New Zealand Teachers Bullied at School

Today I have published the wording of my original complaint You will see from the Dates that this was quite some time ago. http://shadow.blogtown.co.nz/original-complaint-to-lphs-bot-101108/  you can also access this from the pages menu.  Before writing this complaint I tried to talk to the then Chairperson of the BOT believing that the issues at the school would be better managed informally and in house. It was at Magee Macmurdo Readings insistence that I formalised the complaint.  I believe that this was an atrocious mismanagement by the BOT. There was some folowup communication via email and the BOT’s reply was ultimately

Dear Mr. Owens,
 I am in receipt of your email (below).
 It is my duty to inform you that I have received several complaints from board members saying that you are harrassing them at home with telephone calls regarding  staff employment issues.
For your information, in my role as chairperson, I am the only person who can speak on behalf of the board, and I have both spoken to you on the phone at length, and replied to your letter sent on 10 November.
 Furthermore, I have consulted with our lawyer who has advised me that you have no standing on which to lodge a complaint against the school or the board.
We have also been advised by legal counsel that the board not respond to your letters or emails or telephone calls from here on in.
 I will tell you, however, that Mary Geary of the MOE has written me a letter asking me to provide her with information regarding our procedures on complaints by the 17th of December.
She will be receiving this information as per her request by this time, and she may choose to pass this information on to you.
 This is likely the final reply you will be hearing from the board until that time.
 From:
 
Margi MacMurdo- Reading
Board Chair, Logan Park High School.

This was interesting as I found it nearly impossible to find out who was the chairperson and never received a copy of their complaints procedure despite repeated requests. My contact with other board members was to find out if they had seen my complaint.  Most answered in the negative and I supplied copies.  This board have handed a bit of a hospital pass to the new BOT but I can promise them this is not going to go away till the original complaint is properly dealt with.

From: Rob Owen
To: alex@king.net.nz ; cheryll.walsh@lphs.school.nz ; desruss39@hotmail.com ; jane.johnson@lphs.school.nz ; theautridgefamily@xtra.co.nz ; john.major@lphs.school.nz ; bracey-browns@clear.net.nz ; lorna.mcmullan@lphs.school.nz ; blue_poppy@xtra.co.nz ; pru.casey@gmail.com
Sent: Friday, November 28, 2008 8:41 AM
Subject: LPHS – Bullying, Dishonesty and other issues.

Dear sirs/madams

On Monday my partner xxxxxxxxxxx attended a meeting with Jane Johnston, Rodger Tobin and Richard Good, A threat was made against xxxxxxxxx’s career unless she could convince me to pull back my complaint. Is this the way the Board intends to deal with this matter?
 
 
Regards
 
Robert Owen

Health and Safety in Schools

Guidelines to the Health and Safety in Employment Act

and

The Health and Safety Code of Practice for State and State Integrated Schools

37.1 Where the board receives any complaint in respect of any matter covered by this Code, or which otherwise relates to the health and safety of people in the school, it shall immediately take steps to inquire into and resolve the complaint by taking appropriate action. Where immediate remedial action is not possible, the board shall take such steps as may be reasonable to minimise the hazard to which the complaint relates.

These Ministry of Education guidelines do not say get a legal opinion or avoid the complaint and I would have thought any suggestion of dishonesty would have been investigated by any competent BOT.  I do not accept that the Board had any competent legal advice or if they did ever presented the full facts to the advisor 

During this process I have reached the conclusion that bullying and dishonesty are acceptable education management tools to:

BOT Logan Park High School

The Ministry of Education (Minedu)

School Trustees Association (STA)

Education Revue Office (ERO)

The Minister of Education’s Office (Anne Tolley)

Filed under: Back ground, Bullying, LPHS, Minedu, Minister