Tyranny needs...people of good conscience to remain silent.

We have talked to many employment lawyers. At the risk of tipping off the District as to our activities (they are reading this, too, you know), here is a summary. When we get to the part about "and the union did nothing," most fold up their legal pads and say they have done work for WEA, what we are talking about is a "failure to represent" case and they would have a conflict of interest. End of $100-$200 initial consult session. Interesting that so many of the Puget Sound lawyers have the same conflict and that it blocks us from finding someone to take on our main case which is against the District. Other lawyers have listened with compassion and said they were sorry for our ordeal, but no laws were broken (thus the comment about the low threshold of the State's bullying law: "model appropriate behaviors" without punishment for not doing so. West Virginia law, by contrast, has clear penalties for adult-on-student and adult-on-adult bullying up to and including pulling the offender's certification.). Other lawyers are of the opinion that since the District has more resources (read: money), it would go to a stall tactic or react with even heavier-handed legal actions, either of which would be intended to run up our legal bills beyond the point that we actually get anything out of it (We figure our economic loss alone at around $1 million). It would not be pretty. The settlement agreement which was signed under the duress of the bullying (only one lawyer thought that it could be challenged) absolves the District of any past or future wrongdoing and forbids my husband from even talking about this case. EVER. Yes, there are short periods to rescind the agreement, but after you have been subjected to a three-year long period of bullying, you just want the pain to stop. Your sense of self-preservation kicks in and you will go hide in a hole in self-defense. We are not the only ones who were treated in this manner; this isn't something we are being thin-skinned about. We can provide the names of other victims if they give approval. Most, however, are just trying to repair the damage to themselves and their careers.

Age discrimination is not as easy to prove as you think, either. Federal statutes have a time window in which the discriminatory act must occur and be reported. This window moves forward in time so any discriminatory actions older than that number of days don't count in the proof. Therefore, the three years of documentation we have is just so much paper to the Feds. State law is a bit different with a longer statute of limitation, but is still hard to prove; it becomes a she said/he said thing. A no trespass order can be written out against ANYONE with no proof of actual physical or intended trespass; the fact that we now live 230 miles from Edmonds made no difference to the District official who signed the order. There is no judicial review of a no trespass order; once you are under one you will remain there for a year with NO legal recourse. Nice. The District is using it as a threat to us and a warning to any other staff who may want to contact us. Our "sin" was that we attempted to remain engaged with District officials to see that the right thing was done-that the adult bullies be identified and retrained, that the safe schools we are supposed to be maintaining existed, and that known bullies not be hired or promoted. Folks, this isn't Perry Mason or even Law and Order. Once you get into this kind of legal quicksand with a much more powerful (and seemingly vindictive) opponent, it's very difficult to find someone to help while still trying to go on with your life.

This is not a problem that is limited to Edmonds; it is an education industry issue. There is a self published book by a teacher in San Diego who describes how her school, a Blue Ribbon School under California standards, was destroyed by a principal who spent more time bullying teachers than administering her school. She is suing for workman's comp benefits she claims as a result of her treatment. This sad story includes a school volunteer who was so upset by the way the teachers were being treated that he committed suicide.

Bullying and suicide. Columbine, Virginia Tech. Just last week in Finland a bullied student killed eight and then himself. When my husband approached District officials after Virginia Tech to again warn that if bullying weren't addressed, it could be Edmonds at the top of the news, they took it as a personal threat and used that as part of the excuse to issue the no trespass order against BOTH of us. As one of our former colleagues said to us when they called to tell us of the special MMS faculty meeting June 1, 2007 at which we were labeled a "threat" to the faculty and students of MMS, "They're really afraid of you guys. We're not even supposed to talk to you." Indeed. That's the goal. If they can keep us isolated, they can maintain their power.

Is this the type of administration you want running your school district?

Chris Reuther