Robbins deceives stakeholders

School Board Member David Robbins was on New Mexico Now; KIVA 1550, link, yesterday.

He was there to drum up support for his cause; sexual abstinence in APS students by means of condom denial.

I asked him a couple of questions on other subjects; one about role modeling, the other about his denial of due process to whistleblowers.

His answers were (deliberately) deceptive. I think he lied.

The first subject was the abdication of the leadership of the APS from their obligations and responsibilities as role models of the Student Standards of Conduct. They recently removed language from their own code of conduct which had read;

In no case shall the standards of conduct for an adult
be lower than the standards of conduct for students.

Robbins had made a promise to voters during his campaign for election, that he would fight to restore the role modeling clause to the APS adult standards of conduct. By any reasonable measure, he has not "fought" for the restoration at all. At most, he has broached the subject on maybe a couple of occasions. He claimed during his interview, that he was standing alone against the rest of the board with respect to restoring a role modeling clause. I don't believe him.

The second issue had to do with the denial of due process rights to whistleblowers. School Board Policy is clear; the Audit Committee (which Robbins chairs) is charged with review and approval of any (all) whistleblower complaints. They have not reviewed and approved even one complaint.

In his defense, Robbins claimed that Federal law prevents any open meeting review of individual complaints, in so far as, privacy rights would be violated. His argument is a red herring; no one has asked for open meeting review. The Audit Committee adjourns into private Executive Session all the time; Robbins is well aware of that. His red herring is categorically dishonest.

David Robbins is untrustworthy.

Robbins claimed a prior engagement and left before the conversation was finished. I challenged him to come back with as many board members, administrators and lawyers as he could fit into the room, to continue a candid, forthright and honest exchange of questions and answers.

He won't of course, because in addition to being dishonest, he is also a coward.

I pointed out to him once, that there are only two reasons for APS leaders to refuse to step up as role models of the Student Standards of Conduct;

1. a lack of character and,
2. a lack of courage.

He agreed.

And now he is a role model of both.

He, and any other board member who will not pledge honest accountability to the same standards of conduct that they establish and enforce upon students, deserve to be recalled.



photo Mark Bralley