According to reports, Middletown Police have arrested Board of Education business manager Nancy Haynes for assault after a physical altercation with payroll supervisor Christine Bourne.
According to reports Bourne, who was suspended two days ago for breach of confidentiality and breach of school it systems, returned to work this morning and was instructed to leave the building. Bourne moved to call her union representative and was grabbed by Haynes. Bourne called police and had Haynes arrested. Haynes was served a summons for a court date by police who arrived at the scene.
"It was completely orchestrated," Board of Education Chairman Ted Raczka said. "It does look to me to be Junior High Theatrics, and I'm incredibly disheartened and disappointed by this. This kind of thing freezes up everything and it puts the educational interests of the kids at 33 instead of at number 1."
"I just heard about it," Mayor Sebastian Giuliano said when he answered the phone at City Hall at 10:30. "From what I understand, Bourne was assaulted by Haynes and Bourne called the police."
"(School Superintendent) Frechette told me that Christine was asked to leave work because of a breach in the computer system," Jeff Daniels president of Local 466 said. "But there was no hearing, no explanation, no nothing. So she (Bourne) showed up today and was asked to leave, and when she went to call me, Haynes grabbed her.
"Haynes was served a summons, but she was not asked by the administration to vacate the building," Daniels said. "She grabbed an employee, was arrested and yet she still sits there in her office with Michael (Frechette). If she was a teacher, she would have been immediately suspended and terminated. But no, she is allowed to stay at her job. I guess the school administration condones physical violence."
13 comments:
Kudos for being the first on the spot on this and bringing so much of Middletown life to our attention and for the Middletown Press for giving the related story front page coverage.
I'm sure Eye readers can come up with a better and more thorough list then this one below and I'd hope our paid journalists will pay it some heed.
More facts, please, less "rumors"
1. Someone on the BOE approached Mayor during St. Sebastian Festival (May) with info about shredding: Proof or hearsay?
2. "Swirling" rumors (according to city attorney) of BOE shredding documents. Proof or Unsubstantiated?
3. The mayor (according to Middletown Press) suspects the BOE of processing illegal checks. Did the city cuts their network to BOE and after the fact claims BOE are processing checks illegally?
4. The mayor suggests that he dispatched police officers (Nov) to seize the network cards used by BOE because, (M. Press): the "printers at the BOE building were unplugged from the system." Who "unplugged" the BOE from the city's system and put up the firewall? (Is"they were unplugged" doublespeak for "the mayor had them unplugged and then sent officers in after the fact")
5.The mayor states as cause for intervention that the BOE was using city software for which the license had run out. Don't these licenses generally get automatically renewed by the city? Who chose not to renew it and when did they make that decision? When and how was the decision made to restructure the way in which BOE handles its payables, invoices and payroll?
4. Mayor fires employees (June) who hold non-teaching (union?) jobs in the schools. Why these jobs? Had these jobs been filled by the BOE? When?
5. Mayor states that city alone can fill those jobs. Did the BOE fill jobs illegally? Has the BOE deliberately or through standing precedent acted independently of the city charter? What is the procedural precedent?
6. Use of police force to seize property (without a warrant, but is a warrantable action?) and/or to act as surveillance, and/or prevent BOE from carrying out their work, and/or to intimidate. Where's the precedent?
7. Removes Superintendent of Schools as signer on checks (May). Does not the Superintendent job description involve executive duties over finances relative to the schools? Does or does not the superintendent traditionally sign checks, etc.
8. What "breach of confidentiality" was committed by Christine Bourne? Was Bourne "locked out" because the city put up a firewall at her old BOE office?
9. How many suits and counter-suits have been filed between City/BOE? Cost to taxpayer? What's the cost to the taxpayer each time an officer was sent to the BOE?
It doesnt surprise me at all that she still sits in the office with Dr. Frechette! Im dealing with an issue with them myself right now regarding my son be bullied and humiliated. The midddle school administration refuses to handle the situation as bullying and Dr. Frechette refuses to do his job and step in. This child still sits in a classroom with my son and has harrassed him again twice this week. Dr. Frechette's responses to my emails consist of a single sentence and ofer me no assistance what so ever!
Ms. Haynes should keep her hands to herself. However, I'd be quite surprised if Bourne was physically injured or required any medical attention. That's because the only attention Bourne is interested in these days, is precisely this sort.
This has to stop...Central Office, BOE, Mayor's office you are all supposed to be role models for our children...not act like immature kids...is this really the message you want to send to our children...Act like adults for once! Lots of fights at Woodrow this week...please put the SRO's back in the schools for safety...this is not a political issue!!
Adults, from the Mayor on down, need to start acting like adults and not junior high school bullies. Children imitate what they see.
Solely based on what I am reading, I would gather that Nancy Haynes was simply "grabbing" her to not use the phones since she wasn't suppose to be in the building. Granted, everyone should keep their hands to themselves. Furthermore, why couldn't Ms. Bourne have called the union from home? This is truly ridiculous. To read this story and then realize we are talking about grown adults and not kids is mind boggling.
what is truly ridiculous is that anyone in the work place would put their hands on anyone else. I don't care about what circumstances there was at the time. She was making a phone call to her union, which she has a right to do.
From the quotes from BOE Chair and the Superintendent actions and the Mayors persistences to poke and not just address the issue this will continue.
The kids are #33 because that is where the BOE has put them by the actions of the BOE and the Superintendent. Rise above the stench and do what is right for the kids and taxpayers.
A Teacher is bunched at the HS administrarion response no big thing, the Principal is assualted at Wilson today and student arrested, fights in the hallways at Keigwin & Wilson for weeks with teachers in the middle try to stop the fight and taking the best shot of the fight. It si time to bring back the SRO's NOW !!!!!
Money on attornies keep amending your suit that shows the BOE priority. I did not know the Chair of the BOE could unilaterally ask for lawsuit to be amended what happened to the rest of the BOE, I did not see a special meeting agendas with another executive session.
How many hours in executive sessions and BOE funds have been expended for what a power and ego fiasco between the Mayor, BOE Chair & Superintendent.
Understand our kids read the paper and the EYE they comment on these things and express concern and great amazement that this is how adults act who work in their best interest. One comment I heard from a neighbors child is that if they acted like the BOE Chair, the Mayor, and Dr. Frechette they would be suspended from School.
If I worked in the BOE and if I were Ms. Broune I would be filing host of hostile work enviroment claims,grievances, and lawsuits.
East Hampton is starting to look good compared to this circus.
Maybe it's time to put the Mayor and Dr. Frechette in front of the cameras and let the public ask some questions??
the shenanigans of Middletown's BOE is beyond ridiculous...what a dysfunctional group, and these are the people making decisions about our children's education???
I woke up Friday morning and went to my car and saw the cruisers at the Board of ED. I live next door at the old high school. I ran back
inside and grabbed my camera. This is the video I took.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4mEr4e_oHY
...
My you-tube name is lucasbluecat.
I have made 4 videos so far in about a months span for the Middletown
Press BUT because I was in my Jammies the press thinks I am
unprofessional. Well VIDEO JOURNALISM is a FIRE situation. If your house is on fire you don't change into pants. Well that's the same for video journalism. You need to act fast. If I had put pants on I would
have missed an amazing opportunity.
So check out my video. I
bring you inside at the real action. I also gave my video to WFSB Ch.3 Eyewitness news. Watch it here..
http://www.wfsb.com/local-video/index.html
Thanks MP,
Darrell Lucas
Just read the article and comments from the Torrington newspaper, "The Register Citizen...Nancy Haynes' old stomping ground.
http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2010/11/06/news/doc4cd439f146dc4546677070.txt
Ed - can you please post something regarding the BOE meeting at City Hall Council Chamber, Nov 9 at 7pm? I know that more people seem to read your column than the other papers. I just read it in the Middletown Press comment section and think it might be something to jump on. Thanks
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