39 DOE employees on leave pending investigations
A new report compiled for the state Board of Education shows that dozens of public school employees are on leave as officials investigate allegations of misconduct against them.
Hawaii News Now reports the document presented to the board this week says that 12 of the 39 employees on leave have been on that status for more than a year. A majority of the employees have been on leave for six months or less.
The report comes as the board has questioned the state Department of Education’s handling of investigations into employee conduct, particularly how long it takes to resolve the cases.
The department has said it’s working to expedite its investigation process.
The allegations against the employees, including teachers and custodians, range from workplace violence to sexual harassment.
62 responses to “39 DOE employees on leave pending investigations”
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My money says none will lose their jobs or get docked in pay or anything period!
So. What’s wrong with that?
Here’s whats wrong…a total lack of accountability. Continued poor performance with the DOE and no justice for the victims.
What if they are innocent of any wrongdoing? Let the process play itself out.
Hierarchy like a well know religious group ignored misconduct of their priest ended up paying hundreds of million$ to victims. Sweeping misconducts under the rug only can erupt into a very scandalous debacle and expose the State to liability suits. Nip it in the bud! “Investigate, call in the cops, do not dilly-dally hoping it will go away. It can only get worse.
Useless comment that you will never follow up with.
On leave with pay for a year. That is mismanagement at its finest. Processing these cases should be a high priority. There’s no reason taxpayer’s dollars should pay for somebody to sit at home while a bunch of bureaucrats twiddle their thumbs in an attempt to figure out a way to appease the union bosses.
On leave with pay for a year? Where do I sign up?
union powa…
In the animal kingdom, the young are sent away to other areas since they found that inbreeding produces idiots. I believe the same happens when you have a one party system. We need new blood and some political competition or we’ll continue in these very illogical, senseless situations!!
This is what you get when your public employees unions control the state government. No accountability. If it takes this long to deal with people accused of workplace violence and sexual abuse, I guess they never get around to dealing with plain incompetence. And people wonder why out public schools consistently come up among the worst in the nation.
Union caused this? Even you don’t believe in your own lie.
Not a total lie but maybe an indirect truth. When defending an accused the Union will turn it into a long process. A court trial would not take this long.
Union is a big part of this. What was once a noble cause to make life better has grown into part of the corrupt machine.
Weren’t unions started because of the corrupt machine of management/ownership?
Unions have become what they once fought.
Hawaii had the best school system in the nation, because it is a statewide system. Its downfall was the union, members became greedy with too many top heavy administrators, with the goal of top three years and retirement.
No, this is what you get when management can’t get the job done. The backlog of investigations–not union contracts–are the problem.
In my opinion, I have found some (not all…but many) within the ranks of the DOE operate within a system (DOE)…within a system (State). Hence, it becomes difficult to do what’s right versus what you do for your alliances…you will be ostracized for speaking out. If a complaint is filed, expect to have it take forever to resolve via mediation, hence you need to go down the path of filing a suit. This is if you are on the outside…if you’re within the DOE or State…it can be tough. Again in my opinion, this seems to be common place within State operations. You could opt to file a complaint with the Ombudsman (outside/in) or file a grievance (inside/in) but that may not go anywhere…hence you have someone like Hawaii News Now investigate and hopefully resolve…sad.
I don’t disagree with you, but don’t you think that this is true in private industry as well?
It depends, having worked in the private sector for 33+ years (retired) we were held accountable for results and a high level of ethical behavior. You could get counseled on your performance and allowed to turn things around…if not you were placed on a performance review which gave you a 90-day work plan (you were highly scrutinized)to basically “shape up or ship out”…never had this happen. If there was an ethical infraction you were given an opportunity to defend yourself and “might” be given a chance…however, once ethics come into question you’re days may be numbered. As compared to some other agencies who defend a member regardless of infraction and the only way to get justice is to have charges and / or a civil case. By the way, go back and review the article again “range from workplace violence to sexual harassment”…sad.
Thank you.
39 government workers giving the rest of us a bad name.
I am of the belief that the 39 is just a small percentage of those who were reported and there are many that go unreported. This is where looking at this situation as being the “tip of the iceberg” may be deemed appropriate. Then again I am of the belief of a balanced budget…
Miketv, are you retired?
My guess is most definitely he is.
He’s on leave pending an investigation
The ineffective and unaccountable performance of the DOE as a whole is giving the bad name, past and present.
WAIT! How can you say the DOE is unaccountable? 39 employees are being investigated for something. That is ACCOUNTABILITY!
He’s talking about the accounting for the accounters.
These employees deserve “due process”. You never know who is being falsely accused or is being singled out. It is taking too long to process them. But a thorough investigation is imperative. In an organization as large as the DOE, these numbers are small. But they all are important.
” I work for the State, I work for the City!,” Proud dummies.
Howie, I’m proud to be a State employee.
Howie, if you intend to run for mayor, you shouldn’t denigrate government employees. They’re voters too, you know.
When I started work as a state employee, a social worker in another work unit who’d been on leave for SEVEN YEARS!! finally returned to work. Her name is Kathleen “Katie” Ellison.
Although she had very high expectations from everyone she relied on, she was never able to meet her own standards. Her work never cut the mustard. She retired with full state benefits. I’m glad she’s gone.
Wow, laulau………you called someone out after the fact?
My thoughts exactly. On State time no less. Personal attack on social media. RetiredWorking should be the 40th person on leave pending investigation.
save, what you talking about? Why would you presume I’m on State time? You might be working today; I’m not. Personal attack? It’s common knowledge. LOL, as if they’ll put me on leave for this. You’re in la la land, save.
Racism toward Caucasians is a real problem in the DOE and in state government I am told by everyone. If true, why is that allowed? B ut yes, the DOE has been badly run for many years.
Maybe they’re dicks?
Anytime any large ethnic group hold power, presumed racism will appear. Whites are accused if they are the majority. Blacks are accused if they are the majority. Latinos are accused if they are in the majority. Depends on where you reside. In Hawaii, Asians are in the majority so accusations surfaces from other groups. Fact of life Allie.
I haven’t had any problems with racism by the DOE, but definitely had racism problems with the DMV. Many times.
Gee, I was told that aliens from other planets have infiltrated our society and are living and working among us — even in the DOE. If true, why doesn’t somebody do something?
8:32 am. Are you retired now or on coffee break? I hope you are not using your State computer to post comments in the SA. Posting a comment like this using a co-workers real name constitutes a personal attack on “Katie”. Do you mean her harm or just talking off the top of your head? If true it is an interesting comment by the way.
Not sure it’s an attack if he is only saying the truth. She was on leave for 7 years, came back, didn’t do what was expected of her, retired. The only troubling part of that is being on leave for 7 years. I have no trouble with the rest of his post.
save, you missed my 8:35am post that I’m a proud State employee. We’re authorized two breaks daily, but I don’t take them. They disrupt my work routine rhythm. I do take toilet breaks. I’m working on one project that will literally take every minute of 25 hours next week(I’m on the road weekly for 15 hours). I just finished another project that took me every minute of my work day for 31 straight working days, minus my roadwork. That’s nonstop labor, last one working until the janitors turn off all the lights on the floor. So how do you think I’d feel if I had to work with someone who’d been on paid leave for 7 years, then couldn’t do her job when she showed up? Not lol.
I bet it’s leave with pay. Where else but Hawaii. UNION ROCKS!!!!
Better be Leave with Pay! If they are falsely accused, they should get paid. If the facts show proof of guilt, Leave Without Pay is in order!
The DOE officials who are allowing these investigations to drag on for more than a year should be put on leave without pay permanently.
Wonder how may investigators if any the DOE has to look into these cases of alleged misconduct. And what if any are the time frames by which an investigation must be
completed and a decision made on the validity of the misconduct. Does seem that the process takes way too long. Wish the SA would dig into this story a lot more
rather than just the surface stuff. Stories like seem to abound just about when the state legislature comes into session. Probably just a coincidence.
Not the first time this subject has raised its ugly head. Each time it does it shows how utterly incompetent the BOE/DOE are in cases of alleged misconduct. Workers basically go on a “Paid Vacation” while education bureaucrats twiddle their thumbs, no concern for the tens of thousands of taxpayer’s dollars wasting away.
Previous articles pointed to other educational districts which have solid review plans in place with set timelines. Los Angeles is taking the lead in firing dysfunctional teachers, preventing them from further leeching off of taxpayers.
Clearly the current discipline and review process is broken, has been broken for decades. Bureaucrats in charge haven’t got a clue what to do, the Weak Link” in the process.
I’ll say it again. Just another day in the little 7th world of Hawaii Nei.
http://www.dailynews.com/article/ZZ/20130511/NEWS/130519288
I’ll say or ask it again, aren’t you a low level DOD bureaucrat?
One thing about the State and City Government; to long for an investigation called by the DOD/Free money/paid by tax payers, sad………..
But worth it. Putting tthem on leave stops misconduct. Employees have been charged with hundreds of thousands of dollars in white collar crime.
The state should be able to hire private investigators. Perhaps retired HPD investigators would be very effective.
Second that!….a lot of people doing the investigations in the DOE are without any depth of experience….THEY ARE JUST FORMER TEACHERS.
Remember that case of a custodian in a Waipahu school,that was accused by a boy, of some sort of wrong doing a few years ago? It was plastered all over the news and paper. Turns out the boy made it up. Wow, what then? I wonder if that guy got his job back? I wonder if his name will ever be the same? Just saying that anyone can accuse anyone else of something. I wonder how all you grumblers of the time and paid leave issue, would handle these cases?
I do remember that. That’s why these investigations need to go the distance to get to the truth. I was in the DOE for a time and whenever I knew of someone being investigated, it was the DOE admin. that dragged their feet in completing the investigation in a timely manner. Upper management is part of the process towards the end and many don’t make the time to meet and do their due diligence. One person can put the entire process on hold for a loonnngggg time.
Names please, otherwise what is point of this article?
The “victims” seem to have it made as they are being investigate while on paid leave and not doing anything to earn their pay! So is this why many refer our state as living in “paradise”?
At least there has been improvement. I think the number was 50 last year.
If on paid leave AND found guilty, leave pay should be ordered to be paid back. One should NOT profit from improper actions.