It will be a lengthy system of due process as education officials ponder the future of Principal Eric Baim after a DUI charge over the weekend.
Baim, 37, was charged in Berlin with failure to obey a traffic signal and driving under the influence at 1:53 a.m. on Friday, police records indicate. He was at the intersection of the Berlin Turnpike and Spruce Brook Road, according to police.
Baim lives in Bristol.
Superintendent of Schools Mary Conway said on Monday that she did not want to comment on any pending personnel matters. The Board of Education conducted an executive session on Monday to discuss the matter but took no action.
Conway was clear that no official recommendation has been made and added that any employee recommended for termination must first get a hearing from a balanced state board. That board then reports to the local school board and the local board then takes on the matter, Conway said.
Honestly, I fail to understand why anyone would even consider giving him a second chance.Seems to me that every little problem from here on out at RHS, the school system and throughout the town we demand a second chance. To me the best thing Mr. Baim should do is submit his resignation and spare the town the excess cost and allow the board to find a replacement.
You should tell your kids, that he is human and people make mistakes, we should all be thankful thay Mr Baim did NOT cause injury to anyone or himself. It's time to let cooler heads prevail and let the administration do their job. Also as a parent, your attuitude and beliefs help mold your kids view on things. Maybe take some of that pent up hostility and turn this into something positive like a learning opporrtunity. The best advice I can give you is, maybe if you hate the school so much, you should move the glass house you live in to another town
My children have experienced things at RHS--things that I cannot get into here because doing so could risk identifying them--that have led them to the conclusion that they go to a bad school, that they aren't getting a great education, and that teachers and administrators don't care. I'm not saying that their perception is completely accurate, and I am speaking only of 'my' children and their personal experiences, not other people's children and their experiences. As parents we have tried--repeatedly-- to tell them that this is not the case, that they will get out of their education what they put into their education, etc. Unfortunately, some of their criticisms of RHS are completely valid (and again, I am sorry that I can not get into detail here). From a parent's perspective, I would say that they've had many more good teachers than bad teachers, but the bad teachers that they've had have made their impact. On top of their own experiences, my children have been hearing/reading in the news that their district is in the 'bottom 30" and that the supt. is cleaning house, further cementing their perception that they go to a 'bad' school. All I am saying is that Baim's arrest--to them-- further confirms their negative perception. I was NOT saying that I believe 'no one cares.'
1. Just to be perfectly clear, I'm not convicting him before his day in court. If you read carefully, you'll see that I DID say "IF (IF!) convicted of the DUI charge, his employment should be terminated." If it turns out that the allegations are not true then no, he should not lose his job. 2. Your information above about whether or not he was intoxicated is incorrect. Also, since the original report it has been reported by the Berlin police that his Blood Alcohol Level was "more than double the legal limit", or more than .16. That is much, much more than one beer. I'm not sure if Patch allows for embedding links but I'll try. Here's one that I found that actually has a chart that shows how 'drunk' one will be after a certain amount of time and a certain amount of alcohol (I believe it's on page 6): http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hrd/pubs/aclimit.pdf
The original poster wanted to hear what Vernon residents thought, so I shared my thoughts. You are free to disagree with my thoughts. I am not 'hostile', but I am critical (there is a difference) of Mr. Baim's actions and also with the idea that "people make mistakes so we should just overlook this." People do make mistakes, but IMO getting behind the wheel after you've been drinking goes beyond being a 'mistake'. It's a conscious choice that puts others at risk of death or injury. In my profession if I make a mistake, I can quite literally kill someone and would most definitely lose my job. Therefore, I go above and beyond to make sure that I DON'T make mistakes. Whether it's fair or not, the reality is that there are professions where people are held to a higher moral standard (teachers, ministers, police, to name a few) in part BECAUSE they are role models for children. Every educator knows this going in, and it is up to them to avoid such situations or to accept the consequences if they don't.
I am also somewhat concerned by the clearly orchestrated comments by current and former students in suppoort of Mr.Baim found in todays Patch. What bothers me is that.while the student comments were all very supportive of the principal not a single comment referenced the action that has jeopardized his future employment.
Even if the students past and present did organize to write these letters, what it says to me is that Mr Baim had a positive impact on their lives and served as a positive role model. The kids understand that people make mistakes and they deserve a second chance. Cathy, You are comparing apples and oranges, You made the comment that if you make mistakes at your job, people can die. Mr Baim was not on duty when this mistake happened.
http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2613&q=321332
What bothers me is the assertion I'm hearing that because he's a 'nice guy' and has the respect of the students, he should get a second chance. Does it follow that if he weren't a 'nice guy' or was unpopular with students, he should receive different treatment? And comments that the school will revert to chaos if he goes isn't exactly a stellar endorsement of leadership skills. There are two VP's at the school; do they not also have the respect of students? If so, the school will be fine regardless of what happens. If not, it brings the principal's overall leadership into question. In the end, it doesn't really matter what any of us think. The outcome of this situation should be based on Board policy and law, not on public opinion. I would hope that the policy for handling something like this is already in place. If not, we've got bigger problems to address.
Oh by the Cathy if you can't tell I'm joking