Charter teacher repeatedly calls student "gay," twists arm: condoned by (connected) administrators

[Hannah Bell]

As he prepared to plead guilty in a criminal case, a Bronx man with family ties to two pols faces a civil suit over alleged abuse at a charter school he ran.

Richard Izquierdo Arroyo, grandson of an assemblywoman and a councilwoman's nephew, is accused of failing to protect a student allegedly sexually harassed and assaulted by a teacher.

"The teacher's conduct was reprehensible and utterly inappropriate for a class of high school seniors, let alone second- and third-graders," said Patrick Mullaney, lawyer for angry mom Nereida Pastrana. "But to make matters worse, the conduct was well-known and condoned by the school staff and administration."


Izquierdo was chairman of the South Bronx Charter School for International Culture and the Arts when the alleged abuse took place. He has since resigned and is slated to plead guilty in federal court Friday to embezzling funds from a housing nonprofit.

Federal prosecutors accused him and a co-defendant of using some of the funds to finance the campaigns and district offices of Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo and Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo...

The suit filed in Bronx Supreme Court earlier this week says teacher Jared Alessandroni repeatedly called Pastrana's son, now 10, "gay" and twisted his arm in March 2009.


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2010/03/12/2010-03-12_add_civil_suit_to_pol_kins_woes.html#ixzz0i0652Xgk

[Dinger]

1. There'll Be More Of That With arne's race to the bottom

What a horse shit idea of this administration.

[Hannah Bell]

2. i'm waiting for the concern junkies from the other thread to weigh in here.

[Dinger]

3. Don't Worry, That's Coming (nt)

[Hannah Bell]

4. they're still kicking the "loser" thread, but nobody here except you & i

[TK421]

5. I'm reading the article now n/t

[BlueIris]

8. 'Sup.

This is one of the more disturbing school corruption stories I've read about this week.

[Hannah Bell]

10. got it all: abuse of a student, school run by embezzler, kickbacks to politicians.

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. What other thread?

[Hannah Bell]

11. the one with 77 comments from concerned citizens.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7903149&mesg_id=7903149

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. As soon as someone starts posting bad doctor threads

I'll pay attention to the bad teacher threads.

Just a tad overkill here these days :crazy:

[Hannah Bell]

17. people do pay attention, though. & media plants rashes of "bad teacher" stories to push an agenda.

it can't have escaped your notice that some folks are always found on the "bad public school teacher" threads, but never on "bad charter school teacher" ones.

encouraging folks to contact the district, etc.

what's the agenda?

[elehhhhna]

18. lol so true and here in Houston the charters are the diceiest!

hannabel, i could tell you a story about the founder of a national charter progrom that would curl everybody's hair!

[Hannah Bell]

19. tell, tell! (just don't name names)

[elehhhhna]

20. what if he posted horrible things

(and enough personal info to ID him) during school hours? Racist, sexist, Freepish, nasty and obscene postings.

Until someone called him out.

heh-heh

[elehhhhna]

21. p.s. iirc he posted a lot in reference to his pen!s, also.

[Hannah Bell]

22. right-wing grafter perv wasting public funds making right-wing internet posts...

hmmm...

[elehhhhna]

38. yep. He was even honored by GWB. He's a sick person.

[proud2BlibKansan]

23. Same people starting those threads too

:eyes:

[Hannah Bell]

25. ...edit

[MattBaggins]

32. I'm suprised they are taking any action against this guy

Charter schools can do no wrong dontcha know?

Fire all the teachers at one school just to bust the union but charter schools have actual abuse going on.

[Hannah Bell]

36. kicking cause i want to get 80 comments like that public-school teacher-bashing thread.

come on, concern junkies. you're so gosh-darned concerned about kids, surely the teachers & administrators in this case also deserves a good slam from you????

[Starry Messenger]

6. kick and rec.

[BlueIris]

7. Same.

This is one messed up situation.

[blindpig]

12. k&r n/t

[TK421]

13. Well, my blood pressure's up

[Swamp Rat]

27. This'll bring it back down:

Jared Alessandroni and Richard Izquierdo Arroyo will likely be joining Jerry Falwell someday. :D

[TK421]

28. awesome! lol

:D thanks for that Swamp Rat!

[fascisthunter]

14. damn...

[Trillo]

15. Is "twists arm" like "inappropriate tickling"?

I mean is touching the arm of a student 1) a physical assault and 2) a sexual contact?

[Brickbat]

24. Nice. Freaking charter schools.

[Fresh_Start]

26. sue the charter school including its parent company

out of business. Sounds like this gentleman is already on his way to jail.

What happened to the teacher who calls 9 year old boys gay? Hope he gets a prison term as well.

[jrt4]

29. profit motive

What would people expect for an institution that is run for a profit, instead of for the public good? Of course the administration tried to cover it up. Doing otherwise would be terrible for business.

[Starry Messenger]

30. Welcome to DU.

You are quite correct.

[anonymous171]

41. Good point. This kind of thing probably happens in a lot of other charter schools

We just don't hear about it.

[kestrel91316]

31. Well, Hannah, this is all just a civil suit. There's no proof.

Why aren't you defending this guy like you did the school accused of spying on students?

ETA this: :sarcasm: for the sarcasm-impaired

[Hannah Bell]

35. ummm...as counterpoint to the other public-school teacher-bashing thread?

in which the article consists of an unsubstantiated allegation about what happened?

which received over 80 comments from the unbiased readers here?

mostly calling for the teacher's head?


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7903149&mesg_id=7903149


Oh, & since you chose to bring it up:

Parents meet to slam Lower Merion spy-cam suit
Philadelphia Daily News 3/3/10

Not every parent in the Lower Merion School District wants to be part of the "class" that Blake Robbins and his lawyers have in mind.

As the Harriton High sophomore seeks to have his invasion-of-privacy lawsuit against the district certified as a class action, hundreds of parents are banding together in opposition.

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20100303_Parents_meet_to_slam_Lower_Merion_spy-cam_suit.html


Both sides agree to delay in L. Merion computer case
By Joseph Tanfani

Inquirer Staff Writer

The parents of the high school sophomore captured on a school laptop's Web cam have agreed to a delay in their legal fight against the Lower Merion School District, signaling a possible quick settlement of the dispute.

The lawsuit has proven unpopular among some parents in the Main Line district, who were unhappy about the prospect of big legal expenses and a costly settlement.

"It's a great first step that they're stopping the bleeding anyway," said Michael J. Boni, a lawyer and Lower Merion resident who helped to organize a group of parents who were considering opposing the suit.

"It can only be good news," Boni said. "I have to think the hue and cry of the community against this might have something to do with this."

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/87313492.html



wtf? how about all the perverted vice-principals & janitors who were accessing cameras randomly to view children in their underwear?

[kimi]

33. OK I'm naive

But don't people go into education to teach children? When did it become a profit motivator?

I know, I'm hopeless about some stuff, but I don't (can't) understand why money (and power) makes so damn much difference in some people's lives. :shrug:

[Catshrink]

34. Charters are often for-profit

run by corporations. There is big money just itching to get its grubby hands in the public education pot.

Detroit:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=219&topic_id=21385&mesg_id=21398
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=219x21385

[Hannah Bell]

37. k

as there is renewed concern with the "loser" story, i'm sure those folks will want to comment here as well....

[Hannah Bell]

39. k for the concern junkies kicking the other thread

[Hannah Bell]

40. kick, same reason

[Hannah Bell]

42. more k

[joeybee12]

43. Charter schools are all about money...plain and simple...people

pushing them stand to make a lot of money.

[Spazito]

44. It is good to see justice being done...

he will no longer be in any classroom abusing anyone. Bad teachers, regardless of whether they are in the public system or in charter schools need to go.