Due to the nationwide bad press Miami Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) got as a result of the nine year old girl being savagely beaten on a MDCPS bus, I was able to cobble together a group of both mainstream and independent journalists who are interested in doing a multiday report on the pervasive violence plaguing the nation’s fourth largest school district, and the efforts of Superintendent Dotres to sweep all evidence of that pervasive violence under the carpet, and the inaction of Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz to take any action to protect the Severely Mentally Retarded children (who are mostly minorities, often from economically challenged homes) even though it has become abundantly clear that Superintendent Dotres will take NO action to protect these children from easily avoided danger. That danger comes from the white principal of Neva King Cooper school. The principal, Dr. Tracy Roos has allegedly physically assaulted THREE minority students/staff. Given the fact that Superintendent Dotres and Florida Education Commissioner Diaz now have to choose between either getting very bad press, or protecting the most fragile and vulnerable children in Florida, I believe they will come to the conclusion that it is in their best interests to protect these children. Here is the text of the latest email I sent to all members of the MDCPS school board, Superintendent Dotres, and Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz. I have also sent separate emails to Governor DeSantis, and Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nunez, appraising them of the situation. Here is the text of that email.
February 6, 2023
My name is Bill Detzner. My blog is mdcpsallegations.com I am sending separate emails to Governor DeSantis and Lt. Governor Jeanette Nunez.
It is an irony, but I am not addressing the message of this email to any of the people it is being sent to. I am addressing it to the aides of the people it is being sent to. My hope is that those who are screening the emails will decide that this email is important enough to show their boss. If you are the screening person, keep in mind that this is a story circulating nationwide, and that several mainstream and independent journalists are going to see this email and write about your boss’action, or lack of action regarding this email.
I am writing in reference to the nationwide coverage of the recent vicious beating of a nine year old girl on a MDCPS bus. I am asking that the following actions be taken. I am asking that if warranted, Governor DeSantis and Commissioner Diaz terminate from their posts Superintendent Dotres, Neva King Cooper (NKC) principal Dr. Tracy Roos, and District Nine School Board member Luisa Santos for reckless endangerment of both Profoundly Mentally Handicapped children, and nonhandicapped elementary children. I am also asking the Governor to introduce legislation assigning severe penalties to any school administrators who break the law in their efforts to thwart public schools from attempting to convert from public schools to charter schools. Presently, there are NO penalties for this offense. Governor DeSantis, the fear of retaliation is the only thing preventing many MDCPS from seeking to convert from public schools to charter schools. Once this fear is removed, MDCPS may change from the fourth largest school district to a much smaller school district. I am asking the Governor to perform an exhaustive investigation of MDCPS, particularly the Office of Professional Standards (OPS). This “investigative” body gives the appearance of unlawfully hiding wrongdoing by MDCPS and shielding administrators who are in violation of the law from the consequences of those actions. I am also asking the Governor to investigate MDCPS for violating the rights of minority students, parents, and staff. If warranted, I am asking that MDCPS be placed under the authority of the State of Florida until such time as MDCPS is in compliance with both Florida and Federal statutes.
Given the fact TWO incidents of entirely preventable and reckless endangerment of minority staff/students have occurred in District Nine in the last several months, I am asking District Nine School Board member Luisa Santos and all other school board members to request in writing that Governor DeSantis remove Superintendent Dotres from his post for nonperformance of his duties to safeguard both employees and students from entirely preventable harm.
I have been writing emails regarding this ten-year, on-going crisis at Neva King Cooper School for nearly EIGHT YEARS. I have almost never received any response whatsoever. On the extremely rare occasions that I got a response, it was merely to acknowledge receipt of my letter. In the past, MDCPS and Florida Commissioners of Education Corcoran and Diaz could afford to ignore me, as the media were not reporting on the violence. MDCPS violence is now national news. Additionally, I have notified every mainstream and independent media source I know and have received enthusiastic responses from both mainstream and independent media. I believe the MDCPS violence is FINALLY too big to be swept under the carpet. Superintendent Dotres and Commissioner Diaz will now either make some desperately needed changes or face public scrutiny and disapproval.
During the past school year (2021-2022) Dr. Roos allegedly physically assaulted an African American custodian. The custodian’s injuries were so severe, she had to go on workman’s compensation. The custodian submitted a written report to OPS, which was buried, as was every other report submitted to OPS about the alleged previous physical assaults of Dr. Roos. A person other than the injured custodian allegedly submitted paperwork to workman’s compensation, without the permission of, knowledge of, or input from the injured custodian. If this allegation is true, isn’t that fraud against a Federal agency? Can an investigation be conducted by an investigative body independent of MDCPS to determine who caused this paperwork to be submitted? If the paperwork was fraudulently submitted, can the proper penalty be imposed on the person who committed that fraud?
It is alleged that Dr. Roos then pressured other NKC staff who did not witness the alleged physical assault to submit statements exonerating Dr. Roos of all blame. If this allegation is true, that would make THREE very serious crimes committed by Dr. Roos in just this one incident. This is in ADDITION to two previous allegations of alleged physical assault by Dr. Roos. One event involved a Hispanic social worker. THE OTHER EVENT INVOLVED A SEVERELY MENTALLY RETARDED AFRICAN AMERICAN CHILD!!! (see my blog for more details on these two incidents.)
In view of these THREE allegations of physical assault by Dr. Roos, I sent emails to Dr. Dotres, Luisa Santos, Commissioner Diaz, and the other MDCPS school board members in the spring of 2022, BEGGING that Dr. Roos be terminated as a MDCPS employee. She was only NOT terminated, she returned to Neva King Cooper as the school principal in the fall of 2022. Although MDCPS had the entire summer to find a replacement for Dr. Roos, this was not done.
After it became impossible to hide from the PERVASIVE violence plaguing MDCPS as a result of the bus beating incident, the district bleated that “the safety of our children is our top priority.” Nothing could be further from the truth.
In my spring of 2022 email to all of you included in this email, I mentioned that Dr. Roos once allegedly confided to me that she suffers from an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. (I say allegedly because I don’t want to get sued.) Given the fact that she has allegedly physically assaulted THREE minority students/staff, a reasonable person would come to the conclusion that Dr. Roos suffers from poor impulse control, anger management issues, and gives the appearance of being emotionally unstable. I also stated that there is VERY deep mutual contempt between Dr. Roos and minority parents and minority staff. The fact that Dr. Roos was returned to the NKC campus as the principal in the fall of 2022 spoke volumes to the minority staff and minority parents of NKC. It first gave the appearance that the well-being of the most vulnerable and at-risk students (severely mentally retarded children, many of whom lack speech to report abuse against them) was a very low priority for Superintendent Dotres and the MDCPS school board, especially Luisa Santos.
It also reinforced for the majority of NKC stakeholders (myself included) that MDCPS intends to punish forever severely mentally retarded children, the parents of those children, and the NKC staff in perpetuity for the “crime” of invoking their supposedly legally protected right to explore converting from a public school to a charter school. (See legal case DOAH 13-1492 for an in-depth analysis of how flagrantly MDCPS broke every rule in the book to illegally smash NKC’s attempt to convert from a public school to a charter school. MDCPS did not feel the need to hide their illegal activities, due to the fact that there are no penalties for school districts who violate this law.)
I am also charging Superintendent Dotres (and previous school superintendent Carvalho) and the MDCPS school board with being extremely racist in their practices. I make this charge because an African American paraprofessional (Ms. Green) suffered the tragedy of having her daughter murdered while her five-year old grandson was in the home. Within days of returning from emergency leave, Dr. Roos allegedly ordered African American custodian Aaron Jackson to deliver Dr. Roos’ threat that Ms. Green was in danger of being involuntarily transferred to another school. When Dr. Roos got into hot water as a result of this incident, she allegedly called Mr. Jackson to her office for a closed-door meeting. At that meeting, she allegedly threatened Mr. Jackson with immediate termination of his job if he did not recant his statement. Superintendent Carvalho cannot say he was unaware of this incident, because he personally telephoned Ms. Green to tell her she would not be involuntarily transferred to another school. Mr. Carvalho also promised to send someone from the district to discuss this incident with Ms. Green. He did not honor that promise.
At the time. Dr. Roos was a candidate for the Principal of the Year Award. If Superintendent Carvalho wanted to make a strong statement that racial prejudice would not be tolerated at MDCPS, he would have withdrawn Dr. Roos as a candidate for this award. When Mr. Carvalho failed to take this action, he sent a very strong message that MDCPS not only tolerates racism, but handsomely rewards it.
I have only scratched the surface of the many egregious violations of both Dr. Roos and MDCPS. If readers wish to get a more in-depth view of the situation, that can be found in my blog (mdcpsallegations.com).
Commissioner Diaz, this paragraph is for you. At one time, you were an assistant principal in MDCPS. My guess is that having personally experienced the deep and pervasive corruption of MDCPS, very little of what I have said in this email will be surprising to you. Keeping in mind that 1) I am sending this email to Governor DeSantis 2) both independent and mainstream media who are aware of the recent MDCPS bus beating incident will be reading this email, I am hoping you will choose to save your job and do the right thing for severely mentally retarded minority children, minority parents of those vulnerable children, and the minority staff of NKC. Please keep in mind that Dr. Roos gives the appearance of being a very angry and emotionally unstable person. Please keep in mind that many NKC parents feel that you, Dr. Dotres, and the MDCPS school board will not so much as lift a finger if (or should I say when) Dr. Roos next alleged physical assault against a minority severely mentally retarded child occurs. Keep in mind that the parents of these children, believing Dr. Roos has a blank check from both you and MDCPS to physically abuse their children, and knowing the punishment they receive for physically assaulting Dr. Roos is the same, whether they throw one punch, or many punches, those angry parents may put Dr. Roos into the hospital, or the morgue the next time there is an alleged physical assault against a severely mentally retarded child.
The ball is in your court, Commissioner Diaz.