When a school official's actions lead to a controversy that distracts staff and students from teaching and learning, a school board may have to act decisively, an Iowa State University education expert said Tuesday.
"When that happens, the school board is completely (within) their right to make sure that distraction from the educational program is taken care of, is removed," said David Whaley, associate dean for teacher education.
That is apparently what happened at the West Harrison Community School District on Monday evening.
The school board fired middle- and high-school Principal Mike Loftin after a pants prank gone wrong. The vote to sever ties with Loftin was unanimous, said Superintendent Joel Foster.
Also, Harrison County Sheriff Patrick Sears said Tuesday his office has concluded a criminal investigation into the incident and has turned its findings over to the County Attorney's Office. Calls to Harrison County Attorney Jennifer Mumm were not returned Tuesday
Freshman Callie Merriman, a guard on the girls basketball team, has said that on Jan. 20, Loftin, who also served as the varsity basketball coach, pulled down her warm-up pants in public as the team was preparing to board a bus to a game. She was not wearing her basketball shorts underneath, only underwear.
Foster would not describe the discussion that occurred in a closed session before the vote to sack Loftin.
He said school board attorney Jim Hanks presented members information, and members based their decision on that.
Said Whaley, the Iowa State professor: "I feel so bad for the student . I also feel badly for the principal, (whose) life has changed forever as a result of this one . poor action on his part."
Callie, 15, has described the incident like this: She left the girls locker room in warm-up pants as the basketball team prepared to board a bus. She had forgotten her basketball shorts at home earlier that day and had gone home to get them, but they were still in her purse.
"When I came out, I was standing by the boys locker room," she told The World-Herald last week. "We were just standing there, and he was talking and I guess he meant it as a joke and just yanked at my warm-up pants. . I screamed, 'I'm not wearing any pants underneath!'"
She said the pants went down to her knees. Callie went to the ground, tried to hide her underwear and pulled her pants back up.
"I felt really shocked. Embarrassed. I was real humiliated because all the boys were behind me. It was just ... real embarrassing," she said.
Attempts to reach Loftin were unsuccessful Tuesday.
Loftin was relieved of his duties immediately, but he will remain under contract and continue to draw a paycheck through the end of the school year. Iowa's procedures for a midyear termination of administrators are unclear, Hanks said.
"We know we have the right to end the contract at the end of the year," Hanks said. "The board decided to play it safe."
The school board directed Foster, the superintendent, to file a complaint with the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners, the state body that licenses and disciplines educators.
George Maurer, executive director of the examiners board, said that if sanction is deemed appropriate there are three possibilities: a letter of reprimand, suspension of a teacher's license for a period of time or a permanent revocation of a teaching certificate.
The board looked at about 100 cases in calender year 2011, Maurer said.
According to the state education departments in Nebraska and Iowa, Loftin has taught or been a principal at several schools in both states, including in Alliance, West Point, Council Bluffs and Malvern.
Said Foster: "We're ready to be done talking about it and back to be educating our kids. It's been a big enough deal for the past week-and-a-half. We just need to be done with it."
This report includes material from Mike Brownlee of the World-Herald News Service.
Contact the writer:
402-444-1310, andrew.nelson@owh.com
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