SASI board accused of being on a 'witch hunt'

By Brian Hassler
Staff Writer

SHIPROCK — When Marleen Thompson stepped to the microphone on Thursday evening it worked until a security guard shut off the power and Thompson had to finish her remarks without the benefit of the microphone.

Thompson had already addressed the audience during the Parent Advisory Committee's meeting to discuss the end of the year activities at Shiprock Alternative Schools but her comments had little to do with activities and student awards.

"We need to know what is going on with this school," said Thompson. "All I know is that they are on a witch hunt and have already put one person on leave without pay."

Like others that spoke, Thompson addressed the current situation that has seen Faye BlueEyes, the school's Director of Support Services, placed on administrative leave after accusations of misconduct were brought before the school board during the end-of-the-year evaluations.

Shiprock Alternative Schools Incorporated has policies that require board members to evaluate staff and administrators but the board went against that policy and used evaluations from the staff concerning BlueEyes.

BlueEyes was placed on paid administrative leave, a status that has since been changed to administrative leave without pay.

But at the heart of the accusations, said former board member Roy Tso, is a vendetta that has former teachers now on the board looking for excuses to terminate BlueEyes.

"It was a method for them and their vendetta against Faye," said Tso. "They are former employee's of SASI and Faye was in the administration and they did their wrongs and were let go and this was a great chance for them to get back at her. Deviating from policy and using staff to do that, it was a good cover for them to orchestrate this whole thing."

In order to discuss the situation, members of the school board called a meeting on Monday that saw parents escorted out and waiting for six hours while school board members discussed the situation. Security violated another policy while watching the parents in attendance, as they were equipped with both stun guns and mace, said Tso.

"Monday I witnessed how the school board really operates," said Thompson. "They had security watching us as though we were criminals."

While criticism has been constant from parents and former board members, current board member Sarah Jane White wasn't pleased with how the board has handled the accusations against BlueEyes.

"I think it's a mess. There are six of us on the board and there's four board members that are beginning to abuse their power," said White. "She came before the board Monday and now she's on administrative leave with no pay. We're pointing at one person, saying that she's done all this wrong and all the time we haven't come up with any evidence where she has used or misused credit cards or funding."

White has even gone so far as to file complaints against administrators but has seen those complaints dismissed by the school board. Even the decision to hire a lawyer to look at the allegations against BlueEyes was made without the knowledge of White and other board members.

"The board got a lawyer that was appointed by the administrator without approval from the board and that's another violation right there," said White. "They have a lawyer to investigate the support service and I didn't know they hired him. They do their thing behind closed doors and don't relay it back to me and the other board members. It's legal when decisions are done as a whole, but that's not what has been happening."

Even the suggestion that there are four members of the school board that need to be replaced is one that White agrees with and even went so far as to suggest putting the administrative staff on leave while investigations can be done to determine which staff members are breaking rules.

BlueEyes declined comment on the issue citing the need to allow the board to make its decision. Other teachers also declined with some pointing to pressure coming from an interoffice memo sent by acting director support services, Scott Hunsinger.

Hunsinger quoted the policy handbook that determines press releases before adding that while the policy "does not prohibit employees from speaking to members of the press regarding their own personal views, caution is urged," if the comments made may jeopardize or damage the integrity or reputation of SASI.

Furthermore, Hunsinger closed out the memo by stating that "violations of these standards of conduct will warrant disciplinary action up to and including immediate termination."

Thompson added that teacher's contracts have been withheld so that administrators can see which ones will speak out and that other teachers "walk on eggshells" when it comes to dealing the administration.

For Tso, the end result is the beginning of a sad chapter in the history of SASI.

"I guess you could say I'm shocked," said Tso. "I didn't feel they would be doing this but I had the feeling they'd have this up their sleeves and I'm shocked they would do this at the expense of the children. It's a sad time in SASI's history."

— Brian Hassler is The Independent's Four Corners reporter based in Shiprock. Contact him at (505) 360-7862 or via email at brianhassler@hotmail.com