To: sweetliberty; EternalVigilance; floriduh voter; tutstar; Canticle_of_Deborah; JulieRNR21; ...
Friends of Terri - be sure to read terrasol's post on the previous daily thread at
post 431.
The former PVS patient who was almost killed, but later recovered, Rus Cooper-Dowda, is being FIRED for speaking favorably of Terri outside of a work setting, and on her own time!
... a MUST read!
Then don't forget to freep our big guns at FoxNews!
Here's another good re-read from earlier this year...
Rus Cooper-Dowda's reporting of a
VERY BIASED court hearing to determine Terri's condition...
here's a sample...
The family attorney explained that the lower court judge used a scorecard for response that stacked the deck no matter how Terri responded. If she always responded -- it was just primitive brain stem activity. If she randomly responded -- it was not repetitive enough. If it wasn't as fast as the demander wanted -- then, hey, she was "too" disabled.
About this time the judge asked for an assurance that Terri could be restored by treatment before treatment was tried. He wanted to know the probability of function restoration for Terri the way people want guaranteed winning odds from their bookies before they bet any money on the Superbowl.
Ms. Anderson gently pointed out that medicine and life didn't work that way. She asked what harm there would be in a trial period of full therapies before deciding such therapies wouldn't work.
...you'll never believe the judges reply!...
To: FL_engineer; terrasol
Thank you for the ping. I somehow missed this important post the first time through. Maybe the ADA enforcement arm needs to get involved with this man's case.
To: FL_engineer
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 62 posted on
12/05/2003 8:35:51 PM PST by
terrasol
(The fool is not who does not know, but who gives up a chance to grow)
To: FL_engineer
Here is an excerpt from Rus's Blog
http://www.webeone.org/rus/archives/000050.html#more December 05, 2003
Fired For Caring
On December 9, 2003, an exceptional education teacher
with twenty-five years of experience and two advanced
degrees is being fired for "not fitting in."
She has been disabled for over 20 years and teaches
students with disabilities who are considered the most
difficult to instruct.
She was even handpicked by her state for an accelerated
program to get her in a classroom as fast as possible.
And in a time when there is a desperate teacher shortage,
expecially in the special education field, she is being
let go for "not fitting in."
How can this be?
Well...
The day that Terri Schindler-Schiavo was forced to start
her second round of attempted starvation, this teacher was
asked for her opinion of that act based on a shared status
as a Floridian female with disabilities.
You want to know what that televised "wild" political
opinion turned out to be?
"I'm scared."
No mention of the school system was made. The brief
interview was not on school grounds.
The next day this teacher heard for the first time that
she "did not fit in."
Sudenly she could not get her phone fixed, memos of
meetings, information that her computer printer would be
in the shop for a month.
Then a vestige of her other job --journlistic reports of
the Terri Schindler-Schiavo October 2002 hearing --hit the
school campus.
After that she could not even get promised, documented
and escalating student violence addressed by school
administration. Even reports of a student's repeated
attempted suicides in class got no response.
And she was finally hurt by in an attack that was
promised months before.
In her effort to report that attack, constant questions
were used as proof to show -- you guessed it - she "didn't
fit in."
While out recovering from that unaddressed attack, she
was fired on The Great American Teach-In Day. A week later,
her worker's compensation claim from the student attack
was denied.
Oh, she was given a chance to resign for personal reasons
if she would get out of her enforced sickbed and ride in a
car against medical advice and hand deliver documents.
But she didn't do anything wrong and physically couldn't
comply.
Because of that --
her last day was moved up far enough to seriously curtail
her medical insurance, her exit interview was cancelled
and her firing is being done on television with reruns
throughout the Chirstmas season.
And it all began with "not fitting in" because she said
as a Floridian female with disabilities, Terri Schindler-
Schiavo's situtation was scary.
Her treatment after that only enforces that fear.
Posted by rus at December 5, 2003 08:08 AM
Action:
These are the email addresses I am using.
I don't have one for Principal Griffin of
the Baypoint Middle School.
Dr J. Howard Hinesley, Superintendent of Schools,
Pinellas County
super@pinellas.k12.fl.us Email for the School Board :
Board@pcsb.org Thank you for your action.
terrasol
75 posted on
12/06/2003 1:47:39 PM PST by
terrasol
(The fool is not who does not know, but who gives up a chance to grow)
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson
-Michael Schiavo (teaching Terri she can NEVER DIVORCE him) minutes before her 'collapse'