School Board Votes To Suspend One Employee, Fire Another

After opening their meeting with the achievements of music students and National Merit Scholarship finalists Monday, the Manatee County School Board had to deal with two employee issues.

On the agenda were the suspension of a teacher’s aid and the termination of a cafeteria manager.

Scott Martin, staff attorney for the school district, outlined the allegations against Dareki Daniels-Youmans.

Daniels-Youmans was issued a written reprimand for excessive absences and tardiness, Martin said.

She also was insubordinate when she ignored the directives of the principal of and the teacher she was assigned to assist, he said.

According to a report to the school board, Daniels-Youmans missed 31.4 days of work during the 2008-90 school year, 37.6 days during 2009-10, and so far this year 23.5 days.

She also “repeatedly refused to comply with the daily oral directives issued by the teacher-of-record" in the classroom to which she was assigned, according to the documents.

The report stated Daniels-Youmans told the teacher she was “not going to check them (the assignments after completion) sign it, and give them back” because the teacher was “being mean and nasty.”

Daniels-Youmans did not address the school board, but did request in writing that an administrative law judge hear her case.

Martin recommended the school board suspend Daniels-Youmans without pay until the ruling of the administrative hearing is handed down.

The school board unanimously agreed with the recommendation.

In the other employee matter, the school board voted 3-2 to terminate cafeteria manager Joyce Taylor for her failure to notify authorities about the possibility of a student being physically abused at home.

Board members Julie Aranibar and Barbara Harvey voted in the minority not to fire Taylor.

Before the vote, Martin told the board the only matter before them was the appropriateness of the termination.

He said state statue requires every employee to report suspected child abuse.

According to the ruling from Administrative Law Judge Elizabeth McArthur, Taylor noticed a scar on the neck of a student as she was helping the student with her earrings.

Taylor asked the 14-year-old girl — who was living with a foster mother but was temporarily staying with Taylor — where she got the scar, and the student said her mother beat her.

After a convoluted and intrigue-filled account of the interaction between Taylor and two of her subordinates, McArthur found School Superintendent Tim McGonegal correct in his finding of cause for termination based on Taylor’s failure to notify authorities about the suspected abuse.

Taylor, who was present at the meeting, had her attorney, Peter Lambardo, address the school board.

Lambardo said Taylor, feeling the board would vote to fire her, was ready to move on, but he wanted to bring out other facts of the case not reflected in the judge’s ruling.

He said she thought the scar, which was the “size of a pencil eraser,” was left from the girl’s biological mother because that was what the girl told Taylor.

And since the girl no longer lived with her mother she was not in any danger.

“The chilling effect (of this ruling),” Lombardo said, “is every time an employee sees the tiniest scar they better call CPS (Child Protective Services).”

He also brought forward the fact that Taylor was granted unemployment benefits, which the school district fought, and the hearing officer made the observation that while the school district may have a valid complaint about Taylor not following policy it was not enough to deny her benefits.

Aranibar said she looked at all the facts in this case she had to take into consideration that Taylor took the student into her home.

“It’s very sad tonight,” Aranibar said. "For the 14-year-old who got into trouble and for the employee who lost her job.”