SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: September 2019

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Former Wildlife Teacher Christopher Vasquez is a Sellout and It Appears, a Blackmailer

As previously mentioned here and here former Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation and Mount Vernon High School teacher Christopher Vasquez appears to come off as a teacher of principle. What would it take for Chris to stop harassing teachers?

The Crack Team engaged in an emergency meeting to discuss what kind of offer it can
make to Chris. Some of the ideas consisted of...

A gumball and gift certificate to Bennigan's.

2020 opening day tickets for the Hudson Valley Renegades.

Tickets for the Danbury Hat Tricks of the Federal Hockey League.

Those were just a few. But The Crack Team soon realized that the above was too little for Chris. Chris is a man of huge ideas, so the offer to him must be huge.

And what to offer him? The Crack Team decided to use Chris' own words...


So, what to do? A Gofundme page for Chris?

So what do these students of Wildlife and MVHS really mean to Chris? Nothing! Bupkus! As long as Chris gets what he wants, and an ounce of blood from Domincan administrators which Chris and his enabling, pulling his strings patrón seem to have issues with with of color Dominican administrators.

Chris got either discontinued or was denied tenure at Wildlife. What to do than to take is ire out on ADASA (Association of Dominican-American Administrators) whilst having his patrón whisper in his ear how racist and self-loathing this types are.

But yet Chris refuses to look in the proverbial mirror.

But The Crack Team surely thought that Chris was a man. A man of values and principles. A man that, at least from outward appearances, would stick up for the downtrodden, the abused, the outliers.

Sadly, it seems that Chris does have a price to forget these people and it is so easily divisible by three. But The Crack Team did bring up a good point.

This does not seem like a settlement nor an offer of one. There can't be, because for all his bluster and threats Chris has never filed a lawsuit. There doesn't seem a whole lot of there there.

What Chris has done, I am not an attorney, is make a good case for extortion. But I, nor anyone here at SBSB, believe that he should be prosecuted for this clown like attempt at extortion. He is too feeble minded and easily led by others to do such a thing consciously.

But remember, the real Chris Vasquez has no problem throwing those he claims he is fighting for under the bus. And he has no problems throwing teachers under the bus.

His patrón should reevaluate their relationship with Chris.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Christopher Vasquez Former Teacher at Mount Vernon HS Enters the Rabbit Hole

On top of yesterday;s blog post concerning former Mount Vernon High School teacher
Christopher Vasquez some more news about him came into the SBSB newsroom.

The Crack Team has confirmed that Chris was a teacher at Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation in the Bronx. Chris denied tenure before he went on to Mount Vernon High School.

At the time of Chris' problems at Wildlife, he was introduced to several members of UFT Solidarity by another NYCDOE teacher who at the time was close with Solidarity but no longer is. This teacher ran with MORE in this year's UFT elections, and it has been speculated by some, yet not confirmed, that this teacher is enabling Chris by passing along information as well as helping him violate teachers Facebook privacy.

Another News12 Westchester story also came across the SBSB news desk today as well. This time, Chris bantered with reporter Rebecca Solomon in his backyard.

Accordinng to News12, "The district won't comment on personnel matters, but Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Hamilton ordered a lockout at all schools Tuesday because of a "disgruntled employee."

Yes, a disgruntled employee, not just of Mount Vernon, but the Bronx as well. But think, Chris caused a lockout of the entire Mount Vernon City School District. That's 15 schools in total!!! Chris disrupted the lives of so many children that he professes to care about.  

"He says a tenured teacher has been illegally selling food to students, but News 12 received an anonymous tip saying Vasquez orchestrated the cellphone videos of students to incriminate teachers."

NO! Christopher Vasquez is manipulating data to fit his warped sense of self as well as his warped sense of reality? The Crack Team is aghast. 

 "News 12 was told that Vasquez brought box cutters to school, but he explained that he brought them in one time to prep lab equipment."

Box cutters in a school? To prep lab equipment? Come on. 

In the video, Chris claims that he made videos of "students talking about school corruption" and then posting these videos on YouTube. But here is the question. Did the students know they were being filmed? Did the students give Chris permission? As we can see from Chris' track record, we don't discount the students were either lied to, not told, or were manipulated.

According to the video, the cell phone videos he took of students were manipulated specifically to incriminate teachers. 

Chris in the video also claims, "that other teachers have reached out to me" about corruption in the school, yet not one teacher has seem to have his back.

Chris denies at the end of the video that he was fired from the NYC DOE but rather states...
“I didn't like where the narrative at the school was heading, and what the new principal was doing so I left.”
Yeah, sure. 

Chris also claims that he is going to take legal action but as of this writing there is no evidence is has.

Again, we see Chris has no problem living in a special fantastical world and throwing other teachers under the bus.

Chris, get help. You're heading down a not good path.


Monday, September 23, 2019

Former Mount Vernon High School Teacher Christopher Vasquez Trolls NYC Teachers

Many who read this blog or know me, know that I am not a "union shill," nor even a "union goon." If the UFT does something I disagree with, I will speak my mind. If the UFT does something I agree with, my mind will be spoken.

In my opinion, the UFT has been inconsistent in how it reaches out to and supports the rank and file. And chances are I am not the only one that feels that way.

I stayed with the UFT because a union that is not fully functioning is better than no union at all. Those that left, they have no right to bitch and complain anymore. Those on the outside have never had a right to complain about the UFT, and I will defend the UFT against anyone who wished to denigrate it. Just like in Animal House.

That being said, there is a cancer out there. A non-UFT member, trying to sow discord amongst the rank and file, and worse, trolling closed Facebook NYC teacher groups. All the while not only publishing teachers words (That they believe are private), but their names as well all over Twitter, without permission nor knowledge. The account (NYC Public School Comments) and handle (@NYCSchooIs) (very inventive Chris uses an I instead of an L) run by disgruntled former teacher Christopher Vasquez has been bringing a lot of anxiety to these people, who are mostly women, and whose comments are reasonably expected are being shared amongst friends and confidantes.

Now I will give Chris some props. He does want better schools. But his logic, graphs, and conclusions come across as convoluted and per-determined to fit his hypothesis.

So who is Christopher Vasquez? Chris used to be with the DOE and soon went to Mount Vernon High School from where he was terminated in 2018 for causing a lockout. Let's look at some highlights.

According to News 12...
The Mount Vernon school district was on lockout as a safety precaution Tuesday over a disgruntled employee, according to the district.

In a statement, a district spokesperson said that they were made aware over the weekend of a number of concerning statements made on social media by a disgruntled employee that were emailed to staff members.

Chris Vasquez reached out to News 12 saying he's the reason for the lockout. Vasquez, a science teacher, says he alerted Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Hamilton about corruption from inside school. Dr. Hamilton then sent Vasquez a letter ordering him to go on paid leave.
Vasquez alleges a teacher is selling food to students, and in one case, that a teacher pushed a student into the window for not paying for a bag of chips, causing him to bleed.
So the corruption at the school (And mind you this is not the only blog post on Chris. More is to come) was a teacher selling food and another teacher pushing a student into a window.

Let's look at some things. One, the teachers selling food. That's all the information we have, or for that matter, anyone. Was there a food drive? Was this for charity? What are the details?

Secondly, the teacher who pushed a student into the window causing him to bleed. Where is the proof? I'm not saying this did not happen and if it did happen the way Chris claims then the teachers should face all available penalties. But according to News 12...
Vasquez then shared his concerns by posting comments on social media and emailing the staff about what he says he's witnessed.
But if there were truly an assault, where just post on social media? Why not go to the Mount Vernon Police? If he didn't trust MVPD then go to the Westchester District Attorney. He could have gone to the Journal News in both instances.

But from this News 12 article and others The Crack Team has come across Christopher Vasquez has no problem, no guilt, no feeling about throwing a colleague under the bus if it serves a purpose for himself.

And that is what he has been and continues to do on Facebook. Taking comments of teachers, mostly female, and using their comments to fit his narrative. He has already caused plenty of consternation, anxiety, and yes, even some fear.

Christopher Vasquez is about himself it appears. He has no qualms on who he damages or hurts. Give this guy a wide berth.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

NYCDOE Legal Continues to Throw Spaghetti Against the Wall to Nail Teachers

Oh, the DOE lawyers are at it again. Throwing the proverbial spaghetti on the wall and seeing what will stick.

Yet another teacher's frivolous 3020-a charges have come across desks of the SBSB news team. We are not in a position to share details of the case nor the teacher as of yet. However, one spec did catch the eye of The Crack Team (click to enlarge):





Just in case anyone is having difficulty reading, this specification reads...

On or about and between September 5, 2018 and May 13, 2019, Respondent yelled at student(s).

We here at SBSB wish to know was the teacher yelling at the students on weekends and days that school wasn't in session or just days that school was in session. Was this one continuous yell for eight months, or was a series of yells?

Which student(s)? Usually, in the specs it gives Student A, Student B, and so on. There is nothing. In fact, it might be one student or more than one student. The dicktards at Legal don't know? Shouldn't they? 

In fact, define yelling. Is it the Tarzan yell perfected by Johnny Weismuller or Carol Burnett? Or more along the line of Lou Costello yelling for Abbott?

There are 250 days from September 5 through May 13. Minus the 72 weekends days, and that comes to 178 days. Let's subtract 28 vacation days, and that comes to 150 days. That's ONE HUNDRED FIFTY TWO instructional days between September 5, 2018, and May 13, 2019 that this teacher MIGHT have yelled at a student(s).

Can you imagine a REAL lawyer asking a witness, "Where were you on the night(s) between September 5 and May 13?" Hilarity would surely ensue in the court.

When you got nothing, better find something, anything, and take it out of context and make it seem something. That's what these so called lawyers at the DOE do. They take anything and use it to destroy a teachers career and their lives. Why, you may ask? It's simple. Because they can. Unimpeded.

And they can't do it alone. If there were enough of a ruckus from the UFT, this could stop. There should have been language in the contract, that was agreed to just less than a year ago, that would have put the brakes on the arbitrariness and capriciousness of charges brought by the DOE "lawyers."

But meanwhile this teacher is now forced to roll the dice with their career.

How much longer?


Sunday, September 1, 2019

The Tone Deafness of the UFT Never Ceases

I spent time the last two days focused on the Taconic Mountains as well as the Berkshires. There's a spot I love up there. From about Copake, in southeast Columbia County, towards Millerton NY, as you look to the east driving down Route 22 and see the mountains rising along the Massachusetts border. It brings me out of reality into a world that I have been a part of for over forty years that has really not changed much. Sadly reality is about to come back. I escaped some sad UFT reality on Thursday.

I don't want to go into too much into detail other than to say I will soon have my right shoulder replaced. I dislocated it in 1987, and the roosters have come home to roost. The shoulder, sadly, is on life support.

But I'm planning ahead and something happened Thursday to throw a monkey wrench into my well laid plans. Of course, I thought to myself, call the UFT. Mind you, and this is about 1 PM on August 29.

Well, I did and this is where the Kafaesque, rabbit hole, of inanity began. The inanity and the tone deafness of the UFT is what really got my knickers in a bunch.

So I call. I hear, "Hi this is Mike Mulgrew, yada, yada, yada," I raise an eyebrow. Mike asks me to stay on hold. OK. Then I have to listen to New Age music for a minute or two until I hear...

"Hi, this is Tim, the UFT, concierge, how may I help you?"

"Is this the Bronx UFT?" I ask.

"This is the UFT," Tim replies.

"But is this the BRONX UFT?"

"This is the UFT."

I hang up and try back. I get Lance, another UFT concierge. Well, after listening to Mulgrew and more New Age music.

I inquire to Lance why am I getting 52 Broadway even though I am dialing 718-379-6200. Lance informs me that though the Bronx UFT has been open since Monday and apparently they have yet to turn on their phones.

"Can you transfer me there please?"

Lance responds, "We can't."

"Can you try?"

"OK, I'll try."

Lance gives it the old college try. While on hold I hear New Age music and Lance at the same time trying to transfer me and asking others how to transfer calls. This is my UFT and yours too, hard at work. And putting our union dues to good work.

I did eventually reach out to someone, a teacher, who actually knew what to do. So problem solved. For now. 

But, why are our dues not only going to Lance and Tim, but to a concierge service as well? The definition of a concierge as I know it is...
 a usually multilingual hotel staff member who handles luggage and mail, makes reservations, and arranges tours broadly : a person employed (as by a business) to make arrangements or run errands
Lance and Tim I believe are not concierges in the traditional sense. I believe they are receptionists/phone operators. But since they and the UFT are calling them concierges guess what? I want Mulgrew's US Open tickets for this week. I'll take quarter final tickets. Two. I'm not greedy.

Oh, and two tickets for The Who, good seats, at Jones Beach on September 15.

I don't think I am being out of line. Tim and Lance work for all of us dues paying over 100 dollars a month teachers. We here at SBSB suggest you pick up the phone ring Lance or Tim Tuesday and get what you need.

Hell, see if they can't send out fir your dry cleaning and get your shoes polished.