Posted on 11/10/2005 1:55:38 PM PST by Abathar
ELIZABETH, Pa. -- Angry parents told a school board it should fire an elementary school principal who publicly shamed an 8-year-old girl falsely accused of stealing $5 from another student.
William Penn Elementary School Principal Marlene Whitby paraded the girl from class to class last month, calling her a liar and thief. Soon after, the student who made the theft accusation recanted her story.
Whitby apologized privately to Katie White after the family complained to school administrators, but not publicly, said Ryan White, the girl's father.
Elizabeth Forward School Board members told angry parents at a meeting Wednesday they are "appropriately" handling the issue.
The president of the board, Lowell Meek, said he understood White's anger.
"If you understood my anger, (Whitby) would be gone," White said.
White said he spoke to Whitby and she acknowledged that she didn't look at a school bus video or talk to the bus driver to verify the theft accusation.
Tom DeRosa, a Forward Township supervisor who has a third-grade daughter, asked the board why it has taken nearly a month to investigate Whitby.
"There's no mystery about what happened," DeRosa said. "It should have taken one day."
Whitby, who remains the school's principal, didn't immediately return a message left at the school Thursday.
School board officials have refused to say what kind of discipline Whitby could face.
Run her out of town. She's a bully.
Marlene should have to stand in front of the school for 8 hours a day for the rest of the school year with a sign stating what an incompetent piece of s#it she is.
Will this child be scarred for life for this? Hardly. We treat our children too softly these days.
Dont know much about this teacher except that she is definitely a Democrat, they do this type of thing all the time --accuse people of wrongdoing and never apologising.
Ask George Bush or Rumsfield, or ask Harriet Miers.
Wow, only 2% think she should keep her job. Good! Fire the hussy!
What the hell kind of approach to discipline is that for an eight-year old, anyway? How is that supposed to get the child to distinguish between right and wrong, as opposed merely between getting caught or not caught? Add to that the fact the kid was innocent, well maybe the principal should be paraded around from class to class and called a liar and a moron.
Fire her.
A bully with incredibly poor judgement. Even if the child was guilty as sin, the principal's actions were still stupid.
But the principal has civil service protection and a union to back her. I am glad it is not my child; I'd be the one in jail, I fear.
What's worse is that liberals don't punish guilty liberals.
If you want to give her a piece of your mind:
http://www.efsd.net/willpenn.html
William Penn Elementary School 412-896-2330
3923 William Penn Road, Monongahela, PA 15063
Ms. Marlene Whitby, Principal
Mrs. Carol Hoover, Secretary
mwhitby@efsd.net
People like her are a good argument for bringing back stocks. A few hours of getting pelted with garbage would set her straight.
Thank you, firing away...
The principal is a rank coward. Abuse of an eight year-old child in public, but a private apology? Someone suggested having her stand in public for hours with a sign around her neck. Sounds good to me.
Ping for your idea.
Thanks.
Ditto!
Dismissed!
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