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Write to Congress, Demand an Investigation

The allegations levied against DoDEA Director Dr. Shirley Miles and members of her Senior Staff at DoDEA Headquarters are serious and very troubling. The fact the allegations were made by a former DoDEA employee, Belinda Croteau, who spent nearly 10 years at DoDEA, including one year as Dr. Miles' executive assistant, gives them added credibility and cause for concern.

What Can I Do?

Write to your Senator or Member of Congress. Tell them to contact the Pentagon and demand an immediate investigation into Ms. Croteau's complaint against Dr. Miles and members of her Senior Staff.

You can find contact information for elected representatives at these links:
Senate
House of Representatives

We suggest you include a copy of FEA's letter to the DoD Inspector General, calling upon them to investigate Ms. Croteau's complaint, in order to supply your elected official with background information on this matter. The letter is also available in Word format, so you can cut-and-paste it into an email.To download the letter, right click the link above and select the "Save Target As" or "Select Link As" option.

Sample Letter

If you wish, copy the following letter and use it to write to Congress, or draft a letter of your own. The important thing is to write -- Let Congress know you will not let these allegations be swept under the rug -- and urge others to do the same!

Do not download or forward this information while on government time or while using government equipment. Also, do not forward this information to any government email account, such as DoDEA Outlook mail.

Title 5, Section 7211 of the U.S. Code protects your right as an employee to address your concerns to Congress. It reads, "The right of employees, individually or collectively, to petition Congress or a Member of Congress, or to furnish information to either House of Congress, or to a committee or Member thereof, may not be interfered with or denied.

If at any time you feel your rights under the above quoted law are being violated, contact your FEA attorney immediately.

Get addresses or find email forms for your elected representatives at www.senate.gov and www.house.gov.

Letter to Congress

Dear (name of your Senator or Representative),

I am calling upon you, as my elected representative, to contact the office of the Department of Defense Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DoDIG DCIS) and demand that they begin an immediate and thorough investigation of the allegations made against Dr. Shirley Miles, Director of the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), and members of her Senior Staff.

The allegations -- which include nepotism and other improper hiring practices, possible wrongdoing in the awarding of a multi-million dollar government contract, and various instances of waste, fraud and abuse -- are contained in a complaint filed with the DoDIG DCIS office on September 10, 2009, by Belinda Croteau, a former DoDEA employee who worked directly under Dr. Miles.

I am including a copy of a letter sent to the DoD Inspector General on October 7, 2009, by the Federal Education Association (FEA), which represents DoDEA faculty and staff, supporting the call for an investigation into this matter. The FEA letter will provide you with more detail on the allegations made in Ms. Croteau's complaint.

The allegations made by Ms. Croteau cause serious concern to me as a (state your relationship with DoDEA here, for example: parent of a DoDEA students, educator in the DoDEA system, student at a DoDEA school, etc.) and to anyone with an interest in maintaining our excellent school system. The integrity and well being of our schools, and the military families they serve, demand an immediate and thorough investigation, with appropriate disciplinary actions for any wrongdoing found.

Thank you for your actions on my behalf and please let me know when the DoDIG DCIS office begins its investigation.

Sincerely,
(your name)