Thank you Florida Engineer for lending your strong
support to Rus Cooper-Dowda, the disabled Pinellas
County teacher who is being hurt and humiliated for
being a Terri supporter.
I wrote this letter to the Superintendent of Schools,
with cc's to all School Board Members and the two
lawyers the School Board uses. After the letter,
I list email addresses. There are only three days
before Rus is scheduled to be fired (oncamera) at
the regularly scheduled School Board Hearing at 5 pm
on December 9. I think that three days will be enough
for all of us to show the School Board that this action
is something they should give more thought to, because
W E A R E W A T C H I N G T H E M ! ! ! !
J. Howard Hinesley, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools,
Pinellas County
Dear Mr Hinesley,
You are on record planning to recommend the dismissal
of teacher Rus Cooper-Dowda during the December 9 School
Board meeting. Page 127 of the agenda refers to it as
exercise of an option to dismiss without cause during
probationary period.
This is not germane to the facts. Ms Cooper-Dowda’s
trouble with Principal Griffin of Bay Point Middle
School began after she was interviewed on local television
regarding the viewpoint of a woman with disabilities on
issues pertaining to Terri Schindler-Schiavo.
Principal Griffin declared the next day that she no
longer fit in. He curtailed needed classroom supplies,
cut her off from notices of meetings and directed campus
police to ignore requests for assistance. This resulted
in injuries from a student attack. Principal Griffin also
intimidated her by threatening public humiliation if she
did not acquiesce to resigning. The actions did not derive
from necessity and must be regarded as discrimination.
I request that you act in accord with your mandate. It
is incumbent upon you to investigate and remedy such
discrimination against a disabled teacher by an official
in your jurisdiction. Exercising the option of dismissal
without cause will not address prior actionable breaches
of law. It merely aggravates subsequent recovery of
pecuniary damages by Ms Cooper-Dowda. I will continue
observing your actions in this case with active interest.
Sincerely,
Cc John W. Bowen, School Board Attorney,Thomas Wittmer,
Assistant School Board Attorney, Dennis Griffin, Principal,
Bay Point Middle School, Linda Lerner, Chairman, Pinellas
County School Board, Jane Gallucci, Vice Chairman, Pinellas
County School Board, Mary Russel, Member, Pinellas County
Shool Board, Nancy Bostock, Member, Pinellas County Shool
Board, Mary Brown, Member, Pinellas County Shool Board, Lee
Benjamin, Member, Pinellas County Shool Board,Carol Cook,
Member, Pinellas County Shool Board
These are the email addresses I am using. I don't have
one for Principal Griffin
Dr J. Howard Hinesley, Superintendent of Schools,
Pinellas County
super@pinellas.kl.fl.us Email for members of the School Board (direct through "attention to" by name):
Board@pcsb.org John W. Bowen, School Board Attorney
bowenj@pinellas.k12.fl.us Thomas Wittmer, Assistant School Board Attorney
wittmert@pinellas.k12.fl.us