Monday, February 3, 2014

AndersonGate: Cami Anderson Last Minute Newark Schools Closing Endangers Children and Staff

Add Andersongate to Christie's list of misfortunes. Some students were already on the buses. What happens if the parents are not home when the children many of whom have special needs are dropped off? Some teachers traveled over an hour on slippery roads. Security guards were at their posts. Custodians were outside clearing walks. The crossing guard was in position. None of them knew school was closed. Anderson is endangering the lives of the children and staff placed in her charge.
 ... Newark teacher
UPDATEs: Great Post from Jersey Jazzman on this issue taking accusations of political motivation even further:

State-Run Newark Schools Blow Snow Closings Again

And Bob Braun: Cami Anderson must resign!

I can’t read her mind or her heart. I can’t know what her motivation is. But mounting external evidence points to this: She is trying to destroy confidence in Newark’s public school system in favor of creating support for a  free-trade zone for charter schools.
Gov. Chris Christie appointee Cami Anderson, who is running a troubled school system further into the ground following up on her horrific time running down District 79 in NYC, decided to close the schools today - when kids were already on buses and parents had gone to work and most teachers were already in the buildings.

This report on NBC was posted an hour later:
Newark Public Schools CANCELED 02/03/2014 08:55:46
AM

Was the delay Jersey-political spite? Cami Anderson knew full well teachers would be on the roads and in schools before they found out. Retaliation? The same mentality that led us to GWBridgeGate? Did she screw up by waiting just a tad late? Or was she out to get parents too who challenged her at last week's hearing? (See: Newark: Cami Anderson Storms Out of Meeting.)  Or did Cami just oversleep? By the way, she is one of those Teach for America vampires feeding on the blood of children.

Here's hoping the fawning Jersey press holds her accountable.

Here is a report from a teacher, dubbing this AndersonGate:
An Unidentified Newark Teacher's Tale of Woe
I awoke at 5:00 my usual time. I checked the  Newark Public Schools website and there was nothing. I turned on the television and my district was not among the lucky winners in the snow lottery. I dressed down and drove slowly to work. My favorite custodian was outside clearing the walks with the snowblower. The crossing guard and the security guard were on their posts. I punched in and climbed two flights of stairs. I logged on to the computer. On the website was a notice that schools were closed  February 3 so I said to myself, "What day is today?" Others received text messages at 7:50. Some kids were already on buses. What happens if the parents are not home when the children many of whom have special needs are dropped off?

Yes, I am sitting in a closed school entering report card grades. Some of my colleagues traveled over an hour on slippery roads to get to work. Cami Anderson has got to go. This goes way beyond the issue of lack of consideration. Anderson is endangering the lives of the children and staff placed in her charge. Add Andersongate to Christie's list of misfortunes.
Related:
David Wildstein: Before Bridgegate, Christie's Best 

Super Bowl Fans Show Affection For New Jersey

Wonder if Christie will get blamed for this too:

A record 27,000 people passed though the Secaucus Junction train station today, turning it into a virtual sauna and prompting shouts of “Jersey sucks” as football fans waited impatiently for trains to MetLife Stadium.


Teacher Basher -

5 comments:

very annoyed said...

I am a parent and teacher and feels it is very unfair and selfish to notify us last minute....Everyone knew school was closed(different districts) except Newark...I received a call at 6am telling me my children did not have school....I sat there looking at the tv and my cell with no luck...I made it to my job only to be told school is closed...I saw red cause it was hectic getting there and now with more snow I thought this shall be a deadly trip home...Cars were slipping and sliding everywhere..Cami has to go...don't care where but go somewhere else.I kept asking GOD to
take me home safely to my husband and children....

Unknown said...

If any of those teachers, students or staff were injured, they should personally hold Mrs Anderson responsible and sue. Lives were put in danger because of her spite. Classless

Anonymous said...

If any of the teachers, students, and staff were injured by Mrs Anderson's gross negligence in regards to this matter, she should be held directly responsible and a class action lawsuit should be implemented. This is direct spite and total disregard to human safety.

Anonymous said...

I was lucky enough not to be injured, but was I upset. I risked my safety for my job just to find out minutes before arriving at my school that the district was closed. As upset as I was (and still am) at her total disregard for student and staff safety, I cannot say I am surprised. This is from a vindictive woman with no conscience whose total purpose is to profit corporations with public school money who send the more challenging students back to the public schools beginning after the October 15th count.
Cami filed a waver to of employees who have some because she may have to pay them more than a beginning salary (If a teacher is of poor quality, he/she can be gotten rid of by poor evaluations, so don't let her fool you into thinking this is about keeping the good ones). Cami does not care about poor minority children at all. It is about lining the pockets of the corporations just like her good buddy Christie.

Anonymous said...

Here are facts from a teacher viewpoint:
-All schools in Essex county were deemed closed except for Newark.(again)early notification was implemented
-State run school districts were closed except Newark and early notification was implemented
-charters, which are districts with in the district were closed, yet they receive 90% of school funding per student capita and early notification was implemented
-sub finder was down so teachers could not call in absent
-if a teacher was absent they would be written up because sub finder could not be utilized.
-many teachers live far and were on the road by 5 or 6
-State, County and city roads were unsafe, not attended to.
-Upon arrival, 8am many teachers still did not receive a call. Most got their call AFTER we kronosed in and signed in.
-Some teachers got dropped off only to find out that they had no ride home.
-Teachers were told to head back home because the building was closing.

Truthfully, these are very serious administrative errors.

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