Did Candy Tistadt Get the Message Across?
Wife of Virginia Official Fights Back Against Harassing Calls to Her Home
Dean Tistadt, the Chief Operating Officer for Facilities and Transportation of Fairfax County, has found it his responsibility to make the decisions about whether or not schools should remain open. Recently, due to the abnormal winter weather, the Tistadt household has found itself bombarded with dozens of phone calls from county students; some even in the middle of the night. In addition, students are also sending profane and sometimes even threatening emails to the administration.
For reasons unexplained, after receiving yet another phone call at her residence, Tistadt's wife Candy had had enough. She dialed one of the student's phone numbers and left a voicemail of her own. To make this matter even worse, the student posted the callback online for all to hear. Tistadt defends his wife by telling news officials that she gets very defensive over what she perceives to be personal attacks on her husband; she takes the situation very personally. So who is right and who is wrong? Do the Tistadt's have the right to privacy? Can these calls be considered harassment?
In this situation many would believe that both parties were in the wrong here. Fairfax County students believed that they should have been able to stay home from school due to the weather. Students have the right to protest, but should that extend to private entities? Emails and phone calls sent to the public administration are completely legal and justified as long as they aren't of a threatening nature, but should students be able to call an officials private residence? Some will agree that these calls can be considered harassment, while others may not. Another question that can be raised is, as a public official, why was the Tistadt's private number listed in the first place?
As far as Candy's return message, it is very clear that she is upset by the situation and that caused her to take action in a situation that would have been better off left alone. She made comments like: my husband didn't not answer the phone because he was at home due to the snow; it was because he was at the office--he's at meetings everyday for snot nosed brats--stop complaining and go to school--get an education, that's what you're there for. She was clearly upset about the situation and by leaving the message she overstepped her bounds, not as a private homeowner, but as the wife of a public official. While her call wasn't illegal, it created additional controversy to an already problematic situation.
The students back their decision to both call the Tistadt residence and to post the audio online. They say they are backed by their peers and backed by the bill of rights; they have the right to petition public officials. It's my personal opinion that the students are taking this issue a bit too far. The decision of whether or not to hold class is not in their control and while they have the right to complain about it, they do not have the right to harass the officials that made that decision. As of right now, the county and school officials are currently working towards identifying the students that sent threatening emails so that they can be properly disciplined. It is unclear as to whether or not anything will happen regarding Candy's message.
Sources:
NBC News. 'Students Call Officials Homes When School Isn't Called Off For Snow', msnbc.com
Published by Erin Morris
writing to me is many things: expression, the delivery of thought provoking information, immortalization, stress relief, assurance, a pay check, a reality check, a way of life. words on a page is what i do... View profile
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45 Comments
Post a CommentHey now! I know I commented on this one too, previous to the one below this. Erin, are you deleting my comments?
A lot not signed in here...Now how do they expect to get pvs like that? I guess this all turned out okay? No lynching or anything like that?
this is no longer about "snow days", it is about a students right to get some answers and not be called a snotty nose brat by a resentful spouse of a school official. Candy T signed up for this when her husband became a school official. My understanding is that their home phone number was a matter of PUBLIC RECORD in the school's directory. Maybe the kid went a little to far by posting their phone number on the website, but I applaud his guts in posting the voicemail for all to hear. Maybe adults will think again before letting letting their anger get the best of them. She set a horrible example for maturity and self-restraint (and by the way, I am 48 years old, I'm not one of the kids.) Go Dave, you did the right thing in exposing Ms. Candy's lack of character. Just leave off the phone number next time, okay?
life as an school related employee or adminstrator is not easy...they get the brute of unhappy parents, students, and community members, but they have to deal with it professionally...
did the wife deal with it professionally?...no...and that's where her mistake was made... no matter how irritating or disrespectful the student may have been, he's still a student....
as for those of you who are asking why not having a snow day is such a big deal, well, have you lived in weathers where it is extremely dangerous to drive? even a few inches of snow can be deadly on any road and that's a basis why snow days should be granted because would you want your own kids [teenagers] to drive to school on days where they're more likely to get into an accident?
Regardless of the student's poor choices, this woman's response was simply another example of lack of respect for other individuals in today's society.
I am glad the audio/video has been made available. Hopefully Mrs. Tistadt will consider that in the future. If not, at least it serves as a good learning tool in how NOT to talk to other people.
Mr. Tisdadt is doing no favor to the situation in defending his wife. It's an undefensible response IMO and he presents a poor window into the Fairfax Virginia School System with his support of an unsupportable action.
Goodness gracious! Since when did the lack of a snow day become such a big deal. There were times when we were having blizzard conditions here in Mid-Michigan and still had to go to school. Even worse, I walked to school, so I actually had to be out in such conditions for the 10-15 stroll to school. Sure the students weren't happy that we had to go, but we would usually just complain in class to the teachers, who would often complain with us. I can't imagine that the weather was near as bad as the lake-effect snow that we often see here, and still have to go to school.
The boy should never had made that call. On the other hand Candy Tistadt needs to understand what she did was also wrong also. What I heard was the woman behind the man saying it is ok to yell and call people names when we disagree with them. Is this what Americas youth should be learning. I think not!
How many of you posters know what a school administrator does? Do you know how much work goes into the job? Candy was a bit over-the-top, but she is absolutely right. The students have no right to call the Chief Operating Officer of a school to complain about snow days. Where I went to school there were limits on how many snow days could occur because of state funding issues (if you didn't have enough days in school, funding would be cut). Mr. Tisdale made a tough decision based on a number of factors. Put yourself in the Tisdale's place. If you had your decisions second guesses by teenagers who called you at all hours, it would get old pretty quickly. You just might leave a very frustrated message in their voice mail.
Remember: "Don't judge any man until you have walked two moons in his moccasins"
I remember school officials talking to us that way when I was in k-12. It's great that it has been finally realized and sent across the internet. Candy Tistadt should feel really good about her anger management skills now. This is the reality for most kids in school. It seems the institution is one of last places where abuse is still tolerated. Nice Job!
Kat-
One reason people take snow days seriously is because if a superintendent makes the wrong call, buses end up in ditches and kids end up being stranded until another bus can come (if any are available) or parents can be contacted to get their kids. It can be a mess if the streets aren't really in a condition for kids to get to school safely. It wastes time, energy and dollars. In some cases, the police and rescue vehicles have had to get involved. Remember, the average school bus does NOT have seat belts. If it tips or rolls over on an icy street, that can be truly dangerous for the kids