I reacted with this civil disobedience because of the principal’s countless violation of contract and he has made two previous false allegations of child abuse against me personally, with the clear intend of removing the voice of Union from the school… If I did such a crime, I demanded that criminal charges by the school and parents must be filed with police. An arrest could not be made because the parents of the child understood that the boy was not harmed but removed for violating discipline code.

This time I refused to leave quietly and took the last stand on behalf of those others 500 teachers who could not. I negotiated time with safety squad and waited it out until the Union and DOE authorities showed up to leave the school. I also wrote a second letter requesting an immediate investigation over the working conditions which has prompted the turn-over of 80% of the staff leaving MS 328 due to the supervisory impotence of the superintendent and the professional harassment done by Principal Dorald Bastian.

By 8.30 am someone else from the building made a second or a third call to 911 saying that there was bomb in the building… FOR THE RECORD: I Francisco Garabitos never claimed to have hostages, did not have a bomb nor any kind of explosives; Whoever made such a call should be prosecuted further.

In the course of my 30 years as a public educator I had been in direct contact with thousands of children, prevented or intervened in hundreds of fights between children by pushing some aside, pulling one from another or using my body as a buffer zone between hyperactive students but never abused nor caused injury to anyone. Indeed I have been accused 18 times… but 16 times it has been proven to be false and I only received two disciplinary letters in 25 years of uninterrupted service….NEVER BEEN ARRESTED.. Yet the current system of “special investigations” with automatic reporting is unfairly used as the principal’s tool to reassign over 500 teachers which are being treated as guilty perpetrators of evil, held in unlawful confinement, vilified and emotionally tortured, pending a timeless investigation of mostly fabricated allegations without a due process….

THESE ARE THE REASONS WHY I REACH THE END OF A $100,000.00 CAREER FOR ONE in order to STOP PROFESSIONAL ABUSES AGAINST MANY.

Although the lack of a clear discipline structure at MS 328 is the main cause of school’s disruptions, I believe that anyone (children and/or adults) who violates laws and regulations must be promptly investigated and/or prosecuted within 48 hours… Conversely, those who fabricate false allegations against me and serve as false witness must be also prosecuted immediately. Lying children should be suspended and adults should be fined and/or imprisoned.

BASIC SCHOOL ISSUES:

That the parents and general public be informed of the teacher’s shortage and discipline situation at MS 328.

That the Office of Special Investigation sends its agents to MS 328 within 48 hours to handle allegations.

That the DOE interview individual staff members as to the stressful conditions caused by Principal Dorald Bastian

That the UFT charge the principal for interfering with Union Business, teacher harassment and safety violations

That the Principal Dorald Bastian be transferred or terminated for poor personnel management skills.

That a SAVE room be permanently staffed to hold/counsel disruptive students removed from classroom.

That the DEAN position be devoted FULL TIME exclusively for safety and discipline related issues

That Security officers be allowed to patrol corridors to remove disruptive-truants roaming the halls.

DOE:

That a 72 hours method of pre-investigation be used by OSI-SCI before removing teachers from their positions unless there is reasonable evidence of actual criminal violations against federal, state and/or education laws.

That the DOE close the RUBBER ROOMS and release teachers with pay until their case is promptly investigated.

That fine, suspension or termination be imposed AFTER and ONLY AFTER a due process investigation, 3020-a hearing, and/or impartial arbitration is conducted.

Interested party for a resolution and further details may contact me:

Phone: 646-228-0668 or email fgart44@hotmail.com

BRONX UFT rep: C. Harrison: 718-379-6200

Also no matter what has happened to you, threatening the lives of children is never the answer. I too suspect that there is more to this story, but lets be real. If the police were called, then this was serious.

Dud!!! thanks… and Ok to raise your voice.

Kassandra, Alexandra or whatever you use to call me

You can color Mr. Garabitos gone. What remains for you to do is to expose the administrator’s prevarications… and put your own job on the line. Talk to a union lawyer first. Don’t try to save Garabitos; go after the folks who caused his breakdown.

Start with the “reporters who covered the story. Get your facts (dates, times, what you personally witnessed and what was said in your presence or by you, etc.) straight before you open your mouth.