Teacher: Special ed students sexually harassed me, then I got fired

NY Post ^ | May 23, 2017 | Joshua Rhett Miller

[EinNYC]

A Michigan teacher claims she was fired after school administrators ignored her reports that she was being sexually harassed by special education students — including one teen whose lewd behavior “creeped [her] out.”

Melissa Sawicki, 36, filed a lawsuit in US District Court in Bay City in September, alleging sexual discrimination and retaliation for protected activity on behalf of Bay City Public Schools and the district’s Board of Education, MLive.com reported on Tuesday.

[EinNYC]

I absolutely believe this teacher, because I experienced exactly the same type of sexually oriented remarks from students, and not necessarily from special ed students. Special ed students in NYC schools can include emotionally disturbed kids, and these seemed to be the overwhelming majority of those classified as special ed, not physically handicapped kids. In NYC, special ed students are given an absolute laissez-faire free pass, never being held to normal disciplinary standards. I can well imagine administration doing NOTHING in response to a teacher's complaint of sexual harassment, because that is exactly the type of support they would get in a NYC school. How would you like to be required to be in a classroom where you were subject to the filthiest sexual remarks and gestures, lewd touching, "accidental" bumping by students, etc. and you could do nothing about it yourself, and were offered no relief by those in charge? That such behavior was ignored and went unanswered by administration? Teachers are offered up to such students only as fresh meat to have at, and are not supported in the slightest.

[mainestategop]

Special ed students? More likely lazy trouble makers from single parent homes who got put there because the teachers in regular classes couldn't handle their behavior and attributed their laziness with learning disability.

This is one of the major weaknesses of special ed. I've seen it myself. All the kids in Special ed were able minded able bodied kids who either didn't want to do it or couldn't do it because the schools emasculated their brains with sight words and other things.

[Leaning Right]

> In NYC, special ed students are given an absolute laissez-faire free pass, never being held to normal disciplinary standards. <

That’s common in my neck of the woods as well. There is a law here that says special ed students can be suspended a maximum of 7 days per school year. Some kids have reached that number by the end of the first month of school.

So after 7 days, they are untouchable. They can say whatever they want, and do whatever they want. I’ve seen such kids leave a class in the middle of a period, go walk the halls for an hour, then go into some other class just to cause trouble.

All teachers can do is use persuasion to keep a lid on things.

[lee martell]

I believe her story.
Many ‘disturbed’ (hyperactive, cranky or habitually disruptive) kids have figured out how to game the system and manipulate the adults to the student’s advantage.
Ironic that her disbelieving supervisor was named Ms Cox.

[Robert A Cook PE]

I believe it.

Special Ed = “Free Get out of Jail” pass. Until they are killed on the street. Or kill someone on the street/school/apartment.

You can thank your local liberals!

[unixfox]

Easy solution to this problem.

Cameras in the classroom. It protects BOTH parties.

[hanamizu]

People don’t realize how many extra ‘rights’ that special ed students acquire when they receive that designation. Discipline procedures are ‘modified’ for them and suspensions/expulsions require the administration to jump through so many hoops that it is just not worth it. If the discipline issue is related to their diagnosis it becomes even more difficult. There is something called Opposition Defiant Disorder (ODD) which means a student with it cannot be punished for defying the teacher! If a school finds that it simply cannot control a special ed student and cannot guarantee the safety of his classmates, then it is the school’s responsibility to find a place for him—regardless of the expense—even if it requires putting the kid in a residential high-security ‘treatment facility’. And because the student is ‘handicapped’ the district is responsible until he/she is 21.

That all said, even though it seems unfair to a district’s employees, the district’s first concern and priority should be with their students. If a district is forced to choose, it will favor the student over an employee—even if the employee has worked for decades. It would be hoped that when the facts are known a district will weigh the evidence and make a fair decision—but that doesn’t always happen.

[bgill]

There was one that was placed in kiddo’s class and would whip it out to pee on the playground. No one could reprimand or teach him then so guess he’s still whipping it out whenever and wherever now.

[Bodleian_Girl]

Som of the medications they put these kids on also make them hyper-sexual.

[Pearls Before Swine]

“I’m more protected than you are.”

You’d think the teacher’s union would have done something useful for a change and stood up for this teacher, one of their members.

[JimRed]

Cameras in the classroom. It protects BOTH parties.

My guess- the teacher's union would object. Their members' behavior would be out in the open for all to see. And the kids' behaviors as well, leading to charges of institutional racism since a certain demographic would show up more frequently than others.

[metmom]

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[arthurus]

Up to last year wife was a SpecEd primary school teacher for 40 years. She never taught above third grade. Some of those third graders fit the description. And they were LARGE. Most recently the Spanish kids of questionable age were especially problematical. Over the ears she got some sprains and a broken tailbone but she kept at it and found ways to deal with it all without involving the administration. Going to the boss with such problems, especially if they involve protected minorities, is counterproductive in some, maybe most school districts. The exception to that rule was the two years there was a Negro school supe. He took no nonsense from students, parents, or county officials.