Cobble Hill letter to klein - Special Commissioner of Investigation

Hon. J. I. Klein -60- June 26, 2007
• September 29, 2004 – George sent a letter to District 8 indicating that
Nobile completed his probation on September 1, 2004. 218 Attached was
an Annual Professional Performance Review and Report on Probationary
Service of Pedagogical Employee form which indicated that the principal
had given Nobile a satisfactory rating for the 2003-2004 school year. 219
At Cobble Hill – Post-Capra
Threats to a Teacher
On June 22, 2004, Rebecca Ostro, a female teacher at Cobble Hill wrote a letter to
George complaining about Nobile. Specifically, she said: “When I suggested that he
resign as Chapter Leader of the UFT he left a threatening message on my answering
machine about going to the press with Regents ‘cheating’ scandal information, and
admonishing me that any action I take against him … would act as a boomerang that
would come back to get me.” 220
Intimidating Tactics Toward the New Assistant Principal
After Capra was removed from the school, Suzane Thomas replaced her as an
assistant principal at Cobble Hill. In January 2006, Thomas informed SCI investigators
that Phillip Nobile had been harassing her since October 2005, by sending several
defaming letters about her to the school staff, the Region, and others. Thomas asserted
that Nobile began these actions after she placed a letter in his file and also gave him a
“U” rating in an observation report. The assistant principal informed investigators that,
each time she tried to supervise or reprimand Nobile, he retaliated with a barrage of
letters defaming Thomas to the school staff.
Thomas also reported that one incident of harassment involved the administration
of the January 24, 2006, Global History and Geography Regents examination (“GHG
Regents”). According to Thomas, on January 26, 2006, Nobile informed her that he had
conducted an investigation and knew that an 18-year-old male student at the school
(“Student A”) was inappropriately given extra time to complete the January 24, 2006,
GHG Regents, as an English as a Second Language (“ESL”) Student, when Student A
was not an ESL Student. Thomas stated that Nobile claimed that he had spoken to
218 George’s signature on the front of the document was dated June 15, 2004. The back of the document,
which indicated that the principal had recommended certification of completion of probation for Nobile,
was dated “9/ /04.”
219 Lyles determined that there was not enough documentation in Nobile’s file to support George’s end of
the year unsatisfactory rating of Nobile.
220 Nobile made this same assertion to Capra.