Out To Lunch

As usual, I took excellent notes in my meeting with Principal P. on February 11. The disciplinary letter I published in my last post is based on this meeting. Also as usual, the difference between the disciplinary letter and the "transcript" of the meeting is truly amazing.

Meeting with Principal P. February 11

PRINCIPAL P: Ms. Moriah on Friday, February 6 you punched out and left the building without informing the Principal.

MORIAH And you want to know why? OK. First of all I don’t understand why this would be considered something wrong. Could you share with me your concern?

PRICIPAL P According to the Faculty Handbook on page 14 “all teachers must obtain permission from Principal to leave the building.”

CLYDE BAKER Is this a Chancellor’s regulation, or a school regulation?

PRINCIPAL A school regulation. Can you tell me why you punched out ?

MORIAH First of all, I punched out because it was my lunch period. I was not with students, nor was I going to be with students, because you had reassigned me to the conference room. I punched out on Monday (February 9) when I left for lunch as well.
I have also been punching in and out for over a year as I come into the building in the morning and leave the building in the afternoon.

PRINCIPAL Punching out is not school policy for lunch. We sign out for lunch.

MORIAH: I choose to punch in and out. It is characteristic of my time card. On Friday, I wasn’t feeling good, but I intended to come back.

PRINCIPAL: But you didn’t.

MORIAH: I intended to come back. I wasn’t feeling good. I thought the walk would do me good. I was halfway between the school and my home. (which is a 15 minute walk away) when I started feeling nauseous and dizzy. I kept walking to my home and I called the school. I believe I signed out as well as punching out, but I don’t remember.

PRINCIPAL: You did not inform me when you left the building.

MORIAH: That was my lunch period.

PRINCIPAL: There is no record of you having called the school. No one took a message from you.

MORIAH: Are you saying that I am lying when I say that I called the school?

PRINCIPAL: I am saying that no one got a message from you.

MORIAH: So no one in the office is taking responsibility for taking my message?

BAKER: Have you asked the secretaries and the school aides?

PRINCIPAL Yes. Patty Kramer said that she (Moriah) told her (Patty) that she (Moriah) was leaving the building.

MORIAH: Patty Kramer said that I told her that I was leaving the building? Principal P, I did not speak with Patty Kramer, and I did not tell Ms. Kramer that I was leaving the building.

PRINCIPAL That will be all Ms. Moriah.

MORIAH I have one more thing to say.

PRINCIPAL That will be all Ms. Moriah.

MORIAH (turning to speak to BAKER). Mr. Baker, I think this is unfair, and I am going to call Verizon to get evidence that I did call the school.

About an hour later Principal P. called me back into her office.

PRINCIPAL Ms. Moriah, I just spoke to Patty Kramer and I said “Ms. Moriah told me that she did call the school”. Patty Kramer then said, “Oh, yes. She did call. That’s right. She did call the school, and said that “I will not be back”. Even though when I asked did you call Friday, and no one remembered, now when I reminded them, they said, “Yes, she did call.” You told them that you would not be back. Is that what you said?

MORIAH Yes, that I was feeling ill and would not be back.


Meeting Ended

Even though she grudgingly admitted that I did call the school, I didn’t trust Principal P. I called Verizon to ask for a record of my phone calls on Friday, February 6. They took two weeks to send it to me, but it does verify that I called the school when I said I did. This was from my HOME phone, not my cell. I’m glad I went to the trouble, because this Principal has shown a consistent pattern of ignoring any and all evidence that would support my version of an incident. On the contrary she twists and fabricates facts to support a negative version.