Jennifer Chambers / The Detroit News
Detroit— A teacher with Detroit Public Schools has been suspended after she allegedly attempted to pawn a district-owned laptop computer.
Karen Drysdale-Oriucci, a DPS teacher since 1994, was suspended with pay today, pending a disciplinary hearing, district officials said.
Advertisement
The teacher is accused of trying to pawn a new netbook computer, which is a smaller and less expensive version of a traditional laptop, at American Jewelry and Loan in Detroit on Wednesday. The store refused to pay the teacher for the netbook, instead confiscating the device and contacting the school district, district spokesman Steve Wasko said.
Drysdale-Oriucci, a teacher at Durfee School, was among 5,000 other DPS teachers who were given new netbook computers in recent weeks, Wasko said. Drysdale-Oriucci received hers on Dec. 17.
New district netbook devices are protected by security software that can track the device and remotely disable it, school officials said.
The computers have also been engraved with an image of the DPS logo “I’m In” on the cover. District officials said tape was placed over the small property sticker on the back of the computer recovered Wednesday at the pawn shop, but a large “I’m In” engraving on the front was fully exposed.
Wasko said the district has not contacted police to report the matter because school officials want to handle the matter internally first.
In larger cases of theft, the district has contacted police and obtained convictions in the criminal courts, Wasko said. But smaller cases involving the theft of one item have to be evaluated before legal action is taken.
Wasko said the owners of American Jewelry and Loan, one of the area’s largest pawn shops, had experience with other stolen DPS property and they have “committed to doing the right thing.”
DPS Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb praised the shop’s owners.
“The dual threat of being caught by the latest high tech security, by law-abiding and cooperating merchants, or both, should send the clearest signal yet that no one is going to illegally profit at the expense of our schools and our students,” Bobb said in a statement.
jchambers@detnews.com
(313) 222-2269
Subscribe to Detroit News home delivery and receive a SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER.
Article source: http://detnews.com/article/20101230/METRO01/12300432/-1/rss29
Category: Laptop Security