Miami principal's filthy e-mail has parents irate

EVA RAVELO's FACEBOOK PAGE

Parents at Coconut Grove Elementary School are calling for the ouster of Principal Eva N. Ravelo this week after she told a parent in an e-mail to ``eat sh-- and die.''

The controversy, which is now under review by the school district's central office, started Monday. Abigail DuBearn, a member of the school's Educational Excellence School Advisory Committee, or EESAC, had asked Ravelo and other council members whether student representatives of the committee ``could be notified today and be invited to attend and participate'' at Monday's meeting.

Ravelo, 45, then replied to DuBearn's e-mail with the message: ``Advise her to eat sh-- and die.'' Ravelo spelled the swear word like it appears here -- without the last two letters.

Maria Orjeda, the school's reading coach, who spoke on behalf of Ravelo, said the principal meant to send the e-mail about DuBearn to her assistant principal, Ram�n Dawkins, instead of DuBearn.

DuBearn could not be reached for comment Thursday.

``Ms. Ravelo takes full responsibility for the mistake. She apologized to Mrs. DuBearn on Tuesday,'' Orjeda said.

The principal, who is still running the school, has been instructed not to speak with the media, Orjeda added.

Ravelo could not be reached for comment on Thursday.

Orjeda further said the tension between the parents and Ravelo stemmed from their battle for power since the principal's arrival nearly two years ago.

``Our PTA wants to control the school, which she hasn't given to them,'' Orjeda said. ``They want control of how the school building is painted, what's in the curriculum and the way teachers teach.''

Melissa Brown, president of the Coconut Grove Elementary PTA, disputed Orjeda's comments.

``That's ridiculous,'' Brown replied. ``This is about the e-mail. We are not interested in running the school. We want to work with the administration.''

Brown continued: ``No parent should be spoken to this way. It's unprofessional behavior. Parents want something to be done or they will take out their children.''

Meanwhile, Ravelo's e-mail has found its way to the in boxes of other parents at the school.

Now Brown and other parents have sent e-mails to Superintendent Alberto Carvalho and other officials asking them to replace Ravelo.

One parent, Liz Yamelo, wrote in an e-mail to The Miami Herald: ```Ms. Ravelo's e-mail reflects the tone of her leadership and the poverty of her intellectual thought. . . . I encourage the school board to take immediate action for her removal, and at the very least, severly reprimand and censure'' her.

The school district said the matter is under review.

``The superintendent and his cabinet have discussed the issue. We are looking into it to determine what steps will be taken next,'' said John Schuster, chief spokesman for the Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

A decision will be made in the next few days, he said.

Schuster said the incident was ``unfortunate'' because ``this principal has been an excellent administrator at this school and has a very good performance record.''

A school district employee since 1989, Ravelo has been the principal at Coconut Grove Elementary for nearly two years. Before that, she worked at Riverside Elementary.

Schuster said school administrators are expected to behave professionally.

``As public servants, we are all held to a high degree of professionalism. The behavior, as reported, is particularly unbecoming for a public employee,'' he said.