The following letter was sent from retired Harford County Public Schools Principal Jeanette Jennings to Superintendent Barbara Canavan, Executive Director Elementary School Instruction and Performance Angela Morton, Director of Special Education Dr. Susan Austin, and the Board of Education. A copy was provided to The Dagger for publication.
Dear Mrs. Canavan, Mrs. Morton and Dr. Austin,
I woke up the morning of July 1 and felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders. I also had a song in my heart; it went like this: “I’m free; praise the Lord I’m free, no longer bound, no more chains holding me. My soul is resting, Lord it’s a blessing. Praise the Lord, hallelujah I’m free”. It was a sad and disappointing ending to a 31 year career in a system that I once loved, but sadly no longer recognized. I feel truly blessed to have had the opportunity to work under a wonderful Superintendent, Dr. Jackie Haas and wonderful Executive Director, Pat Skebeck. Certainly long gone were those glory days and I’m sure that Dr. Haas has to be turning over in her grave over what HCPS has become.
I don’t think that you ladies understand that administrators, teachers and staff alike depend on people in your positions to demonstrate some integrity as you carry out your responsibilities. I have no doubt that the majority of those would agree that you greatly disappoint them.
In April 2014 when a teacher with the autism program at Hickory Elementary used poor judgment in her attempt to minimize undesirable behavior of a student, as the Principal, I followed the chain of command to address this issue. From that moment forward, you ladies made decisions on how to address this incident. What followed was a sad display of sloppy, careless ineptitude. As this situation spiraled out of control the three of you felt comfortable bullying and demeaning people who have devoted their lives to working with special needs students. You also sent the message to my colleagues that it would serve them well to sweep any concerns under the carpet because they certainly will not receive support from either of you.
I have always been a transparent educational leader. I feel that when you make sound decisions, you don’t have to hide. I wanted to meet with the parents of all the students in this class. I was told that I could not. In the absence of facts, people make up their own. That is exactly what you ladies allowed to happen. Parents needed answers, they needed facts, they needed to know that someone was willing to be honest with them and they needed to know that someone cared about their children. When you refused to meet with parents, all sorts of accusations and innuendos surfaced. Seeking answers, the parents filed a complaint with the Maryland Disabilities Law Center (MDLC); all of a sudden, the sky was the limit.
Every year that I was at Hickory, my concerns were:
– The facility itself was inadequate and the program needed to be relocated
– The enrollment in the program was too large; during my six years at Hickory the program went from 10 students in two classrooms to 28 students in 4 classrooms; keep in mind that this was one of the most overcrowded elementary schools in the county
– Staffing was inadequate to meet the needs of students; there was a need for a speech/language pathologist, psychologist, autism specialist and behavior specialist exclusively for the program
– Relevant professional development needed to be ongoing, intentional, and timely and more importantly it needed to be facilitated by qualified professionals
It never ceases to amaze me that year after year, I was told there was no funding; but the minute the complaint is filed with the MDLC, funds are found to add the components that could have made this a very successful regional autism program during years past. The amount of money HCPS is currently spending for nonpublic services for many of these students is appalling. If HCPS would be more proactive in funding these programs instead of being reactive, money could definitely be spent more wisely. This is a systemic issue that needs to be addressed, or you will repeatedly find yourself in this situation.
You ladies turned Hickory upside down as you threw everyone under the bus. If this resulted in students getting the services they deserve, I don’t mind being sacrificed. What I do mind is my reputation being tarnished. The show of support from my colleagues, teachers with whom I work and with whom I once worked, and parents was a reminder that the work I’ve done speaks for itself. Those who know me know that I gave 110% during my 31 years with HCPS. My highly effective evaluations are evidence of that! All of the students were important to me. I advocated as aggressively as I could; but my professional opinions meant nothing to those of you who made the decisions on where to place regional programs, what funding would be allocated, what resources would be funded and who would provide relevant professional development for the staff. Because you were so careless in your decision making, talented special educators left the program – willingly and unwillingly, extremely gifted and dedicated support staff who genuinely enjoyed working with this population of students became weary; and staff was reassigned. What is even more saddening is that Ms. Canavan, you never stepped foot in the autism program; not one member of the Board of Education cared enough to inquire of anyone who worked closely with the program or to visit; and there was no regard for the fact that Hickory was and continues to be an excellent school.
Ms. Canavan, Mrs. Morton and Dr. Austin, your actions, decision making and leadership over HCPS fosters an environment of distrust and fear amongst those who depend on you for support. Watching HCPS disintegrate over the past couple of years has been disheartening. If you ladies haven’t noticed, there is a mass exodus at all levels from HCPS; and I would venture to say that the venom you ladies spew is directly related to that. Nonetheless, my heart goes out to you. I think that you, Ms. Canavan and Dr. Austin, have got to be the most unhappy people in the world and further that you gain satisfaction from making others miserable. To you, Mrs. Morton, the depth of your soul must be troubled. For too long, HCPS has relied on the dedication of gifted teachers, support staff and administrators who have answered a calling to serve the youth of their community. Many of them are losing their desire to practice their craft in HCPS. Sadly, HCPS will continue to lose talented educators to nearby jurisdictions. Until teachers and administrators are given the support, respect and appreciation they sincerely deserve, it is the students who will suffer. Until HCPS is rid of you ladies, it will never be the thriving, successful system it once was.
Sincerely,
Jeanette Jennings
Retired Harford County Public Schools’ Principal
What’s really crazy is the amount of money spent towards reparations for the student’s families and keeping the story out of the press. If 1/2 of that was spent on quality training, never would’ve happened. Going to be enjoying a much better environment in Baltimore County schools this year.
To be fair, the day the administration (Principal and VP) at Hickory were removed, I sent a tip to the Dagger and never heard anything back, nor saw anything posted about it until today.
And just for those wondering, the “poor judgement” of the teacher in question involved shooting the special needs students with a water pistol when they “displayed undesirable behavior”.
That approach works great with my cat.
This is only the tip…there is so much more! Thank you Ms. Jennings for speaking the truth. How much longer will the county and the state let this discrimination and degregation go on? Things are out of control. Canavan is creating her own Nazi regime!!
Hey Harford teachers, want to know why you’re not getting any more raises? These 3 ladies bent the county over and agreed to EVERYTHING the parents and lawyers asked for.
A Saint Bernard?…really?!?
Good luck with BCPS James, I’m looking forward to starting the new school year in DE. A longer drive, but they appreciate my being there.
I don’t know the whole story, what is the reference to a Saint Bernard?
Are you the former teacher of that room, NewDEteacher? From what I heard, she works in Delaware now….
I am very disappointed about teachers not receiving raises, but insinuating that they are not receiving them because of compensation given to the students who were abused and neglected in the autism program at Hickory is appalling. For years those children were emotionally abused. They were also not given a proper education, their IEPs were a joke and minimal teaching happened. This was NOT a one time incident as Mrs. Jennings implies. This happened for years. Blind eyes were turned by aides and administration. Thank god someone finally spoke up for these children who are unable to speak up for themselves.
So you may think a dog or other things on the compensation list that parents requested is crazy but be thankful that your child did not have to experience that treatment for years OR have emotional drama and be far behind academically because of being in that situation. Legally HCPS is responsible for educating every child. When that doesn’t happen they have to rectify it. This will look differently for every child. These children are autistic, they have special needs that are handled differently than the norm. Judging what they are compensated for is ignorant.
Do I think HCPS handled this situation correctly? Absolutely not. I wished this was in the media, I wished they were sued, I wish that the special education teacher was fired and never able to teach again. I wish a child that I know had never stepped foot into the autism program at Hickory. And I hope he can overcome all that happened to him there.
I am not sure when you are referring to but I worked in those classrooms for 4 years. It was about 10 years ago but I worked with AMAZING teachers and aids. I gave the job 110% and loved those students and their families. Was it always a perfect situation.. No but we did our best given the training we had. I never saw anything with my eyes that I would call abuse or even borderline abuse. We spent A LOT of time in meetings trying to figure out WITH THE FAMILY the best course of action to take to help with certain behaviors. It was very tough and as others said a full time behavioral specialist & psychologist would have been very helpful to the staff. It sounds like a very sad and unfortunate situation & I know personally if individuals who were effected by this & should NOT have been.
10 years ago there was a different teacher and aides. I know exactly what I am talking about. And again not a one time situation. And definetly not one child. That’s why all the kids that were ever taught by that teacher were compensated, not just one child.
So, being a concerned teacher you should have mentioned something back when it was happening, right?
I mean…if you had the student’s best interests in mind and all.
Perhaps you were just afraid of the repurcussions of speaking up? Or, you just saved this gem of information to hijack someone else’s article to make yourself sound more important and give you the feeling that you have this juicy information that only you know, and the desire to correct anyone who dare challenge your version?
@lazydog
If you’re replying to me…I was a HCPS teacher a long time ago, never in Hickory. I know of a child in this teacher’s classroom that is why I have knowledge. And yes I would have spoken up if I was teaching there. I know many teachers at Hickory that would have spoken up too if they knew what was happening. Unfortunately the kids were separated in portables. That IS our responsibility as teachers. Anyone who ignores it shouldn’t be teaching.
I applaud your honesty, Principal Jennings. It’s time for the truth to come out about what has been taking place at HCPS behind closed doors. The families in Harford County need and deserve to hear the truth. I can guarantee they will be appalled when the facts are told about many more instances of the incompetent decisions made by the leaders in our once esteemed school system. . So many untruths and deceptions have been occurring since Mrs. Szebeck retired. It is sad what has become of the school system that I was proud to be a part of for almost 40 years. I am happily retired and thankful that I don’t have to be a part of the continuing decline of HCPS. Believe me when I say that it is NOT about the children any more! It is about a show of power and control by the people in Central Office. These people, being led by Mrs. Canavan, seem to enjoy belittling, demeaning and ruining the careers of long time educators and administrators who loved their job. It is shameful what they have gotten away with over the past several years.
I had the pleasure of working with Mrs. Jennings at Magnolia Elementary School. She is a wonderful, strong woman. She taught me so much in the years I had the pleasure to be an IA in her classroom. I always knew she would one day become a principal. It’s a shame her career had to end this way.
While the majority is true…….let’s work on the definition of 110%.
If 110% is:
* Remaining behind one’s desk for 90% of the day
* Remaining in the dark in one’s room
* Only visiting children for either discipline’s sake or an occasional observation
* Bullying teachers that had significant family or medical trauma
* Visiting a classroom possibly 1 to 2 times a day
* Allowing all other administration to provide PD, other than one’s self
Then, yes, this individual gave 110%.
Bingo
Yes, this is how teachers feel and now the administration is feeling the same. The administration should be careful of what they say, many teachers have been treated this way by principals and assistant principals!
In most industries, a supervisor hanging out in a worker’s area is intimidation or micromanagement, but you want more of it?
The employee should be trusted to complete the assigned task in a timely manner to the standard without oversight or intervention, or they should be fired.
This situation has certainly spiraled out of control. However, I cannot disagree more that a teacher used
“poor judgment in her attempt to minimize undesirable behavior of a student.” The teacher not only utilized poor judgement, but caused irreparable damage to the children in this program. From what I was told, the teacher used inappropriate methods to control student behavior. Some of these methods verged on the edge of abuse. While there is some systemic fault here, the teacher allowed her staff to utilize these inappropriate methods on a consistent basis. This teacher is a disgrace and should be allowed to teach anywheres because of the way she treats children.
Does not shock me at all to learn more details of what really happened in that classroom. When I brought up an incident with my child and a teacher, I was met with indifference from this principle. My child fought on going verbal abuse most of the year and I received little to no help. I later learned that this was the MO of this teacher and the entire class faced it. Part of caring for children is protecting them and not turning a blind eye.
I totally agree!! It is a shame that this teacher was able to move on to another teaching job. Another great job HCPS, sweeping yet another one under the rug….oh and providing pay and benefits through the remainder of the year to a teacher who bullied children…..great job!! Yet more of the counties resources and monies thrown down the toilet. I think they should flush some of central office’s salaries and positions down the toilet and then maybe they will be able to appropriately fund their schools.
Positions like… Supervisor of Equity and Cultural Proficiency.
No doubt, +$50,000/year doing what? Absolutely nothing.
Reminds me of the film “Office Space” when the two consultant’s ask “What do you say you do here?” followed by the hilarious facial expressions.
Maybe we could fund HCPS if HCPS didn’t have to spend so much money on covering up their wrong doings and just acknowledge and correct them.
Just remember there are two sides to every story – unless you were in the classroom where it happened – no one really knows the real story – even people who worked in the school were never told anything
People who worked in the school weren’t told anything because the way HCPS sweeps wrong doings like this under the rug is to not share the wrong doing with anyone, shut up anyone that speaks of the wrong doing, and never acknowledge the wrong doing.
Teacher was terminated.. I sure hope. Lets look at ” who” Canavan put in administration? Her “people” as she says!!! She protects her people even those who have broken the law and are still in administrative positions. My question is how do Wayne Boyer and Jeff Frajdel sleep at night? Gestapo!!
Everyone is afraid to speak! So sad….
The principal at my daughter’s school is a complete idiot..never there..I thought Ms. Mull was the principal..countless complaints no response…
I quit teaching in Harford County and I’m now moving out so that my daughter is in a good system…so sad, because she loved her teachers!
Just curious which school because it sounds like my childrens’school.
Dale Hunsinger…..51 years of service? Hello? Boyer and Frajdel. .really??? How do you sleep at night? Gestapo
Angela Morton had no soul. She does not care about the children in HCPS. I don’t know what happened to her, she is a cancer survivor and mother of four.
This is a deplorable comment, you troll. You know nothing about this woman and have no grounds to make comments about her soul or personal life here. I hope you are happy with this outcome, Jennings.
Gollings, nothing about Susan’s comment suggests “troll.” It is disturbingly true that Morton acts as if she has no soul. All traces of “humanity” are disappearing from HCPS leadership.
I wonder how much it cost to cover this up! HCPS is so incompetent in so many ways.
Good or Bad?? I taught at HCPS for 20 years .. look it up on line folks!! Some very good administrators have been taken out ..others who have criminal records or are incompent and are “in” …. why?
Antonio Hockaday
Bob Chance
Natalie Holloway
Helen Miller
Kimberly Marine
Kilo Mack
Susan Austin
Anna Maria Standish
Blaire White
Cynde Hendrick
Melissa Montford McKay
Colleen Kaplan
LaMark Holley
Reginald Perry
Chandra Krantz
Rachel Owens
Canavan “friends” or “shredding papers at the warehouse?” Or..”MD Criminal Records”..
Natalie Holloway
Erica Harris
Greg Komomdor
Al Johnson
Helen Miller
All of these admins have criminal records? Is that what you’re saying?
I looked up a bunch of these people. Some of them have traffic violations like not wearing a seatbelt and some have gotten divorced, neither of which are criminal issues. Some don’t come up at all. Please clarify as your list is misleading!!
And some have a felony conviction and are in the HCPS Hall of Fame.
Are you insinuating that all those people have criminal records???? You’re f-ing crazy! I hope they sue you for slander.
Don’t teachers realize the word is libel not slander? I’ve often thought my children were more intelligent than many teachers.
You watch toouch TV. Part of what ais wrong with America these days!
SUE!!!
SUE!!!
SUE!!!
You would not win a lawsuit of this nature. The courts have already decided that discussions in blogs, like these, are of opine nature. You can’t be successfully sued because of your opinion. Some cops in a Pennsylvania case already tried to sue because of allegations laid out in blogs, to no avail. The BEST thing you can do is prove them wrong…….
donna your wrong
Wow!!! Someone sounds a little bitter!!
Those aren’t the only ones with records. Check out Harold Gaskins. It still makes me sick to think a man with that record could be my child’s Principal.
I looked up his record to give more exact information but it’s the charges I am referring to are not there anymore. At the time my child was attending his school, his record including a charge for indecent exposure among other things. As parents, we couldn’t believe such a man could be hired to work with children.
That’s a bold face lie and you’re a f-ing idiot. The good thing about the Internet is that anything you post can be traced.
You’re going to trace someone?
You going to show up at someone’s house with a weapon, HCPS Parent? Is that what you are saying? I think it is.
Did you know that your replies can be traced? I’m sorry to inform you but you’re not anonymous on the Internet.
Says the person using an annoynmous name on the internet.
Wee-bit hot and bothered? Please, reply and use more “strong words”
Good Luck getting that Court Order to “trace” a person.
Stupid ass.
Gaskins charges are just old enough that it’s not posted anymore but it also included perverted sexual act and adultery.
That’s why you’re out of the classroom you stupid ass. You people need to get a life and stop attacking and lying about principals. You know nothing about them.
Oh! I forgot to tell everyone that I am a racist.
Look, people alot of what people are accusing others of on here is completley false. Im going to subponea your service providers as well as the dagger for your IP adresses.
Gaskins – absolutely! Sean Abel – drunken small- minded jerk
It’s parents like you that give our county and supportive parents a bad name. You are a big part of our county’s problems.
Wow people sure do have a lot of time to sit behind a keyboard and talk about people!! Shouldn’t most of you be taking care of your spoiled children who can’t do no wrong!! How easy is it to bad mouth people with no concrete proof, how about we take a look at your perfect lives!!! If HCPS is so bad you have the option of private schools or even better homeschool those precious little babies!!!! #judgementalmuch
I believe the HCPS principal’s name is Earl Gaskins and not Harold.
Donna, please have the correct facts about HCPS employees before stating that they have a criminal record and/or are incompetent. Kimberly Marine (AP at Southampton Middle School) does NOT have a criminal record! If you look at the documentation, she was NOT born in 1986 and does NOT live in Baltimore City. If you are stating she is incompetent, you would be the first person who would want her to help your child, I’m sure.
The children abused in this program are the victims, NOT Ms. Jennings. These are children with no voice, quite literally, and can’t tell their parents what happened in school. They were taken advantage of, day after day by an incompetent teacher. She is not the victim, the staff is not the victim, the children with Autism in the classroom are the victims. There are things that are known about what happened: the teacher made kids sniff dry erase markers if they misbehaved and squirted them with water. No human being should be treated like this, and no administration should have allowed this to continue. It came to light in april 2014, but the way Ms. Jennings makes it sound is as if it happened once. There were many complaints, many cover-ups, and many lies. For the record, Susan Austin inherited this situation in April 2014, when she was appointed Dir of Special education after Anne Marie Spakowski retired. She was the Director of special education, and Kathy Bailey of Special Education in the elementary schools when this occurred. The people in charge when this occurred were not mentioned in Jennings letter. The teacher in question is still teaching by the way…..I am sure she feels like she wasn’t treated well. Screw her: she is a monster.
Now that you have this rant out of your system, enjoy your retirement. Children were harmed on your watch. You were the principal. You were nowhere to be found. The women you refer to so unprofessionally in this letter had to come behind to clean up your mess and put a leash on you given that you could not handle yourself professionally (as made clear by your style in the letter).
I am hopeful that the children and their families are able to move forward from this experience with the support of new thoughtful administration at Hickory and with the very able, dedicated, and caring support of those women mentioned in this letter.
I am proud to be a Principal in HCPS. I have been in the system for over 17 years. The negative comments are a disgrace to the character of the people who are writing them. Superintendent Canavan, Executive Director Morton, and Dr. Austin… thanks for holding us accountable for doing what’s best for children. Shame on the negative people who can’t see the light. We are a better Harford County because of you!
Proud HCPS Principal
If you are such a proud HCPS principal, why not use your real name?
Proud principal? How much did they pay you to type this lie. No way can you be with HCPS to tell this lie.
I love this letter! It is so accurate and we should all be concerned with all levels of leadership in the school system. There is a line up of incompetence as the current batch of administrators both in schools and central offices are clueless about managing a faculty and parents. Anyone ever ask how much classroom teaching and principal experience the GT coordinator has? Wait until he keeps moving up the ladder. We parents should be empowered by the massive level of ignorance. Call people, complain, raise hell to their faces because it’s right for your child. This can be our time. Demand they listen and don’t take their excuses for anything.
You are a minion .. She will ditch you soon..
These special needs children need to be in a school with children with like problems not main streamed with normal children. Worst mistake HCPS made is when they included
them with normal children.
Your ignorance is astounding. You have no idea about the amazing students in the autism program, their achievements, and the positive impacts they have made on their schools.
If they’re segregating the students into their own four classrooms, the only thing they’re doing to enrich the rest of the school is given them a spectacle to look in on. A field trip to the zoo, without the buses. That’s a really crappy way to treat another person.
Giving, not given.
Not if you put them all back in John Archer.
I have worked in public separate day schools my entire career. I strongly believe in this setting. It allows out students to be “normal” in that they have real friends that have similar differences to them. Students are afforded complete acceptance and unyielding support from our staff. We do AMAZING things for kids every single day. We have an administration that supports us fully when it comes to doing good things for kids. They support us not only in funding but they dig in and get their hands dirty to make things happen. Lunch lady is ill…no worries our ap can serve….side walk covered in snow and only one custodian can get to work…no problem the principal can help shovel. We are a family, we pull together at a moments notice to support our students, their families, and our staff. That said we are happy to accept any students sent our way and give them the respect and support that is their right and all students deserve. But if you wish to talk about ratios given that our students have the most significant needs we could definitely use increased staffing to meet the intense and varied needs of our students. So yes, send them to archer and send their loving caring staff with them. We do amazing things for kids!
The children in these classes were not the problem. The teachers in the “main stream” classes were not the problem. The problem was the special education teacher and aides who constantly abused them while the administration (Mrs. Jennings) was no where to be found. These kids were in a portable with all windows and doors covered up. Never checked on. Disgusting.
You are so ignorant about the special needs population. People like you need to be separated from society!
As a veteran teacher (in good standing), I cannot agree more with this article. Current HCPS central office administrative personnel have no interest in determining the truth and doing what is best for students. From personal experience with Mrs. Canavan and Mr. Fradel, they refuse to take the time to listen to teachers and openly ridicule and bully employees to intimidate and show that they have the upper hand. A colleague was verbally threatened with the statement from Mrs. Canavan that, “I could fire you if I wanted to” in order to prevent the teacher from taking legal action against the school system. In order to avoid questions from the public, they create an uncomfortable and unsafe environment for their employees.
This mass exodus of teachers from HCPS will continue (and hopefully I will be a part of it) under the current administrative staff. It is just so sad to see teachers go who care and do so very much for the students of Harford County.
I’m so grateful that someone finally had the courage to call Dr. Austin what she really is… a bully. She has no shame. Now that I teach in a different system I can truly see how awful she and her people are!
Parents and special needs students are being bullied by HCPS Elementary School principals.
The only “bullying” my family has experience with special programs has come at the hands of Administrators in the Roberty Building.
We have repeatedly communicated with special programs offices regarding our child’s needs. If we are even slightly negative, or attempt to hold them accountable, we are ignored. Not a good way to build trust in “the system”.
They were not bullied, the teacher did not make them smell markers that’s how rumors are spread and stories are mixed up because someone else told you and the water bottled was not sprayed at them they were sprayed in the air because the children liked it. This all spiraled out of control because a sub needed a job knew nothing about autistic children and sub in the class oNE day went and told her mother, then her mother tells the biggest freaking loud mouth at Hickory then it was all over school. You all are pathetic!!, most of the children in the Autism program belong at John Archer, it’s parents like you who don’t accept your child disability and want them to be in a normal setting and then bitch about they are not being treated the same!
You are a troll. You have no idea what went on in that classroom. The children were abused. They were neglected. Because they are autistic doesn’t mean they belong at John Archer. Many of them are high functioning and intelligent. Most likely more intelligent then your ignorant comments.
Do you have children? Hopefully not. And hopefully you’re not a teacher. HCPS does not need people like you! Keep your mouth shut and stop covering up what actually happened.
Disregard everything I just typed. I don’t know much of anything.
Yes asswhole I was in the classroom so how about you shut the eff up and you don’t know what your talking about. Yes I have children and one of them happens to be Autistic and if my child was running out of the classroom everyday to the street , then yes I would want to try anything so my child wasn’t killed or hurt. Then the parents would be suing for that BS!!! This childs parents were very very unreasonable!!!!!
So you must be one of the monsters that abused the children there. You should be careful what you say….the attorney for the kids and HCPS will track you down. Hope you can sleep at night and hope you don’t work with any children anymore.
I know this is not accurate info because none of the subs have any training in autism – yet they are allowed to sub – most of the IA and IH who work with those students don’t get training
Not just at the elementary level, it is occurring at all levels through out HCPS.
When will we hear about how many teachers left again this year? Why is the dagger not reporting the real news instead of gossip intended to further divide the people of this county? Where are the FACTS?
Would somebody please investigate the appropriation of funds for the autism program in HCPS?
The program at Darlington Elementary is a wonderful program because of the teachers and aides. I know this because my children went to school there. The “buddy pal” program that pairs autistic kids with mainstreamed children won for “program of the year in Central Maryland” at Honesty Autism Day at Towson High School. How are they rewarded for their hard work?
When the story at Hickory broke, “specialists” were hired for a ridiculous amount of money. More money was poured into Hickory and the new programs at Forest Hill and Roy Williams elementary schools. State of the art sensory rooms, indoor swings, furniture and technology were purchased for all of these schools.
All except Darlington. Darlington was ignored despite pleas of “we need help with staffing” and “we are overwhelmed with the number of students” (8 to a classroom where one of the new programs has 2 students total), they received nothing. “We don’t have enough money in the budget,” they were told. Movement of students and staff cost nothing, yet Darlington is ignored.
Canavan, Morton and Austin have created a sorority of ineptitude and fear that rivals the movie, “Mean Girls.” If you are viewed by them as not being “on board” you will have no opportunity for advancement within the county. You better nod your head and smile when addressed or you are against them. When school administrators say, “just go along with it and they will leave you alone,” something is wrong with the culture of HCPS. Is this the reason funds are not being distributed equally among all of your autism programs in HCPS?
Maybe this is a problem only at Darlington because of its principal. She does nothing to fight for her students or staff, as long as the school does not appear in the press, she doesn’t care what happens. Thank God my kids have moved on. They still talk about the “Buddy Pal program” and how they miss it at middle school.
Maybe it is the teachers fault. Maybe they didn’t nod properly or pay respect to the leaders properly so they don’t get what they need for students. Maybe winning awards means that they get last on the list of supplies that students need. If you can do it with little, why do you need more? That sounds fair.
Maybe it is simply Darlington’s location causing the problem. Out in the country, far away from Bel Air, out of sight out of mind.
Could someone in the sorority please publicly shed light on what is happening with our autism programs? How about a county councilman that is so concerned with budgeting addressing this misappropriation of funds?
Maybe it’s time to get the television media involved as well…
Although I am not familiar with this situation, I do know that there are a lot of people like me who are leaving HCPS. I’m leaving primarily because I am tired of being paid as a 2nd year teacher. I feel lied to when I was recruited by HCPS. If HCPS had made any effort to restore steps, I would have stayed. Instead, teachers had to fight to get the step that should be a given and a part of the budget.
Another huge factor that played into my decision was the lack of communication. A new program is coming to my school next year. I learned about it by reading about it in the paper. The only communication we had was a staff meeting where there were about 10 administrators who gave a presentation. At the meeting, they announced to the entire staff that the special education department would be required to go to training over the summer. That was the first time the special education department had been made aware of this training. Although I think having some training is important, this training was never discussed with us. Many of us work during the summer and have plans that cannot be changed. That was not the way to communicate new expectations.
My dissatisfaction with HCPS has lasted through 3 superintendents. I don’t think that Mrs. Canavan is solely responsible for this. I am willing to give her some time before passing judgement. I have a lot of respect for Dr. Austin. I think the communication issues are a symptom of a large district. I hope that Dr. Austin can make some improvements to the communication, but I think that it will take her more than a year to make those changes. I do agree that HCPS sends way too many students to private placement and does not have a good continuum of services, but I believe Dr. Austin is trying to make this change.
After spending time at HCPS, I feel that the school board has been the consistent problem. I know that many of the people who have been unsupportive are on their way out, but Harford County voters need to pay attention. Keep people who don’t really care about education off the board. If the schools are not strong, your property values will go down.
Kudos to you Jeanette for telling the story from your perspective. You lived it, you wanted to reach out to say what was actually going on, but you were requested not to, by the “Powers that Be”. Had you not written this letter, there would still be unanswered questions. And since the HCSB would not address the real issues, too many people were made to speculate. Stop speculating people, the real story is out. Would love to be a fly on the wall with Austin, Canavan and Morton to see what other lies and deceptions they can come up with. I’m proud of you.
First of all everyone commenting is all here say and people commenting were not in the classroom, so get your head out of your ass and stop commenting . I so agree with Jeanette Jennings and the way the situation was handled by The Superintendent and her administration was completely wrong.
There are many of us commenting who WERE and ARE part of what happened in that classroom. So get your head out of your ass. Mrs Jennings is responsible for every child that walked into Hickory. And it was her choice not to speak up for the children who couldn’t speak for themselves. Again, not a one time incident. Shame on everyone in HCPS that didn’t get involved and/or handled this situation incorrectly. Remember the main victims here are those children.
The abuse happened. Teachers, aides, and administration witnessed and did not protect those kids. There are many guilty hands in this. Hartford County is lucky the parents didn’t sue for millions. People commenting this is all speculation etc are just idiots. Why would the county pay if it wasn’t true. Documentation exists.
um…it is HARFORD, not Hartford…
Teachers have a difficult time dealing with students to begin with. This is an “at-risk” area (Hickory) and I for one support our Teachers 100%. If you don’t like your job, Baltimore County may be hiring.
That’s gotta be the dumbest comment yet. Teachers are going to Baltimore Co. Because they don’t like it.
With no due respect Ms. Glass….
“at risk ” (Hickory)…do you know ANYTHING about the area in which you attempt make a living as a REALTOR?
Yes I do, these are the hardest transactions for me. FICO scores are low in these areas and with my credentials, I would rather represent Sellers and Buyers in other areas of the county.
Ill
I’ll be sure not to use Long and Foster when I purchase my home in the near future. Obviously their agents aren’t very smart.
FYI: the Diversity Supervisor’s pays exceeds 90,000.
HCPS was notified that their were concerns in this Autism classroom but took no action. Mrs. Jennings was aware that 10 children in this classroom were too many to manage but got no support from Central Office. The concerns were ignored by Central Office. When the complaints were shared with the parents, HCPS had no choice but to point the finger at Mrs. Jennings, Mrs. Walter, and Mrs. Bailey since they ignored the concerns in various e-mails. When these e-mails were presented to the Superintendent, she acted as if they did not exist. HCPS is in a bad situation. The Board of Education should be demanding answers and change immediately.
Now everyone is finding out about HCPS…things teachers have known for the past 5-6 years. Wasted money…crazy salaries (Check Canavans salary if you need a good laugh)…not placing any value in the teachers. It will only get worse. I know some teachers who are planning on leaving at the last minute. It’s really a shame that HCPS and the county council (did Glassman get a raise recently…*joke*) has created this situation.
Operating and unrestricted budget totaling $500 million per year, expects a CEO-figure with a $75k salary…
Living in Harford County for 35 years I’ve made you a few observations….
1. Most Harford County residents are “Straight Morons”…You believe every bit of misinformation you gather
and then get upset when you realize you are as always 100% idiots…. I am here to help you though because it is my nature to lead you away from your path of stupidity but you will revert back….but here goes.
I have intimate knowledge on the events that transpired at the Hickory Elementary Autism Program .
Here are “FACTS” these are things that truly upset the “idiot cart”…
1. Children are being Waterboarded. The Fact-The most unruly student was “MISTED” with a water bottle.
This was administered by the Teacher once she received permission from his Father. Her mistake was she did not “record it in his IEP which had to signed off by the students parent.
2. Staffing of elderly employees who were “physically” unable to not only protect the children from themselves but unable to “Catch them when they ran away/unable too dodge there punches/kicks/biting/hairpulls/and other assorted physical attacks. These children are strong and fast and can blacken your eye and break a nose quick…That’s the reality Harford County …And if one of these Autism students beat up your little honour student you would be calling the Sheriffs office and your Attorneys to see what kind of settlement the School system would offer you…
3. All Administrative Staff are USELESS and WORTHLESS. They are Robots who want more pay/less responsibility and too offset blame on the frontline soldiers. Harford County politics at its worst.
Less pay for teachers but more for the upper echelon/Typical Democrats still entrenched in our School system.
4. “Misting” as abuse? No Idiots its not. Here’s why. When you have a child who is a constant disturbance he should be removed and re-evaluated to a better facility …Not Harford County. Keep him there to physically abuse the staff/other Autism students . Here’s why they can’t be moved–The Parents.
That’s right because the Parents of the Autism Child don’t want the negative stigma of sending their child to a “Special School” they want to say “My Angel goes to Hickory Elementary”..Not a care for the child or others just protect your Ego and act like everything is great. These Parents are in constant “Denial” and every year they get bigger/stronger/faster and yet the Denial keeps right up with it.
5. As one child was “Misted” the other children begged to be misted too. That’s right some of the children got a laugh over it and one was set straight. Amazing how this “Torture” was not prosecuted because it was not. One Substitute worked there one day witnessed the “misting” and reported it to a teacher and all hell broke loose. Why?
6. You will never figure it out So I will tell you.
The “Misted” student would run out of the School building(before Misting was introduced) which is not part of the main school. Running out of building led right to Conowingo Rd. Which could lead to him being killed by a passing “Texter in your SUV” Your idiot response is “block the door”..You can’t. Now you have a fire code/safety violation. The “Misting” was not in the face but over his head/
7. I will let your little brains absorb this which you won’t and I may add more details in the future..
8. Kathy Bailey knew nothing of the program or the daily routine of the Autism School…She was in Charge. She attended the program once a year. She Overloaded the Program. Clueless and Removed. Total waste of a salary. Another example of my original Statement…Idiots running idiotville….
They should put a fence around the portable, maybe 8′ high, razor wire, sally port, etc? That would keep the kids off the road.
Amy Lindecamp, you are a jerk. You are just upset because your case got dismissed. You need a life. When do you ever stop complaining. Your husband teaches at the school where child was so called bullied by the principal. That doesn’t make any sense. Dummy!
Proud Principal
Wow. A “proud principal” of HCPS calling someone a “jerk” and a “dummy.” No bullying there. What an example of class and professionalism you have provided for everyone on this page.
Proud Principal
You are correct I am very upset that our case got dismissed, and that an appeal had to be filed, and that the judges decision is under review, however that has nothing to do with me asking you if you are such a proud HCPS Principal why not use your real name….I don’t complain, I advocate and act but that is probably why you are calling me such hateful names.. Honestly, calling me a jerk, and a dummy is nicer than the documentation I have where several HCPS Administrators, including my husband’s direct boss/son’s principal, refer to me as a lying bi**h, pile of feces with an emoticon and my husband as an ass face for simply advocating for our son. So it shouldn’t be hard to believe that if a principal would refer to a parent, and an exceptional employee like that, bullying a student would be second nature, especially a student whose parents have legitimate documentation that the bullying has taken place…but none of this has anything to do with my question, “If you are such a proud HCPS principal, why not use your real name?”
Hey Amy, I agree there are exceptional problems with the leadership in HCPS. But that aside, didn’t your son refer to some African American kids using the “N” word when he was allegedly being bullied? Didn’t he even admit that during the investigation that was not decided in your favor? I wonder where he learned such hurtful language that shouldn’t be used under any circumstances. Sounds to me like you should accept the shortcomings of your son and stop blaming everyone else for who he is. It’s parents like you that have helped destroy the education systems throughout this country. You are definitely not the person who should be out in front on this issue. You’ve lost all credibility.
Disregard my comment, I don’t know what I’m talking about. I’m just a crackhead.
Amy Lindecamp’s Son,
You are not my son. You are one pathetic, sick twisted, individual to get on a blog and pretend to be my son, and say such nonsense. To be honest I wouldn’t be surprised if you worked for HCPS.
Not gona fly!! That FAKE Amy’s son post is too easy to see thru. Its straight bulls*** and further proof that their is a small few out to slander Amy. I know the Gardner family WELL. To insinuate that this family is anything but one of the most respected families in Aberdeen will not sit well period!!. Amy your credibility just shot WAY up.
Thank you Christina.
Parents are the worst,
Obviously you have no idea who my son or I am. I am a hard working, honest, ethical, mom who was just advocating for her son. My son nor I are not even close to being racist. My son and I both accepted his shortcomings a long time ago, and being racist is not one of them. My son nor I have ever denied he used the very vile “N” word, and even though it was in defense of being threatened with physical harm, and being called “bucked tooth cracker bitch”, neither my son nor I have accepted it to be ok. My son was harassed and physically harmed for years within HCPS both before and after this incident. My son made a mistake, and called someone a very ugly name, that still doesn’t give HCPS the right to not follow policy, protocol, and retaliate against those that attempt to hold them accountable.
OH MY! Such hostility coming from this proud HCPS principal. What a shame that this person represents an entire staff and community somewhere in this county. And please tell us your name so the unfortunate people who work with you or have anything to do with you, will once and for all discover the real you, if they haven’t already figured that one out. A word of caution to anyone in proud HCPS principal’s building… if you do something to get on the wrong side of this proud principal, you will have a hellish school year. She/He will be out to get you. She/He will become a real pain, by observing you even when not necessary and staying for at least 90 minutes, and then pick everything apart that you did! . Mrs. Canavan, maybe you should be sure this proud principal receives some extra PD this year in anger management and dealing with people in a civil, calm manner. Or better, yet… fire this proud principal! Is this really how you want your administrators to behave? Sometimes the smallest people are the biggest bullies, just because they are allowed to be !!
Amy has nothing but the utmost respect from me for the courage she had to have to fight the “machine”. Proud principal…you represent for sure the lowest of the low and I’m terrified that you are a principal for our county. Hope you are somehow outed and we know who you really are.
No one knows what really happened (at least the people commenting for that matter). There is no factual proof to any of this. It is all he said she said. The bottom line is, something happened to a student that caused a panic and the principal was taken out in reaction to it. Was it the right decision? Probably not. It could have been handled much better. Hindsight is 20/20 though. It’s easy to look back and figure out what to do better once it has already happened. I think this letter is a reflection of that, and hopefully, in the future, there will be less incidents like this.
However, let’s stop being so politically correct about everything. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that this situation has spiraled out of control. The so called, squirting with a squirt gun just doesn’t seem like HCPS to me at all. Was there a kid getting wet? Possibly, but was it done with good intentions for other students and for the child at risk? Most likely. I can’t imagine it was like someone squirting a cat with a squirt gun when it jumped up on the table. Let’s be honest people….has anyone ever played the game password? One thing is whispered into someone else’s ear, and this keeps going and going…by the end, the phrase sounds nothing like what it was originally was. I can imagine this would be the same type of situation.
Well, as a parent in a surrounding county, I can tell you that HCPS do not have the good reputation it once enjoyed. My youngest son recently graduated from the MAT program at Towson. Rather than accept a position in Harford County, he choose to work at Macys for a year until a position became available in another county.
I was upset with him initially, as I attended HCPS in the ’70s and absolutely loved my entire experience.However,
I certainly hope things come together, and the teachers start getting the recognition and long over due raises they deserve. Shame on a system of administrators and a Board of Education that do not support our educators. My hats off to each and everyone of you!!
My son just graduated from Allegheny in PA. He also has no interest in teaching here. Real shame.
Reading the comments make me understand a lot more. Huh?
Umm, SUE? People suck, including a lot of you. Yes, that was an insult. Hit “reply” and waste more of your pathetic lives telling me “how it is”
My favorite gem is the “trace” comment. Is the school bung hole violator squad going to ambush me at Royal Farms while I eat my chick’um? Sweat me out in the boiler room with a 30 year old incandescent bulb hanging above?
Haha that doesn’t even make sense. Sounds like your high writing that comment! !
What doesn’t make sense? You seen the old movies where the Police “sweat” out someone in an interogation room?
HCPS Butt Violator squad? That’s hilarious.
It was not a WATER PISTOL people it was a SPRAY bottle that was a MIST. See how things are he said she said, and people get it wrong!!!
Jeanette you were a terrible principal and also very confrontational. If you are going to write a letter how about write a letter to the parents and children that were physically/mentally abused and neglected on your watch? You could of done something but you did nothing so awe lets feel sorry for you that you were suspended. You were in charge of that school so you should be the one held accountable. The Board, Special Education, and Hickory all did a horrible job handling the situation, until MDLC came in to investigate and then everyone wanted to cover their tracks.You allowed this teacher to cover up the windows in these classrooms and did nothing about it. If you would of done something about the first incident everything else probably would not of happened and it would of been one isolated incident. You could of actually visited these classrooms but that would of meant you would have to get off your ass and do a little walking. I am glad there is a new principal now in place that actually cares about these kids and communicates with parents and is not fake about it like you were. Also IEP’s were copied and pasted from child to child with the same typographical errors and you the Assistant Principal who sat in on every IEP meeting didn’t even realize it. You did nothing but lie to these parents and not protect these kids. Even if you were told not to say something you should have and now a year later you want to write a letter about it? These kids were the victims not you and they went through a lot and most will be emotionally scarred but what transpired in that classroom. Plus they will never get that year/s back of education lacked being with that teacher.
Now to those teachers making negative comments and sticking up for Jeanette we don’t want you at Hickory or any other school in Harford County with your bitterness and negativity. Why don’t you put your full teacher names in here cowards so we know who you are? There was a lot more then this “misting” thing going on the classroom. Unless you have the MDLC investigation report then shut your mouth! Those that also leaked confidential information hopefully you are found and fired too. The teacher that was involved should not be allowed to teach again in any capacity or work with kids same goes for the aides that were involved who didn’t report what happened to the proper authorities. They are very lucky that criminal charges were never brought upon them.
“Have” not “of”
@Glad Your Gone,
Up front I want to say that I do not know much about the prior happing other than what I have read here on this site. One thing for sure, Ms Jennings was more than willing to use her name and not write anonymously as you have done. Then you double down and scold others for not using their real name.
Perhaps you just want to vent and could care less if anything you say is taken seriously by any of the readers. I would think that most readers of this open letter would choose to believe Ms Jennings as she is willing to place her name to her comments. You, on the other hand, want to comment, but remain anonymous while berating others for not using their names.
I have no problem with folks who post on this site anonymously, however, when doing so don’t berate others for doing the same thing, and don’t expect to taken as seriously as those who use their actual name.
Interesting how venomous you got over the leaking of “confidential information”. If it’s true, then why are you so upset about the truth getting out, unless you don’t really want the truth getting out. I don’t know what the actual truth of the incident(s) is, but I do know this much. I had two high-functioning autistic high school students in the same class for a year several years back, each with their own personal IH. It was difficult at times to keep the class under control because of this. I can’t even begin to think how hard it was to manage a class with TEN autistic children, at least some of whom (if not all 10 of them) were lower functioning than the two who I taught. That fact alone is enough to make me question the leadership of this program and of the special education department at Central Office.
Blame Dewey, Cheatem & Howe for charging $250 an hour while promising parents they can avoid the embarrassment of saying their child goes to John Archer.
As a parent of a child that will be entering HCPS in a year or two I must say this entire thread of comments is frightening and deplorable. Teaching and Education is a noble and honorable profession. I see no professionalism or honor in the letter written or in any of the comments. I see bitter employees past and present airing laundry. Writing letters to the media and making inflammatory comments on an internet blog solves absolutely nothing. Affect change the right way and use the proper forum for healthy discussion. I can only hope my daughter will receive the same exemplary education I received from Harford County so many years ago.
Unfortunately, the HCPS that you experienced is long since gone. Veteran teachers are gone. Long-term subs will be everywhere this coming school year. Young teachers are simply waiting for a call from another school system to bounce. Administrators are leaving, too. This is what happens when the salary scale, for all staff/teachers/administrators, is not honored for 5 of the last 7 years. You get what you pay for.
My guess is it will take at least a decade to repair the piss-poor reputation that plagues HCPS, and that is assuming that the leadership of both HCPS and the county government begin to make significant changes.
What a shame. Keep a watchful eye on what goes on at your child’s school.
I am a mom of learning disabled children. My son was bullied repeatedly by the teacher. was tortured to the point of being suicidal. I made endless attempts to rectify it . I didn’t get response from the principal until I called MSDE and emailed the governors office over it. In fact there were four other special needs children that had to be taken out of the clutches of this demon. I was devastated when the teacher calls me to apologize while snickering for calling my child stupid in front of the class ! that teacher doesn’t need to have an animal ………none the less be allowed to be in classroom with children. yes they are still employed with HCPS
I’m I to get this right? This lady sued because her autistic child was sprayed with a squirt gun? I’m not sure I’m callin’ that abuse really without context. Wasn’t there but all I know is what I see. Standing in line behind a lady with a 4 or 5 year old autistic boy at the Shop Rite and observed the boy grunting, pointing at stuff, grabbing things of shelves, up and down off the floor and the poor mom trying to go through the simple process of paying for a couple of things while at the same time watching the boys every move, pulling him off the floor, taking the things he’d grabbed and putting them back, etc. I was exhausted just watching her. Put that same boy or any child like him in a classroom and there isn’t going to be much by way of learning for any of the “normal” kids. Can’t imagine how teachers are expected to babysit kids that will not learn to the point they will become employable or in some cases even independently functional at the expense of those that will. Earth to parents of these children – your kids are a handful. More a handful than many teachers can physically handle and many won’t make eye contact, won’t even respond when given instruction and may at time be a danger to themselves or others. Use of a squirt gun might sound degrading to you but it’s a very simple effective way to get somebody’s attention when the entire classroom is being disrupted.
Whom ever posted as Amy Lindecamp’s son have some class. First he probably doesn’t even get on this site. Second the Lindecamp Family Tree is bi-racial. Third your a real class act, that is call sarcasm. If you understand the word sarcasm.
“You ladies made decisions on how to address this incident. What followed was a sad display of sloppy, careless ineptitude. As this situation spiraled out of control the three of you felt comfortable bullying and demeaning people who have devoted their lives to working with special needs students.” I cannot factually say that all three of these women have bullied Special Educators across all schools; however, I have witnessed this happening to special education teachers and staff at a large Bel Air high school . Also, special education students have not serviced in several classes by a special educator, as required by federal and state law, for the majority of a school year because of the failure to replace the teachers when they left early in the school year or later due to illness. This situation occurred for at least one year but possibly longer. If that isn’t bad enough, Dr. Austin knew about this and in addition permitted this school to not comply to the mandated ratio of special education students to general education students in CC classes and not having enough special education teachers and staff in classed to provide needed support. It’s amazing as to what is swept under the carpet while bullying those educators who know their jobs well and make sure their students are serviced properly.
Unreal all this in-fighting. This school would be better off in Edgewood.
To know I am so tired of Edgewood bashing by the folks of bel air I could scream!!!!!! I moved here three years ago and can’t wait to be able to sell my house in two or three years and move to Aberdeen where I can get a half of an acre a nice house an spend one hundred thousand dollars less and not have to live with such snobby, narrow minded people! My pit bulls and I can’t wait!
Good, leave! You and your pit bulls will fit in much better in Aberdeen, and Bel Air will be better off with you gone. #fakethugs
My daughter graduated in May with a degree in Math from NDMU. She had an advance contract in March from Baltimore County. Harford county is still sending her job listings. A little too late.
My children were educated inHargord county and I know first-hand the quality of teachers is not what it used to be. It’s a shame but you can’t argue with teaching for more money in a school system that appreciated their staff.
By the way, we never did see a number of new teachers in Harford county. Baltimore county hired 600 new teachers in a system with 8800. Seems like the turnover there isn’t so bad.
Hope things get better!
The Maryland Disability Law Center has completed their report of the Hickory situation. I’d love to know how to access the report. Staff has been told to not comment if asked by parents and refer the parents to Jillian Lader at HCPS.
The plot now thickens:
http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2015/09/16/special-education-staffers-accused-of-abusive-practices/
And then read this one: http://www.abc2news.com/news/region/harford-county/http://www.abc2news.com/news/region/harford-county/investigation-finds-abuse-of-autistic-students