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A Pass for Failing Pupils?: Several Teachers at Miami Springs Middle Said the Principal Urged Them to Pass Failing Students -- Allegations the Principal Strongly Denies

Posted on: Thursday, 1 June 2006, 21:00 CDT

By Peter Bailey, The Miami Herald

May 27--Several teachers at a Miami-Dade middle school said their principal asked them this week to pass failing students "to shorten the failure list."

"We were told to pass the kids even if they don't have the credentials," said music teacher Don Bennett, a teachers' union steward at Miami Springs Middle School. "We were asked to rework the failure list so that we don't have as many failures."

Principal Gail Quigley, contacted Thursday at the school, said she held a faculty meeting to discuss grades, but strongly denied telling teachers to pass failing students.

"Their comments are not true," she said. "We asked the teachers to look at what they have done for students to see if students are passing or not. We ask them to review all of their grades to make sure they're accurate."

According to Bennett and two other teachers, Quigley said the school has only 40 allotted spaces for summer school, but that many more students were failing and would qualify for the program.

Dance teacher Leda Cortina, who has taught at the school for 17 years, said it's not the first time Quigley has made such a request. "She always asks you to come back with a shorter failure list," Cortina said.

On Friday afternoon, Bennett met with Region III director Robert Kalinsky and Quigley to lodge a complaint. Bennett said he also plans to file a grievance with the United Teachers of Dade union.

Bennett, contacted after the meeting, said he thought district officials tried to "smooth over the issue." They want to meet with the Springs staff during the summer and open a dialogue in regard to the allegations, said Bennett.

Said district spokesman Joseph Garcia: "They discussed the allegations, and it seems there was a misunderstanding and the matter is being resolved."

Garcia said Bennett "was asked specifically and directly if he knew of any violations of the UTD contract by the principal. He said he did not. In that case, it's unclear what the substance of his grievance would be."

Bennett clarified his comments later. "I told them I have no proof of wrongdoing in writing. I am saying what I saw happen in the meeting."

'ADVOCATE' FOR KIDS

Friday evening, Quigley again insisted she did not tell anyone to change failing grades.

"I told the teachers to do what is in the best interest of the children," she said. "I told them to look at their grades and do what is in the best interest of the children. As the principal, I need to be the advocate for children.

"We ask the teachers to do what is best for children every year," she added.

Bennett said there were more than 100 teachers at the faculty meeting. As a union steward, he said he felt the need to speak up for a number of teachers who were dismayed over Quigley's alleged remarks.

He said Quigley called an emergency meeting Thursday to discuss the allotted summer-school spaces.

Annette Roces, an English teacher and union representative who attended the meeting, said Quigley "asked the teachers to pass students who didn't meet the requirements." She said the principal said to find a way to "shorten their failure list."

MORALE PROBLEM

When several teachers protested, Bennett said Quigley responded, "If you want to work at an F school, go ahead and fail them."

Cortina said such comments have created low morale among faculty and apathy among students.

"The kids know that the school will pass them, so they don't work hard," she said.

Bennett agreed, saying he believes the objective was to weed out low-performing students as quickly as possible.

"It's been set up that we should pass them onto the ninth grade and then eventually they'll drop out or be kicked out," said Bennett. "Every year there are kids passed to the ninth grade that shouldn't be."

Asked why teachers didn't complain in previous years, Bennett said many feared retaliation from school officials.

"Frankly, a lot of teachers have been afraid to come forward. They're afraid they will lose their jobs," he said. "This was the last straw."

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Miami Herald

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Source: The Miami Herald

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