What happens if a FCPS teacher gets pulled over for a DWI (and it shows up as such on the arrest database)? Do they as a teacher have to tell the principal or report it to human resources? Are you allowed one mistake?

I remember our school resource officer was caught DWI, and he subsequently lost his job, or at least his position as a direct result of that. It was a shame too, because he was a great guy.

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"And if any women or children get their legs torn off, or faces caved in, well, it's tough shit for them." -2LT. Bert Stiles, 505th, 339th (On Berlin Bombardier Mission, 1944).

Just scanning through some names and one in particular stood out to me on the arrest search. I'm shocked but do not want to rush to judgement because I don't know if this is older news or not.

There is a big difference between arrest and conviction. Neither will get you fired in FCPS.

If the teacher or any other employee operates a school vehicle (van, school bus, etc.,) it must be reported.

WF TEACHER?

Trust me........I have been in the system 10 years. Short of molestation, or perhaps driving a school vehicle while drunk, no one.....repeat....no one ever gets fired. Notice above post by GMU Hokie.....he/she says "reported". Sure....it would be in your best interest to report it, but still does not mean you will get fired. They never fire anyone.

Actually since we haven't gotten a pay raise in three years, none of us can afford to drink in bars so it doesn't matter. Warm Naty Boh on the porch is about it. Hard to get a DWI that way

Oh...you have not recieved a pay raise in 3 years...join the club!!! Hope you enjoyed your summer off...I know you are back to school now and are stressed...dont worry...im sure there is a holiday break not to far off...To answer the original post...you will most likely not lose your job...but should...you are there to teach kids?...great example...you can break the law but dont worry you will not lose your job in public service...i wonder if you teachers can work that into your class material

I'll admit that in this case I am relieved that an arrest doesn't automatically mean termination.

I guess FCPS is much like FC government; unless you embezzle money, your job is secure. No one, and I mean no one gets fired there - not from chronic absenteeism, repeatedly falling asleep on the job, making copious mistakes. No, you'll continue to get your annual step increase and/or pay raise.

Teacher Wrote:
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> Actually since we haven't gotten a pay raise in
> three years, none of us can afford to drink in
> bars so it doesn't matter. Warm Naty Boh on the
> porch is about it. Hard to get a DWI that way


Actually, there are several ways for teachers to EARN a raise in addition to the raise you get simply for sticking around another year.

Since the quality of NEW teachers we are attracting appears to be excellent, and less than a dozen teachers leave each year for other school systems -- and most of those due to spouse transfers -- there is no reason to consider blanket raises at this time.

We have a pretty good system for the teachers... those who don't cut it in the classroom usually seek staff or support positions. As mentioned above, it is almost impossible to fire a teacher. unfortunately, we have no workable solution for the bad teachers entrenched in a classroom who don't want to leave.

Don't be surprised when money next year -- if available -- is pushed more toward reducing class size (meaning more teachers) rather than blanket salary increases.

But money is not the real issue for you. You're just complaining to make noise.

haha, yes, all those FCPS teacher getting rich off of their salaries, and they get summers off too!

(wondering how many can actually afford to live in the county, and how many take on other jobs during their time off to make ends meet)

I'll add this. One of my MBA cohort classmates decided to pursue management rather than Ed. Why? Because prima donna parents had fits when little Johnny pulled a B or a C. Not withstanding the fact that their spoiled little drug taking brat was doing B and C work.

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“We don’t have any rude, unpleasant people here. We’re different!”



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/25/2010 02:58PM by Dane Bramage.

noname Wrote:
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> Trust me........I have been in the system 10
> years. Short of molestation, or perhaps driving a
> school vehicle while drunk, no
> one.....repeat....no one ever gets fired. Notice
> above post by GMU Hokie.....he/she says
> "reported". Sure....it would be in your best
> interest to report it, but still does not mean you
> will get fired. They never fire anyone.

Sad but true. To be more exact it is not just teachers but all government workers. Once you get past probation it is almost like tenure. You have to be a screwup of the worst type to actually get fired. There are some that get the "quit or be fired" option but even that doesnt happen much anymore.

GMU Hokie Wrote:
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> If the teacher or any other employee operates a
> school vehicle (van, school bus, etc.,) it must be
> reported.


If a bus driver gets a DWI, it's all over. You are done, no ifs, ands, or buts.

Hell, if a bus driver gets 2 moving violations in a one year period, you're gone. It does not matter if you were ticketed in your bus or your own personal vehicle. I know dozens of drivers this has happened to. Sometimes, if they like you, they'll let you stay on as an attendant, at a big pay cut. Your best bet, if you get your second ticket in a year, and IF you have the money, is to hire a lawyer. Not to get you off the ticket, but to get the case continued until it's been more than a year since the first ticket.

Yes, teachers CAN be fired if their personal life causes school disruption, like a DWI might, it's called moral turpitude.

I would hope that a DUI wouldn't get a teacher fired. We all make mistakes, and with the low legal limits today, 2-3 beers could put you over the threshold.

Yoko Ohno Wrote:
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> What happens if a FCPS teacher gets pulled over
> for a DWI (and it shows up as such on the arrest
> database)? Do they as a teacher have to tell the
> principal or report it to human resources? Are
> you allowed one mistake?


Sounds like you are about to loose your job.

I have worked for FCPS for 10 years. I have seen several teachers lose their jobs, mostly over certification but also for incompetence. Contrary to popular belief, we don't have a guaranteed job for life.
The trouble is, to get rid of an incompetent teacher, you need a competent administrator, and FCPS has far too few of these.

For those of you upset about the summers off, I encourage you to support a lengthening of our school year. See if you can get that past King's Dominion's lobbyists in the General Assembly. We've been asking for more instructional time ever since I first became a teacher, but the public won't support the added expense for transportation, meals, and utilities that would be needed to make that happen (because these things require TAX REVENUE).

Personally, I think the 60-hour work weeks we put in during the school year (when we're technically only paid for 37.5 hours/week) mean we've earned a little bit of a break. But if you don't agree, do something to lengthen our contracts rather than just complaining about it.

I have looked up all of my teachers on the arrest search. I know one of my teachers at Cub Run Elementary has a DUI.

get the facts Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> For those of you upset about the summers off, I
> encourage you to support a lengthening of our
> school year. See if you can get that past King's
> Dominion's lobbyists in the General Assembly.
> We've been asking for more instructional time ever
> since I first became a teacher, but the public
> won't support the added expense for
> transportation, meals, and utilities that would be
> needed to make that happen (because these things
> require TAX REVENUE).
>
> Personally, I think the 60-hour work weeks we put
> in during the school year (when we're technically
> only paid for 37.5 hours/week) mean we've earned a
> little bit of a break. But if you don't agree, do
> something to lengthen our contracts rather than
> just complaining about it.

It is not just the KD lobbyists that you have to worry about. You will also have to go through parents like me as well. The assumption behind year round schooling is that the kids aren' doing anything during those summer months that is more worthwhile than school learning. This may be true for some kids, but for a great many others it is utter BULLSHIT.

For kids that are interested in sports summer is an excellent time for the kids to either get more serious about a sport they have already done, or to get exposure to a new sport that they might enjoy. There is only so much that can be jammed into the couple of daylight hours that are available at the end of the school day, and weekends from fall through spring are usually overscheduled anyways. During summer many athletic programs run week long all day camps which let the kids get much more exposure to the sport. Similar camps and programs are offered for other areas of interest. You have a kid who is into art, there are programs for that. You have a kid that enjoys band, they have camps for that. You have a kid who is into science or history there are camps for that.

So your kid isn't an over achiever, but instead sits around the house all day doing nothing but scarfing down junk food. Summer vacation can be a time to work on that. Sign the kids up for some program which forces the kids to go out, be physically active and do something. Best case scenario they work off that flab, get back in shape and find something to be passionate about the next year. Worst case they simply take up space and distract the people who are trying to run the program (and isn't that what they would do in school anyways?).

Just because kids aren't in school does not mean that they are not doing something educational. Surely I am not the only one who drags my kids to museums and national parks during the summer. Kids can learn a great deal about subjects by being allowed to go to places like that and have it wash over them. Sometimes what they learn isn't what you are trying to teach them, but it is still educational.

Summers are also a great time for educational remediation. So your kid isn't the math genius. Rather than let him be the anchor that holds back the rest of the class for another year, the summer can be used to catch the kid up. Wasn't that the whole idea of summer school in the first place?

And here's a novel concept-the traditional things that kids do during the summer, hang out with their friends and family, work and simply veg out have value too.

There are probably too many kids out there who are simply warehoused in daycare programs or are left alone, bored and getting into trouble that would benefit from year round schooling. However there are far more that actually do get something out of those 10 weeks during the summer that they could not get from being in school.

This does not even address the benefits of summer vacation to teachers. Some teachers do put in 60 hour weeks during the school year, and those 9 weeks or so during the summer are a time to recover. If school systems were smart, those summer months could also be spent doing all of those continuing education and skill enhancement activities that seem to draw teachers away from their classrooms all too often during the school year.

How about a county employee that gets caught shop lifting (over $250=felony) and keeps her job. Don't put anything you value down near Ann...oops

FCPS first has to find out IF and when a bus driver gets that DWI. If the driver does not self-report (who would?) then FCPS might not learn of the charge. Yes, I know all about the LIST. It sits in the Transportation Area offices and is opened rarely. FCPS has been known to request from the DMV records of individuals who no longer even drive school buses. That is in violation of the contract with the DMV, but it still happens.

FCPS has a shortage of bus drivers now. No way is Linda F going to have her transportation coordinators look through the LIST. She might lose even more drivers.


Re: FCPS Teacher - DWI
Posted by: bus driver ()
Date: September 25, 2010 09:29PM

If a bus driver gets a DWI, it's all over. You are done, no ifs, ands, or buts.

Hell, if a bus driver gets 2 moving violations in a one year period, you're gone. It does not matter if you were ticketed in your bus or your own personal vehicle. I know dozens of drivers this has happened to. Sometimes, if they like you, they'll let you stay on as an attendant, at a big pay cut. Your best bet, if you get your second ticket in a year, and IF you have the money, is to hire a lawyer. Not to get you off the ticket, but to get the case continued until it's been more than a year since the first ticket.

FWIW...

I was a teacher in Arlington County. I was arrested for DWI in September of 2002 in Fairfax County and convicted in early 2003. I went through the usual ASAP, restricted license, mandatory AA and all that...

I taught at public schools for two more years and nobody ever knew anything about it except the other teachers I worked with that were going through the same thing. I actually saw co-workers at AA. I certainly never thought that my job was in jeopardy though...

I would hate my life if I had to deal with little parasites everyday. No wonder a teacher needs a drink now and then

GMU Hokie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> FCPS first has to find out IF and when a bus
> driver gets that DWI. If the driver does not
> self-report (who would?) then FCPS might not learn
> of the charge. Yes, I know all about the LIST.
> It sits in the Transportation Area offices and is
> opened rarely. FCPS has been known to request
> from the DMV records of individuals who no longer
> even drive school buses. That is in violation of
> the contract with the DMV, but it still happens.
>
> FCPS has a shortage of bus drivers now. No way is
> Linda F going to have her transportation
> coordinators look through the LIST. She might
> lose even more drivers.
>


They SAY there is a bus driver shortage, but I don't believe it. If there were a shortage, then hours wouldn't be so hard to come by. I'm only getting 30 this year. Granted, I'm able to scrounge more by covering runs for friends and such, but my assigned hours are shit. Seems like if they were short, existing drivers would be busy, they are not.

And they certainly aren't worried about losing existing drivers. I know a guy that, because of another job, didn't want to do a late run. Rather than give his late run to someone who needed the hours, they told him to either do the late run, or quit. He quit.

oh those poor poor teachers, you can go to chs library any day of the week from 2:30 on and they are all in there tutoring for cash! $60 an hour, they won't stay after school to help because they need to get to their tutoring gigs across the street..and they refer their students to each other...its a great scam..I mean plan

One of my teachers has two dwi's and a pot possession and he is still teaching and coaching so I guess it's no big deal.

I have to wonder.... How many parent's have actually researched the arrest reports of any teacher or official at their kids' schools?

Ffx. and every surrounding county posts that information online.

Parking tickets or minimal speeding might not mean anything ~~ but DUI, assault, etc., should make them worry.
Attachments:

They are allowed to what they want. they wont get in trouble if they get a DUI

I'm usually sober by the time the last bell rings.

Eye teach u Wrote:
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> I'm usually sober by the time the last bell rings.


Don't blame you: It must stink dealing with all those helicopter moms... though many teachers are mean to kids. It's not the students fault that the county squeezes 30+ kids in a classroom.