Emailing and copying others involved serves three essential purposes, documentation, transparency and accountability. This cuts through the Routine and Conformity that is keeping well-meaning educators from seeing the neglect and abuse happening in front of their eyes.

1. Open Letter to
Public Educational
Administration
and Leadership
cc: America

2. I want to share my story with hope that you
can see that the urgency for education reform
has never been as critical as it is today. I
want to explain why I believe routine and
conformity is holding our school’s hostage.
It is keeping well meaning educators from
seeing the abuse and neglect happening in
front of them. Today’s problems require a
radically different form of thinking, thinking
that is more open to diverse points of view.
Our American society are deserving of future
leaders who can think for themselves and
generate new ideas.
Dear Sirs:

3. We are living at an age of a divided nation. The rise of recent tragic
shootings, child abuse cases, drug addiction, and teen suicide rate
accentuate the importance of families, schools and communities coming
together to push for real positive changes in education. I found that in
public education, transparency is at a minimal and many teachers feel
forced to remain silent when they witness disservices happening.

4. For example, I witnessed two abusive strategies routinely used. One was
removing the special needs students’ hot meal and replacing it with what
was called a “dry salad”. Another was known as “escuro”, meaning
darkness in Spanish. This was placing our special needs students in a utility
room with the lights off. A teacher or paraprofessional held the door closed
to keep the student from getting out. How could I not have reported this?
Once I brought attention to the abuse in the form of an email, these two
strategies finally stopped. Transparency promotes action.

5. At another district, after emailing and copying others about discrepancies
regarding student academic well-being, I was directed to stay home, not
advocate, educate or communicate with students, parents, and co-workers
until the end of my teacher contract. I was not allowed to do my job with
fidelity, or talk to students, parents and staff about student rights under
(IDEA) Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

6. I believe many educational leaders are hiding behind (FERPA) Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act only to continue their wrongdoing and
keep threatening teacher certifications. These laws are there to protect and
help all of us. Emailing and copying others involved was my way of being
transparent and cutting through the routine and conformity that is keeping
our schools from progressing and students from advancing.

7. We are losing our American youth to drugs, gangs, suicide and
complete mental health breakdowns. Bullying and suicide has gone
overboard with now cyberbullying. Our students and communities
are suffering the consequences of our education systems failure to act
and implement real changes in public schools.

8. A growing body of research supports the
idea that developing students social and
emotional competence is essential for
their academic and life success. We need
to teach our students to build moral
character and learn to develop to be
ethical people who care for others and try
to promote the common welfare. These
type of programs have been out there for
over 20 years. In general education
classrooms, I witnessed the “School to
Prison Pipeline in real time”.

9. It is time to act and ensure our students,
are equipped with he knowledge and skills
they need to be successful in school, work,
and life. We need better prepared youth to
enter and contribute to a competitive and
global workforce.
When will all this begin to matter?
GEOFFREY CANADA
Our failing schools.
“Why, why, why does our
education system look so
similar to the way it did 50
years ago? Millions of
students were failing then,
as they are now — and it’s
because we’re clinging to
a business model that
clearly doesn’t work”.

10. We know now that evidence based programs such as Social and Emotional
Learning and Restorative Justice improve the school culture and it can be
taught. If we teach them the skills, they will use it. The lack of urgency
around implementing these programs in all public schools threatens the
future success of our American youth.

11. "All children start their school careers
with sparkling imaginations, fertile
minds, and a willingness to take risks
with what they think," he says. "Most
students never get to explore the full
range of their abilities and interests ...
Education is the system that's supposed
to develop our natural abilities and
enable us to make our way in the
world. Instead, it is stifling the
individual talents and abilities of too
many students and killing their
motivation to learn.“
Sir Ken Robinson

12. In conclusion, I’d like to add, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand stated,
“The Grassroots is what’s driving the solutions. It is obvious we are not
going to find the answers in Washington, DC, or one leader to lead us all.
It’s going to be regular people standing up, demanding what’s right and
fighting for what they believe in. That is the future of democratic politics
and all politics”.

13. So here I am standing up for what’s right and fighting for what I believe
in. Drastic times calls for drastic measures, I challenge all public school
administrators and leadership to make emailing and copying others
involved a standard at your school.
Emailing serves three essential purposes, it provides:
1). documentation,
2). transparency and
3) it hold people accountable.
Please email me with your questions, comments or if I can assist you with
understanding your students’ Individual Education Plan.
Deborahpc2@gmail.com

14. Many states and districts are still reporting severe special education teacher
shortages and I don’t understand why. I am a certified Special Education
Teacher EC-12 with the skills and passion to help make it right and I can’t
find a job. Please don’t silence me, use me to help you implement an
educational program focused on todays’ student.
I may not have a job in public education, but I thank God that I live in this
great nation that allows me to have a voice. God Bless our students and the
people of America.
Concerned Educator,
`
Deborah Pacheco Chandler