Creepy teacher can keep job

From the NY Post:

A Queens middle-school teacher let a 14-year-old student drive his car, gave him cash and expensive gifts, and exchanged hundreds of texts behind his parents’ back.

But, over the objections of the outraged parents and principal, the teacher can keep his job, an arbitrator has ruled.

James Rampulla Jr., 44, who taught at Irwin Altman MS 172 in Floral Park, sent some of the 513 texts to the boy after 11 p.m. and included the words “I love you,” according to evidence presented at the teacher’s administrative trial.

The boy also told investigators that Rampulla, while they both worked at World of Discovery Summer Day Camp in Bayside, once put a hand on his thigh, and let him watch pornography in his apartment, according to a report by Richard Condon, the special commissioner of investigation for city schools. Rampulla denied those allegations.

After an eight-day trial, hearing officer Mary J. O’Donnell found Rampulla guilty of misconduct, but not sexual misconduct as the city Department of Education contended. She suspended him without pay for the fall of 2014. He can return to the classroom after that, she ruled.

The case shows how an educator can avoid the ax even for blatant misbehavior. A tenured teacher cannot be fired unless a hearing officer agrees misconduct warrants termination.

But O’Donnell found insufficient evidence to decide whether Rampulla’s interest in the student was “paternal, familial or sexual.”

You may recall that World of Discovery had another incident similar to this in the past.

Hipster camping for Rockaway

From the Queens Courier:

Luxury will meet camping on Rockaway Beach if a Kickstarter campaign can help fund the project.

Inspired by the tent colonies of the 1900s, the idea to bring “glamping” to the shores of Queens is the brainchild of New York-based designer and founder of Milktrout LLC, Kent Johnson.

Camp Rockaway, a chic tent-hotel, combines “beach camping heritage with modern amenities,” according to the project’s Kickstarter website.

It will feature safari-style canvas tents on a landscaped campground overlooking Jamaica Bay and just a short walk from the beach. Each tent is fully furnished, with real beds, crisp, linen white sheets and summer-weight blankets. Amenities include private fire pits, outdoor showers and hot tubs overlooking the bay.

Johnson hopes Camp Rockaway will aid in the community’s efforts to restore the beach following Superstorm Sandy.'

You really gotta love begging for money to start your business. And producing a video comprised entirely of white folks but talking about how "diverse" the area is that you plan to gentrify. "Luxury will meet camping..." Camping generally means roughing it, so why the hell does one need luxury to go with it? Throw in a Superstorm Sandy reference...because you're doing it to help Rockaway recover!

The funniest part is that the renderings show some kind of paradise, with clean white sands, no junked boats and no housing anywhere. Okay!

Estelle Cooper's family runs shady day camp

From A Walk in the Park:

Ilene Balsamo, the daughter Assistant Commissioner for Queens Parks and Flushing Meadows Corona Park Administrator, Estelle Cooper, runs a private day camp on parks property. Arnold Diaz looked into allegations of counselors from Community Day Camp, a camp run by Balsamo, not getting paid. The unpleasant two-part report was broadcast on MY Fox.

The camp - which uses Flushing Meadows Corona Park - charges fees ranging from $ 900 dollars per child for two weeks to $ 2, 675 for eight weeks. The camp however pays the city just $ 1 dollar per child per day according to a source.

According to the report, Ilene had a mother of one of the counselors arrested for assault after they got into an altercation over her daughter not getting paid.

At one point in the footage, a person reported to be Ilene's son, lifts up his shirt, exposing his huge hairy belly and dances around calling himself a bear in an apparent attempt to block the camera from filming his mother.

More vendors have now come forward saying they too have not gotten paid.

The Parks Department did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment. - Geoffrey Croft

Victims include Vallo Transportation and Terence Park!