FT. LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – A Blanche Ely High School reading teacher who was on the verge of being suspended for three days without pay for alleged inappropriate conduct toward her students will be back in class tomorrow.
Superintendent Robert Runcie had recommended the suspension for Leslie Rainer along with enrollment in a Diversity Training program. But on Tuesday the School Board deferred the recommendation.
According to the Broward County school district, Rainer has been counseled previously regarding inappropriate conduct towards her students on December 4, 2008. She was also verbally counseled on April 14, 2011 regarding inappropriate discussion of a religious nature with students.
In the latest incidents Rainer, 46, reportedly called a Haitian student in her class a "chocolate boy" and a "chocolate that nobody wanted.�� A student also caught her on video telling him, "You got one time, Chocolate," according to the Sun-Sentinel.
Rainer, has denied making the comments, said even if she did the term "chocolate" in the black community is a term of endearment. As for the video, Rainer said she was referring to the candy bar on her desk. Instead of "You got one time, Chocolate," she said her statement was "that one chocolate."
"I"m stable and professional, I know my role in the classroom and community," Rainer said.
But, the Haitian-American Coalition said that a suspension wasn't enough. Instead, the HAC said Rainer deserved to be fired.
"We believe this behavior does not belong in the classroom," said Jean Robert La Fortune of the HAC, "she's risky business."
In 2010, Rainer and fellow teacher Djuna Robinson were accused of throwing holy water on another teacher Schandra Rodriguez. It began with a current events conversation in the classroom that led to talk of the bible.
"She said the bible was plagiarized and the Ten Commandments came from the book of the dead or something," Rainer said at the time.
According to Rainer, that's when a student jokingly called for the holy oil.
"The student was saying the conversation is hot in here, lets get some holy oil," said Rainer.
"It was at that time that I said, 'Oh, I have some'. I had just used the oil, so I picked the bottle up, showed it to the student and she said, 'Oh give me that' and I said "No, no, no, no, no and we just laughed'," said Robinson who described how a little of the bottle's content splashed on Rodriguez.
Robinson said she never sprinkled anything on her atheist co-worker; that all three of them were friends and everything was fine until she and Rainer yanked from the classroom for an investigation by the Dept. of Children and Family Services and the school.
Both teachers were eventually cleared and allowed to return to the classroom.
Board Defers Suspending Blanche Ely Teacher
/ CBS Miami
FT. LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – A Blanche Ely High School reading teacher who was on the verge of being suspended for three days without pay for alleged inappropriate conduct toward her students will be back in class tomorrow.
Superintendent Robert Runcie had recommended the suspension for Leslie Rainer along with enrollment in a Diversity Training program. But on Tuesday the School Board deferred the recommendation.
According to the Broward County school district, Rainer has been counseled previously regarding inappropriate conduct towards her students on December 4, 2008. She was also verbally counseled on April 14, 2011 regarding inappropriate discussion of a religious nature with students.
In the latest incidents Rainer, 46, reportedly called a Haitian student in her class a "chocolate boy" and a "chocolate that nobody wanted.�� A student also caught her on video telling him, "You got one time, Chocolate," according to the Sun-Sentinel.
Rainer, has denied making the comments, said even if she did the term "chocolate" in the black community is a term of endearment. As for the video, Rainer said she was referring to the candy bar on her desk. Instead of "You got one time, Chocolate," she said her statement was "that one chocolate."
"I"m stable and professional, I know my role in the classroom and community," Rainer said.
But, the Haitian-American Coalition said that a suspension wasn't enough. Instead, the HAC said Rainer deserved to be fired.
"We believe this behavior does not belong in the classroom," said Jean Robert La Fortune of the HAC, "she's risky business."
In 2010, Rainer and fellow teacher Djuna Robinson were accused of throwing holy water on another teacher Schandra Rodriguez. It began with a current events conversation in the classroom that led to talk of the bible.
"She said the bible was plagiarized and the Ten Commandments came from the book of the dead or something," Rainer said at the time.
According to Rainer, that's when a student jokingly called for the holy oil.
"The student was saying the conversation is hot in here, lets get some holy oil," said Rainer.
"It was at that time that I said, 'Oh, I have some'. I had just used the oil, so I picked the bottle up, showed it to the student and she said, 'Oh give me that' and I said "No, no, no, no, no and we just laughed'," said Robinson who described how a little of the bottle's content splashed on Rodriguez.
Robinson said she never sprinkled anything on her atheist co-worker; that all three of them were friends and everything was fine until she and Rainer yanked from the classroom for an investigation by the Dept. of Children and Family Services and the school.
Both teachers were eventually cleared and allowed to return to the classroom.
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