May 07, 2008 09:44 pm
—
By Joe Hadsall
jhadsall@joplinglobe.com
A second employee at Cecil Floyd Elementary School has been placed on paid administrative leave, as the result of the same investigation that led to the same action against the school’s principal the day before.
Tierre Fields, a teacher aide at the school, was placed on leave Wednesday. He is accused of unspecified, inappropriate behavior and neglect of duty, Superintendent Jim Simpson said. The Globe’s efforts to reach Fields for comment were unsuccessful Wednesday night.
The specific reasons could not be cited because of employee privacy laws, Simpson said. But he said no pupils were involved or endangered.
“This is all about staff interactions and behaviors,” Simpson said. “No students are involved, and that’s something we want parents to understand.”
Principal Evan Mense was placed on leave Tuesday, stemming from an internal investigation of staff complaints and allegations, Simpson said.
The two men will appear before the Joplin R-8 Board of Education in a closed session Tuesday, when the board will hear the matter and make a decision on discipline. Simpson said the district has no intentions of pressing any criminal charges against the two.
“These are job-related issues,” he said. “In no way are they criminal issues.”
The Globe’s efforts Wednesday afternoon to obtain comment from the local teacher organizations were unsuccessful.
Parents of pupils at the school voiced mixed views as to how the district is handling the investigation, but none who were interviewed noted any worry about the safety of their children.
“As far as what I’ve read, the district has handled this properly,” said Travis Thompson, father of a Cecil Floyd pupil. “They did it fairly quietly. I don’t have any concerns about kids coming to the school.”
Other parents said they wished school officials would have informed them of the change.
“They didn’t tell us anything,” parent Christie Ritter said. “They left us in the dark. A friend of mine tried to call the administration building but didn’t get to talk to anyone.”
Melissa Clark, mother of a pupil at the school, said she didn’t know about Mense’s suspension until she was told of it by a Globe reporter.
“I didn’t hear about it, and I would have liked to,” Clark said. “I can’t tell you how I feel about how it was handled, because I don’t know.”
Simpson said business as usual is happening at the school, and that administrators are monitoring all aspects of the school’s educational endeavors. Assistant Principal Elaina Edman has been assigned to lead the school.
“I’ve been pleased with how the staff has been able to focus on doing their jobs,” Simpson said. “We appreciate the patience parents give our staff as we go through this complex procedure.”
Some parents said they are thrilled that Edman is in charge at the school.
“She is always out in the hallways, and the kids love her,” said Debe Kelley, parent of two children at the school. “That part is a blessing in disguise.”
Computer confiscated
Superintendent Jim Simpson said Principal Evan Mense’s district-owned laptop computer was confiscated Tuesday as part of the investigation. He said the investigation led to seizing the computer, and that such confiscation is not a normal part of such inquiries.
“Our investigation led to our concern that we wanted to have access to his computer,” Simpson said.
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.