Add this to the long list of odd moments in Florida education:
The assistant principal at Van Buren Middle School had a message for her students this morning.Over the intercom, Allison Edgecomb described the school's principal, Anthony Giancola, as a member of the Van Buren family. This comes just one day after he was arrested at the school on drug charges.
Edgecomb asked students to keep Giancola in their prayers.
"Most of us were shocked, and then disappointed," she said over the school's intercom system. "Mostly, I think we are feeling sad."
Giancola apologized to his students and colleagues as he was getting into a police car on Thursday.
"I'm very sorry," he said before being taken to jail.
Police arrested Giancola on Thursday, handcuffing and taking him away from his school. They say he tried to buy crack cocaine from an undercover officer during school hours while in his school office.
So do you think he was going to save it for later, or would he have fired it up right there?
I'd be an undercover officer if they'd promise me tasty gigs like this.
Posted by floridacracker at February 23, 2007 03:13 PMThis story made CNN this morning and added another hit to Florida's already tarnished image.
We can, however, take these lemons and make lemonade out of them. For a school principal to allegedly buy crack at his own school can be turned into a teaching tool. If found guilty, Giancola can become another example of just how wacked out one's thinking becomes once a crack addiction takes hold.
... I don't know about all that, bro..
About the best I could do to try to learn from this is that somebody has their head up their ass to let this guy be working as a leader in the educational system. What is really messed up is that we are paying out the nose for the jerk's salary. That was *my* money he was/has been getting high with.
In addition to that..I am *forced* to send my children to private school because the system that I pay for is so fucked up, that any kids that make it out of the public school these days without some sort of skewed vision at least, all the way up to all sorts of sordid behavior..are not just lucky, some parent(s) have stayed knee deep in the
kid's bizness.
I really appreciate this guy's actions today..because it is at this time of year I usually argue with my ex about whether or not private school is worth it...and by getting busted it bolsters my side.
(the tuition is deducted from my support ;)..and today I got the early renewal registration forms..:) )
....sorry, Donnah..forgot to answer.
I think he would have used it at lunch..!!
I don't know about smoking crack, but I'd say plenty of the old boys at the DOE are "trippin".
Posted by: Nancy at February 24, 2007 01:42 PMDear csason,
Points taken. We don't disagree, but I do want to add some facts about the matter, as I understand the facts, relevant to your observations. The school principal here is not alleged to have been doing crack when he was hired. The reports I've seen indicate that "marital problems" around Christmas 2006 were the catalyst of his experimentation with this bad idea on self-medication. To clarify, my point is that you take a perfectly well functioning school principal, add a life crisis and crack, and the result is unfathomably poor judgment.
Posted by: Paco Malo at February 24, 2007 07:52 PMpoor thing (not), don't believe him.
To be so bold and needy as to purchase crack in the office, when tobacco on campus is illegle, the man had to have had a history of drug use.
I would even say his drug life predated the marital problems.
In fact, the drug use probably was the catalyst for the marriage problems, not the other way around.
God Almighty, one doesn't just trip over crack one day.
That's classic, text book, drug addict slick,con talk.
Dear Nancy,
You close your comment above by saying "That's classic, text book, drug addict slick,con talk." Let me circle back to my original point here: this case can be a teaching tool so that kids are at least exposed to what the real deal is in the land of opiates, coke, and crack.
Both you and csason have made excellent points in your comments, but the school systems prohibit this kind on straight, informed, experience-driven wisdom from ever reaching the young people it needs to reach. I assure you, I've tried.
I don't pretend to fully understand all the incredibly complex issues surrounding addiction and self-medication. But I do know that you (Nancy), csason, and I would make a good trio to get up in front a class of 6th graders and give them each of our individual perspectives on these matters. And further, we could give honest answers back to good questions from kids hungry for truthful information on questions they want to learn about.
You know how in the military there are several types of uniforms. One is the formal that is is used in parades and such, and another is the outfit used for combat.
Mr Principal may make lemonaid from all this. I know he has to be terribly embarrassed. He may make it to Oprah, or go on a speaking tour, and possibly do a lot of good. However, he will be in his parade uniform.
I'm thinking about Mr. Singletary who was shot in his front yard trying to chase off dealers and users. He was in combat fatigues. Also, the rest of us who have fallen on grenades trying to save a loved one from drug addiction, and still have all the collateral damage to deal with.
Gentle words like "self medication", or general blame like "my marriage" isn't sufficient.
I'm not trying to be mean, or want his blood, but the humiliation of the drug addict is only a small part of it.
I have fallen on two of those "save-a-crack-addict-from-him / herself" grenades myself, without success. Again, my primary concern is getting truthful, accurate information to young people. When it comes to crack whores and steal-from-their-friends addicts, the school system and CNN don't talk about addiction is a serious way. But they can't run away from this school principal story.
None of us can.
Posted by: Paco Malo at February 26, 2007 09:01 AMPaco,
these folks are very fortunate to have you speak for them