On April 16th of last year, fact finder Carol Wittenberg found that the teachers of the Bronx Science math department were harassed by their supervisor. These twenty teachers (in a department of twenty-two) filed a special harassment complaint in 2008, because of repeated incidents in which the Assistant Principal had reduced teachers to tears, criticized them in front of their students, and even at one point called a teacher “disgusting” in a meeting. This bullying was combined with unjustified disciplinary actions against the staff—all the untenured teachers who signed the complaint were forced to leave within a year—and now only seven of the original twenty still teach at Bronx Science. Nevertheless, the Department of Education continues to defend the indefensible actions of its administrators, sustaining a retaliatory unsatisfactory rating in 2008 against then UFT Delegate (and later Chapter Leader) Peter Lamphere.
Join the struggle against arbitrary and capricious decisions by supervisors.
While the national conversation focuses on questions of “teacher quality”—the actions by principals retaliating against whistle-blowers and union activists goes unscrutinized. These actions lead to high turnover and difficult working conditions at our schools, even at nationally acclaimed institutions like the Bronx High School of Science. A legal victory in this case will send a message to teachers everywhere that their rights can be defended against abusive management.
Donations to assist with legal actions can be made online by clicking the "Donate" link on the left side of this page, or, if you prefer to make out a check instead of donating online, please make your check payable to the Teacher's Defense Fund, and mail to 305 E. 140th St. #5A, Bronx, NY 10454. Donations are not tax-deductible.