School Librarian Fined For Promoting Daughter's Book
Robert Grandt, a librarian at Brooklyn Technical High School, was fined $500 by the school board for promoting his daughters book, Shakespeare's Macbeth, at the school library and giving out free copies of it to those who seemed interested. Grandt also mentioned his daughter's book in a newsletter. The New York Timesdescribes how the city's Conflicts of Interest Board went after Grandt for violating the city ethics code.
He also placed a few copies of the book at a library display table, and posted a sign: "Best Book Ever Written." If someone were interested, they got a book free.
But one person's parental pride is another panel's ethical transgression.
On Monday, the city's Conflicts of Interest Board announced it had settled a case it had brought against Mr. Grandt for promoting his daughter's work. He agreed to pay a $500 fine and admit in a three-page stipulation that he had violated the city ethics code.
Mr. Grandt, who said he was an unwitting villain, was disappointed the board did not see things his way.
"There are so many things going on they could investigate," he said in an interview, "and they had nothing better to do than allege that my daughter would have gotten 20 cents in royalties if someone bought the book. But nobody did. I gave out free copies. I was just so proud of my daughter for writing it."
The Timesarticle goes on to describe how the city's Department of Investigation arrived at the school in June to ask him about the book and then in August Grandt received a letter saying he could "lose his job and be stripped of his teaching license." Grand even felt he had to remove his daughter's book from the library.
An editorial in the New York Daily News says Grandt is owed an apology. The editorial says it "would be astonishing if Grandt's action boosted his daughter's royalties by even $5." The editorial also says, "And wouldn't it be nice if the board applied the same zeal to officials who brazenly play around with hundreds of thousands of dollars."
