Again, we have a failure to communicate

<p>There is a definite problem at Newport Heights Elementary School and

it falls squarely on the shoulders of everybody involved in the

rehiring fiasco. This problem is an overall lack of communication and

disclosure.

All that can be confirmed is this: teacher Shannon Jay was hired

as a substitute for a first-grade teacher on maternity leave; that

teacher decided not to return; Jay left the school; parents feared

she was unfairly dismissed and rallied to get her rehired. Entangled

in the facts are venomous rumors, calls for resignations,

administrative scurrying and unfounded allegations of divisiveness

and conspiracy.

Like we said, there is a real problem here.

Blame can be doled out to Newport-Mesa Unified School District

officials who refuse to discuss details of Jay’s dismissal by using

the popular excuse of a “personnel” issue.

State law calls for the protection of specific, personal and

private details regarding an employee. But that doesn’t mean the law

serves as a catch-all for anything that government officials might

deem to fall under the wide umbrella of a personnel matter.

But that is what has happened. The district has kept even the most

general particulars of this incident under lock and key, leaving the

public and the press, guessing as to what really happened.

As a result, word of mouth has run rampant, with rumors and

conjecture being treated as truths. Those with children at the school

seem desperate to pin the predicament on somebody and Newport Heights

Principal Judith Chambers is that somebody. Chambers resigned her

position this week.

Those who have specific claims against Chambers are not willing to

attach their names to their convictions, which is no better than the

lack of disclosure from the district. And those who have spoken

publicly, heave vague charges that don’t seem to relate directly to

the Jay incident -- giving an impression that those who wanted

Chambers out of a leadership position are using the rehiring fiasco

as an attack point.

Pardon us if that representation is off-target, but it is hard to

formulate informed opinions with no solid information.

If administrators, teachers and parents really want to fix what is

wrong at Newport Heights it would behoove everyone involved to quit

hiding behind flimsy safeguards and participate in honest, open

communication.