School recommends teacher placed on probation

[Stan]

By Selicia Kennedy-Ross, Staff Writer

LOMA LINDA - Veteran teacher Cynthia Giddings was recommended to be placed on administrative probation this week for reasons much more serious than a soiled carpet, Loma Linda Academy officials said Thursday.

Despite an 11th-hour protest by more than 60 students and parents, academy representatives recommended Giddings be placed on probation late Wednesday.

The sixth-grade teacher at the Seventh-day Adventist academy appeared before the school's personnel committee Wednesday as the panel weighed whether to recommend probation.

Giddings, who has taught for 25 years, was put on administrative watch this spring. She said the reasons she was given were: she had spots on her carpet, she changed her class schedule and her class was unruly on a day when a substitute was in charge.

When contacted Thursday, L. Roo McKenzie, head principal at Loma Linda Academy, confirmed that Giddings had been recommended for probation but said he couldn't comment on the specifics of personnel matters.

"There are always two sides to every story,' McKenzie said. "It is totally opposite of what they say. The issues they mentioned are really minuscule.

"If those are the only issues here, that would be ridiculous.'

The teacher said she was "very disappointed' Thursday after hearing of the panel's decision. Giddings also said she was "humbled and grateful for the support of so many students and parents.'

"I was hoping for a different result,' said Giddings, 58. "I plan to appeal to the board. I still haven't gotten due process.'

Despite numerous requests, Giddings said she has never received anything in writing about her work performance.

Both the academy board and the Southeastern California Conference of Seventh Day Adventists Board of Education, which oversees the district the school is in, must ratify the committee's recommendation for probation, Superintendent of Schools Don Dudley said.

This is to ensure the employee is treated fairly, Dudley said.

Following ratification by both boards, Giddings would be given a set of goals to reach within a certain time frame before she can be removed from probation. She may continue to work during that time.

If she challenges the committee's recommendation, a hearing before the Board of Trustees will be held as well as an appeal before the education board, which makes the final decision, Dudley said. "They said I had consistent substantive weaknesses,' Giddings said. "I'm willing to change whatever they want but they haven't told me what they are.'>

Some parents and students questioned whether the administration wants to get rid of Giddings because she is an older black female and highly paid.

"In my opinion, it's because she's African-American,' said parent Sheryl Townsend, who is also black. "If they had valid reasons that would be different, but this is not anything substantial the reasons aren't making any sense.'

McKenzie called the claims of racial discrimination "absurd,' pointing to the fact that key people including himself and the superintendent are black.

"I am black and this is primarily a white school,' McKenzie said. "Do you think they would hire a black principal if this were a racial issue? Would they put black people in charge of their education system if this were a racial issue?

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[Stan]

The Response from the Principal

Principal stands by school action

Administrator doesn't elaborate on reasons sixth-grade teacher faces administrative probation

By C.L. LOPEZ

Staff Writer

LOMA LINDA "People are foolish to respond to one side of the story," said L. Roo McKenzie, head principal of Loma Linda Academy, about the recommendation that a popular sixth-grade teacher at the Seventh-day Adventist school be put on administrative probation.

The reason Cynthia Giddings was recommended for administrative probation following Wednesday night's personnel committee meeting remains unclear.

Giddings, who was on a field trip with her class on Thursday, said she was disappointed with the committee's decision to recommend she be put on probation.

"The issue is not closed," said Giddings, who said all she wants is to be treated fairly.

"Professionalism says we can not make public comments," said McKenzie.

But he did say that "it has nothing to do with stained carpets or noisy students in the hallways."

"That is a misrepresentation of it," he said. "There is a process to be followed. That process was followed."

McKenzie added that an employer has a right to ask employees to improve their work. There is no reason an employee should take offense with being told to perform better, he said.

The school process uses parents and student surveys to create profiles on teachers and show the trends and patterns in their teaching, he noted, and there are on-site class visits by members of the administration.

The school has a reputation of excellence, he said.

"We are only able to achieve that with our quality of teaching," he said. "Quality and excellence will not be compromised. We will not compromise that."

In response to the question about whether Giddings is being treated unfairly because the 58-year-old teacher is African-American, McKenzie pointed out there are 10 African-Americans who work on the campus of three schools, five of whom he said work in the elementary school.

The school's superintendent and McKenzie, the chief administrator, are both African-American.

"How could you characterize that as racist?" he asked.

The student body, he said, is 30 percent Asian and 7 percent black and 7 percent Hispanic.

"People revert to these kind of calls when they do not get their way," he said. "People tend to get their way when they do that."

The questions of racism were raised by parents at a Wednesday rally in support of Giddings. One student carried a sign during the rally advocating diversity.

"No one has accused anyone of racism; we asked for the data, that is all," said Ernest Mattison, who attended the committee meeting with Giddings.

E-mail staff writer C.L. Lopez at []clopez@redlandsdailyfacts.com[/] .