Phil Cook, Craig Smith and the evils of Facebook

A month has passed since I read the Jasper County Citizen's thorough report on the arrest of former Carl Junction R-1 choir teacher Craig Smith on stalking and child pornography charges. The reporter, LaDonna Allen, did an excellent job of detailing how Smith's arrest came about, but her best work came in the final segment of the lengthy story.

A good interviewer can bring out the truth, even when the interview subject appears to be doing his best to avoid it.

In this case, the subject was R-1 Superintendent Phil Cook and the information and quotes that LaDonna Allen coaxed out of Cook revealed a lot, not only about the Craig Smith case, but about the attitudes Cook has about the people in his school district.

In 2014, as part of a story on Jessica Nugent's lawsuit against the R-1 District for the bullying that led to the suicide of her son Luke, I reviewed the deposition Cook gave and reported on it. Under oath, Cook said he didn't read Facebook and he made it clear the disdain he had for people who comment on Facebook.

While it's certainly understandable that a school administrator would be upset about some of the wild things people say about schools in social media, why would Cook be upset about it if he never read Facebook?

I thought of that deposition when I read Cook's answers to Allen's questions about social media comments concerning the Craig Smith case.

First, you don't believe anything you see on Facebook. People on Facebook don't know what they're talking about. I don't know any one of them who do. I guess all those people need to come run the school then.

 If Cook's 2014 statement about never reading Facebook was accurate and he still held to it, then that certainly doesn't say much about the way he deals with the public. Of course, in a few months since his retirement takes effect June 30 the public won't have to deal with Cook any more.

A lot of Carl Junction parents and taxpayers are on Facebook and while there certainly are times when incorrect information spreads, social media should also serve as a barometer letting an observant administrator know what the public is thinking.

It should also serve as a way for a superintendent to get out in front of potentially embarrassing or even dangerous situations.

Facebook members include everyone from doctors to ditch diggers and administrators should be interested in what each of them have to say. That doesn't mean checking Facebook comments every day, but checking in at least once every few days might offer an opportunity to correct some misinformation or give an administrator an idea of how to deal with it.

That wasn't all Cook had to say about his social media critics.

We keep kids safe. We do now and we did then and that's the rule. People are going to second guess after it's over with."

That's true. What Cook didn't say and what is just as true, is that he gave the public a lot to second guess about.

Cook defended his decision to allow Smith to retire instead of firing him, telling Allen the end result was the same- he was no longer in the district.

Even then, the superintendent's comment to Allen was dripping with sarcasm. 

It really shouldn't matter except it doesn't make you and the rest of the public happy that he wasn't terminated.

Naturally, Cook feels that everyone is at fault except Cook.

Craig Smith was being investigated by the Carl Junction Police Department. Cook told Allen the police had given him examples of some of Smith's "most disturbing messages," to the teenage girl he was allegedly stalking, in late October. 

Cook said he took steps to fire Smith, contacting the district's attorney to begin the process. Then after a meeting with Smith and his teacher's union attorney, Smith decided to retire, and Cook allowed that resignation to be submitted to the board of education.

Cook told Allen he permitted the retirement and didn't pursue termination because it would have cost the district $25,000 to hold a hearing and the article says Cook said, "he was going to make certain Smith did not end up at any other school, so it all worked out the same."

Think about what Cook said.

The Carl Junction Police Department provided Cook with some of Smith's most disturbing messages. Cook met with Smith and his union attorney and then almost immediately submitted his retirement.

There was never going to be any hearing.

Even if Cook gave Smith some kind of ultimatum- resign or get fired, for instance- Smith was never going to have a termination hearing. Those disturbing messages would have been revealed to the public and since the police investigation was ongoing, without a doubt more evidence would have piled up against Smith.

A termination hearing would have been a disaster for Smith.

Cook took the easy way out.

We have his word that he was going to keep Smith from winding up at some other school, but there appear to have been recent cases where Cook has allowed teachers and administrators who broke the rules to move on quietly and at least one case where he has welcomed back someone who was fired from the district several years earlier for unprofessional behavior.

I read that on Facebook.

I've been provided with the same information by thoroughly reliable sources.

Maybe Cook's biggest concern with Facebook is that it's difficult to face public scrutiny when you keep giving the public so much to scrutinize.