Submitted by Elba Rivera, Mar 23, 2008 18:54

Well, I hope that this law is passed ASAP because I am a whistleblower who works for the NYC DOE as a paraprofessional and I blew the whistle on the teacher that I was assisting and a week later, I amazingly got sent to a reassignment center better known as a "rubber room." I could not believe that one week after reporting this teacher because of my care and concern for the children, I get sent to this prison without being given due process. I was quite ignorant to the rubber room and really thought that I was going to go to my regional office and be sent to another school. Not quite that simple, I was given a notice that stated that some allegation had been made against me exactly 11 days after I had to report the incident of corporal punishment on this teacher. For almost two years I worked in this classroom and was forced to witness all sorts of abuse on the children by this teacher. Every time that I complained to my supervisor she would tell me that it would be okay and for me to just try and hang in there for the sake of the children. Well, on Feb. 14, 2008, this teacher just went too far and she violently shoved a 10 year old special education child. As she shoved him, she made it clear that she did not care to go to jail but he was not going to get away with sucking his teeth at her. She then reminded him of how nobody would believe him over her anyway. I am an adult and I was completely shaken by this incident and I took about a week to file the report out of fear of losing my job. Well, here I am sitting in a rubber room just because I cared and had to report as a Mandated Reporter that I am. I have no clue as to what allegations they could have come up with because I have never done anything wrong in my life. It has to be something that the teacher and principals made up because all I did was report this teachers horrible conduct towards the children and even myself. Why are they allowed to do this to innocent people? I am quite sure that lots of the teachers and staff members in the rubber rooms are guilty as sin but some of them are not. I know that I will be okay because I have done nothing and have nothing to hide but my rights were all stripped from me and I will be seeking to join many of those who are currently suing the NYC DOE and the UFT because they can't get away with this. From being a happy paraprofessional I have come become so depressed, humiliated every day that I have to go to this jail.

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