An Apology from a School Superintendent

Via Helene Blowers on Flickr:

http://pages.cms.k12.nc.us/superintendent/blog/

I’d like to share an email I sent to all of our 18,000-plus employees this morning. Here it is:

Dear CMS Employees:

When you make a mistake, the best thing to do is just admit it. Folks, we blew it, and I apologize. While the decision to start random background checks for current employees was made with the best of intentions – to keep our students and staff safe – we dropped the ball, big time, in terms of communication and execution.

So where do we go from here? If you haven’t filled out the form, throw it away. If you have filled out the form, ask your supervisor to return it to you so you may destroy it. (To safeguard your identity, I suggest you shred it.)

I will share more information on this topic with you at a later time. Right now, I just want you to know how sorry I am that this was handled so badly. Our employees are the lifeblood of this organization. We count on you, every day, to do what’s right for kids. We need to do what’s right for you as well.

Sincerely,

Peter C. Gorman

That email was one part of a very painful morning for me. Since coming to CMS, I have worked hard to build rapport with all CMS employees — teachers, administrators, staff, support folks. There are so many people in this district who work hard for our kids every day, and I appreciate all that our employees do.

This district has set ambitious goals. Our success in achieving them depends in large part on the trust and support of our employees. My apology to all of them is heartfelt, and I hope that we can move on from this and continue to work together in an atmosphere of trust and respect to do what’s best for kids.