NEW MOTTO FOR BLOTTO TEACHERS: NEVER SAY QUIT!

Last month we reported the story of John Gregory, a Forest Hills school district principal who refused to resign his office after pleading guilty to drunk driving.  Why should he?  No one in authority is demanding it of him.  Besides, ‘fessing up to his criminal irresponsibility made it a “teachable moment” for his students.  Exactly what that moment taught I’m not sure, but when too many kids drunk behind the wheel kill and get killed, keeping his office certainly doesn’t send the message that drunken driving should be taken too seriously.

Gregory, it seems, has an acolyte of his school of “Never Say Quit!”  James Idziak, a Comstock Park school district teacher, was charged with a pair of felonies after leading the cops on a drunken car chase northwest of town last month.  The prosecutor further charged him with misdemeanor child endangerment from partying with his high school students prior to the chase.  The teachers union, the Michigan Education Association, is standing by their man and providing him with a lawyer to defend his tenure because he refuses to quit teaching.

Again, why should he?  Even though the Comstock Park school board, in stark contrast to the Forest Hills board, fired Idziak for his reckless conduct, that is no guarantee he will lose his job because of it.  The union will fight for him.  In fact, even a conviction on one of the felonies or the child endangerment charge is no assurance that he will lose his teaching certificate.  The union will fight for him again.  The only certain means of Idziak losing his job is to quit.  But he learned from Gregory’s teachable moment that a public servant is the last person who needs to hold himself accountable for his wrongdoing.

Comments

[Gabe]

I know John Gregory, as he was my principal when I went to Forest Hills Central. DUIs are over-enforced, and he should not have to quit his job (he is a great assistant principal) over something that happened in his personal life.

I'd visit him myself and testify before the FHPS Board on his behalf in person - if I wasn't in the Air Force stationed at Ramstein AB, Germany.

Gabe

[The Executive Director]

Hi, Gabe.

The last thing I want to do is pick a fight with a brother airman. (I flew Burning Wind missions many moons ago during the Cold War.) However, Gregory's public office requires, and properly so, a demonstration of good character. Therefore, he does not have the luxury of entirely divorcing his private life from his public dutes -- especially when his personal follies are a crime.

Regards,
Bill Tingley
Executive Director, L.A.W.

[Mr. Smith]

Forgive me as I have been away from your fine blog site for a while. Had I paid more attention, I would have added that there was another teacher/principal who had been in trouble for dui as well. If I am not mistaken, Northview HS Principal Thomas was cited, plead, and still retained his position. Everyone makes mistakes right?