Lee D. McCaskill

Last updated

Lee D. McCaskill is a former American educator primarily known for teaching at Brooklyn Technical High School.

Contents

Career

McCaskill initially taught worked at the Board of Education starting as a substitute teacher in 1978. [1]

Brooklyn Tech

In 2003, The New York Times published an investigative article that noted "longstanding tensions" between the faculty and Principal McCaskill, "spilled into the open in October, with news reports that several teachers accused him of repeatedly sending sexually explicit e-mail messages from his school computer to staff members." While the article praised him for his addition of music and sports programs, it mostly described the principal as autocratic, controlling the school "largely through fear and intimidation," and documented acts of personal vindictiveness toward teachers; severe censorship of the student newspaper and of assigned English texts, including the refusal to let the Pulitzer Prize-finalist novel Continental Drift by Russell Banks be used for a class; and of bureaucratic mismanagement. [2] A follow-up column in 2004 found that there was increased teacher exodus, specifically documenting Principal McCaskill's campaign against Alice Alcala, who described as one of the city's leading Shakespeare teachers. Alcala had won Brooklyn Tech a $10,000 grant and brought in the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain for student workshops, but after Alcala had done so, McCaskill repeatedly denied her access to the auditorium and gave her low performance rankings. Shortly after, Alcala left for Manhattan's Murry Bergtraum High School, where she brought in $1,800 in grants for Shakespeare education; meanwhile, at Brooklyn Tech, there was no longer any course solely devoted to Shakespeare, according to the column. [3]

In two newspaper articles in 2005, it was revealed that a $10,000 grant obtained by Dr. Sylvia Weinberger in 2001 to refurbish the obsolete radio studio remained unused. New classroom computers were covered in plastic rather than installed because the classrooms had yet to be wired for them. [4] [5]

The Office of Special Investigations of the New York City Department of Education launched an investigation of McCaskill on February 2, 2006, concerning unpaid enrollment of Piscataway, New Jersey resident McCaskill's daughter in a New York City public school, which is against policy for non-residents of the city. Dr. McCaskill produced a lease claiming that he rented an apartment in Brooklyn, but the copyright date on the lease was after the signatures were dated. [6] On February 6, McCaskill announced his resignation from Brooklyn Tech and agreed to pay $19,441 in restitution.[ citation needed ]

A week later special commissioner Richard J. Condon rebuked the Department of Education for allowing McCaskill to retire, still collecting $125,282 in accrued vacation time, just days before the OSI completed its investigation. [7] [8] The next day, the Department of Education announced that it would fire her. [9]

There have been numerous claims of racism used against him in his resignation from Brooklyn Tech. [10]

Hillside High School

After retiring from Brooklyn Tech, McCaskill became principal of Hillside High School in New Jersey, where in 2013, he resigned four years later. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooklyn College</span> Public university in New York City, New York, U.S.

Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls over 17,000 undergraduate and over 2,800 graduate students on a 35-acre campus as of 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooklyn Technical High School</span> Specialized high school in New York City

Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech and administratively designated High School 430, is a public high school in New York City that specializes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It is one of the three original specialized high schools operated by the New York City Department of Education, along with Stuyvesant High School and the Bronx High School of Science. Brooklyn Tech is considered one of the country's most prestigious and selective high schools.

Robert J. Gaffney was the sixth County Executive of Suffolk County, New York. First elected in 1991, he served through 2003. He was president of Dowling College from 2006 to 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamaica High School</span> Public school in Jamaica, Queens, New York, United States

Jamaica High School was a four-year public high school in Jamaica, Queens, New York. It was operated by the New York City Department of Education.

The Cranford Township Public Schools is a comprehensive public school district serving students in pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade in Cranford in Union County, New Jersey, United States. The district is governed by a nine-member elected board of education.

The Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) is an examination administered to eighth and ninth grade students residing in New York City and used to determine admission to eight of the city's nine Specialized High Schools. An average of 25,000 students take the test to apply to these schools and around 5,000 are accepted. The test is given each year in October and November, and students are informed of their results the following March. Those who receive offers decide by the middle of March whether to attend the school the following September. The test is independently produced and graded by American Guidance Service, a subsidiary of Pearson Education, under contract to the New York City Department of Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lafayette High School (New York City)</span> Public school in New York City , New York, United States

Lafayette High School was a large secondary school located in the Bath Beach section of Brooklyn, New York City, New York. It closed in 2010.

The specialized high schools of New York City are nine selective public high schools, established and run by the New York City Department of Education to serve the needs of academically and artistically gifted students. The Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) examination is required for admission to all the schools except LaGuardia, which requires an audition or portfolio for admission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queens High School of Teaching</span> Public school in Queens, New York, United States

The Queens High School of Teaching, Liberal Arts and the Sciences (QHST) (26Q566) is a public high school in Glen Oaks, New York, United States. It is located on the Frank A. Padavan Campus, a sprawling 32-acre (130,000 m2) landscaped campus, which contains QHST and two other neighboring kindergarten-8th grade schools: P.S./I.S. 266 and P.S./I.S. 208. It is one of the only schools in New York City that has a campus. The campus—originally named the Glen Oaks Campus—was renamed in 2008 in honor of a state senator who at the time was running for re-election.

Hillside High School is a comprehensive community four-year public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Hillside, in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Hillside Public Schools. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools.

Yeshiva Torah Temimah is an Orthodox yeshiva with branches in Brooklyn, New York and Lakewood, New Jersey.

Central High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in Newark, in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Newark Public Schools.

Shimon Waronker is the headmaster of The New American Academy, PS 770, a public school that opened in 2010 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York. He modeled The New American Academy's approach to education after Phillips Exeter Academy's methods.

The Keltic Dreams are an Irish dancing troupe based in PS 059 in the Bronx, New York City. They are led by Dublin-raised Caroline Duggan, who moved to New York after graduating from Trinity College, Dublin to become a music teacher. The troupe consists of boys and girls ages between 7-11 in elementary school. They have performed for the senator of Newark, on The Late Late Show in Ireland, the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade, and the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Queens, New York City. They have performed in Chicago and Boston as well.

The Hellenic Classical Charter School is a Brooklyn, New York City Ethnic-culture based charter school that focuses on the "classical study of the Greek and Latin languages, as well as history, art, and other cultural studies.”

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IS 237</span> Middle school in Queens, New York

I.S. 237 or Rachel Carson Intermediate School 237Q is a public middle school in Flushing, Queens in New York City serving grades 6 - 8. The school is located on 46-21 Colden Street and part of NYCDOE District 25.

The New American Academy is a Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York public school, PS 770, which opened in the fall of 2010.

Eva Sarah Moskowitz is an American historian, politician, and education reform leader who is the founder and CEO of the Success Academy Charter Schools. A member of the Democratic Party, Moskowitz served on the New York City Council, representing the 4th district on the Upper East Side, from 1999 to 2005. Moskowitz interviewed to be Donald Trump's Secretary of Education, but decided not to pursue the position.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black American Sign Language</span> Dialect of American Sign Language

Black American Sign Language (BASL) or Black Sign Variation (BSV) is a dialect of American Sign Language (ASL) used most commonly by deaf African Americans in the United States. The divergence from ASL was influenced largely by the segregation of schools in the American South. Like other schools at the time, schools for the deaf were segregated based upon race, creating two language communities among deaf signers: black deaf signers at black schools and white deaf signers at white schools. As of the mid 2010s, BASL is still used by signers in the South despite public schools having been legally desegregated since 1954.

Christopher D. Cerf is an American education administrator and attorney who previously served as the state-appointed Superintendent of the Newark Public Schools in New Jersey.

References

  1. ↑ Gootman, Elissa (February 7, 2006). "Brooklyn Tech's Principal Resigns After Wrongdoing Found". The New York Times. Retrieved January 14, 2023– via ParentAdvocates.org.
  2. ↑ Winerip, Michael (January 15, 2003). "On Education: Evaluating a Brooklyn Principal, Measure for Questionable Measure". The New York Times.
  3. ↑ Winerip, Michael (January 28, 2004). "On Education: Principal's War Leads to a Teacher Exodus". The New York Times.
  4. ↑ Lucadamo, Kathleen (October 23, 2005). "B'klyn Tech's Crass Warfare: Principal at Center of Storm in B'klyn Tech". Daily News . Archived from the original on February 9, 2006.
  5. ↑ Callaghan, Jim (October 5, 2005). "Brooklyn ' Wreck'". New York Teacher. United Federation of Teachers.[ dead link ]
  6. ↑ Michèle De Meglio (February 17, 2006). "DOE Axing Wife of Retired Brooklyn Tech Principal • TimesLedger". Timesledger.com. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  7. ↑ Gootman, Elissa (February 15, 2006). "Investigator Rebukes City Schools Over Retirement of a Principal". The New York Times.
  8. ↑ Callaghan, Jim (February 6, 2006). "Brooklyn Tech Principal Probed". New York Teacher. United Federation of Teachers.[ dead link ]
  9. ↑ Lucadamo, Kathleen (February 15, 2006). "A Lack of Principles: Ex-School Head Lied Under Oath". Daily News . Archived from the original on August 14, 2006.
  10. ↑ "Crucifixion of Dr. McCaskill". Black Star News. March 2, 2006. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  11. ↑ Khavkine, Richard (July 30, 2013). "Hillside High principal resigns following allegations he had spanked a student". The Star-Ledger . Newark, New Jersey. Archived from the original on September 30, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.