Insubordination?

Insubordinate: somebody who refuses to obey orders or submit to authority

Well, I guess that's me. However, my act of insubordination happened over three weeks ago and I still have a job.

In the office I'm known as the person who will always give a straight answer. If I'm asked for my opinion, I'll give my HONEST opinion. This is sometimes good - sometimes not so good. I am a bit proud, though, to say that when someone wants/needs honesty, I'm the person that is asked. I haven't said anything about my administrators to anyone else that I haven't said directly to them. I don't always come out on top, but my administrators know I'm loyal, can be trusted and will always tell them the truth.

Now for the story . . .

Each year for the past several years, we send home with EACH student what is called a "Family Survey". The questions are pretty general; how many people living in your home, how many children, how many adults, etc. One of the questions is regarding household income; Is your household income between $20,000-$40,000, $40,000-$60,000, etc. This has always been an anonymous survey. Names were not required or even asked for on this survey. This year, however, is a different story.

The surveys came to our school this year with the student names PRE-PRINTED on them! All the questions are the same - even the household income section. These 600+ forms were on my counter to be distributed to each student. This isn't specifically my job to do, but I was to see that it got done.

Well, as soon as I saw that these surveys were no longer anonymous, I went straight to the principal's office and was lucky enough to catch him and the assistant principal together. I asked them if they had seen the "new" surveys. They didn't know what I was talking about so they came out to see. I pointed to one of the forms with the name of one our students on it and then directed them to the income section.

I told them that I would have no part of the distribution of this form. I told them it was none of our business who made what. The principal agreed with me and made a call to Central Office. After he talked to someone there, the principal came back to me and told me they had to go out that way. He then explained the importance of the surveys to our school; supposedly the response to these surveys determine technology monies received from the government.

I re-stated that I would not have any part in this. I told him and the assistant that I could certainly understand the need for these statistics; the percentage of homes at the poverty level, etc., but that there is NO NEED FOR NAMES. I reminded them that each of them have students in school and I would look forward to seeing how much THEY make. I also suggested we send them to each of our board members. I've always been curious about THEIR incomes.

I told them that if Farrah had brought one of these forms home, it would have gone directly into the garbage. I continued (sometimes it's hard for me to stop once I get going) by saying that I hoped parents jammed our phone lines with complaints, even though I'd be the first person to catch their wrath.

Our assistant principal suggested that maybe this was a way to uncover welfare fraud. I told her that I did not think it was the job of public educators to spend time investigating the governments actions!

Jeesh! After three weeks, this still upsets me. Interesting to note; after three weeks the administrators haven't mentioned this to me and I haven't seen the surveys again. I'm not going to bring it up.