Parents Rip Officials Over Substitute Teachers

Parents blasted district administrators Thursday for failing to respond to abuse by a substitute at Pines Lake Elementary School in a timely manner.

It was standing room only as more than 50 people packed a Board of Education meeting Thursday at the district office to express their displeasure with substitute teachers. 

A substitute teacher struck Karen Veale’s son and another child on their heads March 8 because she wanted the boys to sit back down. The boys were sharpening their pencils.

The teacher is employed by Source4Teachers, an independent agency that the district has contracted with to provide substitute teachers for the district.

Veal said she attempted to contact Superintendent Ray Gonzalez and Assistant Superintendent Marysol Berrios multiple times over the telephone and through e-mail. She also e-mailed board trustees but said she did not receive a response from any of them.

Veale said she did not receive a response from Gonzalez until about a month later.

“I am more disgusted at the way the administration has handled the communication than what has actually happened with Resource4Teachers,” Veal said. “It’s almost more appalling that the administration waited almost one month to comment on this situation.”

Gonzalez was supposed to attend a meeting with the children’s parents and district officials but couldn’t. Berrios went in his place.

“At what point does this become a high priority that he would show up, does someone have to die? Would a child have to be sexually assaulted?" Veale asked. "I think that a child being struck by a substitute teacher is pretty high. You think that by escalating it to the top we would get some results. We were sorely mistaken on that. We have been brushed off and ignored.”

Veale said another substitute in her son’s class could not communicate with the students well in English. Veale said the teacher left the 17 students unattended to go ask people what she should do.

“That is completely unacceptable,” Veale said.

Valea said she tried to get in touch with Berrios on May 20 about the issue and was told she would hear back either that day or the following day.

“I have yet to hear back from [Berrios] about the new issue,” Veale said. “I’m yelling from a rooftop and no one is getting back [to me].”

Other parents said substitutes have told children the wrong way to pronounce and spell words during lessons. One parent said a substitute juggled to entertain students.

Chuck Deschaine, a physical education teacher at George Washington Middle School said he heard of a substitute teacher falling asleep in the special education class they were supposed to be teaching.

“As a teacher in this district I’ve been to I don’t know how many bullying seminars. This is the ultimate bullying incident. A child being assaulted by an adult,” Deschaine said. “It’s been three months and nothing has been done.”

According to the company's web site, Source4Teachers ensures that "students partake in valuable learning experiences in a safe and controlled environment."

Contract Saves District Thousands

The contract the district has with Source4Teachers saves the district $250,000. In a statement issued Tuesday, Gonzalez said the district works closely with the agency to provide qualified teachers so that they “may perform the services that would otherwise be taxing to the district.”

“We’re going to cut costs on substitute teachers, we’re getting what we paid for,” Veale said.

Officials contracted with Source4Teachers to, according to the policy governing the employment of substitutes in the district, “ensure the continuity in the instructional program.”

Substitutes are required to follow daily lesson plans provided by a class’s regular teacher or a school’s principal. A substitute may not plan a lesson expect when “permitted to by the superintendent.”

Source4Teachers boasts that it “pays attention to every detail” and is committed to finding “the most qualified, reliable, and skilled personnel.”

Gonzalez created a task force to review the use of substitutes in the district. The group will include parents, teachers, and administrators.

“Source4Teachers is our contractor. Ultimately, the responsibility lies with us,” said trustee Bob Ceberio. “We need to take a course of action [and] listen to the recommendations of the task force on a very expedited basis because something needs to change and something needs to change by September.”

— Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Daniel Hubbard atDaniel.Hubbard@patch.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.