control a lunch room that consists of only three, yes THREE, classes? It is not as if he is alone. He does have several aides to assist him. But here is the more serious question and one that will never, ever be answered. How many corporal punishment allegations need to be made against Numb Nuts for someone to see the light? When will something be done? When a student is seriously injured? If that is when, it will be too late.

As mentioned earlier, The Big O is in the rubber room for accidentally having his hand come in contact with a student's face. The student was out of his seat. The Big O was teaching with back turned writing on the board. When The Big O turned around to reach for something, contact was made. IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! He gets sent to the rubber room, but Numb Nuts continuously, and not by mistake, manhandles children and what happens to him? He gets rewarded like George Tenent, et al. did for leading us into a f***ed up war.

John Deacon really truly needs The Big O. Anything less and it is not real.