On Wednesday, March 11, 2015, Mrs. Hayes did not show up at MMS. She was also not there on Thursday or Friday. Friday, the school was teeming with parents and students for the Bring a Parent to School event—this is an event she would never have missed since she started it ten years ago. (The reason cited for her absence was that she was taking personal days.) Parents started asking questions, and Monday, March 16th we found out that the TVUSD School Board was going to take up a motion at their meeting on Tuesday, March 17th, to terminate her as Principal of Margarita Middle School effective immediately, and to reassign her to another position, good through 6/30/15.
Even with just two days to get people to that Board meeting, at least 100 past and present students, parents, grandparents, teachers, staff, and a few principals attended that meeting in support of keeping Karen Hayes as Principal at Margarita Middle School. Parents, past and present, a staff member, teachers, and a high school student publicly spoke in support of Karen Hayes before and after the vote. Despite the huge amount of support, the Board voted to terminate her contract as of 6/30/15, with one member dissenting. The Board should have postponed the vote until they had more information, but instead chose to support Mr. Ritter.
Three days later, on March 20th, a protest was held in front of Margarita Middle School protesting the actions of the school board. Parents opted to keep their children out from school that day or to wear blue to school in support of Mrs. Hayes. Approximately 300 students (middle and high school) and parents (past, present, and future) attended carrying protest signs and wearing blue shirts in support of Mrs. Hayes. On that day, school attendance dipped from a norm of 95% to just around 63%. Many parents and students walked two miles from the school to the district offices and continued the protest there. The protest, which had started at 9am concluded at the district offices about 3 1/2 hours later without Mr. Ritter addressing the group’s concerns.
The district is not commenting. However, what we have discovered is that she is being terminated for alleged unprofessional emails she wrote to one of her female subordinates who had been yelled at and sworn at by a male teacher in front of a classroom full of students. Upon further investigation, we found a history of inappropriate behavior by the same male teacher. This is not hearsay; these are first-person accounts by females on staff at MMS who are willing to share their experiences publicly.
The punishment is quite excessive when you consider what other administrators have done in this district, but still maintain their job. What we are asking for is for Mrs. Hayes to be reinstated as Principal of Margarita Middle School. When 100 people stand up in support of Mrs. Hayes, and only a few males support her leaving, that calls for an investigation of actual events to determine the proper outcome; it should take into account the inappropriate behavior of the harassers. The idea that an outstanding principal, who is supported by so many, would be dismissed and/or reassigned is a travesty.
Please sign the petition to show your support of getting Karen Hayes back to Margarita Middle School as our principal.
Updates
Reached 500 supporters
April 5, 2015
April 5, 2015
The lack of transparency from the school board regarding the removal of Mrs. Hayes remains deeply concerning to many families. I am spending my current time drafting formal inquiries to the district office to demand a clear explanation for this sudden decision.
April 4, 2015
The momentum behind this petition is increasing as we approach the five hundred signature mark. Achieving this goal will demonstrate the depth of community support to the school board members.
Reached 100 supporters
April 1, 2015
March 30, 2015
The signature count is nearing one hundred. Please circulate this petition among your personal networks to help us reach this initial goal before the upcoming board meeting.
294 Comments
There is no better woman to lead these young kids in their development process than Karen Hayes. She was a second mom to me as I grew up and I am a better man because of the values that she helped me learn as a youth. It's a tragedy that politics would deprive these children of that same opportunity. Save Mrs. Hayes!
Before I signed the petition, I took the time to gather all the facts available to me. This is nothing more than a witch hunt. It really appears to have started out as 1 man's personal vendetta against Mrs. Hayes and has exculated into the school board trying to eliminate the "outspoken" Its horrible.
My daughter loves Mrs. Hayes and wants her back. She is involved with the kids and dances and the kids love her! The science teacher who throws chairs and glass beakers into the sink is the one who should be gone!
Mrs. Hayes is a true leader and strong principal. She is kind, caring and compassionate, firm and fair. All of my worries about sending my children to middle school were relieved knowing that Mrs. Hayes was principal.
I've worked with Ms. Hayes during the Veterans Day event and her live for the military community is amazing. She shows her support through the events she held at the school in the past years. I've never met a more genuine woman.
doing this for @firstjumper :) good luck :0
My sweet childhood friend, Kylie Gaffney, introduced me to this problem. Though being all the way back in Waco, Texas, I will not support this. Save Hayes.
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On Wednesday, March 11, 2015, Mrs. Hayes did not show up at MMS. She was also not there on Thursday or Friday. Friday, the school was teeming with parents and students for the Bring a Parent to School event—this is an event she would never have missed since she started it ten years ago. (The reason cited for her absence was that she was taking personal days.) Parents started asking questions, and Monday, March 16th we found out that the TVUSD School Board was going to take up a motion at their meeting on Tuesday, March 17th, to terminate her as Principal of Margarita Middle School effective immediately, and to reassign her to another position, good through 6/30/15.
Even with just two days to get people to that Board meeting, at least 100 past and present students, parents, grandparents, teachers, staff, and a few principals attended that meeting in support of keeping Karen Hayes as Principal at Margarita Middle School. Parents, past and present, a staff member, teachers, and a high school student publicly spoke in support of Karen Hayes before and after the vote. Despite the huge amount of support, the Board voted to terminate her contract as of 6/30/15, with one member dissenting. The Board should have postponed the vote until they had more information, but instead chose to support Mr. Ritter.
Three days later, on March 20th, a protest was held in front of Margarita Middle School protesting the actions of the school board. Parents opted to keep their children out from school that day or to wear blue to school in support of Mrs. Hayes. Approximately 300 students (middle and high school) and parents (past, present, and future) attended carrying protest signs and wearing blue shirts in support of Mrs. Hayes. On that day, school attendance dipped from a norm of 95% to just around 63%. Many parents and students walked two miles from the school to the district offices and continued the protest there. The protest, which had started at 9am concluded at the district offices about 3 1/2 hours later without Mr. Ritter addressing the group’s concerns.
The district is not commenting. However, what we have discovered is that she is being terminated for alleged unprofessional emails she wrote to one of her female subordinates who had been yelled at and sworn at by a male teacher in front of a classroom full of students. Upon further investigation, we found a history of inappropriate behavior by the same male teacher. This is not hearsay; these are first-person accounts by females on staff at MMS who are willing to share their experiences publicly.
The punishment is quite excessive when you consider what other administrators have done in this district, but still maintain their job. What we are asking for is for Mrs. Hayes to be reinstated as Principal of Margarita Middle School. When 100 people stand up in support of Mrs. Hayes, and only a few males support her leaving, that calls for an investigation of actual events to determine the proper outcome; it should take into account the inappropriate behavior of the harassers. The idea that an outstanding principal, who is supported by so many, would be dismissed and/or reassigned is a travesty.
Please sign the petition to show your support of getting Karen Hayes back to Margarita Middle School as our principal.
Updates
Reached 500 supporters
April 5, 2015
April 5, 2015
The lack of transparency from the school board regarding the removal of Mrs. Hayes remains deeply concerning to many families. I am spending my current time drafting formal inquiries to the district office to demand a clear explanation for this sudden decision.
April 4, 2015
The momentum behind this petition is increasing as we approach the five hundred signature mark. Achieving this goal will demonstrate the depth of community support to the school board members.
Reached 100 supporters
April 1, 2015
March 30, 2015
The signature count is nearing one hundred. Please circulate this petition among your personal networks to help us reach this initial goal before the upcoming board meeting.
294 Comments
The dedication Mrs. Hayes shows to her students is what inspired me to teach in the first place. She took our concerns seriously, and cared about our opinions. I am proud to be one of her Middle Schoolers from 2001-2004.
There is no better woman to lead these young kids in their development process than Karen Hayes. She was a second mom to me as I grew up and I am a better man because of the values that she helped me learn as a youth. It's a tragedy that politics would deprive these children of that same opportunity. Save Mrs. Hayes!
Before I signed the petition, I took the time to gather all the facts available to me. This is nothing more than a witch hunt. It really appears to have started out as 1 man's personal vendetta against Mrs. Hayes and has exculated into the school board trying to eliminate the "outspoken" Its horrible.
My daughter loves Mrs. Hayes and wants her back. She is involved with the kids and dances and the kids love her! The science teacher who throws chairs and glass beakers into the sink is the one who should be gone!
Mrs. Hayes is a true leader and strong principal. She is kind, caring and compassionate, firm and fair. All of my worries about sending my children to middle school were relieved knowing that Mrs. Hayes was principal.
I've worked with Ms. Hayes during the Veterans Day event and her live for the military community is amazing. She shows her support through the events she held at the school in the past years. I've never met a more genuine woman.
doing this for @firstjumper :) good luck :0
My sweet childhood friend, Kylie Gaffney, introduced me to this problem. Though being all the way back in Waco, Texas, I will not support this. Save Hayes.
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The dedication Mrs. Hayes shows to her students is what inspired me to teach in the first place. She took our concerns seriously, and cared about our opinions. I am proud to be one of her Middle Schoolers from 2001-2004.