The New Program: What to say to Joan
In this situation, all that the teacher needs to do is to state the facts, and remind Joan that her role in this reading program is to listen to the children as they take turns in reading out loud - and not to read to them. Remind her too that this is what the Principal has requested, as part of the new program. If he has written guidelines for the program it would be useful to give Joan a copy and ask her to look them over. He should also let her know that if she has any questions about the program he will be happy to discuss them with her.

Paraprofessionals work under the supervision of a professional, carrying out responsibilities as assigned (see chapter 3). It is especially inappropriate for a paraprofessional to make instructional decisions that run contrary to the express wishes of the teacher - as Joan is doing here when she decides to read to the students rather than listening to them read.

Joan’s reaction
Again, the teacher only needs to state the facts of the matter, this time to the Principal: reporting what he did to implement the program as requested, how he instructed Joan on her responsibilities, and the supervision he has provided for her work on the reading program. This should include the fact that his observations suggested she was not implementing the program in the prescribed way, so he approached her and asked that she comply with the Principal’s requirements.

He should also include a report of his outburst to Joan (which is probably the ‘incident’ the Principal wants to speak to him about) - and acknowledge that this was not the most tactful way of dealing with the situation. If he really felt that he should talk to Joan about the rumors, he should have asked for her version of the story rather than accusing her without any proof. Perhaps a better course of action would have been to laugh off the rumors, assume that that’s all they were, and not bother Joan with them at all.

The Fallout: Preparing for the Meeting
Accusations of sexual harassment are obviously very serious. Such accusations not only have potential disciplinary consequences for a teacher, but also are likely to terminate the working relationship between teacher and paraprofessional. The teacher needs to consider his actions carefully to see if there could be some basis for Joan’s accusation - even if he had no intention to harass Joan in any way. The notes that the he has already written in this case study form a good basis for reflecting on what he may have inadvertently done to make Joan feel that she was being subjected to sexual harassment, but he should not be complacent about being able to shrug off the accusations, as the Principal is under obligation to investigate the matter. And report it to the School District administration. The very fact that Joan has accused the teacher of sexual harassment makes it unlikely that they will continue working together, but both he and she will hopefully learn from this incident. If you ever decide to make such an accusation as a paraprofessional (whether the accusation is directed at a teacher, another adult or a student) you must be sure that there are proper grounds for it. It is not sufficient that the accused be of a different gender, as sexual harassment can of course come from a person of the same gender. The harassment must also be in some way related to sexual innuendo or threat, and not just be a general dissatisfaction with someone else’s conduct.

As for what the teacher should say to Joan, under the circumstances it would be better that he say nothing until the interview with Joan and the Principal. If Joan approaches him before then, he should tell her that he does not wish to discuss it without witnesses.