Principal Ridicules Innocent Child, Parades Her Around School

The Indy Channel ^ | November 10, 2005 | AP

[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.

[AmericanChef]

-School board officials have refused to say what kind of discipline Whitby could face.-

Clearly (pun!) the invisible kind.

[kinghorse]

sure. people make mistakes. the impression left with the kids when the Principal is run out on a rail will be worse than just letting it go. Kids pick up on this and the lesson is the school is not really serious about authority. They don't get all the subtleties like adults do.

[kinghorse]

oh well I'm sick and tired of little johnny and jilly being raised to believe they are the center of the world.

[kinghorse]

oh and kids will lie their butts off to avoid taking that rap. they'll do it even if they were raised to perfection. It's human nature to try it and see.

[NoClones]

the hag should have to apologize publicly to the child involved & the parents...

further, this principal should have to go from class to class and apologize to all the students, teachers as well!

maybe next time she won't jump to conclusions so quickly...maybe

[GovernmentShrinker]

The good part is that certainly the whole school knows about this by now, and none of the kids have the slightest respect for this sorry excuse for a principal. I hope they taunt her by chanting "Liar, liar, pants on fire!".

[Bob]

sure. people make mistakes. the impression left with the kids when the Principal is run out on a rail will be worse than just letting it go. Kids pick up on this and the lesson is the school is not really serious about authority. They don't get all the subtleties like adults do.

OK, so you are fine with abuse of authority. The kids and parents should just shut up and take it.

Are you, by chance, a member of this school board? You sure sound like you could be.

[Tomato lover]

> maybe next time she won't jump to conclusions so quickly...maybe

Yeah, and I bet she is a joy to live with. Any mention of her marital status? Is she gay or straight?

I am so grateful I have no children/grandchildren, that part is working out OK for me. :-)

Cheers,
TL

[RonF]

This principal should be fired even if the kid HAD stolen the money.

[derllak]

Just finished reading it this morning - great comparison!

[sport]

I do also.

And the girl's parents should sue her for slander and libel.

I personally would rather take out in hide any money I might get from sueing her though.

[Continental Soldier]

This isn't complicated -- fire her! She's a mean-spirited bully!

[pleasedontzotme]

Actually, the principal most likely does not have a union or civil service protection. She is part of management and, as such, is sort of a free agent.

At least, that's how it is in Ohio.

[GovernmentShrinker]

The kids SHOULDN'T think the school is serious about authority, while it has clowns like this woman serving as principal.

[Marty]

I agree that the child should be escorted to each room and stand while the principal corrects the story and makes an apology to her in front of all of the students.

Then, that principal should be escorted off the campus and dismissed permanently.

[Nebr FAL owner]

The school board is gonna catch all kinds of hell over this & is gonna get itself sued big time so is the teacher & rightly so IMHO.

[GretchenM]

Just finished reading it this morning

What are the chances of THAT!

I love the movie version, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, with William Hurt and Charlotte Gainsbourgh. Brockelhurst is well portrayed there.

From amazon.com: Franco Zeffirelli (Romeo and Juliet) and screenwriter Hugh Whitemore strip away a bit of the familiar romanticism of Charlotte Brontë's novel and come up with a more plain but somehow quite interesting film adaptation. Charlotte Gainsbourg makes for an oddly appealing but deliberately unlovely version of Jane (previous actresses have included Susannah York and Joan Fontaine), and William Hurt is excellent as an equally revised Rochester, brusque and self-involved but not the totem of torment and charisma we've seen before. The story clings to the usual chapters in the book, but with Zeffirelli shaping the principal characters to reflect their cautious perceptions of one another--rather than to a Hollywood notion of grand passion--the film has a wonderful accessibility. Great support from Joan Plowright, Billie Whitelaw, Anna Paquin, and the rest of the cast. --Tom Keogh

[This Just In]

Put a harness on her. She's an ass.

(no offense to donkey's)

[najida]

OH yes!

I think I've watched that version at least 5 times. Perfect characters....just right.

[SouthernFreebird]

I pretty much sick of the soft coddled attitudes of today. Moms are some the worst at undermining school authority.

Ignorant bullying adults with a little bit of power are the very reason moms have to step in. My kid isn't in school for you to do what you wish with. I expect my child to be treated with the same respect as any other person deserves.

Shame on you for taking the side of this overbearing, idiotic, unqualified b*tch of a principle.