My Story

"If the School Board members have violated peoples's rights...
why can't the public know what was done?"

Several years ago, my photo appeared on the front page of our local newspaper, THE TOWN TALK, with a boldfaced quote. I was asking to know WHY the previous superintendent had been given two million dollars in an out-of-court settlement. She was a friend of mine and she had been crucified for exposing the corruption of our local school board. (She went on to the University of New Orleans to become a lawyer specializing in educational law.) That publication marked the beginning of my crucifixion.

Within a few short weeks, my gifted program was closed and I was transferred to a detention center. It was the type of school where a girl nearby slit a boy's throat with a boxcutter. (We were advised to walk outside that day so we wouldn't slip in the blood.) I was given a small dented metal building where the windows were busted out (in 30 degree temps) and there were roach feces and vomit stains everywhere. The desks were deeply carved with FUCK YOU, (I have to admit I deliberated over including this word that my generation finds so hard to use, but decided that if Patti had to look at it every day, then so can we.) and BITCH. Someone had urinated on the World Geography books. Everything was filthy. There were scratched off lottery tickets and sports sections littering the floors. That was when I hired the lawyer. The union never liked the idea.(The union never likes when any teacher asserts her rights and only pretends to support us as they sabotage our case behind our backs. Many of us found this out.)

We were told to simply "bark commands" at the students and not engage in any conversation with them. I was called in when a thirteen year old pregnant white girl came to me for advice. She was taking a strong seizure medicine that I knew was not compatible with her pregnancy. I was told to stop favoring the few white students I had. I was the only white teacher. The teachers there were cruel to me. They openly shouted at me and even cursed me in front of the students. Bomb threats were not uncommon. Once when I offered to bring biscuits for the teachers, and offered to go pick them up before school, I was written up for being three minutes late...and they ate the biscuits with gusto! (The culture is such that colleagues become the abusers knowing that it is either - abuse or be abused.)

The school changed names and moved to a nearby closed air base. There, the conditions were a bit improved, but still grossly inadequate. I was in charge of junior high, but on September 29th of that year, I was no longer allowed to have any white students in my room. Any time white junior high students came in (because of suspension from regular school), they were shipped to special ed. EVEN my former gifted students were put in special ed. simply because they were white...and I was not allowed any "whites." (I have the rosters to prove it!) (Now let's see. Our schools conduct racial profiling, discrimination against disabled teachers, harassment, and physical and mental torture. What other aspect of our society is still getting away with all this? Certainly it is not corporate America, since they don't have taxpayers' monies to fund their lawsuits.)

I was written up because a student poured a small amount of milk on my Fruit Loops, and the cafeteria staff had a field day with me. I was forced to go early and eat, before all the black teachers. I wondered why. I later discovered that they were all eating free most of the time and taking home large portions. The principal was even taking home garbage bags of rolls for his dogs. The teachers were also dividing bags and supplies intended for the school. I witnessed it myself. And I was watched like a hawk. I was suspended for ridiculous reasons myself. Strange reasons. Anything to make me quit.

After my lawyer met with their lawyer, I was sent to teach at an all black school. There I was the only white teacher on the hall by the time I was suspended again. The school was under a 22 million dollar construction plan. There was no running water many days. Foot long turds were in every commode. Huge trailers of trash were left to rot out in the sun for months at a time. It was filthy.

The students tortured me. Though my principal had a list of accomodations to make for me because of my multiple sclerosis, nothing was done. She even claimed she never saw the list. I was forced to change a grade...from an F to a B. The superintendant herself demanded it...according to the principal. The teachers were all told to arrive at 8:35. BUT when I was fired, they claimed the time had been printed in an old handbook as 8:25 and that is what they USED to get me out. They simply LIED and stated that I had been late all those days...when I was actually clocking in and out with everyone else! Even my lawyer of three years abandoned me in the final hour! (They used a change in daylight savings time when the clocks had not been adjusted to prove I was once an hour late!)

I was supposedly suspended the last time for helping a group of girls to write a rap as poetry in my English class. Then, the LATE factor was used as the big ticket item in my hearing.

I was tortured at the black school. Four pairs of glasses were destroyed or "lost" and I have a single income. (Well, NO income now!) When I turned to write on the board, they shouted horrible things at me. NONE would testify to the truth at my hearing. Not even one. But who could blame them? Up against the entire black community and the principal and the entire school board complete with all the superintendents! The principal lied like a rug...saying that she did not know I had discipline problems... when she herself had signed many in my stack of pink report copies. The students poisoned my coffee with a cleaner. It was incredible.

I appeared at my hearing with NO lawyer and was steam rolled. In an earlier email, Patti mentioned that her lawyer suddenly quit the day before. Could it be that he got the message? There is now an appeal. September 19th is the anniversary of my firing from a 25 year career.

There were no bad evaluations of me. NONE. I had twice in those years gotten marks...once for not dressing professionally enough...because I cannot afford a lot of clothes...and once for not trying to get along better with co-workers...when the gifted teacher who stole my position also stole a ton of my materials!

The sheriff's office called and I was accused of stealing a new computer when I left my gifted classroom. Thank goodness, the deputy was one of my religion students from the Catholic high school and realized how incredible it was when I told him who I was. (I taught theology for many years.)(Accusations of stealing and abusing children are a popular fabrication amongst administrators.)

This list could go on and on, but those are some of the basics. Heartbreaking. I pray for the future of this country.


Patti Powell
FORMER Great Teacher