front page - search - community | ||
|
||
|
||
|
PTA, union question principal’s suspension
(Published March 24, 2003)
By KATHRYN SINZINGER
Staff Writer
Parents are criticizing D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) administrators for suspending popular Anacostia Senior High School Principal Mildred Musgrove and failing to explain their actions.
"It appears to be a concerted effort to push her out the door," charged PTA President Darlene Allen.
Allen sent a letter to parents of students enrolled at the school on March 14 to explain the principal’s absence, more than two weeks after Musgrove was removed from her position following a small fire at the school on Feb. 24.
Fire marshals issued a $2,000 citation to Musgrove when they found a school door locked after the fire was extinguished. A public hearing on the citation is scheduled for March 25 at the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs’ Office of Adjudication.
School officials dispute the contention that Musgrove is being disciplined and say they are investigating the locked door. Parents of Anacostia students told The Common Denominator that more incidents involving locked doors at the school have occurred during Musgrove’s absence.
"She has not been suspended — she’s on administrative leave with pay," said DCPS spokeswoman Rachel Christoferson. "Because Dr. Musgrove was not suspended, no notice was given to parents."
Christoferson said officials planned to send a letter to parents this week "because the investigation is taking so long."
Christoferson described Musgrove, who has been employed by the District’s public school system for 33 years, as "a very highly respected educator."
Musgrove, 56, took over the helm at a severely troubled Anacostia Senior High in December 1997, following a string of short-tenured principals there, and has served longer than any principal at the school since Russell Lombardy retired in 1980.
Musgrove came to Anacostia after serving as principal of Stoddert Elementary School in Glover Park. She was the school system’s chief academic officer under former Superintendent Julius W. Becton Jr. and chief of staff to Becton’s predecessor, Franklin Smith. She was lead principal of Clusters 4 and 5 in Upper Northwest while assigned as principal of West Elementary School. Musgrove also has served as an instructional supervisor, a curriculum writer and an English teacher at Spingarn Senior High School.
Parents who called The Common Denominator to complain about Musgrove’s suspension praised her commitment to their children’s education and criticized administrators for not communicating with parents about her removal from the school.
Johnson Olaseha, whose son Bashua is an Anacostia freshman, said he tried to reach Musgrove for two weeks before taking off work and going to the school to find out why he could not contact her. When he arrived at the school, he said he was told initially that Musgrove was "on vacation."
"It is ridiculous for them to suspend her because the doors are closed," Olaseha said. "This woman is doing good. She tells me my son needs to go to college and she’s giving me all kinds of programs that enrich my son.
"Why do they need to be making her a scapegoat?" he asked.
Denise Francis, whose son Dorhan is an Anacostia junior, also questioned why Musgrove’s forced absence from the school has continued for so long when "other principals who have locked doors at their schools haven’t been suspended."
LeeRoy McDonald, whose son LeeRoy III is an Anacostia junior, called Musgrove’s suspension "terrible."
"It’s clear that it’s political and somebody’s playing favorites," he said.
"Everybody I’ve talked to says that before Dr. Musgrove came to Anacostia, there was low self-esteem, low employee morale...and there’s been a complete turnaround," McDonald said. "My children really respect her."
Frank Bolden, president of the DCPS principals’ union, also criticized school administrators for failing to notify the union about Musgrove’s removal from her school.
"We have not received anything in writing as to why she is being disciplined," Bolden said. He said such notification is required by the school system’s contract with his union, Local 4 of the Council of School Officers.
"They always have to have a fall guy, but there’s never a fall guy down at 825," Bolden said, referring to the North Capitol Street address of the school system’s headquarters.
Copyright 2003, The Common Denominator