China News Service, February 28 — According to the Sing Tao Daily in the United States, a Chinese-American female teacher who caused the death of a kitten by placing it in a bag eventually pleaded guilty to one count of disorderly conduct. As a result, the New York City Department of Education held a hearing against her. Although she retained her teaching position, she was fined $12,500. She argued in court that the fine was too heavy and that the hearing process was unfair to her, requesting that the relevant decision be suspended. However, due to insufficient grounds, the court did not accept her appeal.
The plaintiff, Liu Tianna (Tina Liu, phonetic translation), was a lifelong teacher employed by the Department of Education with 15 years of service. Before being temporarily suspended in 2009, she taught at a high school in Queens and had an excellent teaching record in the past. However, in September 2009, she placed a kitten in a bag at home, which led to its removal by animal control officers who later found the kitten dead. At the time, she also said, "Now I see what this country is like. I should have killed them all and not called anyone." Consequently, Liu Tianna was arrested in November. In March of the following year, she pleaded guilty to one count of disorderly conduct.
In response to this incident, the New York City Department of Education held several hearings to determine whether Liu Tianna had violated the city's educational regulations and should be penalized. The hearings lasted for a total of six days, with multiple witnesses testifying. Liu Tianna was represented by a lawyer. The Department of Education requested her dismissal, while Liu sought to return to her post without any punishment. Eventually, the hearing officer ruled partially in favor of the charges against Liu, fining her $12,500, deducted from her salary over 18 months.
Unsatisfied with the ruling, Liu Tianna believed the fine was too severe and lacked justification. She claimed that the hearing officer was biased against her and that the process was unfair, requesting the court to suspend the hearing's decision. However, the court determined that throughout the entire hearing process, Liu Tianna was represented by a lawyer and had the opportunity to review all evidence. Her lawyer never raised any objections regarding the hearing officer's bias. In fact, the entire hearing process was comprehensive and sufficiently lengthy, and the hearing officer's decision was based on factual evidence.
According to the judgment, Liu Tianna's negligence leading to the kitten's death did not constitute grounds for dismissal. However, her statement upon arrest—"kill them all"—indicated a lack of judgment, which is essential for her job requiring extensive knowledge and good judgment. Given her 15-year teaching record without errors, the court did not accept the Department of Education's request for dismissal but imposed a fine as punishment. Therefore, the court upheld the hearing's decision, and Liu Tianna's request was not accepted. (Liu Guowen)