Former Substitute Teacher Mulls Legal Action Against D228
Anthony Fiorenzo, a former Bremen High School District 228 substitute teacher, says he was terminated from his position Jan. 9, over a discussion with Board of Education President Deb Stearns. Now, Fiorenzo is contemplating legal action.
A former Bremen High School District 228 substitute teacher is contemplating legal action against the district, following his termination Jan. 9.
Anthony Fiorenzo, who worked as a sub in the district for three years, claims he was fired from his job following a dialogue with board president Deb Stearns, regarding a Facebook post that depicted the district's students in an unfavorable light.
The post depicted students from each of the four high schools in various scenarios, labeled with the schools' names.
“The Oak Forest children in the picture were all Caucasian students sitting for a class picture, the Hillcrest photo was a photo of the Hillcrest basketball team, the photo of the Bremen students depicted kids drinking and partying, including an African American girl drinking beer, and the Tinley Park photo showed the students smoking marijuana,” Fiorenzo said.
Fiorenzo told Stearns that the stereotypes were untrue, and that things had changed in recent years, with all district schools serving multicultural student bodies. He said Stearns agreed with him and the two then began a dialogue that moved to the topic of students from outside the district attending district schools.
During a board meeting Jan. 15, Fiorenzo brought his concerns before the board. When he arrived to substitute at Hillcrest High School Jan. 9, the secretary informed him she was told "not to use him" anymore, he claims. Fiorenzo checked with the State Board of Education to verify that his certifications were up to date, which they were, according to him.
Fiorenzo followed up with the personnel department Jan. 11.
Assistant Superintendent Dan Goggins told Fiorenzo he had received a complaint about him.
“He informed me that a concerned citizen called and complained that I was making negative statements about the schools and that in his words, 'I was gone,'” he said.
Fiorenzo is unaware of any citizens with such concerns, and claims the district acted unfairly by terminating him without hearing his side of the story.
Board members declined to comment on a personnel situation during the meeting; however, in response to a previous article on Patch, Stearns stated that the board votes on all personnel matters, and that to her knowledge, no such action was taken against Fiorenzo.
“I do not recall having voted in regards to your employment during our last meeting in December,” she wrote. "I do not know the conditions of your employment, but I would prefer it if you didn't attribute any gain or loss of employment to me as that would be inaccurate."
Fiorenzo called the situation a 'sad state of affairs,' and informed the board that he would be seeking legal counsel in the matter.
District Superintendent Bill Kendall invited Fiorenzo to the district offices to discuss the matter.
Patch was unable to obtain a copy of the Facebook photo at the time of publication.
TaxPayer
10:29 am on Friday, January 18, 2013
Vote on April 9th to rid this board of Deb Stearns and Evelyn Gleason. These two board members have failed the kids and the community. This lawsuit will cause more money to go to Gleason's favorite law firm where her son is a partner. STOP THE INSANITY! Gleason/D228 just lost a case against a superintendent that claimed he was fired because he was gay. How much did that one cost ? D228 had been paying for a political fight that cost more than $400k involving the treasurers office trustees. We need fresh blood on this board to focus on education not litigation. It makes me wonder if they don't do this stuff on purpose.
http://caselaw.findlaw.com/il-court-of-appeals/1616556.html
Dm
1:31 pm on Friday, January 18, 2013
Facebook was gotten do may people in trouble or even fired over "dumb" or "racist" posts. This guy is sooooo flip'in dumb. Why would you post anything about your job or your students. I wouldn't want this guy teaching my kids. This under tones were racist. Two schools the have a good race makeup are noting but parties. The 99% Afrian American school only cares about basketball? Why not baseball? Why not a picture of the students reading in a class. No it was the stereo type basketball for black kids. Then he is saying that OFHS is nice and the makeup of the school is almost all white. Yea. My comments sound racist but He's not racist.
Harry Callahan
5:43 pm on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Did not preza obama make a racist remark a couple of years ago on a televised National Press Conference calling a White Police officer a stupid racist when the PO was only doing his job on a house break-in call who"s house happen to belong to a friend of preza obama who was black, did preza obama get fired Heck NO! WHY? He made a joke about it, and we all lived happily after.Right?
ajg
10:32 pm on Friday, January 18, 2013
This article is not fully clear Tony why don't you fill us in on the situation and shine some light on it.
ajg
11:13 am on Sunday, January 20, 2013
What exactly was said?
Sue1
4:26 pm on Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Seems to me like he isn't saying because it didn't play out the way he is trying to say it did.
SGeary
11:04 pm on Friday, January 18, 2013
Seems pretty clear to me. The pictures, posted together, were racist and/or elitist. He didn't like it and spoke up about it; afterward, being fired. He didn't post the picture. He made no racist comments. There are whistle blower protection laws. Sounds like they might apply here.
Logic Man
11:15 pm on Friday, January 18, 2013
The whistle blower protection laws have been undermined by the Obama administration. This is another case of Atlas Shrugged. If I were the sub I'd take my skills to Atlantis. Follow the path of the best and brightest and leave this fascist utopia. There are plenty of places such critical thinking is welcome.
S
1:21 pm on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Not in any taxpayer funded school there isn't. Test scores, test scores, test scores.
Look for the Truth
5:26 pm on Saturday, January 19, 2013
Logic Man, do you have any facts about changes on whistle blower protection laws changing in the last 4 years, or are you a moronic troll?
Logic Man
6:59 pm on Saturday, January 19, 2013
I guess someone doesn't know Google or how to read the news. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/17/obama-ndaa-signing-statement_n_2497828.html
Look for the Truth
12:02 pm on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
I do know how to use Google and read. More importantly I can comprehend what I read and you would do well to find a forth grade class and repeat it. This legislation change was for federal employees only. Last I checked schools aren't staffed by federal employees and certainly not a national security risk (regardless of whether we believe that is an issue or not). You're not even half right here.
Logic Man
7:04 pm on Saturday, January 19, 2013
Also one look at Bradley Manning's treatment over the last few yrs, says volumes on how that criminal treats whistleblowers.
S
11:38 am on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
As a teacher, I can tell you that subs or any teacher who does not have tenure can be let go for any reason. Just because you spoke up about an issue does not mean that that is the reason they let you go. The sad part is they don't have to tell you why they let you go. Insinuating that it is because a board member or administrator thinks you were causing trouble could be an issue your union could deal with if you were a full-time employee. However, I'd imagine that you are setting yourself up for a tough time, unfortunately, of getting a teaching job in the area as one simple Google search of your name will bring a potential principal to these accusations of wrongful termination. Sad.
S
4:14 pm on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
I don't understand what you mean by saying they did their deeds in the shadows. Legally, they do not release information about why people are fired, regardless if they discussed the reasons behind your firing. Transparency rarely happens in a school district due to legal obligations to protect a student's right to privacy, same for employees. Maybe because you are a substitute you have not encountered the more realistic side of what goes on in schools in terms of bureaucracy. It's unrealistic for the board or administrators to look at firing people as personal, otherwise they would never fire anyone. Good luck to your legal action.
Sue1
5:23 pm on Sunday, January 27, 2013
Why don't you post this "conversation" so we all can see exactly what was said.
S
1:22 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Why post anything showing facts when it's much more worthwhile just to make allegations. If he's suing them I doubt a lawyer would advise him to share it until a suit has been brought.
Lauren Traut
3:00 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
"Other publications," Mr. Fiorenzo?
We would welcome the conversation at Patch, as we also felt it was important to tell your story.
Lauren Traut
Associate Regional Editor
S
8:55 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Goodness, can we get over saying that I'm pretending to be Deb Stearns? I've made comments on many other posts besides this one that have no bearing on this topic, so I'm not quite sure why you keep saying that. There's no conspiracy theory here, I'm just stating my two cents like everyone else.
MR
1:17 pm on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Although it may seem unfair, I believe being a "sub" is a temporary position with no benefits as well as no promise of future employment. So whatever the reason, fair or unfair, legally, you do not have a leg to stand on.