October 4, 2017
Hello Mr. Carvalho,
Please send copies of this letter to Karla Hernandez Mats, all school board members, and all members of the superintendent’s cabinet. My name is Bill Detzner, employee 146782. This is my third letter to you. You have not bothered to respond to my two previous letters, and my guess is that you will also not bother to address the disgraceful latest actions of your regent, Dr. Roos, discussed in this letter. I am disappointed, but not surprised that you seem to lack the professionalism and courtesy to do so. I am once again writing in response to the latest deplorable actions of Dr. Roos. You have known since June 2015 of the numerous egregious violations of Federal and Florida laws and the MDCPS contract that both Dr. Roos and assistant principal Mrs. Fernandez appear to have been guilty of for the last five years. You have had an opportunity to replace these two non-performing administrators in the summer of 2015, 2016, and 2017, and have failed to do so.
In my most recent letter to you, I recounted the fable of the scorpion and the frog. After the frog saved the scorpion’s life, the scorpion broke its promise and fatally stung the frog. Before it died, the frog asked the scorpion why it had done such a cruel thing. The scorpion replied, “I did it because I can’t help myself.”
Well, Mr. Carvalho, it seems that your regent, Dr. Roos, is also an extremely cruel person who repeatedly does despicable things because she can’t seem to stop herself. I have to say that Dr. Roos’ latest cruelty is over the top, even for her. My guess is that Dr. Roos (and Mrs. Fernandez) will continue to choose to be deliberately cruel and deliberately dishonest in fabricating false, potentially career ending charges against supporters of the charter school at NKC. My guess is that these deliberate violations are done to create an extremely toxic and hostile work environment to drive away teachers who supported charter school exploration, and to create an atmosphere of Terror, unquestioning compliance, and silence among all remaining staff. The fact that you insist on keeping these two administrators at NKC after you are told of their repeated wrongdoing sends an unmistakable signal that you condone their lawbreaking activities.
In April 2017, (after I published my www.mdcpsallegations.com blog) I sent letters to yourself and UTD detailing the numerous egregious contract violations Dr. Roos and Mrs. Fernandez have committed in the five years since you (Mr. Carvalho) illegally smashed NKC’s attempt to explore charter school conversion. My assumption was that with both UTD and the superintendent’s office closely monitoring them, the 2 NKC administrators would behave themselves for the remaining month and a half of the 2016-2017 school year. To my horror, but not my surprise, the NKC administrators then committed 2 serious contract violations during the period when they were supposedly being closely monitored. The first violation occurred during a UTD member’s lunch in the teachers’ lounge. She made the innocent remark that in her opinion, the Florida Alternate Assessment (FAA) was not a good test to measure the progress of severely mentally retarded students’ progress. Unfortunately, one of Dr. Roos’ and Mrs. Fernandez’ snitches was present and ran off to tattle on this poor, unsuspecting soul. In violation of the contract, this UTD serf was immediately summoned to Dr. Roos’ office during the serf’s lunch break. Dr. Roos then SCREAMED that the unfortunate serf was forbidden to ever again say anything negative about the FAA. I guess a UTD serf’s right to an uninterrupted 30-minute scream-free lunch doesn’t mean much in “The People’s Republic of NKC.” The second egregious contract violation by Dr. Roos occurred at a faculty meeting at the end of the school year. Some of the staff had t-shirts made that said “Straight Outta Neva,” and wore those t-shirts to school. As the shirts were not obscene, political, or controversial, these staff members were within their contractual rights to take this action. Despite the fact no contract violation occurred, and despite the fact not all staff wore those t-shirts, Dr. Roos chose to berate the entire staff at the faculty meeting. Dr. Roos bemoaned the fact that she had not been consulted prior to these staff members doing something entirely within their contractual rights. A staff member then pointed out to Dr. Roos that earlier in the year, the tiny staff faction that Dr. Roos and Mrs. Fernandez currently approve of also had a t-shirt made that they wore to school without consulting Dr. Roos in advance and suffered no adverse consequences. A normal administrator would have backed off at that point. Regrettably, Dr. Roos chose to become even more aggressive. She then required each person who wore the t-shirt to attend an additional one-on-one conference with Dr. Roos in her office. During those individual conferences, Dr. Roos lost control of her emotions and went on an uncontrollable crying jag. This is the second time this has happened. The first time was at a faculty meeting. In response to Dr. Roos’ initial uncontrollable crying jag, nearly the entire staff signed a petition asking that Dr. Roos receive the appropriate sanction for her emotional meltdown. As usual, MDCPS did not have the professionalism or the courtesy to even acknowledge receipt of that petition.
These brazen and egregious contract violations while (supposedly) under the watchful eyes of both Superintendent Carvalho and UTD, caused me to send Mr. Carvalho a second certified letter on June 28, 2017. To quote from that letter: “If this [t-shirt incident and screaming at a staff member during her lunch break] is Dr. Roos and Mrs. Fernandez BEST behavior, CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT THEY WILL DO IF THEY ARE ALLOWED TO RETURN TO NKC IN THE FALL???… My phone rings off the hook with complaints from NKC staff about BOTH Dr. Roos and Mrs. Fernandez. If either one of those scorpions is returned as NKC administrators next fall, [this has happened] I am going to publish Part Two of my Multi-Year Disaster at Neva King Cooper blog on Dr. Swier’s website.” [this has also happened] I also lamented the fact that Mr. Carvalho appeared to be either unwilling or unable to stop the numerous contract violations both NKC administrators commit on a regular basis.
Well, Mr. Carvalho, you did not have the decency to respond to my letter and you chose to return both Dr. Roos and Mrs. Fernandez to their posts as NKC administrators for the 2017-2018 school year. True to form, they did not even make it through the first grading period before they once again threw the entire staff into chaos and emotional turmoil. My guess is that the emotional stress of Hurricane Irma our staff experienced was just not enough for these two monsters that have been your hand-picked regents at NKC for the past five years.
Mr. Carvalho, probably the single most traumatic thing that can happen to a parent is to have their child brutally murdered. Unfortunately, that is what happened to Mrs. Green, one of the most loved staff members at NKC. To the NKC staff, Mrs. Green is just not just a colleague. She is family and a sister. On her first day back to work after her daughter’s murder, Dr. Roos consciously and deliberately turned her back on Mrs. Green when the two of them met on campus. That was the high-water mark of Dr. Roos’ “courtesy” to Mrs. Green. On her second day back to work, Dr. Roos spoke briefly to Mrs. Green. During that conversation, Mrs. Green was polite and courteous. Unfortunately, in “The People’s Republic of NKC,” a staff member being just polite and courteous to either Dr. Roos or Mrs. Fernandez just doesn’t cut it. Both NKC administrators expect (and get) extreme meekness, subservience, and deference from the staff of NKC. Apparently, the fact that Mrs. Green’s daughter had been brutally murdered just a few days ago was no excuse for Mrs. Green not to bow and scrape when in the presence of either NKC administrator. Dr. Roos then made the appalling remark that if Mrs. Green was unhappy at NKC, Dr. Roos would be happy to reassign Mrs. Green to a different school. Regrettably, it gets even worse! Dr. Roos did not even have the common decency to say this to Mrs. Green privately. Dr. Roos summoned a custodian, Mr. Aaron Jackson and told Mr. Jackson to deliver this message to Mrs. Green!!! Perhaps Dr. Roos felt that since both Mr. Jackson and Mrs. Green are African-Americans, this was the proper way to threaten a grieving mother’s employment status a few days after her daughter’s brutal murder!!! Mr. Carvalho, YOU made the decision to return BOTH these monsters to NKC AFTER you became aware that Dr. Roos allegedly physically assaulted an employee in Dr. Roos office. You also chose to return Mrs. Fernandez to her post as assistant principal even though I told you I am aware of 4 (FOUR) screaming jags Mrs. Fernandez has allegedly had against NKC serfs/peasants. You chose to return Mrs. Fernandez to her post AFTER I told you that on one occasion, Mrs. Fernandez screamed at me nonstop for 20 minutes, and that Mrs. Fernandez’ screaming jag was louder, longer, and more insulting than any shouting I experienced from drill sergeants during my army basic training.
Dr. Roos and Mrs. Fernandez are not the most vicious bullies tormenting and terrorizing the staff of NKC. Mr. Carvalho, that “honor” belongs to you. I say this because shortly after you illegally smashed NKC’s attempt to convert to a charter school (court case DOAH 13-1492) you paid your one and only visit to NKC. Here is the Conquistador’s statement you made at that time. “This is a Miami-Dade County public school. It will ALWAYS be a Miami-Dade County public school, and if anyone wants to change that, they need to go through me.” Mr. Carvalho, for 5 (FIVE) years now you have had NKC in permanent “lockdown.” For FIVE YEARS you have shown NKC your closed and mailed fist. Although NKC staff have (on paper) a legal right to explore conversion to a charter school, and although (on paper) Florida law states that staff who exercise this right cannot be punished or retaliated against, you have willfully and deliberately violated this law. I will once again ask you a question that you have declined to answer in the past. MR. CARVALHO, HOW MUCH LONGER DO YOU INTEND TO PUNISH AND RETALIATE AGAINST THE STAFF OF NKC??? Mr. Carvalho, you made the decision to return Dr. Roos and Mrs. Fernandez to their posts in the 2017-2018 school year despite the following egregious and astonishing blemishes on their records: A) Both NKC administrators have violated a staff member’s rights to the point where it has resulted in 2 pending court cases; one in Federal court, and one in state court. B) For over 2 years, your regent, Dr. Roos appears to be using choking (on food) incidents as a potential weapon to terminate staff she dislikes. Even more astonishing is the fact that although you, Mr. Carvalho have been aware for over 2 years of the fact that this shameful practice recklessly and needlessly endangers the lives of severely mentally retarded children, you have declined to take 3 easily implemented steps to safeguard these children C) Dr. Roos is alleged to have physically assaulted a staff member in Dr. Roos’ office. D) Dr. Roos is alleged to have failed to take the mandatory action of reporting an incident of alleged child abuse that occurred on the NKC campus. If Dr. Roos failed to report this alleged child abuse to the authorities, the penalty is permanent revocation of Dr. Roos teaching credentials. Mrs. Ramos, the para-professional who reported the possible child abuse to Dr. Roos is still employed at NKC if authorities wish to look into this matter. E) For five years, students at NKC have turned in performances on the Florida Alternate Assessment (FAA) that are statistically highly improbable. If investigators want to examine this matter, there are two female staff members who are no longer at NKC who might be asked if the two NKC administrators did anything illegal regarding the FAA test. One of the ladies has a doctorate degree. The other woman left NKC at the end of the 2016-2017 school year to work downtown. F) In case DOAH 145-2439, Dr. Roos recommendation for termination of Ms. Morales was overturned. The case was so weak that MDCPS presented no case whatsoever for that unwarranted termination.
Mr. Carvalho, if a serf/peasant is in danger of being involuntarily reassigned to another school, does that serf/peasant have the right for that information to remain confidential? Does that right apply even in “The People’s Republic of MDCPS?” Mr. Carvalho, is it part of a custodian’s job description to inform other staff members that they are in danger of being involuntarily transferred to another school? Mr. Carvalho, would it be fair and accurate to say that Dr. Roos’ actions, if they occurred, were an egregious violation of both Mrs. Green’s and Mr. Jackson’s rights? Mr. Carvalho, is Dr. Roos going to receive permanent consequences for her HIGHLY inappropriate actions that are commensurate with her infractions if those infractions are found to have occurred? Will there be a permanent record of Dr. Roos’ offenses if they are deemed to have occurred? What will those consequences be? It would be a travesty of justice if Dr. Roos were to receive merely a slap on the wrist if the EGREGIOUS offenses committed against Mrs. Green and Mr. Jackson are found to have occurred. (In “The People’s Republic of MDCPS,” my guess is that this happens frequently to administrators who are guilty of wrongdoing).
Mr. Carvalho, I want you to be aware that if Dr. Roos repeats what she has done in the past, as surely as day follows night, DR. ROOS IS GOING TO VICIOUSLY AND ILLEGALLY RETALIATE AGAINST BOTH MRS. GREEN AND MR. JACKSON. My guess is that since you keep reappointing these two monsters as NKC administrators, they will perform these illegal actions with your full knowledge and approval. Mr. Carvalho, perhaps the two present NKC administrators see you as a role model. I say this because in court case DOAH 13-1492, you viciously and illegally removed both Dr. Alberto Fernandez and Mr. Henny Cristobol as NKC administrators (during the school year) for engaging in the (supposedly) protected activity of investigating charter school conversion.
Mr. Carvalho, here is a frightening thought you might want to consider. If you decide to keep either Dr. Roos or Mrs. Fernandez at their posts at NKC, when the next legislative session convenes, I am going to send every member of the Florida state senate and house education committee this letter and all other materials I have concerning your illegal retaliation and punishment against NKC for the last FIVE YEARS. It is possible that this will cause the Florida legislature to grant even more money to charter schools. It is also possible that the Florida legislature will pass new laws making it very easy for public schools to convert to charter schools [with REAL and severe penalties for superintendents who willfully and deliberately violate the law] This could cause charter school conversions to spring up like mushrooms throughout “The People’s Republic of MDCPS.” If that happens, it is possible that the MDCPS school board may awake from its deep coma, and, realizing what a liability you have become, appoint a more effective school superintendent (May that day come quickly!)
For FIVE YEARS, the NKC staff have been very, very terrified and angry at both Dr. Roos and Mrs. Fernandez. When Mr. Jackson delivered Dr. Roos’ thinly veiled threat to Mrs. Green, she had a “Rosa Parks moment.” Mrs. Green decided she was sick and tired of being disrespected and having her Federal, state, and MPCPS employment rights violated. Mrs. Green then did the unthinkable. She filed a formal complaint against MDCPS. Mr. Carvalho, everyone knows what is going to happen next. Given the fact that the MDCPS investigative bodies seem to exist solely to protect high ranking officials such as yourself, my guess is that Dr. Roos latest offense (like all her numerous previous offenses) will be swept under the rug and then both Mrs. Green and Mr. Jackson retaliated against. Although I do not have a crystal ball, my guess is that there is a great danger of a great deal of negative publicity for MDCPS happening if the explosive situation at NKC is not defused in the near future. Vladimir Lenin once said that the purpose of terror is to create Terror. Both Dr. Roos and Mrs. Fernandez have carefully and deliberately cultivated a culture of Terror at NKC for FIVE YEARS, but even badly frightened people have a limit beyond which they cannot be pushed and NKC seems to be at that limit. Tensions at NKC appear to be very, very high. The school seems to be a tinderbox, ready to explode. Despite several unmistakable instances of actions by Dr. Roos that do not appear to be rational, two uncontrollable crying jags, and numerous actions that have created chaos and needless friction between the NKC administrators and staff, you, Mr. Carvalho made the decision to retain Dr. Roos as the principal for the 2017-2018 school year. Even in the extremely unlikely event that Dr. Roos is able to weather the current untenable situation she created for herself, it is just a matter of time before she creates an even bigger firestorm at NKC. Both Dr. Roos and Mrs. Fernandez are unsalvageable. They feed off and magnify each other’s negative energy. To give you an idea of the level of Terror that exists at NKC, although I was a previous union steward for 10 years, it wasn’t until I was two months away from retirement that I felt safe enough to put it into writing that I expected to be treated with courtesy and respect by the two NKC administrators. Throughout my 30 -year teaching career, administrators addressed me as “Bill.” Given the fact that we had a relationship based on professionalism and mutual respect, I had no problem with this. Both Dr. Roos and Mrs. Fernandez treated me with such rudeness, disrespect, and open hostility that during the last two months of my employment, I put it in writing that I expected them to address me as “Mr. Detzner.” The NKC administrators treat the staff like prison inmates, and in a very real sense, that’s what the staff have become. The basic human right to be spoken to respectfully, decently, and in a non-shouting voice by NKC administrators has not existed for the last five years. Mr. Carvalho, you and your two NKC regents have been raping NKC for FIVE YEARS for the “sin” of exploring conversion to a charter school.
Mr. Carvalho, you are not popular with the parents/guardians of NKC students. The highly effective, district approved Small Step Curriculum has been replaced with the Unique Learning System (ULS). The ULS is VASTLY above the intellectual capacity of severely mentally retarded students. For example, students with IQ’s of 25 and below have been asked to identify the three branches of government and explain the system of checks and balances within those three branches! It also asks students to explain the chemical process by which fire transforms a piece of wood to ashes. Mr. Carvalho, I have a masters’ degree and I cannot explain this process. I am confident that a child with an IQ of 25 or below cannot explain it either. The Small Step Curriculum stressed practical life skills, such as toilet training. Mr. Carvalho, are you aware that if a child is not toilet trained, he or she cannot be accepted into a sheltered workshop when he/she graduates from NKC. Lack of toilet training (which no longer happens at NKC) condemns these children to spend the rest of their lives after graduation from NKC warehoused in a facility. It is literally a life sentence without the possibility of parole. NKC did not attempt to convert to a charter school until MDCPS began putting enormous amounts of pressure on us to convert to the ULS curriculum. Mr. Carvalho, does it bother you that NKC students will sit in a classroom for up to 19 years and learn practically nothing because the ULS curriculum is vastly above the intellectual capacity of severely mentally retarded children? Federal law mandates that all special children receive a FAPE (free APPROPRIATE public education.) Which would you think is a more appropriate education for a child with an IQ of 25 and below; A) being asked to explain the chemical reactions that take place when fire turns a piece of wood to ashes, or B) being toilet trained, thereby increasing the possibility of being placed in a sheltered workshop after graduating from NKC? Mr. Carvalho, the parents of NKC students are very, very unhappy with the ULS curriculum. Mr. Carvalho, the parents are very, very unhappy that the policies of Dr. Roos and Mrs. Fernandez have driven away many fine teachers from the school. I don’t know if you are aware of this, but a few years ago, parents with picket signs protested on the street outside of the school. Given the fact that most NKC parents are not MDCPS employees, how confident are you that parents won’t once again picket the school? How confident are you that the very compliant Miami media won’t break ranks with you and report what is going on at NKC? Mr. Carvalho, you already know I am attempting to cultivate medias outlets both in Miami and nationally that will report the misdeeds of MDCPS. Additionally, I am going to submit this letter for publication in www.drswier.com a website that attracts 1,000,000 readers per month.
I am (once again) sending you a list of 14 problem areas that exist at NKC If you wish to prevent a still avoidable explosion at NKC from occurring, these are a few actions a prudent person would take without delay. First, it might help to defuse the explosive situation at NKC if both Dr. Roos and Mrs. Fernandez were to be permanently removed from the NKC campus as quickly as possible. Given the fact that you had little difficulty removing both Dr. Alberto Fernandez and Mr. Cristobol from NKC during the school year, or the principal at Sunset High School who had dirty bathrooms, I think this is a reasonable request. Mr. Carvalho, this may be hard for you to hear, but you have a reputation as a very vindictive man. The staff at NKC have a concern that if you post new administrators to NKC, the new administrators you post there will be as bad or worse than the administrators they replaced. They are concerned that the retaliation and punishment the NKC staff have received for the past FIVE YEARS will continue for the entire length of time that you are the superintendent. There is one person that you could post as the new NKC principal that would signal your unmistakable intention to break with the past and to end the 5 year persecution of NKC staff and to heal the very deep divisions and injustices that have been allowed to fester at NKC for the last 5 years. The NKC staff and parents would probably agree that the most qualified person to become the new NKC principal is Dr. Alberto Fernandez. At one point in his career, Dr. Fernandez was recognized as the top performing principal in MDCPS. Both staff and parent satisfaction surveys indicate a very high level of satisfaction with Dr. Fernandez by all significant NKC stakeholders over a period of several years. Dr. Fernandez was the previous NKC principal before the turmoil of the last 5 years. He has a thorough grasp of the needs of the school. He has also cultivated a wealth of community resources eager to help NKC meet the needs of its students. His excellent people skills coupled with his care and compassion make him ideally suited to heal the divisions and problems that have developed over the last 5 years at NKC. Mr. Carvalho, if you choose to do the right thing for NKC, Bill Detzner will disappear! I am going to end this letter with something I have said to you in my letter of over two years ago. My hope is that this time you are prepared to listen.
“If the goal of the punishment our staff has received for three years [now five years] is intimidation, that goal has been achieved. Our staff feels deeply intimidated by the district. The NKC staff COMPLETELY abandoned the idea of converting to a charter school two and a half years ago [now four and a half years ago]. Any staff member foolish enough to bring up the subject of converting to a charter school would immediately be opposed by the entire staff. The NKC staff understands that a district response to a conversion request would be swift and brutal [due to the fact that although those repressive actions by the district are illegal, no penalty will be suffered by Florida school districts who willfully violate the law.] THEREFORE, IF THE DISTRICT IS PUNISHING OUR STAFF TO PREVENT A CHARTER CONVERSION, THAT PUNISHMENT CAN STOP. PERHAPS THE DISTRICT SHOULD DECLARE AN AMNESTY FOR THE NKC STAFF. A HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW, NKC WILL STILL BE A PUBLIC SCHOOL. IF THE DISTRICT IS PUNISHING NKC AS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT HAPPENS TO SCHOOLS THAT ATTEMPT TO CONVERT TO CHARTER SCHOOLS, THEN I SUPPOSE THE PUNISHMENT WILL CONTINUE.” Here is a quote from the most recent (unanswered) letter I sent you. “My goal is to reach a tipping point, where the pain you as superintendent of schools receive as a result of keeping either Dr. Roos or Mrs. Fernandez as NKC administrators becomes unacceptably high. Mr. Carvalho, I am a very patient and persistent man. As a retired teacher, I have a great deal of free time to devote to this pursuit.”
Mr. Carvalho, you are playing in quicksand. If you continue your present course, there is a very real possibility that the MDCPS school board members may choose to appoint a new superintendent who has a considerably smaller tolerance for unnecessary risk to the reputation of MDCPS than you appear to have. Lastly, a quote from a very wise Book; “Pride goeth before a Fall.”
Sincerely,
Bill Detzner
Bill Detzner/ 7722 S.W. 99 Street/ Miami, FL. 33156