Mum’s word on school report

By John Howell
Posted 12/1/15

Members of the City Council finally have copies of the Ragosta report, but mum is the word.

There is also an effort to silence the council members and the Beacon from disclosing the contents of …

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Mum’s word on school report

Posted

Members of the City Council finally have copies of the Ragosta report, but mum is the word.

There is also an effort to silence the council members and the Beacon from disclosing the contents of the report, and in particular information about Warwick Schools Director of Human Services Rosemary Healey.

In a letter faxed to the newspaper, Healey’s attorney, Jeffery Sowa, says the report being provided to the council is only a portion of the work attorney Vincent Ragosta did when retained by the School Committee to investigate how the school administration responded to complaints that a Gorton science teacher had drawn penises on the arms of two female students. Sowa writes that the report, for which the council subpoenaed the school committee, does not contain witness statements, emails exchanged between Ragosta and the committee, and other supporting documentation.

“These other documents will demonstrate that the Ragosta report was neither fair nor impartial,” Sowa writes. He goes on to say that the subjects of the report, “including Ms. Healey, have not been given the opportunity to substantially review the report.” He points out that Healey was not allowed to be present during the presentation of the report and had no meaningful opportunity to respond to the report.

So far, no members of the council have been anxious to share the report with the Beacon. And, in fact, according to Ward 9 Councilman Steve Merolla, the council is being advised by its legal counsel, John Harrington, not to release it to the public. Merolla hasn’t found anything especially startling in what he had read so far.

“I don’t think there’s anything I didn’t know,” he said Sunday.

An attorney, Merolla has been hesitant from the outset to pursue action against administrators believed to have been responsible for not taking more decisive action against the teacher or retaining copies of the report. Merolla was one of three voting against a vote of no confidence taken by the council this summer naming Richard D’Agostino, Dennis Mullen and Healey.

Merolla points out that both D’Agostino, who was superintendent, and Mullen, who was director of secondary education, have retired. The teacher, Mario Atoyan, is suspended without pay and is involved in an unrelated criminal trial; and Healey has been suspended with pay.

“What are we asking for?” Merolla asks. If the city is looking to go after Atoyan, Merolla believes there’s sufficient reason to bring a complaint.

On the other hand, using the Jeffrey Scott Hornoff case as an example, material that became public during Hornoff’s trial for murder was later used against the city when Hornoff was proven innocent. A former Warwick Police officer, Hornoff was released after six years in prison when Todd Barry confessed in 2002 to killing Victoria Cushman in 1989.

“Rosemary Healey is not gone [from the school department]. What else are we asking for?” Merolla said.

Also reached on Sunday, Council President Donna Travis likewise said she hadn’t completed reading the report.

“I’m glad we’re getting to the bottom of this,” she said. Travis is one of three councilwomen who pushed to obtain the report and spearheaded the no-confidence vote.

Asked if she came across any revelations in what she read so far, Travis said, “other than passing the buck, which there was a lot of.”

Travis believes the report will vindicate action taken by the council. The council was accused on being on a witch-hunt.

In his letter to the Beacon, Sowa states “to prevent further harm to Ms. Healey as a result of this defamatory report (and corresponding speculation) if you come in possession of this report, please do not publish this report, its finding or any matter related to Ms. Healey and her employment with the Warwick Public Schools unless and until Ms. Healey is offered all of her due process rights and all other rights as protected by law.”

He goes on to ask the newspaper to “cease and desist from publishing any matters pertaining to Ms. Healey” and says such publications would be “considered willful and malicious as they would be based solely on rumor, speculation and innuendo, as evidenced by your previous publications referencing Ms. Healey and the Atoyan matter.”

In June, the newspaper argued the report is a public document and should be released. That appeal is under review by the attorney general.

The school committee argues the report is a personnel and investigatory matter and hence should remain confidential. In response to the council subpoena, the committee argued the report should remain confidential as attorney-client privilege.

Superior Court Associate Justice Bennett Gallo found sections of the report subject to attorney-client privilege and ordered the report be provided to the council with those sections and the names of students and parents redacted.

Comments

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  • falina

    Wow, to shell out the bucks for a Cease and Desist letter, in addition to attorney fees, someone is paying BIG bucks to keep this whole thing quiet! Doesn't it cost thousands to have an attorney send a C & D? There is something in that report that the Administration REALLY does not want getting out! Wonder just what they are covering up, how many people were involved and how long it has been going on? Makes one wonder why those superintendents really "retired" and what else is happening!

    Friday, December 4, 2015 Report this

  • Dullie

    Lets face it common sense tells you who does not want it released. Jean Ahern and the school committee. others are involved behind the scenes but the school committee members signed off on the punishment or lack of it. More likely than not they were told a penis was written on girls arms and we are suggesting this be the teachers punishment. At any time 1 or more could have said no I don't agree with that it's to mild I want him suspended or fired.Only those interviewed will be able to say what really happened. More likely than not it will be spun to make others look bad.

    Saturday, December 5, 2015 Report this

  • Dullie

    I still think Mr.Taylor could have done more and is involved in the cover up.

    Saturday, December 5, 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

  • WWalters

    I thought that people who were teachers or administrators were legally bound to contact DCYF when they even suspect child abuse. How does a building principal legally get away not reporting these incidents? I guess I agree that Jeff Taylor has a lot to answer for.

    Thursday, December 10, 2015 Report this