In New York City, being a loving parent is now an ethics violation. Recently, a Brooklyn school librarian attracted the wrath of the Department of Education’s Conflict of Interest Board. What did he do? Robert Grandt, a longtime educator put up a library display that included a book illustrated by his daughter.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/22/nyregion/22ethics.html
How much did the Grandt family earn from this display? Nothing. How many books did they sell in school? Actually, Grandt gave them away free to anyone who asked. What did the conflict of Interest Board do? They fined Grandt five-hundred dollars and made him sign a statement “admitting” he had violated the conflict of interest rules. At one point, they even threatened Grandt will possible termination.
Considering all the no-bid contracts settled by the NYC Department of Education over the past few years, they have some nerve fining a parent who earned nothing.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08102008/news/regionalnews/ed__dept__no_bid_mess_123867.htm
People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
