Standing Ovation for School Board

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

You've got to give style points to this school board.

04/5/06 - Posted from the Daily Record newsroom

DAILY RECORD STAFF REPORTS

MONTVILLE -- The principal of Montville Township High School was suspended Tuesday night for disabling fire alarms at the school.

Dr. Steven Kramer was placed on an indefinite paid suspension by the school board, which adopted a resolution during its Tuesday night meeting.

The drastic move came after Montville fire officials fined the school district $10,000 for repeated violations of the township fire code.

According to the board resolution, the allegations against Cramer first came to light following a March 24 fire at the high school. The fire went unreported to police and fire officials -- as well as the school's fire alarm monitoring company -- because the system had been "intentionally modified to prevent such reports."

Montville's Fire Official issued a notice of violation to the district on March 27 for disabling the alarm system and failing to notify the fire department of the fire. The district was ordered to fix the problem by March 28 or face $5,000-a-day fines.

A follow-up inspection, conducted Tuesday, found the alarms were disabled again on March 29 and 30.

Kramer's suspension takes effect immediately, pending the results of a district investigation.

Kramer was hired in 2000, replacing Judith Rattner, who left after a year on the job to become the assistant superintendent in Berkeley Heights.

Kramer was founder and principal of the Technical High School in Newark for four years before being hired in Montville.

Kramer helped promote the district's high school expansion project, which voters approved by referendum in 2001. It's now being constructed. Kramer also brought programs to the school, such as the FIRST Robotics program and Cisco Networking Academy, which he carried over from the Newark school.

Kramer was granted tenure in 2003, but not without some controversy. The superintendent and a number of school board members opposed renewing his contract, citing instances where he violated district policy.

[pkfd7505]

That just goes to show you that education is no measure of common sense. You got to give the school board credit for swift, and intelligent, action.

[ameryfd]

suspend him? They need to fire the mutt. His job is to protect the students.

[backsteprescue123]

Wow, that guy is intellegent.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

suspend him? They need to fire the mutt. His job is to protect the students.

They can't fire him until they suspend him and give him a hearing. You know, that pesky discipline process?

[Just a new name]

I recommend every department pay very close attention to schools in their venue. I can guaranty that there are problems EVERYWHERE.

My personal favorite is when fire alarms are used as a scare tactic to pass a school budget. Only to watch and see that A. the alarm is never fixed or installed, and B. It is again brought up at every budget election to help along it's passing.

Remember Joe Clark?

[BCmdepas3280]

What was the reason for this crazy move ?

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

We had a school principal (now retired) who asked me not to have a fire drill within the first three days of school as required by the CMR 527 fire prevention regulatios because " it might disturb the children in the kindergarten class"...

My answer was... "and you think a fire isn't going to scar them for life?"

The fire drill went on as planned.

[ChiefReason]

Probably on PAID administrative leave.
Someone this despicable has no business being a steward for the educational system and its students anywhere!
But he's not alone. He had to have had someone else disable it; a maintenance person, perhaps?
Educated idiots like that can't change a light bulb.
CR

[jrengine70]

that principal is sure lucky there wasn't at least a semi-big fire at that school, or worse, a student or teacher was injured or killed because the alarm wasn't on and they didn't know there was a fire!
if you ask me, that (insert word) should have been fired, i dont care what the policy is. anybody that does something to endanger (sp?) lives should be punished HARSHLY.

============================== ====
Freeport Station 70
Freeport, Pa
The above post does not express the opinions of the department
"Firefighting: Not just a job, a way of life"

[MalahatTwo7]

Ok, this makes no sense. First he:

Kramer was founder and principal of the Technical High School in Newark for four years before being hired in Montville.

Kramer helped promote the district's high school expansion project, which voters approved by referendum in 2001. It's now being constructed. Kramer also brought programs to the school, such as the FIRST Robotics program and Cisco Networking Academy, which he carried over from the Newark school.

Then he disables automatic fire safety equipment? Can I have some of whatever it is he is sniffing, cuz it must be real good.

Just goes to show that you can have a billion "At-A-Boys" and stand head and shoulders above your peers, but one "Ah $&it", and its all over.

[Bones42]

While I definitely do not agree with the tactic, do we know his side of the story? Was the system in disrepair and causing constant interruptions of the school day? Were they not able to get someone in to repair it? Was there construction in an area of the school that required it to be disabled?

PS - I highly doubt any of these reasons are valid. I also know, we don't know what's going on. I am not a fan of nor do I recommend disabling systems.

I agree with Malahat27, this does not make sense.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

While I definitely do not agree with the tactic, do we know his side of the story? Was the system in disrepair and causing constant interruptions of the school day? Were they not able to get someone in to repair it? Was there construction in an area of the school that required it to be disabled?

PS - I highly doubt any of these reasons are valid. I also know, we don't know what's going on. I am not a fan of nor do I recommend disabling systems.

I agree with Malahat27, this does not make sense.

Even if it were true, remember, there was a fire in the school and he didn't report it to the FD or the PD.

Little background. This same school, about a month ago, had an upperclassman arrested and suspended from school for the remainder of the year because he was choking out younger kids to the point of unconsciousness. He didn't report these aggaravated assaults either. The PD found out about them through parents of the kids who were injured. Kid was charged with Agg. Assault and will probably do some Youth Center time.

[MalahatTwo7]

WWOOOAAHHHH... this guy certainly seems to have a few screws either missing or loose.............

[Bones42]

Like I figured, there is always more to the story.

[nmfire]

I wonder if this is the principle at the school where the teacher blew his hand off with the explosive paper weight?

[LeeJunkins]

This guy needs to get out of teaching, and get into politics, with all the cover ups he has got it together, just wrong profession

[ChiefReason]

Even if it were true, remember, there was a fire in the school and he didn't report it to the FD or the PD.

Little background. This same school, about a month ago, had an upperclassman arrested and suspended from school for the remainder of the year because he was choking out younger kids to the point of unconsciousness. He didn't report these aggaravated assaults either. The PD found out about them through parents of the kids who were injured. Kid was charged with Agg. Assault and will probably do some Youth Center time.

For crying out loud: what's next?
A math teacher helping her students cheat on a national math test?
Oh wait; I think that happened.
Nevermind.
CR

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

For crying out loud: what's next?
A math teacher helping her students cheat on a national math test?
Oh wait; I think that happened.
Nevermind.
CR

Sex with their students?

Oh yeah.. that's been done!

[MalahatTwo7]

Speaking of sex with students, what is it with these people? Do they think that if "He got caught, maybe I can get away with it", or what? There is yet another instance of this in the news from Brandywine today. Which makes the third or fourth report of such in the past 3 or 4 weeks.

Are these people born stupid or do they have to work at it?

Ok.. "Rant Off."