Letter to the Editor: 'Inadequate Actions' Taken By School Board

To Whom it May Concern,

This letter is in response to the inadequate actions taken to correct the situation with the administration at Connerton Elementary School.

First I'd like to make clear one very important fact: The group of people that are speaking out against the administration at Connerton Elementary School is made up of parents, students, grandparents, community members, business owners, past employees, and CURRENT employees. So while spin works a little, there are too many of us for it to work a lot.

Second, we—that huge group mentioned above—have been very successful in our endeavor to expose the problem that exists with the principal at COES. Our own actions are all we have control over. Superintendent Fiorentino, however, has proven herself to be a complete failure. She's failed to protect your own staff from a hostile work environment. She's failed to listen to a large part of the community that she's supposed to be serving. She's failed the children by not living by the rules that this county employees...not to allow bullying.

The question is why. Why does Superintendent Fiorentino refuse to take the action that would help resolve this situation in the most positive and reasonable way? We can only guess. One answer I hear is that there's no way she's letting anyone tell her what to do. (The other answers are not fit for print, and are on the lips of hundreds of people) So the reason is ego  in the guise of leadership. Superintendent Fiorentino, we are not fooled.

Where are we now? With a very compromised principal who is receiving all the aminities she denied her own staff and parents. She's receiving mentoring. Unlike all the teachers and staff she's forced out in such an ugly way. She's getting a buffer (Jeff Solochek's word) to go between her and staff. Who's ever heard of a principal that needs a liason or mediator with their own staff? She's being allowed to do that for which the students in this county would be suspended. And we've read that the board members are so glad a decision has been made. If I had one wish at this moment it would be that all of you would have to work under these same conditions for a year. That your very own employees have stood up and begged you for help, yet you continue to turn a blind eye to them is sickening to me.

The steps that should've been taken to make this situation better have not happened. So what we have to hope for is some kind of epiphany from Anna, the person who has not been held accountable. And from her responses I've read in the paper that's certainly not going to happen.

Keep watching for us. We're still here and working to better our community.

Sincerely,

Peggy Lopez

Editor's Note: You can find more information by checking out Land O' Lakes Patch coverage of the issues at Connerton Elementary.