I refer to the nearly ten years that Dr. Roos has been the NKC principal as “The Rape of NKC.” At that unhappy place, Dr. Roos operates a caste system, based upon the ethnicity of the employees. The first caste is Whites/Caucasians. Dr. Roos treats them very, very badly. The second caste is Hispanics. Dr. Roos treats them even worse. The third caste is African Americans, who are disrespected and abused the most by Dr. Roos.
A Hispanic person who is presently an NKC employee, has graciously and courageously allowed me to post two communications he/she has sent to MDCPS officials to make them aware of the intolerable working conditions Dr. Roos imposes on NKC employees. As this is deeply personal information, I am not going to reveal the name of the person who sent me these communications. Hopefully, the following two letters will illustrate 1) The intolerable working conditions at NKC 2) Dr. Roos’ guilt of HORRIFIC emotional and physical abuse of the entire NKC staff. The person who sent me these two letters had suffered a serious injury to his/her knee while on the job at NKC, and was in a great deal of pain. Here then, are the two letters:
On September the first 2021, I requested to go to the Workman’s Compensation doctor but was given the runaround by the principal. She tried all she could to keep me from going, such as my accident report was filled out improperly and my having to wait until all students went home on that day. I was even asked in the main office if I had witnesses to my fall. Clearly my right to attend a Workman’s Compensation doctor was negated so at that point I called the region. The region also said that maybe I was not allowed to go at that particular time because there was no class coverage, and maybe I should contact UTD. At that time, I told the attending clerk over the telephone that I demanded to see a doctor, and if no one from the region office called the principal immediately I was going to contact the school police. I hung up the telephone and not five minutes later, I was summoned to the main office. I got my papers allowing me to go to the doctor immediately. I guess someone at the region called the principal and told her she had to let me go. The principal violated my rights to a doctor for an injury caused in the classroom by a student and for which I had two witnesses.
While picking up my papers from the main office, the principal decided to challenge my actions and as I was standing next to the clerk who was preparing my paperwork, the principal decided to give me a piece of her mind. Sitting behind her desk from her office, she screamed at me and asked why I had called the region. It was clear that she was furious. I did not back down. At this time, I got a burst of mental energy. This was my opportunity to defend myself against this bully, a bully that had been tormenting me for years. I got the courage to give her a dose of her own medicine. I shouted at her. I told her I was tired of her trying to SCREW me! She shouted at me, “Come over here and tell me how I tried to screw you.” I told her I did not want to speak to her. I was in pain, agitated, and now, once again, being BULLIED by the same person who had been bullying me for years. The same principal who had pushed me into seeking mental health counseling assistance from the MDCPS Employee Assistance Program. The same principal who bullies her staff at will and the same principal that gets away with her bullying. It was an ugly shouting match and in all certainty, she initiated the shouting match once I entered the office to retrieve the paperwork for the doctor. Of interest is how she shouted at me from her office on more than one occasion how I was so unprofessional. Here is this administrator chastising and belittling me for being so UNPROFESSIONAL, but yet she’s the one who initiated the shouting match.
Mr. Villalobos from the region suggested that I follow up with a Civil Rights Complaint and I am in the process of doing so. I am just waiting to see if my witnesses to instances of bullying by this principal towards others and myself will testify to my facts. I suspect that none will, as they are too afraid of this principal. I respect those fellow employees for their positions and I understand that this principal has and continues to get away with bullying and these employees quite naturally are in fear.
In closing, please be aware that I am still in counseling by the EAP and hope to feel better about myself. The intended damage perpetrated on me by Dr. Roos is still vivid. I had several dreams with his principal that are terrifying. Dreams where I find myself in the building and I run across her in the hallways and she starts to pursue me. Yes, the damage has been done. I am tired of being belittled, put down, made to feel worthless, shamed, and terrified.
There was an instance where I was standing in front of her after having been called to the office for a supposed infraction I had done. Dr. Roos very clearly stated that my teaching certificate was in jeopardy! I remember the warm tears running down my face. I felt so dehumanized. This principal had me where she wanted me, in the palm of her hand. I will not let this happen again, as I now have a voice. There are more instances, and they will be put down on my Civil Rights Complaint. In my complaint. I will highlight that Dr. Roos bullies and discriminates against both Hispanics and African Americans. [Note: This was not a dream. This was an extremely unpleasant experience this person had with Dr. Roos]
Here is the second letter this person wrote:
Dear Administrator,
For years I have been bullied by the principal at Neva King Cooper and I know that it has reached a point where I cannot tolerate it any longer. I have dates, times, and instances where the principal has called my cell phone to harass me, has come to my home, uninvited, and in general has made me feel anxious, fearful, depressed, lacking in concentration, and I would like for it to stop. Please call me at my cell phone at your earliest convenience. Thank You.
This Hispanic teacher never had issues with anxiety, depression, fearfulness, lack of concentration, etc. prior to the time Dr. Roos became the NKC principal. This person is not the only Hispanic teacher who never had mental health issues prior to Dr. Roos becoming the NKC principal who experienced off the charts levels of anxiety and depression after the arrival of Dr. Roos. Another Hispanic teacher experienced an acute anxiety attack during the school day. At the end of the school year, Dr. Roos called a MANDATORY staff meeting where Dr. Roos allegedly publicly humiliated this teacher for this anxiety attack in front of all his/her peers. This teacher is a former teacher of the year, and the kind of teacher I would want my child to have.
Perhaps if MDCPS replaced the White Superintendent of Schools, Alberto Carvalho and the White principal of NKC, Dr. Roos, these blatant and overt racial incidents would no longer occur.
Perhaps input from Black Lives Matter and NAACP would end the pervasive racism that seems to plague the nation’s fourth largest school district.