NEWS & BLUES

Worthy Opponents

Investigating loud noises shortly after 4 a.m. at Florida’s Osceola County Jail, a guard checked security cameras and discovered a bed sheet had been used to obscure the view of a cell occupied by Hector Luis Campos, 22. A search found broken brick near the doorframe, leading to the conclusion that Campos had tried to escape by “punching the brick,” sheriff’s official Twis Lizasuain said. “And his hand is very sore right now.” (Orlando Sentinel) After a housecat attacked a man at a home outside Cleveland, Texas, both the cat and the man were injured by a knife the man was holding. The man was severely injured. (The Cleveland Advocate)

Pre-Firing Bonus

A review of disciplinary hearings involving New York City teachers found that even when investigations confirm wrongdoing, the city’s Department of Education might take several years to dismiss teachers, who continue receiving pay. The review cited as an example Bronx teacher Barbara Lee, who DOE investigators confirmed in August 2005 had helped students cheat on their state math tests the previous May. Lee fought her termination, and the case dragged on until May 2010, when the city finally terminated her. During those five years, Lee received nearly $360,000 without teaching a single class. Indicating that suspended teachers have every incentive to drag out the process because of a shortage of arbitrators and the backlog of cases, Jay Worona, chief counsel for the New York State School Boards Association, acknowledged, “The whole system is very, very flawed.” (New York Post)