Joe Tave and Casey Thomas are in a runoff to represent District 3 on the Dallas City Council. I’m certainly no expert on this race. But something has come to my attention that makes me scratch my head. Why hasn’t anyone brought up the fact that Joe Tave was fired from DISD for what sounds like some pretty lousy behavior? If you google “Joe Tave DISD,” the first and third results are all about his appealing his termination and that appeal being shot down. Here’s the meat of it:
In December 2000, a computer was assigned to Tave for classroom use. Tave discovered an icon labeled “Teacher Evaluations” on the computer screen, but nothing happened when Tave double-clicked on the icon. In January 2001, some of Tave’s students discovered several documents involving employee reprimands stored on the computer’s hard drive. Tave assumed that some of the information should not have been on the computer, and he “had concerns about the appropriateness of the information being on the computer.” Tave, along with the students, read the documents, and a student saved the documents on floppy disks. Tave gave the disks to his attorney and did not tell the school administration that he had discovered the documents.
However, Tave told other teachers about the information on the computer. Clara Garrett, a fellow teacher, testified Tave told her he had “lots and lots” of confidential information pertaining to teachers and “just all kinds of things I shouldn’t have.” Garrett told Tave he should not have the information, and he was going to get in a lot of trouble. Tave responded that he intended to take the information and “blackmail” the school principal, John Washington, into leaving him alone. Washington eventually found out that Tave had the information. Tave was placed on administrative leave and eventually terminated.
Every story has at least three sides and all that. Maybe Tave actually said he was going to “airmail” the school principal the teacher evaluations, and the other teacher just misheard him. I don’t know. But — from what I can tell, at least — none of this has yet been brought up by a media organization. Was there a podcast on this that I missed? Did everyone talk about it and decide to move on? I’m asking because the runoff election is June 13, and we’re running out of time to have this little talk.
I’ll hang up and listen, fully expecting someone to embarrass me in the comments with 17 links to news stories about this that I was unable to find.
