By Joanna Pliner
Westport parents seeking reinstatement of former Bedford Middle School teacher Ejay Clark say the clock is ticking for the Board of Education to respond to a petition for a hearing on the matter.
The parents, members of Concerned Parents for Westport Education, filed the petition with Town Clerk Patricia H. Strauss Thursday.
Strauss said the petition meets the requirements of Connecticut General Statute 10-238 which calls for a Board of Education to hold a hearing within three weeks on any issue raised in the petition if 1 percent of the electorate has signed the petition—167 signatures in this case.
Late Thursday Strauss certified the petition with 192 signatures.
Although the law has been on the books for more than 50 years, it has not been invoked in Westport in recent memory.
Clark has said he was compelled to submit his resignation after receiving a letter from Superintendent of Schools Elliott Landon saying Landon would suggest the Board of Education not renew his employment.
Along with suggesting Clark resign, Landon promised to write Clark recommendations to aid his search for future employment, according to Clark’s attorney.
When it was clear to Clark that Landon was not going to provide the recommendations, he withdrew his resignation, but Landon would not accept the withdrawal.
Students and parents have showed support for Clark’s reinstatement— this petition being their latest effort.
The petition raises questions directly related to the Clark case.
It asks what policies the Board of Education follows if a teacher is promised recommendations by the Westport school system in exchange for resignation but does not receive such letters.
In addition, the petition asks if Board of Education members are willing to re-hire Clark on account of the tremendous support for him from parents and students.
The petition also poses more general questions about the Board of Education’s responsibilities regarding the hiring, non-renewal, and resignation of Westport school system teachers, as well as the Westport teacher evaluation process.
Landon, Board of Education Chair Mary Parmelee, and Board of Education attorney Tom Mooney were unavailable for comment.
As a long time Westport teacher I look forward to a complete airing of parental and staff concerns with the evaluation process in the fine and high quality Westport schools. No good is served by behind-the-scenes wheeling and dealing or cover-ups when the good of Westport’s young people is at issue. The citizens of Westport are footing the bill for a huge number of adminstrators, and the citizens of Westport deserve complete and candid information about the standards this large adminstrative staff uses in evaluating teachers and their impact on students.
As of today, the Board will meet tomorrow to discuss Mr. Clark’s situation, and the school system’s general policy of evaluating teachers. It appears that this process has found its faults, especially with Mr. Clark’s situation. Having experienced both private and public schools in Fairfield County, I was shocked to find out the tenure and termination process. We have transferred both of our children into the Westport school system because it supposedly aspires to provide excellent teachers, school facilities, and academic programs. Mr. Clark is a teacher with vibrant, strong, and unique teaching skills, and the town’s strong reaction to this situation confirms that. His ability exemplifies what we, as parents, want for our children’s education. Mr. Clark’s tenure denial resulting in automatic job termination is confounding. I hope that the Board and Bedford Administration will understand what their “customers”, i.e. parents and students, expect from them – a fair process to regularly evaluate and maintain excellent teachers, and community explanations as to the system’s current shortfalls where this unusual situation could happen. This is a PUBLIC school, and the parents should have the right to have an explanation and say in extreme situations such as this.