Public May Address Board Before it Discusses Teacher Who Made Ethnic Slur

Before Tuesday's 5 p.m. closed session hearing, where school board members will discuss and whether further discipline or dismissal is required, the public is invited to comment.

While Tuesday's meeting agenda lists the opportunity for folks to address the board before members deliberate in closed session, some agendas in the last year have ommitted that invitation (see PDFs to the right).

Two of the board members who will discuss Leko's conduct in her classroom--where students and parents reported that the math teacher called a student referred to her class as and made fun of another --are newly elected members Andrew Blumenfeld and Ellen Multari.

The new members will be sworn in quickly, prior to the closed session, with a more ceremonial oath of office occurring at the start of the regular 7 p.m. meeting.

Repeated calls to Leko for comment have gone unreturned.

Superintendent Wendy Sinette said Monday if there is any formal action in closed session--such as a vote for dismissal--it will be reported out, prior to the regular meeting.

However, "Again, due to employment privacy laws, no additional actions related to those the administration has already taken, nor any additional actions decided upon by the school board, will be disclosed,'' Sinette wrote in an email to Patch.

Outgoing school board member Cindy Wilcox--who filed a last June but went public with the complaint in October--said it's possible that board members merely would be briefed by an attorney Tuesday, and a vote could happen at another time.

Student/Parent Concerns and Public Complaints

Wilcox' complaint against Leko, accusing her of ethnic and gender bias, ignited a , some who had complained as long as a two years ago about Leko's inappropriate classroom behavior.

Angry parents , addressing the board one after another, about the "broken process'' of filing complaints against teachers. But because there was no agenda item on the complaint process, the Brown Act precluded board members from responding. Parents pelted questions at the five-members, and they sat mute.

That could change Tuesday.

Under "proposed action" is the item: Discussion on procedures related to student parent concerns and public complaints. Items make it onto the agenda by people submitting their requests to the board, and then an agenda planning commitee comprises the final product.

Uniform Complaint

The district's response to Wilcox's public complaint included mandating sensitivity training for Leko, despite Leko, along with the rest of the district, having already received said training. Because Wilcox--who wants Leko dismissed or entirely supervised when she is in front of children--believes the district's internal investigation was inadequate, she filed a uniform complaint with the district in November.

Uniform complaints are more narrow, but tackle weightier issues--such as ethnic, racial and gender discrimination, Wilcox explained. The district has hired a professional investigator, Deanne Neiman, who has no ties to the school system, to thoroughly investigate parents' and students' complaints.

"A professional investigator will document every detail in the case in a way that will hold up in the process,'' Wilcox said, noting district staff is not trained to be professional investigators.

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