MIDDLETOWN — In response to a call from leaders of four employee unions for the school board to listen to them about alleged actions that contribute to “workplace hostility,” the chairwoman said Tuesday members are in the final stages of selecting an investigator.
The Middletown Unions Coalition represents more than 1,000 public school workers who are members of UPSEU Local 6457, AFSCME Local 466, Middletown Federation of Teachers AFT Local 1381, and Middletown Federation of Paraeducators AFT Local 3161.
Union officers released a statement outlining their position. The coalition said it is urging the BOE to hear their concerns about alleged “repeated workplace harassment issues,” they said.
In response to the union’s request, Middletown Board of Education members have solicited and received several proposals from outside investigators, Chairwoman Deborah Cain said in an email to The Press Tuesday.
The board expects to hire a firm over the next few days, “and will communicate its decision once it is final,” she said.
Members “are in the final stages of selecting the investigator,” Cain wrote.
The union coalition said it sent multiple requests to Chief Academic Officer Alberto Vázquez-Matos and Cain Oct. 21, asking for acknowledgment of their complaint.
A leadership change was announced immediately after a special school board meeting Oct. 18. Superintendent of Schools Michael Conner was granted a leave of absence under the FMLA on the basis of a doctor’s order, his representative said last week.
Vázquez-Matos is now acting superintendent.
Communication with the community is very important to the board, Cain said.
“We regret that there appears to be inaccurate speculation about the status of the board’s investigation,” she said. “We assure you that the safety of our employees and students is of paramount importance.”
Coalition leaders said they have alleged “detailed complaints in writing describing hostile working conditions at the public schools” from current and former district employees.
The chairwoman said the board is dispelling “rumors that have been most distressing to our community,” and is “responding expeditiously to the serious allegations brought against the members of the administration.”
Board of Education spokeswoman Jessie Lavorgna said Tuesday the district “does not discuss confidential personnel matters or pending investigations.”
Several union members commented in support of the union’s actions in Monday’s statement.
Mark Fong, a Beman Middle School physical education teacher and MFT member, said, “The BOE needs to take this seriously and listen to the concerns from the unions.
“Rather than seeing us as partners in creating a healthy school climate, the BOE is ignoring those on the ground. We have facts and important stories to share and no one is listening,” Lawrence Elementary School building superintendent Randy McKiver said.
He is a member of AFSCME Local 466 and a public school parent.
“As a para-educator, my job is to ensure a healthy and safe environment for our students,” Cindy Culp, a Middletown High school special education paraprofessional said in the union statement. “I would expect the BOE to have our backs when it comes to our working environments.”
Cain authorized the BOE attorney Tuesday to communicate with the coalition about its anticipated next steps. “We are acting as quickly as we can,” she said.
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