Saturday, December 01, 2007

School attorneys and their adversaries should switch sides

I am concerned about the way that lawyers for victims of school district wrongdoing tell their clients not to talk to other victims. I feel that these lawyers have a huge financial stake in continuing dysfunction in schools and colleges.

But I'll admit this: they're better than "education attorneys." There seems to be a code among members of the Council of School Attorneys that they will ignore legal ethics and other laws to promote the power of board members and school administrators.

I think it would be great for ALL these lawyers to switch sides. The victim attorneys could re-educate board members on the requirements of the law, and the benefits of treating employees like human beings.

And I'm sure the "education attorneys" could do a nice flip, if that's what they needed to do to get paid. They certainly know all the dirty tricks, and would be ready to counteract them.

The system needs to change, instead of having problems addressed on a piecemeal basis, then having wrongdoing hidden by confidentiality clauses in settlements.

I am disappointed with SDCOE's new superintendent Randolph Ward. He and the five-member board (Sharon Jones, Bob Watkins, John Witt, Susan Hartley and Nick Aguilar) have allowed the SDCOE-Joint Powers Authority to continue wrongdoing that directly harms the public. Nick Aguilar is the only one who seems to think that the California Public Records Act should be obeyed. When public entities violate the law against citizens, it's worse than when private firms violate the law against citizens.

Diane Crosier and Keenan and Associates need to be replaced with ethical adminstrators and brokers.

No comments: