Thursday, November 03, 2011

Breaking the rules; changing the rules

The leadership of the APS has a plan to keep senior administrators out of trouble; if they get caught breaking a rule, the rule is rewritten to allow what was formerly misconduct.

1. APS used to have a role modeling clause in the standards of conduct that apply to administrators. The clause read;

In no case shall the standards of conduct for an adult be lower than the standards for students.
When they were challenged in court over their failure to hold themselves accountable as role models of the APS student standards of conduct, they simply struck the clause from their standards of conduct; ending their accountability and erasing the the consequences of their misconduct.

2. APS used to promise whistle blowers due process for their complaints; an executive review of the administrative handling of complaints against administrators. When complaints were filed that they had reneged on their promise; they rewrote board policy and removed the guarantee.

3. Now we have a state legislator/APS senior administrator breaking rules about compensation as a legislator and administrator. APS Supt Winston Brooks solution; change the rules to allow the double dipping.

Rules change. They should; circumstances change. But in the absence of a rule change, we are compelled to follow the rule. More importantly, according to precedent; if you break the law, and the law is changed to allow the former misconduct, you're still accountable to the law you broke; ask Michael Astorga who faces capital punishment though the law on capital punishment was rewritten after he murdered Deputy McGrane.

Will Brooks be held accountable for covering for Williams Stapleton? Will Williams Stapleton be held accountable for bilking taxpayers out of more than a hundred thousand dollars?

The prospects are unlikely. As soon as it is determined which rules they actually broke, the rules will be rewritten, ex post facto, to allow the misconduct.

If you have enough power, you can actually do that and
then get away with it.

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