Shame on the Bradley County Schools for hiring Neal Pascal, who pleaded guilty to mortgage fraud in 2006, over 120 qualified teachers who have never even had a speeding ticket.
Glad my two kids aren't at Lake Forest Middle.
The school board sure has had a share of embarrassing moments. This one could be "the straw that breaks the camel's back."
Michael Burks
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I am all for giving people a second chance, but I also feel people should be given a first chance. As I understand it, Mr. Pascal does not currently hold a teaching certificate and will have to be licensed under a provisional certificate until he completes his master's degree and passes the state Praxis exam.
I have to wonder if Mr. Pascal was the only applicant that applied for the position, and if he was the only person what does that say about Lake Forest Middle school?
Lee University here in Cleveland produces many qualified teachers each year as does UTC in Chattanooga and I find it hard to believe there were no qualified applicants that applied. Granted Mr. Pascal has a vast knowledge of weather, however, weather is not part of the eighth-grade science curriculum. In a time that the state required teachers to be certified as "highly qualified" it appears that Lake Forest may have hired a person on name recognition instead of qualification. I can only wonder if an applicant with less name recognition had applied but at the same time had been sentenced to three months house arrest would they have been considered for the position?
As for the school board being embarrassed, last week using the Bradley County Schools' website I sent a letter to each school board member asking about this matter, but have yet to hear from a single member. With the upcoming election I would personally like to hear the opinion of school board member candidates on this matter.
Lynn Moore
Cleveland, Tn.
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As a candidate for Bradley County School Board, 6th District, I would like to respond to this opinion piece.
First, let me say that I have a great deal of respect for Mr. Pascal's work as a meteorologist. I believe that he has proved himself in his field to, as accurately as anyone else, predict the weather in the Tennessee Valley, which is no small accomplishment. In fact, I also feel that as an in-classroom meteorologist he is a great guest lecturer. I have a unique aspect of this due to Mr. Pascal visited my classroom when I was a student in Chatsworth, Ga.
However, at a time when Bradley County is touting ethics reforms and character education, it appears that we may have missed the mark on this one. I personally believe in second chances. Actually, I believe in third and fourth chances as well. But I learned a long time ago that you treat everyone the same. This means, that if you fire one person for alleged ethics violations, you don't hire another person who has admitted to a crime of this stature. To do so is to make a double standard and to put the board and the entire school system in a compromised state.
Right is right, wrong is wrong. If it's wrong for one person, then it should be wrong for everyone. This is the way that I strive to live my life.
I believe that there are many, many competent, highly qualified candidates for teaching positions who already have passed the Praxis Exam and could move easily into this position. Teachers who may have waited years to find a job. Teachers who may even already have a master's degree, and don't have a felony on their records. I don't believe a person with a felony on their record would even have been considered for a position with Bradley County, had they not had name recognition.
Now, let's remember, the crime that Mr. Pascal admitted to is considered a "white collar crime." It's not like he had committed rape or murder. However, it was fraud. Fraud is not something that you reward with a full time teaching position.
We do now have a problem in Bradley County that must be dealt with. This problem needs to be dealt with before the school year begins. If not, there is a potential for distraction and the classroom to be disturbed, regardless of if Mr. Pascal stays or leaves. We cannot have distractions in the classrooms. The classroom is too sacred of a place for distractions.
I thank Mr. Burke and Mrs. Moore for bringing this to light, as they are the only ones who have commented at the time that I am sending this to the Chattanoogan.com. I also call on the Bradley County Board of Education to hold a public forum on this matter to answer the questions that this community has asked. I think that the people have a right to be heard and I am listening to the people.
Nathan Headrick
Candidate for Bradley County
6th District School Board