Healey suspended from school administrative post

By John Howell
Posted 11/19/15

Rosemary Healey, director of human services for the Warwick School Department, was suspended with pay on Monday, Superintendent Philip Thornton confirmed Tuesday.

“This is all I can say at this …

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Healey suspended from school administrative post

Posted

Rosemary Healey, director of human services for the Warwick School Department, was suspended with pay on Monday, Superintendent Philip Thornton confirmed Tuesday.

“This is all I can say at this point,” Thornton said when asked why Healey was placed on paid leave.

Healey is one of three school administrators named in a vote of no confidence passed this fall by the City Council. The two others named in the resolution, former Superintendent Richard D’Agostino and director of secondary schools Dennis Mullen, have both retired.

Ward 3 Councilwoman Camille Vella-Wilkinson docketed the vote of no confidence in May after it was learned that the administration took little or no action in response to parental complaints that a Gorton teacher drew penises on the arms of two female students. The incident came to light when the teacher, Mario Atoyan, was arrested on first and second-degree sexual assault in an unrelated matter involving a North Kingstown girl. Atoyan has been suspended without pay.

City Council President Donna Travis and Ward 7 Councilwoman Kathleen Usler joined Vella-Wilkinson in calling for a vote of no confidence. Vella-Wilkinson held off pushing for a vote on the resolution, allowing for the School Committee to complete its investigation. The committee retained attorney Vincent Ragosta to dig into the matter. Ragosta reported back to the committee in executive sessions on two separate occasions in May, but his findings were never made public.

This summer Vella-Wilkinson, Travis and Usler pushed for the vote of no confidence, gaining the support for the measure to pass on a 6-3 vote. Meanwhile requests that the Ragosta report be released increased and this fall the council approved a subpoena compelling the committee to make the report public. The committee challenged the subpoena on grounds the report should be kept confidential under attorney-client privilege. Last Thursday Superior Court Justice Bennett Gallo ruled in favor of the city, recommending that names of students and parents be removed from the report before it is released.

Thornton said Tuesday that the report should be released by the end of this week.

Earlier this year, Healey, who served in the dual capacities as human services director and legal counsel to the School Committee, was relieved of her responsibilities as counsel. Andrew Henneous has since been retained as legal counsel.

In an email, School Committee Chair Jennifer Ahearn said Healey’s suspension did not come before the committee but Thornton “has the authority to make staffing decisions at his discretion before making his recommendation to the SC, which is quite often the case for most of our WPS employees that go out on any type of leave.”

She said the matter would come before the School Committee for final approval, which she thought would happen at the December meeting in executive session.

Comments

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  • Justanidiot

    Oh, just let her go draw a penis on your daughter's arm and let her go about her job. No harm no foul.

    Thursday, November 19, 2015 Report this

  • Gonewiththewind

    Goodbye Healey...Nice to see your little clique gone for good.

    Thursday, November 19, 2015 Report this

  • markyc

    The entire situation(s) occurring at & within the Warwick School System is not good. Contract issues being discussed by Mr. Nadeau in the Warwick Beacon pertaining to "work to rule". DON'T NEGOTIATE IN PUBLIC! This has occurred before. Regardless of why Ms. Healey was suspended, to most, if not all, observers, it is perceived as pertaining to the Gorton "situation".

    Other "issues":

    1) negotiating a teachers contract when neither side trusts the other.

    2) Consolidation: closing of Gorton & Aldrich & reconfiguring Warwick Vets. Including transportation & students being assigned to new schools-one can only expect problems with this process.

    3) The Mayor/City Council & the general population of Warwick doesn't trust the School Committee & who can blame them with all the secrecy & perceived mismanagement of school operations.

    The Warwick School System is not viewed as one that someone from outside the City would desire to relocate to: not with all the toxic publicity & recently released test scores.

    Thursday, November 19, 2015 Report this

  • Weedwick

    What about Donna Travis's daughter not working at the Warwick public library? Why are Warwick taxpayers paying for the salary of a city councilwomans daughter who is sitting aground and not working at the Warwick library? There are many out there who are unemployed and looking for a job.

    Thursday, November 19, 2015 Report this

  • knowthetruth4

    Nothing but secrecy coming out of the school department these days. Citizens of Warwick need to ask the school committee how they will be voting on Healy's removal next month and why. While your at it, you should ask about the following as well.

    -Our school system is on its 4th superintendent since 2012.

    -Superintendent Horoschak was relieved of his duties and the beacon reported that his departure was cloaked in secrecy.

    -The school dept had to pay him $272,302 for all of 2012 when he did not work as well as the remainder of his contract. The public still has not been told why he was let go.

    -Dr. D'Agostino is forced into retirement after a story breaks about the mishandling of a discipline matter at Gorton. The school committee goes to court to keep the independent report out of public view and recently lost.

    -School Department suddenly puts the former lawyer and current head of HR on leave which seems like they are trying to get out in front of what the soon to be released Rogasta report might say.

    Friday, November 20, 2015 Report this

  • Justanidiot

    Superintendent Horoschak's departure has never been explained. If it was a personal reason, just say it was and let's move on. If it was something else, then the public has a right to know.

    Friday, November 20, 2015 Report this

  • KM128C

    Weedwick how is your comment relevant? A councilwoman's daughter was injured in a car accident and out of work on TDI, and has since returned to work. How does that have anything to do with a no-confidence vote in Healey?

    Friday, November 20, 2015 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    The biggest thought I am taking from all of this is the dire need for greater transparency. Reduce the secrecy and the distrust gets reduced as well.

    Transparency.

    Happy Thanksgiving to everyone reading this.

    Richard Corrente

    Democrat for Mayor - 2016

    Friday, November 20, 2015 Report this

  • emark1

    Can anyone explain how JEFF TAYLOR, PRINCIPAL OF GORTON JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL, managed to keep his job? Everybody in central administration that was involved in hiding this child abuse has retired or been put on leave. Jeffery Taylor, the principal of Gorton, isn't even getting mentioned. Why? This man sat on the knowledge that one of his teachers wrote the word penis and drew a picture of a penis on the arm of a junior high school girl in permanent marker. That is child abuse of a sexual nature, and Mr. Taylor's first phone call by law should have been to DCYF. Instead he hid what happened for more than a year and let the teacher continue to work in the building. A man who turned out to be a full-fledged rapist and child molester.

    Anyone who doesn't get how bad this is- imagine your 12-13 year old daughter coming home from school one day with a penis drawn on her arm in permanent ink, and then tellling you that a grown man drew it on her arm. You'd need people to physically restrain you to keep you out of the building. Well, it looks like Mr. Taylor just closed his eyes and hoped it would go away.

    That is not OK, and that is not the kind of example that our children need in front of them.

    Friday, November 20, 2015 Report this

  • BettyJ

    As a parent in this city it is absolutely unacceptable the Mr. Taylor is still a principal. The School Committee and new superintendent should make sure this man is never put in charge of the well being of children again. It seems everyone else involved has been relieved of their duties. He should be as well.

    Saturday, November 21, 2015 Report this

  • cccrazy

    In my opinion, I actually don't think that there was any "hiding" of anything from the school to district. It sounds like the opposite, where information was shared with the Supt., HR, etc., and it's there that things were done, or maybe not done. I remember a comment from the investigation lawyer on the news that said that the school district had more than enough information to act and they didn't. Didn't sound like anyone hid the information from those that are in charge of letting people go. As a former parent of children who attended GJH, I feel as though MR. TAYLOR is and will CONTINUE to be an OUTSTANDING principal who puts the children of Warwick first and foremost.

    Saturday, November 21, 2015 Report this

  • BettyJ

    I'm sorry ccccrazy but how exactly has Mr. Taylor put the children of Warwick first? He should have called DCYF and reported the incident. Instead he "reported" it to his superiors that had him hide it. So typical Warwick administration. Let's just play the blame game and never do anything to fix any problems. Until of course it hits the press and they scramble and try to cover themselves.

    Saturday, November 21, 2015 Report this

  • efracca

    Parents like BettyJ need to get their facts straight first, before slandering people. Mr. Taylor followed proper protocol and notified the administration of the incident. As someone who knows one of the parents and students directly, they decided not to get the police involved. Mr. Taylor’s involvement is fully documented and if and when the Ragosta Report is made available to the public, everyone will know what a great job this man did handling the situation. The School Administration is fully to blame for not immediately dismissing Mr. Atoyan.

    Principals do not have power to hire, fire or even suspend a Teacher. That is the central administration’s responsibility. Mr. Taylor, the Principal, actually encouraged the parents to report the incident, he referred this to the central administration, advocated for dismissal, and when they wanted to keep this teacher, made sure the teacher was not involved in school activities outside the classroom. Had the breakdown been at the school level, the Principal would have been the first to be dismissed. The breakdown was clearly central administration.

    DCYF has no authority to do anything in this instance. As someone who has been provided the facts, Mr. Taylor followed the proper chain of command.

    Saturday, November 21, 2015 Report this

  • ddrs80

    I agree with you, cccrazy. I have heard only great things in the community about this principal - and that's from students, parents, teachers, other principals, business owners, non-profit leaders, you name it. Regardless, it sounds like the reason why he hasn't been wrapped up in this is that his involvement in this situation is most likely minimal if any. My wife, who is a principal (HS) in a different district, said that when any issue arises, even less significant than this, the central administrative team (which if I am to understand this article, included a team of 3 people) takes over the investigation, consequences, etc. I believe that I had even read/heard somewhere that the parent in this particular case called the supt. herself. Also, my wife's district is smaller and uses a law firm, rather than having a staff lawyer of their own that does all their investigations, but regardless, that's what they are there for (district admin), which is to support principals; or at least fortunately for her in her district. She also explained to me that principals do not have the authority to suspend, hire, fire, etc. She was also trying to explain that in this district, principals don't even have say as to which teachers transfer to their building? I'm not sure how that happens or even if that's true, as it wouldn't make much sense.

    Saturday, November 21, 2015 Report this

  • ddrs80

    Thank you for this, efraca. Seems to solve the mystery and answer people's questions, especially if it is covered in the report coming out. This is also good to hear, as it helps to make sense of why Mr. Taylor was not wrapped up in this from the get go. After reading your comment, it seems as though he acted as a good principal should, which seems to validate those here, as well as what I've heard in the community, that claim that he does put kids first. And especially if he was the one shining the light on this in the first place. Anyway, thanks for clearing up any confusion. Personally, and in thinking of my wife who is in this role, I just would hope that if there was an issue that people had questions/concerns about in which she may have been involved or dealt with that they got the facts first before demanding heads to roll. That would at the very least be fair and what anyone of us would want for our own selves in our own professions.

    Saturday, November 21, 2015 Report this

  • Justj1969

    As a parent who was directly involved in both the incident and the investigation, I can say that all parties involved.. Parents and Mr. Taylor did everything possible to call the incident to the attention of the administration and we were IGNORED. Mr. Taylor did everything within his power to make sure he detailed every fact of the incidents and ensured our children would be safe. It was the administration the failed my daughter, not Mr. Taylor nor myself or her father. They CHOSE not to act. We presented the facts of the incident and they closed their eyes. So please leave Mr Taylor alone he was wonderful and thorough. Put the blame on the teacher who used his position to be inappropriate to say the least with his students, and the administration that didn't feel his acts were worthy of investigation.

    Thank you

    Saturday, November 21, 2015 Report this

  • emark1

    Methinks Principal Taylor doth protest too much...a man with a clear conscience wouldn't be on here arguing with parents in the comment section.

    Saturday, November 21, 2015 Report this

  • ShameOnYou

    It is really unfortunate when someone posts erroneous and unfair comments about a situation where they don't know the facts or choose to not acknowledge the facts. The principal does not have the authority to suspend or dismiss a teacher. The principal's responsibility is to document and report a school situation to his/her superiors, which is exactly what Mr. Taylor did. Ragosta had stated that the administration (Healy/D'Agostino) had all the facts needed to act accordingly and did not take action to remove this teacher. That tells me Mr. Taylor did not "sit" on the information and that he reported it to his superiors. I believe the Ragosta report will state exactly who acted appropriately (Taylor) and who didn't act appropriately (Healy/Dag). Mr. Taylor is a well known and highly respected principal in the Warwick school district. Shame on you BETTYJ and EMARK1. You owe Mr. Taylor an apology for TRYING to defame his character. And if you don't feel it necessary now, I believe the outside lawyer's investigation report will change your mind.

    Saturday, November 21, 2015 Report this

  • efracca

    I do not see a single post from Mr. Taylor, nor would he jeopardize his position in doing so. As someone who spoke this afternoon with the parent of one of the students involved, those accusing Mr. Taylor are unjustified. Mr. Taylor did everything within his position to report the violation.

    The parent Justj1969, thank you for your statement.

    Wait for the Ragosta report to be released.

    -- Edward F. Racca (I don’t need to hide behind an alias)

    Saturday, November 21, 2015 Report this

  • ShameOnYou

    Hmmm....me thinks EMARK1 and BETTYJ have a hidden agenda and are not at all interested in the issue at hand. With all of the facts presented so far, why else would someone try to defame Mr. Taylor? Apparently EMARK1 is a teacher because of his comment in the Work to Rule article. Perhaps a teacher at Gorton? EMARK1 should take his hidden agenda directly to Mr. Taylor and not try to retaliate against him by using this particular issue. Shame, shame, shame on you EMARK1.

    Saturday, November 21, 2015 Report this

  • TessEckel

    Its outrageous that more people aren't pissed about what appears to be the injustice of a child!!! Why can't taxpayers, ask questions about the steps that the caretakers within a public school are taking to ensure the safety of students? Especially when there was harm done to a child while at school and very little transparency in how the principal took good care of the child (if he actually did)? Perhaps, the principal should be considered a hero, if he did all of the right things? Perhaps, the principal should be fired? The point is: WE DON'T KNOW AND the public tries to understand by trying to get the "facts" from this disgrace of a newspaper that claims to "inform" people. Place the blame where it ACTUALLY belongs.

    The story was left dangling in the air without any explanations for the public. Last thing I knew, there was an investigation taking place because it was unclear who was responsible for the child being abused in school. Why hasn't anyone wanted to clear the air, profess innocent parties to ensure the safety of the children at the school? The principal still goes into that school and is still responsible for the safety of children everyday, yet there has been no evidence presented to the public to guarantee the guy is safe for the children in the community to lean on and trust. Until undeniable evidence is presented to the public, it's fair for the public to ask questions about the people in charge, in the public school system. Like I said, all we know is that there are still people being questioned about this investigation.

    It's completely unrealistic to expect humans to stop acting human. To expect humans to behave in a way that does not fit your personal needs, means: you are in denial of the truth. When information is withheld, people speculate. When people read about a kid in the paper, that experienced a harmful event (such as, the drawing on the arm) most people feel bad for the kid. So, it's not slander. It's people calling it like it is, about a guy that works with kids and there's not a lick of evidence to support the actions the guy took to help the kid. Why would anyone expect the public/parents/taxpayers to be in support of a guy responsible for the safety of kids at a school, but (as far as the public knows) is STILL in question and being investigated for his part in the abuse of a child? No update, no evidence, no proof. Just a couple of parents say "he's a nice guy". I don't think I'm alone in wanting to see some evidence before I become a cheerleader and rally around a guy that has questionable ability to care for the safety of a bunch of kids. Sorry but hearing an opinion that someone being a "nice guy", doesn't mean I feel better about his ability to ensure the safety of kids, especially after everything that the media has thrown out there about the situation.

    Another red flag: Perhaps there's some negative comments being thrown around because of all of the effort going into concealing the court documents to keep them from the public?!? If there isn't anything bad to hide, no one would be arguing over the release of this information. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that it's not about the children's rights or their privacy (because their names will be removed). So the only other reason someone doesn't want information to come out is for self serving reasons. People that do the "right thing" aren't afraid of the truth, ever. None of the action (or inaction) around this case is helping the administration look good. Looks like some of these people are trying to hide something, based on all of the secrecy. And frankly,most caring individuals want to know all parties involved, that are responsible for the harm of the child, are going to receive justice. I know, shocking. If there's nothing to hide (other than the privacy of the children's names which have been removed) and everyone involved did a good job, let the truth speak for itself.

    The child involved experienced abuse when that teacher made a poor choice to draw on that child's arm. So, DO NOT minimize or make light of how serious it would be, if this principal did not take immediate action upon discovering the abuse to the child. He would be responsible for the abuse of the child, for neglecting to respond immediately.Even If there is any evidence that suggests that the principal hesitated to report abuse, he is also responsible for the abuse of the child. The public has the right to question and receive undeniable confirmation that the principal did take immediate action in reporting child abuse that took place in a public school. The public deserves to know how he would respond, since he is in a position to care for children. The public deserves to know that the children in the community can be trusted, relied upon w continues to be responsible for the care of children, to serve as evidence that it would be possible to do the right thing, if ever faced with the difficult situation, as he continues his role as a principal. The idea that a person, in a position of power, might have kept their mouth closed about reporting child abuse is completely unacceptable. There is no excuse for an adult, in a position of a caretaker, that would constitute choosing to wait to report an incident, in which a child reported abuse. If the adult did not take immediate action, that would allow a child to continue to feel uncomfortable about the abuse, have the child question their reality and allow the abuse to continue.

    Once again, because there is no evidence otherwise, the public is under the impression, the investigation is ongoing, the questionable principal is still in a position of being responsible for the safety of children (even though he is under investigation in a child abuse case) which leads to not knowing the truth, which leads to rumors. The harmful effects of abuse are well documented and indicate the powerless child is forever traumatized. If there is no clear evidence indicating these people did not take immediate action, the principal and all responsible parties, shouldn't be allowed to be in a position where they make decisions on behalf of children, any longer. In a public school, children deserve the right to voice their concerns if they don't feel safe, have their concerns taken seriously by a caring adult and have problems resolved, immediately. End of the story.

    Hopefully, the whole truth will be provided, including all of the parts people are purposefully omitting, to stop the public from speculating and put an end to rumors. I hope the children involved in this mess are doing ok, regardless of all of this adult confusion.

    Sunday, November 22, 2015 Report this

  • cccrazy

    BettyJ he reported it

    Sunday, November 22, 2015 Report this

  • Justj1969

    Thank you efracca, I am glad to see so many people who feel the same about the incident being inappropriate because other than Mr. Taylor and the parents involved seemed to think it justified action. Thank god I save every email I ever sent and was able to provide the exact account of what occurred and my feelings about the action or lack there of by the administration. Mr. Taylor acted swiftly and followed protocol and beyond, taking written statements from the students involved and meeting with the parents. Following up with where the investigation was and finally advising it was in the hands of the administration, he had taken the highest level of authority he had in this situation. Please remember this isn't a witch hunt to those directly involved, this is my daughter and her best friends.. I continued to flow up with the administration only to be told the matter had been closed and they could not tell me what action was taken as it was a personnel matter. This resulted in my unanswered email to Mr. Dagastino. Where does one go from there? Get a lawyer? Sue the city? I didn't want to put my 13yr old through that, I just wanted her to finish her Jr high school years happily in the school she had rallied to keep open. I sincerely feel that many opinions will change when the report is revealed.

    Thanks to all of you who seem truly educated as much as possible for your comments, they are comforting.

    For those who are not, I am sure there are other articles you can vent on.

    Ps Edward, I am sure you can understand why I remain anonymous.

    Sunday, November 22, 2015 Report this

  • Dullie

    After reading the different comments here I decided to ask my two children and their friends, all former Gorton students, about what has been happening at Gorton over the past several years. The first thing they told me was that a lot of people Mr. Taylor deals with seem to get fired. So, to say he has no leverage in who gets fired, I'm not sure that is true. First, Mr. Hughes, Mr. Atoyan, Mr. Shepherd and Miss Grolay were all let go while Mr. Taylor was principal. Also, the superintendent, Director of Secondary and the district lawyer / HR head all were let go as well. That is public knowledge from the press. When I specifically ask the kids about Mr. Atoyan they said right up until he left he had students alone in his room for lunch and he took kids on a field trip out of state to Conn. This does not seem that he was being monitored closely. Some of these kids had Mr. Atoyan and they never saw Mr. Taylor dropping in to classes and checking up on things. My Childern had very positive experiences at Gorton and that was because of the teachers.

    Of course, Mr. Taylor's supporters are jumping to his defense, but let's not try and say these other people are disgruntled Gorton teachers. Can't taxpayers have an opinion? Can't parents have an opinion? Let's just jump on the "bash the teachers" bandwagon because that just seems to be the thing to do right now. Everyone has a right to their opinion. Let's just see what the report has to say.

    Sunday, November 22, 2015 Report this

  • Dullie

    The kids were not sure but they thought Mr. Atoyan was scheduled to take a group that spring yo Washington D.C. any teacher parents or other know any thing about this?

    Sunday, November 22, 2015 Report this

  • BettyJ

    My daughter said that Mr. Atoyan was supposed to chaperone the DC trip last year.

    Sunday, November 22, 2015 Report this

  • StopTheNonsense

    I feel it necessary to post a comment here that I normally do not do, but this hate vendetta against Jeff Taylor needs to stop. I am a teacher at Gorton and will remain anonymous of course. Mr Atoyan WAS selected to be a chaperone for th DC trip by the trip coordinator without seeking approval of the principal. When Jeff became aware of this selection, he informed the trip coordinator to select a different chaperone. This now makes sense as to why. It also makes sense as to why Mr. Atoyan no longer was a mentor to students, nor in charge of one of the student clubs. We all just thought Mr. Atoyan was just not interested in participating in these and other activities. But now it is coming together that these withdrawals were not his choice and that Jeff ensured Mr. Atoyan would not be part of student activities. And I also need to inform you that Jeff does pop into all of the classes all the time. I don't consider myself on a Jeff Taylor band wagon, but in reading these injustices, I feel it necessary to set the record straight. It is wrong to post false truths. "Parents", hearsay should not be construed as the truth.

    Sunday, November 22, 2015 Report this

  • Lynn70

    I disagree with regard to Mr Atoyan not participating with student activities. As he was in charge of an after school basketball club that would lead to a teacher tournament for the final game. The club began the same week the charges (for the case outside of the school) were brought up and hit the media After he left another teacher stepped in to hold the club.

    Monday, November 23, 2015 Report this

  • MasonL

    As a school leader, Jeff Taylor is bound by a set of fundamental guiding principles known as the Standards for Educational Leadership in Rhode Island (SELRI). These standards are a guide to the development and implementation of policies and practices at the state and local level that ensure education leaders have the specific skills, knowledge and dispositions to reach their fullest potential. These standards were designed by the State of Rhode Island because it has recognized the value of high quality leadership and the vital role that leaders play in ensuring student learning and effectively and efficiently operating schools. While dispositions alone will not guarantee that leaders will be successful, such dispositions do provide an ethical and moral framework for leaders actions. [1]

    Standard 5 reads, “Education leaders ensure the success of each student by modeling personal development, ethical behavior and acting with integrity. School leaders are expected to maintain the ethical and legal standards of the profession.” It was anticipated that Jeff Taylor would demonstrate ethical and legal behavior by behaving in a trustworthy manner, using his influence to serve the best interest of EACH student, enhance education and promote the common good. I submit that Jeff Taylor lacked the disposition to demonstrate such ethical and legal behavior when he failed to alert the proper authorities after he immediately became aware of the child abuse rendered at the hands of Mario Atoyan. It would appear as if Taylor thought it best to contact his superiors first, so as to keep a lid on the scandal. Taylor’s actions clearly show the nexus between his unethical dispositions and disregard for the safety and well-being of ALL children of Warwick schools and its community members. It was the actions of Taylor that paved the way for senior administrators to place Atoyan back in the classroom to potentially harm other students. While Taylor may have made half-hearted attempts to limit Atoyan’s participation in student activities, the fact remains that Atoyan stayed on the job and therefore, ALL students would now be at risk.

    Nearly everyone in an organization appreciates that ethics is important, employees focus on doing the right thing, for the right reasons—even in the face of competing demands on people’s time and attention. Ethics isn’t viewed simply as adherence to rules or a way to detect and punish legal violations, but as a way of talking about what’s important and building trust to promote the organization’s mission. [2] It is evident that Jeff Taylor’s actions (or lack of action) along with those of his superiors have eroded any trust that the citizens of Warwick had in the schools and its leaders. I would be hard pressed to believe that all parents in the city of Warwick could put their trust in the leadership of Jeff Taylor when he has shown a lack of courage and conviction to protect the children in his charge. If any well-adjusted, ethical person of sound mind were to witness a child being abused at the hands of an adult, then there is no doubt that the witness would most definitely contact the police, DCYF or both. Jeff Taylor chose to abandon the ethical standards set forth by the Rhode Island Department of Education for a less expedient, easier path of denial. Taylor buried his head in a hole, like that of an ostrich hiding from its fears.

    Employees conform to ethical practices not because they’re afraid of punishment, but because they’re committed to the organization’s mission and values and to putting them into practice. Empirical evidence indicates that if leaders demonstrate that they don’t care about ethical behavior, employees will avoid raising concerns for fear of being rebuked. [3] Jeff Taylor and his band of malcontent supervisors have managed to violate Standard 2, indicator (iii) of SELRI “develop a culture that does promote shared responsibility to continuously examine beliefs, values and practices in relation to the mission vision and goals of the Warwick Public Schools”. [1] When the environment (and culture) reinforces organizational values, employee performance and commitment, integrity, and communication are all enhanced. [4, 5] We are part of an historic shift in the field of educational leadership. Policy makers, parents and other constituents of public schools are increasingly holding education leaders accountable for the academic success and well-being of every student. Can we really afford a breakdown in the culture of learning in Warwick schools due to the lack of ethical behavior from an incompetent leader? The teachers, parents, children and our community deserve better leadership.

    In closing, I would like to use an analogy that drives home the kind of leadership that Jeff Taylor represents. While the relational parallel may be somewhat unsettling for those with delicate sensibilities, it is important to remember what kind of person Taylor has allowed himself to become through his own inept and misguided actions. When I wipe my ass, I am sure to clean thoroughly, so as to leave no remnants. As the school department slowly purges the excrement that allowed a deviant like, Mario Atoyan, to remain in the classroom, it is important to remember that the breakdown began when Jeff Taylor did not contact the proper authorities (i.e. Warwick Police and/or DCYF). As the Warwick School Department’s excretion of inept administrative leaders comes to an end, I would urge the WPS to wipe Jeff Taylor away with the other feculent matter (Dr. Richard D’Agostino, Dennis Mullen and Rosemary Healey) connected to this heinous act. The students, community members and educators need assurance that the process and systems surrounding the recruitment, development, and retention of school leaders will result in the high quality, ethical leadership in our schools. The attributes of such leadership are not consistent with Jeff Taylor’s actions, disposition and beliefs as a school principal. It is time to part ways with Jeff Taylor to allow the healing to begin. We must protect our most precious and vulnerable assets of our fine city; the children of Warwick.

    [1] http://www.ride.ri.gov/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/Teachers-and-Administrators-Excellent-Educators/Educator-Certification/Cert-main-page/Leadership-Standards-1292009.pdf

    [2] DeRenzo EG. Individuals, systems, and professional behavior. Organizational Ethics 2005;Spring:44–58.

    [3] Simpson D. Understanding employee loyalty and commitment. Management Ethics December 2000. Available at http://www.ethicscentre.ca/html/resources/december2000. html#1; last accessed March 7, 2005.

    [4] Weaver GR, Trevino LK. Compliance and values oriented ethics programs: Influences on employees attitudes and behavior. Bus Ethics Q. 1999;9:315–35.

    [5] Barnett T, Schubert E. Perceptions of the ethical work climate and covenantal relationships. J Bus Ethics 2002;36(3 Part 3):279–91.

    Saturday, December 5, 2015 Report this