WAYNESBORO – Five parents spoke out before the Waynesboro Area School District Board of Directors Tuesday night, Jan. 27, highlighting what they feel are questionable accusations against Summitview Elementary School Principal Steven Pappas, who has been on paid administrative leave since September, and the cost of the hearings and their impact on local taxpayers.
So far, the board has held two nights of hearings, each drawing some 150 spectators, and each running more than five hours, as the attorney for the school board called witnesses, who were also cross-examined by Pappas’ attorney. Pappas will present his side at a 5 p.m. hearing Friday, Jan. 30, at Hooverville Elementary School, 10829 Buchanan Trail E.
Pappas was suspended with pay from his position in September, and the board voted in November to demote him to teaching. He chose his right to request a public hearing on his demotion.
Parents took the opportunity to share their thoughts and concerns in the open forum of the Tuesday board meeting.
Allison Bailey said, “The allegations themselves are troubling in what they do not involve; there are no claims of student harm, academic misconduct, financial wrongdoing or safety concerns.”
She then stated, as did others, that the allegations against Pappas are more of a personal nature than that of a professional one. They seemed to center on disagreements about how he communicates such as tone of voice, the way in which he communicates, and how he handles his decision making.
Another parent, John Copley, voiced his concern about the cost of the hearings. He stated that he feels that the amount of school tax he pays each year is not being used properly as the hearings are being drawn out.
Parent Ashley Wilburn, who organized a petition drive seeking Pappas’ reinstatement, also spoke to the board. She said the petition has now received over 1,500 signatures from the local community and that the concerns that the board was hearing have been voiced in hundreds of comments on the petition page and other social media platforms.
Wilburn said a parent told her that Pappas once gave his shoes to a graduating student who did not own a pair of dress shoes so that he could walk across the stage and receive his diploma.
Another story was shared about a student at Summitview who was very shy and scared about coming to a new school. Pappas would meet her at the car and personally walk her into the school until she felt more comfortable and made friends.
It was also stated that he knew all the Summitview students by name and would personally greet each one when he encountered them.
At the Jan. 13 board meeting, Lindsay Weaver thanked the public for coming to the meeting. She saidd that she is a recently appointed board member who approaches the role as a parent first and is committed to common sense, integrity and thoughtful decision-making.
She emphasized that she will not vote for matters without clarity or conviction. She read letters of support that she received for Pappas. She noted the current board did not authorize the statement of charges or the demotion of the Summitview principal, as that action was taken before three new members were sworn in on Dec. 2. She challenged board members to consider if they are acting on hard facts and evidence or hearsay in conjunction with animosity.
And board member Clint Pentz thanked the public for coming to the meeting and emphasized that “bullying and retaliation” have no place within the school district.
As for costs, district officials have declined to provide direct information, referring inquiries to written documents they say can be found online. Requests for more specific information were referred a Freedom of Information Act . One parent said the district has spent $13,000 so far on one attorney and appears to be paying another as well.
