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	News and Issues
	Congratulations Celebrating the professional accomplishments of SOCSD teachers Contract Corner A look at important contract information Teacher Spotlight Acknowledging the accomplishments of colleagues Teacher Milestones Celebrating the personal events and accomplishments of SOCSD teachers Education News Educational sound bites from around the world News from NYSUT What's going on statewide EASO Scholarships Sponsors and winners EASO Socials Getting together outside the classroom Congratulations to... Celebrating the professional accomplishments of SOCSD teachers [Corrections, additions, or another milestone to share? E-mail smcmane@socsd.org.] The 2009 Retirees: Stephanie Acito Bob Butler Bob Cavanagh Kathleen Dempsey Reid Hoffer Irene Mullins Elaine Prinz Lynnette Rajala-Langton Debra Rosenblum Dorothy Taylor The 2009 Retirement Dinner Honorees: 25 Years of Service Janice Tocco 21 Years of Service Abby Rudin Steven Sowitsky 20 Years of Service Bob Butler Pamela Hess Ed Honcharski Beth Jaret Peter Jelalian Karen Martin Ms. Barbara LaBrake and Mr. Yu Bong Ko (TZHS Art) whose students were winners in the Rockland Family Shelter's annual poster contest Stephen Sherman (TZHS Social Studies) for winning the 2008 Outstanding High School Social Studies Teacher Award from the Westchester-Lower Hudson Council for Social Studies. Sarah McMane (TZHS English) on her acceptance to the PBS Teacher Leaders Program. Contract Corner From the NEA Office of General Counsel: The Whole World (Wide Web) is Watching: Cautionary tales from the 'what-were-you-thinking' department. Way back in 1974, California teacher and aspiring actor Lou Zivkovich famously was fired for posing nude in Playgirl magazine. His response, as reported by Newsweek, "I didn't murder anyone." Nowadays, thanks to advances in technology, you don't even need a major publisher to get fired; just post your racy photos, sexually graphic writings, or wild party stories on a personal Web blog. You'll be amazed by how quickly tech-savvy students can disseminate your postings to their friends and your employer. Here's a roundup of some of the recent horror stories: In Virginia, high school art teacher Stephen Murmer was fired after posting photos of his "butt art" on the Web, which were viewed by scores of students. The budding artist applied paint to his posterior and genitalia, which he then pressed onto canvases. With the help of the ACLU, he sued the school district last fall claiming a violation of his First Amendment rights. Band director Scott Davis from Broward County, Florida, was dismissed after school officials viewed his MySpace profile that included his musings about sex, drugs, and depression. A Colorado English teacher lost her job after composing and posting sexually explicit poetry on her MySpace site. Police were even called in to investigate. Nashville teacher Margaret Thompson was removed from teaching after posting "racy pictures" of herself, along with candid photos of her students, on her MySpace profile. Florida middle school teacher John Bush was terminated because of "offensive" and "unacceptable " photos and information on his MySpace page. Massachusetts teaching assistant and Massachusetts Teachers Association member Keath Driscoll was first suspended and then fired for his MySpace postings including "sexually suggestive" photographs, videos of drinking alcohol, and references to women as "whores." MTA took his case to arbitration and won almost a complete victory. In a decision dated March 24, 2008, the arbitrator ruled that Driscoll should not have been fired and ordered him reinstated with back pay, seniority, and benefits. The arbitrator did conclude, however, that Driscoll had engaged in misconduct that warranted some form of discipline, which he determined to be a three-day suspension.] But the clueless award goes to Atlanta-area high school football coach Donald Shockley, who was forced to resign in early 2008 for storing on his school computer photos of his assistant principal dressed in lingerie and posing in sexually suggestive ways. The photos were discovered by a student whom Shockley had asked to work on his computer and who then posted the photos on the Internet and sent them to other students at the school. In October 2007, reporters for The Columbus Dispatch conducted an investigation of MySpace profiles posted by Ohio teachers. The newspaper quoted one 25-year-old teacher bragging that she's "an aggressive freak in bed," "sexy," and "an outstanding kisser." Another teacher wrote on her page that she had recently "gotten drunk," "taken drugs," and "gone skinny-dipping." In the wake of these reports, the Ohio Education Association urged all OEA members to remove any personal profiles they may have posted on MySpace or Facebook. The Association also warned members that such profiles "can be used as evidence in disciplinary proceedings," which could "affect not only a teacher's current job but his/her teaching license" as well. But what about free speech? Don't school employees have the right, on their own time, to blog about their private lives without fear of losing their jobs? Probably not. It's the general rule that school employees can be disciplined for off-duty conduct if the school district can show that the conduct had an adverse impact on the school or the teacher's ability to teach. And it wouldn't be too difficult to make that showing if the teacher's blog includes sexually explicit or other inappropriate content and is widely viewed by students. As to a possible free speech claim, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2004 that it was not a violation of the First Amendment for the City of San Diego to fire a police officer for posting a sexually explicit video of himself on the Internet. The unanimous Court said that such speech was "detrimental to the mission and functions of the employer." And last year, a U.S. District Court ruled that a Connecticut school district's decision to fire a probationary teacher because of his postings to his MySpace page did not violate the teacher's First Amendments rights. The court called the online exchanges between the teacher and his students "inappropriate" and added that "such conduct could very well disrupt the learning atmosphere of the school." There's an old lawyer's saw that goes something like this: Never put in writing anything that you wouldn't want read in open court or by your mother. Maybe it's time for an updated adage: Never put in electronic form anything that you wouldn't want viewed by a million people, including your colleagues, students, and supervisors-and your mother. Michael D. Simpson NEA Office of General Counsel http://www.nea.org/home/12784.htm Originally Published April 2008 Teacher Spotlight Archive See past Spotlight features Teacher Milestones Celebrating the personal events and accomplishments of SOSCD teachers [Corrections, additions, or another milestone to share? E-mail smcmane@socsd.org.] Congratulations to: Joe Onativia (CLE 4th grade) who will be marrying Joann Daniel on November 27, 2009 at the Tarrytown House in Tarrytown. Bernadette Carroll (TZHS Social Studies) and her husband Mike on the birth of their son, Ryan Michael. Ryan was born January 16, weighing 8.5lbs and measuring 22.5 inches. Margaret Dowling Murphy (TZHS English) and her husband Kevin on the birth of their daughter, Colleen Elizabeth, born Friday, January 9th, weighing 8lbs 7 oz. Educational News New 'science of learning' could reinvent teaching techniques "Scientists are quietly tackling education issues, offering up new tools, new approaches and even a new discipline." See full article at USA Today Why Integrate Technology into the Curriculum?: The Reasons Are Many "Technology is ubiquitous, touching almost every part of our lives, our communities, our homes. Yet most schools lag far behind when it comes to integrating technology into classroom learning." See the full article at Edutopia States Eye Education Stimulus to Fill Budget Gaps "Desperate for cash to fill growing budget deficits, state governments are starting to tangle with federal and local officials over a $39.8 billion pot of economic-stimulus money..." See the full article in Education Week Schools Seen as Inhibiting Student Tech. Use "Students are using personal technology tools more readily to study subject matter, collaborate with classmates, and complete assigments than they were several years ago, but they are generally asked to “power down” at school and abandon the electronic resources they rely on for learning outside of class, according to a survey of educators, parents, and teenagers." See the full article in Education Week Who wants to be a teacher? A whole lot of people, a new survey finds Forty-two percent of college-educated adults would consider teaching as a career, according to an article in the Christian Science Monitor. News From NYSUT Get the latest on state budget advocacy: WWW.NYSUT.ORG/BUDGET. EASO Scholarships Each year EASO raises money to give five $500.00 scholarships to seniors graduating from Tappan Zee High School who will be majoring in education, labor, or a helping profession such as nursing. We raise the money by raffling off goods and services from local merchants in the Rockland County area. The following merchants donated in the spring of 2008: Lighthouse on the Hudson 701 Piermont Ave. Piermont, NY 10968 Torino's Italian Deli 135 E Erie St Blvt, NY 10913 Melange Spa 135 E. Erie St. blvt, NY 10913 Mia Cucina 135 E. Erie St. Blvt, NY 10913 Tuscany Bistro 67 Old Tappan Rd. Tappan, NY 10983 www.dominatelife.org Bodyquest Gym 582 Route 303 Blvt, NY 10913 Yogi's Café 60 Dutch hill Rd. Orangeburg, NY 10962 Please say thank you when you patronize their establishment! Congratulations to the 2008 EASO Scholarship Winners: Danielle Contino Sara Graney Jenna Maresco Frank Rosenthal EASO Socials Upcoming Socials This year's socials: TBA Contact Donna Grasso with questions