I am currently in the midst of a end of the school year crunch time which in part explains why I have been less regular in posting to the blog. One question that is on my mind is why do school people lie ?
As a lawyer, I am aware of the fact that parties to litigation all to
commonly accuse each of other of being liars. When I say "lie" I do not
mean shading the truth or testifying in a manner that is false, but with the
subjective belief that the truth is being told; no, a lie in my
world is the narrowest possible definition of the word. That is,
testifying that parents refused services, for instance, when no such
thing ever happened and there is no evidence, other than false
testimony, that states it did. So a lie is a knowing concious falsehood
as to facts which are expressed for the specific purpose of defeating
the parents’ claims.
School people lie for a reason. One obvious reason is that they wish to win the case. However, since school people often enjoy tenure, there is no personal stake, but they act as if their careers depended upon winning the case. While there may be budgetary ramifications, I do not think that explains the compulsion to lie at hearing in most cases.
I have seen more than a few teachers, aides and therapists who
clearly did not want to lie, but appeared coerced into lying. The
hesitation and discomfort on the faces of staff at hearing revealed the internal
conflict between ethics and their perceived duty to the school.
The reason for the lies, in my view, is that school personnel when challenged at hearing, become hyper-defensive. Due process undermines the sense of entitlement to expertise. If the parents’ allegations are upheld at the hearing, their expertise is seriously called into question. Even worse depending on the case, the self image of being "child-oriented" can be called into question. Finally, there is a sense of public shame and humiliation if the case is lost. For school people, the stakes from their perspective are nothing less than their professional self esteem, self image, and pride. Powerful emotions bring out powerful counter-responses which in this case can come down to unfettered lying.