Teacher Shiba Pillai-Diaz: The District's Response (Update 4)

For Exclusive Interview with Shiba Pillai-Diaz, please see posting of Oct. 7.

Friday Update:

After receiving information from a Confidential Source, the EdWonk contacted (via telephone) the South Brunswick School District in an effort to verify that Ms. Pillai-Diaz would be returning to a teaching assignment in the District.

In a terse one-line statement released to the EdWonk by an administrative staffer, the district states, "Ms. Pillai-Diaz has been assigned to an upper-elementary basic skills position at Brooks Crossing Elementary School beginning Wednesday, October 13, 2004."

In other words, she will begin teaching next Wednesday. As your EdWonk is a classroom teacher with 13 years service, he can intimate that a "basic skills position" can often mean a very challenging teaching assignment.

No other details or comments were forthcoming from the district. However, Superintendent Gary P. McCartney's version of the events surrounding this controversy could still be seen at the District's web site as of 4:30 PM Pacific Time.

Superintendent McCartney was unavailable for comment.

The "terse one-line statement" substantially confirms Pillai-Diaz's narrative to the EdWonk in an exclusive interview that was conducted Thursday. It also verifies that Ms. Pillai-Diaz will not be returning to her middle school teaching duties at Crossroads (South) Middle School.

The Education Wonks will continue to monitor this story and furnish updates as circumstances change.