This fall the Fayette County Public Schools announced that Peggy Petrilli would be leaving Booker T. Washington Academy two weeks into the third year of her reformation project.Fayette School Superintendent Stu Silberman was sued today in Fayette Circuit Court for racial discrimination. The suit charges Silberman and Carmen Coleman, Fayette Schools Director, with manufacturing evidence, creating an intolerable work environment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and violating the civil rights of former Booker T. Washington Academy Principal Peggy Petrelli.
Petrelli was forced to resign in August 2007. She was the Kentucky Association of Elementary School Principals 2005 Principal of the Year.
The suit asks for compensatory and punitive damages. The Fayette County Board of Education is also listed as a co-defendant.
Brought in to turn around two chronically low-performing schools, in the aggressive fashion regularly touted for top school administrators these days, she soon ran afoul of some parents.
Time passed.
Things happened.
Finally a list of concerns was presented to Superintendent Stu Silberman by a group of parents.
After the meeting, Silberman had a chat with Petrilli. Petrilli decides to resign or retire from BTW Academy.
Petrilli said, "I have decided to leave Booker T. Washington for the sake of our students..."
Silberman said she never asked to stay.
Folks are skittish.
Last month Kentucky School News & Commentary submitted an open records request for a copy of the Fayette County Public Schools report of an on-going internal investigation of the Booker T Washington Academy. I was told that no such report existed. If my sources are correct, the board attorney was directed to conduct the investigation, and her work was nearing completion. I said I'd check back.
Here we go.
Updated: Now this from the Herald-Leader, including Peggy Petrilli's lawsuit against the Fayette County schools.
4 comments:
I notice you haven't approved my previous comment about the possibility of the real truth being in email correspondence.
Maybe you would approve this one and respond about why the other wasn't approved?
A few things:
First, you signed in as "anonymous" so I don't know who I'm communicating with or what you said. Why not tell us who you are next time?
Second,I don't swing at every pitch. That's just me. This is my blog; not my life.
Third, I think I did respond. If I'm right, you'll find it here:
http://theprincipal.blogspot.com/2007/11/silberman-clarifies-investigation-of.html
I agreed with you, by the way. But didn't go that route. (See #2 above)
Peggy and I were colleagues and friends. I know Stu a little bit and respect the job he is doing for a school district I care very much about.
But my comments here are business, not personal. And however this turns out - who among us is perfect?
I happen to think this story has great implications for public school administration in the age of reform. It challenges our understanding of what we are asking our school principals to do and under what conditions.
This is kinda like Billy Gillispie throwing Patrick Patterson off the team over some dispute. Or, Patrick just leaving. ...the kinda thing you'd never expect.
You are joking when you ask me to tell you who I am, right? Do you really think a FCPS employee, just for example, could post something here, use their real name, and not have anything to be concerned about?
Anyway, I was just wondering why you didn't approve my previous comment. I merely pointed out that the truth may possibily be found in email correspondence and email correspondence is available under open records requests.
You are right...it's your blog. Thank you for your time.
Dear FCPS employee,
That explains it.
No, I don't imagine you would in a position to opine without consequence.
I'm glad you saw that I did respect your point and responded.
Perhaps I'm just being a bit lame at this point. But this thing isn't over.
Thanks for stopping by - and keep those ideas coming!
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