School Prober Finds Disabled Temp Scam

By HOWARD MEGDAL

One current and one former Department of Education employee conspired to submit false medical claims by temporary workers hired by the department's Assessment and Accountability Scan Center to fill positions the temp agency reserves for disabled employees, according to Special Commissioner of Investigation Richard J. Condon.

RICHARD CONDON: Let the bad temps roll.

Rosalyn Sellers, a DOE employee at the Scan Center in Long Island City, was in charge of hiring. According to Mr. Condon, she "facilitated" the passing of false medical forms sold for $25 apiece by Cassandra Thompson, a former DOE employee who worked at GoodTemps, the company supplying the temporary workers. Ms. Thompson, a 17-year employee with DOE, left in 1998 after being convicted of welfare fraud.

Ms. Sellers, over a period of several years, insisted that all Scan Center temps come through GoodTemps, and testimony by several DOE employees indicated that she dismissed repeated suspicions about the qualifications and medical histories of the temp agency's candidates. The company's policy is that 75 percent of all hires must be disabled; just two of the 916 employees hired by DOE between Jan. 1, 2004 and June 30, 2006 were given a background check by GoodTemps to determine the veracity of their claims.

According to the report, the improper hiring extended beyond false disability claims - it was determined that a number of convicted felons had gone to work for DOE, including Ms. Thompson, who was explicitly prohibited from working for the department following her conviction.

Mr. Condon's report stated that Ms. Sellers "has no place in the New York City school system." He recommended she be terminated, placed on the ineligible list, and that her actions be considered if she sought future employment with the city. He also referred the case to the Queens District Attorney's Office for possible criminal prosecution.

Mr. Condon also recommended more stringent regulations for GoodTemps to follow when determining disability. The agency did not respond to a call seeking comment.

In addition, the SCI called for the department to conduct background checks of all employees, temporary or permanent, prior to being placed at a facility.

DOE spokesman Keith Kalb said, "The misconduct described in the Special Commissioner's report is completely unacceptable. We are bringing disciplinary charges against the DOE employee who facilitated the fraudulent scheme, and we will no longer permit a consultant who was not forthcoming in the investigation to continue performing work for the DOE. We also appreciate the Special Commissioner's other recommendations, and we will work with GoodTemps to ensure that additional safeguards are in place to avoid this sort of scheme in the future."