Sunday, January 20, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
TheStar.com | GTA | School board opens confidential tip line
TheStar.com | GTA | School board opens confidential tip line
Jan 16, 2008 06:47 PM
LOUISE BROWN
EDUCATION REPORTER
Toronto students who have seen or been the victim of violence or sexual harassment can report to a confidential telephone hotline any time night or day starting Monday.
In its first move to enact some of the recommendations of the recent Falconer report on school safety, the Toronto District School Board has announced students will be able to leave a message 24 hours a day on the confidential tip line, to be handled by principals, social workers and psychiatrists.
"Callers will be asked to leave a detailed message, and they can feel secure that no one beyond the Student Safety Line Response Team will know about or reveal their call," said board officials in a statement released yesterday.
"That team will include experienced school administrators, psychologists and social workers who will respond to calls in a way that respects students’ privacy and anonymity while ensuring that their concerns are not ignored."
A confidential phone line was one of 126 recommendations Toronto lawyer Julian Falconer made to boost school safety in the report he was commissioned to conduct after the shooting death last May of student Jordan Manners at C.W. Jefferys Collegiate.
Falconer said he found a "culture of fear" about reporting violent incidents, sexual harassment and assault that spans the school board from student to senior board officials.
The new hotline, to be launched Monday at 2 p.m., will be run as a pilot project this year to be reviewed at the end of this school year.
In a statement released yesterday, the board noted that the new Student Safety Line is not meant to replace the valuable role played by Toronto Crime Stoppers or Kids Help Phone, but is meant to provide another way to keep learning environments safe.
Jan 16, 2008 06:47 PM
LOUISE BROWN
EDUCATION REPORTER
Toronto students who have seen or been the victim of violence or sexual harassment can report to a confidential telephone hotline any time night or day starting Monday.
In its first move to enact some of the recommendations of the recent Falconer report on school safety, the Toronto District School Board has announced students will be able to leave a message 24 hours a day on the confidential tip line, to be handled by principals, social workers and psychiatrists.
"Callers will be asked to leave a detailed message, and they can feel secure that no one beyond the Student Safety Line Response Team will know about or reveal their call," said board officials in a statement released yesterday.
"That team will include experienced school administrators, psychologists and social workers who will respond to calls in a way that respects students’ privacy and anonymity while ensuring that their concerns are not ignored."
A confidential phone line was one of 126 recommendations Toronto lawyer Julian Falconer made to boost school safety in the report he was commissioned to conduct after the shooting death last May of student Jordan Manners at C.W. Jefferys Collegiate.
Falconer said he found a "culture of fear" about reporting violent incidents, sexual harassment and assault that spans the school board from student to senior board officials.
The new hotline, to be launched Monday at 2 p.m., will be run as a pilot project this year to be reviewed at the end of this school year.
In a statement released yesterday, the board noted that the new Student Safety Line is not meant to replace the valuable role played by Toronto Crime Stoppers or Kids Help Phone, but is meant to provide another way to keep learning environments safe.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Therapeutics Daily
Therapeutics Daily
Schering Says Hepatitis Drug Matches Roche Medicine
Reuters Health - Jan. 14, 2008
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Schering-Plough Corp said on Monday that its Pegintron treatment for hepatitis C was just as effective as Roche Holding AG's rival Pegasys medicine in a large clinical trial, and fewer patients taking Pegintron relapsed after treatment.
Moreover, Schering-Plough said a lower-dose formulation of its injectable Pegintron -- a type of interferon that spurs the immune system to attack the liver-damaging hepatitis C virus -- was as effective as the standard dose of Pegintron.
Schering-Plough said the so-called IDEAL study was the first large formal clinical trial that compared the two medicines, both of ...
Schering Says Hepatitis Drug Matches Roche Medicine
Reuters Health - Jan. 14, 2008
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Schering-Plough Corp said on Monday that its Pegintron treatment for hepatitis C was just as effective as Roche Holding AG's rival Pegasys medicine in a large clinical trial, and fewer patients taking Pegintron relapsed after treatment.
Moreover, Schering-Plough said a lower-dose formulation of its injectable Pegintron -- a type of interferon that spurs the immune system to attack the liver-damaging hepatitis C virus -- was as effective as the standard dose of Pegintron.
Schering-Plough said the so-called IDEAL study was the first large formal clinical trial that compared the two medicines, both of ...
Sunday, January 6, 2008
London Free Press - Local News - Cellphone alerts help kids with allergies
London Free Press - Local News - Cellphone alerts help kids with allergies
Cellphone alerts help kids with allergies
Mon, May 8, 2006
New program being piloted in some London schools
By KATE DUBINSKI, LONDON FREE PRESS EDUCATION REPORTER
As soon as Jenna Landry, 14, presses a button on her cellphone, her school knows she’s gone into anaphylactic shock.
She calmly tells the operator that she’s at the back of the library. Simultaneously, at her school’s office, her picture and medical profile comes up, alerting staff to call an ambulance to St. Marguerite D’Youville school in North London.
When an ambulance arrives, paramedics are handed a printout of Jenna’s medical history and her allergies.
On Monday, it was just a drill, part of a project being piloted in several Catholic and public schools in the London area that will see kids testing out an Elloqor solutions inc. medical-alert system, one of the first of its kind in Canada.
The kids that try out the system will not have serious medical conditions.
“We thought, why don’t we use the technology in a manner that (kids’) safety will be ensured,” said Joe Rapai, the London District Catholic school board’s director of education.
The London board is the first Catholic board in Canada to be piloting the project. The Thames Valley District school board is also testing the emergency-alerting system in some of its schools.
“I think it’s really cool,” said Grade 8 student Ashley Catala, who has a severe allergy to peanuts.
“The only time I’ve had a reaction was when I was very little, but you always wonder what you’d do if it did happen ... This seems simple.”
The idea is to get kids with high-risk medical conditions connected faster to first responders, and to give paramedics and doctors as much information as possible to help the child.
When a child hits the pre-programmed button on their cell phone, the company’s emergency-response centre, located in Richmond Hill, is alerted. An operator confirms the emergency and stays on the line with the patient while 911 is called.
Elloqor's technology then sends an audio alarm to designated computers in the school office, along with the child’s picture and medical information. Members of the in-school emergency response team go to the child’s location after getting alerted by text message.
Parents are also alerted, either through telephone or by e-mail.
The Elloqor solutions inc. medaware software system costs each school $1,000, plus training for staff. The cost for parents is $14.99, and can be used from any cellphone that can make outgoing calls.
Because the child’s medical history, and any other relevant information, pops up on the computer screens at the school, paramedics have detailed information about the patient they’re picking up.
The system is being piloted at three Catholic schools and several at the public board.
Even though students with allergies may have the Elloqor solutions inc. system, they should still carry their EpiPens and administer their epinephrine as directed by their doctor.
About 2 per cent of kids in Canada have severe allergic reactions that can be fatal.
Anaphylaxis symptoms include hives, swelling of the tongue and trouble breathing.
For the latest local coverage, read The London Free Press on the web or in print.
Cellphone alerts help kids with allergies
Mon, May 8, 2006
New program being piloted in some London schools
By KATE DUBINSKI, LONDON FREE PRESS EDUCATION REPORTER
As soon as Jenna Landry, 14, presses a button on her cellphone, her school knows she’s gone into anaphylactic shock.
She calmly tells the operator that she’s at the back of the library. Simultaneously, at her school’s office, her picture and medical profile comes up, alerting staff to call an ambulance to St. Marguerite D’Youville school in North London.
When an ambulance arrives, paramedics are handed a printout of Jenna’s medical history and her allergies.
On Monday, it was just a drill, part of a project being piloted in several Catholic and public schools in the London area that will see kids testing out an Elloqor solutions inc. medical-alert system, one of the first of its kind in Canada.
The kids that try out the system will not have serious medical conditions.
“We thought, why don’t we use the technology in a manner that (kids’) safety will be ensured,” said Joe Rapai, the London District Catholic school board’s director of education.
The London board is the first Catholic board in Canada to be piloting the project. The Thames Valley District school board is also testing the emergency-alerting system in some of its schools.
“I think it’s really cool,” said Grade 8 student Ashley Catala, who has a severe allergy to peanuts.
“The only time I’ve had a reaction was when I was very little, but you always wonder what you’d do if it did happen ... This seems simple.”
The idea is to get kids with high-risk medical conditions connected faster to first responders, and to give paramedics and doctors as much information as possible to help the child.
When a child hits the pre-programmed button on their cell phone, the company’s emergency-response centre, located in Richmond Hill, is alerted. An operator confirms the emergency and stays on the line with the patient while 911 is called.
Elloqor's technology then sends an audio alarm to designated computers in the school office, along with the child’s picture and medical information. Members of the in-school emergency response team go to the child’s location after getting alerted by text message.
Parents are also alerted, either through telephone or by e-mail.
The Elloqor solutions inc. medaware software system costs each school $1,000, plus training for staff. The cost for parents is $14.99, and can be used from any cellphone that can make outgoing calls.
Because the child’s medical history, and any other relevant information, pops up on the computer screens at the school, paramedics have detailed information about the patient they’re picking up.
The system is being piloted at three Catholic schools and several at the public board.
Even though students with allergies may have the Elloqor solutions inc. system, they should still carry their EpiPens and administer their epinephrine as directed by their doctor.
About 2 per cent of kids in Canada have severe allergic reactions that can be fatal.
Anaphylaxis symptoms include hives, swelling of the tongue and trouble breathing.
For the latest local coverage, read The London Free Press on the web or in print.
Turnout small to hear RC candidates
Turnout small to hear RC candidates
Turnout small to hear RC candidates
Kate Dubinski
The London Free Press
November 8, 2006
Lofty ideas and promises but not many concrete plans for the future marked two evenings of candidates' meetings for Catholic school board trustees this week.
About 20 people showed up to listen to the candidates for the London District Catholic school board speak on Nov. 7 at Catholic Central high school.
Candidates -- six newcomers and five incumbents -- spoke about how to encourage Catholic identity in area schools, growth areas of the city, budgets and parental involvement.
"There was a $1-million reduction in the local priorities grant from the province, and that means money for Catholicity," said incumbent John Ferris, a Ward 8, 9, 10 candidate.
At a candidates' debate on Nov. 6 at St. Thomas Aquinas secondary school, Ferris also said "the government has dedicated money in so many areas, but limited so many local areas . . . we need to be able to spend that money how we see fit."
The two meetings were organized by the district school council and included prepared questions that candidates saw before the debate as well as questions from the floor.
Questions about the current board of trustees' decision not to renew director of education Joe Rapai's contract when it expires next year were not allowed. Trustees elected on Nov. 13 will decide on a new director of education.
Current trustees, including Loren Demelo, Paul Whitehead, Ann Kavelaars, Patrick Smith and Ferris, defended their records on communicating with parents and planning school boundaries.
"As a trustee, I would use a fine-tooth comb to shake more money down to the school level," said John Dessa, who is running in Middlesex County.
Other issues included the western and eastern areas of the city, both of which are growing, as well as French immersion.
"The French immersion program has had poor planning from the get-go," said trustee hopeful Ann Tulett, running to represent Ward 1 and 14.
"It's a wanted program. The ratepayers are demanding this optional program and we have to have consultations so we can plan it," she said.
A new elementary school in Summerside in the southeast and a new high school in west London were also discussed.
John Jevnikar, Jeremy Wittet, Frank Colozza and Sandra Cruz also attended both meetings.
Turnout small to hear RC candidates
Kate Dubinski
The London Free Press
November 8, 2006
Lofty ideas and promises but not many concrete plans for the future marked two evenings of candidates' meetings for Catholic school board trustees this week.
About 20 people showed up to listen to the candidates for the London District Catholic school board speak on Nov. 7 at Catholic Central high school.
Candidates -- six newcomers and five incumbents -- spoke about how to encourage Catholic identity in area schools, growth areas of the city, budgets and parental involvement.
"There was a $1-million reduction in the local priorities grant from the province, and that means money for Catholicity," said incumbent John Ferris, a Ward 8, 9, 10 candidate.
At a candidates' debate on Nov. 6 at St. Thomas Aquinas secondary school, Ferris also said "the government has dedicated money in so many areas, but limited so many local areas . . . we need to be able to spend that money how we see fit."
The two meetings were organized by the district school council and included prepared questions that candidates saw before the debate as well as questions from the floor.
Questions about the current board of trustees' decision not to renew director of education Joe Rapai's contract when it expires next year were not allowed. Trustees elected on Nov. 13 will decide on a new director of education.
Current trustees, including Loren Demelo, Paul Whitehead, Ann Kavelaars, Patrick Smith and Ferris, defended their records on communicating with parents and planning school boundaries.
"As a trustee, I would use a fine-tooth comb to shake more money down to the school level," said John Dessa, who is running in Middlesex County.
Other issues included the western and eastern areas of the city, both of which are growing, as well as French immersion.
"The French immersion program has had poor planning from the get-go," said trustee hopeful Ann Tulett, running to represent Ward 1 and 14.
"It's a wanted program. The ratepayers are demanding this optional program and we have to have consultations so we can plan it," she said.
A new elementary school in Summerside in the southeast and a new high school in west London were also discussed.
John Jevnikar, Jeremy Wittet, Frank Colozza and Sandra Cruz also attended both meetings.
London Free Press - Local News - Bus, boards money woes may ground field trips
London Free Press - Local News - Bus, boards money woes may ground field tripsBus, boards money woes may ground field trips
Mon, September 11, 2006
By KATE DUBINSKI, LONDON FREE PRESS REPORTER
In a move that would affect thousands of students, school bus companies will no longer provide field-trip services during peak hours as of next week unless they get more cash for rising fuel costs.
The withdrawal of so-called prime-time charter service by13 school bus companies will go into effect this Friday unless there’s an agreement reached with the London District Catholic and Thames Valley District school boards.
Trustees at the Catholic board were to be told about the issue at Monday night’s board meeting and Thames board trustees will discuss the issue Tuesday.
“There is the possibility of an interruption in transportation services for extra-curricular (events) for athletics and the like,” said Joe Rapai, the Catholic board’s director of education. “That’s what we want to avoid. We don’t want to put students in the middle.”
The two sides are still negotiating the issue.
Speaking before the board meeting, Rapai said trustees who have had to make cuts to everything from transportation to staffing in their budget, were unlikely to reopen the budget to give the bus companies more money.
“(I hope) the (education) ministry will recognize that the boards are caught in the middle. We don’t want to start the school year on this note,” he said.
Both boards offered the thirteen bus operators, part of a group called the Western Ontario School Bus Association, a two-per-cent increase this year for among other things, wages, insurance, repairs and fuel.
“They say that the province allowed them two per cent. Anyone who knows about transportation knows that two per cent doesn’t allow for what prices of diesel oil has done to us,” said Mike Murphy, owner of J. & T. Murphy Limited. “We have to depend on the boards. Our agreement is with the boards, not with the province.”
A report prepared for trustees indicated the bus companies want a 5.5-per-cent increase in bus rates.
“Eliminating prime-time charters will reduce our spare bus and spare driver costs and some of our fuel consumption,” the operators wrote in a letter to the school boards.
“This is an unprecedented option that we feel we must implement in order to continue to provide safe, secure, on-time, home-to-school transportation for your students and eliminate our cost of prime-time subsidies.”
Murphy said he hopes school trips and sporting events that need buses during peak times, when most buses are being used to get kids to-and-from school, will be rescheduled.
If the bus operators withdraw their services, it will have “a significant impact” on the Thames Valley District school board, said Brian Greene, treasurer of business services.
How many students will be affected if the stoppage goes ahead is hard to determine because field trips are booked on the school level, a report to Catholic trustees says.
But it’s safe to say the impact will be far-reaching, because the bus companies operate in Elgin, Middlesex, Oxford and London. The 13 companies include major companies like Elgin Bus Lines, Laidlaw Education Services, McNaughton Bus Lines Limited, Voyageur Transportation, and J. & T. Murphy Limited.
For the latest local coverage, read The London Free Press on the web or in print.
To subscribe to the print edition, click on our subscription page.
Mon, September 11, 2006
By KATE DUBINSKI, LONDON FREE PRESS REPORTER
In a move that would affect thousands of students, school bus companies will no longer provide field-trip services during peak hours as of next week unless they get more cash for rising fuel costs.
The withdrawal of so-called prime-time charter service by13 school bus companies will go into effect this Friday unless there’s an agreement reached with the London District Catholic and Thames Valley District school boards.
Trustees at the Catholic board were to be told about the issue at Monday night’s board meeting and Thames board trustees will discuss the issue Tuesday.
“There is the possibility of an interruption in transportation services for extra-curricular (events) for athletics and the like,” said Joe Rapai, the Catholic board’s director of education. “That’s what we want to avoid. We don’t want to put students in the middle.”
The two sides are still negotiating the issue.
Speaking before the board meeting, Rapai said trustees who have had to make cuts to everything from transportation to staffing in their budget, were unlikely to reopen the budget to give the bus companies more money.
“(I hope) the (education) ministry will recognize that the boards are caught in the middle. We don’t want to start the school year on this note,” he said.
Both boards offered the thirteen bus operators, part of a group called the Western Ontario School Bus Association, a two-per-cent increase this year for among other things, wages, insurance, repairs and fuel.
“They say that the province allowed them two per cent. Anyone who knows about transportation knows that two per cent doesn’t allow for what prices of diesel oil has done to us,” said Mike Murphy, owner of J. & T. Murphy Limited. “We have to depend on the boards. Our agreement is with the boards, not with the province.”
A report prepared for trustees indicated the bus companies want a 5.5-per-cent increase in bus rates.
“Eliminating prime-time charters will reduce our spare bus and spare driver costs and some of our fuel consumption,” the operators wrote in a letter to the school boards.
“This is an unprecedented option that we feel we must implement in order to continue to provide safe, secure, on-time, home-to-school transportation for your students and eliminate our cost of prime-time subsidies.”
Murphy said he hopes school trips and sporting events that need buses during peak times, when most buses are being used to get kids to-and-from school, will be rescheduled.
If the bus operators withdraw their services, it will have “a significant impact” on the Thames Valley District school board, said Brian Greene, treasurer of business services.
How many students will be affected if the stoppage goes ahead is hard to determine because field trips are booked on the school level, a report to Catholic trustees says.
But it’s safe to say the impact will be far-reaching, because the bus companies operate in Elgin, Middlesex, Oxford and London. The 13 companies include major companies like Elgin Bus Lines, Laidlaw Education Services, McNaughton Bus Lines Limited, Voyageur Transportation, and J. & T. Murphy Limited.
For the latest local coverage, read The London Free Press on the web or in print.
To subscribe to the print edition, click on our subscription page.
Trustees must tackle deficit budget
Trustees must tackle deficit budgetIt's difficult because the London District Catholic school board is bursting at the seams with kids.
Trustees must tackle deficit budget
Kate Dubinski, Education Reporter
The London Free Press
November 9, 2006
Although the London District Catholic school board avoided major cuts to programs this budget year, newly elected trustees are going into a deficit budget next year.
BUSES LINE UP: Buses line up to wait for students leaving St. John French immersion school on Hill Street in London. (KEN WIGHTMAN/The London Free Press)
And they're going to have to brace themselves.
Unlike its public counterpart, hit by falling enrolment, many Catholic programs are bursting at the seams, with kids in portables and enrolment in optional programs such as French immersion exceeding capacity.
Add to that a cut in a local-priorities grant from the government that's been used to fund Catholic projects in schools -- so-called Catholicity -- and the new trustees are dealing with a host of issues.
"All of the schools on the edges of London need to be supported too," said current trustee John Ferris, who is running in the new Wards 8, 9, and 10.
School closings don't seem to be on the horizon. There's a new high school being planned in the city's southwest, to the tune of $25 million.
And the southeast subdivision of Summerside desperately needs a new elementary school, despite lower-than-expected enrolments at the elementary school level.
"We need to plan for middle immersion, and we need to find a place for it, and a high school for the future for it," said Paul Whitehead, the current board of trustees chairperson who is running in the new Wards 5, 6, and 7.
Trustees can no longer lobby boards for money the way they used to -- it's a matter of taking enveloped cash and sticking it in places where government priorities lie. And trustees know it.
"What we need now is administrators to know every grant, every pocket of money so we can optimize the money we get from the province," said Frank Colozza, a trustee candidate for Wards 5, 6, and 7.
Catholic trustees also will have to deal with something many haven't thought about before -- replacing the current director of education, Joe Rapai, whose contract expires in 2007 and whose contract the current board of trustees say they won't renew.
Rapai isn't happy with the decision, and reasons for it haven't been made public, and candidates at meetings weren't allowed to answer questions on the issue because of "personnel" issues.
The other big issue, tied into others like French immersion and other optional programs, have to do with boundary changes. Kids, parents feel, are shifted around from school to school when enrolment or capacity problems come up, with little long-term planning.
Despite the problems, the Catholic board is still taking in as many eligible Catholic kids into its schools as it did in the past, a board meeting was told this month.
That brings with it program delivery, accommodation and transportation hurdles trustees will have to overcome.
Trustees must tackle deficit budget
Kate Dubinski, Education Reporter
The London Free Press
November 9, 2006
Although the London District Catholic school board avoided major cuts to programs this budget year, newly elected trustees are going into a deficit budget next year.
BUSES LINE UP: Buses line up to wait for students leaving St. John French immersion school on Hill Street in London. (KEN WIGHTMAN/The London Free Press)
And they're going to have to brace themselves.
Unlike its public counterpart, hit by falling enrolment, many Catholic programs are bursting at the seams, with kids in portables and enrolment in optional programs such as French immersion exceeding capacity.
Add to that a cut in a local-priorities grant from the government that's been used to fund Catholic projects in schools -- so-called Catholicity -- and the new trustees are dealing with a host of issues.
"All of the schools on the edges of London need to be supported too," said current trustee John Ferris, who is running in the new Wards 8, 9, and 10.
School closings don't seem to be on the horizon. There's a new high school being planned in the city's southwest, to the tune of $25 million.
And the southeast subdivision of Summerside desperately needs a new elementary school, despite lower-than-expected enrolments at the elementary school level.
"We need to plan for middle immersion, and we need to find a place for it, and a high school for the future for it," said Paul Whitehead, the current board of trustees chairperson who is running in the new Wards 5, 6, and 7.
Trustees can no longer lobby boards for money the way they used to -- it's a matter of taking enveloped cash and sticking it in places where government priorities lie. And trustees know it.
"What we need now is administrators to know every grant, every pocket of money so we can optimize the money we get from the province," said Frank Colozza, a trustee candidate for Wards 5, 6, and 7.
Catholic trustees also will have to deal with something many haven't thought about before -- replacing the current director of education, Joe Rapai, whose contract expires in 2007 and whose contract the current board of trustees say they won't renew.
Rapai isn't happy with the decision, and reasons for it haven't been made public, and candidates at meetings weren't allowed to answer questions on the issue because of "personnel" issues.
The other big issue, tied into others like French immersion and other optional programs, have to do with boundary changes. Kids, parents feel, are shifted around from school to school when enrolment or capacity problems come up, with little long-term planning.
Despite the problems, the Catholic board is still taking in as many eligible Catholic kids into its schools as it did in the past, a board meeting was told this month.
That brings with it program delivery, accommodation and transportation hurdles trustees will have to overcome.
Education director sues board for $1M
Education director sues board for $1MJoe Rapai claims he was harassed and discriminated against because of his battle with liver disease.
Education director sues board for $1M
Jane Sims
Sun Media
May 15, 2007
An embattled education director waiting for a liver transplant has filed a $1-million lawsuit against the London District Catholic school board.
RAPAI
WHITEHEAD
A statement of claim filed in London last week on behalf of Joe Rapai claims "discrimination and harassment related to his health condition."
Rapai -- who has advanced liver disease and has been in hospital at least 10 times since October, most recently last week -- was told last October his five-year contract with the board would not be renewed.
"Joe's not well at this point and he is waiting for a transplant," said his London lawyer, Michael Lerner. "It's been a very difficult time for Joe and his family . . . The stress-related component is what's caused the significant and current problem."
But Lerner added Rapai was given clearance by his doctors last fall to assume his full duties.
"The allegations are what they are and I am very confident that we will be able to establish to a court's satisfaction that what we have pleaded is true," Lerner said.
At the time of his termination, Rapai said he was given no reason for the decision.
Rapai went on sick leave Nov. 20. Last month, the board announced it had hired Wilma de Rond, a board superintendent, as his replacement.
None of the allegations stated in the claim has been proven in court.
Rapai claims the board breached his contract and dismissed him without just cause.
While the claim does not name board chairperson Paul Whitehead as a defendant, it specifically points to him, claiming he "verbally harassed and berated Rapai at a public meeting on November 14, 2006."
The claim says Rapai "was subjected to extremely unpleasant working conditions," with Whitehead "involving constant scrutiny and a patronizing attitude."
It says Whitehead "created a poisoned work environment of discrimination, harassment, continuous negative comments and criticism at all times."
Lerner said while Whitehead hasn't been named as a defendant, he could be.
"We may be adding parties, but at this time, he is a representative of the board. In fact he is the chair of the board," he said.
Whitehead said May 14, he wouldn't comment on specifics in the suit, saying those issues are for the civil trial.
"The claims made there are baseless and we're confident that the board will be found without fault on all the matters that have been raised," Whitehead said.
The school board has 20 days to file a statement of defence.
Rapai is claiming $850,000 in damages. His wife and son are each claiming $100,000 plus costs.
Among the allegations, Rapai's statement says the school board overrode Rapai's decisions, reprimanded him for holding news conferences, restricted his ability to communicate with board staff and didn't allow him to attend events as the board's representative.
It claims the board did not reimburse his expenses, colluded with subordinates to undermine his authority and "deliberately and consistently" undermined his ability to direct.
The claim says Rapai's request for leave from his position "was met with attitudes of disbelief about his disability and questions about his credibility."
There were "unfounded allegations about his performance, competence and willingness to work," it says.
And, it says, the board wouldn't allow Rapai to return to work "despite medical clearance to do so."
Rapai was told Oct. 25 his contract would be terminated. He tried to continue working, but "as a direct result of the circumstances of his employment" he wasn't able to continue, the claim says.
The claim also says Rapai's reputation has been tarnished and his dismissal resulted from the board's "attitude of discrimination toward him as a disabled person."
The stress has exacerbated his condition and he has been advised to stay off work until the end of his contract in July.
"He is permanently disabled due to the treatment by (the board)," the claim says.
-- -- -
JOE RAPAI
Born July 7, 1950
Emigrated to Canada at age six after his family slipped across the Hungarian border to flee the Soviet invasion.
Settled in the Delhi tobacco belt
Taught in London Catholic schools from 1971 to 1985, then worked with the education ministry.
Superintendent for the York Region Catholic school board for 10 years beginning in 1988.
Director of the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic board in 1998.
Named director of education for the London District Catholic school board in 2002.
In October 2006, he was told his contract would not be renewed. He went on sick leave the following month.
In 2007, he filed a lawsuit against the board for wrongful dismissal.
Jane Sims is a Free Press justice reporter.
Education director sues board for $1M
Jane Sims
Sun Media
May 15, 2007
An embattled education director waiting for a liver transplant has filed a $1-million lawsuit against the London District Catholic school board.
RAPAI
WHITEHEAD
A statement of claim filed in London last week on behalf of Joe Rapai claims "discrimination and harassment related to his health condition."
Rapai -- who has advanced liver disease and has been in hospital at least 10 times since October, most recently last week -- was told last October his five-year contract with the board would not be renewed.
"Joe's not well at this point and he is waiting for a transplant," said his London lawyer, Michael Lerner. "It's been a very difficult time for Joe and his family . . . The stress-related component is what's caused the significant and current problem."
But Lerner added Rapai was given clearance by his doctors last fall to assume his full duties.
"The allegations are what they are and I am very confident that we will be able to establish to a court's satisfaction that what we have pleaded is true," Lerner said.
At the time of his termination, Rapai said he was given no reason for the decision.
Rapai went on sick leave Nov. 20. Last month, the board announced it had hired Wilma de Rond, a board superintendent, as his replacement.
None of the allegations stated in the claim has been proven in court.
Rapai claims the board breached his contract and dismissed him without just cause.
While the claim does not name board chairperson Paul Whitehead as a defendant, it specifically points to him, claiming he "verbally harassed and berated Rapai at a public meeting on November 14, 2006."
The claim says Rapai "was subjected to extremely unpleasant working conditions," with Whitehead "involving constant scrutiny and a patronizing attitude."
It says Whitehead "created a poisoned work environment of discrimination, harassment, continuous negative comments and criticism at all times."
Lerner said while Whitehead hasn't been named as a defendant, he could be.
"We may be adding parties, but at this time, he is a representative of the board. In fact he is the chair of the board," he said.
Whitehead said May 14, he wouldn't comment on specifics in the suit, saying those issues are for the civil trial.
"The claims made there are baseless and we're confident that the board will be found without fault on all the matters that have been raised," Whitehead said.
The school board has 20 days to file a statement of defence.
Rapai is claiming $850,000 in damages. His wife and son are each claiming $100,000 plus costs.
Among the allegations, Rapai's statement says the school board overrode Rapai's decisions, reprimanded him for holding news conferences, restricted his ability to communicate with board staff and didn't allow him to attend events as the board's representative.
It claims the board did not reimburse his expenses, colluded with subordinates to undermine his authority and "deliberately and consistently" undermined his ability to direct.
The claim says Rapai's request for leave from his position "was met with attitudes of disbelief about his disability and questions about his credibility."
There were "unfounded allegations about his performance, competence and willingness to work," it says.
And, it says, the board wouldn't allow Rapai to return to work "despite medical clearance to do so."
Rapai was told Oct. 25 his contract would be terminated. He tried to continue working, but "as a direct result of the circumstances of his employment" he wasn't able to continue, the claim says.
The claim also says Rapai's reputation has been tarnished and his dismissal resulted from the board's "attitude of discrimination toward him as a disabled person."
The stress has exacerbated his condition and he has been advised to stay off work until the end of his contract in July.
"He is permanently disabled due to the treatment by (the board)," the claim says.
-- -- -
JOE RAPAI
Born July 7, 1950
Emigrated to Canada at age six after his family slipped across the Hungarian border to flee the Soviet invasion.
Settled in the Delhi tobacco belt
Taught in London Catholic schools from 1971 to 1985, then worked with the education ministry.
Superintendent for the York Region Catholic school board for 10 years beginning in 1988.
Director of the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic board in 1998.
Named director of education for the London District Catholic school board in 2002.
In October 2006, he was told his contract would not be renewed. He went on sick leave the following month.
In 2007, he filed a lawsuit against the board for wrongful dismissal.
Jane Sims is a Free Press justice reporter.
RC board chair banking on election-year largesse
RC board chair banking on election-year largessePaul Whitehead tells the board's inaugural meeting he expects the province to pony up.
RC board chair banking on election-year largesse
Kate Dubinski
The London Free Press
December 12, 2006
The London area's Catholic school board will see promised cash to help dig it out of a financial hole as a provincial election nears, the board's chair predicted in his inaugural speech Dec. 11.
"It is no secret that we have hit a rough patch lately, but the tremors have not influenced our schools or our students," Paul Whitehead said at the London District Catholic school board meeting.
The board, which had to cut $3 million - mostly in non-classroom staffing and supply-teacher costs - to balance its budget this year, also faces the challenge of hiring a new education director in 2007.
Trustees said last month they wouldn't renew the contract of director Joe Rapai, who subsequently went on medical leave, which expires in July.
"We look forward to a successful search for a director of education who will gain the confidence of our staff and parents," Whitehead, who was acclaimed to a second straight term as board chair, said in his remarks about the year ahead.
He also said the board has hired Sister Joan Cronin, executive director of the Toronto-based Institute for Catholic Education, as the search consultant for Rapai's replacement.
The inaugural meeting was a formal gathering of trustees - all but one, Sandra Cruz, have served on the board previously - elected in the Nov. 13 civic election.
"There is no need to articulate complicated goals for the next year or two. Each of our trustees and all of our administrators know what is ahead," Whitehead said.
The board must improve student achievement, reorganize spending and balance the budget, replace portables with permanent buildings and figure out how to accommodate the so-called middle French immersion program, its enrolment bursting at the seams.
"Budgetary issues have been challenging for us lately, but our situation is much like that of most other school boards in this province," Whitehead said.
"We have all been victimized by unkept promises to fulfil the recommendations of Dr. (Mordechai) Rozanski's educational equality task force in 2002.
"We can all be optimistic . . . that because there will be a provincial election this year, the provincial purse strings will be relaxed enough that, however belatedly, the promises about Rozanski, sometimes referred to as 'Catch up and keep up,' will finally be fulfilled."
The 2002 report recommended changing the provincial funding formula and injecting $1.8 billion into the cash-strapped school system over three years.
RC board chair banking on election-year largesse
Kate Dubinski
The London Free Press
December 12, 2006
The London area's Catholic school board will see promised cash to help dig it out of a financial hole as a provincial election nears, the board's chair predicted in his inaugural speech Dec. 11.
"It is no secret that we have hit a rough patch lately, but the tremors have not influenced our schools or our students," Paul Whitehead said at the London District Catholic school board meeting.
The board, which had to cut $3 million - mostly in non-classroom staffing and supply-teacher costs - to balance its budget this year, also faces the challenge of hiring a new education director in 2007.
Trustees said last month they wouldn't renew the contract of director Joe Rapai, who subsequently went on medical leave, which expires in July.
"We look forward to a successful search for a director of education who will gain the confidence of our staff and parents," Whitehead, who was acclaimed to a second straight term as board chair, said in his remarks about the year ahead.
He also said the board has hired Sister Joan Cronin, executive director of the Toronto-based Institute for Catholic Education, as the search consultant for Rapai's replacement.
The inaugural meeting was a formal gathering of trustees - all but one, Sandra Cruz, have served on the board previously - elected in the Nov. 13 civic election.
"There is no need to articulate complicated goals for the next year or two. Each of our trustees and all of our administrators know what is ahead," Whitehead said.
The board must improve student achievement, reorganize spending and balance the budget, replace portables with permanent buildings and figure out how to accommodate the so-called middle French immersion program, its enrolment bursting at the seams.
"Budgetary issues have been challenging for us lately, but our situation is much like that of most other school boards in this province," Whitehead said.
"We have all been victimized by unkept promises to fulfil the recommendations of Dr. (Mordechai) Rozanski's educational equality task force in 2002.
"We can all be optimistic . . . that because there will be a provincial election this year, the provincial purse strings will be relaxed enough that, however belatedly, the promises about Rozanski, sometimes referred to as 'Catch up and keep up,' will finally be fulfilled."
The 2002 report recommended changing the provincial funding formula and injecting $1.8 billion into the cash-strapped school system over three years.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
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