FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Citizens for the Children

 

Today I placed an innocent child in the hand of a convicted criminal.

Who will tell lil’ Malik’s mother and 3000+ parents of special need children that their child’s daily transportation is overseen by an admitted convicted criminal.  The majority of these parents are Black, poor, to include, not abreast of current events through print nor electronic media. So, who will inform them that the boss of transportation will not dismiss this convicted criminal – even after the latest Examiner article.

A top manager at District of Columbia Public Schools special education school bus terminal on NY Avenue remains employed as top manager after criminal conviction and under federal supervision.  Michelle Smith “entered a guilty pleas of 2^nd Degree insurance Fraud for falsifying District government time in conjunction with an accident unrelated to her District employment. 

On October 24, 2005, in DC Superior Court, Smith was sentenced by Judge R. Diaz to 120 days of incarceration, 2 years supervised probation, and payment of $6,500.00. Special Agent Shannon Martin, delivered an official Significant Activity Report to Mayor Anthony Williams on 16 November 2005 signed by Charles Willoughby, Inspector General.

More important, why has not Ms. Smith’s boss, the transportation administrator, David Gilmore removed her.  How ironic, the Office of Employment Appeals found Smith’s boss, guilty of unlawful and maliciously terminations of DCPS Transportation managers’.  Smith is the only manager remaining after Gilmore’s termination of more than twenty managers. The Citizens for the Children previously reported that Gilmore fired all competent and degreed managers to prove Transportation incompetent. Currently, Smith oversees 700 employees, a deputy manager, a host of assistant managers, to include approval of insurance claims and authority to approve employees’ time.