January 8, 2009 Consultation

HOUSTON FEDERATION OF TEACHERS

Please include the following to the January 8, 2009 Instructional Consultation agenda:

1. Searches of employee property

Searches of employee property are getting out of hand. We are now receiving reports of employees being subjected to humiliating treatment and searches of their property based on false hits from the drug dogs. The alleged infractions of a few employees do not give the district cause to treat all employees as if they are criminals. This type of treatment runs counter to any sense of common decency. It is time for these absurd searches to stop. We have attached the latest complaint from a teacher subjected to this treatment.

2. Terminations of employees’ accused of violating the law.

Why is HISD issuing termination letters without a finding of guilt? We have never seen this happen before. If the teacher is found not guilty, there is no cause for termination.

3. ASPIRE payments

On what date will ASPIRE payments be made?


(Attachment to item #1)

To Whom It May Concern at Houston AFT:

I feel as if I am the victim of a witch hunt. Today at around 11:00 am I was removed from my classroom while in the middle of instruction. I was instructed to go outside to my car and give my keys and driver’s license to the HISD police that were standing by my car. I followed these instructions. One of the officers then proceeded to search my car. I was never told what exactly they were searching for. I can only assume that it was for narcotics of some sort. After a thorough search, the officer told the others that the car was “clean”. The officers told me that a dog had stopped at my car and that was the reason they were searching it. I did not see the dog.

I have several problems with this. First of all, why did the dog stop at my car if there was nothing in it? Is this a common occurrence? If so, why are these dog searches being used by HISD? It seems to me that this would amount to a random search of an arbitrarily picked car at best or an excuse for a deliberate search of a particular individual without warrant at worst.

Second, can I expect more inquiry into my person? I am now concerned that I am a target. Further, if my fears are warranted, I have no real idea about what I may be a target for. I, like all of my colleagues at this point, have heard stories about what is and is not illegal to bring on school property and what has or has not been found on those individuals pulled off of their campuses for suspicion of illegal possession. So what exactly is illegal besides the obvious substances prohibited for use by the state? If a friend accidentally drops a prescription pill on my floor while I give him a ride home am I subject to arrest and termination? How about if an empty beer can is found in the trunk on the day I go to the recycling drop off? Is it possible that I could be arrested for being socially conscious? So given my ignorance of what is and is not considered illegal behavior by HISD, I can not decide on my path to staying out of trouble. Should I walk 10 miles to work each day and submit to random drug testing just to prove my innocence each week?

This brings me to my third problem with this situation. That is, what becomes of my reputation? I work in a closely nit community where familial relations run deep and strong. Word of mouth in this neighborhood travels fast and is far reaching. Further, this sort of story has good potential of growing out of control. The facts are that a dog stopped at my car, my car was searched, and nothing was found. However, the students and staff that were looking out of the cafeteria window while I was standing at my car as it was searched could very well have a different take on the situation. To do my job effectively, I need the respect and trust of my students, my colleagues, and the community at large. I am truly afraid that this incident could ruin me professionally. I have had several hours to reflect on this and I am still highly shaken by this incident. I am to the point that I am afraid to go to work tomorrow for fear of further attacks on my character. How will I be sure that my administrators, students and colleges still trust me? What if they now think that I am a drug user? Won’t that bring on more suspicion and possibly more searches and in turn diminish my reputation even further than it has been already?

I am still very upset about this incident. Hopefully my fears will not be realized and I can once again feel comfortable at my work. I love this job and the work it allows me to do with children who really need my help. Could you let me know if there are other stories like mine? If so, I would like to meet some of those people. Maybe we could help each other through this difficult spot. Please let me know if there is anything I should be doing to protect myself over the next few weeks. I will appreciate any help or guidance you can provide.