Saturday, June 10, 2017

Handling of complaints/ confidentiality

Anonymous wrote:

"New post please:
Something troublesome occurred in my building last week, and it has left me real upset. Our building has smokers. A lot of smokers. I will hesitantly admit that I am one of them. We have become lazy about where we smoke and we have been taking quick puff breaks outside the back door of our building. Wrong?Yes. So another employee in our building who has an office in the basement complained about the smoke getting in through the ventilation and working its way into her office. She wrote a long letter to Dr. Walters, our principal and an assistant superintendent. She asked that he please do something to get us all to move. That not the problem I have. She had every right to write the letter. I wish she had come to us first, but again I get it. What happened next is what angered me. Dr. Walters forwarded her letter to every one in our building, with the woman's name, office number and cell phone number still on the letter. The note was also taped to the back door where we smoke. 

Is this what we can expect in our district when we make a complaint? I have an issue with schedules but I'm now afraid to speak up for fear of being made a public scapegoat. I feel bad for this woman. I don't know her but I've been tempted to call her just to say how bad alot of us feel about what he did. After that stunt, it looks like he was promoted? Who are we working for? Vindictive mafia-types who expect silence and want us seen and not heard?

I just wanted to put this out there so everyone with kids know just what kind of people are running the ship." 

13 comments:

Questioner said...

Did Dr. Walters seem to feel the woman was being petty, or resent that she was bothering him?

Anonymous said...

As a teacher, and a parent of PPS graduate- I am disappointed to know that teachers are smoking close to a school building. I am not supporting how Dr. Walters handled this, but I do understand that his promotion was transitioning for quite awhile.

Anonymous said...

I expect more from my employer and as a supervisor I would never handle this or a similar situation in this way. I can recommend several HR classes Dr. Walters may want to consider. Then again, there is a common sense factor too...

Anonymous said...

As far as the rat in your building goes, she deserves what she gets. It is the mantra of the union: look out for number one. Maybe that is why Hamlet did this: if she is bold enough to complain about this trivia, then reap what she sows. She is a snake. As far as Hamlet putting up a copy, that's his mantra: copying.

Questioner said...

The post says that the principal put up a copy not Hamlet.

Anonymous said...

I wonder what the mood of the staff at Obama is about the new principal? Same style as this? Will Walters' style carry through to those he supervises?

Anonymous said...

Walters is cocky enough to do that. After all, what will Hamlet do to him?

Anonymous said...

We're certain Wayne Walters did the forwarding and posting, not Milton Walters, Chief of HR? Both are "Dr. Walters". Post seems to indicate it was the Obama principal but wanted to confirm.

PPS teacher said...

This seems to be a case of stupidity on Walters' part, and nothing evil. Sometimes the leadership in the PPS (the administrators and the union) do evil things. But sometimes they just do stupid things. This seems to be an example of the latter case.

As an aside, it's sad to say, but most decisions made by the leadership in today's PPS (administrators and union) are either evil or stupid. Why that is so would make a good book. The stupidity part I can put down to cowardliness, the fear to do anything that might upset the PC crowd.

The evil part of the PPS leadership...I really have no good answers for that. But make no mistake about it. That evil part - the deliberate desire to destroy people, and to destroy careers - it's there.

Anonymous said...

It was WAYNE Walters. Took a snap of the letter. Erased her name and the snap.

Good morning. Since September, there has been a problem here at Obama that has yet to be adequately addressed in spite of repeated attempts to bring it to the attention of administration. The entrance we primarily use is the Beatty Street ramp. Unfortunately, there is a growing contingent of smokers who light up at the bottom of the ramp, right against the doors. My colleagues and I arrive to work and must walk through a cloud of smoke that lingers on hair and clothing. Additionally, there is an air-intake that was recently installed above the back door, directly above the smokers. That air-intake is drawing that second-hand smoke into the building, specifically to the boiler room, from where it is then dispersed through our offices. Surely the fact that there are students in this building as well should have some bearing on the urgency here. There are signs posted prohibiting the smoking, but they are ignored.

When I contacted the PFT, they indicated that this is an administrative concern. As such, I’ve contacted Dr. Walters, the building administrator, on two occasions. The first time, he asked for a list of names. Unfortunately, I do not know many of the smokers, except that they include school security, teachers and food workers. The second time he was approached, Mr. Walters suggested I contact school police. I am hesitant to alienate school security and fellow teachers by pressing this issue, but it is getting worse as the weather gets better and more smokers venture outside. With allergy season in full swing, the second-hand smoke is exacerbating the symptoms for several of us.

As it is apparently illegal to smoke so close to the door on school property, might any of you have a solution that doesn’t involve any of us having to take a leave of absence due to the unhealthy work environment? The air quality here is deteriorating. I thank you in advance for your attention to this matter. Surely this has gone on long enough. If you require any further motivation, consider the photo below. This is what our guests see, and what we walk past every single morning.

Questioner said...

Was the person complaining white? In a position Dr Walters would rather see filled by a black person?

Anonymous said...

Look through the smoke, and this shows another form of cancer, unresolved issues:

"Since September, there has been a problem here at Obama that has yet to be adequately addressed in spite of repeated attempts to bring it to the attention of administration.... "

Anonymous said...

Yes ignore the problem and it will go away or do not acknowledge there is a problem and there is no problem.